Down the Drain(s)!

Published on by Jamie Kraus

So so excited!!  My two remaining drains were removed today, and I feel a lot more like a human and a lot less like an octopus.  It’s fabulous.  Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to endure the pain and get rid of those crazy things.  And thank you, friends, for praying for me this week when I was in so much pain.  Your prayers are honestly the only thing getting me through each day.

With drains, you basically need something with pockets that holds them close to your body so they don’t pull (so fun, right?).  My friend, Aly, (whom I’ve deemed my cancer angel) gave me a tool belt apron, albeit a lot more stylish, when this journey began.

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I didn’t understand the significance at first, but after wearing it EVERY DAY for 10 days, it eventually sunk in.  And because I’m infamous for not cooking,  Trevor made the comment that this was the first time in 19 years of marriage he’s ever seen me in an apron.  I hope he took a picture because that’s also the last time he will ever see me in an apron.  #hopehedoesn’tstarve

And as if getting the drains removed wasn’t good enough, I also got my pathology report back this week and it was great news.  Praise the Lord!!!! There were no cancerous cells on my right side (the unaffected side) and only microscopic cells on my left side towards the top (or to be more frank, the “nip”).

If that made you nervous, I’d advise you to stop reading now.  With all of my doctor’s visits, I’ve become unashamedly comfortable discussing private parts with strangers.  

Awhile back, I talked about how overwhelmed I was on my first visit to the plastic surgeon’s office with all of the reconstruction options available.  Most of those options had to do with whether or not you removed the nip (while I have no shame, I simply cannot bring myself to type the entire word) during the mastectomy.  Ideally, you would keep everything you could, but only if it did not jeopardize your health.  Dr. Grant was willing to try and spare the nip during my mastectomy, but once the path report came back and indicated cancerous cells were still present, he said we need to go ahead and get everything out.  I wholeheartedly concur.

While I’m a little sad, the great news is that plastic surgeons can do amazing things these days to recreate what God gave us in the first place.  It’s truly mind blowing.  They can actually tattoo 3D nips which look pretty real.  Ashley, my mom and I laughed today because Dr. Potter’s nurse told us of a genius tattoo artist named ‘Vinny’ that travels around the country doing this.  Apparently his mother had breast cancer and he became passionate about turning something bad into something beautiful.  Who doesn’t love that?  Vinny frequently comes to Dallas, so I could make an appointment with him if I choose.  And as sweet as that backstory is, I’m not gonna lie that this is what came to mind when I heard about Vinny…

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I sure hope I’m wrong.  I really don’t want to end up with a fire breathing dragon or a pegasus across my chest.

I inquired to the nurse about whether or not I should remove the opposite nip (since it wasn’t medically warranted) and she said the funniest thing:  “If you do just one side, we can make them look like sisters.  If you do both sides, we can make them look like twins.”  Twins it is.

So…I will be having another surgery in the next week or so to remove the rest of the cancerous cells and then I can boldly say I’m cancer free!

There are three things in life I thought I’d never have – implants, tattoos and twins.  I guess God has a clever way of surprising us, because if all goes according to planned, I’ll have all three before Christmas.

Until next time…much love to you all & make every day count,

Jamie

“Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”  Psalm 150:2,6

17 thoughts on “Down the Drain(s)!”

  1. Jamie, again- prayers continue to come for healing and discernment, and it sounds like that came today!

    I love this song from Chris Tomlin- God of Angel Armies. You have them! 💗

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    2. Anne – your comments give me so much hope and encouragement so thank you for faithfully reaching out!! It means a lot when you are where I am. I appreciate your prayers and am hopeful for continued good reports from here on out. Much love to you!!

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  2. Praise the Lord !!! Praying for absolute and complete healing !!! Sending prayers, hugs and much love !!!🙏❤️🙏

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  3. Praise the Lord!!! What great news! And I just know so so many people are going to read this and find comfort in it… today, tomorrow, and years to come!!!! I love how openly and boldly you are sharing your journey… one of the reasons we go through these things is to help others and you are doing that so well! God is doing mighty things through you!!!!

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  4. Jaime, you are priceless!!! I love your honesty and openness in describing your journey. I have learned so much from your writings. I laugh out loud by myself when I read your humor and see your illustrations through pictures (you must include if you write a book). I thank God for your healing thus far and continue to pray for complete healing.

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  5. Oh Jamie my sweet friend
    Thank you for your very informative and humorous updates! We are all praying for you here in NJ!! The Lord is good! Praying for your family and parents too! Love you honey Anne

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  6. Love it! I am so encouraged by your strength throughout this process. You are an amazing woman, Jamie. You have trusted in the Lord and found your strength renewed! Love you! ❤️

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  7. Jamie-Dr. Grant did my DM and he’s so kind and wonderful. I used Dr. Paul Pin for reconstruction and I know you made a good decision to go with tattoos. The expanders process is not terribly fun but you almost there. The worst part is over and so glad your doctors caught this early. No chemo need right? You add humor and I want you to know I love you to pieces and if there’s anything I can do, please let me know. If you’re not feeling up to company, I can order dinner and leave it on the front porch for you all. I remember wanting to see people and other times just breathing by myself. This does get better and I know our Jennifer is smiling in heaven and is right beside you like you were for her. Love you-Shelby

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    1. Shelby – I remember that day so well. It’s amazing to see what all has transpired since then. I love that you used Dr. Grant. He’s awesome. We don’t know about chemo yet – praying I don’t have to do that! Will keep you posted. Love you so much – thanks for your comments!!

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  8. Yea! Yea! Yea! What a wonderful report. No matter what you heard, you would know God was working but we’re so thankful He chose to go this direction!!! Love reading your account of your journey!
    Praying for you daily!

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