December 2011 Surgeries - want to wait together?

Tina- glad you are home and sending positive healing energy your way. Hope the results are all great!

I wanted to report that I heard from AussieKate this morning and everything went great, but I'll let her give the particulars.

 i'm reading so much good news here! 

Kaara, have you gals been keeping up with the study out of San Antonio conforence about 75% of DCIS patients being able to not do rads?  I think , since I had lumpectomy before Thanksgiving my doctors may not want me to wait as long as it would take to get a test back.  Ya'll might benefit from looking into it.  I would want the doctor to explain the numbers to me though.  The per centages are greek to me cause there are so many different ways of looking at them.Most people think it will probably be a valuable tool to see which person with DCIS has a good chance of never having a recurrance of DCIS or invasive cancer.I seems to be another step forward.Dr. Susan Love seems empressed with it and she doesn't accept just any study or trial.  Good luck. Mon. Kaara with your lumpectomy.  I hope this is definitive enough and gets it all and you will be ready to do what you will do.  bGood luck to all.

Woohoo Aussie Kate- cancer is out and sensation too? FABULOUS!!!

Welcome home, AussieKate! So glad you've had such a rapid improvement!

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Brilliant thoughts yesterday:

1. Just because I am home from BC surgery, that doesn't mean I can skip my regular meds while taking the pain pills and antibiotics! Duh.

2.  Just because someone brings a meal to my home doesn't mean I have to eat it! Duh.

I found myself doubling up on the Norco I brought home from the hospital. I had a lot of break-through pain, so I thought taking the maximum amount would be a good thing. Not necessarily so!

I had the dreaded narcotic constipation and by Friday, took my first Milk of Magnesia. Yesterday I took another one. Last night I was feeling really nauseated, and took a Phenergan. Today, let's just say that constipation is no longer a problem.

Before I had my BMX/recon, I'd made a list of the foods I wanted to have handy. Small, snacky things, like little containers of fruit cocktail, jello, tapioca, yogurt, crackers, etc.

That was before I realized what a huge church family we have, and that we would be inundated with tons of food - and not neccessarily healthy stuff. A lot of it has been rich, fatty, and not what we usually eat around here. Instead of my little healthy stuff, I've eaten whatever friends have delivered. Yesterday, we got all the leftovers from a Christmas party I couldn't attend! It was a sweet thought, but.....ugh.

So back to basics - get back on the probiotics I usually take every day, and the fewer additional prescriptions the better.....(still have 5 days to go on the antibiotics)

AND - more healthy eating. Fresh fruits and veggies, and sincere thanks to all who bring food. Rather than dictate to them what to bring, we just freeze it in smaller amounts to eat later, and send the rest over to my 90 year old father in law, who adores it.

Nausea anyone?  Had my Surgery on Thursday and have been having waves of nausea the last day or so - could it be from the nuclear meds or is this normal?  I've had plenty of surgeries and this is the first time I'm having nausea and having a hard time bouncing back.  I'm usually up and going a day or two after surgery but this time I'm just exhausted.  Pain not to bad - mostly burning sensation, but so freakin' tired.

hey hey hey! day 4 post op. the first night was rough. i pushed that button all night long. 2nd night got bad, had to have a morphine shot. my night nurse 'didn't want to wake me' for my scheduled pain pills so she let me sleep...i woke up crying & screaming...another shot. then, some jackwagon took my blood pressure in my arm - big sign on my door says not to, & i was out of it so i didnt know either, but my arm has not felt right since. it hurts & sometimes my fingers will tingle & go numb. they sent me home with percocet, antibiotics, stool softener, & dilaudid for breakaway pain. i took 1 of those, knocked me out for an hour & when i woke up i was shaking uncontrollably & hallucinating. DO NOT WANT!!!!! that was scary. will NOT take that again.  i was a little upset when they took the bandages off to look. -had to cut me across the top instead of under. no biggie though. i had no idea what to expect, but all in all, i am pretty surprised @ how things went.  not as bad as i thought. i hope everyone else is doing ok & good luck to those who are still waiting - Toni

Hi Toni-  I am on day 11 and, also, surprised that I have not had more pain.  I had a BMX, with immediate implants, and had nipple sparing on the left side, and the nipple removed on my right breast.  I was cut under the breast on the left and my incision on the right is across the nipple area with each incisions 3 or 4 inches.  I have peeked a little but can not bear to look, at this point.  I will do all the reconstruction, possible, and am encouraged that some of the reconstructions look good.  Sorry for your hospital experience.  I was lucky that my husband stayed with me in the hospital, overnight, after reading some posts on this website, and he managed some of those issues.  My biggest issues have been emotional, asked for Valium as my plan B for bad days, and difficulty sleeping and with drain leakage.  Wishing you, and all others, a swift recovery.

Jildlove Larke - I, too, 'lost' my right nipple and it is difficult to look, but daily I do to put cream on a discolored spot.  Also going for  nipple recon. at a later date.

I also had to remind nurses to take bp in my left arm only. Able to sleep with little pain a this point.  Appointment tomorrow with BS to get final results.

Teresa

I had my first bout of nausea a few nights ago, and attributed it to a combination of meds (narco and antibiotics), Milk of Magnesia that took a long time to work, then worked overtime, too much rich fatty food delivered by caring friends, and not enough healthy stuff like fresh fruit and yogurt.

I did finally take a Phenergan, and afterwards, kind of wished I hadn't. In the hospital I got Zofran, which gave me no side effects at all. The Phenergan, though, gave me muscle twitches and spasms, apparently a common side effect.

I'm eating better and doing better with nausea. Now if I could just get this pain under control!

Love and luck to you, Dru!  I'll be thinking of you!

Good Luck Kelly!!  Hope you have a smooth surgery and quick healing.

I gotta give this one recognition...I was ordering shoes and slippers from Zappos online last week (i never wear slippers, but figured I needed them for the hospital). I mentioned this to the nice guy on the other end of the telephone; the shoes came last week and today the local flower shop delivered a bouquet of beautiful flowers!! From Zappos!! Made my day.