CharlottePXP

breast cancer survivor – activist – keynote speaker – patient advocate

Category: Patient Stories

  • SUrgery date!

    July 1, 2022 I have a surgery date! With Penn Medicine! Step 1: July 27 Remove all breast tissue put in tissue expanders and fill it with air. Close blood vessels in the tummy to prepare for transfer. Hospital stay one night Recovery from double mastectomy will probably continue into the nexy surgery. Charles will…

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  • Immediately after DOuble Mastectomy

    July 28 2022 I was too tired to type but my update can be found here and also on my Youtube channel. I’ve seen others do updates and they all look fantastic but I’m past caring about how I look at the moment. I just hope it helps someone considering Mi-Diep. https://www.youtube.com/@CharlottePxP

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  • Mi-diep step 1

    Double mastectomy day 2 July 29, 2022 At home today, I finally took a shower and it felt less comfortable and more difficult than I imagined but I suppose it will get better as we figure out how to manage my drains in the future. Charles had to wash my hair and gently dry me…

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  • Mi-diep step 2 week 1

    August 16, 2024 Home from the hospital again. This operation was a doozy. Getting mobile again is a bit more challenging but my nurses at the hospital said they were amazed at my progress and strength. They had to check my tissue every hour to make sure it wasn’t rejected. I had to ask for…

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  • Mi-Diep Step 2 Week 2

    August 29, 2022

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  • Penn Medicine Breast Reconstruction Awareness Fashion Show

    Penn Medicine Breast Reconstruction Awareness Fashion Show

    October 20, 2022 My birthday was amazing! I was one of twelve models at the survivor celebration of life fashion show (Breast Reconstruction Awareness day) and walked the runway at the medical museum in Philly. It was wild. I got there and realized I was modeling underwear! It was pants and a bra with a…

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  • AC Chemo # 2

    October 25 202 So far my second AC Chemo was actually a little better than Chemo #1. I still have terrible indigestion, headaches and heartburn but I know what to take for it now. I know what things I can eat to help prevent the worst of it. I know when I should and shouldn’t…

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  • CHemo #7

    February 3, 2023 Chemo number 7, over half way through! Today I began thinking about all the people who have made treatment possible for me.  Dennis Slaman MD fought so hard to bring us all Herceptin. Before his invention women with Her + received a grim prognosis. I think about Taxol (paclitaxel), originally derived from…

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  • Happy new year!

    January 1, 2024 The last two years were hard. I battled breast cancer and my life changed in so many ways. I went from feeling comfortable with the idea of time to feeling weighed down by the pressure of now. I faced some of my worst fears. I sifted through my experiences and gained perspectives…

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  • This day in History but like two years ago compared to now

    May 6 of 2022, I was waiting for surgeons to call me to schedule surgery. Knowing I had cancer growing inside me made me want to walk in to an ER and demand they remove my breasts right now but apparently they have processes in place. In April, I had just had COVID for the…

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