Angelina Jolie’s surgeon has revealed that she was back to work four days after her double mastectomy. Dr Kristi Funk – who operated on the Salt star at the Pink Lotus Breast Center – said the she was already thinking about her next movie project before the post-op tubes were removed. She wrote: “On day four after her mastectomies, I was pleased to find her not only in good spirits with bountiful energy, but with two walls in her house covered with freshly assembled storyboards for the next project she is directing.
“All the while she spoke, six drains dangled from her chest, three on each side, fastened to an elastic belt around her waist.” The Beverly Hills doctor put actress’s swift recovery down to her positive attitude. She said: “To a large extent, I believe recovery reflects expectation. Angelina expected to feel well, to be active.” Mother-of-six Angelina decided to have the op after being told she had a faulty gene and an 87% chance of getting breast cancer.
Dr Funk laid out the ten week timetable for the surgery – which stretched over ten weeks – beginning in February with a painful procedure known as “nipple delay”, in an effort to save her nipples. She said the reconstructive surgery began the day after her home visit. She revealed: “The next day she had her first injection of saline into the expanders, thus beginning the process that would gradually prepare the tissues for the final stage of her operations, reconstruction. Four of the six drains were removed.
“Four days after that, on postoperative day nine, the last two drains were removed. A second saline fill occurred on March 4. Over the next four weeks she was hard at work. “The final operation occurred on April 27, 2013, ten weeks after the mastectomies: reconstruction of the breasts with implant, which went extremely well, bringing an end to her surgical journey.” While praising the star’s bravery, she added: “Surgery will not necessarily be the right choice for everyone.
“As Angelina says in her article, the important thing is to be aware of your options.” Last night Angelina’s father, Jon Voight, said his daughter’s article was the first he know of the operation and he was “as surprised as anyone.”
The Midnight Cowboy star, reconciled with his daughter in 2011 after a ten-year feud, saw her and fiance Brad Pitt just two days before the announcement, at a family celebration. He said: “My love and admiration for my daughter can’t be explained in words. “I saw her two days ago with my son Jamie. We all got together for his birthday, with her and Brad. But I didn’t know. It wasn’t obvious at all. I found out Tuesday morning.” He added: “I was as surprised as anyone and deeply moved by the way she’s handled this. She’s a very extraordinary person, the way she examined it and what she shared.”
He said he respected her decision and added: “I completely understand,” he said. “I want the focus to be on the inspiration.” The actress’s brother and future mother-in-law also praised her decision. Older brother Jamie Haven said: “I am so grateful to be her brother.” And Brad’s mum, Jane, said: “We’re so very proud of Angie, this means so much to our family, especially our grandchildren. We love her dearly.” Angelina’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer for almost a decade.
Source: Thesun