March 2018 Surgery Group

mkn86

welcome ladies! i will try to keep up with the schedules and update the start of the topic. i go in for surgery this week too so hopefully i can check back in this week.

parachutes, thank you for posting. the heads up is appreciated.

for those going into surgery this week, good luck and be well.

for those who have had surgery, please rest and eat healthy. have protein to speed up recovery.

Simbobby

Bi-lateral mastectomy with tissue expanders to be placed March 29

Mrsmcg

Hello Linda2119,

I am having the same surgery on March 16th.i have a follow up with my ps on March 20th. We can go through this together. I am seeing the ps nurse for my pre op appointment tommorow. I am currently trying to come up with a list of questions to ask.

kcmomof2

Hi! I am having a right side mastectomy on 3/8. I already had chemo. My tumor (1.8cm) shrank about 50% and so we are hoping for clean lymph nodes and minimal need to remove. Having sentinel node biopsy.

I am having my surgery at an outpatient surgery center which is misleading. I will be there 23 hours so actually spending the night in the outpatient center. I am getting nervous about this. Sort of feels like drive through surgery but that's how my doctor does it if you aren't having same day reconstruction. I need to have radiation after surgery so I won't be doing reconstruction until fall. Planning TRAM reconstruction.

Moderators

Welcome, Kcmomof2! We hope your surgery goes smoothly, we're all here for you!

The Mods

JosieO

prayers for your surgery,Nikki.

JosieO

prayers for your surgery, mkn8

Nikki444

thank you! Have to be at the hospital at 5 am, can’t sleep

Anonymous

Hi ladies, I had my BMX/SN/Immediate reconstruction (direct to implants) surgery 6 days ago. My recovery is going fine. I was sent home on Thursday (my choice; I could have opted to stay another night) but I was eager to get out of the hospital. My husband took care of me for the first 4 days at home and then my parents arrived yesterday. They planned to stay through Friday but after seeing how well I'm doing, they are planning to leave tonight ahead of a snowstorm.

Here's my journal so far:

Wed 2/28 6:15am

Arrived at the hospital for my nuclear injection. I had BC in one breast and the technician drew an imaginary line that divided by breast into 4 quadrants around the tumor site. Then she injected a painkiller into each quadrant followed by the nuclear dye. She repeated that for each quadrant. Was it painful? Yes, for maybe 2 seconds. But she had me doing some breathing exercises each time and it was honestly not a big deal. Then they scanned the area to make sure that the dye was spreading, and that was that! Afterward, I dressed and walked to the next building to check-in for my surgery.

7:30am

Was taken back to my pre-op room and asked to change into my surgical gown. The nurse asked some questions (had I taken my high blood pressure medication? had I avoided food and drink after midnight?) and then received a series of visitors. The BS arrived and used a permanent marker to mark me for BMX and SN removal on the right side. The PS arrived and drew a whole bunch of lines on me so that my implants would be symmetrical. The Pain Management team arrived and we decided on an Epidural that would block the pain from my entire chest wall. Shortly thereafter, I was given a sedative and my husband kissed me goodbye. I went right to sleep around 8:45am and was not lucid until I woke up again

6:00pm

Woke up in recovery, nauseated. Was given Zofran, which helped immediately. My husband was there but my parents had left without seeing me because they hadn't eaten all day. The surgery last an hour and a half beyond what was expected. Apparently, the BS couldn't find my lymph nodes because they were so small (good sign) and that took some time. Plus she's known for being very thorough. I was groggy and my entire chest was covered in gauze and a surgical bra. My mouth was extremely dry and I kept asking for ice chips, but I was in no pain at all. After an hour wait, they found a room for me and wheeled me upstairs. I had a light dinner (tapioca is all that i can remember eating) and started drinking water like a sailor.

I was also hooked up to an IV (not through my port), which was oddly put into my right hand. That was very inconvenient because I couldn't type on my phone easily. If you have an option, ask for the IV in your non-dominant side. I was also catheterized, so no need to get up and pee. The epidural pump was still in and remained in throughout the night. Also, had one drain coming out of each side, collecting fluids. These were emptied and fluid amount recorded, along with my urine, throughout the evening and night by the lady who took my BP and pulse every 2 hours.

It took through the night before my saliva started being produced again. I almost choked a few times on my sandwich because I couldn't swallow without water.

My husband stayed the night with me, though I didn't need his assistance. Got more Zofran for nausea sometime in the middle of the night, even though I was only mildly sick because there was no way I was going to let it get so bad that I'd risk throwing up. Also was given Benadryl as I started getting a serious case of the itchies.

Thursday, 3/1

6:00am

Catheter was removed by the Pain Management team and I was instructed that I had until 2pm to pee or they'd have to do a scan on my bladder/kidneys to make sure I wasn't blocked up. I ordered a breakfast of bagel and cream cheese and fruit. Once again, nearly choked on it because absolutely no saliva. Not sure if that was from the epidural or the surgery. Made good use of the lip balm. Drank, drank, drank water so that I could pee.

Got up and walked the ward with my husband for 10 minutes, as instructed. I had very limited range of motion in my arms and it would have been very difficult getting in and out of bed if my abs weren't in good shape from having a temperpedic bed.

Ran into the Pain Management team in the hallway and she took out the epidural from my back as I stood there.

8:00am

Walked the hallway again. Was able to pee. Yeah! Took a nap. Visited by the PS team, and they inspected everything.

10:00am

Walked the hallway. Was shown how to clean out drains by the nurse and we got an A+ on our exam.

Noon

At lunch and took my first round of oral pain medication (Oxy). Made me immediately sleepy. Was visited by my BS, and she said everything went well. Was asked by the nurse if I wanted to stay another night in the hospital or be released that afternoon. The latter, please!

2:00pm

Was seen again by my PS team and okayed to be discharged.

4:00pm

Dropped off prescription and arrived home. Husband picked up the prescription while I napped.

6:00pm

My friend arrived with dinner. Ate, drank, then settled into my recliner til bed time. Took pain medications and my husband prepped the bed with cushions and a reading pillow. Slept like a zombie, waking only to pee.

Friday 3/2 and Saturday 3/3

Settled into routine at home. Ate normally, took my medications, walked around a bit and managed the drain. Also showered each morning, as this was okayed by my PS, as long as I didn't scrub at my incision or anything. Chest feels very numb still, almost like I'm wearing a life jacket, and is still graffitied up with the PS's drawings. No way am I touching the stitches. Drains are well over the 30ml daily that I need to get to before they are removed.

Was able to wear normal XL sleep shirts by slipping my arm out of the sleeve and pulling it over my head without raising my hands above my head. No need for all those button down shirts I'd purchased.

Sunday 3/4

Switched from Oxy to Ibuprofen. Started doing limited range of motion exercises. Walked about a half mile. Drains are still well over the max needed to remove them.

Monday, 3/5

Parents arrived. Played cards. Started feeling some pain in the evening, so I took an Oxy before bedtime. Ditched the bras as they were pinching the drain lines and making me really sore.

My biopsy report posted online. I knew it was going to be good because they wouldn't have posted it had it not been good news. They found no evidence of cancer anywhere in my removed breasts or lymph nodes. I'm officially nT0 and nL0 after treatment. Woo hoo! That will undoubtedly mean that my treatment will be concluded after my implant follow-ups because I'm TN and there's no targeted treatment for me to be on.

Tuesday, 3/6

Back to Ibuprofen. Getting more range of motion. Walked a half mile. Chest is feeling less like an alien creature. The implants are more natural looking and less pinched. Drains are capturing less and I'm hoping that they'll be less than 30ml by tomorrow so that I can hopefully get them removed on Friday when I visit the PS. I'm doing well enough that my parents are planning to leave tonight ahead of the snow storm.

mkn86

Oh wow! thanks Lisa! i wish you a quick recovery

wanted to check in and say surgery went well. UMX no recon for me which i'm glad worked out. initially they thought they wouldn't be able to close the surgery site and would need a skin graft but they were able to close it.

took about less than 2 hours in surgery and then maybe 3-4 hours in recovery area. i'm on IV pain meds and the surgery site feels sore, like i played tennis all day. Switching to oral pain meds later in the day.

started moving my arm by the afternoon very very slowly. brought a stress ball with me and started using that in the afternoon too.

no nausea or vomitting from the anesthesia.

for the rest having surgery this week, best of luck! make you arm and chest muscles as strong as possible before surgery and eat protein after surgery.

LAMinders

Hi ladies,

I hope you don't mind if I join your group, even though my next surgery will actually be April 5^th.

I was diagnosed in October 2017, exactly one month after my 40^th birthday and first mammogram. Gosh- that seems like a lifetime ago already. Anyway, due to a separate diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome, an uncontrollable movement disorder, radiation was determined by the Radiation Oncologist as "too risky" so it was confirmed that a mastectomy was the right path for me. However, scheduling with the general and plastic surgeons proved to be difficult, so my general surgeon scheduled me in for a lumpectomy and SNB in November 2017 as a "staging" procedure (to figure out the stage and pathology, and as a holding pattern until I could be scheduled for the bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction). I started chemo at the end of December and had my last treatment about a week and a half ago. YEAH!

The plan for April is to have a BMX with immediate placement of TEs. Then, ultimately go back for a 3^rd surgery to exchange the TEs for implants. I have had surgeries before, so while I am nervous about my upcoming BMX, I have some idea what to expect as far as surgeries go. I am not nearly as nervous as I was about starting chemo!

I appreciate all of you who have posted your surgery experiences so far. Wishing you a smooth healing process!

JosieO

Lisa, glad you are home (especially ahead of a snowstorm!), and doing well. That has to be a big boost of self-confidence. Thanks for sharing the details of your experience. On to renewed strength and good health as spring approaches. Enjoy every day

JosieO

Kat,very glad your surgery went well! Many thanks for developing the list and keeping us all together.

JosieO

LAMinders, welcome! you have already been through quite a lot with courage and grace. I wish you the very best as you continue to move forward

AgathaNYC

Nikki444 - I hope when you read this you are resting comfortably after a successful surgery.

LisaRx - Thanks for the detailed log. I bet it will be really helpful for the women who are a little nervous about exactly what happens. I'm so happy that your pathology came back stellar!

mkn86 - It sounds like your surgery went well, too. that's great that you didn't need a skin graft. I hope the pain is manageable over the next day or so.

I had my lumpectomy yesterday morning. The sentinel node biopsy came back negative so no need for axillary node dissection! Yay! All in all I was at the hospital for 10 hours - not bad.

At 6:30am I had the nuclear dye injection. It was just one shot and it was not painful at all. I didn't feel the stinging or burning from the dye that I'd read about. I massaged my breast for about 15 minutes and then I got dressed. I went across the hall to have imaging done. To be honest I don't know what type of scanning machine it was - i didn't need to undress, just lay down on a table as images were done from top and side. No compression or anything. i was told the images were used to make sure that the nuclear dye was progressing through my lymphatic system clearly, like a quality control.

The nuclear medicine department is in a different building than the outpatient surgery center. After the imaging a nurse took my friend and me down to a waiting car to drive us the 7 blocks down to the surgery center.

Once I was there we went up to a pre-op room where I changed into a hospital gown and robe. The pre-surgical nurse went over everything that was going to happen that day. She put in the IV line for a blood draw and the operation. The surgeon's OR nurse (or possibly PA) came in to discuss the procedure and she was the one who initialed my right breast. The anesthesiologist came in and discussed the IV sedation plan.

Right on time at 9:15am the pre-op nurse walked me to the OR area and I met the surgeon's nurse again who took me into the OR room itself. The most visually striking thing was up on one wall were big screens with 2 of my last mammogram images blown up huge. I was still awake when the surgeon used a geiger counter wand to locate and mark the sentinel nodes. That was really cool. The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist's and surgeon's soothingly stroking my arm and shoulder as I drifted off.

Next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. I can't even remember who it was that told me that my sentinel nodes were clean and didn't have to have an AND. Whoever it was remarked on how big my smile was hearing that good news. I felt fine as I woke up more. I was just very thirsty and was able to sip some ice water. Eventually I started feeling sore. The post-op recovery nurse had me eat some saltines before I could take a Norco and change my ice pack. I spent maybe 2 hours waking up fully and getting the pain under control before I got dressed and headed out. I got my bottle of Rx to take with me so I didn't need to go to the pharmacy on the way home.

I can't say enough how fantastic all the nurses were throughout the whole procedure. They really made me feel so comfortable and well taken care of. They went out of their way to make sure that my friend that was with me was kept up to date with what was happening with me throughout the process. They are really the heart of the whole hospital.

It's been fine since I've been home. I've been icing on and off and keeping up with the Norco. I was able to sleep through the night fine. Only mishap as been when the 24 hour mark came and I could finally take a shower. I took the outer dressings off as instructed but the steri-strips over my 2 incisions came off with them. There was a little bit of oozing from one of the incisions. Of course it was after-hours so I had to call the general number of the hospital and ask the doctor covering for my surgeon to call me about this. Luckily she called right away and said it was okay that the stern-strips came off. Just loosely cover the incisions with gauze and stay in the sports bra. Phew! I was afraid I'd have to go into the office tomorrow (or worse, the urgent care center tonight) to have the incisions taped again.

I will see my breast surgeon on Tuesday and get the pathology results from the area she removed. I can't really call it a lump since it wasn't palpable, but it showed up as hazy on the mammogram. I'm hoping it was just scar tissue and not remaining cancer cells. We'll see.

I'm actually rethinking having the plastic surgery component and considering going directly to radiation now. This post has already gone on too long, but I'll tell you about my thought process on that later.

GOOD LUCK everyone as you prepare for your surgeries. Trust that the doctors and nurses are there for you and will keep you safe. Try not to worry too much before hand. You'll need all that energy to heal.

JosieO

Agatha,

Glad to know you are well and appreciate your note. Not too long at allit helps to understand the sequence and what actually happens in detail. Personally, I don’t know how I would manage my nerves if I couldn’t consult these boards.

Thanks and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Happycappy

My mom is going in for a lumpectomy in 2 days and I just found this site while I was looking for info about the dye injection. I didn't understand why they couldn't do it on thw same day as her surgery while she is already under sedation? I am unsure if they give topical or local aesthetic during the procedure...but i will get her something at CVS.

Any recomendations for rhe injection would be great. Also any post-op recommendations..for pain..swelling and healing would be appreciated. How many people had a clear PET scan and CT scan but still had lymph involvement or metastasis?

Thanks

Moderators

Welcome, Happycappy! We're sorry that you have to be here for your mom, but glad you've found us! Until you get responses from other members, here is an article from our main site that you may find helpful:

Lumpectomy: What to Expect During and After Surgery

Wishing your mom the best with surgery!

The Mods

ShimmerGal

Wasn't sure if I would be in the March or April group but I just got my surgery date. March 21 - prophylactic BMX w/ immediate reconstruction. Reading through y'alls experiences on here has been really helpful and reassuring. Thank you everyone for sharing.

kcmomof2

Lisa - I can't thank you enough for your post. My surgery is tomorrow and it is helping my nerves to see your post. Like you I had chemo before and am hoping very much for minimal lymph node removal and quick recovery. Unfortunately I can't do same day reconstruction because I am having radiation (I had three lymph nodes that showed suspicious changes. Two pre-cancer and 1 had a small spot of cancer cells on biopsy) so have to wait 6 months after radiation to do my planned TRAM reconstruction. I am also only doing single right side mastectomy at this point.

I especially appreciate your description of the Nuclear injection process. No one really talks about that part.

If you are doing that fabulous after having both sides and reconstruction then it gives me hope for my little single side procedure with delayed reconstruction. I just really have never had surgery other than having my tubes tied 8 years ago.

I wish you well in your continued recovery. I hope to update you all similarly hopefully within a few days of my procedure.

JosieO

kcmomof, prayers for your surgery and wishing you the best.

Anonymous

kcmomof2, sending good wishes your way. Hope your surgery is a smashing success and your recovery is without incident.

Anonymous

Yesterday met with my BS who confirmed PCR. She also took out my drains, which were really tender because I kept inadvertently tugging on them. What a relief to get them out! Afterward, went out and celebrated afterward with friends and family. Had my first glass of wine in an eon.

Met with my PS NP today. All is looking good. Was surprised to discover that I was supposed to be given an antibiotic after surgery. Well, I'm glad that I didn't get an infection! Also turns out that my PS recommends that I wear a compression bra for the entire 6 weeks of recovery. That was not made clear in the instructions and I had switched to a softer bra with less support. She said that the compression helps reduce swelling and helps the new boobs settle into place. So back into compression I go.

She also confirmed that no swimming, bathing, hot tubs, lakes or oceans until after I'm cleared at 6 weeks. Boo. Was hoping to go to Florida in 2 weeks for some sunshine.

She gave me a referral for PT which I will hopefully start next week. Need to work on strengthening all the muscles and to try to get rid of this knot in the middle of my back that has been plaguing me since surgery. I think that my body isn't used to the weight of the new boobs. I'm glad that I'm slowly getting used to the feeling of the new boobs. At first they were very alien feeling and I was getting a tad claustrophobic. I think it'll be easier when all the swelling has gone down, too.

Feeling sore, but getting less so every day. Have been alternating between Tylenol and Ibuprofen as needed, which isn't very often.

TimesLikeThese

Hi all! I finished my last round of neoadjuvant TCHP on Feb 15. I'm scheduled for a skin-sparing bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction (silicone implants over the muscle) on March 20. I'm hoping to have direct implant placement instead of TE's. PS says as long as we don't see any rogue cells in lymph nodes that will require rads and my skin and surrounding tissues all look good, he will go ahead and place the implants. The surgery is going to take upwards of 6 hours, and I will have an overnight stay. Looking forward to getting past this stage of my treatment and on to another 8 months of herceptin/perjeta infusions.

Best wishes and speedy healing, everyone

-Leanne

Kskchap

Hi Everyone! I had a bilateral mastectomy on 3/2. Feeling a little better now 8 days later but still NOWHERE near normal. I had tissue expanders placed and I can't bring myself to look at them so showereing has been interesting! Anybody else feel this way? I am not brave when it comes to wounds, blood, pain, etc.

Some of you have been asking about the sentinel node biopsy. I had mine during surgery, with the injections ( 4) before surgery when I was awake and not medicated. I pushed for and was given EMLA ( numbing) cream at the site of the injections about 45 minutes prior. It helped. I did not feel the needle sticks, but it did s sting a bit as the dye entered. You'll have to arrange for this days before surgery as it's not standard procedure- at my hospital anyway.

Original diagnosis was a large DCIS but pathology after surgery revealed microinvasions of ILC. Other “good" breast removed was found to have ALH, a precancerous condition but now I'm glad I went through with it. I was having doubts on the second breast as surgery approached. I have a strong family history of BC.

I joined a DCIS support group on Facebook but I feel kind of abandoned as I've moved into the “ invasive cancer" category. Reading that kind of outcome before my surgery scared the daylights our of me too. I hope that I've found support here. It's so helpful to me to read everyone's stories. Best wishes!

jsm22

Thanks to everyone for the great detailed reports. I am now 8 days post mastectomy. Feeling so much better. I quit the Percocet after 2 days because it made me feel horrible. I just took Tylenol until 5 days post op when BS said I could start ibuprofen. Only taking it every 8-10 hours now. The big excitement is that I got my drain out yesterday! One week post op. Feels so much better with out it. I finally took a real shower yesterday too. Both BS and PS are very strong about not shaving my armpit on that side. Glad it's not summer time! Sometimes it's the little things.

At my 5 days post op appt with BS I was given the report saying they found a micro met in one lymph node. =( So I most likely just bought myself some chemo. MO is a bit baffled about whether or not to do chemo. They are leaning towards it though due to my young age and the lymph met.

It was very scary to look at my deflated breast for the first time for sure. I cried a little and so did my DH. It gets easier every time though. I think next week they will put some saline into the TE so maybe it will start looking a little better. I was a 36D before surgery so I'm very lopsided right now. I'm planning on going back to work part time on Monday. That's 10 days post op. I have a very low activity desk job, so it's not hard to go back to.

There are so many strong ladies here, that it really helps keep up my spirits. Thanks!

JosieO

jsm22,

Strength and continued courage to you as you move forward.

I know that without this board and being able to read the many comments here I would be a ball of nerves. It’s less isolating when you hear from someone experiencing what you are about to undertake. This is REAL-not a lot of empty platitudes (“ you’ll be fine”). Grateful to you and all who have contributed

Anonymous

jsm, congratulations on being done with surgery. I'm 12 days post surgery and feeling a bit better every day. I'm mystified why your surgeons told you not to shave your armpits.

I chose immediate reconstruction with silicone implants, so I woke up looking more normal. With your cup size, you have no choice but to do TEs. I think you'll be very happy with the result once the process is completed in 6 months or so.

I know chemo is the pits, but if it kills any remaining cancer cells, it'll be so worth it.

AgathaNYC

Jsm22 - glad to hear you are feeling better. good luck going back to work.

I read somewhere that if you had lymph nodes removed that you shouldn't shave under that arm because of the chance of cutting or nicking yourself. there are lymphedema concerns I believe. Maybe Nair is the way to go. They still make that. right? :-)

Kahnartist

I am having diep flap surgery on Friday March 16,2018. Nervous but ready. Not thirlled with the idea of staying the in hospital for days, but maybe I will apprecaite the care once I am there.

Thanks!