December 2011 Surgeries - want to wait together?
Comments
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My previous breast centre has the maxim that "DCIS isn't cancer; it's pre-cancer". I suppose when I fill in life insurance forms it's convenient to say, no I never had cancer. I had pre-cancer. He also said lots of ladies have only lumpectomies with much more advanced, invasive diagnoses. That is them, and this is me. With all due respect to everyone else's world view, I can get used to something sub-optimal but certain easier than I can with uncertainty. And the DCIS had gone from not sure if it is even really DCIS to "holy crap over 4 cm of grade 3" in just 6 months. It was getting ready to make a move. The boobs had a good run, but I don't love them that much. I especially don't like having just one.
The age thing, I wonder. On the one hand maybe they think younger patients have more self-image issues and are more in need of immediate recon? But the younger you are, the more replacement of implants you have to look forward to, i.e., every 10 years or so. But I think a lot more PS can do implants than flap surgeries and the wait for flaps seems to be longer (but maybe not as long for the gals who still have the cancer not yet removed). You can talk to the PS and find out what he does, but don't feel you have to rush into immediate recon if he only has one option and you're not hot on it. It's probably convenient to do in one sleep but I don't mind the recon delay as much as I mind the prophylactic mx delay.
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Welcome Kelly (spunkyboobster), sorry you had to join us, but we're a good group here.
Kite - if you don't like your PS or how he wants to do things, get a second (and third etc...) opinion, same goes for BS or other docs. You don't have to be stuck with a doc you don't like or are not comfortable with.
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Wow - our list sure is growing!
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Hi Ladies well here I am On the list for surgery, I am just waiting for the dreaded CALL but looks like Dec 12th for me... was hoping to be done when I had the lumpectomy BUT rad onc says the breast has to go, something about the coterized margin... Im so scared its unreal, Just finished chemo Nov 17th, had all the horrid SE'S and still have hand and foot syndrome...... I wish I knew what I was in for with this mast, and after.........
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Terry,
I had Uni MX June 26, 2011. I was scared out of my mind. Let me put your mind at ease. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The surgery went well. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days. I slept a lot for about a week, but I was back at work after 2 1/2 weeks and felt really good. Never really experienced much pain. Just make sure that you stay on top of your meds and don't let to much time go in between doses so you dont get to hurting. I think two of my drains were out the first week and the other the second. The drains are the worst part to me...... GOOD LUCK TO YOU. DONT BE WORRIED IT WILL BE FINE.
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Hello,
I will have my surgery friday december 9th 2011 at 7h00AM. I am a little nervous but I can manage. I took a couple of week of vacation and I will be on a leave of absence for 3 months.
Good luck to all of us xxx
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Terry71 - After 3 lumpectomies, I finally landed in MX land. It's scary as hell, but we WILL get through this. I know that I'm in skilled hands and all will be OK. Life won't be the most pleasant for a while, but I'll get through and be healthy and happy on the other side. HUGS to you. This is a great place for support and sharing frustrations and worries.
-Judy
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Nicole - I'm keeper of the list, do you mind sharing what type of surgery you'll be having so I can include it in the list too? Best to you!
-Judy
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Ladies- I highly recommend getting a guided imagery CD and listening to it presurgery. It speeds healing if you are envisioning positive outcomes and do not let the fear take over you. The one that I listened to had me envision the operating room with capable, competent surgeons who knew exactly what I needed and would take care of me. When you play it over and over again presurgery it really does help calm you in those moments before you are put under anethesia. There is such a strong mind-body connection and it is so important to be thinking positively and redirecting the fear.
The one I used was from this site:
http://www.healthjourneys.com/Product_Detail.aspx?catid=33&id=29
You can actually pay to download it to a CD and listening to it for even a few times presurgery can make a difference. I know exactly how you are feeling...I was in your shoes 6 months ago and I really think this went a long way towards shifting my mind to the positive side. Fear can really delay optimal healing.
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Pray, Pray, Pray! The lord will ease your fears. I searched for scriptures about fear, healing and hope and would read them daily. Also, would listen to K-love. I would put my ear buds in and let the music ease my wandering thoughts. It helped me so much. I also had a nurse that prayed with me before my surgery. That meant so much to me. To have someone, a total stranger, kind enough to do that for/with me. I didn't get her name, but wish I would have. I went into my surgery knowing I would be fine! Positive thoughts!
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Hi December 2011 Ladies, I just wanted to pop in here and give a bit of encouragement...I am a December 2010 BMX gal...my NSM was 12/06 (my 37th Bday, can you believe that?!?!) I just wanted to let you know right now you are in what I thought personally was the most difficult time. ANTICIPATION...ugh, I was scared of the unknown. But it will get better. There was a sense of relief once I had the BMX and then there were new things to focus on. Looking back at the past 12 months, I am really doing great and have gotten to a place of contentment, I guess you could say. The fixation on surgeries, TE's & implants has faded and I have gotten back to my "new" old-self; I am happy with myself and comfortable with the way I look. It was a crazy ride, but you will get to the "other side" and be able to pass on your stories of encouragement to the next women who follow this path. I wish you all the very best. Good luck and be well...
~Megan
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Sorry, it is a lumpectomy
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I am having surgery next week, December 7. A LX. I am scared silly. The biopsy I had was horrible and VERY painful. I do not numb well with locals. Now the BS said something about putting in a wire before surgery using locals. I think I will faint. I am so glad the surgery is general anesthetic.
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So much great advice. I'm looking forward to putting as much as possible to use.
My heart goes out to all of you, especially those of you have gone down this road before and find yourself back again.
It's good to have wonderful people with who to share this lousy trip.
Have a great weekend-Stay positive!
Kelly
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Thanks Nicole, no worries.
Tina - I had wire localization before my LX as well. They put in the wires to help the surgeon know what area of tissue to remove. Since they can't see the cancer cells, this guides them where to remove. I had 3 wires placed, two via mammogram and one via ultrasound. After the two via mammo, the doctor asked how I was doing and I said I felt a little light headed so they had me lay down on the floor right there in the mammo room and said that they did a lot of their work on the floor. I felt kind of silly. One thing that will help a lot is to not look down, don't look to see what they're doing, just let it happen, either go to your happy place or find a spot on the wall to stare at. Because the hospital doesn't have digital screens in the OR that we were in, they printed out the mammo films for the doc. I remember seeing them in the OR when they wheeled me into the OR, and then after surgery, they gave me the films. I now have films of what I lovingly called my "frankenboob" Wow, that surgery seems forever ago, it was August 23rd. Anyway, if you want more info on the wire locs, ask away, many of us have had them already.
-Judy
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Judy, thanks for the advise. I had no intention of looking down. My problem is the pain. Locals do not work well for me (or my sister for that matter). The biopsy wasn't supposed to hurt either and I didn't look at that either but I felt like I was being dissected without pain med. I was screaming and crying so hard that they had to take my glasses off as they were steamed up. I ended up hyper-ventilating and shaking. It wiped me out for a day and I was bruised for over a month (had it 10/27). Actually, it still hurts somewhat even though the swelling is finally down. I felt like such a baby and was crying and appologizing although I had forwarned the doctor about locals. BTW, I have a new doctor now after that and he promised to be better with locals. I do not know what it is physically that makes locals not work well. I've had several surgeries using locals and it was that way, so I am super paranoid now. Sometimes, if a doctor gives locals and then walks away for about 10-15 minutes to give it time to work, it will help, but this doctor didn't do that. She gave the local and then started right in on the biopsy and aspiration of some cysts. I felt every tear of my tissue. So, when my BS mentioned this wire procedure, I felt my blood drain. three wires? I was scared of just one! I may be on the floor too, like it or not - LOL. Since I am still sore from biopsy and mams hurt me anyway (I am very small so they have to do a lot of squishing and pushing against my ribs), I expect the mam to be painful too. I do not know how I will get through it but get through it I must.
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Hi fire-dancer -- good to hear from a December 2010 sister. I'm back again.
For the nervous gals staring at the unknown, I second the veteran reports. It truly is manageable. It'll be okay. I was in by 6:00 and home by 2:00. I am looking forward to some inpatient days with the DIEP actually.
The worst of the mastectomy isn't the incision. It's the drain. Just keep reasonably still until the drainage is reduced. Moving the arm around a lot pumps fluid out and into the drain and you're stuck with it until it gets below a certain level determined by the surgeon. Don't try to work ahead on the shoulder rehab timetable thinking it's good to be a keener. Save it for after the drain is out. But then you'll probably feel much better. I was doing an hour at a time on the treadmill in a month (and it improved my overall pain level by a ton!) and did a half marathon only 15 minutes slower than pre-surgery at 10 weeks.
Catwhispurrer, I had the wire before the lumpectomy. That went in pre-anaesthesia, unfortunately, and there I was with a wire dangling out of my boob under a bathrobe for 2 1/2 hours while they got their act together. When I got into the OR, I said, "you know which side you're cutting, right?" and he said "the one with the wire sticking out", which I was glad to hear! It is almost the same as the biopsy, and it is ouchy, but it's only pain, it will be over soon, and you're tougher than you think.
I liked several people's comments about mental conditioning. The OR nurse told me to think calming thoughts as you fall asleep in the OR and you will wake up in a better frame of mind. For you it might be prayer or guided imagery; I visualized roller coasters and I woke up feeling great! So habit forming I'm doing the other one
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Hi All,
It's the day after my 2nd surgery, a re-excision & another small lumpectomy. Oh Joy, I still have my nipple, funny the body parts you might miss. I feel pretty good, but that may be due to the codeine Tylenol, oh and the chocolate marbled cheesecake I made to get me thru the few days post surgery
Would you believe my surgery was delayed 45 minutes the consent form had to be rewritten 3 times!!!! Something about wording wasn't proper.
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53greenrose - good to hear from you, I'm glad all went well. My previous surgery was delayed waiting for the BS to arrive and it was an 8 am surgery, if I remember correctly.
CatWhispurrer - can they give you something like valium to help you stay more calm? I can't imagine going through some of these procedures without anesthesia. If it helps to wait, then you probably need to insist that they wait the 10-15 minutes to let the local really take hold. HUGS! I can't imagine what you must go through. The surgery itself is easy as you're asleep for it.
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I am still trying to decide on a uni or bilateral mastectomy. My surgery date is December 27th. Monday I have a pre op appointment. I'll know more then about the details. I am a little happy it's after Christmas.
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Hello December girls..I wanted to introduce myself to you. I just had a BMX on Wed Nov 30 th and now can personally say that so far (2 days out) that the recovery process is going much much better than I ever could have imagined. I am so relieved to have reached this point in the journey because it is a fork in a rather bumpy 7 month road that was filled with a lot of tears and fears. It started with a questionable mammogram(calcifications in 2 quadrants which resulted in 2 lumpectomies.) Then, after having my slides re-read my original diagnosis changed from Adh to grade 3 DCIS. The point I wanted to get out to everyone tonight that is facing this is that I am doing better and feeling mentally in a better state now than at any point since this all started in April. I know I have the recovery to work through, but there are no regrets on the decisions I made that
have gotten us to this point. This site and forum have been an unbelievable support source through it all. Through reading about all of the girls who had surgery before it has helped me so much and
for that I am forever grateful! I am praying for everyone who has upcoming surgeries. -
Hey Catswhisper. I empathise with you. I am having the same wire thingo put in next Friday. I had to have a B9 cyst removed on Thursday from up under my ribs (unrelated to BC) boy that hurt! but I did chew the nurses ear about the wire and she gave me the low down. For some reason I had visions of a big fish hook being put in but apparently, it is a very very fine wire and then when they get it into the exact spot of the cancer, they relase a little barb so that it stays in place for the surgeon to find. The worst part about it is the local anaesthetic. Just count to 20 and it will be all over. You can do that - I know you can! Stings like a bugger, but it doesn't last long. They had to do it to me on Thursday, along a big area (from my waist right up under my ribs), I won't pretend that the local didn't sting a lot but in the end I didn't feel a thing and I got up off the table none the worse for wear. They must have used one hell of a long fat needle as the hole is quite large. All I can say is thank goodness they do have locals to use. All the best. Kate
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Hello fellow lovely December Ladies.
Hows about we have a bit of fun here.... I'm going to ask my aneathetist to get me to count backwards from 100 before I go under... Want to see who gets the gold star for lasting the longest?
I'm gonna try real hard to get to 95!
Love and hugs to you all
Kate xx
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Hi Ladies,
I have had both lump and BMX. You will get through this. I also had the wire localization before the lumpectomy. If you are at all nervous, ask for some type of anxiety drug and take it before you go to the hospital. It is a weirdly barbaric procedure, yet it does help the surgeon immensely. First they press your boob into the mammo machine, then they inject a painkiller into the site (MAKE SURE TO ASK FOR PAINKILLER, TOPICAL AND SHOT kind--as I was told not every doc uses painkillers) and while your boob is in the machine they use a tiny, tiny needle to place the wire. They tape you up and off you go. I barely remember mine. The thought of what they were going to do made me more nervous than the procedure. Keep talking to them and remember you are doing this to kill the beast!
I am three weeks out from the BMX and I am fine. Still have surgical tubes in, and some tightness in my hips (I had hip flap tissue transfer) but that is it. I barely remember the whole hospital experience, except the fine nurses and my DH who was there by my side. I have absolutely no regrets--I wanted that tissue, and any chance of recurrence, out! You will be ok, just take the time to let your body recover. The day before surgery, take a stool softener and drink lots of water. Ask them before you go into OR if they can give you some drug for relaxation in your iv. Tell them if you get nauseous and they will put a scolpomine patch behind your ear, and give you extra meds during surgery so you don't get sick from anesthesia. Take the stool softener in the hospital, drink tons of water so you can be regular asap. And bring pix of your famiy. I can't tell you how many nurses, the docs, came in and talked with me about my kids, which helped comfort me enormously.Hope this helps! VickyB
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Hi Ladies, Sorry it's been so long since I've been here. I've been trying to get Christmas stuff done before surgery as well as keeping up with some online classes I'm taking. Had my surgery yesterday. They switched out my expanders with silicone implants. Immediate relief, it no longer feels like I'm wearing boobs of steel on my chest. They also placed a port for chemo. I asked that it be placed on my left. I'm not sure if that is the reason or something else, but instead of going from my chest to my heart, it goes from my chest up my neck and connects into my jugular. My neck is the only thing sore today.
Anyway, I always get really sick from anesthesia, but this time they gave me a patch for nausea to wear before the surgery and I did not get sick at all. Felt a little queasy in recovery which was totally controlled with Phenegran. If anyone else has this problem, ask your doctor for one of those patches at your pre-op appt. Also nurse said it helps to really hydrate the day before. Good luck to everyone, hope you all do well with quick recovery. I'm now trying to mentally prepare myself for chemo, ugh! First tx on the 21st.
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p.s. It was a Scopolamine patch.
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Hi December ladies!
Popping in here to provide some good info from the main Breastcancer.org site on Surgery, including:
- What to Expect with Any Surgery
- Lumpectomy, including what to expect, side effects, and questions to ask
- Mastectomy, including what to expect, side effects, and questions to ask
- Reconstruction, including what to expect, side effects and questions to ask
Hope this helps and good luck with all of your surgeries!
--Your Mods
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Welcome back, Judy! I'm glad it all sounds like it went well. I hear that going from TE's to inplants is a huge relief to most. Glad you got some relief. I hope the SE's from chemo are minimal for you. Stand tough!!
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Hello, December Sisters!
So good to see those of you who have already had surgery here and posting! Hoping for a smooth recovery for you!
Thinking about wrennest and vivirasselena who also have their surgeries this Monday...
Well, my "Things To Do Before Surgery" list is getting checked off. They delivered the hospital bed yesterday, and I put it the sitting area of our master bedroom. I've made it up to be soothing and cozy.
The reason for the hospital bed is that we have a Tempurpedic mattress on our bed, and while it's fabulous for sleeping with a bad back, it is sort of like swimming in jello when you try to get out of it without using your arms. This way, I can raise the head of the bed, have something under my knees to take the pressure off my back, and can raise and lower it to get out of bed by myself. We have recliners, but 1) they aren't comfortable to sleep in, and 2) I wouldn't be able to reach the handles to sit up again!
I've cut back on my food intake - no meat since last week - and am keeping well hydrated. I've found that this works well for me before any kind of surgery. I'm getting my protein from other sources.
Got some meals frozen, got my button-front clothes ready to go, got my bag packed for the hospital. While my pretty satin jammies might feel good, I think I'll use their hospital gowns while I'm there. I'm concerned about is picking up/bringing home germs from the hospital. Sad, huh?
DH and I decorated the house (inside and out) with a FEW of the Christmas decorations we usually put up. Whatever WE put up, HE has to take down!
Thanks again to those of you who posted that the anticipation was much worse than the reality of surgery! As long as I keep the focus off myself, and on Him, I'm o.k.
Thank you, ladies, for being here!!!
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Thanks everyone for the tips. I am meeting with my BS on Monday and am taking notes on all of these great ideas. Kate, I do/did endure local numbing shots, but they don't work and I end up feeling EVERYTHING. That is the problem. I will have to insist that they give them more time to let the shots work which helps, but the anti-anxiety sound like a good idea too. I am going to have to stress that if they don't give me something, I may faint on them since the mam is standing up unlike the us-guided biopsy which I was laying down. The biopsy was one of the worst things I have been through and was SO painful. I am not worried about the surgery at all as CookieMonstor said - it will be a breeze since I will be out. Thanks Jenni for the encouraging words!
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