February 2010 Mastectomy

cornellalum

OK - BMX is two weeks from today.  I think I'm almost ready.  I have ordered my camisoles (I got two) and they should be here this week.  I got the prescriptions for them from my surgeon so I can file insurance. I bought some big fluffy pillows from the dollar store to use to prop me up.  I've got the room for DH at the local hotel (my surgery is out-of-town).  I've talked to the physical therapy folks and got the post surgery/lymphedema therapy lined up.  I bought some cheap sweatpants to hang out in.  I got the laptop from work so I can keep up with e-mail while I'm off work.  I've scrounged the DH's old flannel shirts to wear.  I've made an appointment to get my hair cut a "little bit" shorter than the usual short cut to make it easy to wash and wear.  I've got a list of what to pack for the hospital.  I have read the January 2010 surgery thread to get an idea of what recovery will be like. I have some trashy novels (and a few actually useful low impact chores) to keep me occupied as much as possible during the recovery.

Now I just get to think about it and wait. Crap.  Maybe I should have procrastinated........

Stonebrook108

Hi ladies,

One thing you must have on hand is a stool softner. You'll need it after having anesthesia and being on pain meds. I had a PBM with one step implants one year ago this Jan. I want to tell you the surgery isn't as bad as you would think. Really no pain just a feeling of being sore.

If I can answer any questions you might have send me a private message.

Good luck to all of you

CyndiS

Please add me to the list: February 24 - unilateral mx with immediate TE reconstruction. Talk about a looong wait! So for now, I am going to set up my camp on the lovely banks of deNile and enjoy the view. Reality will set in in good time. Yikes. Another month of waiting.

Faith316

Welcome Cyndi!  I added you to our group list.  Time will go fast.  It seems like just a few days ago I was saying -- one more month.  Now, it is 9 days away -- Feb. 4. I alternate between being anxious to just get it over with and being sad at losing my breast.  Oh well.  You gotta do what you gotta do.  We'll all be ok!

LTK

Sunsnow/Maura,

Thank you for your input.  So generous of you to offer insights/experience to the February club.  (Mental note: I should do this for the March ladies.)

Cornellalum,

I'm finding your packing/planning entry very useful.  It's only while reading this website that I'm realizing I need to prepare some practical things!  (Perhaps there's a packing list among the 14 hand-outs my BS gave me...?  Haven't faced that fat envelope b/c it has seemed overwhelming.)  Until now, I was just focused on the childcare for my kids (ages 3 and 6) and steeling myself psychologically.  

Speaking of, took my second walk tonight.  Didn't work as well b/c I ran a couple errands along the way!  So I didn't get that "I'm going to be ok" momentum going this time.  Will try again tomorrrow... 

How are others preparing for the big day?  I'd love to get more ideas, the practical, the psychological, or anything in between.

Stay strong, ladies!  Let's all look forward to spring, to healing physically and mentally and putting this intense experience behind us. Spring will come.  It's the light at the end of this tunnel.

LTK  

 

 

banana4me

When I was still coming to terms with my decision to have a mastectomy rather than lumpectomy, I found a posting by Melinda41 in which she wrote a letter to her boob:  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topic/741285?page=1#post_1532518

It was wonderful to read - funny, sad, and so touching that I felt compelled to write one myself.  I found it to be incredibly helpful in my struggle.  I'd recommend it to anyone facing the loss of one or both breasts. 

cornellalum

Pam - I get the sentiment behind Melinda41's letter, and appreciate that it may make some ladies feel better, but for me, it would make this whole thing very sad if I felt like I was "letting go" and "saying good-bye" to my boobs.  I'm not "letting go" of them, I am sacrificing them on the alter of health and long life.  I am slaying the bc beast. It is a triumph over this nasty sucker called cancer, and I am glad to see them go if it means that I'm going to survive.  They tried to kill me, and I won't let them.  Ha!  So there. Take that, boobs. It's war, and I win.  Nyah, nyah, nyah.

DeeCee

Feb 18  Unilateral Mast with immed recon

cakeisgreat

Hi, guys!  I was scheduled for Feb for BMX with DIEP, but my surgery got changed to March 4.  Can I visit here for awhile until a March thread starts?  I feel lonely.

I had lumpec and rads June-Oct, but I'm too nervous to keep my boobs, so my surgeon agreed that I could go back and knock em off.  I still had a calcification there and I noticed the "atypical" cells on my path report, so I decided I need to do this.  

Faith316

Welcome DeeCee.  I'll add you to our group.

Cakeisgreat -- of course you can hang out with us!  I'm gonna add you to our group, too.  March 4 is pretty close to Feb.!

badger

Hi all y Hola nieves!  My sister in surgery, we will get through Feb. 2 together!  I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be.  How about you?  I check in Tuesday at 8 am with bmx scheduled for 11 am, SNB prep in between.  No recon so I'm supposed to be "under" for four hours. 

What's the time difference between us?  I'm in the USA, same time zone as Chicago.

Cornellalum, I share your battle sentiment.  The cluster of microcalcs on my mammo reminded me of the Seven Sisters constellation, which pleased me in a way, until I learned they were murderous b*tches trying to kill me.  Now I think of my surgeon as Orion the Hunter pursuing them across the winter sky.

I see I'm still first on the list - anyone out there scheduled for Feb. 1 please advise...  {{hugs}}

cakeisgreat

Thanks Faith! 

cornellalum

So who else is looking for something to talk about while we wait for our surgeries? I am so over the obsessing about every little detail of this bc fiasco.  I have made my decision, and I'm ready to go.  But with over a week before the surgery, I'm looking for a distraction.  How about a good joke?

Here's one I heard today at a retirement party at work:

An older guy is ready to spend some money on a good gift for himself. So he decides to buy some really fancy cowboy boots - a pair made out of alligator hide.  He buys them, puts them on, and goes home to show them off to his wife.  He bursts in the door, and says "hey, honey, what do you think?" And she says "what are you talking about?" He says "don't you see anything different?" She looks at him, and says, "not really."  So he goes into the bedroom, and takes off everything but the boots.  He sashays back out, and says "how about now, honey? You see anything new?" She looks him up and down, and says, "Nope.  Just the same old thing hanging down."  He says, "Woman, it's hanging down 'cause it's looking at these fine new boots I bought."  She considers this for a moment, and says "Well, you should have bought a new hat."

Anyway, ya'll have a nice evening.  And let's think about something other than this stupid surgery for a little while, OK?

cakeisgreat

LOL!  My obsession is FOOD...anything getting me off of thinking about that is great!

I am planning a trip to Disney in October...heres a good conversation...

What is your favorite memory about going to Disney if you have gone, and if you have not gone, what is your favorite memory about any vacation you have gone on in the past. 

Lillies4Laurie

Hi There,

I would like to be added to the February list.  My bilateral mastectomy is scheduled for Feb 16th.  I'm nervous about the surgery.  I can't have reconstruction until later after my surgery and recovery.  I've had my chemotherapy and lost all my hair and now losing my breasts has me feeling very overwhelmed.  I could use encouragement from you wonderful ladies.

Lillies4Laurie 

funsizejen

Hi Feb. ladies! 

I am in the countdown now...less than a week to go.  For now, the horror of the mastectomy has been replaced by the horror of my mom coming to help and seeing my house in all its chaos!  I will be spending the weekend cleaning!

I have a photographer friend coming over to take some boudoir shots, and the girls from work are having a going away party for my breasts. AT HOOTERS,.....so they are going out in style, at least!

It's a very scary time, as you all know......but trying to  remain positive! 

Nieves, where are you in Spain?  I lived briefly in Rota, near Jerez!

Faith316

Jen -- I can relate to having to clean my house before my mom could come over!  She lives in the same city I do and how many times has she called to say, "I'm gonna stop over for a few minutes" and then I had to quickly run through doing a quick straighten up so I wouldn't be embarrassed!  Having your going away party at HOOTERS is too funny!  Have fun!

Lillies4Laurie -- Welcome!  I will add you to the list above.  It is good to have some "sisters" who are going through the same thing at the same time as you are!

LauraM

Hi All -

Could I please join you on this group?  I am having a bilateral MX on February 22nd and I will have immediated TRAM reconstruction.  It seems so far away but I am sure it will be here before I know it.   I too have been scrambling around trying to get everything in order before my MIL comes to help.  She is wonderful, but I need to make sure all is organized!

Faith316

Hi LauraM.  Absolutely you can join our group.  And, yes, you are right --- Feb. 22 will be here before you know it.  It hardly seems like a month ago that I was away on a New Year's Eve trip thinking to myself --- one more month and now, it is next week!

Welcome!

Faith

cornellalum

Hey cakeisgreat!  Disney is great too (maybe greater than cake......maybe)!  I went to Orlando with my daughter's Girl Scout troop (twice!) - it was the best.  The girls were all teenagers, and we had a blast.  They sold cookies by the truckload to make it happen, but it was so worth it.  Everything was fun - you have to just relax and realize that you can't get away from the crowds and the lines, so you have to just deal with it.  Of course, the "big" rides are the best.  Are you going with family? Kids? And are you talking about Disney in Florida or California?

I sent you a PM.........

badger

Hello Feb. Sisters, just for fun, taken from my morning newspaper --

Q: What is Groundhog Day and are the forecasts accurate?

 A: Long before computers, the Weather Channel and the Internet, people needed weather forecasts.  Farmers and sailors particularly needed to know if storms were coming.  Over time, various fokelore forecasts, often in the form of short rhymes, were devised and passed down through the generations.  Although memorable, the fokelore forecasts are of uneven quality - some good, others bad.

Groundhog Day is an example of predicting the weather based on fokelore.  If the groundhog comes out of its hole and sees its shadow, we are in store for about six more weeks of winter.

The roots of Groundhog Day go back to the 6th century.  Feb. 2 is 40 days after Christmas and is known as Candlemas.  On this day, candles that are used for the rest of the year are blessed.  This is also about the mid-point in winter, in meteorological terms.  The forecast rhyme goes:

"If Candlemas Day is bright and clear / There'll be two winters in that year; / But if Candlemas Day is mild or brings rain, / Winter is gone and will not come again."

If the day is bright and clear, the groundhog "sees" his shadow and we have 40 more days of winter.  Of course, the weather conditions on Feb. 2 at single locations like Punxsutawney, Penn. tell us very little about the weather for the rest of the winter season.  As for accuracy - the preditions are correct about 40 percent of the time - it's vastly inferior to what is delivered by modern science.

But right or wrong, they are fun community celebrations.

...and it's a heckuva day to have surgery!  {{hugs}}

cornellalum

Groundhog - Will your experience predict the future for the rest of us February surgeries?  If so, I hope the sun doesn't shine on Tuesday where you are! None of us need six more weeks of winter. I was trying to remember what the weather was like on Christmas, and I can't remember. (of course, it depends on where you are, which is the problem with trying to predict the future by using the weather! hmmmm.....)

 I will be thinking of you as you get ready to be the first of us to take the plunge!  Many good vibes and prayers going your way!

Nieves, funsizejen, charua, and Faith316 - You're up for week one of the February discussion thread.  We are all thinking of you and sending prayers to you for calm and serene days leading up to your surgeries.

Strength. Courage. Serenity. Fortitude. Peace and love to you all.

Faith316

We have had such a cold snowy winter that I hope that groundhog does NOT see his shadow.  I am ready for spring!! 

Five of us have surgery next week.  Groundhog and nueves start us off on Tuesday, Jen and charua on  Wednesday and then me onThursday.  Is everybody ready to get this show on the road?

I am starting to think what all I want to take to the hospital with me.  Should only be there one night.  How about the rest of you girls?  My list currently is lip balm, toothbrush and paste, face cleanser, moisturizer, hairbrush,  slippers, shorts to wear under hospital gown, post-surgical camisole, my own toilet paper and Cottenelle wipes (I HATE cheap toilet paper!!).  I'm going to wear a pair of elastic waist knit pants and a button down shirt to the hospital and will wear the same clothes home the next day.  I am also bringing my Tykerb so I can take it after surgery.  I normally take it first thing in the morning because you have to take it on an empty stomach.  I don't want to skip a day and the hospital pharmacy isn't likely to have it on hand.  Even if they did, they would probably charge me an arm and a leg for it.  It is expensive -- about $4500 for a one month supply!  Thank Heaven for insurance! 

Anybody have any other ideas for necessities?  

I'm not really scared about this surgery.  Sad about losing my breast, but not really scared.  This will be my 5th surgery related to breast cancer since I was originally diagnosed in April 2008.  I wish this would be the last one, but I guess I will have a couple more maybe in the fall or winter of next year when I do my DIEP surgeries.  But for now, just looking to get past this one.

Faith 

badger

Faith, your list looks good to me.  I got some numbing cream prescribed by my surgeon to help get me thru snb prep.  Some say it doesn't hurt much but I am a known weenie about these things.  It's the generic for Emla, lidocaine and prilocaine cream 2.5%/2.5%.

I am booked for same-day surgery so will be discharged Tues, but can be immediately *re-admitted* if need be.  I'd just as soon go home but it's good to have options, and to know my doc office knows their way around my ins.

Got a great deal on some large men's button-front flannel shirts this afternoon so will get them washed tomorrow.  I love it when what I'm shopping for turns out to be on sale!  Orange dot sale, half price, ten bucks, score!!  :-)

hbowser

Good evening ladies,

I would like to be added to the February list. My unilateral mastectomy is scheduled for Feb 2nd. I wasn't nervous about the surgery until today. 

Faith, your list sounds like it is complete.  A friend told me to bring socks; along with slippers since her feet got cold.  

Cakeisgreat, I haven't been to Disney, but I am looking forward to going on vacation in a few months. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Holly

Faith316

Hi Holly!

Looks like you are joining our list just in time!  That makes three of you having surgery on Feb. 2.  I'll add you and welcome!

Faith316

groundhog --- I wish somebody would have suggested to me to use Emla cream when I had my SNB in May 2008.  My surgeon did 4 injections.  The first 3 were not bad at all.  The 4th one hurt like hell.  I am having another axillary node dissection with this surgery but I was really glad when my surgeon told me I would not have to have SNB this time.  The Emla cream works great whenever my port is accessed.  I'm sure it will help a lot during SNB as well.

I'm wondering how many of you have already had chemo?  After my diagnosis of IDC in April 2008, I had a lumpectomy, sentinal node biopsy and axillary node dissection.   I then had Adriamycin, Cytoxin, Taxol and Herceptin (all of those are infusions) and then I had 30 radiation treatments and continued on Herceptin after rads.  Then I was diagnosed with IBC in June 2009 and as a result of that, I just finished 6 months of oral chemo Xeloda and Tykerb, but I will stay on the Tykerb indefinitely.  (My IBC actually started while I was taking Herceptin and having rads but we just thought the rash and sweling, etc. were a side effect of my radiation treatments.  I was so burned and blistered from rads that there was no reason to be suspicious of a rash and swelling.  So, I wasn't actually dx until June.)  Now -- mx and another axillary node dissection to take more nodes that they didn't get the first time.  I recently returned from another trip to MD Anderson and had another PET/CT and it was still all clear!  Hopefully after this surgery, I will remain cancer-free forever.  In 2 more months, it will be 2 full years since my initial diagnosis and since that time, I have been in non-stop chemo.  Enough!!!!!

Just curious about the rest of you girls.

LauraM

Good evening ladies, my thoughts and prayers are out all of you have surgery next week.  I will be thinking of you everyday and looking forward to your updates!  

Cake - We took our two  young kids to Disney World 3 years ago and had a blast.  I can't wait to take them back, they are getting to be at such a fun age to do all the parks.  Where are you staying?  We stayed at a time share off of Disney, which was great because we could just hang out at the pool on some days and go to Disney other days.

Question:

Does anyone have young children?  Mine are 9 and almost 11 and I am not sure exactly what to tell them about my condition.  When I had the biopsy and Lumpectomy in November, I told them I had bad cells and we had to take them out.  At that time we didn't know the extent and now I am scheduled for a mx and not sure what to say.  I am a little nervous using the cancer word because my brother died 2 1/2 years ago after a long battle of throat cancer and they were very close to him.  Does any one have any thoughts on this?

grdnslve

bodhi

checking in from jan--waiting is the hardest.  i was dx in nov, & finally had mx jan 27.  now waiting on the path results....always waiting for something, aren't we.  i'm in mount vernon. 

sending positive thoughts your way...good luck

funsizejen

Week 1 ladies, we are getting so close!  Today was a crying day for me....anyone else?   I am just so ready to have this particular surgery over with, but am dreading it at the same time.

Faith, your list looks great!  The only thing I'm adding is a stool softener, just to keep things moving after the anesthesia and pain meds!

Laura, I have three children 13, 9 and 9.  My 13 yo knows pretty much everything.  She is very curious, and would probably google the information and come up with something really awful if I didn't tell her the whole truth!  LOL.  I haven't told the other ones as much.  I had a lumpectomy in October, and so I told them that I would be having a similar but bigger surgery next week.  That I do have breast cancer, but that the surgery is to make me well.  Other than that, I'm just answering their questions matter-of-factly as they come up.  It's hard, I know!

Have a lovely Sunday!