MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

elimar86861

I could tell my tale chronologically, but I'd rather jump right to the part about the doctor saying that it looked to him like I had a COMPLETE RESPONSE, or very close to it.  But before I start filling my dance card up for the Happy Dance Cotillion, I will have to have this confirmed from pathology in a few days.  He did say that what he saw (tumor site) looked like scar tissue from treatment and not active cancer.  He said that from what he saw, he would be not be surprised if my report came back as me having a complete response, with nothing in the nodes either.  I am sure that I have mentioned earlier that only about 10% of patients fall into this elite group, and it has been MY GOAL from the get-go.  It would be too incredible if I actually pulled this off.  Stay tuned, and have a pair of dancing shoes ready.

But backing up a bit, my surgery did end up taking the estimated 4 hours, then after a couple hours in recovery, I came awake in my hospital room.  Somehow, I had already felt around on my stomach and knew I did not escape getting the ostomy bag.  I had that on me, the surgical drain, the i.v. fluids tubing, and also the catheter.  Having the catheter (while conscious) was a first for me, and while it was not really terrible, it was still horrible and nasty.  Luckily, I was able to get rid of all that (except the bag) by the end of the second recovery day.

I am very sore today, but I think it must not be that different than how an abdomen feels after a C-section birth (which I never experienced.)  I ended up getting 6 incisions, which is one more than planed because when the doc tried to use the other openings to install a drain, it didn't work quite right so he made a new opening for a drain.  My drain was disgusting and hurt too.  Now I know the anguish behind all those comments on here about the Mx drains.  The most painful (and biggest) incision is the one that the laparoscope went into.

I can't leave out the bag.  It's awful.  If I do have the complete response, then it's coming off around the end of April, and the days cannot go fast enough.  It's no more painful than the rest of the incisions.  I have a bright red nub of intestine poking up from my abdomen...just a surprised and embarassed bit of flesh that clearly would rather be in the dark recesses under the skin.  I touched it and it has no actual feeling.  I had to learn a new skill set to deal with day-to-day operations, but it's not like it is difficult.  Just nasty!

My biggest challenge, so far, has been to eat enough.  I have to stick to a low fiber diet.  It's crazy.  Like a doughnut would be o.k., but I have to stay away from the broccoli.  Prunes, a giant no-no, but Cheetos I can have.  My first couple meals were liquid diet, but once I got the o.k. for solids, stuff like bacon showed up on my tray.  A bag of chips.  My diet now is just full of things that could probably give you colon cancer in the first palce.  Totally serious.  Truth, once again, stranger than fiction.

p.s.  My DH has been attending to my needs but, before each service he provides, I have to give him my full name and birthday.  He's hilarious all right.

elimar86861

mac, Laughing does hurt...but sneezing or coughing really do me in.

marlegal

Ok, the part where you have to prove who you are to your DH totally cracked me up! So something mine would do too...bastards both



Eli, I'm so glad for all those great things your doc said. We all know how they like to keep things to themselves, so that was huge. Yayyy!!!

heartnsoul76

Elimar!  That IS huge!  Doctors NEVER go out on a limb!  Such great news!

Haha, but what a weird diet.  Your husband is such a comedian - someone who knew better made me do that the other day at the onc's office, and she wasn't joking.  Debating about complaining about the entire episode - she talked to me like I was 2 years old in front of a room full of phelbotomists.  But if I complain, I can never let any of them stick me again, you know?

iatigger

Eli so glad to hear surgery went well and will keep my fingers crossed for a Elite group diagnosis.

LOL about DH checking your name and birthdate.

Anonymous

My dancing shoes are ready!!! ...sounds encouraging!

Dianarose

Eli- glad you are doing ok. When I read the part about the drain tubes I got the chills. Most horrible invention ever. I remember the burning pain. I feel for you. I love your new diet. Hugs........

elimar86861

The drains are probably the same.  Mine had a bulb on the end with a plug that they opened to empty.  Some of the nurses likes to "milk" the fluid out of the tube also...O.M.G....that would create a suction in the wound cavity.  Yow, yow, yow.  It was a hurtful, sickening feeling.  I tried to anticipate and stop them from ever doing that.  It was the only thing that made me cry.  I filled up about 6-8 of those bulbs up in two days time.  When they finally pulled it out of me, it looked like four or five inches of tubing came out.  Are you Bi-Mx ladies telling me that you get two of these horrors?

Dianarose

Eli- it sure sounds like the wonderful tubing I had with the bulb at the end. I had 3 of them. They burned and hurt more than childbirth. When they took them out my big tough 6'4" bf went down for the count. One of mine was over 2 feet from the center of my chest and wrapped down and  around up to under my arm pit. So gross. I only had to have them in for 6 days, but some ladies who had there bmx during the same month I did had to keep them in 4-6 weeks. I think I would have pulled them out myself before then. Glad that you didn't have to come home with them and have to have your dh drain them. I hope your path report is clear. Did they give you any idea how long before it would come back?

marlegal

I said many times after all tx was done that my drain was by far the worst part, even over chemo. I drained slowly, so it was a couple weeks. My surgeon finally felt bad for me and pulled it out anyway. Glad you were able to leave that in the hospital.

barsco1963

Complete response - how wonderful those words are to hear. Hoping the path report comes back just as great!

Eph3_12

OK-here's to hoping I NEVER have to have a procedure requiring drains!  I almost went down for the count with Dianarose's BF after reading those descriptions!

Momine

That sounds un-fun in many ways, but also as if it went really well all things considered. I wish a speedy recovery and keep fingers crossed for good path.

NativeMainer

Elimar--Hooray for being home, for recovering enough to get the drains and tubes out.  Good for you for learning a new skill set.  And saying prayers for a COMPLETE RESPONSE report in a few days!  Weird about the diet, though.  After recon surgery I had FOUR of them, and had to milk them twice a day.  After the mast I had one for 6 weeks.  There was 12 inches of it inside that time.  Welcome to the club!

IamNancy

Hi Ladies - I am probably on the older end of middle age - but this looks like a place for me

barbe1958

HI Nancy, jump right in!!!! We are welcoming back our leader elimar after the abortion of her alien colon child. (Did that shock anyone?) I have NO social filters, but you'll get used to me.

Diana, my drains were that long, too! Elimar's are baby drains because it is in a different area of the body. Mine, too, wrapped along my chest ribs and then out the back!!

So now we wait to cheer the take-off of the ostomy bag!! I bet that'll change your diet forever, e. Depending on what food you see in there undigested.....

Gotta love the DH humour...hehehhehe

iatigger

Hi Nancy, welcome to the group.

luvmygoats

Eli - I agree that doc knows what he's looking at.  When does the path report come back?  Bet DH is just trying to get your goat in a fun way.  Sounds like something mine would do to break the tension.  At least he's there and attentive.  Hug him for me.  Hear lots of ladies who don't have any support.  So cheetos but no vegies.  The end of April is not that far only 6 weeks.  Probably about the time you begin to feel up to snuff so to say.  YAH for Eli!!!

Welcome Nancy.  We're a little (maybe more than a little) crazy on here.  Let us know what we can do for you.  Age range is only there as a guide.  Not checking IDs.  LOL.

IamNancy

thanks for the warm welcome - I did read a few pages of posts and will say for middle age I think this is a wild group.. LOL

Momine

Nancy, welcome, and for "wild," according to the Greeks (proverb) the old hens have the good juices

elimar86861

Native, I remember you, along with a few others, had quite the experience with the drains that wouldn't leave.  I don't know what I would have done if I had to come home wearing one.

Going thru' an alien gestation is so reverse from our normal way.  Only after delivering am I beginning to "show."  Just mentioning this because I hope it is just a case of surgical swelling and not a case of having that drain out too early.  As puffy as I look, each day the feeling is of less pressure, so it is probably o.k.  Each day, I feel just a hair less sore than the day before.  I can lie on my right side, but when I lie on my left side, the feeling of gravity pulling my innards downward is still too uncomfortable.  Kind of wondering if I will get a lot of adhesions but, if I know me, I will be stretching at the earliest safe time to do so. 

Welcome, IamNancy.  I read your Dx and can't quite figure it out.  DCIS is not invasive and I don't know why you would get chemo for that.  Do you mean IDC?  Was your second surgery because you did not get clear margins on the first?  Did you have lymphovascular invasion?  How is your chemo going?

Possibly the TMI department:  Not counting the ostomy bag I am wearing on my small intestine, I cannot feel any difference in the franken-colon or rectum beyond.  It feels "old normal."  I had thought that all that would change and that it would not even feel like me, and I am very relieved that it does.  I don't feel any pain, or any difference even, in my lower bowel area.  It's just inside there, on vacation.  Incredible!

staynsane

Eli,

Congrats on having your surgery "behind" you!  Always good when you can look in the "rearview" mirror!  I believe doctors often paint a more negative picture of what they expect/could find before surgery is done so that they cover themselves and can tell you the fantastic news when things turn out better than initially expected.  I know the feeling of relief that likely washed over you. That was my experience.  I was initially told that my tumor was likely 2 cm and that chemo would be in my future.  Although I had multifocal cancer and had to lose my breast tissue, the largest mass was .7 cm and I cried like a baby when the onc gave me the news!

I am having a revision surgery Wednesday to have fat grafted to the hollow above lefty created during the mastectomy. The bonus is that I am having the fat lipo'd out of my tummy!  Glory days!  My little pooch will be gone!  My DH says he's going to miss it.  Yup, he's a keeper. The one bright spot in all of this!  And I don't anticipate needing drains; I agree that those were disgusting and at the incision one of the most painful parts of my surgery.  I was juicy and had them for more than two weeks.

Quick healing thoughts are sent to you and all others undergoing surgery soon!

elimar86861

staynsane, My girlfriend had lipo as part of her revision surgery.  Her comment (besides OUCH) was that she could not believe that people would go through that just for vanity reasons.  There is some real pain involved, so prepare yourself.  On the plus side, your surgery is on Weds., so your surgeon's St. Pat's hangover should be long gone.   Should we plan to tag along in your pocket and make sure his hands are nice and steady?

sheila888

Welcome Home Elimar......

♥

IamNancy

Elimar - I don't know if its IDC or DCIS - wow, how could I not know the difference - crazy. I am getting chemo because my oncotype test came back 25 and they highly recommended it. The second surgery was because of a sattelite lesion - so yes, it was for a clear margin.

I just looked at the doctors paperwork - it is IDC - I just had it mixed up!

Sounds like your surgery was quite extensive but you are handling it like a trooper!

barsco1963

Welcome IamNancy - glad you have found this wonderful group of lovely and looney middies. Always here for one another to provide support, guidance, friendship and fun!

eli - sounds like you have a bit of improvement each day   Good to hear that your "old normal" is still with you. Keep on healing!

staynsane - definitely in for a pocket party if you'll have me!

staynsane

Elimar,

I would love company in my pockets on Wednesday!  Please just make sure your bag is tightly secured or things could get really messy, between that, Cheetos, cupcakes, wine, chocolate.  Hell, it will be a celebration; will someone bring fried chicken?

On second thought, I won't know what time my surgery is until Tuesday, and won't be able to eat before it so the smell of yummy foods might be torture!

I'm sticking with the thought that this procedure will be a piece of cake!  My PS said it would take about 1 1/2 hours, but I reminded him that he will need to make sure he gets a LOT of fat from my abdomen, so he should count on at least 2...

barsco1963

Will be there for you staynsane! We'll make sure that everything goes smoothly and that your "piece of cake" will be waiting for you when you wake up! Here's some for you to choose from.

marlegal

Eli, each post of yours makes me smile even more. I'm so glad your healing is going well.



Welcome Nancy. Love meeting new people and this is the best place to do that. Eventually we all let our true colors show!



Staynsane, count me in. I don't cook well, but I clean up well so I'll make sure no crumbs fall out and give us away.

Sherryc

Eli so glad you are back and healing.  Bye, Bye to that alien baby.  I think my drains were the worst.  I had two.  I had one for one week and the other for two weeks.  I could not believe how much tubing was pulled out when they took them out.

nancy welcome aboard, this is a great place to hang

staynsane I'll be in your pocket on Wed.