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If you don't beleive in fate and love - you will after this.

July 15, 2005 - Rhett N Jen crash into eachother at underground Atlanta at a Weezer Concert.  Yes, literally crashed.  We were holding hands by the end of the concert and danced the rest of the night away singing our favorite Weezer songs "Say it Ain't So" and "Undone".

Januaary 21, 2006 - Rhett proposed on my birthday in North Carolina.  That's a story all itself involving my favorite animal, the Belted Galloway Cow.  Wedding date is set and being planned for July 15, 2006 our 1 year anniversary.

May 2006 Rhett is diagnosed with testicular cancer. 

May 21, 2006 Rhett N Jen tie the knot at the court house.  This was not a situation we wanted to go through not being husband and wife.  Wedding ceremony postponed to October 21, 2006.

August 2006 Rhett finishes chemo and gets a clear scan - yahhhoooey.  The same day, and I am not kidding you... the SAME DAY I got test results back that I had breast cancer.  What the eff?

September 2006 - left breast lumpectomy.

October 2006 - 2 weeks before the wedding ceremony lymph nodes removed and diagnosed with Stage II, Her2 Positive, BRAC 1 positive.

October 21, 2006 - We finally had that wedding ceremony!  Somehow I pulled off wearing that dress all day after having surgery under my arm!  Adrenaline for sure.

October - November 2006 - we went on our honeymoon.  It was fabulous.

November 2006 day after getting home from honeymoon my port was placed and chemo began that week.

April 2007 - chemo completed!!  Yay

June 2007 - Double mastectomy / Breast Reconstruction (Lat Dorsi procedure)

July 2007 - Expanders replaced with implants.  Ovaries removed - get ready for permanent menopause :(

August 2007 - Felt a lump under my arm.  Everyone is under the impression it's just fluids or soemthing from the implant.  I had surgery to remove the lump and damned if it wasn't cancer 4 months after freaggin chemo!

September 2007 - I am now triple negative. 

October 2007 - January 2008 Radiation

Since then I've had several more surgeries to complete my reconstructive process.  Both of our scans have come out clean!  Rhett and I are finally in our honeymoon stage of marriage after 4 years.  It has been a hell of a ride and thank god every day that fate brought my husband and I together.  I don't think either of us could have done it without eachother. Mwuah to my hubby.

An article was recenlty forwarded to me about chronic breast cancer pains.  I have been struggling through pain related to my reconstruction surgery for 3 years.  I am 29 years old and  sometimes get so frusterated with my pain that I sometimes loathe my decision of ever thinking that boobies were important enough to keep in my life.  I did the latissimus dorsi flap surgery.  I basically want to squeeze, pull, and pinch the area constantly where my lat muscle was harvested up through my side and under my armpit.  It is clear and common about my under arm with the surgery and radiation but not so much with my back.   It could be nerves, then it could be muscle, or it could be both.  Regardless my life consists of a ton of yoga, massages, and even the occassional japanese acupunture to keep me in relief -- which is a very expensive lifestyle to keep!

I was surprised that the statistic doubled for younger women who had auxillary lymph node dissection, which I did.  But relieved to find out that after 5 years the pain may settle down.  I am hoping to one day be able to wear a bra all day!  The article did lean towards a particular nerve that can be damaged through extensive surgeries.  To alleviate this problem, surgical procedures are being perfected.  The goal is nerve sparring procedures that are less invasive especially in your auxillary nodes.

I talk to people all the time that are my age,,, not my age,,,  and no one seems to have the consistant irritating pains I have.  It was nice to find an article that pretty much hit the nail on the head for me.  It was atleast comforting to know I am not insane and dreaming this all up!

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/new_research/20091110b.jsp