Bubble & Bee Organic $20 Giveaway

I stumbled on Bubble and Bee through a simple organic Google search. I instantly fell in love with their website and all they had to offer. Once diagnosed with Breast Cancer, the urgency to find healthy and organic items to use in our house took top billing. I can't wait to share all we have done. This is just the beginning. I am thrilled to be able to write my first review post surgery.

One thing my husband and I knew we needed to lose was the nasty underarm deodorants. I always used the antiperspirant, deodorants which clog your pours not allowing you to sweat. Plus filling your pours with chemicals. Having several lymph-nodes removed, I now see how dangerous things can be. Getting into your system and just stay there, for years.

I instantly wanted to try Bubble and Bees "Pit Putty". Here's my honest opinion. I was a little disappointed at first. It is a baking soda like consistency mixed with what you would compare to your children's play-do.

I pushed to hard the first time, like you would a normal stick. The putty pushed off the side and slid right off in a clump. So I picked up the clump and patted it back down onto the top of the stick. It blended back together fine. I tried it again and same results. I also think I had twisted too much up the top of the tube. The first few days I was taking pieces of it off and rubbing it on with my fingers.

FINALLY, after gently trying to use the stick, I believe the consistency bonded together better and now is like a normal deodorant stick. I can use more pressure but do not have it twisted very high. After surgery I have no feeling in my left arm pit so not sure I ever use enough, but that's another story.

Breast Cancer Surgery - 4 weeks out

Monday was four weeks from the surgery. I am still standing strong, although I walk a little crooked from the meds. But I have cut way back. I gave up the Morphine after about a week and am on Advil but can't quite give up the Valium yet as it's a muscle relaxer and those new implants are right under the chest muscle. Things are healing the best they possibly can. I give all glory to God. And to the Born Clinic who is pumping me full of vitamins!

I wake every morning to a set list I made of 33 songs that worship HIM for all He has done for me. It gets me through my day! I encourage each of you church goers to worship at home, not just in those four walls. God hears us sing 24/7!

I wanted to share a few things which have happened since the surgery. I have been to three appointments to the Plastic Surgery Associates  (PSA) to have my temporary implants "filled". The first two times were only 30 cc's each visit. The first time I still had my drain tubes and we were trying to push more fluid through those tubes. The second was to pump up a bit and have the last of the fluid be absorbed by my body. And the third?......

Breast Cancer Surgery

Thank you for all being so patient between my posts.

Plastic Surgery Associates of Grand Rapids

Surgery went very well. It was about 6 hours long with three surgeons. I had a double mastectomy, ovaries removed with tubes, and they inserted temporary implants for reconstruction. These are called expanders (Which was performed by Dr. Aitken of PSA). They are very small implants so you don't go home "empty chested".

As each week goes by, they fill them through a port with saline. As my skin and wounds heal they can slowly enlarge the area without damage, create a pocket under my muscle  and keep total watch over recovery. Because the skin is flat after breast tissue removal, PSA recommended adding AlloDerm. This is basically restored cadaver skin, added on the inside to create a hammock type area for the implant. It gives it that round natural look and more support as I just have my thin muscle and layer of natural skin. Once the expanders are filled to where I want them, I will do another surgery to have the temporary expanders taken out and real implants put in.

My family had a scare during surgery as Dr. Aitken, from PSA, came out to speak with them. She had to stop and allow the cancer doctor back in to take out more nodes. My MRI had previously showed my lymphodes to be clean so this wasn't a concern at this point to us. But when the main node was removed in surgery, also known as the centennial node, it showed a small amount of cancer. So they went in again and took four more. Those come back clean, which meant it hadn't traveled and again by the grace of GOD this was caught early!