Author: TaraTataTales

Today marks the one year anniversary of my double mastectomy after being diagnosed with #breastcancer. It has been quite the year. And, I am so thankful that I am one year in the books. The only thing that could have possibly made today better was my amazing husband winning his 300th career victory tonight as head baseball coach for the Houston Cougars in his game against Sam Houston State Bearcats! #BeatTheOpponent #GOCOOGS!!! ⚾️🐾♥️

Just getting back from Fort Lauderdale from an amazing trip that my BF-Trish insisted on and just sent me a confirmed reservation for weeks ago!!! So beyond amazing to reconnect with all of my South FlorIda peeps!!! Tomorrow will mark what I hope to be the end of quite-the-year! It’s been a process and I’m happy to be reporting that this last surgery is reconstruction related. This all said…this all started just over a year ago. Starting with my eagerness to get physicals and my annual check-ups…INCLUDING MAMMOGRAM!!!…last January before the UH Baseball season started. My hopes are to share my journey so that it will inspire more to go get their tests and mammograms done as well. So wait…I didn’t share what this surgery is…it is nipple reconstruction. Wow! Wish me luck…sounds horrible aye???

See you in the am…Tara

So…yep…and yet unfortunately…here we go again. Back @HoustonMethodist…another breast surgery today and hopefully the last. Wish me luck…and more later.

Back at Houston Methodist today preparing for reconstruction tomorrow. Wow…what a journey this has been. So…good news and bad news. Bad news is…it’s yet another surgery and they are cutting off anything breast cancer related. Beat the opponent!!!Good news…hopefully this is the last one…AND, in order to rebuild my breasts…I get the tissue expanders (aka what I refer to as bricks) out…permanent implants in. And bonus…well, but for it hurting…she is going to liposuction tissue from my thighs, bootie & hips in order to have tissue to build around the implants. My brother laughingly said, “well Tara…looks like you are getting a new front end and back end.”

In all seriousness…I am over surgeries. But, it is what it is. More soon. Until then..,wish me luck!

How lucky am I to call this man my husband??? Despite everything you has been through…and my Spring to boot…the UH baseball’s Todd Whitting named AAC Coach of the Year!!! T was named American Athletic Conference Baseball Coach of the Year!!! So proud of you T!!! You have worked so hard and are so committed and passionate about what you do everyday!!! I love you T! CONGRATS!!!

Greetings…and good eve.  And…YES, it is late…because as it goes…that is when I can think and when it’s quiet.  (OR…your last (sur) name is Tallon).  Anyway…a lot has happened.  I have determined…when you find out that you must have multiple surgeries…life doesn’t actually stop around you.  I say that jokingly…but, seriously…life goes on.  And, you must too.  What has been a struggle for me…is that I want to keep on as normal…and I guess,…I am just not quite normal.  (well never…( I guess…) but for sure not for a while.)

My baby girl, Madelyn “Maddy-Poo” just finished her amazing first year of college in Ohio @ The University of Findlay.  I could NOT be more proud.  So…as you can imagine…I wanted to go up and get her.  So, I did.  I did…(for the record get doctor approval…being so very close to my surgeries)..and had some restrictions.  But, the trip was great.  And, I was so happy to get baby girl.  Uncle Ross, Olivia & I were able to spend some QT.  And then, randomly…we ran into a home-town best friend…and were hooked up with red carpet and VIP to the Nashville Universe Awards!  What are the chances???  Thank you Tim!!!

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the amazing Mother’s out there!!!

I think I will do any further medical updates, etc. tomorrow/later.  Belated cheers to all moms and as always…SO MANY thanks to all for the continued and ongoing love and support!

Tara

PS—  PLEASE…chickadees….go get those mammograms!!!

The breast cancer experience has proven to me that patience is much easier said than done.  For those of you that know me…oh well hell…for those of you that don’t…that is about a hilarious statement.  When and if you find out that you have breast cancer (and I hope you  never do…those of you that haven’t)…you just must know that its a marathon…not a sprint.  I say that today especially because this week has been an interesting one…and has taught me a lesson.  Here’s how the story goes…

T was on the road with the Coogs last week…leaving Thursday for East Carolina for what ended up being a huge on-the-road win.  #GOCOOGS!!!  Talk about #BeatTheOpponent!  That said…I was here with 3 teens and a year old.  OK…that isn’t so hard…but staying down or better yet, off my feet is.  (apparently)  Being a week and a day out of a hysterectomy I guess I should have better understood that.  In all my own defense…I had been being pretty good…no really.  It was beautiful weather in Houston and I suppose I had a but of Spring fever being the last weekend in April and just wanted to get some things done around the house.  I wasn’t moving things or doing anything particularly strenuous.  But, I was definitely on my feet and in hind site moving around too much.  I wanted to see Tallon’s last 5-year old little league game, had a sick 14-year old, wanted to do some laundry, and cooked for the family on Sunday for the first time in well over a month (since my BFF had created this amazing meal-train for me).  So Sunday eve, after the Coogs sweep East Carolina…and I was trying to get the house in order for the hubby/coach to come home, I felt near the finish line…washing machine going, dish washer empty and serving up my infamous Sunday-night-green-beans when I felt a bit of a whoosh while manning my post.  Um…not good.  Turns out you aren’t suppose to bleed that much…or start cramping…yada, etc…yada.  I will leave it there and am now fine (still sore, but ok)…and writing to you from my chair.  Yes, I have now been sitting here for what feels like an eternity.  For any of you out there that have had, are schedule to have or ever have to have a surgery…note to self…stay in your chair.  If I can do it…trust me…you’ve got this!  #BeatTheOpponent

You see breast cancer has not only been a personal battle, it has been quite the series of lessons.  What I hope for now…is that anyone out there can learn from anything I have shared.  And, I have to also keep advocating and begging…please, please, please…if you haven’t been, haven’t scheduled…or are afraid to go have a mammogram…pretty please go get it done.  We are now up to 36 women that I/we have helped make that happen…(that I know of or have shared with me).  #BreastCancerAwareness #SaveTheTatas #SaveSecondBase

Funny this…I am writing to you as Megyn Kelly on the Today Show is now sharing foods that help and/or prevent breast cancer.  Awesome!  This post must be meant to be.

In closing…and as always…so very many thanks for all of the amazing support and for everything that everyone has done for me out there!  I appreciate it so much.  And…any fo you looking for plans out there for this weekend…come on out and support the UH Cougar Baseball team in our last home series and home conference series against UCF.  #GOCOOGS!!!  #BeatTheOpponent

Good Evening…

So, here we are.  Its been quite the journey so far.  How are things???  Well…I have to actually admit that the more things become in the rear-view-mirror…the better things seem to be for me.  Does that make sense?  At the moment I am super sore.  Why…4 outer incisions from the laparoscopic hysterectomy…and one “a bit-larger” inside one.  I suppose the part (about the surgery and post-surgery) I neglected to ask about and/or really do a lot of research on (despite my amazing OB/GYN…THE Dr. Shelton) telling me….—–(drum roll)—–….was the CO2 (gas) that they would be injecting into my abdominal cavity…in order to perform the surgery.  ONE WORD…….  WOW!!!  In a manner of speaking (in hind site…) there is one thing for air to be trapped inside of the body…and yet another…when it is trapped on the outside.  Another one word…OUCH!

So…backing up about things…as it has been a bit since I have been a little more detailed, if you will, I think, aye?  Healing from the double mastectomy is coming along.  About tissue expanders…think about what they were/are named.  They don’t feel amazing.  I mean, they aren’t the worst things in the world…but, certainly aren’t comfortable.  —If I may…I would like to interject perhaps one of the biggest epiphanies of this process to this point.—- I literally thought that coming out of a double mastectomy…when they took off the bandages…I would be like a board…a man…a guy…anything but a woman.  BUT for the (not-so-comfortable) tissue expanders….I may have been just those things.  As such…I almost welcome them.—  If any of you aren’t aware (I certainly wasn’t)…tissue expanders are also a work-in-progress.  I have been scheduled every week to go in and get injections.  Today, for example…I received another 50 cc’s of saline in each side.  Does it hurt???  HMMMMM????  Well…I wouldn’t call it getting your nails or hair done…but, it isn’t terrible…it is more tomorrow morning I will be belly-aching.  More on this… And, I hope for anyone out there trying to get answers…this is helpful!

About my hysterectomy…and more about the trapped CO2.  IT IS NOT SO FUN.  I mean…it is tolerable…but, I am going to be honest…IT IS/HAS BEEN some of the WORST pain I have endured so far!!!  I will say…part of me is that I have to research everything (hence…my trying to help others with what to expect)…AND, I did NOT do a great job with this part…but it was HORRIBLE!.  Beware!  Don’t take it lightly this while “blow-up-your-abdominal-cavity” part.  It just feels like there is tons of air/gas trapped outside of your organs on the inside and it can’t get out and it is trying to and it hurts.  The End.

Before this gets too long…I suppose I should get some rest…and I hope this has been helpful.  More so…and where this all started… #BREASTCANCERAWARENESS.

We were on a roll with how many ladies had gone to get mammograms…let’s keep it going!!!

#BeatTheOpponent (Whatever it is for you!!!…You got this!!!)

XOXO,

Good Morning…About to head to Texas Women’s Hospital for my hysterectomy. I’ve learned that this entire process is an exercise in patience. “It’s a marathon not a sprint” has a whole new meaning to me.  Well…that…and I suppose I have to find some humor in all of this otherwise it would be way too serious and I would cry…well, more.  More to come…next we speak…I’ll be minus some organs.  Have to take off…otherwise, I will be late.  Love, Tara

So…I was progressing along (looking back…probably feeling a little over confident given I felt quite a but better than the preceding days).  Friday comes along…and I “feel” well enough to brave the UH Baseball game.  I showered (well kind of)…, hid my drains in a UH infinity scarf, and off I went.  It was so good to get out!  (Again…looking back…that was probably what was largely contributing to my false confidence).  When we got home and when I/we were trying to tend to the drains…the left drain would not collapse.  (For those of you not as familiar…the drains MUST collapse in order to create the “vacuum affect” which helps to “drain” the fluid from the surgery sites.  So, if they don’t collapse…they essentially aren’t doing their job.  And, additionally there is a reason.  Think of it as a straw, maybe.  It won’t work if there is a hole in it or maybe its clogged…???)  Anyway…this is what was going on.  Being alarmed and concerned about it…I called my Dr.  She immediately responded and asked that I meet her at her office the next morning around 7:30AM.  (which BTW, I was super happy & impressed with)  It makes sense for me to mention that T & I did everything (well what we knew, or googled enough about to do)…and I woke up Saturday am early and the left drain was still collapsed. OMG!  Was it working?  Should I go in?  Let’s call the Dr.  She called me back and asked some questions…and just said, “OK…well if you think its working…but, just know I am around all weekend just let me know.”  Saturday goes and seems ok…I stayed home and didn’t go to the game as I didn’t feel as well that day, but all again seemed ok.  I woke up Sunday morning and didn’t feel well at all…and, my back (the back of my PJ’s) were soaking wet…my recliner (since that is still where I am sleeping) was soaking wet…and my dressing/drain entry port site was soaking wet.  OH NO!  I call my Dr. and she asks some questions (that I didn’t have answers to, like what the tube looked like and what the drain entry site looked like) and I couldn’t answer and subsequently volunteered that I perhaps had friends/nurses that I knew that could maybe come over and check it for me.  She said to let her know…and I was then on a mission to see who I could call upon.  (I mean…let’s be honest…who in the world would want to be called upon to do that???  OMG).  Not to mention, I started realizing that none of my friends might know what they were looking at or feel comfortable assessing me.  (I can say…that is how I would feel.)  I call D (The Diane Sizemore)…and am like…”Hi D…so, whatcha doin???  You wanna come over?”  lol.  No but really…that is literally how it happened.  Of course she came over…

When D came over…, we decided to go upstairs and “assess the damage”  lol.  She helped me undress and take off the bandaging and WHOA!  The smell was…(in her words)…rancid.  So gross!  She was like, “T…this is not good…have you called the Doctor?”  And, I let her know I had,…but, we quickly decided maybe it made sense for her to take some pics and send them over to her.  So, we did…(well she did)…and not only had the drain pulled from the skin site…the skin was super raw and irritated.  I’ll sum this up quickly…my doctor (shortly thereafter) had to remove the drain prematurely and treated my skin and the site and “sternly” reminded me that this was largely as a result of my doing too much too soon.  For those of you that know me…I know you are currently in shock…NOT.  But, it actually truly did scare me.  At which point…I was then also at risk of more infection and fluid build up.  That made sense to me.  Additionally, she did point out a few things that I had not previously been aware of, connect about, or realized.  They were as follows:  1.  Keep the sites dry (I know that seems elementary, but the nurse in the hospital said I was fine to shower and not worry about the sites getting wet.  And, I did also mention that to my doctor so the communication perhaps was bridged)  2.  There is a direct correlation between movement and fluid release (hence, my fluid from the drains with my “false confidence” had increased pretty significantly).   3.  More movement = more possibility of the drain to pull lose from the skin and incision site.

After this little (well or scary and painful) episode…I chilled…A LOT.  You all would seriously be proud of me.  It is hard!  Anyone remember who I am or how I am?

This continues for days…(Yes, it was like “Tara punishment”…for which I deserved, I agree…but nonetheless, hard to say the very least.)

Tuesday, April 10, 2018:  Follow-up appointment with my plastic surgeon.  Success (in a manner of speaking)…I had chilled as requested and also got the right drain…aka Drain #3 (4th left) removed.  It was a happy day!!!  I did have to have some fluid manually drained via needle from the left side breast (super fun as you can imagine…haha…I am kidding…not so much fun FYI).  LIBERATED!  That is for sure and definitely a word that anyone that “lost” their last drain would say.  It was as though my “ball and chain” was removed.  But, as quickly as that happened I was reminded to continue to chill.  PS-  OK, I can handle that.

TEST RESULTS:  Wednesday, April 11, 2018.  Like I said…quite the week.  I receive notification to contact Oncology that my BRCA 1 & 2 and all genetic test results were in.  I immediately call.  I could not have received better news…I tested negative for BRCA 1 & 2…and all of the genetic breast cancer testing.  OMG…shew!  Talk about a relief…and more about good news for my sister and daughters.  Further, as discussed and promised, my test results and case was put in front of a panel…and the results were also in.  (Drum roll….) I still need to get this hysterectomy but, I get to keep my ovaries!!!  Never did I ever think I would be so happy to be able to retain some body parts.  I mean…I’ve already lost so much…But, this was huge to/for me.

Quite the week.  I want to again thank everyone for all the undying love, support, help, kindness, encouragement, and everything between.  It is more clear to me than ever the true definition of humanitarianism, society and it gives me hope.  That said…and to my point…I more so hope it gives you hope.

To date…I am to 33 women that have scheduled or gone for mammograms since the inception of TaraTataTales.  Nothing could make me happier…keep em coming ladies!!!  And, fellows…you can of course always go schedule your physicals and checks, too.  Please share to spread the word and encourage others.  It is my ultimate wish.

In other…non-breast cancer news:  Kiki obtained her driver’s permit today…congrats baby-girl…Maddy & The Oilers won their lacrosse game(s)…JR let me take a picture with him (lol)…Matthew Rossy played some awesome baseball…he & Keekers took the STAAR Test…,Tallon had 2 amazing baseball games…, Mimi & Papa J were in town as well as Aunt Bitsy & Uncle Gary, and Papa came a few days ago…and the Coogs won the series and beat Rice!!!  #GoCoogs!!!

Thank you T for loving me…Thank you to my children!!!  Thank you D!!!  Seriously for it ALL!  Thank you Keesha for washing my hair…Thank you Aunt Bitsy, Mimi & D for treating me.  Thank you Kristy & your family for always being there for me.  Thank you LeBlanc’s for everything.  Thank you to my doctors.  Thank you to my sis for being there even when you aren’t here…Thank you Uncle Gary & Papa J for humoring me and for all of your help…Thank you Mom & Dad.  Thank you Granny & Papa Ross…can’t wait to see y’all.  Thank you Lisa H for all of the healthy food.  I can’t thank everyone enough!!!  I have received so much and I am so grateful.  Thank you everyone for the meals, thoughts, prayers, support!!!

As always…many thanks to Uncle Rossy for all your help! I couldn’t do it without you bro!

WINNING!  #BeatTheOpponent

Sweet Dreams all…thank you all again for everything…

Love, Tara