January 2016 Surgeries

grandma3X

Scubagirl - I'm so sorry you are going through surgery for the third time! Wishing your son a full recovery as well!

A year ago today I started a 6-week expedition in Antarctica, where I slept on the ground in a tent and had to hike several miles each day to collect samples. I thought that was the most challenging thing I would ever have to do! Now I'm facing a bone scan on Monday and scared to death. I know this is completely out of my hands, but I will accept my fate and "warrior on". I have an amazing family and know that we will get through this.

Happy Saturday to each of you and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! January will be here in no time so we can take the next step on our journey.

Gemma12

Hi, My surgery is scheduled for 1/5. I'm having a lumpectomy and SNB (left breast). I had a u/s guided core needle biopsy on 11/19 and was dx 11/23 with IDC with some DCIS. Follow up MRI revealed an area of concern, so I had a MRI guided biopsy on 12/16, not fun! That came back as LCIS, so not cancer but it has to go. Surgeon said total tissue to be removed is about 3.5cm, plus margins. I'm really hoping I get clean margins and have no node involvement, but then again, I guess we all are! After all this, I'll finally be staged and will be able to make a signature so I don't have to keep typing my stats, Good luck to everyone!

Amy

Jr114

Hello everyone...I was diagnosed with DCIS in the beginning of December after biopsy. I have scheduled my bmx for January 13. After 2 excisional biopsy's in April that resulted in ADH bordering on DCIS and now another biopsy coming back with DCIS decided on bmx with te.

It has really helped to read about everyone's experiences on this website

Jinx27

Hey Ladies!

I'm five weeks post op (BMX and immediate reconstruction with free flap) and just wanted to say yes it is possible to get through surgery successfully. God bless you all, I pray for a safe recovery and great margins!!

PositivePeg

1/14/2016: right side mastectomy with reconstruction. E+, P-, Her2+, stage 2

PositivePeg

I feel like I'm trying to read a foreign language! Is there a place to find out what all the codes mean? Thanks!

Jr114

I found abbreviations under help under the menu section.

Kessa619

Hi, everyone. Sorry to be meeting under these circumstances. I am having a BMX with TEs on Jan. 13, 2016. I will be keeping you all in my thoughts in the upcoming weeks and beyond. I wish I could say that I am going into surgery with a calm, peaceful attitude. The truth is I am a bundle of nerves. At the forefront of my mind are my 8 and 6 year old kids. Does anyone have advice on how to explain this all to them? I have not told them anything yet. Thank you.

Skittlegirl

My oldest two know that surgery is coming up in the next couple of months. They know that the doctor is going to cut out the thing that is causing the sickness in me. I bought my 8-year-old the book "The Year My Mom Was Bald" to help her understand the different aspects of the cancer treatment. They also did a 6-week kid support group at the cancer center to learn about cancer, discuss their feelings, and take a tour of the radiation and chemo areas.

BlueHeron

Hi everyone. I am scheduled for a lumpectomy and SLN on 1/14. Still waiting on BRCA results, if they are positive then this could change. I go from calm to decidedly NOTCALM from hour to hour.

Merymete

Oh BlueHeron, right there with you. Hugs.

Grandma3x, wow!! Antarctica!! I'm so jealous.

January is nearly here, our waiting nearly over.

PositivePeg

Found it - thank you!

woodstock99

Mine is day after yours. Wishing you all the best. Be strong.

grandma3X

Jinx27 - Thank you so much for posting! It is a comfort to hear from others who have gone through this and are recovering nicely.

Jr114 and Kessa619- we are surgery sisters (1/13)! I will be praying for you as time gets closer.

My children are grown, but I waited a few weeks after my diagnosis before I told them. I just wanted things to be normal for a while longer... I have not told my grands yet. Two of them live very close by and are 7 and 8 years old. I plan to tell them a few days before surgery, but I'm not sure how much detail I should share with them. Thanks for the book suggestion!

My dad does not know yet. He is 87 and lives in Florida. He fell and broke 6 ribs over Thanksgiving and spent several weeks in the hospital and then in rehabilitation, just getting home on Christmas Eve. My mom died last year due to kidney failure (her doctor forgot to check her labs before ordering a CT with contrast (always ask your doctor about your BUN and creatinine levels before getting a CT!)) so my dad has been embroiled in a malpractice suit as well. I will probably wait until a few days before surgery to tell him about my diagnosis.

Happy Sunday everyone! Wishing you all peace and a light heart today!

27heart

Oh hello! Mines scheduled on 11/1/16. Dmx with silicon implants. Hope to get in touch with everyone through this thread. Hope everyone's having a good holiday so far.

Jr114

My boys are 15 & 18 and since having two excisional biopsies in April they have been aware of what is going on with me. So when my last needle biopsy in November came back DCIS we were able to sit down and talk about it.

My older son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a week after graduating high school and he handled it extremely well. His word were "It is what it is" and that has become our saying. His attitude towards his diagnosis has really helped me.

Thank you to everyone for posting it has really helped me .....it is really a journey that has a lot of ups and downs. Taking it day by day and not looking to far ahead helps me

starsarestars

Hi Ladies,

Just wanted to chime in on here. I just finished my 6 rounds of TCHP chemotherapy right before Christmas. Now I am waiting for my body to heal a bit and have another MRI before my surgery is scheduled. I've got all the positives: ER, PR, HER2 and BRCA2. So I'm definitely having a BMX with immediate reconstruction. Hoping my surgery will be end of January. I'm only 39 and otherwise pretty healthy so I'm hoping I can keep up my positive attitude that I will heal quickly from this. It's such a relief to know that chemo is over and finished and that I can get on with the next steps to being cancer free. Wishingall you brave women courage and strength!!

Xx

grandma3X

Welcome to starsarestars and 27heart! Jr114 - I like your son's attitude!

Bone scan finished. I sent the images to my doctor at JH and waiting for a radiologist (either at my local hospital where I had it done or at JH) to read them. I was told it may be several days due to the holidays - everyone is short staffed!

I hope that all of you are enjoying a peaceful, post-holiday Monday! I am at work for a couple of hours trying to take my mind off things. Substituting one stress for another!

MKTCA

Hi everyone, I hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas. I've been putting my surgery off. I needed the time to research, find out options and just want to know what I'll be facing. Coincidentally we were doing some construction work in our home during the time of my diagnosis. So I was stressed out. I also wanted to pretend to have one more normal Christmas before I face the "C" demon. Now I'm scheduled to have a lumpectomy next Friday, Jan. 8th. After that I'm suppose to have radiation therapy and tamoxifen. Even after all my research I feel like the medical world still prescribe what they prescribe to all DCIS patients. It's very frustrating. In addition, now my oncologist is telling me that the size is much bigger than expected from original path report from the biopsy, reading from the MRI. So all these tests are just guess work then.

What can I do to prep for the surgery? Is there anything I need to bring with me? Mine will be an outpatient procedure? The Dr already prescribed pain meds which I've already filled. Anything would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

grandma3X

Hi MKTCA - I know what you mean about trying to have a normal Christmas. i was diagnosed in November and would have liked to have had my surgery by now, but on the other hand it was great to not have to spend the holidays recovering. They are also re-roofing the building I work in (I run a large laboratory at a university) and we are supposed to be moved out by the end of January and into temporary housing (trailers). Unfortunately, they have not moved the trailers into place yet, so I'm not sure I will be moved before surgery on the 13th. This is causing a bit of stress, but I do have some good people working for me and they have all assured me that they can handle this.

MKTCA - there is a good thread about what to bring to the hospital and how to prepare for recovery at home:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topics/699896?page=32#idx_939

I think the hospital stuff is mostly for overnight stays, but there may be some things that you could use for having a lumpectomy. It's a good idea to have the pain killers filled already. I may ask my BS for a prescription ahead of time, since I live 2 hours from the hospital and will probably not want to wait until I get home after surgery to have them filled.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday! I'm at work again, trying to get my office organized for the big move. I think we should do this (move) every 10 years or so - it's amazing how much clutter I can accumulate!

robinni

Hello Everyone, I was diagnosed on November 27th with IDC in both breast. I will have a lumpectomy and SNB on January 26th.

MKTCA

grandma3x - Hi, thank you for the link. Construction is stressful alone and on top of that we have to deal with surgery. Thanks for you response and input. I really appreciate it.

Jr114

Hello Everyone,

MKTCA--- I had two excisional biopsies in April and I would have to say that ice packs were very helpful in the day or two after.

Grandma3x- my ps said he was going to give me all my post op prescriptions when I meet back with him before surgery. I think keeping busy really helps. Now that Christmas is over it seems my mind seems to think of the surgery. I am better when I am at work.

MKTCA

Jr114 - ice packs...check...I have those even though it's been freezing anything better than pain. Thanks for the tip.

woodstock99

When does your surgeon decide what pain meds you will have when you are released for home? Wasn't sure if I should be asking pre-surgery or if it is dependnet on how you are doing & what you seem to respond to better.

I had my pre-op tests today: labs & EKG. There were ok but my BP was way high: 141/101. I have never had readings like this. My internist is away. I take BP med but bought a wrist monitor to check next few days.

Also met with a rep from anesthesiology who asked a lot of questions, listened to my heart & looked down my throat. She looked like she 15 years old.

My surgery is at a teaching hospital so I am very concerned about the "new" model of team surgery with attending, nurses, etc having different roles and attending anesthesiologist not preesnt for entire surgery.

I am feeling very old today & getting very anxious as I am get to the 2 week mark.

SVGsurvive

Welcome scubagirl01, Gemma12, Balthus, Jr114, PositivePeg, Kessa619, BlueHeron, 27heart, MKTCA, and robinni.

Whew I can't believe how many of us are starting to accumulate in this January board. It's nice to all be in this together though, isn't it?

I've been maintaining a list of useful / interesting links in the original post. If anyone finds any additional good pages or sites, please let me know so I can add it!

Balthus, I assumed pain meds wouldn't typically be prescribed until you're out of surgery so they can make any last minute adjustments as needed. I do plan to ask if I can take a pain med prior to the SNB's tracer liquid injection into the nipple. See link here for more info. I've heard it can be quite painful, even w/ the topical lidocane to numb you. Good times!

In related news, for those recently diagnosed and feeling anxious - it's normal to ask for and get anti-anxiety meds like Ativan to help manage the stress leading up to our surgeries. Meditation has been another pre-surgery wonder I've heard praised from those who've been through this already.

starsarestars, let us know if you get confirmed for January! You're marked as TBD for now.

Kar324

1/18/16, quadrantectomy, oncoplastic closure

woodstock99

I was told today at my pre-op that I can take a xanax when I come in for my SNB which is same day as BMX. I have to check-in at 7AM, they do the dye injection at 7:30AM, then I wait until 10AM and can be with my husband until 10AM when they do the scan and then surgery at 11AM.

sas-schatzi

Hi, I'm sassy. Sorry you are all here. Been through this. It's doable, but it's a strain which is an understatement. Debated about reposting this here. The information that you will find in the two letters posted on the Toradol thread about mid page include the most important studies related to potential reduction in recurrence. I do not wish to add to your worries. But this info is Evidence Based Research. Some may not be interested, others will dive in and become immersed in it.

Another BCO member asked for thoughts and I wrote this to her this morning. Thought of you all.

Hi (member name deleted), Hugs and welcome back. Sorry that you are back to worrying. Hang tight and continue to work the problem. I'm going to link to a thread I worked on this summer. If you have surgery the info there is very important. They're are numerous studies. Can be difficult. The key is that Toradol given at time of surgery may be associated with reducing recurrence. Also, the use of blocks and opiods can influence recurrence. It has to do with inflammation, release of tumor cells at time of excision, circulating tumor cells present at surgery, and tumor cells that have already embedded at a distant site but are inactive till stimulated by the inflammatory cascade during surgery and in the post surgical period. I'm sure you are shaking your head already. Trust me it's doable.

One of the gals Falleaves has written a letter that identifies the top studies, that can be copied and taken to your doc. Please, don't just depend on the letter. You need to understand the info. Falls, 123JustMe, and I did a round robin on linking the three topics. Reading the entire Toradol topic is important which you will see why when you plow through the material.

Great way to spend your New Years--studying. Bless you.

This link is to a page that includes two Doc letters. MIne and Falleaves. They both encompass what the need to know info that should be communicated to the Doc and Anesthesiologist. Read the letters first before diving into the other material. It will help you focus on what's being discussed. Analogous to reading and abstract before reading the full study.

Post any questions you have on the Toradol page.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/73/topics/833612?page=7#post_4496841

robinni

I have a question. I am have a lumpectomy in both breasts. After surgery will i be able to crochet. I was going to start a project to help occupy my time during recuperation but it dawned on my that I may not be able to crochet while I'm healing. Any thoughts?