December 2011 Surgeries - want to wait together?

I went for physio and a massage on Thursday and realized I had not tried lying on my front yet. She suggested we could try with me lying on my side but it wasn't that comfortable so eventually I put a pillow under my ribs and head and lied on my front that way and it was just fine. I have been sleeping on my side (both) for about a week. By far more comfortable than on my back. Yesterday I bought a long sleeve compression shirt for running and I slept in it last night and it really did enhance my comfort because there was less feeling of things possibly flopping around. I was on the treadmill for nearly 90 minutes yesterday and even ran slowly (4.5mph) for 3 minutes at about the one hour point. Coming along well. I was in the office 4 days last week. Some days I was just sitting there reading the news online, but I did get some work done. I took the subway on Friday to get to an offsite meeting, and fortunately it wasn't crowded. Physically I could drive but cognitively I don't think so. I don't think my reaction time and capacity for complex decision making is completely under my control yet. This week, I do have a work function to attend, but I will be spending more time on me with two physio appointments and the dentist in the schedule, and I fly to Disneyland on Friday (^:3

Happy Lunar New Year to all. 

GOLD AND MYBODY, WELCOME, sorry I meant to say that before ranting. LOL KAARA, I NET YOUR HOSPITAL has a care coordinator she can help you get help to get your stuff.

Blessings...I woke up from surgery with a mastectomy wrap. It's very sweet, or pretty. It's a flowerly band (pink) with velcro holding it together. It might be compared to a waste or back support bands that you put around your waist to support your back when you exercise....except this one goes over your breast.

It keep the swelling down. Tonight I put it in the wash and laid down only with a soft cami. I began having pain so I put on a mastectomy bra which is also slightly tight. I hate it and I love it. I'm getting used to wearing in 24/7. I don't have swelling or pain when wearing the wrap. And as I said, I easily sleep on my side without pain...and few times I rolled on my tummy and with the wrap it didn't really hurt too much...after a few minutes after rolling back to my side the minor pain was gone.

My p.s. also used botox which also eliminates chest spasm. My p.s knows alot about pmps so he does everything to eliminate pain. He is also a master in reconstruction. I don't like the process, but I know with my pain syndrome problem I would be in such pain that the TE's would be out by now if I was not under his care. He takes very good care of his ladies...he says. His bc patients I heard in the hospital are given the best care. They are given special milkshakes with all kinds of vitamins, a soft cami, the wrap, and he'll keep you in the hospital until he knows your pain is under control and fluid from the drain. I stayed an extra day over a minor concern...not my choice.

So make sure you are under the best plastic surgeon...although it does frustrate me he wants to take off the other breast. I'm not going through this again if I don't need to.

I am a triple negative so they think chemo is the best treatment.  I'm almost month out of surgery but still having pain mostly where they put the drain back in.I m really feeling like I need to get back to work but it just not happening tomm going to shoot for Tuesday.  The drain back in just feels like I have went backwords but doctor said it was just to be sure didnt get infection.  Anyone eles in a similar situation.  I feel like a big baby sometimes but the pain at times is terrible I'm still taking pain meds.  I tried to slow down on them I went from every 4 hours to more like every 6 hours, but at night I sleep for 8 hours.  I sleep in a recliner tried to sleep in my bed last night didnt work out very painful will be waiting until after drain out before I try that again.  Glad to see so many of you are doing well.

Janiebug- I saw NP's when I had fills and only saw PS when she wanted to double check on incision where it was not healing properly. If you are comfortable and things are going fine then I would not worry about it, The NP's were way nicer to me than the PS ever was!

Fighter,



Great tips, as I was about to call Genomic today, my Oncologist called me and had already made the call. He said the Oncotype test will be back by the end of this week. Other than initial diagnosis I think this is the second hardest test result to wait for. I also got blood drawn today (per my request) to see if I'm in menopause to determine which hormone therapy drug I will be given. I was scared to have a blood draw with double masectomy even on the side no lymph nodes were taken out. The lab nurse said to always have them draw blood without the turnicate, I think that is how it's spelled.



Has anyone gotten a second opinion either from pathology slides or on treatment from your current path report? If so, was there any difference and was it a difficult process. I see MD Anderson and John Hopkins have online second opinions. I May look into Rush, any suggestions? I think my OC is very good just not sure QI need to go that rout or not.



Someone helped me today outside my Oncologist office when I dropped a handful of things. This woman was so nice, she told me if people would just start caring about people again in this world, there would be no war. I thanked her, and told her how kind she was, that I had just been diagnosed with cancer. She said she just lost her husband , and I began to cry. I think hearing my own words telling a perfect stranger I hade cancer, and her kindness after her tremendous loss,it got me sobbing...geesh.

Fighter:  I was very disappointed when my first RO told me that I would not be able to take my antioxidants during rads treatment because it could interfear with the effectiveness of the treatment.  It doesn't make sense to me that a supplement that protects good cells would also protect bad cells as well...that just isn't the purpose of an antioxidant.  The RO said they don't know this for a fact..it's just a theory...hummmm.   I am going to discuss it further with my holistic doc and if he feels differently I am going to continue to take the antioxidants through the treatment to help protect my cells from the excess damage of the radiation.

Glad you were able to heal so quickly from surgery and get back to what's important in life...living! 

Cookie, think of it as therapeutic and remember its all about you now. If you don't feel comfortable sharing or talking about it that day then say it. I'm trying hard not to have to please everyone else all the time and now trying to take care of myself. Curious if you had an MRI or Ultrasound after your original DX of DCIS that showed the IDC? I am asking because the same thing happened to me and my tumor invasive did NOT show up in MRI and Ultrasound. That still bothers me! If an MRI can't find it then what can, geesh. QIm having an angry day today instead of an acceptance day.

Cookie - I can relate, I am trying to gain control over my inbox at work and I'm deleting and filing emails.  Everything is anchored around BC milestones, those were the days leading up the the surgery, that was the day I came in late because I had the MRI....getting to the 'those are the days that I didn't know that I have breast cancer' creates a feeling that I just don't think there is a word to adequately capture.  We are so focused on moving forward with our strength as our amour, looking back does something to us.

Fitzgerald and Faith- I'm reading a great book that a friend recommended "Life Over Cancer" by Andrew Weil and Keith Bloch, M.D. He talks about how we don't have to be strong every day and to hold it in can be hard on our system. I know what you mean about feeling so strong some days and other days someone is mean or overly caring and I get choked up, it comes out of no where! We are allowed to have melt downs and be angry. I then want to be strong again.



Moon - how the heck did that happen? Did you break a rib and did the expanders cause it your saying?



Karen

I have healed so well from my surgery in December that my RO called yesterday and told me that she could not even find the surgical bed to plan the partial beam rads that I was looking for.  She said the only thing left is the clip the BS placed and the scar; otherwise, it is as though the surgery never happened.  My DS and DIL prayed for this exact thing...that it would be as though the tumor never existed.  Looks like our prayers were answered!