January 2013 surgery

tangles

For you gals that have had yoru exchange how long did you take off work? I know it is not as bad as the mastectomy, but I work with my hands above my head. Plus have to have some lymph glands out that day too.

Tamiami

Tangles~  I'm a hairstylist too.  My PS wants me to have 6 weeks off after exchange because of the work I do.  She said that if I would lose my house or get fired for taking too much time off, then she would allow me to go back after 3-4 weeks, but wouldn't be happy about it.  She said she allows people with desk jobs and no pocket work to go back after 10 days.  I am 7 days post-op from exchange and lots of pocket work (4.5 hours of surgery) and feel really good...hardly sore at all.  Used the Norco for 2 days, just in case but hardly needed it.  With that said, it's going to be hard to lay low for 6 weeks!

Are you back to work full time now?  I know the chemo kicked your ass, and you were considering not going back until it was over...what did you end up doing?

Tami

peanutsgal

Tangles,



I would absolutely adhere to the six weeks your PS is recommending simply because of the risk of lymphedema if you overuse that side too soon. I am sure for you with the lymph nodes being removed that it is exactly the same restrictions as after your mastectomy. If you return too soon, it could be short term gain for long term troubles in the form of lymphedema. So glad you finally have a date. Have you decided on what size implants you are going to get? You will be so relieved when you finally have your exchange. There's something to be said for a good nights rest!

tangles

Tami I did not go back to work. I only have about 3 or 4 good days between Chemos and those days I do my Doc apts and errands. Yes chemo has kicked my butt!! My last treatment is next week, but it Will take right up to my surgery date to recover from the chemo. Gosh I wont get back to work forever!!! I was hoping for only a few weeks off, but I guess I have to do what is best....

Peanutgal I am not going with the gummy implants. I am going silicone round. 550cc I am overfilled right now and it is killing me. My last fill will be the day after chemo which I am going to be kicking myself for doing but will have to just suck it up. I will have the fill pain and the chemo pain at the same time. I usually try to avoid that. Oh well its only once!

wirdgirl118

Hi everybody! I am doing well and wish the burning and zinging would go away but it's only been 4 months. The left side is simply having a more challenging healing experience. I joined a Facebook group called Flat and Fabulous, and another one that is giving me ideas on what I might do next to ease the discomfort. Its not that the pain is bad but I just want a break, you know? I did not have a good PT experience so I'm looking maybe to another medical facility like Hackensack Medical for PT and pain mgmt. The BS was a good surgeon but now I feel cut off from the office of the BS who referred me to the PT/lymphedema office where I had the bad experience. They stopped refilling my Vicodin and honestly I am not sure it was working anymore anyway. I don't want to take so much NSAIDs that I damage my liver of kidneys though.

Tamiami

Yes Tangles...you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others!  Work will always be there when you get back to it.  Sending good thoughts for your last chemo and last fill...2 more things to check off the list!

Wirdgirl~  Sorry you have had such a hard time managing the pain.  It sounds like nerve pain...have you tried any of the nerve pain meds (neuroptin or something like that)?

peanutsgal

Wirdgirl,



Sorry to hear about you having such a hard time with pain. If the Vicodin was not helping the pain, it is more than likely nerve pain and a trial run of neurontin may be what you need. You might be surprised if you reach out to your BS office. I had a similar experience for a different medical problem. When I called to tell them that I did not have the expected results, they were very appreciative for the information and told me that they had never had any problems before, but would reconsider referring patients to the clinic in question. Turns out, there were many patients having issues similar to mine but no one ever told the dr's office so they thought their concerns were being resolved. I have MS and from personal experience I can tell you that PT is only as good as the therapist. Over the years I have had at least 30 physical therapists and only a small number of them are good enough for me to refer people to! Hope you find relief soon.

wirdgirl118

Thanks, peanutsgal, for your post. And for your understanding. I am used to having to be my own advocate (I self-diagnosed the Paget's disease on the nipple and was lucky to find a BS who recognized it right away) but yesterday I was whining to myself that I didn't want to have to do this pain advocacy alone. Thanks for being there. I'm staying home from work today and will start by going to my primary care physician - his practice recently joined the same health network that my BS and PT are in so I know he can get reports and stuff if need be, and his office is also a walk-in medical office that opens at 8 AM (my BS's office opens 9 or 9:30). My arm hurts but I am feeling more confident that I have a plan now. Thanks again VERY much!

wirdgirl118

The primary care doc just put me on gabapentin ( neuron tin) and suggested I tell my BS when I see her in June. I feel emotional relief and look forward to physical relief.

wirdgirl118

Hi Tami, I just started on neurontin. I am hoping it helps. I don't regret having the double mastectomy. But the nerve pain has got to be controlled so I can enjoy the extra years of living I can now hopefully look forward to.

peanutsgal

Wirdgirl,



You are so welcome! I'm happy you have a plan now and for me, hope goes a long way. One word of advice, with the neurontin, you want to take it exactly the way your dr. prescribed it. I stopped it all of a sudden a few years ago and found out it makes you very sick to stop without weaning off of it. Hope relief comes soon for you!

Tamiami

Great advice Pam!  Wirdgirl~  I'm so glad you didn't just give up/give in!  I have a feeling that the neurontin will take care of the burning pain you have been dealing with. 

tangles

Im just curious Jan surgery gals. How many of you have had an exchange surgery? I have a date for June 25th and a final fill Friday but am in so much pain still. I just NEVER in my wildest dreams thought I would still have chest pain 4 months after this mastectomy!! My Doctors say everything looks fine so I guess my body just does not agree with the TE at all. I regret everyday even getting them. I tell my husband I would rather have no boobs at all these things hurt so bad! I pray everyday after I get implants in I will feel some relief. This pain is getting so OLD! I have to hold on4 1/2 more weeks I guess :-(

Tamiami

Tangles~  I didn't have severe pain, but it was constantly uncomfortable with periods of some pain.  Within 1-2 days after the exchange, that is ALL gone!  The burning nerve pain along my ribs under my breasts is GONE, the hard painful edges of the TE's are GONE, the bruised feeling inside my breasts is GONE!  You can make it 4 more weeks...you will be soooo happy!

tangles

Oh thanks Tami, gives me hope! My back even hurts! So not looking forward to another fill friday. Last chemo tomorrow so my pain will be pretty bad next week. I will just keep saying almost there!!!!

Tamiami

Well, bad news today at my 2 week exchange post-op appt.  My PS is not happy with the way my implants look and thinks they will need to come out.  She thinks I will do better with a flap surgery...something I wanted to avoid by getting implants.  She feels that my body/tissue cannot support the weight of implants.  She went with a smaller implant and did tons of pocket work with additional alloderm, and still they are sagging and causing the upper skin to thin.

I'm not a candidate for DIEP because of a previous tummy tuck, so she is recommending either TUG or sGap.  I posted on the reconstruction forum to get info about both, so I can start to decide what to do.  I see her again in 2 weeks to come up with the plan. 

Also spent the day in ER after the appointment because I have cellulitis again...this time from a bug bite yesterday.  IV antibiotics and another 10 day course at home, but at lease they didn't admit me!

Hope you are all doing well and have plans to enjoy the holiday weekend!

Ariom

Tami, I am so sorry to hear what's happened to you.

I hope you find the information you need and that the changeover goes well with no more problems.

As to the bug bite, that is just terrible luck, but as you say, thank goodness you weren't admitted. I hope that clears up well with the antibiotics.

All the very best, for a speedy recovery Tami!

tangles

Tami so sorry! WHat is TUG or sGAP. I alo had a TUmmy Tuck so IF I need that I wont have that area to take from either. It is something that may come up in the future with my radiation. Im just hopeing NOT! Good luck.......

Tamiami

Hi Moira and Tangles~  I'm doing better today...arm swelling is going down and emotionally I guess I'm better too.  Just accepting whatever happens and moving forward!  That's the only way to handle it! 

A TUG flap is a microsurgery that removes skin, fat, and a bit of muscle from the inner thigh and then that is used to create the breast.  The bonus is an inner thigh lift at the same time. The surgeon feels that I could get enough tissue there to be approx. a B cup.

An sGAP is a similar surgery, but doesn't involve muscle and the tissue is taken from the upper butt/love handles...I have more there to work with and could get my perky C's.  There is also an iGAP surgery that is done on the lower butt.  The downside to this is that it is best done with 2 micro surgeons and my PS does these in NY with another surgeon.  I live in MI and don't have out of network insurance.  She says that she will work with me and my insurance company to come up with a plan that is do-able for me.

There is no big rush to remove the implants and I'm hoping not to have to do anything until fall.  That will give me time to decide and also to plan ahead for another 6-8 weeks off work

How are you doing Moira?  I haven't seen you on the boards...we must be in different "areas"!

Ariom

Hi Tami, so pleased to hear you are feeling a bit better, and that this isn't something that has to be done in a big hurry. Another 6-8 weeks recovery time off work is a lot. At least you have what sounds like a really good Surgeon and a couple of good options for the surgery. I am just so sorry you've got to go there again. 

I am doing really great thanks Tami. No problems at all, and getting used to the "New Normal" LOL

I am still around on the boards, but since I didn't reconstruct I seem to spend a bit more time in those areas.

Great to catch up though, and would you believe, I can still do the nipple thing, just by looking at where it was! LOL

Take care Tami, and all the best!

Tamiami

Hahaha!  I can't quite pull the nipple trick out of my hat, but it happens at all the right times!  We are very fortunate with that I think!  I am going to read some of the "au natural" boards too...just in case that is the option I decide on, or in case I'm not a candidate for the other flap surgeries.  I'm having a CT scan Thursday to determine if either my thighs or butt have whatever is needed to be successful in a flap.  If not, it may be that I'm not meant to have breasts anymore.  It's not my first choice, but I will deal with that if I need to.

Ariom

I hope it all goes well for you, and you can get what "you" want.

There is a closed Flat and Fabulous group on Facebook, and Breastfree.org if you want to see photos and read the personal stories. There are several Non reconstruct threads here, too.

Good luck with whatever happens.

Tamiami

Thanks Moira!  Have a great weekend...even though I know it's not a holiday weekend for you!

tangles

Good luck Tami. I cant imangine going through all this TE pain and not having things work out. I got my final fill yesterday and am in MAJOR pain. I keep saying it will all be worth it someday I HOPE!!

Tamiami

Thanks Tangles!  Good luck to you too...hoping the pain is very temporary!

Lmimp64

Hi there. It's been a while since I posted. I finished chemo the middle of April and went back to teaching 29 5th graders May 1st. They were awesome about my wig and scarves. My last day was May 30 and I went back into surgery May 31. I had the implants replaced with slightly smaller and wider ones with less projection, they were also moved in a bit towards the middle of my rib cage, and the thick areas of alloderm were scored in a checkerboard pattern to release/thin them. My dog ears were also revised. I am in some pain, have some swelling and bruising, but I can tell it is surgical, not the constant muscle pain and pinching I have had since my original surgery in January. I can move my arms without pain for the first time and this is early days yet! I have no drains but have to wear a surgical/compression bra 24/7 for two weeks. Here's hoping this new surgeon has really helped me.



Hope you are all well. Good luck to those heading into surgery. I know those expanders have been awful, but trust that you made the right decision. Straight to implants was not the right thing for me to have done. I wish I had been advised to do expanders. Thinking of you.

Tamiami

Lmimp64~  Yay for you!  I'm glad to hear that you can already move your arms without pain!  Enjoy your summer vacation...you deserve it!

peanutsgal

Hello everyone! Hope y'all are having a great start to summer. Saw my PS last week for 6 week follow-up. Good and bad news: love the way I look sitting/standing but lying down...not so much. Both implants migrate to my arm pits. I will have to have revision surgery end of August or first of September. He thought since I had previous reductions, I would have been more likely to develop capsular contracture...didn't happen. Will also have fat grafting at the same time. I'm a little bummed, but what can you do? Plan on enjoying my summer and dealing with it all this fall.



Tami,

I'm so sorry you had to go through the TE's only to have to pursue flaps now. It seems like this whole process is one step forward three steps back! I'll be thinking of you in the months to come.



Lmimp64,

Glad you were able to get some relief from that pain and pinching. Everything seems more tolerable when the pain is gone! Take care of yourself and enjoy your summer break. Teachers are the greatest and can be such a wonderful influence.

Tamiami

Pam~  Awwww...I'm sorry you have to have a revision.  You are right though, it's not straight forward is it?  Enjoy your summer and know that everything will be ok.  I'll know more about mine on Friday when I see the PS again.

Ariom

Good luck for Friday Tami!

Thinking of you!