Breast Cancer Update – Dallas Cancer Doctors
It has been a busy couple of weeks. Last week, I had my endoscopy. My mom came to Austin to help out and take care of the boys during my procedure. Everything looked good. The biopsies were benign. It was time to head to Dallas to see my Dallas cancer doctors for breast reconstruction and follow-ups.
Breast Cancer Update – Dallas Cancer Doctors
Getting Another Breast Tissue Expansion for Breast Implants and Reconstruction after Breast Cancer
Wednesday I had an appointment with the plastic surgeon. He was pleased with my progress. I got another expansion of my breast expanders. It wasn’t too bad. I’m just a tiny bit sore.
Life After the Last Chemo
Thursday was a big day for many reasons. It had been 3 weeks since my last chemo treatment. My treatments were every 3 weeks, so it would have been another chemo day if I hadn’t had completed my treatments. It feels great to be finally done and be able to actually recover from chemo without getting hit again when I just started feeling better.
More Appointments with Dallas Cancer Doctors
Thursday, I had three more appointments with the breast surgeon, oncologist, and gynecological oncologist.
Breast Cancer Follow-Ups for Triple Negative Breast Cancer and BRCA1 Mutation
The breast surgeon said everything looked good and I see her again in 6 months. The oncologist confirmed I’m definitely done with chemo. She said I can now have my port removed. The breast surgeon will be able to remove it during an office visit. I just need to figure out when I will be in Dallas next and schedule it to be removed. Since I’m triple negative (the cancer is not affected by hormones) there are no further drugs I need to take. I will have follow ups every 3 months now.
The gynecological oncologist discussed the ovarian cancer risk with me again. She believes I don’t necessarily need to do the hysterectomy or oophorectomy (ovary removal) next month as originally planned, but I should definitely have my ovaries removed by the time I’m 35. She ordered base line tests (blood and ovary scan), which my dad took me to today. Basically, as soon as I feel I’m ready, we should remove my ovaries. The risk of getting ovarian cancer by the age of 40 is only 2.2% (from BRCA1 mutation), but it goes up significantly after that. Until then, I will meet with her and get the blood test and ovaries scan every six months.
Right now, I want to focus on feeling better and getting back to normal. Then, I’ll start thinking about when to have another surgery.
Recommended Breast Cancer Doctors in Dallas
Anyway, I walked out of the appointments feeling pretty optimistic about everything. I have been so pleased with all of my doctors and the whole UT Southwestern system. The doctors are very professional and knowledgeable. They also have a great bedside manner. All of them have taken the time to sit and talk with us as long as we needed. I have never felt rushed. I hope you never need these services, but if you or anyone you know does I highly recommend UT Southwestern Medical Center and my doctors; Dr. Teotia (Plastic Surgeon), Dr. Leitch (Breast Surgeon), Dr. Harker-Murray (Oncologist), and Dr. Kehoe (Gyn. Oncologist).
A Stomach Bug After Breast Cancer Treatment
I must have picked up a stomach virus or something. For about a week now I haven’t been feeling so great. The doctors weren’t concerned about it.
Finishing Breast Reconstruction after Bilateral Mastectomy
Overall, besides the stomach bug, I’m feeling pretty good now. I still have a few more procedures to think about in the near future. The next will be one or two more expansions and then the breast implant surgery. We are thinking that surgery will likely be in April or May. I won’t know until the last expansion.
I’m looking forward to moving on and getting all of this behind me. I have started tutoring again. I really enjoy tutoring – not just for the extra money, but it gets me out of the house and doing something that helps others. Seeing all of the kids again was fun.
Breast Cancer Update After Finishing Chemo
Well, I just wanted to update you all on what has been going on. I know some of the frequent readers of the blog were concerned when they saw I hadn’t updated in a while.
I hope you all are doing well.
Read more about my breast cancer journey from 2009 to the present here.
If you know anyone having a mastectomy or other breast surgery, these breast cancer recovery shirts are a must-have.
Rachel Belkin is an Austin, Texas blogger, entrepreneur, speaker, freelance writer, and educator. After selling her lifestyle blog for six figures in 2021, she teaches business, blogging, and influencer marketing strategies that helped her build her business on part-time hours. Bylines include MSN, HuffPost, Medium, NewsBreak, and Hometalk. She has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, CBS Austin, and other news and media outlets.
