June 2010 Mastectomy

Hello ladies

I have been back to work full time for the past three weeks and had to cut back my hours this week.  It was way too much for me.  I go in at 8:30 and finish at 5:30 or --so I have reduced two days a week to 10-4 and the other days 8:30-4.   I will keep this schedule for the next 3 weeks.

Talk926  you've been through so much and I know how you feel about making phone calls to the doctor. I hesitate, too, but it's a relief to get the questions answered.   I hope you will find another person whose farther along in the process who can assure you and help you.  You may want to start a thread on the TRAM flap.  I don't think I've seen one on this procedure (after the fact).

Laurie08 I have the same thing   It's worse when I overdo.  A friend came over at almost my 4th  week out of surgery.  I had 2 fills by then and generally uncomfortable.  Friend was out front.  Her 4 year old went out back after I told her NOT TOO !!.. The dog chased her and she jumped into the deep end of the pool.  She can't swim.  I don't remember getting from the back door to the water.  I just remember pulling her out.  All I saw was two little blue eyes under the water.  I had nightmares for a week. Thank GOD I saw her and got to her.  However I was so sore and miserable for days  I had sharp pains on my left side for two days. .I feel mostly a burning towards my upper chest and chest bone constantly. The BS and PS tell me I am doing great.  No problems. All this is normal.  Sheesh !!  So I think you are ok too    Hope this helps.

HUGS

Laurie08

If I overdo it I get burning, also--in both breasts and only my right breast is reconstructed with alloderm.  So I think it is the stretching of the muscle that you are feeling.  I don't think it's anything to worry about--but the story you tell is harrowing!  I think saving your friend's daughter must have got  your adrenalin going and  you probably used even more force than needed to get the child out of the pool!  Thank God you saw the whole thing and you were right there.

I am stretching my breasts daily now according to PS instructions.  This basically involves pushing the implant/breast N-S-E-W for 30 seconds each direction.  She said to put as much pressure as I can stand.  Sometimes my muscles burn after this.  It's supposed to help them settle down and make nice cleavage.

Laurie, I too have this "burning" feeling sometimes when I overdo stuff. Nurse said is completely normal and that I shouldn't stop doing my regular life and that continuing the exercises they recommend will help to relieve this sensation.  This "burning" feeling can continue to show during  the next 6 months or 1 year post surgery (?)

Also about two weeks ago I noticed a bruise appearing around the surgery scar. In the beginning it really freaked me out, come on! a bruise appearing after more than one month of the surgery! But after calling my surgeon and got checked by the nurses, they told me is completely normal. That the bruise is actually an old one that was under the skin and now its showing again... perhaps because of the changes in my body (pregnancy hormones and also the fact I'm starting to show more) So now somedays I have a bruise around the scar some others not.....

Oh well.

Hope everyone is having a nice relaxing weekend and that scars, treatments and recovery keep going well and healing. Sending lots of good vibes your way!

Jjoy & baby 5 months!

fill # 3 today. Honestly, I am almost back to the size that I was pre-surgery. In fact, I tried on one of my bras - and it fit! I don't think I will be going up to the full 400 cc's or more that the te's hold. 

Laurie - stop lifting - that is an order!

While I was in the building for the fill, I also had an appt with a ob/gyn to go over my surgical menopause issues. More forms to fill out, but it made sense to do both appts today. Very nice Dr who took time to answer all my questions. Of course the nurse who lead me into the room asked me to change into the wonderful gown - to which I said no, I am not here for an exam. I guess they don't bother to read the paperwork that they make people fill out. Luckily the dr had no problem with that, makes no sense as I had the complete checkup in May as part of the gyn oncologist appt in preparation for the ooph. Anyway, she gave me a another option to try for my hot flashes - not effexor - so I plan on trying that.

Where is everyone??? 

Thank you for the advice ladies. Since I am new to this I just went to the area that said June 2010. As I am reading Laurie's question, I get the same thing, and I had the TRAM Flap procedure.I was not sure if that was normal, but reading the responses, I am seeing that yes when I overdue like pulling weeds out and even going shopping with my girls, that I get the same tightness & soreness & burning sensation in my torso area.. I was freaking out to see if that was normal.. You guys rock...

I was very nervous, Laurie. It was such a relief when the tech came out and said the radiologist had given me the all clear!

Do you know off the top of your head how long one has to wear the cone over the nipple reconstruction? 

Ugh! 8 weeks ... I'll have to ask my PS what his process is when I see him after exchange. My PS seems to be the opposite of your PS. lol. Maybe his rules are a bit more lax.

Getty - I am glad you had a good time on your cruise. We just made another payment on ours and the final payment is due mid-September, so that tells me that it's coming up soon. I can't wait!

Laurie - I know what you mean about the expanders sitting high on your chest. That's the way mine was for a while. It is dropping as time goes on, but I can still see a "bump" on my chest where it shouldn't be. I saw the GS yesterday and he said that it was looking good and that it should drop even more as time goes on. Regarding the cones, is this for the nipple replacement? I am not sure that I will have that. I am thinking that tattoos may be better as I don't want one of the nipples to always be "at attention", if you know what I mean.

The "burning" sensation is something I get as well if I do too much. My body tells me about it when that happens! A week before I went back to work, I planted seeds in my garden. Boy, did I pay for that for about a week! My green beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and strawberries are doing fine, but what a price to pay for veggies and fruit! I try to be careful now as to how much I do around the house and the garden.

I finally got the disability issue taken care of. My PS office sent the information directly to a claims rep and he promptly went on vacation without taking care of it. Since I hadn't been paid in almost 4 weeks, the state had the PS office send the paperwork to another office and a check was cut and I received it on Monday. Thank goodness!

I am still not working a full 8 hour day. I feel like a big baby. My GS said not to push myself and that if I was tired after 5 to 6 hours, to go home. He suggested that next week, I increase the work day by an hour or so. Since I'm a salaried employee, I don't get docked pay if I leave early. He did give me 2 more weeks of PT after this week, so I leave early twice a week for that anyway. My boss is in another state and is 2 hours ahead of me and has told me to go when I get tired. If I followed that advice, I'd leave NOW - LOL.

I did talk to the GS about an insurance issue I was having. I have a PPO and my insurance denied a claim for an assistant surgeon who was in OR during the surgery. I had no idea that there would be an assistant there and the PPO denied the claim, saying there was no medical need for an assistant. The GS said that they use an assistant for every surgery. I told him that I had filed an appeal of their decision and that the insurance company would probably contact them for backup. He said that if the PPO didn't pay the bill, they would waive the fee. He told me to keep him posted. Come to think of it, neither the GS or the PS have billed me for anything yet.

I had an echo last week (I'm on Herceptin, so I have the echo every 3 mos.)  Today, I got all geared up to have Herceptin #10, I get to the hospital, wait half an hour, get into the lounge, am all ready to get hooked up, and THEN they tell me they can't give it to me - said the echo showed I'm "borderline"(?)  I have to go back for another echo, and then I'm rescheduled for H in another 3 wks. 

I just want to know how much more in parking fees they want to grab - do ya think someone could have called me BEFORE I spent almost 2 hours. driving there and back FOR NOTHING??????

Marm  That is frustrating....what is the "echo" test and why do you need it for Herceptin?  I hope your next experience is better.

Take care everyone!!  We are still on the mend!

Good luck, Ducki!

A party! How fun!

Laurie: I haven't had any scans either, besides my mammo on Monday and a chest x-ray, I don't think they do any of the full body scans for those of us with an MX for pure DCIS, at least I haven't heard of anyone having anything like that. I'll get blood work done by my onc in December, though I don't know what tests she will run. My PCP just did all the regular stuff for my physical and I passed with flying colors. My Vitamin D levels are normal, but low in the normal range, so we're going to up my D3 supplement and re-test in 3 months. Let us know what your onc says about the Tamoxifen. I'm curious.

Congratulations, Jeanne!!  What an accomplishment!!

great job Jeanne!!!!