I called Bay Health and spoke to the women who referred me to the plastic surgeon I have now. I told her the new surgeons office was charging me co pays and that I didn’t think I should have to pay because its post op. She said, “You are seeing a new surgeon but let me call the office and see what I can do.” She would see if they would waive the fee for me.  I said, “Thank you that would be great.” She told me if I didn’t hear from her in a couple of days I should give her a call back. The last thing I needed was more bills so I was hopeful that she could take care of this for me. Even though I was insured through my husband’s company, I still had hospital bills after the insurance paid a percentage. I had been out of work because of the cancer and with the relapse I would not be able to return to work. I had applied for disability when I was diagnosed in December of two thousand and thirteen. I was denied twice and I had to obtain a lawyer to help me get a court date so a judge could hear my case and make a decision. With the recurrence of cancer I did not think I had to wait months for a hearing.  I had contacted my lawyer and made her aware of my recurrence. When there was nothing she could do I took matters into my own hands. I emailed a letter about my situation to our senator for our county. I received a response and he had someone contact me who sent me out a form so that I could get my hearing moved up. All I had to do was fill out the form and get a letter from my doctor stating that my cancer had spread and I would be getting more treatment. I did this right away and faxed it off to the number that was on the form. It was about a month later when I heard that based on the relapse my disability was approved. My lawyer had called to tell me the news and then I received a letter in the mail. I had asked my lawyer when I would start getting my payment. She told me she did not know how long it would take social security to process it. He guess was 3 months. I was so happy. I did not understand why I did not get it with my first cancer diagnosis but I would be getting now. Having this money would allow me to pay bills. I would no longer have to worry about not working for income.

plastic surgeon discussion

I went home that afternoon to discuss the new surgeon’s practices and procedures with my husband. I told him the surgeon and staff was nice and caring but, I had felt uneasy about the way he filled my implant. I also told my husband the surgeon said no more fills where necessary.  I love my husband and I value his opinion.  I asked him what he thought because people just have a way of looking at things from a different perspective. He didn’t think I should worry and that the other surgeon was just overly cautious. He said, “Didn’t other women get their reconstruction from him and were happy.” I said, “Yes he came highly recommended.” My husband said, “This is your first appointment give him a chance.” He said, “Maybe next time it will be better.” I said, “It better be.”  My husband then said, “You should be happy about not getting any more fills, don’t they hurt anyway?” I said, “Yes but I just don’t understand why the other surgeon wanted to over expand to 640 and this one said he doesn’t need to.”  My husband said, “We are just lucky that you could get another surgeon to take over for the other one and finish what he had started.” I said, “This is true.” I went on to tell him I was going to have to give Bay Health a call about the copay I was charged. I told him with the other surgeon I had no copay because it was post operation.  Even though I have a new plastic surgeon, it should still be the same. He agreed with me. 

New Plastic Surgeon appointment

Today I will be meeting with my new plastic surgeon. His office is about the same distance away but in a different direction of my previous plastic surgeon. I walked in the office and signed my name in. The nurse gave me a bunch of forms to fill out. There office had received all my records from the other plastic surgeon. They did charge me my co pay which I later dispute with Bay Health. The nurse who called me back was very nice. She had a pleasant personality. She went over with me where I am with my reconstruction. She told me the doctor will be right in. I was greeted by a tall athletic looking man with sandy blonde hair. I would say he is about ten years older than me. He was quite attractive. I think I remember hearing about his reputation from other women as being very handsome. I see know what they meant. He told me he had looked at all of my records.” I will be taking over for your other plastic surgeon and finish your reconstruction”, he said.  He asked me to take of my shirt so that he could take a look at my implant and tissue ex-pander. He said that my tissue ex pander looked good but he would fill it just a little more. I told him the other surgeon was going to fill it to 640 which is the same size the other one was over expanded to. This surgeon than said, “I don’t need to over fill it by that much.” He then told me to lie back and he would go ahead and fill it now. The nurse then took a swab and cleaned my skin where my right breast used to be.  She then took out a magnet and lined it up with the metal that is under my skin. She then marks the spot where the needle will go in. The surgeon then injected some saline in to expand my skin. Right away I said, “You do this different than the other surgeon did.” The nurse asked how. I said, “The nurse would line up the magnet with the metal and mark the spot with a magic marker. “The nurse would then lay the chair back flat and I would wait for the surgeon to come in.”  “She then would put a bib on my tissue ex-pander with a hole in it to the ex-pander could be accessed.” I then said the surgeon would clean the area with iodine real well as the nurse filled a syringe with the saline. I told them the syringe he used at a tube connected to the end of it.  My new surgeon then said, “He must have used a butterfly needle.” The nurse just gave me this puzzled look. My new surgeon said, “This is how we fill your ex-pander here. He told me to come back in about a week so he could check the ex-pander. He also said that he was aware that I had a biopsy done and we would not be able to replace the ex-pander with an implant if I have to get more treatment. 

swelling from lymphadema

I am three months into my second chemo treatment and aside from the fatigue; I am not feeling too bad. I have been getting pain in my arm that has the lymphedema in it.  I have been wearing my compression sleeve and using my compression machine for the swelling I have. I have difficulty with using this arm and hand for tasks. I sometimes cannot wear my wedding ring on my left hand ring finger because of the swelling.  One day I had my wedding ring on and could not get it off. I had to wait for the swelling to go down. I wear my ring around my neck now to avoid this. I also take a medication that causes swelling in both my hands and feet. I use this medication to treat my syncope. I was diagnosed with syncope back in two thousand and eight. This was the same time I was diagnosed with the gastro paresis.  Syncope is when your blood pressure drops and you pass out. I discussed how I was diagnosed with syncope in an earlier post. Since my double mastectomy and the lymphedema, I have had to buy bigger shirts. I used to be in a small now I wear medium and even large depending on the cut. When I had my left arm in the mummy bandage I had to cut holes in two of my shirt sleeves in order for them to fit.  My implant and tissue expander are positioned differently as well which makes me need bigger size shirts. I have been wearing a large size in sports bras.  I guess once I get my other implant I can go bra shopping. I will have to get resized to find out what size cup I will need. I have not decided on whether or not I will be getting nipples tattooed onto my implants. Some women choose not to and some do. The nipple tattooing is something that my plastic surgeon does not do. I am not at this point yet so I have a lot of time to decide what I will do.

diet

Since it has been hot this summer, I have been eating watermelon as well as eating the popsicles. They both really cool me off. I have been trying to eat better since my diagnosis. My husband and I grow a garden every summer. We have grown fresh peppers hot and sweet. We have also grown cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, squash, tomatoes and herbs. If a recipe calls for basil or rosemary I just go out to my garden and pick what I need. We have not grown any fruit so I just go to the local farmers market and get berries and bananas.  I make smoothies with the fruit and veggies often. I have bought Kale at the market which I add to my smoothies. My husband and I like caesar salads we eat them with our dinner often. We did not grow green beans or carrots so I get them from the grocery store. I use garlic in most of my cooking. People who eat about a clove of garlic a day are less likely to develop various kinds of cancer. According to Everyday Health these cancers include the digestive organs like esophagus, stomach, and colon. Berries are another cancer fighting fruit that contain powerful antioxidants. The compounds in these berries can help keep cancer cells from growing or spreading. According to Every Day Health tomatoes may help protect men from prostate cancer.Tomatoes contain an effective antioxidant called lycopene. Your body absorbs lycopene better when it is in the form of sauce. Further reading of Everyday Health goes on to talk about the benefits from the antioxidants from green tea. The antioxidants in green or black tea are called catechins.  The catechins keep free radicals from damaging cells.  The article goes on to say that the catechins can shrink tumors and reduce tumor cell growth. Some studies have linked drinking tea to a lower risk of cancer.  I have been drinking green tea with honey and lemon for years in the mornings with my breakfast. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, eating whole grains can lower your risk of cancer.  A large study proved that people who ate more whole grains might be at a lower risk for getting colorectal cancer. These whole grains would include oatmeal, barely, brown rice, and whole wheat bread and pasta.  Another cancer fighting agent I started using in my food is called Turmeric. Turmeric a spice known in India can be used to flavor foods. This orange colored spice contains curcumin. The American Cancer Society states that the ingredient has been known to slow the spread of cancer and shrink tumors in some animals. I like the taste of turmeric and I use it as a spice for meats. Another good source of antioxidants is beta-carotene and lutein. You can find these in vegetables like spinach and lettuce. They can also be found in vegetables that you cook like collard greens, mustard greens, and kale.  This next fruit I eat on occasion but I actually drink the liquid form more often. Wine which is good for your heart comes from grapes and both contain an antioxidant called resveratrol. The skin of the grapes is rich in 

resveratrol. The National Cancer Institute reports that resveratrol is useful in keeping cancer from beginning or spreading. Studies have shown that it limits the growth of many kinds of cancer cells.  Moderate amount of red wine have been linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer for men. Eating a diet rich in these foods is good for your overall health but has shown to be useful in the prevention and spreading of cancer.

chemo and menopause

I have been feeling very tired from the chemo. I have been getting hot flashes throughout the day and I have been moody at times. If I could only take those hormones to help with my menopause symptoms, I could get some relief. My doctor said, “I could not take them.” I did some research online and found out that hormone therapy can be linked to an increase in breast cancer in women. I did not know this. According to the Breast Cancer Organization there are two main types of hormone replacement therapy. One contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The other hormone replacement therapy contains estrogen only.  The Breast Cancer Organization states that a combination of the hormonal replacement therapy increases breast cancer by about seventy five percent. This is when it is only used for a short period of time. The estrogen only therapy causes breast cancer but only when used for more than ten years.  They go on to say that if you have already been diagnosed with breast cancer or have tested positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 you should not use this therapy. The Breast Cancer Organization goes on to say that HRT can cause hormone-receptor positive cancers to develop and grow.  If you have menopausal side effects and had a personal history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor about other non-hormonal options. Menopausal symptoms can be relieved with dietary changes, exercise, acupuncture or meditation.  I keep a portable fan handy for my hot flashes. I also wear light clothing. I do eat Popsicles to help cool my body temperature. 

February oncology visit post surgery

It has been two weeks since the surgery. I had some follow up appointments with other doctors about my health. My appointment with the oncologist is going to be in a few days. Until then I get a break to rest and catch up on things around the house before starting another treatment.  At my visit my oncologist told me I would be getting two more chemo therapy medications. He wanted me to be put on the schedule for next week to start chemo therapy for 6 treatments.  So, here I go once again with chemo.  With this round of chemo, this will make my tenth different kind of chemo I have been on in my lifetime. I have not been healthy ever since I had my first chemo back in nineteen ninety four. My doctor also wants me to go back to speak to the radiation doctor. He wants me to get radiation as part of this cancer treatment. The only problem with this is, I had radiation in the past and a person can only get so much radiation without risk of complications. I had to miss my support group meeting the week I was getting chemo. The chemo was given to me the same way it was the first time I had it. The only difference with this round was I did not have to take the steroids beforehand. I would also be getting the Nuelasta shot twenty four hours after as well.  The first chemo treatment is usually the longest. If the room is full with lots of other people getting treated it can slow thing up as well.  I was hoping that when next week came around I would feel well enough to go to my support group to give them an update about my surgery and treatment.

post operation

I was still kind of groggy from the anesthesia and I just felt like going back into my slumber. My husband said, “The surgeon said everything went well with the surgery.” The nurse came in to see if I wanted anything to drink. I was very thirsty and asked her for some water. My mother and step dad told me they were going to leave so that I could rest. They gave me hugs and kisses and we said our goodbyes. My mom told me she would call me later at home to see how I was doing. I was in recovery for about an hour and I was told by the nurse I could go home. She told me a follow up appointment had been made with the surgeon. The nurse said, “The results will be sent to your oncologist.” I told her I had a follow up appointment with him.  I was given discharge papers and instructions from the nurse. She then wheeled me out of the hospital in a wheel chair.  On the way home we picked up food to take home. I was feeling soar so after I ate I rested on the couch watching television.  I had a very uncomfortable night sleeping with the pain in my chest from surgery.  I rested the next day as well.

thoracic surgery continued

A nurse called my name and we followed her back to the pre operation department. She led me to a numbered space with a bed and a curtain. The department was pretty full that morning with other patients going in for surgery.  My family waited outside of the curtain while I changed into the gown. When I finished they sat beside me as a nurse came in to ask me questions about my medications and the last time I had anything to eat or drink. A nurse came in to stick me with a needle for an IV. She found a good vein but then it disappeared or blew because she had to stick me again. I think it went into hiding just like I wish I could do right now. This always seems to happen to me in the hospital when they are putting in an IV.  When I get blood work done this never happens. Luckily the second time was a charm. The IV was following and I sat there talking to my family waiting for the anesthesiologist to come in and talk to me.  After the drug doctor introduced himself he asked me some questions.  He said, “If I ask you to lift your arms would you be able too. I said, “Would this be before or after you drug me.”  I thought that was funny but he didn’t laugh. I raised my arms and he just went on with a serious disposition and asked more questions. He explained what knock out drug I would be getting the surgeon appeared. He marked the spot to be operated on with a marker. The nurses who would be in the operating room with me would be there. The one nurse told me not to worry because they had slept at a holiday in the night before. I had said, “Finally someone with a sense of humor.” I told her what I had said to the drug doctor and she laughed. I had a cap that was given to me that I had to put on my head prior to surgery. My husband had to get a picture of me in it even though I refused.  The nurse told my family they could go back to the room we were waiting in that morning. She told them the television in that room shows my name and what part of the operation process I am in. She said, “When the operation is over the surgeon will come out and talk to you and once she is in recovery you will be notified to come back.”  Everyone gave me hugs and kisses and then it was off I went. On the way a calming drug was put into my IV. I must say after this happened I don’t remember anything and when I awoke I was back in a numbered room with my family staring at me.

Thoracic surgery January 2015

The night before my scheduled surgery I could not sleep. I tossed and turned all night. I was anxious and nervous about the surgery. I was mad that I had to have another surgery.  I did not want any more scares on my body.  I did not want any more tissue or body parts taken from me. I did not want to be in any more pain. I am beginning to feel like that frog in science that I had to dissect. He just sits there alive while we just dissect him picking apart his insides.  In the last two years I have seen more doctors and nurses than I can count on my fingers. Here I lay wide awake with all these thoughts in my head about the last two years of fighting cancer and the effect it has had on me mentally and physically. I had to be up at four thirty in the morning which is way too early for me.  I had to be at the hospital by five thirty. Once again another surgery scheduled for early in the morning. My husband and son accompanied me to the hospital for support. My mom and my step dad would also be meeting us there. I tried to convince one of them to take my place but they weren’t going for it. My mom told me I would be fine and that I was is everyone’s prayers.  It was very comforting to have my parents there before going into surgery. I do not see them that often but they were always there when I needed them the most. We were all lead to a waiting room of the hospital so that I could get preregistered for the surgery.  The room started to get pretty full about a half hour into our wait. A nurse called my name and I went into the office and sat down. She was very kind and asked me about my surgery and had me go over all my information to make sure it was correct. She said to me, “I must have missed you last time you were here but I have a care package for you.” She told me about a support group called the Wings of Hope that meet on Saturdays at the cancer center next to the hospital. I told her I go to the group that meets on Tuesdays there.  I thanked her for the package and she wished me well. I then went back out and sat with my family and waited to be called back for pre-operation. 

January 2015

Our New Year’s celebration was a quiet one.  I was having stomach pain and nausea from the gastro paresis. I lay on the couch watching television with my husband and my son. We watched the ball drop and then we went to bed. The next few days I was still not feeling well.  There is nothing I had I could take to help with the pain. I put a heating pad on my stomach to help relieve the pain.  My stomach was full and I could not eat anything. I sipped on some chicken broth and a hot cup of green tea. I drank a full glass of water with Miralax in it. I take Miralax on a regular basis to help me poop. When I am feeling like this I cannot eat solid food. Sometimes I can even get down liquids without wanting to throw it back up. On days like these   I just have to stay home in bed or lye on the couch and wait for my symptoms to go away.  My symptoms could last for a couple of days to two weeks. This is called a gp flare up and when it happens I cannot make any plans to go out. I can’t hang out with friends or family unless they come to see me. My husband and I can’t enjoy a nice dinner out on the town. I feel like I have become a prisoner to this disease and food. I was hoping I would feel better soon because my surgery was coming up and I did not want to feel bad from both the surgery and my gastro paresis.

December 2015

It has been one year since my diagnosis of breast cancer and I am going in to have the cancer romoved in January.  I am beginning to think that December Just is not my month.  This is when they seem to find spots in my body that turn out to be cancerous. Christmas this year was not that great. I brought my dad down like I always had to celebrate.  While he is here we go visit my nephew and give him his presents. We also went to go visit my mother in law who had been in the hospital. We took her some presents and a little blue Christmas tree that I had bought and decorated for her to keep.  My husband and I wore our funny musical Christmas hats to cheer his mom up. We also brought a hat for her to wear as well. We had pre ordered dinner and the four of us crammed into her hospital room to have dinner with her. She really enjoyed us being there. She had asked me how I was doing but we had agreed not to tell her about my upcoming surgery. She was worried about me and we did not want to make that any worse while she was in the hospital. She needed to concentrate on getting better so she could get home.

December 2014

The breast surgeon was very forth coming with letting me know that I did not need a breast surgeon. She had told me she read my reports and looked at my scans. She said, “The spot on your chest wall is nowhere near your left breast. “  “What you need is a thoracic surgeon.”  She then proceeded to make a call to a surgeon and was able to get me seen that same day in the afternoon. She was going to fax all my reports and scans to the surgeon so he would have them ahead of time to look at. I thanked her for all her help.  She wished me luck and we said our goodbyes. The Thoracic surgeon had an office in Milford about ten minutes from my house. His main office was about a half hour away in Dover.  He performs his surgeries at the hospital in Dover.  I had a consultation with him about the spot on my chest. He told me by looking at all the scans that the spot was behind my pectoral muscle. He said, “I will have to move muscle apart to get to it. “ He told me the surgery would be done at Kent General Hospital in Dover. He told me I should have minimal pain afterward. The surgery would not take very long but they never do. The registration and recovery time are what take the longest.  

December 2014

I had a scheduled follow up with my oncologist several weeks later. This is when he told me that the biopsy came back positive for cancer. He said it was the same triple negative breast cancer. I was told that when breast cancer relapses anywhere in the body that it is still considered breast cancer.  I was not happy about the fact that my cancer had spread. It meant that the chemo treatment I had already gone through had not worked. The oncologist wanted to send me to a breast surgeon because of the location of the cancer. He told me he thought it was close to the left breast.  He then said I would need to do more chemo. He would give me two different chemo meds used for breast cancer.  I would have another six rounds of chemo ahead of me. I left the office devastated. I was not happy that the chemo didn’t work and the cancer had spread. I had an appointment with the breast surgeon scheduled for the following week. The surgeon I was going to see came highly recommended. I wish I had seen her when this all started but I did not know about her then. I know of other breast cancer patients who have gone to see her for their surgeries. I actually found her name to be very familiar and then I realized I saw her speak at an event. I felt very confident about seeing her. De

The morning of my appointment I was up at 5:30 to get ready. I had to be at the hospital a half hour before my appointment. I arrived in time and had to be checked in. I walked back to a room alongside the nurse who was going to be in the room with me.  She had me get undressed and put on a gown. She asked me to lie on the table.  She had asked me if I ever had an ultra sound guided biopsy before. I said, “Yes but I am supposed to be getting and MRI guided biopsy.” She said, “That’s not what they have you scheduled for.” I said, “I am supposed to be.” She said, “Let me see what I can do but, the room might not be available or a surgeon here that can do that procedure.” I told her I did not want to have to come back. I said, “I was there when the appointment was made and the nurse specifically told them what test needed to be performed.  By this time a tech came in to perform the ultrasound. The nurse was telling her the situation and the tech said, “Let’s just see if we can see the spot that needs to be biopsied.” She said, “If we can see it by ultrasound, the surgeon may be able to get it without using the MRI.  The tech had spotted it but just had to wait for the surgeon to come in to give her the ok. The surgeon told me the reason my doctor might have wanted the MRI was because the spot was deep inside my chest wall. He said, “Lucky for us the ultrasound has picked it up and we can go ahead and take a sample to be biopsied. Once the biopsy was over it would be time to play the waiting game. Now it would be just a matter of waiting and praying that the biopsy is not cancerous. 

Here it is December again one year since my diagnosis. I had a pet scan scheduled the first week of the month. I had a follow up with my oncologist the week after. My doctor showed me the results of the scan on his computer. Everything was fine except for one spot that was highlighted on my chest above the left breast.  This was something I did not want to hear. He told me I would need to have this spot biopsied. There was a chance it could be a recurrence of the breast cancer. He told me the girls in the front would make an appointment for me to have the biopsy done at Kent General. The nurse at the front desk was on the phone trying to schedule my appointment for a MRI guided biopsy. She was having trouble getting the appointment because my doctor wanted it as soon as possible and because it was for an MRI guided biopsy. The person on the other end had originally scheduled it for an ultra sound guided biopsy. The nurse had to specify it was for an MRI guided biopsy. The hospital had to make sure a surgeon would be available to do it. I told her I could have it done here at the Milford Hospital. She told me the doctor doesn’t fool with the staff at the Milford Hospital and prefers the biopsy to be done at Kent General. I said, “He won’t be fooling with them I will or they would be fooling with me anyway.”  This meant I had to travel a half an hour instead of just 10 minutes to the Milford hospital.  After all the confusion I finally had an appointment for the following Monday three days from now. I had to be there at 7:45 in the morning. 

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer, I was made aware of all kinds of information and programs for cancer patients. One thing I found out about was that a cancer support group meets every Tuesday in Dover at twelve thirty to two thirty. I joined the group so I could meet people like me who have had and or are going through breast cancer. The group is mainly made up of women. One man attends regularly and he is the husband of one of the women who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her husband is a cancer survivor himself. There is about ten of us in the group. We have a facilitator who works in the health care field. In the group we talk about our cancer and what is going on with us currently. We give each other advice and learn from each other. One woman attends because she was a caregiver for her husband who passed away from cancer. She is full of knowledge and insight as a caregiver. She also supports other women in the group by taking them to their appointments, providing meals and helping them cope with the cancer. I have been going now for two years. I have become to know each and every one of these strong women who may not have the same cancer as me but are fighting the same battle. The group has been very helpful and encouraging. I have been able to get through my treatments with the help of them. One woman I met at the group has been an inspiration.   She fought hard and stayed tuff with a positive attitude and sense of humor. With a diagnosis and spread of ovarian cancer the doctors gave her six months to live. With treatment after treatment and trying new meds to stop her cancer from the spread she survived 2 years before she passed away. She is sadly missed and the cancer center support group will be hanging up a plaque in her honor. 

Chewy worked out and he even gets along with my cat Herbie that I have had for five years. They both follow me everywhere.  I call them my shadows. Herbie sleeps with me and wakes me up throughout the night with his head butts. Herbie has always slept with me in our bed. Now we have Chewy in our bed along with some more of our cats. We have seven cats all together. My husband had five when I met him and we added two more. They each have their own individual personalities. The cats are smart too. We have one that can open the kitchen cabinet where we keep the snack. One is an escape artist who darts out every time someone opens the front door. Our cat nitrous will come to us for love and petting but it has to be on his terms. In the summer we bring in moths from outside and the cats go crazy trying to catch them. The animals have helped get through the cancer. I enjoy the comfort and joy they provide. I get exercise when I walk Chewy. My friend has a dog and we do play dates with the dogs often. I have taken Chewy to the beach and he loves getting in the water. On days I don’t feel well Chewy and I hang out together lounging around on the couch. Sometimes a cat or two will join us. I can’t imagine my life without my dog and our cats. Most of the cats are pictured here in our bed.

I made my appointment with the new plastic surgeon for the upcoming week. I was a bit nervous about it. I liked the plastic surgeon I had and was not sure what this plastic surgeon would be like.  There are only about three plastic surgeons in our area. The last year and a half had been exhausting. I had been fighting for my life and the last thing I needed was to have my surgeon taken away from me in the middle of him treating me.  But with all this going on, I was given a surprise by my husband that would change my life forever.  I was given Chewy. Chewy is our half Shitzu and half Cocker Spaniel puppy.  A friend of ours female Shitzu was pregnant. She had mated with the neighbors Cocker Spaniel.  My husband was over there house for band practice when the wife told him she had puppies for sale. Their dog had a liter of three. My husband went upstairs to look at them. She told my husband two were spoken for and she had one left. A few years prior to this, I would ask my husband every so often if we could get a puppy. He always said, “No, I don’t think the cats will adjust.” So I would drop the subject. So when I received a text from my husband at band practice, I was not expecting to see a cute fury puppy. He told me this puppy was up for adoption. This I told him was a big mistake. There was no way he was going to tell me I could not get this dog. When my husband came home, he told me that next week I could go to band practice with him to look at the dog.  I was so excited and could not wait till next Wednesday. I had decided to do research about his bread and how to introduce a new animal to existing cats. I wanted to be prepared so the transition of a new animal would not be stressful for the cats or us. I had brought a few wash cloths with me to pat the puppy down so his scent would be on them. I then would lay them out around the house for the cats to sniff. This would help the cats get used to the familiar smell of our new pet. That night at band practice I hung out with my friend, the singer of the bands wife. We sat and watched the puppies play. I held the puppy that would soon be ours. I wiped him with the cloths and played with him. My husband and I were going to bring Chewy home the following week. We wanted to get a crate, food and toys for him. You can see from the picture why we named him Chewy which is short for Chewbaca.

I told my husband what was going on with my plastic surgeon and Bay Health. He was not happy either. I told him I would be going to Bay Health in the morning to the main office to speak to someone. I was directed to the hospital administration. The hospital administrator introduced himself to me. I told him about my concerns over the fact that they were doing away with my plastic surgeon.  He told me he would look into it and give me a call back. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I do not hear from him. A few days later I received a phone call from a woman at Bay Health. She said she had received my message about my plastic surgeon and his leaving. She told me they could recommend another plastic surgeon. I said, “You do not have a replacement?” She said, “No, there is another plastic surgeon located in Dover and I can give you their number. I let her know how unfair this was of Bay Health and that it should be their responsibility to keep the doctor I had around to finish the surgery. She responded by saying that this was not an option. I told her to make all the arrangements so that I can be seen by this other plastic surgeon. She said, “She could see what she could do and would call me back in a few days with the information.” I had received a phone call and a letter giving me the new plastic surgeons information. They made his office aware of my situation and that I would be calling to schedule an appointment.