Giuliana Rancic recovering from double mastectomy, reconstruction

Giuliana Rancic has had her double mastectomy and is "doing really well," according to husband Bill Rancic, who was lucky enough to help pick out the new look that will come with his wife's reconstructive surgery.

Giuliana, 36, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October after a mammogram ordered as part of in vitro fertilization therapy revealed cancer cells in both breasts, a circumstance she recently told Wendy Williams happens in less than 5% of cases. This week's surgery became necessary after a double lumpectomy failed to nab all the cancerous cells and she was unwilling to live with the risks that would come with another lumpectomy and chemo.

Though Bill noted to Williams that his wife's scars would be "a badge of courage," he went on to explain that the procedure was not the disfiguring experience of years past. Plus he got to have a little fun related to the reconstructive surgery she had done with the mastectomies.

"Bill helped pick 'em out and everything," she said, smiling. "So I'm, like, Bill, that big?"

Though he might not have been a breast man before, he said that, "given the option, go big or go home, right?"

Jokes aside, Giuliana told Us Weekly that she was a little afraid of the unknown. "I've never been through anything like this. I'm scared of waking up and the pain. I do hear it's a painful recovery, so I worry about that."

Bill told Us they were looking forward to starting 2012 with a clean slate. "Once the clock strikes midnight," he said, "we're taking the rear view mirror off the car and we're not looking back, because we're going to be done"

Giuliana underwent the four-hour surgery on Tuesday night, according to E!, which employs the TV host and noted, "Just get well soon, G. The office isn't the same without you."

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Photo: On "The Wendy Williams Show," Giuliana Rancic reacts to husband Bill Rancic's delight over his participation in picking out the implants that were used in her reconstructive breast surgery. Credit: Rahav Segev / "The Wendy Williams Show."

 

Giuliana Rancic plans family's future, keeps her sense of humor

As Giuliana Rancic and husband Bill bid goodbye to 2011, the TV host and reality star is a lot more enthusiastic than one might expect, given that she's about to undergo a double mastectomy. 

She and Bill are already considering their family-planning goals, taking a lot more time to smell the roses and even making a few jokes along the way.

"Every woman recovers differently," Giuliana Rancic told the Ministry last week. Her healing period, she said, will unfold as she undergoes the procedure and gets right back to work in January hosting red carpets for award season.

"Some start trying for kids after two months, some wait a year, but Bill and I will let my body and our hearts decide when to start trying again," she said regarding in vitro fertilization.

A mammogram ordering as part of an earlier round of IVF revealed her breast cancer, which led to a double lumpectomy. After that operation failed to eradicate cancerous cells, Rancic announced she'd in fact have the double mastectomy. 

One coping mechanism the couple have found is partnering with Nivea for a New Year's Eve contest "Kiss of a Lifetime," where Giuliana and Bill search for America's most deserving couple. The winning pair will join the Rancics in Times Square on Dec. 31 for Nivea's kiss-platform telecast, nabbing complimentary accommodations, party passes and an appearance on "The Wendy Williams Show." (For more on Bill and Giuliana's "Kiss of a Lifetime" and to vote for the winning couple, click here.)

So who are couples that Giuliana and Bill look up to in real life, especially in trying times? "Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries," she cracked.  

"Giuliana's parents have been together for 50 years," Bill Rancic said, "and my parents were together until ... [my father] passed, so there's plenty of examples in our own immediate families."

While work and expanding their brood will take focus in her recovery, Bill says this experience has taught him the value of their time together.

"It's cliche, but we need to take time and smell the roses. Travel is a big priority for us," Bill said, with their wish list including South Africa, an Alaskan cruise and perhaps a return to Capri. 

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Photo: Bill Rancic and Giuliana Rancic in New York on Oct. 13. Credit: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images.

Giuliana Rancic to have double mastectomy in breast cancer fight

Giuliana Rancic appeared on NBC's "Today" show Monday morning to announce that she's planning to undergo a double mastectomy as the next step in her battle against breast cancer.

The E! News host and star of the reality show "Giuliana & Bill" sat beside husband Bill and discussed her decision to move forward with the procedure after a double lumpectomy failed to properly clear the cancer from her body.

"Today's" Ann Curry asked Rancic, who made her desire to have children the focus of her reality show, what role her parenting plans played into the decision to have the mastectomy.

"If I'd chosen to just do another lumpectomy and then do radiation, and then do anti-estrogen therapy, which means two to five years of medication, that basically puts me into early menopause," Rancic said. "Then I would have to put off having a baby for several years. So that was something we took into account. But to be honest, at the end it came down to choosing to live and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

Rancic said it was her husband's words that really stuck with her. "Bill said to me, 'I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid,' " she said.... "'I don't care what you look like, I don't care about the physical portion of this, I just need you around for the next 50 years, so let's get you healthy.' And that helped me come to a decision."

Rancic disclosed on "Today" in October that she had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. She underwent the double lumpectomy in mid-October and returned to E! after.

Bill Rancic told Curry he had his eye on the finish line. "Our goal is to be done with this by Christmas time and then don't look back."

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Photo: Giuliana Rancic at the Golden Globes in January. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Giuliana Rancic doing well after double lumpectomy, husband says

Giuliana Rancic came through her double lumpectomy with flying colors and, like her husband, is looking at life a little differently now, Bill Rancic said in a TV interview Thursday morning.

"She's a trouper," he said on the "Today" show. "She pulled through it and was kind of relieved to get it over with and to get the cancer out."

Giuliana was "doing well at home, recovering" from the two-hour surgery that was done Tuesday to remove lumps in both breasts, plus several lymph nodes. Bill said they were headed back to the doctor on Friday to learn whether the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, and that "God willing" Giuliana would be back to work next week. Her treatment will also include radiation.

"I'm adding nurse to my résumé now," said Bill, who called it heartbreaking to see his wife wheeled away for surgery. "She's having a lot of fun with that."

Giuliana went public with her breast cancer diagnosis Monday. The 36-year-old only had a mammogram before age 40 because a fertility doctor insisted on it, she said. The Rancics were about to attempt a third round of in-vitro fertilization, though their baby hopes have been put on hold for now.

"I'm not going to give up," Giuliana said Monday. "I want that baby. That baby will have saved my life."

Turns out the baby might have saved others' lives as well: Bill said Thursday they'd received any number of messages on Twitter from folks saying they or a family member had just scheduled their first mammogram.

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Photo: Bill and Giuliana Rancic in New York City on Oct. 13. Credit: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images.

Giuliana Rancic, 36, reveals breast cancer discovered during IVF

Giuliana Rancic revealed Monday that she has early-stage breast cancer — then went out of her way to thank husband Bill Rancic for letting her cry, and the baby she doesn't yet have for most likely saving her life.

E! Entertainment host Giuliana and original "The Apprentice" winner Bill have been trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization, a journey chronicled on their reality show, "Giuliana & Bill." After two failed IVF attempts, Giuliana Rancic ended the show's most recent season by heading back for a third round of fertility treatments.

This time, however, one doctor insisted the 36-year-old get a mammogram first, she said Monday on the "Today" show.

"He said, 'I will not get you pregnant' " without ruling out her small risk of breast cancer, " 'because if you get pregnant it will accelerate the cancer, all the hormones will accelerate the cancer,' " said an emotional Rancic. She said she fought the idea at first, as she hadn't planned on getting that type of scan until the recommended age, 40.

She went ahead with the egg retrieval portion of the IVF treatment, as well as the scan. And then the bad news came.

"They called me the next day and told me, 'We need to you to come back, we see something.' " The Rancics have since put off a third attempt to get pregnant until after she's completed her treatment, which will include surgery this coming week and then 6½ weeks of radiation.

After praising her husband for supporting her and letting her cry when she needs to cry, she also thanked the baby they hope to have in the future. "I truly believe that God was looking out for me," she said, and that there was some sort of "master plan" behind the failure of her previous IVF attempts, including one that ended in a miscarriage after eight weeks.

"I'm not going to give up," Rancic said. "I want that baby. That baby will have saved my life."

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Photo: Giuliana Rancic at an event in New York City in September. Credit: Anna Webber / Getty Images