August 2013 Surgeries

grammaB

Day 7 post op.

Just got BRACA 1 & 2 results in the mail. Negative for both!! Phew!!  )  Can't figure out how to get it to show in signature though.

I drove myself into town to the Post Office to get my mail today.  It is about a 14 mile round trip all in town.  It went OK, still a bit of a problem looking to the left, but all in all OK.  I may have to drive myself to BS on Thursday so wanted a short trip to try it out.  BS is a 60-65 mile round trip on the hiway most of the way. Hope I don't have to but may be.

Opps visiting nurse is here, more later.

JennH8

DMarie24 - The visit with my PS went well.  I will admit, I was a bit anxious about it as the doc is a man.  I've always been a female doc kind of person, especially when it comes to girl things.    However, he made me feel so comfortable, it didn't bother me in the least.  He gave me a lot of info but I honestly didn't think about asking what to expect down the line.  I may have to call and ask about that. 

KBeee

grammaB: Great news on the genetic test results.  I am anxiously awaiting mine which should come late this week or sometime next week (probably while I'm in surgery...)

JennH8:  We share the same surgery day...so we're probably doing the same things this week...trying to get ahead at work, stocking up at the store, cleaning, laundry, and generally trying to pass the time!  I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday.

DMarie24

I have an appointment scheduled over the phone this afternoon with my PS and/or her nurse.  Praying that all my questions will be answered and concerns will be address.  Monday is quickly sneaking up on me & I am in no condition to more forward like this ...

honeybair

Surgery completed on Monday, home yesterday by 5 pm.  Pain not terrible and drains manageable.  Daughter just removed bandage and plastic wrap.  Can shower but am not quite sure i should today.  Very sore uder armpit where large tumor was removed.  Will see BS on Monday and get pathology report.  Hardest thing was no sleep in noisy hospital.  Seems strange to see a flat place on chest where breast was.  Fter healing, next step radiation because she could not remove all the tumor.

Rosamund, thanks for the shower drain belt suggestion.  Very clever.

IrishDancingMom

Hello...

I was diagnoised with Stage 0 DCIS on August 8th. I'm going for lumpectomy this Friday the 23rd.

I'm scared as I've never had surgery before. I would appreciate anyone that has gone through it (or even those who haven't that feel the same as me) to share their stories. I'm not looking forward to the wire localization beforehand either. I heard it hurts bad.

Kirsty

DMarie24

Hi Kirsty - Although my surgery is different, I can understand how you feel.  I've never had surgery either and of course there are a million things going through my head; good & bad.  That is how its been for me since all of this started months ago.  My surgery is Monday - NS/BMX.  I tell myself constantly to keep the faith, think positive and keep those I love close.  I am sorry to have to meet like this and wish I had the stories you ask but I don't.  Instead, I wanted to simply jump in to say ... you are not alone!!

Best of luck on Friday, I will be praying for you

aviva5675

Hi Kristy, welcome to the lumpy lounge, not good reason to have to meet people but everyone is very supportive and open. I am newly on this journey as well- diagnosed month ago with DCIS , had lumpectomy last Tuesday, with reconstruction at that time (rearranging everything after he took out the tissue, and fixing it up nice) with reduction on the left side at the same time to match everything up.

I was nervous about the wire guided thing too- but it was easier putting it in than I expected.  Probably the worst part was the little needle stick when they numbed it up!  I didnt feel anything after that, and it was pretty fast. Yes it was weird looking at the little wire sticking out but they wrapped it up (huge!) right away and put the gown back up, and I never felt a thing after that.

The surgery was good too, recovery room took awhile.  Took the vicodin that night and motrins after that for maybe 2 days, twice a day and no pain pills since.  No drains, yeah!  Went back after two days to PS office and he  unwrapped me and there they were. A week after and I feel good.  I have to say read up on the boards there are good suggestions for post surgery. One thing I did , ok two , is got front closing shirts to wear, and used an old soft tshirt of hubbies underneath, to pad the scar. But not sure you will be having that if its lumpectomy only.

Good luck! Hope results are good for you and this will be behind you!!  I had less good news and more surgery now coming Friday (dmx with reconstruction)...Im in your shoes now- scared and wondering how that one will go.

Rosamond

Happy girl today, exactly one week post-UMX. No pain, just some tightness and soreness. No Advil or Tylenol needed! Drains still have a ways to go, but got news from surgeon that path report said good margins and that biggest area of invasion in surgical path was less than 2mm, 3mm on biopsy. Waiting to find out further treatment plan tomorrow after conference at the NCI/university hospital. Feel incredibly lucky!

DeliriumPie

Good afternoon ladies. That's great rosamond! Glad you are doing so well. I had my first follow up with the bs yesterday and I was able to get both if my drains out. It relieved a LOT of the tightness I was having. On the downside I apparently twisted the wrong way when I was changing last night and my bathroom looked like a set from a horror movie. Blood everywhere gushed from the right drain spot. Oops! It has been fine so far today though. I also got my path report, not so good news. While I had clear margins because the tumor shrank so much, there was 8mm left of live cells. Which means more chemo for this girl in addition to the planned rads. So sad. My hair is just starting to come in good. I also had 3/30 positive nodes. 2 micro,1 macro. While chemo was not THAT bad, now that I've had a few weeks off and feeling better, I realize how bad I did feel during. I so didn't want to go through that again. I want to be done with all this. Such is life I guess.



Good luck kristy and dmarie on your upcoming surgeries. Hoping for you and I'm sure it won't be as bad as all the terrible worries you are having.

KBeee

Sorry to ask a really disgusting question ladies, but what do they do if/when "Aunt Flo" comes to visit during surgery time?  I have no way of predicting if it will or not, because I range anywhere from 20 days to 28 and surgery day will be day 24...so chances are good it'll be that time of the month.  It seems like it would be just a disgusting mess to "clean-up".  Uuugh.

The nurses haven't asked about it, so they must not care, but just wondering if anyone has...uh..experience in what they do.

foreverchanged

It's not a problem, had for one of my surgeries, the exchange I think, they just gave a pad and took me to the OR.  Don't worry about it!

Rosamond

KBeee, mine was ending when I had surgery last week. They give you a pad, and you are good-to-go, as PsychRN said.



DeliriumPie, I am sorry your path report was not what you were hoping for. I'm so glad those active cells have been removed, though. It never ceases to amaze me how long these relatively short breast cancer treatment journeys turn out to be.



Thinking of all of you and sending vibes for complete and full healing.

JennH8

Kbeee - You got it exactly right.  Trying to make sure the house is clean, laundry done, my youngest is due back to school the first part of Sept. so school shopping taken care of, plus everything else in between. 

Every day my surgery gets closer, the more scared I become.  I'm finding myself questioning all the decisions I've made.  Decisions I made because I know they are the route to go to keep myself at peace.  Now I'm questioning it all.  I'm trying so hard not to freak out.  My husband is great, thank goodness.  He is very supportive and listens to me babble and calms me down but I hate this feeling.  I just hate it.  Cancer sucks so much.

DMarie24

I'm with ya, Jenn ... Minus the husband part but my sister is right there with me, every single step!! Thank God!



Praying for peace all around

jbdayton

Delerium - so sorry the path report was not as positive as you hoped for.  I know you do not want to do more chemo but it's just a little more insurance to complete the cell destruction.  At least you know the cocktail worked.  Does the onc feel that more doses were needed than your original cocktail? 

I really can understand my BMX is Monday and I did neo-adjuvant chemo as well.  No visible tumor on mammo or US but never know about micro cells.  I also did not have SNB before chemo so they will be removing those and testing them during surgery. 

Kirsty - prayers and good wishes go with you on Friday.  Praying for clean margins.  My first surgery ever was in February to put my port in for chemo.  Was scared but no side effects from the surgery or anesthesia.  Hoping for the same for you.

Aviva - so sorry you have to have additional surgery.  We will be in your pockets on Friday.  Praying for an easy recovery.

Rosamond, Honeybair and GrammaB - wishing good continued recovery, you give the rest of us hope.

DMarie24, JennH8 and KBeee - thinking of you as we prepare for surgery next week.  I know the closer it gets to Monday the more nervous I am getting.  Trying to make sure I am totally prepared at home.  Luckily I do not have any kids still at home.  I only have a great supportive husband to worry about.  No real worry he has been great and will do great through this.

On my way to church prayer meeting, will lift everyone up to God tonight.

KBeee

JennH8, I know you put a lot of thougth into your decision and I am sure it is the best one for you.  It sounds like your husband is a fabulous support for you, which is great.  Next week will be here before you know it and the first step of this journey will be in the books.

I feel like an oddball sometimes not being afraid of this surgery.  I am sooo looking forward to getting these nasty cells out of me for good.  I think having a few surgeries as a kid made me not fear the whole surgery thing, but  I think my job helps too.  I am a firefighter/paramedic and I decided on day 1, that to get through this mentally, I had to fight this the only way I know how...like it's a fire.   1. Plan my attack... 2. Gather my team ... 3. Trust my team completely ... 4. Fight with all I have ... 5. Fight without fear ... 6. Adapt as conditions change.  I probably have a very warped sense of trust & lack of fear, and the ability to put bad things out of my mind, but in this particular case, it is so far serving me well.  The adapting part later may be more of a challenge.

DeliriumPie

Thank you rosamond and Jeannine. I have not met with the MO yet to get a new plan. My appt is Friday but I guess it wasn't enough. The scary part is that it grew 1 mm in the week between ultrasound and surgery. I know that's tiny growth but still this cancer is a fast and nasty fighter. Back before chemo it grew 5mm in less than a week between ultrasound and ct scan and 2 more cm in the next two weeks between ct and my first chemo tx. Unbelievable. But it made sense to me then how the lump has just appeared as if overnight. Anyhow. I don't know what the timing will be with chemo and rads but suspect they will make me so rads first since the RO has stressed how quickly I need to start after surgery repeatedly. So I should really have a goo showing of hair by the end if that 7 weeks. Very depressing indeed. I stopped taking my biotin today. Don't see any point to it now. Although it is doing great things for my nails that had some damage from the taxol.



Jeannine how many treatments did you have? Looks like we were on the same cocktails. So glad your mammo and ultrasound are clear. Very positive! I knew I still had that 7mm area before surgery and while not surprised that it was active, was sure hoping they were dead and just hanging out.



Hugs and goodnight.

Cdx

Hey I had surgery on the 14th so a week today. Still in pain and my pathology results came back today that I need more surgery really disappointed. And started my breast hurting again. For me surgery is painful. Curious how common is this?



Also annoyed the site doesn't have the option for my surgery, a segmendectomy, or my diagnosis. Guess I'm an atypical girl.

KBeee

Aviva, Chaya6, and DeliriumPie, I'm so sorry the results indicated more treatments and/or surgeries.  I will be praying for you on Friday Aviva; wishing you a quick recovery.

Thanks everyone for posting how things have gone.  Having realistic expectations for the surgery and beyond helps us end-of-the-monthers alot.

Suzblonz

I had my surgery on August 14, 2013, and although painful better everyday:-) Yesterday I developed a black spot on my left nipple but luckily it fell off and since then all has been good.  My drains were down to 27 a day and thought I would go into today to have one removed and boom back up to 60! Anyone have info on the drain situation.  Really wanting to take a shower.  Good luck to all you ladies and hugs too!

Anonymous

Hi ladies,

I just saw this particular discussion and wanted to cry. My name is Justine and I was diagnosed last year when I was 23 years old. The reason why I wanted to cry is because I cannot believe it has been over a year since my surgery (August 8, 2012). I remember how scared I was, how anxious I was, and how I didn't know what to expect. As someone who is "on the other side" of this, I can say...you will get through it. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expander reconstruction. I now have silicone implants but have not done nipple reconstruction just yet (not sure if I will). I remember speaking with all of the women in the August 2012 surgery group and how much they helped me through my experience. At the time I felt lost, alone, and so so scared. They comforted me and reminded me that I wasn't alone. I hope that you all provide the same comfort to each other. Good luck to all of you in your surgeries. If anyone has any questions, feel free to private message me or something. 

*hugs and positive vibes to all*

Justine

Rosamond

Thanks, Justine- always helpful to hear from someone on the other side.



Delirium Pie-maybe your tumor didn't grow as much as you thought as a surgical path report is more accurate than u/s.



Suzblonz-scroll back for my suggestion re: making a plastic wrap belt for drains in the shower. If the drain exit site in your body is covered by a waterproof bandage, you can shower. I've taken 3 showers already since last Wednesday's surgery day. Does wonders for morale!



KBeee-I like your fire-fighting approach to breast cancer. It sounds very healthy and will serve you and your loved ones well as time goes on. I agree that, at some point, we must put trust in our team as well as things larger than ourselves-give it up, as it were-and move on.



To that end, I am going to do some morning meditation as my case is being conferenced at the university even as I write this to determine if/what chemo treatment will be recommended.



Peace and blessings to all! You will get through this! ((((hugs))))

aviva5675

kbeee I like your attitude- and add me to your steps, as a 911 dispatcher Im your first lifeline! Put me on your team!

celtictrek

Haven't read all these posts yet, but wanted to join the August group!  Just had a unilateral masectomy (no reconstruction) on Tuesday.  Had the surgery at 1 PM and was home by 6 PM.  Today is Thursday and my worst discomfort is from what I think are tape burns.  It feels like little bee stings.  I've decided to stop the post-surgery pain meds and just manage with Advil for a while.  I got through the night fine, but we'll see how the day goes. And of course there's the inconvenience of the drain!  I have a post-op garment with a little pocket, so that makes it easier to tuck away.  I get to take my shower today and remove the tape, but I'm waiting till this evening so my daughter can be here when I do that.  (I live alone.) Can't wait for the shower and to wash my hair!  But I always dread tape removal.  I've had 3 other breast surgeries, and tape removal is always awful, because my skin is so thin and sensitive! Sometimes it takes me a whole day to do it, because I tear off a little at a time and cut it.  Then go back later and do a little more!  LOL!  I'm such a sissy!  

I have to say that things have gone a lot smoother so far than I've expected! I thought I'd have 2 drains and I have only one.  I thought I'd have a lot of pain and I don't.  I thought I'd have trouble moving my arm, and although I obviously don't have full mobility, it's not as bad as I thought it would be.  Right now, the worst part is waiting for the pathology reports to come back!

celtictrek

Justine, posts from ladies like you, who are so young when you are diagnosed, just break my heart.  But at the same time, your encouragement is good for all of us, even an "old lady" like me!  I was first diagnosed when I has 43, which then was relatively young.  My daughter was in 1st grade.  My last diagnosis was this past June, at age 65, and 2 weeks after my husband died.  This cancer thing knows no boundaries, does it?!

jbdayton

Celtic so sorry to hear of your second diagnosis and the timing just couldn't be worse.  Many prayers for you. 

2timer

I have been reading this forum since July 2 which is when I was diagnosed.  Because I am getting immediate recon and a bilateral my surgery isn't until the 28th.  I realize I am crazy for waiting this long but I wasn't thinking right and none of the BS I consulted with encouraged me to just get the cancer out asap and worry about the rest of the stuff later.  I guess they make a lot of money on reconstruction.  

Anyway I've had almost 8 weeks to enjoy my summer and prepare for my new life that will begin next Wednesday.  I have to admit that the way I've dealt with this dx is almost complete denial.  I know I have it but I just push it out of my mind.  I won't be able to do that after next week.  I have been trying to prepare by reading the threads and taking notes.  I am making a list of things I'll need based on the posts on bc.org.  I am still very confused about what to expect but I've decided I'll just do what I have to do and get through things however I can.

BTW they discovered a 3.6 cm mass in my left breast 6 years after being dx with DCIS in the same breast.  And I thought I was being watched closely.  Oh well.

IrishDancingMom

Hi DMarie...

Thanks so much for your kind and compassionate reply. I'm sorry too that this is the way to meet..but I'm glad we did.

You are right behind me in surgery. How are you feeling today? I have calm moments and anxiety moments..right this second (how I'm treating everything right now..by the second) I feel calm. I know tomorrow I'll be nervous but I will kick cancer's butt and so will you.

Please keep me posted on your recovery and I'll do the same.

Hugs

Kirsty

IrishDancingMom

Hello All...

Thank you so much for your lovely messages of support and comfort. I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one scared of the surgery.

Aviva...thank you so much for your insight on the wire and surgery. I'm so sorry to read that you have to go back for more surgery. Big hugs and I'm rooting and praying for you. Thanks for your suggestions on the front close shirts. Can you tell me how your first night after surgery was? Did you have to sleep on the couch?

Del..thank you for your prayers and support for my surgery tomorrow. Sounds like you are doing awesome and I love reading that

Jenn...girlfriend I'm at that point too. My poor husband has to listen to me babble about my fears and "what if's". Luckily he has been through three surgeries and was able to calm some fears. I still can't believe that while "under" in surgery we can't feel or remember anything of the surgery. Amazing. When is your surgery? Mine is tomorrow (Friday).

Kbeeee..I was wondering the same. So far no period and I was PRAYING I wouldn't get it until I get home from the hospital..but it's good to know they can help if I need it.

Hugs to all the strong angels in the "lumpy lounge" (I love that!)

I'll report on my surgery when I'm up to being back on the computer Big hugs