Pinghanling-- how was your surgery?

NoH8

I've been thinking about you and hoping everything went well.

pinghanling

Hi Everyone

Was discharged today (Tuesday) and not a moment too soon. The hospital with all its pain and suffering was getting to me.

The op went well: sentinel node was negative so I had the bilateral mastectomy and one node removed. Still waiting for the results of the pathology of the tumour.

I feel a bit as though someone has hit me in the chest with a hammer and I'm trying to catch my breath. It also look so strange and not as flat as I though it would perhaps it's swelling that will go away with time. My tummy also looks more pronounced no that the breasts don't balance the look anymore :-)

On Friday I see the doctor again and then my drains will come out and I'll get the pathology results.

PingRibbonAmy, you made an interesting point about going around topless. I hope someday I have the courage to do that. Somehow the adults' reaction don't bother me that much, but I have a vision of children seeing me as a scary, scarred witch from whom they must run away. Not that I have contact with that many children, but still.

Nice to be back.

NoH8

Ping, I couldn;t wait to get out of the hospital either. You just can't get any rest there!
For me the drains were the worst part of the whole surgery and I felt sooo much better after they came out. I went home the day after surgery and they sent a visiting nurse to check my drains the following day. When she took off my bandages I got to see for the first time. I was expecting it to look soooo much worse than I did, and she was expecting me to have some sort of traumatic dramatic reaction. She said, "now remember the scars will heal, it's ok if you're upset." and I practically shouted, "omg, it looks so much better than I expected. She told me she never had a reaction like that before LOL.
Let us know when you get the pathology reports.

pinghanling

The drains are now out but I don't feel mush better yet. However, I have a history of slow recovery after surgery - part of the reason I was so afraid before the op.

The surgeon didn't have the pathology results yet, so now I must wait 'till next Thursday He also told me that they found another tumour that hadn't shown up on the imaging or during the physical exam in the affected breast. At least they were both on the same side, but I was quite upset yesterday.

The holes where the tubes were, leaked enough fluid for me to have to change the dressing twice on the one side yesterday. Well, actually my mother changed it because I almost fainted when I saw it. I'm very squeamish about these things.

NoH8

They found a 2nd tumor for me too, but fortunately that one turned out to just be DCIS. I was shocked too, because I could feel the bigger one but not the smaller one.