Final Surgery!

August 16, almost one year to the day (8/15) that she first showed me the lump, Morgan underwent her final surgical procedure! Dr Agarwol performed a bi-lateral expander removal with a right latissimus flap and bi-lateral implant placement.  That is the long way to say reconstructive surgery.  Morgan has been wearing tissue expanders since January.  She hates them and has complained that they hurt and are uncomfortable.  They are oddly shaped and have some rough edges inside of her.  They have been inserting a needle into the port located on them and injecting saline in order to enlarge the space behind her pec muscle.

Due to the radiation on her right side, most of the blood supply to her skin has been killed.  She needed to have new blood supply placed in there so the doctor cut an incision across the right side of her back, just under her braline and cut out about half of her latissimus dorsi muscle.  Leaving its blood supply intact, he pushed it through to the front and placed it in her chest along with a smaller silicone implant.  On the left side, there was just a regular silicone implant placed that was a little larger than the one on the right.

Morgan was so cute as they gave her some meds to relax in the pre operative room.  She likes the way it makes her feel!  She woke up in recovery and they let me come back there.  We spent about an hour in there with some amazing nurses who tended to her every need.  Morgan commented that this surgery was much better than the last...already!  She looked much better than the last time as well.

Soon she was  moved up to the 5th floor where she has been for two nights.  Just as when she was a baby in the hospital, her dad takes the night shift.  She has been watching episode after episode of "Seinfeld" and has had lots of family visitors...mom, dad, Crystal, Boyd, Kylee, Kevin, Aiden, Doug, Riley and friends Kaylee, and Alisha.  We are right now waiting for the go ahead to go home.  The plan is to get there today! 

She won't be able to lift anything for a few weeks and will hopefully be able to go to school as long as she doesn't need a bag or books to carry from class to class.  She is definitely ready to go home! Thanks everyone for all of the well wishes and prayers on our behalf.