September 2012 Surgery

Teri060811

JennT-

Can you add me to the list?  Sept 25th BMX with TEs.

 Thank you! 

Jennt28

20 Aug 2012

Sandlake - hysterectomy



4 Sept 2012

Trinity0723 - MX (left)



5 Sept 2012

Leah_S - MX on remaining side plus bilateral TE placement



6 Sept 2012

leahlee - excisional biopsy

katylynn - BMX with TEs



7 Sept 2012

KnBsAngel - MX with TE

marianelizabeth - lumpectomy, SNB

the5owens - lumpectomy

Momluke - MX (left) with reconstruction and symmetric surgery



10 Sept 2012

Sandlake - bilateral MX with TEs

ohiobecky - MX (left)

java11 - MX with DIEP (left), reduction (right)



11 Sept 2012

SweetCaroline2 - MX, Lat Dorsi with TE

Tzvia - MX with TE

mrskimber47 - bilateral MX with implants

SAR843 - bilateral MX, DIEP/TRAM



13 Sept 2012

cthynsh - lumpectomy, SNB

cjw75 - BMX



14 Sept 2012

kittykoma05 - bilateral MX with TEs



17 Sept 2012

positivenergy - bilateral MX with DIEP



18 Sept 2012

gajor4 - MX with bilateral DIEP

4caseygirl - BMX



19 Sept 2012

michellej1980 - bilateral MX, DIEP

cathyann - MX



24 Sept 2012

Sneakychiquita - skin-sparing UMX with TE reconstruction

Mumtobe - MX

KellieDenise66 - BMX with TEs

LyndaMarie - BMX with TEs



25 Sept 2012

Teri060811 - BMX



26 Sept 2012

sandrav - bilateral DIEP



28 Sept 2012

Jennt28 - bilateral MX, muscle sparing free TRAM

Dakota212 - bilateral MX with TEs



1 Oct 2012

kltb04 - BMX



15 Oct 2012

rozem - bilateral MX with TE's and lat dorsi flap (on the radiated side)



unknown date

Bargala - bilateral MX with TEs

robertson8272 - MX with a SNB and LAT Flap With TE

kltb04

Could you add me? BMX October 1st. Was supposed to be TEs. Now that is up in the air; rads are up in the air. More frustrated than I have been since dx

kittykoma05

Teri- Welcome to the club. Glad you found us. We can do this together. My surgery is this Friday, so I'm running out of pre-surgery time.



To all the ladies who have had surgery last week or this week- I hope you are recovering with no problems and without pain.



To all the other ladies having surgery this week- sending you positive energy!!



Met with a lymphedema therapist today to do some pre- op measurements. I will get the hospital bed delivered to my house tomorrow, and I should be ready to go. Tomorrow is my last day at work. Some of my co-workers are taking me out for lunch, I hope I don't cry. It will difficult to stop once I start.



Big Hughs to all!

Teri060811

GreenEyes,

How has it been?  I'm pretty much on the same treatment plan.  My surgery is the 25th.  I won't know if I need chemo until after the surgery but they are somewhat confident that I won't need it.  I have read on here that the injections in the TEs are more painful that the MX...what do you think?  They told me that they were going to initially fill the TEs with 200 cc.  Did they do that with you? 

Teri060811

Cherioo-

I thought that typically with DCIS chemo was not needed as it is a non invasive cancer.  I also have DCIS and I am having a BMX on Sept 25th.   My BS said that they I had a very low chance of needed chemo unless they found something else in the tissue.  I am so afraid of chemo.  I am ER and PR neg and HER2 pos

Teri060811

Saying prayers for all of you having surgery tomorrow

KellieDenise66

Hello again girls. This is quite a thread. I think I need to take notes to keep up as well!
Jennt28 u are quite the organizer! So Sorry u had such a brutal day with all your testing, in addition to no therapist support when you're needing it the most . Yet here you are being so thoughtful and getting us all up to date with a schedule. On that note: hate to be a pain but
my BMX w/ TE has been moved
up to 9-24. Still not soon enough
for me. I had breast aching before
my diagnosis but ever since my
initial biopsy 7-26 and later ones
8-3 I've been having this constant nagging pain and under arm tenderness. Doctors feel it's nerve pain and a lymph node working OT
to help with healing but as we all
know the real proof is in that final
pathology. : (
Thank you for letting me be here
with you all. You are the most
incredible ladies, I only wish we'd
met another way. I wish each of
you enormous strength, peace of
mind and quick healing bodies! Thank you for holding my hand.
~kellie

Jennt28

Sorry I missed you kltb04! I have added you and moved Kellie :-)



Pre-op clinic done! No problems so all is "go"



Jenn

Dakota212

Jenn- glad pre-op went well!!



I am going for pre-op clearance thru my pcp today. fingers crossed, I don't want to delay this any longer!!



Cthynsh & cjw75~

Good luck tommorow !! We will be thinking of u!!! Keep us posted!!!

LyndaMarie

Hi all-

I am just joining this thread. On Monday 9/24, I am have dbl skin sparing mastectomy with TE's placed to support the skin followed by Brava/fat grafting for reconstruction. At least that is the plan so far. I have already done Neo-adjuvant chemo but do not know yet if I will need rads.

Hoping all goes smoothly. I am also scared. The unknown has a way of freaking me out. Once I am actually in the process, I tend to do better emotionally.

Hope you are all doing well!!

Lynda

kltb04

Thx Jenn.

kittykoma - I see you are getting a hospital bed delivered.  We were looking at buying a recliner (we could use it later) but I can't find anything I really like enough to invest it.  Just found out my insurance will cover a hospital bed at 100% do you know anyone else who has used one at home post op?

annievan

Hi folks - I'm not sure if I fit in here, as it looks like you girls are all scheduled for MX of some form or fashion in Sept.  I'm actually scheduled for my TE to implant exchange on Sept. 24th - - - I had BMX with TE surgery on July 10th - - All fresh in my mind, so I'll be glad to answer any questions or share my experience if any or you are wondering about stuff as you go along

Kltb04 - - I found the same thing as I was getting ready for my surgery in July - - couldn't really find a recliner I liked in my price range and didn't want to hurriedly buy something just for the surgery. . . there was someone on the June or July surgery forums who did the hospital bed thing. . . you might do a search and check out it worked for her

 Wishing you all the best!  These forums are wonderful for info and support!  I'm having a little pre-surgery jitters myself as the day draws nearer - 

kittykoma05

Kltb - I don't know anyone personally who has tried the hospital bed, but I got the idea from another lady on this forum.  She actually said it worked out great for her.  All I had to do was call my insurance and get a list of "in network" providers, when I found one that I wanted to work with my PS faxed a script for the bed and that was all.  I still have to pay $16 for the 30 days I'll have the bed.  Like I said, this will be my frist time trying this, so I hope it's really that easy.  My surgery is on Friday, so I'll let you know how it is once I come home from the hospital.

Jennt28

Welcome annievan. Surgery is surgery - you belong here :-/ I have added you to the list. So many on the 24th!



20 Aug 2012

Sandlake - hysterectomy



4 Sept 2012

Trinity0723 - MX (left)



5 Sept 2012

Leah_S - MX on remaining side plus bilateral TE placement



6 Sept 2012

leahlee - excisional biopsy

katylynn - BMX with TEs



7 Sept 2012

KnBsAngel - MX with TE

marianelizabeth - lumpectomy, SNB

the5owens - lumpectomy

Momluke - MX (left) with reconstruction and symmetric surgery



10 Sept 2012

Sandlake - bilateral MX with TEs

ohiobecky - MX (left)

java11 - MX with DIEP (left), reduction (right)



11 Sept 2012

SweetCaroline2 - MX, Lat Dorsi with TE

Tzvia - MX with TE

mrskimber47 - bilateral MX with implants

SAR843 - bilateral MX, DIEP/TRAM



13 Sept 2012

cthynsh - lumpectomy, SNB

cjw75 - BMX



14 Sept 2012

kittykoma05 - bilateral MX with TEs



17 Sept 2012

positivenergy - bilateral MX with DIEP



18 Sept 2012

gajor4 - MX with bilateral DIEP

4caseygirl - BMX



19 Sept 2012

michellej1980 - bilateral MX, DIEP

cathyann - MX



24 Sept 2012

Sneakychiquita - skin-sparing UMX with TE reconstruction

Mumtobe - MX

KellieDenise66 - BMX with TEs

LyndaMarie - BMX with TEs

annievan - TE to implant exchange



25 Sept 2012

Teri060811 - BMX



26 Sept 2012

sandrav - bilateral DIEP



28 Sept 2012

Jennt28 - bilateral MX, muscle sparing free TRAM

Dakota212 - bilateral MX with TEs



1 Oct 2012

kltb04 - BMX with TEs



15 Oct 2012

rozem - bilateral MX with TE's and lat dorsi flap (on the radiated side)



unknown date

Bargala - bilateral MX with TEs

robertson8272 - MX with a SNB and LAT Flap With TE

kltb04

Guess you can add TE's onto mine...here is what's new...copied/pasted...

Finally heard from BS aroud 2 p.m. Long story short (hahaha as IF I won't type a book), she wants me to wait til after pathology from surgery and get a second opinion.  Encouraged me to do all the research and ask all the questions but not to go strictly off this one RO's opinon.  She was trying to be nice about it but basically said he was brand spanking new and this is his very first year to practice...which is good that he is up on all the latest and greatest but he has little to no experience. That he was very thorough but that she felt that with my particular case (the one sentinel node nonwithstanding), the position of the tumor in relation to my boob, and even my age (cause let's face it under 40 at 39 is different than under 40 at 32), she wants me to get more input before I make a decision.  And that she would know more "once she got in there".   Truly she doesn't have a dog in this fight so to speak - there is nothing to gain for her to discourage me from rads so I am taking her opinion into consideration.

So we are back where we started...BMX with TEs...and another RO consult.

Dakota212

Good luck tomorrow kittykoma!!!!

positivenergy

Ok, so I'm gearing up for surgery on Monday, glad it is finally here, but a little freaked out. Got a call from the surgeons office confirming the surgery and that brought tears to my eyes.  But, overall, feeling strong and a lot of that strength has come from all of you on this amazing discussion board.  God Bless You All, be in touch soon with an update.

My co-workers all came to work today wearing pink - very sweet.  This experience has been, and will be, very humbling for me.  Not used to asking for help and getting so much attention (makes me a bit nervous), but blessed to have so many caring people around me. 

positivenergy

I'll be thinking about you KittyKoma tomorrow morning.  Warm hugs and healthy healing thoughts.

Dakota212

Positvtenergy-

I know I will feel the same in two weeks... Try So hard to enjoy ur weekend!!' thinking of u all who have had surgegry ready and praying ur all healing well!!!!

This too shall Pass!!!😍😍😍

Mumtobe

Hi ladies,

I'm so fed up today! Met with my onc & surgeon today and a blood test was taken which showed my white cell count is way too low. Now this week would be the low week anyway but they have decided that until my cell count comes back up surgery is not going to happen as it would put me under too much risk of infection during surgery. My surgeon hasn't taken my name off the surgery date yet and wants me to come back in next week for another blood test to see if the bloods have improved any bit, might even be brought in on the 24th (day of surgery) to get them checked again and if they are good the surgeon might even do surgery on the scheduled day. Otherwise I'm waiting a week to two wks to get MX done. My bloods need to be at 2 apparantly and today I was 0.8, very low. I'm just fed up cos all along my treatement went so well and I felt so well and then 2 days after my last treatment I got a really nasty tummy bug which my onc reckons was a viral bug that weakened my system even further. To add to this I have the nastiest sore in my mouth which isn't healing (well it wouldn't with my immune system being so low). Tomorrow is the start of week 3 where the cells are meant to be on the up and up. I will pray that my count skyrockets and I don't become sick in the meantime. It's just so frustrating!!!!

Dakota212

Mumtobe-

That stinks!!! Praying for better numbers!!!

LeahLeah

I'm sorry to hear that mumtobe.  Hang in there, those numbers will get better.  We're all rooting for you and that little one!  

I hope cthynsh and cjw75 are both doing well with their surgeries today and best of luck tomorrow kittykoma!

Hey, we are almost halfway through the month!  

We got this!!  

ohiobecky

Mumtobe are you able to get the shots? Either the Neupogen or Neulasta? Two weeks before my surgery I was at 0.97. The week before my surgery I was at 1.07. That was on Wed Aug 29th. Due to staffing issues at my oncologist I couldn't get the shots until Sept 5, 6 and 7. I had my blood draw on Friday the 7th and I was in acceptable ranges.

Not sure if you are able to get the shots but it would definitely be worth asking. Other than that I did a lot of B vitamin and C vitamin foods and supplements. Not sure if those helped at all but sometimes the mental side really does help.

 Have you bounced back from nadir before? I hope that they bounce back quickly for you. I

Dakota212

Leahlee-



I love when u say we got this. It makes me feel so much stronger !!

kittykoma05

Ladies,



Thank you so much for all the strength and wisdom you have given me. You are awesome!!! I'm packing my hospital bag and getting ready for tomorrow. Not sure if I'll be able to sleep tonight, but that's ok because I plan to sleep a lot after the surgery. Good luck to all of you having surgery next week. I'll check back with you ladies as soon as I can.



Hughs!!!!!

kittykoma05

Ladies,



Thank you so much for all the strength and wisdom you have given me. You are awesome!!! I'm packing my hospital bag and getting ready for tomorrow. Not sure if I'll be able to sleep tonight, but that's ok because I plan to sleep a lot after the surgery. Good luck to all of you having surgery next week. I'll check back with you ladies as soon as I can.



Hughs!!!!!

ohiobecky

Good luck tomorrow kittykoma. The anticipation was by far the worst part of it. You will kick this to the curb!

Leah_S

Kittykoma, best of luck tomorrow.

I am finally home from the hospital! I didn't realize standard here is at least a week in the hospital after this surgery. I had an interesting discussion with the BC nurse (she's a nurse navigator for all BC patients at this facility) about different times in hospital after different surgeries. She was appalled when I told her about a friend who came home the same day as a BMX. She feels it's substandard care, that people don't know what to look for and think they're OK and don't know that problems they have later could have been avoided if they had better care at the beginning. She also agreed with me that a week was too much of a good thing! There has to be a happy medium.

The surgery went well, so they tell me. Well, what do I know, I was asleep. The PS said it was difficult to stitch up the side that had rads since there was barely enough skin, so no fills were done yet. When I see her for post-op we'll discuss how much and how often we'll do fills. My feeling is - do it slow, do it a little at a time. I'm not in any hurry.

As far as the list of what to bring - I used what I brought (well, ok, I didn't use my face cream). I know some people don't need everything, and some of the stuff I needed since I was in for longer than most of you, but it's better to bring it and not use it than not bring it and need it. Jenn, I see you'll also be in for about the same amount of time as I was so BRING LOTS OF BOOKS! I can see why some people say you don't need them - the day of surgery and the day after I didn't read (and for me that's unheard of!) but then I started to use what I had. Magazines are good in the beginning since if you're like me you'll only be able to concentrate in little doses. Assuming your pain is controlled, the biggest problem you'll find is boredom.

It is such a relief to be home!

Leah

Jennt28

So glad to see all you women dtarting to check in again after your surgeries and interesting hearing the different experiences around the world.



You "sound" good Leah and thanks for the tips. I have already figured I will likely be climbing the walls ie: frustrated by the last couple of days in the hospital. I will have my iPad with me so should be good :-)



I have to work in a different city on Monday so hubby and I are flying there (Brisbane) tomorrow morning (Saturday) and having Saturday night and Sunday there together. He will fly home Sunday afternoon and I'll stay Sunday, work at my site Monday and fly home Monday night. On Sunday afternoon after hubby has gone I am catching up with some of the other Aussie women from here. Really looking forward to it.



Jenn