AUGUST 2015 SURGERY SISTERS!!

quiltlibrarian

Quiltowl my profile pic is my hexie quilt.

Molly50

Hi everyone I am out of surgery and eating dinner. Pain well controlled at moment. Thanks for the prayers and support.

quiltlibrarian

Molly good to hear that you are out of surgery.

39andhip

Molly - I'm glad to hear you are out of surgery and on your way to recovering!

Molly50

Welcome mommadigs, I am glad you are doing better. It does make a difference taking drains out.

mjh1

molly - glad to hear all went well.

I'm feeling good but I swear these drains r sucking the life out of me. Can't wait for Tuesday to come so I can get them out. Hope u all have a nice labor day weekend!!!

39andhip

Yes, the drain sucks! I think the only pain I've had for the past few days has been from the drain. Ugh.

Molly50

Thankfully I only have one drain. I am so bruised up. My ROM is not very good yet. I sound squishy when I move my arm.

Artista928

Wow. Both drains drained 5 ml this am (12 hours since last draining)! Looks like Thur's appt could be the day when these last 2 demons come out! I wish Mon wasn't Labor Day or I'd go in and see if they could pull these before my Tues chemo and 1:1 teach classes up in Berkeley. I hope it won't go up! Over 4 weeks now with first 4 and now 2 in. But better safe than sorry for unless you are under 30 ml per 24 hour each, you are taking a risk by having them pulled too soon. When Kilaru tells the tale of one time caving in to a pt a few years ago to get them out and how she had an infection and had to have them put in again now for longer time, I don't protest. haha.

Loving US Open. All the greats (well except my Nadal ) are left in the rounds so a nice relaxing day of nothing but watching tennis on tap!

quiltlibrarian

Artista hope those drains will be gone for you soon. I waited to under 20ml for 48 hours. I still did get a bit of fluid in the area. It is slowly going away.

Hugs

mjh1

artista - I Hope drains will b out on Thursday!! I know better safe than sorry but we can still gripe on how annoying they r not to mention can't shower with them.

My left has been draining at 20 every day for the past 5 days so that one is definitely coming out. The right has been at 30 for 5 days so that one is iffy I think but I'll keep my finges crossed for tomorrow.

Anonymous

My BS would not d/c my drains until they were under or at 7ml for two consecutive days. A single one remained of the 4 for a week by itself, we named it Chuck. But being able to at least sleep on my sides after drains were gone was like heaven.

Ringelle

So I'm 3 1/2 weeks post bmx w/o reconstruction. I would say I'm healing pretty well. I went back to work Monday and I'm back to exercising. I do feel sore still but I think a lot of that has to do with the seromas. My BS has agreed to try and aspirate them tomorrow. My right side definitely needs it. I'm afraid the left is as good as it's going to get. I didn't realize I was going to have little budding breasts after the BMX. Don't get me wrong - I was told I'd have extra skin that would look wrinkly but these aren't wrinkly, they just look like baby boobs. Hoping the aspiration helps with something. Ah well.

Kimmer33

ugh, i am a week post op now and still at 90ml/ day - my nurse expects to take drain out tomorrow but I dont think so! Yikes, does it ever slow down?

Kim

Artista928

No way should the drain come out at that high ml! Wow. Don't have it taken out until you are less than 30 ml per 24 hour period max for a few days in a row. I've been low for a couple days now but ps wants to make sure it doesn't spike again so I wait till Thurs for the final verdict. Taking it out too soon increases chance of infection and swelling/fluid build up and you'll wind up getting it back in. I never was higher 60 ml in a 24 hour period.

On Thurs it'll be 5 weeks I've had drains. I had sx on 8/6 and 2 came out on 8/17, but these last two have been dragging on. Some days it was getting lower then next day a spike. Up and down, which is why my ps is saying lets give it a few days of being below 30 ml in each per 24 hour because of the one time he took drains out from an insistent pt and she wound up with infection and getting them back in for even longer that time around.

You have a right to say no if nurse is saying they are coming out. Play if safe is my motto. Max drains would be left in me is 6 wks po as by then even if it's still draining high, the benefits of them being out by then outweighs being in.

It's a pain and I didn't shower my first month because it is a pain by myself (just used wipes and washed hair in sink). Finally took shower at 1 month out and it was hard even with setting the drains on the shower chair as I don't have a belt or shoe laces to get creative. Plus ew. Don't like looking at it. So no shower until Thurs when I come home, if I'm drain free!

Good luck!

Anonymous

Kim how active have you been with your left side? I know mine would spike if I was too active and then go back down. Hoping it gets better for you.

Anonymous

Ringelle what kind of exercise are you doing? I have been cleared for exercise but not sure what I can do as of yet.

I have the wrinkled skin along the bottom of my incision but nothing that is like what you have described.

Molly50

My JP drain must be clogged. I am swollen like a big cup and only had 15 ml in the bulb. I don't see any clots in the tubing and tried milking the tubing but no change. Any suggestions until I can reach the surgeon?

Anonymous

Molly I don't have a solution for you, other than the obvious that the bulb has been compressed before closing it to recreate that vacuum.

I hope you find relief soon.

Kimmer33

i have been pretty active on My left side, doing the "1st week exercises" as directed by my physiotherapist. I have full range of motion and feel amazing! Also going on short gentle walks outside, and yes have noticed a slight spike in volume when i have been active but have decided that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the little inconvenience of the drain and if it means keeping it in a few days longer, so be it. Thanks for your responses

Anonymous

Sounds like a good plan Kim! You're doing great!

Kimmer33

update:

Praise God, clear margins and no additional lymph nodes had cancer, we are very relieved! Much direction is needed with further treatment options, but I continue to heal well from my mastectomy, surgeon is happy with my progress, and God is good, so good!

Ringelle

Kimmer- that is great news! Congrats on your clear margins. The rest will come step by step

mjh1

kimmer - great news on the clear margins and nodes. May God bless u on your next phase!!

Molly - don't know what else except try resuctioing bulb n stripping drain.

I was doing a happy dance on way home cause drains came out n was dreaming of the nice hot shower I can finally take tomorrow and as Murphy's law always has it I come home to a note on my door that water will b shut off tomorrow for 8 hours due to water main work. Does anyone know how I get off Murphy's speed dial???

Molly50

I ended up seeing the PS so the drain is fine after I stripped it 3 x's in a row. He took the bandage off and said that I am healing well. Drain for one more week. Depressing to see my incision and missing nipple. I start fills in two weeks. Kimmer, congratulations on clean margins. Mjh1 ugh sorry you have to wait for your shower.

AudreyB

mjh1, warm wishes for a trouble free recovery. Just rest and take care.

Wishing all the same for past and upcoming surgeries.

Carrie37

hi, just wondering if anyone can share expected recovery time from the TE to implant exchange surgery. I am sure everyone is different but I just wondered if someone has a general idea. Thanks!!

SummerAngel

I had my mastectomy and TE placement on June 1 and exchange surgery on August 28th. Mine was pretty quick it seems, but I didn't need radiation or chemo.

Edited because I obviously misunderstood the question! I had my exchange surgery on Friday, August 28th and took the following week off from work. I returned to work yesterday (Monday was a holiday) and I'm feeling fine with it. I work a desk job from home, but I think if I still worked in an office I would have been fine. The exchange surgery was uneventful and I felt pretty good right away - a large part of my pain was in my inner thighs, where they took the fat for fat transfer.

mjh1

carrie - if you just have an exchange n no pocket work, recovery is pretty quick for the majority of us. You could probably return to a nonstrenuous job in a week or so. Of course u will have limitations on things that u can and cannot do and every PS is different so it is best to discuss with him.

AJ71

Hi there. Apologies for dropping in last month and then going MIA. I had my skin/nipple sparing BMX and got tissue expanders on 8/21. I had hoped to go direct-to-implants, but my skin couldn't accommodate it.

My recovery is going quite well, but I'm having horrible skin hypersensitivity and itching, that is, where my skin still has sensation. It's driving me up a wall. Anyone else? Any tips?