January 2016 Surgeries

DecisionFreak

I have been MIA, but when I have dropped by and over some posts. It has been impressive to see the level of support being given and accepted on this thread. I wish I could be more involved than I am, but I am going to make a concerted effort to drop by every evening, check the surgery calendar, and post a note to anyone scheduled for surgery the next day.

I am glad to be on this calendar and appreciate that this thread is here. I met today with the plastic surgeon for an evaluation at the comprehensive cancer care treatment center and teaching hospital today.

I am thrilled to say that the doctor accepted me for breast reduction surgery after my lumpectomy! This surgery is known as oncoplasty and is being performed for medical reasons although the plastic surgeons also seek a great cosmetic outcomes. The surgery is scheduled to take place immediately after my lumpectomy on January 26.

If you want to know more about breast reduction surgery or oncoplastic surgery done as part of breast cancer treatment, just send me a PM. This type of surgery is performed mostly on women that wear a size D cup or larger, although there may be exceptions. I have a citation for a general overview that I found on PubMed about breast reduction surgery performed in tandem with cancer surgery.

Logang

My right mastectomy is scheduled for 1/25/16

Mominator

Final preparations for Monday's exchange surgery: I stocked up on non-perishables, especially heavy items, and I have been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing and paperwork.

I got two pre-op calls from the surgery center today. The first was from the anesthesiologist to re-check medical, especially surgical, history. The second was from the nurse to re-check all my medical history (yep again), pre-op instructions, medication check, and so on.

I think they forgot about me, as there is a list of meds that should have been e-scripted already: hibiclens, Zofran, scopolamine patch, and Keflex. At least we caught that in time, and the scripts have been sent to the pharmacy. I have all weekend to pick them up.

I am sooooooooooo looking forward to getting rid of these TE's.

Gemma12

I had the bloody cough the day after surgery too. I think it's from the tube they put down your throat to keep you asleep. Blue pee and bloody cough, lovely! I could shower 48 hours after surgery, but waited 72. I have no drains.

BlueHeron, when I got my stitches out on Wed. my surgeon said I was more swollen under my arm than I should be. The bra is giving me great compression on my breasts but not under my arm. My surgeon suggested rolling up a sock and placing it under my bra strap on my surgery side. Both to keep compression on under my arm, and also to remind myself not to use that arm so much. Apparently, I was using it too much and that lead to the seroma. Seems to be helping!

Edwsmom ((hugs)) hope you get answers soon. The waiting is truly the hardest part!

Amy

Gemma12

JulieAggie0 -- Fantastic news!!!

goldenbride

Another straight from the hip book is 'Boob Envy'. No candy coating, just a real day to day account from diagnosis to reconstruction. Find it on Amazon:

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0615741282/ref=olp_f_new?ie=UTF8&f_new=true

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Boob-Story-Breast-Cancer-Hostage-ebook/dp/B00DYVWEXS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453083294&sr=1-1&keywords=Boob+Envy+eBook

woodstock99

glad to read good news from many especially julieaggie0. Sorry been Mia but ups and downs since surgery Tuesday. Did really well yesterday and was excited to be discharged today. Had still be on IV painkillers plus Percocet Valium and Neurontin past few days. This morning they said I could have a shower and used a belt for my 2 drains and covered my dressings with some clear adhesive squares she took off after. She washed my hair and the warm water felt great.

This was also the first time I saw "me". Not for long and pretty much what I expected and did not freak out. Wonder when that will come. The bs had warned me my incisions would not be the same as my left breast was slightly bigger than the right one.

What freaked me out is this giant ugly bruise underneath my armpit on the right side and a slightly smaller one on the left.

I refused to leave until they sent a doctor to look at them. She said I had a slight very tiny hematoma on the right but no oozing or pus and no fever and she was not concerned. She folded up some gauze pads to add more compression between the post surgical bra and me and said to do so every day.

I did not get prescribed an antibiotic - has everyone been given one?

I also was not given any exercises. I will see MO next Wednesday but am concerned having 3 SN on right and 4 on left removed.

I was prescribed Percocet, valium, Neurontin and told to take Colace twice a day and a laxative tonight as I have not gone to bathroom sine Sunday.

I was feeling pretty good when we left but someone in the course of a few hours got worse & different pain. Not sure if I pulled something but I have new pain in my neck and shoulder on left side and down into center of back but also feel "hollow" in the chest. I can't imagine how much it would hurt to cough or sneeze. Feel tighter everywhere. I brought the breathing thing home and couldn't get above 1500 tonight.

I can't get comfortable in our bed and thought I could use our recliner but it's manual and I can't work the mechanisms myself.

Not sure if I will need to rent a hospital bed or recliner.

My husband emptied drains at 7 and right side was 50. Has not been this much since serf try. Left was 25. I was running between 20-30 in hospital on both sides.

I am waiting up another hour to take meds and have alarm set for 4am.

Hope I get some sleep.

Sorry have lost of everyone and wishing everyone well.

Thanks. 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️

Gardnergirls

I also was showering 36 hours after surgery and came home with 4 drains 😳 I was only expecting two. I had my drains for three weeks so if I wasn't able to shower until drains were removed I think I would have gone crazy.

BlueHeron

Gemma, thanks for the sock tip. I have a tube top sort of thing on and I kind of pinned it tighter at the top and added gauze there for some compression. I have a different post surgical camisole I bought so when I change maybe I'll try that one.

Today is the day I take the bandages off and I'm nervous. My friend is coming over to help and for moral support, as well as my husband. I'm nervous about seeing the drain coming out, and bruising. I get nauseous so easily.

I found the right cocktail of drugs for now.... Norco at night to sleep (hate it during the day), Tramadol daytime, Tylenol if it's not as bad, and Ativan today for bandage removal. Senna for stool softening. Good grief, I'm a one-drink girl usually! The extent of daily pills I take is vitamin D!

I think I was a bit naive about my expectations post surgery. It's harder than I thought.

RLM

Thank you Grandma3x, I'm on the other side of surgery and should get final pathology Tuesday. I almost past out during wire localization, I think from no food or water. (And no morning coffee )

Anyway all went well. Compression for 48 hours then I can shower. Percocet and ice. Today probably just ice.

Svg, hope your surgery went well and you feel good.

Prayers to all past and futuresurgeries.

27heart

wow it's day 5 post bmx for me. I'm VERY swollen today on both cancer and prophylactic side.. Of course the cancer boob is having it worse.. I swear my swelling is at least a B cup! I've discharged more than 250 on my left today and it's still going.

I'm from Singapore (Asia) so perhaps things are done a little different here. I've peeped at my boobs while lying down because I was fortunate enough to get nipple sparing mx. My right (prophylactic) boob is glorious! But left boob is.. Well let's just call it the strange sibling for now.

I was hating it and depressed for the past few days due to isolation (I'm still warded) until I started to swell and realised that I don't wanna lose them.

grandma3X

I have no compression - just a clear bandage over the incision site and another one over the drain site. I have not yet changed bandages. When I went for my first visit with the BS I was given instructions on what to do after surgery and it said in capital letters NOT to remove bandages - that the nurse would do it during my first postoperative visit. When I left the hospital I was given another set of instructions saying to change the bandages daily. I called the plastic surgery resident on call and he said to change them only if they got dirty or if there was a lot of drainage from the incision. Then the nurse practitioner sent an email reply saying yes, change the bandages. So, at this point I'm going to just leave them be. If they start to look gross, I'll change them.

Balthus, I was given antibiotics, but no exercises. The nurse practitioner said to just use my arm as I would normally, just don't lift anything heavy. My arm feels a bit stiff today, so I think I'll look up the exercises in the American Cancer Society web site and try those.

BlueHeron

grandma3x, when I'm through with all of this, I'm planning on giving my providers some edited versions of handbooks and instructions, with any inconsistencies pointed out! It's hard enough without being told different things at different times!

Jr114

Hi everyone. I am glad to hear of the positive responses from everyone outcome. My experience was more like Balthus. Had delay in surgery so didn't make it out till 630. Then didn't get to room till about 8. Had a lot of nausea from surgery. Thank goodness my husband stayed with me the first night. The pain and being sick was awful. They were giving me a lot of fluids and pain meds through IV to get me comfortable. I ended up having to stay another night due to fever and hemoglobin being really low. I got to come home late yesterday and sooo glad to be here. Still having lots of pain but Valium and Vicodin helps. I have to do breathing excerise frequently to help with chest expansion. Seems that everyday is getting better so hoping to be able to wash hair soon. No shower for me till drains are out. Too be honest don't think I could do it right now. On antibiotics every 6 hours and have to watch for more fever.

Supposed to get up and move around and use arms to stay loose.

Good news came that node was clear but will get rest of pathology in a week or so.

Hugs to all hoping everyone is progressing day by day.

SVGsurvive

Hi ladies, surgery yesterday afternoon went smoothly. It was a long night but already feeling markedly better today. Haven't talked to BS so no idea how SNB went and I'm super anxious about it. Got lots to share but still too weak to do so. Hopefully will be on my laptop (not tiny phone) soon. I'm thinking of you all and pulling strength from knowing I'm not alone. I hope you're doing the same! Looking forward to catching up on everyone's posts later today

Mominator

Hello everyone! Some things I'm noticing here are the same things we went through over the November 2015 surgeries thread: how to manage pain, when to change dressings, what type of bra to wear, when to shower, etc.

I am not a medical professional. But I am an experienced patient. I had 5-hour neurosurgery in March to correct a Chiari Malformation, and I had 5-hour PBMx (with TEs) and PBSO in November. I was really scared leading up to the neurosurgery, a bit scared for the BMx. Now I am facing exchange surgery feeling rather calm.

Here are some of the things I learned along the way.

Whenever you have a doubt about anything, ASK your doctor/physician's assistant/nurse.

Antibiotics: many surgeons prescribe them as a precaution. Many others are avoiding overuse of antibiotics. If you see any redness, or if you skin feels hot, or if you're running a fever: call your doctor whether or not you're on antibiotics.

Bras, camisoles, and coverings are up to the surgeon. Sometime surgeons will have the bra put on you at the end of surgery. Sometimes it will be given to you during your stay or before you go home. Some leave you to find what's comfortable for you. I had no bra at all for two weeks (just large bandages taped to my breasts) because my breasts were too swollen and bruised. On my two-week visit, the swelling was down enough I could just barely tolerate a bra. Ask the nurse before surgery what the standard procedure is for your surgeon.

Bandages: follow the directions of your surgeon. Some surgeons use dermabond, which is a special skin glue. Others use tapes. If your bandages get really gross, call the nurse or PA, or ask to come into the office to have it changed.

Drains: are a bother. Almost everybody gets them and everybody hates them. Not having a drain can be even worse. A couple of our November ladies didn't have drains, and needed to have the fluid aspirated. Not fun. You will need to empty the drains, and measure and record the liquid that comes out. They should give you something to measure (they gave me as a urine specimen cup). Drains are removed when the fluid falls under a certain amount for a certain period of time. This varies greatly by surgeon. My surgeon requires under 30 ml per day for two whole days. My collection bulbs were getting gross after a while, I rinsed them with water or rubbing alcohol. If you have any trouble with your drains, or if you don't have drains but have fluid building up, call your doctor/physician's assistant/nurse.

Pain: you will be given medication for pain. The pain will probably be the worst for the first 24-48 hours after surgery. The first week if often hard as well. Many patients find it helpful to "stay ahead" of the pain, by taking medication when the pain reaches a certain level. I found that was helpful the first few days to a week. Then I started to taper myself of pain medication. If it was every 4 to 6 hours, I would try 5 or 6 hours. Being at home, you're in control and you don't have to wait for the next nurse to be available. Do keep a record of when you took your medication so you know when you can take your next. You may be surprised to see that the time between medications starts to spread out.

Shower: again, up to your surgeon, and it depends on your bandages, your sutures, and your healing. I had my first shower on the third morning after surgery. I was to have my back to the shower head, and was allowed to have the water run down my breasts. Absolutely no direct stream on my breasts for a week or so.

Sleeping: I had a BMx and I could not sleep on either side or stomach, and even sleeping on my back was uncomfortable. I sleep while propped upright in a reading pillow similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Brentwood-Originals-Brushed-Twill-Bedrest/dp/B002S0NJNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452955954&sr=8-1&keywords=reading+pillows+for+bed which was fine. My husband later bought be a bed-lounge: http://www.amazon.com/BedLounge-Classic-Regular-Natural-Cotton/dp/B006VQQOV6/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1452948252&sr=1-3&keywords=pillow+recliner which works just the same as the reading pillow. I can roll a little to one side or the other. This is how I have slept for the last 10 weeks. I did not want to rent a medical bed.

Swelling and bruising: we all will have some, some will have more. If anything looks scary to you, ask your nurse.

BMs: are not something that we usually talk about. Most folks get constipated by the anesthesia medications. Ask if you can start taking Colace (an OTC stool softener) in the days before and after your surgery. I had a 5 hour surgery. Although I was taking Colace before surgery, I did not have a BM until 5 days after surgery. The next several days my body played catch up.

Catheter: seems to be standard for long surgeries. I was given one in March for neurosurgery and November for BMx. Fortunately, they wait until you're asleep. It doesn't hurt, and you don't have to worry about going to the bathroom with rubber legs. March catheter was fine. Mine was removed in the evening the day after surgery. Again, it doesn't hurt coming out. My November catheter leaked a bit so the nurse adjusted it. I did have a few drops of blood in my urine for a few days. Also, I was just a little incontinent for about two weeks. I think I got stretched a bit when the nurse adjusted it. I'm back to normal now.

Photos: I posted earlier this month that you may want to take photos to document your journey.

Best wishes to all. If you have any questions, I will be happy to share my experiences with you.

Health, peace, and love to all,

Mominator

grandma3X

Thanks, Mominator! I think I figured out the dressings. I have one incision under my breast where they did the mastectomy and another dressing over the drain site. The one over the drain site needs to be left in place but if it comes off or gets soiled, I will need to replace it with a clean dressing. The one under my breast can be removed since they used glue to hold my skin together. That one does not need to be replaced.

SVG and Jr114 - glad you are doing well! On with the healing!

BlueHeron

I just got my first look, and first shower. I chose no recon. And I have one seriously badass warrior scar. I kind of love it.

curlyt333

Hi this is my first post here. My surgery is Jan 28, 2016 Double Masectomy, sentinel lode biopsy, and tissue expanders with alloderm.

Just had Post op with plastic surgeon yesterday and thank God for this site because I find the Drs havent prepared me for anything.

Mominator

Welcome curlyt, to our community. I hope you find the information and support you need. Please ask any questions.

BlueHeron: great attitude on yourseriously badass warrior scar! There are some beautiful photos at Breastfree.com. One woman has a peacock tattoo over her mastectomy scar.

DecisionFreak

BlueHeron, the mythical women warriors of Thrace in ancient times were said to cut off one breast so they could hold their weapons and shoot their arrows without the breast getting in the way. I think your attitude is wonderful! I wish you all the best in healing.

BlueHeron

Ahhhh. Off to read about the mythical women warriors of Thrace. There is an image I can embrace. Xxxoo

DecisionFreak

Bravo to you, edwsmom, for staying on top of the doctors to get the answers you deserve. I regret to hear about what you are going through, but you are doing the right thing. I am trying to catch up with the posts. Maybe you have added something new. My computer crashed in the middle of my bc diagnosis and treatment. I haven't gotten it fixed yet, so I am writing on a small cell phone and it is hard to roll through everything.

DecisionFreak

BlueHeron, what a relief that I can add something to this thread! My mom had a mastectomy, and I don't think it ever bothered her. I am not slated for the same kind of surgery as most, although I am sure that I will feel the pain going down from a DD to a C cup with recovery period of six to eight weeks and probable drains. It is unlikely that I can take narcotic pain relievers. I will have to rely on acetaminophen and Gabapentin and xanax. Or, whisky. I don't drink as a rule, but I regard alcohol for medicinal purposes as different than for recreation. Whisky doesn't mix with the other drugs, though, so I'll have to toss a coin.

For everyone, the plastic surgeon told me the more breast tissue removed, the lower the risk of cancer. I am having breast reduction in place of radiation because I felt, as did another breast surgeon, that radiation is too risky for me. I could not tolerate Tamoxifen. So, for women like me, breast reduction is becoming the alternative standard of care based on what the doctors have said.

Also, any woman with large breasts should ask her doctor about breast reduction before radiation. You have the right to request it, especially if you are a D cup but in some cases if you are a large C cup. If you want to read about the reason why women with large breasts are eligible for breast reduction before radiation, send me a request by PM and I will send you the link to an article.

BlueHeron

decisionFreak that's so interesting about reduction. It sounds like a great option for you. I don't do well with narcotics, but is am able to take Tramadol. Is that something that could work for you? It works not on opiate receptors but serotonin. Helping me tons right now.

DecisionFreak

Yes, it is the best option for me. I nearly got railroaded into radiation, and I believe it would been a disaster. I can't remember if I have ever taken Tramadol. Thank you for suggestion. I will look it up and see if it might work.

7of9

mominator....I am asking for precautionary Zofran too...it's awesome. I will be begging togo home ASAP and it could come in handy!

grandma3X

Merymete, Kar and Mominator - I'll be thinking of you tomorrow - best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I'm feeling better every day. I still have not taken the dressing off though. I tried this morning but it's really stuck onto my skin and hurts when I pull on it. Any suggestions?

DecisionFreak

Merymete, Kar, and Mominator, best wishes for tomorrow. I will send up good thoughts for successful surgery and rapid recovery!

BlueHeron, I ran an online search and found that Tramadol does act on opioid receptors. It is also called Ultram. I have taken it before and it didn't help much. Maybe you are thinking of Cymbalta. It is an antidepressant prescribed for fibromyalgia pain. Thanks though for the suggestion! I may have to knock myself out with sedatives for a couple of days. Or, pitch all my drugs and drink whisky, LOL. I have an in person pre-op assessment the day before surgery precisely due to potential problems with narcotics. My situation is very unique and does not apply to many people.

Mominator

DecisionFreak and Grandma3x thanks for the well-wishes. I love our supportive board here.

Grandma: If your bandage the self-stick kind (looks like just the pad part of a Band-Aid), it will soften up in the shower and then you can peel it off. Obviously don't do anything that hurts. You can give a call to your surgeon's office tomorrow, hopefully they will be open. At least there should be a nurse or PA available for calls.

7of9: (love your name and avatar): I have leftover Zofran pills from my previous surgeries. PS likes to use a scopolamine patch for same-day surgeries. It can be worn as long as 3 days and gives continuous relief from nausea.

Sending good thoughts to my surgery sisters for Monday: Meymete and Kar324, and those for the rest of the week: 7of9, violethope, GardnerGirls, MimiD, and goldenbride. I'm glad to hear everyone is making progress in recovery.