DIEP 2013

nihahi

bailey....I'm fighting a cold...what's got you down???

Anonymous

Oh just normal everyday stuff, Nihahi, pain in my feet and hands....pain in my "radiation complex" (pec, underarm, lats), boggy LE feeling in arm and chest...just worse than normal today....maybe I just need a waaaaahhhhmbulance lol! I'll get busy here soon and my mind will be on other things and it won't seem so bad.



I hate to admit it but I likely did it to myself. I have a pill keeper. I fill it every Sunday morning. The PM side is very full...I take most meds/supps at night. I just open it up and dump them in my hand and toss them all (12 or so) back in my mouth every night. For some reason I looked at them in my hand Friday night.....two Femara pills....I looked at Saturday's slot...two Femara pills....So looks like I dropped that little tiny yellow sucker in the slots twice last Sunday morning (I recall my nephew was here and I was laughing and yakking with him while I filled pills...oops). So I think I doubled up on it Sunday through Thursday So stupid. I think that's why I have extra pain But no cancer, for sure, lol!



A cold...that's no good....fever too? Chicken soup and rest!

lahela

How do you stretch skin without damaging it??? My abdominal skin is sooooooo tight, it is what is keeping me from being upright and it's driving me crazy. I've been massaging and moisturising, but it's not getting any softer or stretchier. Honey? Pickles? Voodoo dolls?!

Have a really, really painful spot on the lower outer edge of my non-BC noob too. *sigh* I am trying so hard to stay positive, but this yuckerf (someone did say replace the y in yuckery with an f  ) feels endless right now.

You women are so amazing. I am in awe of those of you going through bad stuff with such strength and humour. You are my inspiration.

Anonymous

Idk you guys....this seems easier....(what the....???)



http://www.etsy.com/listing/57972587/neck-knockers-scarf-aka-boob-scarf

Anonymous

Lol...Debdylan...I bet you can special order...



Close your eyes and hang on tight, friends...Pinktober cometh....I found this on Facebook

christina0001

I hope everyone is feeling well today and enjoying the weekend. It's beautiful here in my corner of Missouri, warm and sunny.

kuka21174923

Well..., I survived the night, but I still feel very tired. My friends want to take me out to dinner for my birthday, so I guess a relaxing day in bed is out for me. My DH is still complaining of pain and claiming he can't do anything, so I think I'm going to go hide.

Have a good Sunday!

CJKLOSE

Hi. Looks like I have come to the right place. I am having a double mx and am leaning towards the DIEP over implants. How many trips and surgeries does it typically take from the beginning until total completion? I live about a 90 minute one-way drive from the surgeon and breast surgeon that would perform the DIEP. Will it be possible for me to drive myself to all future appointments needed after the initial bilateral mx with skin sparing tissue enhancer? I'm not clear on what the entire process is for the DIEP. If I go with implants, I will have local surgeons that would do that, local meaning a 15 minute drive one-way.

goldie4040

Kuka, what is wrong with DH?  You sound annoyed...lmaooooooo

Deb, you just copy the pic, and then paste it here in message.  Very easy.

Lahela, I am so sorry.  I thought you were doing great.  You will stand up straight, I promise.  Does your back hurt?

lahela

Goldie, yes, my back is killing me with the hunching! DH is massaging me as much as possible and I'm using heat on my back but I want sooooooooo much to be able to stretch.

Cherrie

CJ- Every surgeon is different. I had the DIEP and 3 touch ups after that. I invested one year and it flew by. You will need help driving if you are on pain meds. Especially after the DIEP.



You have come to the right site. I flew to my surgeon. 90 min. shouldn't be an issue.

Anonymous

There is a page here on bc.org somewhere that tells how to post pictures...I haven't been able to just copy and paste....have to copy the photo's url from photobucket (or similar app) and then paste. Debdylan....if you have my phone number you can text the pic to me on my phone and I will post it here for you! I would love to see you and your beautiful hair!



Thanks for the well wishes....I am done riding in the waaaaahmbulance today Advil is my friend.

wraithg

Hey there it has a been awhile since I've posted anything. My diep and recon was in february. I have done quite well and working freelance on some difficult contracts. My stomach is always really hard below the scar and bloats up sometimes. This friday I was cleaning up my equipment and started getting cramp and stomach pains. On saturday it was worse and I went to bed early and stayed there until 11am!! Its sunday and I still have cramping and lots of back pain. Have to pee alot too. Any thoughts? 

Anonymous

Cj....welcome! Happy you found us! I am taking the long way around on this ride so I have had several appts presurgery with my PS. If I had had immediate recon I think I would've had a consult and then a marking appointment (where they plan out on your body in sharpie marker what they will do) however some ps will wait til morning of sx to do marking....So that depends. Then I had a 2 week follow up and an eight week follow up. BUT I had minor complications that were handled over the phone. Major complications could put you in the office once a week or so. The other ladies will chime in here with their experiences. So far my PS has talked about three more surgeries to completion. I couldn't drive to my 2 week appt, but was driving by 4 weeks or so.



I think the ladies that go to New Orleans (referred to on bc.org as NOLA) for sx have a doc local to home that works with NOLA docs since the nola ladies can't be running to NOLA for check ups. I wonder if your local PS would partner with the further away PS on your care? Just a thought. Wishful thinking maybe..



Keep throwing your questions out there and we will try to answer them!

Anonymous

Geralyn...bladder and/or kidney infection comes to mind first..appendicitis 2nd....do you have a fever? So sorry you aren't feeling well! Maybe a trip to an urgent care center is in order? I know AZO makes an at home bladder infection test strip that I have purchased in the drug store but they are rather spendy....I always figure if it's positive I am going to have to go in to doc and pee on their test strip anyway....So why bother finding out at home first?

jlbloom

Goldie, I'm late with this, but very happy things look okay.  Still, waiting is the hard part.  We will all be happy when the good news arrives.  Are we still thinking about t-shirts or has that ship already sailed?

I know someone asked about melatonin.  I take it every night.  I have for about six years.  Most nights I sleep like a baby.  I take it about 9:00 PM and can usually fall asleep about 90 minutes later.  There was a Dr. Oz show about tart cherry juice containing melatonin, http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/tart-cherry-all-natural-sleep-aid-pt-1.  Have not tried that yet.

Cherrie, great to hear that things went well.  We all hope to be a member of that group some day soon.

Bailey, we need to see a bigger picture of you so we can tell if you have found the fountain of youth.  Hard to believe you look so young with everything you have been through.  I'm not ready for fall because I don't know what happened to summer.

Thoughts and prayers for all of you, especially the ones having surgery this week.  ...Julie

sweetpickle

Cjk- Welcome! I lived about two hours away from my docs so I traveled while on chemo and had DH drive me. when it came time for surgery though, I stayed with my MIL who lived in the same town as my docs and Im glad I had that option as I jad several follow ups and a couple of call ins to have them look at my incisions. As to driving, I think it was six or seven weeks post diep before I could drive. I still have a hard time turning to look behind me while driving and I am almost four months post diep.



Geralyn- Sounds like you should get checked out by a doctor as that doesnt seem good, especially this far out from surgery.

mrtw43

CJ. I am going on my 8th week out, and I am still hunched over. I will say that it has sloooowly gotten progressively better, but it seems to be taking. Also, I think it has gotten a little better over the last week. I did also notice that when I would wake up in the mornings, I would have an overwhelming need to stretch. I think this has helped my stomach. Good luck and I know it's hard but try to be patient.

nihahi

I know (really, I do) how hard it is to restrict the amount of time you spend "sitting", in the early weeks of recovery. But, what seemed to both ease my back pain, and helped me straighten up, was to lie on my back, with only as much "height" behind me knees and shoulders as I had to have to relax. When you try to sort out your tight tummy by forcing yourself to stand/walk taller, you are asking alot of your skin, muscles, joints, etc., plus you are fighting gravity. Sometimes, just lying down for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, every hour or so, will let your back/ab muscles relax, along with giving a gentle, even, stretch to your skin.

lahela....try ice on your lower back....it is a better pain management modality.

nihahi

9/23/13     ironmagnolia (Stage 2, Diep)
9/24/13     Carmelle_in_CT  (unimx with Diep)
9/24/13     littlesara11 (Stage 2) Boston
9/25/13     kimdy (Diep)
9/27/13     krissy42 (unimx with Diep) University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH

This weeks ladies....safe surgeries and gentle healing to you all.

wraithg

thank u! bladder infection is a no as I know how that one feels and have no burning . maybe kidney , I will have to phone doctor tomorrow , its feeling better today but still not good. thought maybe just old stomach flu but not sure. Its just that after all this anything makes me nervous.

nihahi

Geralyn....good to hear from you, but sorry for the reason why you posted. Yes, I agree, get in touch with your dr. tomorrow and in the meantime, try to get lots of fluids in, even though you may have to pee even more, it might help "flush" your kidneys, if that is the problem. Don't use heat, until you sort out what's going on.

Tracy516

I'm six weeks out and could drive at four weeks. Not hunched after about 4weeks but I still can just jump up of the sofa!!!



Beautiful Sunday! Going for a walk!! Made omlettes for dinner! Yum!

goldie4040

Bailey, I was going to say the same thing. 

I am watching the red carpet for the Emmy's and I keep staring a Guiliana Rancic's boobs.  She had an awesome recon.  I believe it was immediate implant recon from reading her story.  I am obsessed with recon boobs, not so much real ones because I can't have those anymore

hrf

Good luck to this week's ladies.



I am getting quite frustrated and upset over this lack of healing on my left foob. Home care nurse is getting me concerned. She wants to do something different than what doctor has recommended but I think maybe the fact that she did "her own thing" has contributed to the problem. I told her not to do anything different and I will contact doctor's office again tomorrow. She seems to think that she knows more than the doctors. It's been over 5 weeks and I just wish I could see some improvement.

nihahi

hrf....what was her "own thing" before, and what new "own thing" does she want to do? Actually, it isn't that unusual for nurses to have a greater understanding of wound care....as they often have the "hands on" experience with healing issues. Surgeons deal best with "wounds in surgery"....they often have less practice with the daily "dressing/wound care" scenario. They know the theory, but they aren't the ones doing it.

Anonymous

Nihahi....I keep meaning to ask....do you know what the fossils are that were in your last set of pics? So cool and beautiful!

nihahi

Hey Bailey....hope you're feeling better. The fossils are horn coral. The rocky slopes on that hike are full of fossils of them. I am always fascinated, to see them there, as that hike starts at one of the highest driveable passes in the Canadian Rockies, yet these creatures were once underwater. I love geological stuff.

wraithg

Will do nihahi. Feeling a little better today.

CJKLOSE

Wondering, how does natural tissue react to someone who fluctuates up and down in weight?  Will both breasts go up and down and stay looking even?  Dumb question, huh?  But I needed to ask as I often fluctuate weight up to 25lbs sometimes.  thx