DIEP 2013

nihahi

OOHHH I get it Tammy....fyi....P.George was born on my birthday. Nope, he's way too young to be lining up for shooters!

movie...I think gifts for kids is the best mindset for sure!!! Kids are what makes Christmas anyways, right! Sorry to hear about the extended time in your "squeezie"....I'm sure he wants the best results for you and must have seen reasons for his recommendation at your last appt. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! As of today, the SSA has declared me alive and kicking. IRS holds the final say, apparently, and they refuse to budge until they get a packet full of proof. One of the things in the packet is a letter from the SSA, which they have to send to me, then I send to the IRS....sheesh....can't they just text each other!!!!

hey all you GTA gals....has the ice storm started yet???? 

Ridley

Yep. Combo of freezing rain and rain has started.  I'm back snuggled up in the recliner.  Won't venture out again until it's safe. Don't want any damage to the new parts.

Ridley

nihahi

Smart thinking Ridley....hope you don't lose power!!! I also hope curlylocks makes it home tomorrow!!! Rotten time of year for bad weather, eh!

Anonymous

Ok so now I hurt like hell  Lipo hurts. And yes I have been taking the pain meds. I didn't make it long without it

When I peaked at my boobs in the night last night they hadn't swollen yet. Now they are swollen and hurting. 

Nihahi I was thinking....you were only dead in one country....so as long as you stay in Canada ....or rather as long as you stay out of u.s. you are likely ok lol!! Now I am thinking of "Born in the USA" by Springsteen....only it's "Dead in the USA"....

Hoping a night's sleep will bring  a more pain free day tomorrow. Gnite friends.

damiana9

I went for my 1 week post-op yesterday.  He said everything looked great!  I don't have to go back until the end of January.  I was thrilled when he told me I didn't have to wear my compression bra anymore- as a matter of fact I spent the rest of the day bra-less, just because I could! haha!  My lifted side is still very painful and I am still taking pain meds about every 6 hours.  I am surprised that it isn't feeling better yet.  I am also kind of weirded out by my new nipple.  I don't want to flatten or squish it.  I feel like it isn't protected enough. LOL!  And then there are so many stitches on it that it looks like a weapon!  Today I kept feeling something on my shirt- I thought I dropped some food so I kept trying to brush it off- turns out it was a stitch poking out of my shirt- through my bra and shirt!  How crazy is that?!?!  Other than that, I am doing really well.  My abdominal incision is not too bad.  I measured my ab incision yesterday- 24 inches long!  Yowza!  I took a hot bath tonight and that made me feel so much better.

Kat-ski

Hey Girls!!  Bailey, glad you are recovering and may you find the strength to hold off on the heavy stuff(at least dream cotton candy or gingerbread houses)!!  I did go out today.  I left at 1pm and the roads were very wet still.  Shopping is done but I forgot the little cornish hen for daughter 3.  sigh    Put my car through the car wash as it is always so dirty with slush here.  No slipping or sliding until I stopped in front of my garage(4 pm) to read ant the car was going sideways!!!  Yeah, in the driveway!!  I just let her slide backwards a bit and onward and forward into the garage!!  It really did catch me off-guard and now I chuckle about it.  At least it was in my driveway and if I could not correct it, just get out and walk into the house.  lol.  The roads are bad now and plan to stay inside.  I haven't had a lot of time to do any shopping due to being in the hospital for two weeks and protecting my drain from germs that Christmas shopping might just come up short.  I always have my cards out the day after Thanksgiving and I am working on those too.  All of my ducks in a row are out of the row this year!!  I will say this now:  "Merry, Merry Christmas and may we all get what we have waited for this Christmas!!  I am glad you are here and have me in your treasure pockets because without them I would be alone!!  And may 2014 be all that we want it to be!!  I plan on hitting it as hard as I can.  Merry Christmas to all of you very sweet precious girls!!

nihahi

kat-ski....my belief is the Christmas will be here in 5 days, regardless of how busy, un-busy, happy, worried, energetic, tired, sore, feeling good we may be. We can throw any combination of those feelings (and more) into those 5 days.....Christmas will still be here in 5 days, no sooner, no later. Take a deep breath, be glad you're home safe and sound, stand by the window and watch the snow fall, or look at the stars, put on some Christmas music, or light a candle and enjoy the peaceful silence of a winter's night. 

bailey.....hope the lipo blues start to taper off soon. Until they do....remember sbe's constipationator advice and use the pain meds you need. Sorry to hear about the swelling....wish this stuff could be easier for everyone. 

damiana....take good care of the new weapon....aka nipple! 

goldie4040

Sharon, what was the great idea you had to protect your nipple while it was healing?  Maybe Damiana could benefit from it, but I forget what it was. Something to do with round cotton things with holes?

Bailey, I think was can all agree now, especially since quite a few of us have been through it in the last few weeks, lipo is the worst!!!!  The good news is the pain does go away in about a week (the bad pain, anyway) and then you just stay sore, but bearable for another week, or so.

Movie, I guess because my PS only took what he needed for fat grafting, and no real  lipo sculpting, I am done with compression. Yesterday, I put it on because I thought maybe I was swelling a bit, but it was so annoying I took it off.  Just stay on that Ativan for the next month, or we might be bailing you out of the bin!!!  LOL.  Can you see a nice difference in the places he did lipo when you take off you compression?

goldie4040

Kat ski....we had ice here a couple of weeks ago (a rare event in Texas) and my son's car slid out of his driveway (it's on a hill) and his neighbor woke in him in the middle of the night to let him know....lol.  I learned to drive back east in NY, so I know a little about driving on snow and ice.  My son grew up here, and he took his car out, but when he put it back it didn't put the tires on the same spots they were, and he slid out.....cracked me up!!!!!!

Sounds like you to a lot more xmas done than I have.  Relax a little.

RHGSR

I love all the positivity in these last few posts. It makes me smile to see the comradery  between you ladies !!  

Went to chemo education today. That's some scary stuff. Feeling real now. My road rash still isn't healed but looks like we are proceeding with chemo. 

My husband and I really didn't want anymore children   (Well maybe I would have like one more :0). ... But I'm kind of sad that the chemo will take away my fertility. It's such a final thing. I guess I'm sad because it isn't my choice?? 

Having a PET scan the day after Christmas. Which means no sweets, carbs, or fats after noon on Christmas Day!! Oh the torture!! 

Port placement coming up on the 27th. 

nihahi

RHG....I remember the chemo info as a sobering "it's really going to happen" feeling too. But, many of the ladies here have gone through today's version of chemo, and for most women, the anticipation is worse than the reality. It is not fun, but there is a wide range of how it affects people. I'm sure people will be chiming in soon with great advice for you. Try not to automatically expect the worse, and take it one step at a time. 

goldie4040

RHG

Ugh, I am sorry you had to do such a yucky thing right before xmas, and then have your PET scan right after.  You need to put aside all you favorite stuff to eat so you can have it  as soon as you get home after the scan.

I am sorry.  Having your fertility taken away so abruptly is so wrong.  Are they sure it's going to happen?  I have talked to women who keep getting their periods while going through chemo.  Of course, there are different types of chemo, so I don't really know why that happened to them, and other's do go into menopause.

The last time you described your road rash you said you saw pink skin underneath, so they are probably look at it as superficial and not much to worry about, which is good, right?

You are doing great.  Hang in there.  Your good attitude is going to get your through this. 

RHGSR

thank you ladies !

sbelizabeth

It sounds like there’s nasty weather out there. Everyone be careful—no more falls!

Curly, nice to hear from you, and glad you’re up and about
and “going.” After all the anesthesia
and pain meds, that’s a challenge. I can
force myself to get out of bed and walk down the hall, but my GI tract has a
mind of its own.

Jeannie, what pretty snow.
I hope it lasted a little while for you.

Lahela, GREAT news on the cyst pathology. You deserve some.

Ridley, I lost my sweet tooth during chemo as well. It’s returned to a small degree, but I can
turn down sweets a lot easier then I used to.
I’m hoping to not “feed” it back to health!

Movie, yes, ma’am!
They ARE beautifully crafted and I
feel very blessed for this gift of wholeness.
Sorry for the extra time in the iron maiden. It’s so weird how different all of our PS
are. Mine is like, naahhhhh, when I ask
if I should be wearing compression, and when he sewed up this beautiful nipple there
was no special dressing or anything. I
actually would be happy if it got smaller and a little squished—I don’t want to
be sporting high beams forever. The PS
said it would go down, lol.

Bailey, sorry you’re on the downswing with the pain.
Remember, the first day is tough. Colace
twice a day, Metamucil and Miralax at night.
Don’t get “behind”! And this too
shall pass…temporary is tolerable. Don’t
get sucked into the Christmas tornado, girl, just sit there and let them spin
around you.

Damiana, my abdominal incision is as long as yours. But scars fade!

Kat-ski and Nihahi…Christmas used to be a wild,
uber-scheduled whirlwind of writing the letter, printing and mailing, gifts,
stockings, putting up the tree, baking, cooking…and all while I was working
full-time. In 2011 I had my first chemo
on December 15, after the nightmare of diagnosis/surgery/port placement
earlier. We scaled back that year, and
although I’ll pull the stops out a little more now that Aubrey is here, I’m not
going back to a frenetic Christmas. What
a ridiculous way to celebrate the birth of our Lord.

RHG, Nihahi hit the nail on the head, at least for me. The anticipation of chemo was worse than
going through it. I’m so sorry about the
fertility thing. Since you’re estrogen
receptor positive, they probably want to shut your ovaries completely down, and
that’s a big thing to grieve, especially since it’s not your choice. But it’s your life that counts, and the
people in your life love you without functioning ovaries. Please come here and share your chemo ups and
downs with us, it’s not all about the flap for us sisters!

Last hyperbaric dive this morning! It was peaceful and lovely, and I hugged the
techs and the nurse good-by. The leaky
spot is almost un-leaky and all looks well.
Except for the massive tape reactions on my skin that I always get. The incisions look great, but there’s a halo
around them of glowing, itchy skin that will just take its time to heal up.

Happy Friday, gloobsters! Sleep well!

sweetpickle

hey ladies- How long after lipo did the pain last?  Im nervous about that part of the surgery.

Anonymous

Sweet - I just woke up from a good night's sleep and still hurt but less than yesterday. Feels like I got sunburned or like I worked out way way too hard. It didn't keep me awake though....or I have good drugs lol!!!

The first night at home was a bit rough. I have never had a six hour surgery and then gone home two hours later. I feel like they should have kept me overnight. I was up and flopping around the house in the night several times without supervision. But I thought I was just fine! When I did sleep it was in the recliner. Yesterday was painful. I slept in bed last night and am feeling better today so far. I am going to take a shower now and I will let you know how it goes. 

Do you know where they will Lipo you? I mean where on your body?

sweetpickle

bailey-  Glad its getting better for you. He is oing to do my sideboobs and dogears on my tummy scar. He said I wouldnt need to wear compression  but that wearing something like spanx may help.

Anonymous

Ok well that was a great shower, as all post surgery showers are!!! I did have hubs put the shower chair back in the shower and the raised toilet seat back on. Not necessary but nice.....since we already have them. I did feel a bit unsteady once I took off my compression. They put me in a Marena compression bra. I like my Bali compression better and will switch to that as soon as it dries. The marena has Velcro.shoulder straps and the hook side of the Velcro rubs on my skin. They put me in a chintzy ab binder so I switched to my good ab binder. I have some high-waisted spanx, too, so I can try those.

From what everybody says the thigh Lipo is the most painful and the compression you have to wear for thigh Lipo is the most difficult. My girlfriend had thigh, buttocks, back and abdomen done. She said thighs were the most painful.

I am still impressed with the symmetry of the noob and my native. Noob looks about a million times better. No kidding....a MILLION!!! She cat grafted over where my pec muscle was removed and I had a big "dent"  and it makes the whole noob look more natural.

Wow. Cat grafted...lmao...fat grafted. Cat grafting was Movie's ugly Christmas sweater!

RHGSR

sbelizabeth - Thank you. I want to be able to share my whole process with you ladies if that is okay. I know I haven't been on here as many as some of you, but I feel like y'all are friends. One of the only constant things in my life right now that's otherwise full of uncertainties. 

Janet_M

Good Morning - For those of you crossing the finish line, I have a question about dog ears. Does the contouring of the waistline extend the length of the scar drastically? I read (Damiana, I think) about the 24 inches scar. Yowza indeed! I'm currently at 17" and am wondering about what to expect.

RHG -  Before I went through chemo, a friend who had been through it, said it had been a 'very calm time'. I thought she was crazy.  I was literally sick with worry, and felt like I was walking a gangplank. That feeling persisted until my first session, which was uneventful. Everybody has a 'worst part' and for me that was the needle. I can't stand them in any environment and this was no exception, even though it wasn't any worse then the billions of other IV's I've had in my life. What did surprise me was the amount of laughter in the chemo clinic. The nurses were amazing and most people used the time to play cards, read, or watch movies on their ipad. The staff listened to all my worries, and said things to make it so much less scarey. My sister and Jim would come with me, and they actually looked forward to it. Afterword we'd go out for lunch, and now when I look back I have a lot of happy memories.  The baldness was another thing that scared me and I spent a lot of time worrying about it , and waiting for my hair to fall out. So I shaved it, and once it was done, it was done. It was a huge release and I felt really able to move forward and embrace my cute brown bob from 'Continental Hair'.

 It's normal to be scared, but you won't be alone. Your nurses will be enormously helpful, as well as people on the other end of the phone. And here.  And when you're all done - it will just be another blip in your life. A memorable blip, but for certain, but hopefully uneventful. I do look back on my chemo as a 'calm time'. I didn't work, and I spent a lot more time reading, but I also went out and enjoyed msyself. There was no nausea and all, and my bone pain was quite manageable. Unlike the other ladies, I actually got a sweet tooth. I remember one night bundling up and walking to the local coffee chop and buying a whole bunch of cake. I just couldn't get enough cake. 

Bailey - Yay for symmetry! Don't you love it? 

Sbe - Good-bye to your tube! I love that you made it into an adventure, and  I'm betting the staff is really going to miss you. But you can't be a hamster forever.

Bracing for the ice-storm here in Toronto. A storm coming from Texas? What the heck?

sbelizabeth

Bailey, I've needed to wear a lot of weird and uncomfortable things in the course of this "journey," and I've found my husby's stack of soft white hankies to be very useful. If the velcro hooks are irritating your skin, tuck a soft hanky under it.  Although some men no longer carry them, so you may need to resort to a small clean rag from a tee-shirt!  And cat grafting...you don't want to see what I'm picturing in my head...

For this last surgery, I was in the OR for 4 hours, then 2 hours in the hyperbaric hamster tube, then back to the PS's office for a dressing change, then...finally...home.  I was thrashed.  I was glad to be home, though--my husby is a great nurse.

Janet, you described chemo very well, although I kept working throughout my chemo experience.  It was a time filled with help and encouragement.  No nausea, meds for the bone pain, and a collection of about 20 hats.  One wig, although I didn't wear it much.  I didn't mind the needle--I used the deadening cream for a few rounds, but even without it, the "stick" wasn't bad for me.  I think my "worst part" was the muddle-headed feeling I got a couple of days after chemo.  It was like my brain had turned to cotton for a day or so.  It didn't last long, though.

Gotta run!  Happy Saturday before Christmas--don't get sucked into the tornado!

MartyJ

I had thigh lipo on Monday.  Took til Thursday before I could actually sit on toilet seat, though it still hurt.  Very bruised and really swollen.  I have much fatter thighs than ever and can only wear one pair of pants,  I backed off pain Meds Friday taking only Tylenol. Today nothing so far.  It does get better each day.  Boobs are a lovely shade of green.  Life is good.  Thankfully this shall pass soon.

goldie4040

RHG, I hope these ladies helped you with some of your chemo fears.  I know they made me feel better for you, and for them.

Janet, the storm that is coming from Texas is right over us now.  It's some very hard unrelenting rain.  My poor dogs. I spent a good 10 minutes convincing them to go out to pee, and they did not poop....I might find a surprise later.  But, anyway, back to the storm....it is very cold rain, and I can see that if it moves up there it will be a big ice storm, and I mean big.  So, get your supplies ready, go to the store, and get ready to hunker down. Usually we get your storms, so it's interesting this one is moving that way.

Sharon1942

RHG, I don't know what type of chemo you are going to have. I had taxotere & cytotan.  I experienced nausea after the first two fusions, but had acupuncture before the last two fusions & did not have the nausea.  My insurance did not pay for it, but it was worth every penny of the $75!!

sweetpickle

RHG- So glad you found this thread, everyone here has been so helpful to me as I traveled this road. I was afraid of chemo also nut it really wasnt that bad.  The few days afterward I spent sleeping, my naussia meds worked well but made me sleepy. I worked part time all the way through it.  The nurses were amazing, God bless you nurses!!!!!!, my hubby kept me company and kept me laughing the whole time.  I didnt have a port but the sticks didnt bother me until the end of treatment. Even then it wasnt that bad.  Hang in there, you can do this! HUGS

Anonymous

Rhg I echo the things that the other women have said. The anticipation of chemo was worse than the actual. My dh came with me the first time, but after that I set up.a schedule of chemo sitters...friends and family to come to the infusion clinic with me. They usually came in two hour blocks but sometimes longer. We had a good time, as crazy as that sounds. My nurses were incredible and I cried when I left them the last day.

I am sure bco has a discussion board for ACT chemo too, if you want to talk with people who have gone through your same regimen. 

Real chemo is not like tv or movie  chemo, imho. Most of us don't end up as skeletons! The antinausea drugs they have now are very good. I was able to work all.through chemo and rads. I did have to take Wednesday off every three weeks for chemo treatment (mine lasted 8 hours each) but then worked Thursday and Friday....usually laid low on Saturday and Sunday and back to work on Monday. I had  a few days where I left early and one or two Mondays when I called in, but mostly I worked. My worst side effect was diarrhea. I kept a small tote at work in the bathroom in case I got sick (from either end) so I could brush my teeth or change panties and clean up. Fortunately that didn't happen, but I was more at ease knowing I was prepared if it did. I did get sick once in a restaurant but that was in the beginning and I didn't take the antinausea drugs on schedule so my bad.

I rode my bicycle all through chemo. I went rock climbing for the first time in the middle of my treatment. 

It's not easy....but you can do this. We will definitely be here for you!

My ab scar is 23" (from butt cheek to butt cheek) and it is very low....runs across the top of my pubic hairline. She did remove my dog ears but I don't think it's any longer than before.

She lipoed my FUPA....oowwwwwww.....the skin is very bruised and dark red there (omg Marty we are a Christmas pair lol....me with the red fupa and you with your green boobs....very festive girls, we are).

Zenful

RHG - I agree with these ladies that the anticipation is much worse than the actual chemo.  You will find that chemo nurses are some of the most caring individuals with great senses of humor, and excellent listeners.  They are a very special group of people, indeed.  I had ACT, and had a port, so the needle sticks weren't an issue for me.  Whether you have a port or not, be sure to ask your MO to write a Rx for Lidocaine cream.  You put it on (if you know where they are going to stick you) one hour before in a nice sized glob, and it really helps.  It also helped to take 1/2 an Ativan before the first treatment to help calm fears of the unknown.  I am another one that received acupuncture a couple days before each treatment, and I had no issues with nausea or any of the other skin or mouth sore issues that sound so awful when you are reading about side effects.  No bone pain, but the Neulasta shot the day after chemo would usually cause an achy neck.  It's different for everyone.   I had treatment on Thursday, Neulasta on Friday, and back to work Monday.  I could have easily worked on Friday, but I work out of town, so it wasn't worth the long drive for a partial day.  Rest assured that they will give you any medication you need for home to make you comfortable.  When I had chemo, I just told myself  "I am just going to do this and it will be over before you know it", and it was true.   Try not to do a countdown, because that will make it feel longer.  Don't look at the finish line until you are close enough to see it (like, oh, I only have 2 more treatments to go and I'm done!). You can do this!  You are a warrior!  Feel free to PM me with any questions along your journey.  It really isn't as bad as the movies make it.  ((Hugs))

LucyV

hmmm let's see if I can catch up

Zoemom- hope you are feeling better. Did they let you get the ct scan?

Christina- hate uti's...hope you got drugs to kill it

Movie- I can hear the happiness in your post! Perky nipples,fuller breasts and cleavage! So happy for you.

Bailey- Happy for your good results! You guys are all scaring me on the lipo! Haha

Curlylocks- rest and heal

Goldie- hope you feel better after that fall.

Damiana- sounds like you had a good post op visit! Yay nipples!

Sbe- congrats on the last dive

Sorry if I missed anyone. I skipped my coffee today and now it's too late! 

Red fupas and green boobs....now that's the holiday spirit!

Moviemaniac

I'm STILL angry my "Cat-Grafted" ugly Christmas Sweater didn't win.........

Love the red fupa and green boobs......like Lucy says...."That's the Holiday spirit"

I am STILL sore almost 3 weeks out.....not bad, but if I touch certain areas...Ouch!   Verra verra glad I had NO thigh lipo.....I would probably still be in bed, chugging the Oxycodone........

Since my protection from surgery is off, I have to resort to two nursing pads with the centers cut out.....getting ready in the morning is interesting....shower (no direct washing of grafted areolas/nipple flaps-just let the soap run over them) carefully drying so as not to disturb healing of above mentioned items, cortisone cream on the breast due to the aftermath of the tegaderm tape (I hate that shite-the tape, I mean) dribbling hydrogen peroxide over above mentioned items.....air dry.....manouever into a Geniie bra, and carefully place cut out nursing pads stacked two deep)....put on a cami, so I can slither into my Marena Stage 1 compression gear......by now it's been over 20 minutes......

RHG you are in the right place....I did not have chemo, but you are already hearing lots from the wonderful women on here who have gone through it.....I like Janet's description of the time spent in chemo......

To all in the healing stage......TOWANDA!   We can do it!

XO

MartyJ

Jackie - have you thought of showering in the evening?  Might make mornings more tolerable.