UCSD Cancer Center

It's official... I changed my primary care provider to UCSD so I can be treated there. I could only make the change on the 1st of the month, so it's been frustrating to wait. I received my new insurance card in the mail today, so on Thursday I'll officially be a patient at UCSD. My doctor there is Anne Wallace. She is the Director of the Breast Care Unit specializing in breast cancer surgery and reconstruction. She's Board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. That means I'll have the same surgeon for both the mastectomy and reconstruction. I like that idea. She is recommending a nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with an expander. Basically, a temporary inflatable implant will be placed behind my chest muscle at the same time as the mastectomy. Over the next few months, it will be incrementally filled with saline to expand the muscle to look like breast tissue and fit a larger implant. Once it has been expanded to the correct size I'll have another surgery to remove the expander and replace it with a regular implant. I think at that time I'll also have whatever surgery is needed on the left to make things more symmetrical (I'm still leaning towards not removing the left breast). Now I'm just waiting for a date. Dr. Wallace and her staff are on vacation until April 5, so I have to wait until then to schedule my surgery. A week seems like forever, but what choice do I have? I should also receive the results from the BRCA gene testing this week. So for now, I'm just waiting...

I also wanted to say thank you to all of you who have reached out to me. I've received so many encouraging and supportive emails, phone calls, cards and gifts that I am overwhelmed! I know I have amazing friends and family but your support has been more than I could have imagined and I am forever thankful. There is no way I can feel alone, depressed or scared with all of you in my corner with me! Thank you!