August 2010 Mastectomy

Hello All,

12 days post op today and I am out of my pajamas!  Took a joy ride to the grocery store.  yippee!!  Good news from the pathology department.  All nodes negative.  Got one drain removed and hope to remove the other on Monday.

Hang tough Lago, it could be the drain or the stitches.  My PS cut the end of the stitches last week.  I am more comfortable now.  It is a good thing to be out of the hospital.  Much more chance of infection there than at home.  I have researched and found two excellent PDF's regarding the treatment of BC from the Oncologists point of view and one on the latest 2010 findings on all that is BC.  I will be happy to e-mail them to you if you PM me because I cannot attach them.  Excellent and informative. 

Note to all:  LIFT NOTHING post op and after less than 5 lbs for 6 wks post op.  No excerise until all drains are removed.  This from my surgeon and PS.  Speedy recovery to all!

I have a housekeeper that comes in weekly. I spend time with my friends and always find reasons to laugh. Nervous laughter mind you. I am going to curl up in a warm soft throw tonight and listen to music. Tomorrow morning I will change the sheets and do last minute laundry and take a morning bath. Then with hibiclens will bathe in evening and morning of surgery (ordered by doctor). Need to be there by 9am Monday! It's down to the wire!

Lago, why not a post op camisole prior to surgery? I know I wouldn't want to go out and look for things after the surgery. I was able to get a prescription for two and my insurance paid for them. The camisoles have places for the drains which I will use immediately after surgery. I know I'm a DD so the top will fit much differently afterwards of course, but I focused more on the middle and bottom, how it fit there

Lisa, was your surgery really on a Saturday? I always wondered about that one.

Good for you Paula, the nodes being negative.

Wishing everyone all the best.

Mindy

Hi again,

Congrats on the neg nodes, Paula! 

Prescription camisoles??  Don't know about those, but my sil sent me one that's brilliant--super stretchy, so you can pull it all the way up from your feet, over your hips, etc., and it still ends up looking like a camisole, not a tent.  It's got a pocket on the inside to hold the drains. That part was too small when I had all 4 drains, but worked well for two.

My driving was limited more by pain meds and my own unease at not being able to turn or move my arms quickly. I drove 9 days post-op (don't tell my mom! ).

And Winterstorm, I second Marly: lift no thing for a few days if at all possible. I did get on the exercise bike (not the kind w/ moving arms) pretty quick b/c I felt like a slug and thought it would help sleep and med-induced constipation.  And thanks, I did get those last drains out. 

Finally, I just have to very gently and cautiously add a word about length of hospital stay: trust your body. I ended up asking to stay a third night, b/c I knew I would not rest enough at home, and just was not ready to face my world.

BrightEyes 

Carol66 , I am a little confused about the sentinal node news you recieved. In tracking your history on this forum, you have had chemo, then bilateral mastectomy, which is when they reported that your sentinal nodes were positive, but others may be negative? So they want you to have radiation to take care of that immediate area although you are healing from reconstruction. I guess if I knew I had had the chemo needed, then the surgery, and then the nodes were still reported positive, I would demand a pet scan b/c there may be a chance that the cancer has passed through the nodes even after the chemo has been taken.. I would not be content with the radiation decision b/c that is only dealing with the breast area. those lymph nodes are filters to other areas of the body. You need to be scanned to see if the cancer has metastisized and the sooner the better! Or you had the choice of simply taking tamaxafin?  I hope I am not understanding your case b/c if I am I would get a 2nd opinion quickly. I just don't like the sound of this.

Carla

Lago, I got the idea about the camisoles from the thread "shopping, packing, to do list...". Nowhere is it written you have to get camisoles. But if it is covered by insurance, and all I had to pay was $7 for each camisole. It has these pouches that has velcro that attaches to a velcro strip inside the camisole. Also, if two pouches is not enough, then I plan on attaching the drains to the velcro with safety pins. Extra pouches are $14 for a two pack so forget that.

In that same thread, someone else also suggested a fanny pack,  so whatever works! I know what you mean about having to buy so much stuff! If I went with what my care team said, then I would not have purchased zip up tops and sleepwear and I do believe I'd be in trouble!

At pre-op, my hospital told me to use hibiclens in the evening and then the morning of surgery, so that is what I will do. If your care team said to use an anti bacterial soap like dial, I'd go with that. Hibiclens I got from my local drug store (Walgreens). My care team said not to use above the neck.On the box it says it's great for pre-surgical skin prep and  surgical hand scrub. "Hibiclens has antiseptic ativity and persistent antimicrobial effect with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide range of microorganisms." This was not in the soap section, Don't remember where, but I think it was near betadine and stuff.

Right now I am doing laundry to include my sheets. I am going to use veet to remove body hair since I won't be able to shave for I don't kow how long, especially the pits. I hope it really works!

We will get through this!!! Best to all...

Lago - My doctors said I could wash with any kind of soap the morning of surgery, and although they said no lotions, I HAD to put moisturizer on my face.  They weren't going to be cutting my face for pete's sake.  No problems, no infections.

I am dealing with Anne on the seroma issue.  My nurse said I could come in Monday and drain them.  I'm just worried about chemo starting Friday, and having all the fluid built up.  I don't want chemo to get in there and hang for a while.

That's something I hadn't considered Tara... chemo with seroma and the chemo hanging out in my chest area.  I still don't know if I'm having chemo,I won't until later this week. But I'm preparing myself for it. With my metabolism at "intermediate", the chances are leaning towards yes.  We'll see what the onoctype is and take it from there.

lago.. I didn't get any special camisoles.  Just the regular ones with built in shelf bras. I just pinned my drains to them, and wore a loose shirt over it. , I also had some sweat pants that I could just slip them in the pockets.

Just my $0.02

lol Lago. I wouldn't have gotten the camisoles if my insurance didn't pay for them. They would have cost me $64 (only cost me $7 each)! I agree, there are other alternatives.  But they are nice to have.

Tara, good luck this week with chemo.

Hey I am on day 20 since my bilateral. Feeling pretty good so far. I had bought the softee camisole. I bought two so I could wash one. It was easy to get off and on and kept the drains from getting under me in bed and hanging when i got up. I was worried my cats would go after them lol. They were expensive but i liked them. It kept them hidden if I wore something really baggy on top like a zipper sweatshirt with the kangaroo pocket. The sweatshirts were the best thing for me. I got some button down tops but did not need many i was able to get a tank on by day 7. But I did the arm raise exercises a day or two after i got home from the hospital. I am pretty flexible no but  not 100% but I only had the one sentinal node removed nothing else.I still feel tight in my armpit but it keeps getting less. No swelling or seroma. Got one small bruise on my rib cage like 10 days later guess someone leaned on me during surgery lol. Got the drains out on day 10. 

Anne

 I get my oncotype results on friday to see if I need chemo. so right there with you. I have been reading about chemo too and trying to plan my life around 6 months of who knows how bad it will be for me. I have a weak stomach so I am very concerned. I get GERD (gastro esohogeal reflux) and motion sickness so easy. I am coming to terms with the idea of hair loss. I made an appointment to get a free wig from ACS and a makeup lesson for chemo patients. I hear they give you free makeup for that from Estee Lauder and they teach you to put on eyebrows and stuff.

If anyone needs to talk or has any questions about surgery that they are facing feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help if I can. 

Lago, I wouldn't have (and didn't!) buy the camisole, for exactly the same reason.  I had little pouches that hung around my neck, and actually wore those more than the camisole, just under whatever button-up-the-front top I had on.  I'll have another surgery later though, and have worn the cami around the house a lot.  And no need to wash your face w/ the harsh soap, IMHO. You've got enough on your plate; don't need a break out as well!

Oh, and I've been pulling on over-the-top tops for a few days now (surgery Aug 12).  Nothing tight or fancy, mind you, but casual summer stuff... I could braid my own hair a week after surgery, though. 

 Winterstorm, you will be in my thoughts and prayers throughout tomorrow.  I was really pretty worried the morning before surgery (due to the past 6 months) and they offered me anti-anxiety med as soon as the i.v. was in. I took it. Was simply done "being strong" for a while.

And Robin, Lago and Sunny, you all will similarly be in my heart's pocket on Tuesday.  

with love,

Bright Eyes 

15lbs! is that with one arm or both. Gee when I work out I'm only up to 10lb hand weights. Do you mean after surgery I'm going to be able to move up to 15lb weights… Woo Hoo I might get rid of those flabby tricepts yet (better know as wings after age 45).

I keep getting call from the hospital this weekend when I'm out. I call back then they don't call back. Seriously folks it's the weekend and sunny out. I'm not going to be home at 2pm! They may miss again tomorrow because I do have a dentist appointment at 9:45. 

I was also told by another fellow Rush patient here that I would be getting two surgical bras by the time the hospital releases me. Guess that's what I'll be using for a bit.

OK Winterstorm you're up. I'll be seeing you on the other side… I'm right behind you.

Excellent tool for prognosticating and choosing your therapy:

http://www.lifemath.net/cancer/index.html

Winterstorm thinking of you today and RobinLM, Lago, and sunnybluesky thinking of you for tomorrow it will soon be over and you will be out the other side, I get my results on friday hoping for good ones, doing quite well at the moment 12 days out from MX, best wishes to everyone,

Celia.x

Lago sorry you have a long wait. There a little pink and white book called, "A Cup of Comfort" for breast cancer survivors inspiring stories of courage and triumph. edited by Colleen Sell with the forward by Susan G. Komen for the cure.

Best wishes to all you gals having surgery this week . I am 17 days post surgery now and am going to attempt to drive my car on a short errand today. Still tired at times and still stiff and still swell at night. The side effects from Arimidex are sometimes difficult. The worse one is the hot flashes/night sweats. No more pain meds as of yesterday I started taking Advil. I will find out Tuesday when I see my oncologist if I need chemo or radiation.