November 2018 Surgery Support Group

evily

I apologize if there's already a thread for this, but I couldn't find one. Anyone else going in for surgery in November? I'm scheduled for bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on Nov 13. I'm rather nervous and not at all looking forward to the long recovery (I am a very active person, so not being able to be active will be SO hard). But I'm optimistic that I will recover well, and will be glad to be rid of my little cancer factories.

Cheers!

November-ish 2018 Surgeries

10/24 - JennieKeaton, BMX

10/29 - BluGene, PMX

11/1 - HockeyChick, UMX

11/2 - kells2357, BMX

11/6 - mnsotamom74, BMX

11/7 - Dovely, reconstruction

11/7 - Joy4Joy, BMX

11/8 - Dyannah, lumpectomy

11/9 - crossh, BMX

11/12 - borogirl, BMX

11/12 - cjzach10, BMX w/DIEP flap

11/12 - Spiritedcharm, BMX

11/12 - Christine1975, BMX

11/13 - Elisabeth_W, UMX

11/13 - evily, BMX

11/13 - Heatherautumn, BMX w/Lat flap

11/13 - JB1165, lumpectomy

11/13 - oya80, BMX

11/13 - RB_NY73, lumpectomy

11/14 - boogirl, BMX

11/14 - RosieRed, BMX

11/15 - jamiesue, BMX

11/15 - Renee04, BMX with TUG recon

11/15 - sugarmaple, UMX

11/16 - MCBaker, UMX

11/16 - SafetyGuy, BMX

11/19 - Jayco921, BMX

11/19 - tlc4me, lumpectomy

11/20 - Sherylann987, BMX

11/21 - Debkap, UMX or BMX

11/23 - Mariett, BMX

11/23 - SarahNola, BMX

11/28 - cbmom3, reconstruction

11/28 - Liz627, BMX

11/29 - Kerri_Oz, BMX

11/29 - Kstinekd, BMX

11/30 - FaceForward, lumpectomy

11/30 - Wigging2000, BMX

12/19 - coclico, BMX

TBD - HPFULL, lumpectomy

borogirl

I'm having prophylactic nipple sparing BMX on Nov. 12. Will have pre-pectoral TEs and eventually silicone gummy implants. I've had this scheduled since early July so have had lots of time to research and prepare, and as of right now I'm pretty calm. Had my pre-op with BS today, meet with nurse navigator at hospital tomorrow, and pre-op with PS on Monday, 10/22. The countdown begins.

Evily - are you having pre-pectoral implants? Those are quicker to recover with and less muscle issues they say.

evily

Hi borogirl! We'll be almost-mastectomy buddies - 1 day apart! All the best to you!

I did request to have pre-pectoral implants so I don't lose as much strength and range of motion.

RosieRed

Hi Everybody,

I am joining the group because I just found out that my surgery date is November 14th. I am having a BMX with pre-pectoral TEs. Eventually will have gummy implants. I’m excited/nervous/anxious about it all.

Good to meet all of you!

borogirl

Looks like we are three days in a row. It appears prepec is the way to go. Hoping for quicker and less painful recovery.

HPFULL

Hi. I think my surgery will be in November. Diagnosed 10/15 with IDC. Lumpectomy with Lymph biopsy and possible nipple removal as the cancer is so close to the nipple. Not sure what too do. I feel better with all the Movrmber warriors :

Kerri_Oz

I'm scheduled for PBMX w/o recon on 29 Nov. Initially it was 29 Aug, which was changed to 24 Oct, and now Nov. It's been really stressful and frustrating, but hopefully now it won't be changed again. I don't know if watching everyone else's progress throughout the month will be reassuring or scary. Here's wishing everyone a successful surgery and a quick and easy recovery.

evily

Kerri_Oz - that would be so frustrating to be rescheduled so many times! I hope November ends up sticking, so you can get this behind you.

Welcome to all the fellow November gals! We can DO this!

Dyannah

I am scheduled for a lumpectamy on November 8th

HockeyChick_CA49

I'm having surgery on November 1st - right UMX without reconstruction and ALND. I'm nervous about the recovery. Hoping I can be self-sufficient with 1 working arm. Not looking forward to dealing with the drains. I will have a home care nurse visiting (I think every-other-day) to care for the incision and drains. So that should help.

Looking forward to getting this stage of my treatment over and done with.

borogirl

Today I had my pre-op appt. with plastic surgeon, so I have now covered breast surgeon, hospital nurse navigator, and plastic surgeon. Will have hospital pre-admission testing the week before the surgery. I've done a lot of research on line and with other patients so pretty much know what to expect, but each dr. has their own specific pre-op and post-op stuff. I'm disappointed - my PS says no showers until drains are out. Drat. He also made the point that you really need to limit your arm movements (raising high, pulling, pushing, including when you stand up) as the TE is somewhat tear drop shaped, and even though he uses a few stitches to hold the corner tabs of the TE in place, you don't want movement through the chest to loosen that TE so that it moves around. I'm having nipple sparing pre-pectoral, and I asked at what point you can feel safe about no nipple necrosis, and he said that by one week out you'll be pretty safe. He said it happens pretty quickly so to keep an eye on it every day. Sound like he sends me home with no dressings - just steri-strips across the incision (interior stitches).

My Bible study group just finished studying the book of Joshua and I am holding fast to "Be Strong and Courageous - I've Got This" - God. Strength and courage to all the November ladies!!!!

Spiritedcharm

I'm scheduled for November 12 as well @borogirl. BMX with prepectoral TE. I'm nervous about the unknown. I've never had major surgery and never stayed in the hospital other than for the birth of my two kids and that was over 30 years ago! I had some minor out patient surgery over 20 years ago and at the time I wasn't able to take any pain medicine because it made me sick. I'm a little worried about that, but I'm even more worried about not being able to do things for myself after the surgery. I've always been so independent. It's hard to ask for help!

evily

Dyannah, welcome!

HockeyChick - welcome, and I echo your sentiment "looking forward to getting this over with". Ditto!

borogirl, glad to hear your PS pre-op went well! That's good to know about nipple necrosis - fingers crossed we all make it past the 1 week mark intact! Did he say if there's anything you can do to prevent it at all?

Spiritedcharm - welcome, though I'm sorry you have to be here! I too am a newbie to major surgery. I had an excisional biopsy last year that was about an hour long, no overnight stay, and that's really the biggest surgery I've ever had before. So knowing that I will be under the knife for 6+ hours is really terrifying! Like you, I am also very independent and hate asking for help. Fortunately, many people in my life have stepped up and insisted that I accept their help, so I didn't even have to ask. But if you need help (and you will), know that it doesn't make you weak to ask for it. It makes you SMART, because you'll be ensuring a good recovery. :-)

Dyannah

I am not even sure how long mine will be. The doctor said no pre operation appointment needed because of my age. Now I am even more nervous. I was numb when he told me that I had to have one. No questions came to my mind then. Lol Is it okay if I keep you all in my prayers?

evily

Dyannah, lumpectomy is typically a much shorter and simpler procedure than mastectomy, but it depends how much they have to remove and whether you're having any reconstruction done at that time as well. I wonder what your age has to do with it? Personally, I would insist on to meeting with (or at least speaking on the phone with) the surgeon beforehand just to understand what exactly they plan to do. At the very least, it should give you some peace of mind. Here's a good list of questions you can ask them:

https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/lum...

Even though I'm not a religious person, I have been very touched by friends and family who have offered to pray for me. I think it's very kind of you to offer to pray for us, and I have no objections! :-)

borogirl

Spiritedcharm - Welcome! 3 weeks from today! What time? I'm first up that morning - 7:15. Hope everyone in the operating room that morning had a good weekend (but not too good) before, LOL.

Evily - I specifically asked PS if there was anything I could do before or after surgery to help prevent nipple necrosis and he said there is nothing. It's based partly on your own healing ability (they won't do nipple sparring if you are a smoker). My BS said in my case it would only be 1 - 5% chance. I am starting to take extra Vit. C (1000mg/day) and trying to get 100g of protein per day, both important aids in healing. I learned about doing that my researching on my own. Don't know why drs. didn't share that information, but when I mentioned it to them they both said that was a good idea (zinc important also).

My dr.s have said my surgery should be 4-5 hours. I have smaller breasts so I guess it won't take as long to remove all the tissue compared to those women with larger volume to remove. I'm lucky in that I don't have to have any lymph nodes checked or removed, so that will save time too.

Dyannah

Boro girl, how long did your lumpectamy take?

borogirl

It was only about an hour or so, done outpatient. Surgery wasn't until 3:30 in the afternoon and I was home by 6pm. I took a couple of the pain pills about 4am, then one about 9am, and didn't need any more rx pain med. The incision was just to the left of left nipple, going straight back laterally about 4" and has healed up so you don't hardly even see the scar. Of course this is basically where my MX incisions will be now. The 2 items of discomfort I had were that because the incision went back towards the side, when I would walk my arm would rub against it and that hurt some, and second was I did develop a seroma that took awhile to resolve on it's own. All in all, not too difficult or painful. I was able to do most anything I wanted to do within a couple of days. I'll be praying for you too!

Spiritedcharm

Borogirl - my surgery is not until noon. I'm not looking forward to having nothing to drink for that long! Food I can handle, but no water or coffee - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

evily

Spiritedcharm, ugh, I hate that too - not being able to drink any water or coffee before surgery! Talk about adding insult to injury!

borogirl, thanks for the tip about Vitamin C. I shall start supplementing now!

SafetyGuy

Just scheduled my surgery and sentinel node biopsy - Nov 16. Just over a month since I noticed my lump. 1.7cm grade 2/3 IDC. Being a man this means complete mastectomy. Any idea on the length of recovery time?

evily

Hi SafetyGuy! Sorry you have to be here, but this is a supportive place to be. I think mastectomy without reconstruction has a fairly quick recovery (relatively speaking), probably less than 6 weeks. I think your surgeon should be able to tell you what to expect in terms of recovery time and return to your normal lifestyle. I'm having mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and was told 6-8 weeks for recovery. I'm hoping it will be closer to 6, as I will go stir crazy being off work that long, but we'll see. :-)

borogirl

Regarding nothing to drink after a certain time - you should make an extra effort to hydrate yourself for at least the 24 hours before your cut off time. They don't want anything in your stomach because they don't want to aspirate anything (like if you threw up), but you still need to be hydrated. It makes finding a good vein to put in an IV much easier if you are hydrated and better in general for you body. For 2 surgeries I had earlier this year (lumpectomy and shoulder surgery) I hydrated up until that midnight time and then stopped, and nurses said they wish everyone would do that. I replied that someone should tell us that! I will admit the morning of surgery sucking on a couple of very small ice chips just to help with dry mouth. Also, they say it's important to hydrate after surgery to help remove the effects of anesthesia from your body.

RosieRed

I have an MRI tomorrow so the doctors have after chemo images. I just want to say...I don’t wanna. Almost every nurse I encounter cannot find a vein on the first try. I drink lots of fluids beforehand and everything and it doesn’t matter.

jamiesue

Hi! This is my first post So glad to see a November surgery group! My surgery is 11/15, DMX. Then I go back for plastic surgery 2 weeks later. My PC wanted to give my skin 2 weeks more to heal. We are hoping he can just put the implants in and not tissue expanders. And they are doing prepectoral. We are also hoping that we can spare my nipples. I'm having my sentinel nodes removed during surgery because there is a possibility I have an invasive spot that the MRI couldn't see. This is no fun waiting 4 weeks to find out if I have invasive.

Now that it's just 3 weeks from today, I am getting nervous. It's hard to not know so many things when I go into surgery until I wake up. At the moment, I don't have any appointments next week, for the first time since August! So much work I have to do before being out for 6 weeks. I have hardly worked lately, it's so hard to focus and concentrate. Then I pop online and start reading about this and an hour has gone by.

Looking forward to being on this thread. You all sound awesome!

evily

RosieRed, I also do not have good veins, no matter how much water I drink (I am always very well hydrated, I just have tiny veins). So I never look forward to having blood draws or IVs. I feel your pain!

jamiesue, welcome! Glad to hear you are also going with prepectoral reconstruction. It sounds like that is the way to go. I agree that it's unnerving not knowing things until after you wake up from surgery. I am also nervous about that part!

kells2357

HI everyone:-)

I have been reading so many posts and threads. Every woman here is so helpful and inspiring. I was diagnosed on Oct. 8th. IDC, right side. Early and optomistic. My surgery is set for Nov. 2, next Friday! DXM, immed tissue expanders. Yikes! This whole thing has been such a roller coaster, but I have really tried to stay positive and have renewed faith! Now though, at a week out, I am kinda freaking out!! Any advice ladies?

Kelly

evily

Welcome kells2357! Glad your IDC was caught early! I totally agree about all this being a roller coaster. Every day brings something new to worry about or think about or prepare for. But we are strong and we will get through this! Your surgery is coming up fast, so no wonder you're freaking out! My advice is to take this next week to really pamper yourself and do things for you (do things you might not be able to do after surgery), like maybe get a massage, or go for an autumn drive to look at changing leaves, or anything else that you enjoy and brings you peace.

kells2357

Wow @evily, you're going in right after me! Sounds like we are almost the same dx, except mine was right side! I love your advice about the pampering and a nice scenic drive...that sounds amazing. I am afraid that this next week will slip away quickly while I am so busy thinking of what needs to be done at home before I am down for the count for a couple of weeks!

jamiesue

Thanks, Evily

Kells2357, I spent 3 hours painting samples in my bathroom and forgot I was sick the whole time! I couldn't believe it. My bathroom has been a project I want finished before surgery. It's probably too late for you to take on something like that but if you can find anything to focus on to take your mind off it. I like the pampering part too though! There are some great posts on recommendations of what you'll need after surgery (or what would be helpful) that you could review. I'm also spending a Saturday cooking soups and freezing them before surgery with my BF.

Christine1975

I'd love to join this group! I'm having a bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on November 12. I'm so glad to have this group to lean on. Let's help each other with lots of encouragement and support. Here's wishing all November surgeries the very best! Sending lots of strength and hugs to all of you!!!!