A little update

A little update:

On October 3, I underwent a left mastectomy.

My surgery was scheduled in Las Vegas. My husband recently has taken a job in Las Vegas and a breast and plastic surgeon team he works with came highly recommended. So Dizzy dog and I traveled from Park City to Las Vegas and checked into an Airbnb that would serve as our home base as I recovered from surgery.

Pre-Op at UMC in Las Vegas

Although I had a right mastectomy in 2011, I wasn't totally sure what to expect this time around as my surgeons were using a different technique. I was pretty fascinated with this new technique where instead of cutting the pectoralis major muscle and placing the tissue expander underneath, my plastic surgeon placed the tissue expander over the pec muscle (pre pectoral) and supported the entire breast with alloderm.  Research shows this method to have decreased acute and chronic pain as well as improved cosmetic outcome. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28574950  So far, I would say I have to agree! 

I awoke from surgery with minimal pain and only slightly nauseous. I vaguely remember Shannon and my surgeon talking about my follow-up appointment. Apparently, I was an active participant in this conversation with a drug-induced VERY LOUD voice 😂.  I felt good enough that Shannon drove me and my 2 pet drains back to the Airbnb.

Me and my pet drains

The next day I awoke with minimal pain. It truly was amazing and surprising. My rule of thumb for pain medication is if there is no pain when I'm sitting still I'm good. Tylenol and Ibuprofen were able to control my pain and I only required a narcotic for the first two nights. Based on my experience so far, a pre pectoral mastectomy is significantly less painful than a sub pectoral mastectomy. 

By day 3, I was able to go for short hikes. Nature truly does heal, I would return from my short hikes feeling invigorated and content. I also found out that the suspicious mass that started this cascade of events was completely benign. Phew! 

Hiking with drains

I found a rhythm of healing my first week post-op. I would wake up, take Dizzy for a walk on the adjacent greenway, take an afternoon nap, and when Shannon returned from work we would go for a hike with increased duration each day. 

At one week post-op one of my drains was removed and I was down to one pet drain.  Freedom! 

Note: This is a new mastectomy friendly bra made by Athleta. I have been super impressed with it. 

It is adjustable in every way imaginable, is waaaay more comfortable than the post-surgical bra, 

and it's not pink! If it had a hook for drains it would be perfect! 

At this point I felt good enough to drive myself to St. George to stay at our rental condo. While the Airbnb served its purpose well, it was so nice to stay someplace that felt like home! 

On Day 12 post-op, Shannon and I did a relatively mellow 7-mile hike in Kolob Canyon. Around every corner was a breathtaking view. I highly recommend this beautiful and accessible hike!

I also started a gentle Range of Motion program. The gentle stretching helped decrease pain, as a stiff shoulder is an uncomfortable shoulder. Note: Post mastectomy patients are at increased risk for rotator cuff injuries. It is super important to participate in consistent shoulder range of motion and stability exercises for life! 

In this photo I do not yet have full left upper extremity range, 

so I used a pillow to support my left arm as to not over stretch. 

After my second drain was removed, I returned to Park City and work. I also started riding the bike a bit starting on a recumbent, graduating to a trainer, and eventually riding the roads outside. TIP: Riding the full suspension mountain bike on the road (instead of a road bike) helps dampen out the road bumps and gets me riding outside sooner.

Weeks 3,4, and 5 I dabbled with a little off-road riding, but honestly it was like magic when I hit the 6-week mark; I could tell my body was properly healed for some legitimate off-road riding.

Park City weather has been very cooperative for mountain biking this Fall!

Just one day shy of week 7, I returned for my reconstructive surgery where the tissue expander was exchanged for a permament silicone implant.

At UMC Hospital in Las Vegas waking up from surgery. 

My surgical team has been AMAZING! 

I am now set-back to post-op Day 2. I can already tell that recovery from this much less invasive surgery is going to be quite quick, however I also know that the first two weeks are pivotal for complete healing of the incision. So, I'm back to walking.  If I'm forced to walk, there is no place I would rather be than wandering the desert of Southern Utah!

Getting some Desert and Vitamin D therapy

Seeing as tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for my health and this little family of mine. I will be back at it in no time and we're already making plans to make 2018 great! 

I am a Mountain Bike Lifer

I am a Mountain Bike Lifer.

Photo: Michael Darter

I started mountain biking in college.  That was the mid-90s.

At the time, mountain biking was a "newish" sport and I needed a replacement sport for Horseback Riding.  Surprisingly, mountain biking was the less expensive of the two.  Flowing through trees and being alone in the forest were just two of the things that made mountain biking appealing to me.  It was also immediately therapeutic.

Now, 20+ years later, I can honestly say that mountain biking has changed my life.  Mountain biking is special and it has always been there for me during tough times.

The past few months have been no exception.  My husband and I are in the midst of making some big life decisions, but all that seemed trivial when the results from my "routine" July MRI showed a suspicious new mass in my left breast.  This is my "other" breast.  The one that has never had cancer.  If you know radiologist lingo it was subjectively deemed a BI-RADS 4a-just suspicious enough to warrant a biopsy.

Me and my husband at the races this summer.  Photo: Michael Darter

So I went in for an Ultrasound guided biopsy.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the ultrasound didn't detect the mass so I was then scheduled for a MRI-guided biopsy.  Two weeks later I returned for this procedure.  The oncologist, who came in special for this my appointment, sat me down and told me he had reviewed the previous MRI and was concerned that there was a high risk of rupturing my implant during the procedure (I have a small implant to help with symmetry).  We discussed the options.  I decided to not risk the rupture on that day and made the decision to schedule a mastectomy.  It is tentatively scheduled October 2nd and will be confirmed after consultation with the breast and plastic surgeon later this month.

While this may seem like an impulsive decision, it really wasn't.  I have been thinking about getting a prophylactic mastectomy for a long time.  I just don't like down time so I was putting it off.  This mass just made it a little less prophylactic and a little more urgent.  I am at complete 100% peace with this decision.

Now, back to being a Mountain Bike Lifer.  I continued to ride and race my bike this summer, and while I was often distracted, felt fatigued due to mental stress, and even considered pulling the plug on the race season many times, I can't imagine what a basketcase I would have been without mountain biking.  Once again, mountain biking was my savior.

This past weekend I raced the Park City Point 2 Point, a 75-mile, 12,000+ feet of climbing, 99% singletrack race course that is basically in my back yard.  I have raced the pcp2p three times.  I know how hard it is both physically and mentally, and honestly, I wasn't sure until a few days before the race if I had the mental strength to finish it this year.  Finally, the Thursday before the race, I committed.  Saturday morning the alarm went off at 4:30 AM in time for me to eat breakfast and get to the race start by 7AM.  I then spent the next 8.5+ hours racing my bike as hard as I could.  While I didn't score too many PRs, I rode my personal best ON THIS DAY and that was good enough to finish 10th place Pro Women in a solid field.  For 8.5 hours my mind was completely in the moment.  I didn't think about the mass or the upcoming surgery, I focused on one pedal stroke at a time, eating, drinking, some suffering, and even occasionally taking in the views.  If nothing else, the pcp2p reminded me just how incredibly strong I am!

Park City Point to Point 2017 Photo: Angie Harker

Point to Point finish smiles Photo: Angie Harker

I now have 4 weeks of off-season before the rest of my Fall/Winter is spent recovering from surgeries.  I will happily take all positive vibes that this is a benign mass, or better yet nothing at all! As for the next 4 weeks, I plan to make the most of it!  #mountainbikelifer