May 2016 Surgeries

Angtee15

Greykat so glad you are feeling better! I am about to leave to report to the hospital for my BMX. I will report back from the other side!

SpecialK

greycat - your nips may still be ok - it is a very slow healing process from necrosis.

angtee - good luck!

WenchLori

Good luck Angtee!

grandma3X

Kluga, Angtee, tsoebbin, and ravin - sending healing thoughts for your surgery today!

SpecialK - thank you for your explanation about monitoring vitals during surgery! I was feeling a bit panicky about this and your response really helped.

In spite of having gone through this before, I am still feeling a lot of anxiety. My pre-op appointment is today, and I plan to ask my PCP for Ativan in case I need it to sleep this week. My BS was going to send a prescription, but just for 2 pills to take before surgery.

GreyKat - I'm glad you are feeling less pain now! I hope they are getting your low bp under control.

raven4mi

GreyKat, glad to hear things are improving and that they have the pain under control. I'll be looking forward to more updates.

I'm not needed at hospital until 10:15; hoping to be home by 2:00, but would settle for dinner time - kids still need to be run around, as life goes on regardless of what mom's going through. Praying that there's an outside chance that Flotsam and Jetsam will go away after today, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Good luck to Kluga5, Angtee15 and tsoebbin on your procedures today, and to everyone who is scheduled for the rest of this week as well. Check in when you can and let us know how you're doing.

willowiris

Just got my surgery date of May 27th for a bilateral Prophylactic Masectomy straight to implant. I am really nervous but part of me is excited to know the date and be making plans. Hope all that have had surgery or will be are doing well.

SpecialK

grandma - I had P block back in 2010 when I had the BMX, and my BS/PS explained this about the vitals - and also explained the significance of this benefit since the patient is less physically stressed during the surgical procedure itself. One of the reasons opioids are used during the surgery is to control pain and blunt the physical trauma of the procedure, but if you can accomplish this with a block instead of opioids the patient does better - and the mid-surgical quantifier is the vital signs. I know you know a lot about this as I have followed your posts on your first surgery and how well you did with your requested anesthesia plan.

WenchLori

Good morning everyone!

Best wishes and prayers going out to all having procedures today!

Yesterday was the first day in 2 months that I didn't wake up with a severe headache... until my DH came home with a bill in the mail from the Pathologist's office saying their claim had been denied. I called my insurance and for once they are ahead of the game. I was told the pathologist filed under the wrong person's ID. DUH! That Tricare has the payment lined up to go out as soon as the pathologist's office enters the correct info. I called pathology and gave them the correct info and to let them know that they are the ones holding up their payment. I got a good chuckle out of that one!! HAHAHAA

I'm hoping that is the last phone call for insurance issues! While I was on the phone with Tricare I made sure all up coming surgeries were indeed approved and we were good to go and they are! All appointments are made and I was told to sit back and enjoy myself for a bit. That would be nice, at least now I only have the gitters over the upcoming procedures to keep me from relaxing to much

Healing air hugs to ((((((((((Everyone))))))))))))

SpecialK

wenchlori - I also have Tricare, and have had a lot of treatment, there have been a few minor glitches but if you see a referral (use the online website for your region) they will honor the claim. The beauty of having everything pre-authed is that you usually have no surprises. The only issues I have had are when a test was done without obtaining the auth in advance and trying to secure an out-of-network PS, which I was able to do.

WenchLori

GreyKat, so glad to hear you are doing much better! What a horrible experience you have gone thru! Both my BS and PS are aware of my low blood pressure problems after major surgery. The last surgery I had was for an appendix that had been ruptured for 2 days and I didn't even know it. Dr said he didn't know how I was still alive? I was in the hospital for 8 days with everyone doing all they could to get my PB under control. I think that scares me the most about my upcoming DBMX procedure. I love around the clock attention but I'd like it more if I were getting it at home

GreyKat

hi. Still in hospital. Agree that the nerve blocks are supposed to be wonderful and use them if you can get them. It lets them skimp on giving you opioids and the problems that come from that.

Just because the blocks failed on me and I had zero painkillers in my system does not mean that will happen to you! I've had a lot of fentanyl and some other drug that causes kidney damage but was the only thing they could stack on top of the drug cocktail that made it hurt less.

They keep changing my meds, they've given up on my hand damage, they gave up trying to stabilize my blood pressure, and say all we can do is wait and see how bad the black nipple gets. I've also developed a giant hematoma. Even with all this they are discharging me today.

I feel stitches in my chest wall pulling sharp and painful.

I still think this was the right decision.

Also because of my past problems with waking too early out of the anesthesia, they skipped using a paralytic so I would be able to move and they'd know right away if I was waking during surgery. I also had a monitor for my brain waves to be extra sure they caught it early if I began to wake mid-surgery. I am so grateful they did that so I actually stayed under this time.

Good luck Wednesday ladies. I'm convinced we're all rock stars for surviving this

Valstim52

Greykat, glad things are better, but still in your pocket for your recovery. I so appreciate your keeping us updated while you are going through so much. You are such a great person to give us all encouragement despite your experience

Angtee and all others going in this week, hugs, and good healing thoughts your way

GreyKat

Hey ladies - I'm finally home because they reached a point where they just couldn't do anything more for me. I have a hematoma on my left side that is spreading into my arm and down towards my elbow - same hand with nerve damage. Black skin is still black, and they told to just watch for it to start peeling off the way necrosis happens. Somehow I have more range of motion with my left arm than my right, which makes no sense cause this was bilateral mastectomy. My pain is not good but they amped up my scripts and told me to double the Perc. Mostly because of two days' worth of tinkering with drugs trying to find some combo that works I've been dizzy almost the whole time. Still so dizzy typing is hard. THey also said that's because I'm "small" so the meds act a bit funkier. IDK I'm not a pharmacist.

Didn't eat anything at the hospital the entire time which upset the staff, but I just wasn't hungry. I also had one of those behind-the-ear patches to control vomiting after anesthesia. I nearly threw up on the ride home anyway, and a few sips of juice and two bites of a dish my inlaws dropped by and I was all I could do not to throw up again.

They've doubled my nitropaste usage to try and save the black skin if at all possinle. So yes, now I DO have a headache, and am dizzy, BP still like 80/40. I guess that's just how it's going to be until the week of nitrogel ends and we see what died and what will be peeling off.

Exhausted from the pain. Thanks for all your support and good luck to the rest of the surgery stars this week.

monicammoriah

Kluga, Angtee, tsoebbin, and ravin- sending good thoughts your way!

Greykat- I'm sorry things have been so rough. I hope the comfort of your own home allows you to heal. Personally, I'd ban anyone who compromised my healing from my space got the time being. You don't need that negativity or closed-mindedness.

I didn't pass my pre-op testing, as my BP has been haywire since this started. My BS is working on a stat referral to a oncological cardiologist, and I have an appt. with a cardio on Monday, which is less than 24 hours before my surgery. So, might be back to square one as far as surgery goes. I suspect that the seemingly more palpatable mass and the fact that my 3 month "safety window" is about to pass won't help my blood pressure. It won't be the baby cancer that gets me- it will be a stroke from the stress.

Midwest

Good luck to all of today surgery ladies, wishing you a pain free evening.

GreyKat, hopefully you will be feeling better now that you are at home.

Monicammori, good luck. I am sorry and I hope they would find something that will work for you soon.

MoreShoes

GreyKat, thanks for the updates. Hopefully you can feel better in your own environment.

Good luck to the ladies who have this week surgery.

Valstim52

monicammon, what pre-op testing? Before my port placement I had an ekg when I met with the anesthesiologist? is this the pre-op testing? I also met with BS and though my blood pressure spikes (white coat syndrome for sure) they scheduled me anyway?

I meet with the anesthesiologist again 1 week before surgery, and I think they will do the same thing again? Is that what you didn't pass? Now my blood pressure will spike for sure.

Oceangrl

Hi

I'm new here and just recovering from my lumpectomy. My doctor and team have continually reminded me that I have an excellent prognosis and all will be fine. Clinically via exam, ultrasound, and MRI it does not show lymph node involvement but I am scared about my post op visit next week. I'm worried that the final report will be much different from the initial and hoping the lymph nodes are clear. I had a 1 cm ILC mass removed and 2 lymph nodes

raven4mi

Hi, all. Got home from the hospital following nipple excision at 3:00 and promptly fell asleep again. It's 6:00 p.m. here now and I just had a taco salad for dinner – was ravenous after not having anything since yesterday, per instructions in prep for the general anesthesia.The PS examined me prior to the procedure and it was good that we had waited so long, because the necrosis was not as extensive as he initially thought. Much of the black had scabbed and then sloughed off leaving healthy pink tissue underneath. On the left side he was pretty sure that I was going to lose the nipple, but the areola was fine.There was more extensive damage on the right side, which is the side that had the prior lumpectomy/radiation, but it still wasn't as bad as he thought, though I lost more tissue there. Because he had to cut away more on the right he had to decrease the fill of the expander on that side, so I'm a little lopsided now, but that will be remedied over time as the fills are increased. He was supposed to replace the air with saline but I have no idea if that happened – I didn't get to see him after the procedure and DH doesn't remember what he said! (Grrrr!) I'm bandaged and taped up pretty well so I won't be able to see what kind of scarring I'll have until my post op visit on 5/19, but overall I think I'll be able to handle whatever happens. Once again, I'm basically experiencing an overwhelming sense of relief that everything is behind me and I'm really looking forward to getting through the expander phase and onto the final implant exchange.

So, GreyKat, don't give up hope about the necrosis! Things may not be as bleak as they appear right now. Glad to hear you're home; I hope that being in familiar surroundings will enhance the healing process for you.

raven4mi

Oh, forgot to say..............Flotsam (my drain) is gone on the left! But Jetsam is still with me on the right. Unfortunately the incision for it is right underneath where the edge of the compression bra is so it's quite uncomfortable but that's the only pain I'm having. Definitely no need for the Norco - Tylenol only. So relieved to have at least one drain gone! I'm going to actually try sleeping in my own bed again tonight - after sleeping in a La-Z-Boy for over three weeks, I'm excited to give it a try!

Momof6littles

After much research and worry and prayer and contemplation...I have a prophylactic BMX scheduled for May 25. Because there is a suspicious hard area and bloody nipple discharge, that is not explained in imaging, they are going to do a SNB just in case pathology comes back as more than LCIS.

Such relief!!

WenchLori

SpecialK, thank you. I'm so glad that you have had good experiences with Tricare, you've been thru so much! I've never had a problem with them before now. The website still tells me every procedure is pending/other. If I hadn't called Tricare this morning to get an update I'd still feel like I've been put in limbo. I just checked again and no change. I think the website is froze up?? I'm in the clear and I'm very happy to get on with this and join you other ladies on the other side of surgery

Thank you to everyone with all your great advice and suggestions. I'd have gone bonkers by now without you!

GreyKat

Guess who's earned herself a trip to the ER? *ding ding we have a winner*

Woke up having bled through my bandages, the binder, AND the post-surgical drain-holding compression garment - and still wet and dripping down my sides.

So yeah that's not supposed to happen. Got the surgeon paged at 4am and he said off to the ER with me or else if I watch it to see it doesn't turn from a steady drip to a sudden gush or bigger mess, I can hold out a couple hours and come in to his clinic first thing.

It's always something, isn't it? Hematoma is still present, and black nipple is still black. =(

grandma3X

Oh, GreyKat, I hope you are ok! Were they able to stop the bleeding? Sending (Hugs).

WifeMomTeacher, Charlybear, blessedby3miracles, and Bonniebleu, best wishes and lots of healing thoughts coming your way!

I had my pre-op physical yesterday. The (male) nurse was baffled by my TE - didn't know if the EKG was going to work since one of the sensors had to be placed on top of it. Turns out the EKG has no problems reading through a TE In the mean time I had the opportunity to educate him about what the tissue expander is doing, why its placed behind the muscle, and why there's a metallic port in it.

I also got the courage to ask the doctor for Ativan. My BS sent me a script but it was only for 2 tablets to take the night before surgery. In the meantime I'm not sleeping because of anxiety. Why do I feel like a junky by asking for this? I suffered for about 2 months with no sleep last time and was a real basket case by the time of surgery - I would cry at the drop of a hat and seriously could not function at work or home. I think if there is a med that can help alleviate the anxiety, the doctors should be happy to prescribe it. Anyway, he gave me a script for 10 pills. I took one last night and it worked like a charm.

Have a happy Thursday everyone! I'm off to my niece's wedding in Tennessee tomorrow and will be going for my sentinel node injection the day after I get back, so today is my last day of work for the next month. I brought home things to work on and I'm looking forward to some productive writing time

Angtee15

Greykat! I hope you are OK. This has been some ride so far. I am thinking about you and praying it is the last hurdle for you.

I am in my hospital bed waiting for the docs to come look at their handiwork. My surgery went OK yesterday. I am having an issue with feeling itchy just about everywhere though and more concerning-- I can't seem to pee and had to have a catheter put in. Got Benadryl for the itching and I have an epidural administering my pain meds and the nurse thinks that is causing my urinary thing. I will take this up with the docs shortly...

The epidural delivered great pain management. Just want to pee normally!!!

WenchLori

Oh no GreyKat! I hope everything is alright! I've got you in my prayers! I hope it's nothing to serious. Wow! it just keeps on giving for you doesn't it? (((((((((((((GreyKat))))))))))

SpecialK

greycat - so sorry you are having so many issues, this is definitely not how things are supposed to go. As far as the black nipple, I just want to warn you that it may continue to be black for quite a while, but that doesn't mean it won't be ok necessarily. I had extensive necrosis for weeks bi-laterally, on the nipples and skin. It eventually scabbed and the black parts flaked off and all was fine. I did use Silvadene cream, Rx from the PS.

angtee - before you leave the hospital double check that you are not having a tape allergy. Your itching is most likely coming from your pain relief meds if it is widespread, but I speak from experience that you don't want a tape allergic reaction to go unnoticed.

monicammoriah

Sending lots of hugs and good vibes to Charlybear1960; blessedby3miracles and Bonniebleu. Good luck today!

grandma3X- Have a wonderful trip! I hope that it's relaxing beginning to what's ahead. I too felt badly about asking for meds, but after months of disrupted sleep, and then weeks of very little sleep, I knew that my healing would be compromised. I understand the need for discretion when prescribing controlled substances, but doctors need to understand the emotional toll this disease takes on people (and families).

Angtee15- you rock! So glad the surgery went well and that your pain is managed. I hope that they clear up the itching/urination issue, because those could easily make an ok situation much worse. Keep us posted.

raven4mi- I was super excited to hear that things were better than expected. Yea for nips!! Will you also get a fill a your 5/19 appt? I think you mentioned being self-employed--have you felt up to working since the surgery? I'm trying to figure out how much I can get done immediately post surgery, since the rest of the world keeps on moving I have seriously considered tapping into my disability, but you need 90 days of part or full time disability, as verified by your dr. I contend that this is my new part-time job, and it's super hard to be productive with a gazillion appointments and your own business.

Momof6littles- welcome! We have an awesome group of ladies here to support you and help you with this journey. Hugs to you!

GreyKat- I'm sending prayers to you. Keep us posted on your progress.

SpecialK- thank you so much for all of your wisdom and advice. It is so nice to have help wading through the quagmire.

Valstim52-just a CBC, urine, EKG, etc. I suspect it's a clever way to get you in to pay for the procedure before the day of surgery BP has pretty consistently been 160/115. I've never had high BP before, but now that I have done some research, I feel like an idiot. No wonder I've been having massive headaches, dizziness, and chest pains. I do think this should have been addressed back in March when they first notice that it spiked. In any event, there isn't much I can do about it. I have an appointment tomorrow with the cardiac oncologist, and he's asked me to monitor my BP at home. I was told that he won't know about the surgery until he sees me, so I'm in limbo. I have family coming in, so I hate to have wasted their time if this doesn't move forward.

ella23--I was going back through and reading posts. I love the bit about fattening up. My PS said "no weight loss or crash diets!!" I keep telling my husband and kids that I have to eat, because i'm growing a breast

Much love to you all!

GreyKat

Greetings from the half-delusional doped up GreyKat.

Drs cleaned out the drain site and washed off all the crusted blood that had dripped everywhere. Turns out it was a clot inside that was forcing blood out the incisions instead of the drain on that side.

Still so achingly dizzy I can't walk without help. So much nausea haven't been able to eat since Sunday. The anti-nausea meds they've had me on are not working, so they gave me a new scrip for more. Also may end up changing my pain meds and antibiotic bc of nausea. Going to stumble off to bathroom bf throw up in bed. Sorry thanks for all your support ladies i really hurt now again

Midwest

Hello half-delusional GreyKat,

Sorry you are there again. Stay strong and, better, in the hospital until they find some anti-nausea medicine that will work. Glad to see you are keeping your humor, you will get through this soon. Keeping you in my thoughts and sending you gentle hugs.

Raven4mi, glad to hear everything went ok, maybe even a little better. Don`t know what to think about losing Flotsam (or was it Jetsam?),common,they were making a cute pair. I smiled when you mentioned your husband not asking about the fillings, it reminded me of mine who didn`t ask about the lymph nodes after the surgery.

Angtee15, nice to have news from you and see that surgery was ok. Smooth recovery to you!

Grandma, have a good time at the wedding!

To all ladies who have been there: is this common to have the dye injection the day before? And how many injections did you get in the breast?

Sending best healing wishes to today surgery ladies, may you all have a non complicated day.