Expansion.

It's not just for bridges anymore.

By TEAM ANISSA

December 12^th, 2014

WEEK 21

December 12, 2014

Did you you know if you combine Day Light Saving, the month of December, and the approaching holidays you can make time move faster and simultaneously increase traffic throughout Los Angeles County. It’s true.

It seems like December is quickly whizzing by – and then suddenly it quickly changes into a matrix-esque slow motion scene once December 26th roles around. Chemotherapy treatments, however, always have that slow-motion feel. I guess that whole ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ thing is true – because, chemo doesn’t go by quickly and certainly isn’t fun.

Last Friday was Anissa’s second chemo treatment. She knew what to expect this time so her nerves were in better shape than previously. These treatments are far from glamorous and this one was very much the same as the first. Anissa sat in a different infusion bay (that sounds like it’s out of a science-fiction novel) so it offered a different view of the nurse’s station. This treatment dragged… maybe because her appointment was later in the day? Maybe it was the sun going down earlier? Or maybe it was just because it lasted five hours. Yeah, that’s probably it.

Anissa spent that following Monday and Tuesday resting and getting through the flu-like side effects of the chemo – just as we anticipated. We now know the pattern. While we’re together everyday – we, in essence, say goodbye to each other on Sunday night and know we’ll see each other again sometime around Wednesday afternoon. During this time there are no major decisions made, nor are there any major discussions held. These days are all about getting through it as comfortably as possible and keeping that metal taste away.

I’m going to break stride a bit and jump to a topic that didn’t exactly take place during week 21… but its’ worth mentioning: Reconstruction.

Say the word ‘construction’ and you immediately think of steel girders and hard hats. Say the words “breast reconstruction” and you think of steel girders and doctors wearing hard hats.

When Anissa mentioned her plan for reconstruction with her oncologist, he likened the experience to walking around with two cereal bowls strapped to your chest for a while. Of all the descriptions we’ve heard, this is probably the most accurate analogy given so far.

To be clear – Anissa has no feeling in and around the area where her breasts used to be. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Niente. She can feel pressure but there is no sensitivity. Remember that trick we used to do as kids? Where you hold your hand up to someone else’s hand, then feel both yours and their index finger with your opposite thumb and index finger. It’s that creepy feeling – where you feel something but not everything. A dull, muted sensation that creeped you out for some reason.

I mention this because Anissa had an “expansion visit” recently. She was terrified and I was fascinated. There are expanders which currently sit between Anissa’s chest wall and the muscle, underneath where breast tissue once was. The job of the expander is to slowly stretch the muscle and skin over time to make room for the final implant. This process takes months… and this was her first visit. Or as we like to call them “Fill ups”.

The doctor injects approximately 50cc of saline into each expander. There is an access port built into the expander located about 5 inches in from each armpit. This is under the skin and isn’t visible. Under the port is a metal plate. The metal plate acts as both protection, preventing the needle from puncturing the expander and also as a device allowing the use of a magnet to locate the port from the outside the body, just over the skin.

Once the doctor located the fill port – he marks it with an X, cleans the area, injects the needle, then begins filling. Anissa cringed, shut her eyes, squeezed my hand in anticipation and in the end, felt nothing but pressure. Not even a pinch.