Field Trip a week after surgery

saugagirl

Hi there,

My lumpectomy is May 29th on one breast, and my son's kindergarten class is on a field trip exactly one week after my surgery. My job wwould be to be in charge of four children and carry a big backpack for four lunches plus my own.  I  promised my son that I would go on the next trip with him. But those who've had a lumpectomy already, doyou think I would be recovered enough to volunteer?  Would I still be in pain,  would the backpack cause additional pain? 

Please help,  I don't want to hurt myself but I also don't want to let my son down. 

Thanks!

Meadow

Hello saugagirl, I did not have a lumpectomy, but I saw your post, and I hope others who did have one will respond soon. My first thought is....no. It is too soon for you to do this field trip involving upper body stress and being responsible for the kids. But maybe I will be surprised and the sisters who know lumpectomy recovery more than me will say otherwise. As much as we want to be the super mom and be there for the kids (trust me, this was my gig too), you are not doing him or yourself any favors by harming yourself, and getting exhausted. I am curious what others say! My best to you as you approach surgery.

saugagirl

Thanks for your advice Meadow! That's a great point about added stress. I hope I  will get some more feedback. II'm sorry that you have had to go through this dreadful disease

ruthbru

Could you go along but not in a supervisory position? I went back to work after a week, so I think you could handle the moving around/walking part.....but definitely, NO, you should not be carrying a big backpack & you might not have the energy to keep 4 kids corralled (depending on the kids). Maybe you could team up with an understanding friend or be the official picture taker or something less strenuous (something that wouldn't mess up the whole schedule in case you don't feel up to it at that point). Best of luck!

debiann

You may feel good enough to go, but you probably shouldn't be carrying much yet, especially if you're having lymph nodes removed. I had an lx incision on the side of my breast, plus an incision under my arm that bothered me more than the lx. I could not have carried a backpack.

saugagirl

Thanks for your advice Ruthbru and Debian. I don't think that I'll be able to go and do a different job.  Maybe I should speak to the teacher.  What I think I'll do is I'll talk to the teacher and  say I can go, but if I'm not up to it I'll give the teacher some notice so she can get someone else to fill in.

AmyQ

Can you pack the lunches in a pull along duffle on wheels? I would definitely not carry a backpack this soon after surgery. Good luck to you.

Amy

Sjacobs146

I have to agree with the other posters, one week is too soon to be carrying a heavy backpack, you don't want to risk lymphedema. Your son will get over the disappointment, lymphedema is forever.

treelilac

Do you have JP drains? I think little kids running around are contraindications to drains. ;-)

MelissaDallas

She's having an excisional biopsy, so probably more limited than a diagnosed cancer lumpectomy, soshe won't have drains. I was told I could go back to normal activities after just a few days. The only reason I was limited on lifting for a little longer was because they glued my incision since I'm allergic to steristrips & they didn't want me to pull it open.

Kicks

Why not ask if one of the other Mom/Dads/G parents/etc) could carry the extra lunchs? (Or divide between a couple of them). When boys were little, I did a lot of 'Field Trips' and there were a lot of options as to who carried what (or carried nothing - just an adult there). Every Field Trip - parents/adults were never limited, the more adult 'eyes' the better.

It is amazing what kids can remember - and how the young mind remembers them.

jlstacey

I think if you talk to the teacher and explain the situation, he or she would be sympathetic and let you go without a "job"

mhenz

I definitely say you will not feel up to it I was shocked at the recovery time. I had pain meds that made me loopy. THE drains alone would make me nervous around those kids. You really have to take care of yourself. It is no walk in the park. I know how hard it is to let your kids, down but he will be fine.

Tresjoli2

im less than a week out from lx, and I'm up in Maine on vacation. You could do it, and watch the kids. But no way on the backpack.

exbrnxgrl

As you can see, we all vary in our response to surgery, though we all seem to agree on no backpack. I had a bmx and felt surpringly good after a week, but was on medical leave because...I am the teacher! So, from that point of view, if I had a parent in my class who was in your situation I would say, "Please join us, if you feel up to it,and don't worry about a job. It may comfort your child at a time when he doesn't have the emotional framework to fully understand the situation." I taught kindergarten for a number of years and currently teach first grade. Wishing you a smooth surgery and recovery.

tjh

Kudos to you for teaching K-1. I subbed in a kindergarten room before signing my contract at the middle school. I had nightmares for weeks. As it is I teach 6th grade special education, mostly kids we it behavior or learning disabilities. But am out for the rest of the year with chemo😆 Enjoy and recover well!

Penzance

I would say yes for the trip, but definitely no for the backpack. I got a bit of paresthesia in the arm + redness and slight swelling in the breast 4 days after a macrobiopsy and I think it is because of my step class on biopsy day +3. I had been fine for the first 3 days after the biopsy (even though I had had to travel with a suitcase on biopsy day +2), but as that step class progressed, lifting and waving my arms felt harder and harder. Don't forget that the 'straps' of the rucksack will press on your shoulders and the front of your chest too.

Hope you have a good recovery.

saugagirl

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.  The teacher was willing to have me come along and carry the lunches for me and even have me only look after my son or team up with another group.  But she said she had to speak to the principal. PPrincipal said it wouldn't be a good idea -liability issues in case something happened to me.

So, I guess I'll be missing my son's field trip tomorrow.  He understands but would prefer if I came . He said he wanted to spend time with me while at school  (awww). He has a lot of friends at school, so I  knows it's not confidence issues.  But as it turns out, I'm still tired from the surgery and still painful.  I  thought surgeon would do only one incision right where the lump he was taking out,  but he did four incisions -one on either side of aerola and two on top.  

I hope to volunteer next year then.

ruthbru

I'm sure that it is better to be home recovering. It would have been a really long day. And there will be lots of other chaperoning opportunities through the years. But shoot, it is hard to miss those things, isn't it?! My son was older (and didn't care if I was there or not) but I am still bummed about not being able to help chaperone his after-prom party!