this is a testimonial by a participant on a first descents kayaking trip. please watch it. it's 9 minutes. and is so powerful. he really puts into words how important my own first descents trip was for me.
so, friday morning i met with dr. r.j. simonds in south san francisco. he was recommended to me by my own oncologist and the head oncologist of kaiser ssf. in anticipation of my appointment (remembering the two other not so great recon appointments), i was hoping to be able to say something like..."3 times a charm." but instead i would like to say, "i love dr. roderick j. simonds."
in contrast to the other recon surgeons i met, dr. simonds seemed easy-going, relaxed, concerned about me, interested in making me feel comfortable, and caring. i have thought a lot about the importance of this because, really, someone could be a great surgeon without having the best bed-side manner. but it felt so important to me yesterday because i got the sense that he would really try his hardest to get me the best possible outcome...and he would do that because he was a good surgeon AND because he was thinking about me as an individual, not just a patient.
so, we talked about my options. he's 50/50 on saline vs. silicone implants. he said the first surgery could be about a 2 week recovery time. the second recovery probably shorter - 7-10 days. i asked him about driving stick, he recommended not driving stick post-surgery...unless i was driving a lamborghini.
he was very honest about the possibilities. in his practice in south san francisco, he deals with a lot of people coming in to deal with their problematic implants. he sees a lot of horror stories. and so to be sure he presents all the possibilities to his new patients, he paints a "bleak picture" of reconstruction. he said that breast recon is hard for a few reasons...it's hard to match the other breast perfectly. in order to do the recon, he has to take into consideration the size and shape of the person's pectoral muscles, the shape of the rib cage, etc. the goal is to get me to feel comfortable in a bra - not, as he put it, in my "birthday suit."
so...i just felt really good about talking with him. he seemed honest. legit. smart. and caring. so. if i decide to go with him...i could start this process february 11, 2009. wow. still a lot to think about...but nice to think that i could get this final process started.
i still want to talk to my friend vaidya's cousin who is a breast recon specialist in the east bay. it'd be good to talk to someone who's xtremely smart and could tell m everything i need to know. but...we'll see...roderick simonds may be the man.
but there's an article in the nytimes about the environmental effects of all the meat we eat.
"Producing a pound of beef creates 11 times as much greenhouse gas emission as a pound of chicken and 100 times more than a pound of carrots, according to Lantmannen, the Swedish group." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/science/earth/04meat.html?_r=1&hp
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
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