October 2014 Surgery Sisters

FeDragonfly

I'm sorry but did u say Kotex for BUTT incisions? Please explain, if u don't mind. Sounds like a double or triple whammy

Akitagirl

Hey everyone,

It seems like most of the October sisters are doing well - I too am hoping to hear from Oceansky, praying that all went well.

I am in NYC on one last business trip before surgery next week.  It has actually been helpful to get out of the house and get my mind on something other than BC...  However, I woke up this morning with nasty pain in my ear and sore throat - not good.  Praying this does not get any worse as I can NOT handle postponing surgery, just because of a darned cold.  Uggh.

However, I am marching forward with meetings and going to see my favorite musical tonight - Phantom of the Opera!  I am also sneaking in a deep tissue massage here at the Waldorf Astoria - shhhh...don't tell.  :-)

Again, I am praying for all of you.  Hummingbirdlover - you've got this!  

Akitagirl

FrannyM424

Hello October Surgery Sisters!  Please add me to the list.  I've finally been cleared for my TE Exchange!

It'll be one week from today, October 29th.  Has been a long wait since my R mastectomy in March. Was a tough decision,

but have opted for no lift/reduction on my L breast.  This will be my 4th surgery in 9 months and my husband and I both agree

that we want it to be as uncomplicated as possible.  Best of luck to us all!  Franny

Sacnaillady

feDragonfly- the Kotex for butt incision is for people like me who are having sGAP flaps. I didn't need the Kotex. I thought it would just give me another lump to put pressure on my "epic" incisions. I have two that go from center to hip. I'm going to have the funkiest butt ever!

ForHisGlory

any of you all have a change in your pathology results after surgery? Size? Hormone receptors?  Just wondering how to prepare.  Surgery is still November 3...probably need to update the list. Wish it was still Oct 28...so ready to get going! I feel so ready to get on with treatment! 

laurie2025

Hi Davida, welcome!!!

Good luck Lillith!!!  We're thinking good thoughts for you!

laurie2025

ForHisGlory - I had a very strange change in my receptors.  The first surgery when they found my cancer it was from a swollen lymph node in my underarm, and it came back PR+ER+HER2+.  When I had my mastectomy, they removed a large tumor from my breast and it was PR+ER+HER2-.  

My medical oncologist said we would proceed as though I was HER2+......  so I ended up getting Herceptin for a year.  

laurie2025

AkitaGirl - I hope you can take something, Vitamin C, whatever, to stave off that possible cold?  Please take care, crossing my fingers for you!

laurie2025

Franny!  I added you to the group.  Good luck to you!!  Glad you've made a decision you're happy with, and I don't blame you a bit.  Uncomplicate!!  I'm all for it.

Hopeful82014

Akitagirl - maybe take some zinc for that sore throat? Enjoy your massage and the Phantom! Glad you could get a break from all of this.

laurie2025

FeDragonfly, thanks for the laugh, your post cracked me up.  Confused me too!  

sandra4611

Akita, the last thing you want is to have your surgery cancelled. Talk about pulling the rug out from underneath you! (Been there, got the t-shirt.) It's essential that your ear pain and sore throat doesn't progress into a cold, otherwise your anesthesiologist or surgeon will likely cancel the surgery. Of course it will be for your own good for a number of reasons. You have to be able to breath, being the most important. You can't combine fresh incisions with coughing and sneezing either...they just don't get along. Finally, your body needs to be capable of devoting all its attention to healing and a virus depletes your energy and your progress. If you have a primary care doctor, ask for help ASAP. There are therapies, medications, and recommendations he/she can prescribe that will either avert or, if it's too late, shorten the duration of the cold. Time is of the essence. Good luck.

ForHisGlory, do you mean if the testing of the tumor yields different results than the biopsy? If so, then Laurie has given you an example of what will happen. If you mean that what they found isn't what they thought they'd find, then there are a number of us who've had personal experience. For me, several mammograms and an MRI with contrast failed to show any abnormalities in my left breast, only my right. I went ahead with the double mastectomy anyway based on gut instinct. Pathology showed a different kind of cancer WAS on the left, hiding in the dense tissue. There are others whose tumor grading or stage was changed after surgery. How to deal with it? Put one foot in front of the other and fight like a girl!

Welcome Franny. As someone who is a fellow "frequent flier" with six general anesthesia 'trips" in the last 13.5 months, I fully understand your need to keep it simple. People ask me if I'm going to get any cosmetic procedures and although I don't judge those who want them and might have considered it if I was 20 years younger, I'm sticking to what is absolutely necessary. We're glad you found us and look forward to hearing good news after your surgery.

sandra4611

Our PINK BUS of virtual support is getting a workout this week. We'll just keep the engine running until our last run on Friday morning for LauraW.  Tomorrow Galsal, Scmom, and Barefootmom will need an escort to the hospital. Who else is jumping on the bus with me and what are you bringing?

Hope to hear from our other October surgery sisters later this week when they feel up to reporting in. 

Fourminor

Akitagirl,

Take vitamin C and zinc anyway, its not only good for colds, its good for surgical healing.  I've been on it and I am the only one in the house without the current URI that's going around.

PS...its a cold rainy day here today so stay warm too!

Trails

Hello all, can I please be added to the group? I had a BMX with immediate reconstruction (gummy implants + Alloderm) on October 3. I've been reading this forum for a while and it's been such a great help!

Hopeful82014

Hullo, Trails - thank you for joining our group. We're sorry you need to but are glad to know you've found the forum helpful and welcome your company. I hope you're healing well and starting to get your strength back.

SCMom

Hi Trails, welcome!  I'd love to hear how your surgery and recovery has been, I'm having a BMX with immediate implants tomorrow!

Swoobs

Trails how is recover going ?

I still have quite a bit of swelling and my pec is so swollen but I feel good

Scmom are they keeping you for one night?

SCMom

Swoobs, I'm not sure. I mean I'll definitely be there for one night, my BS said that usually that's all that the insurance companies pay for, but she promised me that she won't release me before I feel ready to go home. I'm glad to hear that you feel good!

horsemom

Sending calming thoughts your way Galsal, Scmom, and Barefootmom. 

I received final instructions from my PS today for my surgery Monday.  Can't wait to hear how everyone does tomorrow. 

Su-CQ51

Good luck tomorrow Galsal.   Good luck and wishing you negative nodes SCMom, and barefootmom!   Speedy recoveries all!

Fourminor

Welcome Trails!

I'm a uni.  I had my first fill yesterday and tenderness achy quotient went back up.  But I'm sleeping flat and on my good side, on OTC pain meds only, and doing my range of motion exercises.  I've been walking and doing some straightening up, though predominantly with my good arm.  

I agree with what many had written before, so far the worst part was the pre surgical anxiety and grief.   This is easier.

Good luck SC mom!

SCMom

Thank you ladies, and Fourminor I will be THRILLED if the pre surgical anxiety and grief is the worst of it all!  I did call up the outpatient surgical nurse about two hours ago and got the ok to take an Ativan, so I'm actually feeling pretty chill now  Oh, and I stopped by the Cancer Society's office on the way home from the dentists - spur of the moment - and, not only had they gotten pillows in, they gave me a bright pink Lymphederma Alert bracelet to wear. It's plastic and is like the regular hospital bands with your name...I thought that was great!  Talk to y'all soon, good luck Galsal and Barefootmom!

sandra4611

Welcome Trails. I had BMX with Direct to Implants last year in August. Hope everything goes well for you. We're still very much in the minority since most people get TE's.

Trails

Hi SCMom and Swoobs, my recovery has been really good, I'd say. Right after waking up from the surgery and until I was taken to the ward, I was in 10/10 pain (and I have a really high tolerance for pain), but it did get better once they got me on the pain meds. I stayed in the hospital for one night, and after a few hours was getting up and walking around - well, more like shuffling; I was quite dizzy and those darn drains are so cumbersome (plus being attached to an IV makes it difficult to move well!). I was discharged at 9 am and walked out of the hospital with my partner holding my arm. 

I stayed on the prescribed pain meds for 5 days and then started just taking Advil, and after about a week I wasn't needing anything. For the first week, I passed out for a solid nap every afternoon for about 2 hours - amazing how much energy your body uses when recovering from something like this. I've been going on walks every day, anywhere from 15 minutes at the beginning of recovery to about 1.5 hours on good days this past week. I haven't had much restriction of arm motion (maybe because no nodes were taken out this time), but I did feel like I had a vice grip around my chest for a good 10 days. That has eased up now (2.5 weeks later), and although I'd say I'm in fairly constant discomfort, nothing is painful anymore. Still have to sleep on my back, though. The best step was having the drains removed - I really, really hated those things and was starting to feel like Jacob Marley with his chains. 

I'm going back to work tomorrow, and although I feel physically ready for it, I'm not sure if I'm mentally there yet. Although I'm feeling overall positive (pathology report came back clear), I'm struggling a bit with feelings of sadness that I can't quite articulate. I guess it's not surprising that losing our breasts is pretty traumatic. It's a journey we're on, for sure. 

Good luck tomorrow SCMom! I'll be sending healing and peaceful thoughts your way.

Swoobs, I do have some swelling still, and my new breasts currently feel like heavy (though perky) boulders attached to my chest. Anyone who's had immediate implants - how long did it take until they "settled down"? 

sandra4611

Trails, you'll notice subtle differences but nothing dramatic like with rounds. It can take three months for gummies to settle completely, smooth out and look even. This is my third set of gummies and prior to that I had rounds so I have lots of experience with new foobs.

Trails

Akita, I had a doozy of a cold (sinus pressure, congestion) that started 4 days before my surgery. I was concerned about it, but my surgeon and anesthesiologist said I would be fine unless I had a fever. The only precaution they took was giving me Ventalin before the surgery, to open up my airways. My PS - who I absolutely love - said "well, if you're going to be miserable anyway, might as well get it all over with at once". My kind of woman. Anyway, just my experience but I don't think the cold impacted either the surgery or my recovery. Wishing you the best.

Togetherness

Went yesterday to PS for my two week checkup.  Could not have been more happy.  He said everything looked good and was healing well.  I asked if I could go back to work and he said give it one more week.  That's fine with me as I need one more week to regroup.  He did do a fill which I was surprised after only two weeks.  He put in 45 ccs.  Omg I have forgotten how bad those fills hurt.  I go back in a week and there is no way he can put 45ccs in again.  I am gonna ask for 20ccs.  I am am in some kind of pain.  May go in tomorrow and have him take some out.  How is everyone else dealing with fills and how much on average have you had put in each time.  Thanks as always for everyone's information that is put on board.

Slavrich

Thoughts and Prayers to Galsal, SCMom, and Barefootmom on your procedures tomorrow. It will be so nice to have this all behind you. Hope you are able to relax this evening.

Welcome Trails!

I went to PS follow up yesterday for 7 day check up. Dr. said I'm being too active and need to sit and rest more to allow the tissues to heal and reconnect (Nipple and skin sparing surgery), but overall things are looking good. I came home and actually tried relaxing for 4 hours straight. I feel better being more active and get stiff and sore just sitting, but will do anything to avoid the skin dying.

Has anyone else only had one drain for MX and lymph nodes? Visiting nurse has not seen just one drain before, but said it is larger than usual drain. Still have alot of drainage-but highest output when I wake up sleeping flat on my back after starting out propped up. Dr. says he hopes drains are out by 14 days, but wants output below 20cc for two days before removal.

Lilith08

Hi, All--reporting from the front lines! I've just popped in to update the list and let you know I'm doing very well so far. I'm too tired now to read everyone's updates, so forgive me.

Had my BMX yesterday. I was in a room by 6 pm, I think, and left today at noon. Nausea was minimal, and I've had my first real meal of homemade chicken noodle soup tonight. Am not a big fan of soups, but man, that was good! I'm not in very much pain, thank Heaven, but I think that has also fooled me into doing perhaps a little more than I should. And thanks to the constant reminders of this group, I've reminded myself (if only I knew what your voice sounds like, Sandra, I'd be hearing it in my head!)--"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!" So, am going to go back to the recliner for a while and then to bed. Will check back sometime tomorrow!

Best wishes to Thursday's Sisters!