Too early for April 2012 mastectomy?

Vallerie0118...sorry your path report was not what you had hoped for. These decisions are all so personal that it's really hard to ever give advice. But on a personal note, it seems like your instinct to at least consider another mastectomy vs. a re-excision is worth exploring emotionally and medically. After wrestling with the decision for a bit, I do not have a single regret about choosing a very aggressive BMX approach to my DCIS/LCIS. I think the most important thing is that it is your decision and you go with your gut. Good luck and sorry that u will have to re-up for more surgery. But I guess all of us with TEs will be on that surgery board for the next year!!



I am

Poking forward to hearing how all the rest of you are doing! I am lying in bed uncomfortably right now...vicodan not putting me to sleep...just woozy.

Writing this via my iPad from my hospital bed on the morning I go home.



My mastectomy was Wednesday, and I'm happy to report that I'm sailing through it. I was supposed to be at the hospital at 9A and got here a half-hour early. After I registered, I was sent to nuclear medicine to have the lymphoscintography (or as my BC godmother calls it - get radioactive.) I was nervous about that more than anything since I've heard mixed things about it, but I actually didn't feel a thing. My technician was a little grumpy, but that's about it.



I didn't go under until about 1:30PM and surgery (UMX with immediate reconstruction with TE) lasted about five hours. I remember seeing my family briefly in recovery. There they told me that the surgeons told them everything went well: clean margins, clear nodes - they only took three. Apparently, I was in recovery until a bit after 9 PM.



Since my surgery started and went later than planned, my breast surgeon insisted I stay one more night than initially planned. I was a tad bit nauseous so it took a while get my appetite back, but I'm eating again, walking around and otherwise recovering nicely and quickly.



Just wanted to check in, thank everyone for their loving words and thoughts, and wishing all my fellow warrioresses the positive experience I'm having.

vball mom and citifi-- good to hear from you! glad you are doing well. day 4 post-op for me and feeling very sore but ok. took my first semi-poop this morning (feels like a milestone -- literally and figurately). appeite is also returning, finally, which means i better get up and around more today so that the food doesn't just sit in my stomach. i'm trying hard to walk around...but am just so tired. just curious how long it took all of you post-op ladies to start your walking Ii.e. more than up and down the hallway and around the house) and how long you walk for? would love a stretch of more than 2 hours! thinking about al of you.

Plymouth-The catheter is for rads.....they do a 5 day procedure instead of the 10 week procedure...I think it is called mammopath.  I too am a bit protective about my remaining girl.  After sleeping all night and thinking about the path report, I'm leaning more to trusting what my surgeon discussed with me yesterday and being diligent with follow-ups and treating with tamoxifen.  The path report shows that cancer detected was all in situ and no invasion was evident.  I did a lot of reading last night and deep thinking and will go ahead with their plans.

lisamarie-glad your home and praying for a speedy recovery.  I too had some intense itching and redness around the drain site too.  They removed the tape because I was sensitive to it and suggested taking an antihistimine.  Maybe call the plastic surgeon and tell them about the itching.   After they removed the tape, the itching eased and I take an antihistimine every day for allergies so that might have already been helping.  

CitiFi-glad your surgery went well and praying for a speedy recovery for you too!   

Lisamarie......welcome to the other side !!

I know what yout going though with the pain!!

I know that steel bean feeling!!!!



It will get better!!, and warm showers helps out a lot , if your allowed them.



Tender warm HUGSS!!

Vegan, lisamarie...welcome back!!! Yea!! We have all almost come over to the other side! i am so happy for everyone! i texted with RTNYC tonight. she got out of ICU last night (BMX/DIEP) and sounds like she is doing OK . she thinks she will come home on Sunday. She just has blackberry with her and can't post-- but will when she is able.

Plymouth -- re: the Stage 0 comment-- WTF! the one thing i have learned through this experience is that there is not a RIGHT answer-- there is just YOUR answer. And that is different for everyone. As a fellow Stage 0 gal-- i know the BMX was the right decision for me-- even in the middle of what is probaby the worst of it now. no regrets. I just cam"t get my mind of pathology. wish i had quicker results. btw...i am still draining like a banchi. at least 60 cc yesterday. am guessing i am going to top that today or come close. how about all of you? i'm guessing i'm draining for at least 10 days. xxo to all.

Good morning!!! Can u say VALIUM! YEA!!!! Took just 2.5 mg ( half tablet) before bed and had my first night of sleep in a week!!! Still woke up a few times, but feel like I had a night sleep vs. a catnap! Hope you all wake up feeling good!!! Xxooo cheers to a good day for everyone!

Hey Melrose !!

I'll be on the train with you and Indigo!!! Save me a seat next to you please!!

Good morning all! My post-op fever broke on Thursday - thank goodness it wasn't an infection - but, boy was I tired yesterday. I napped much of the day. I have so much respect for the BMX sisters - having only one side of pain & stiffness is enough for me. I'm trying to stay off the oxycontin during the day & just use the tylenol but I'm still taking an oxy first thing in the morning when I wake up so stiff and at night before bed. I am pretty much sleeping through the night but having to stay in one position on my back is doing me no favors and I wake up very stiff. I made the mistake of stretching my arms while I was half-awake yesterday morning, forgetting I wasn't supposed to raise my left arm too high - YOWZAH, that woke me up fast. The worst pain I have now, though, comes after my drains are emptied and the suction kicks in - anyone else have that stinging pain?

See my surgeons on Monday and I guess I'll get my pathology then. I already did my chemo to shrink my tumor and hopefully get better margins - hope it worked.

longislandmom - I walked 20 minutes around the neighborhood yesterday and just about died. I thought I'd been doing a good job moving around the house, but I need to step it up (the week before surgery I was walking 3-5 miles/day). I'm going to try for 2 20-minute walks today.

aussie - I might try to shop this weekend - good to know no one notices the lopsidedness. Maybe I can secure my drain bulbs up on my chest & solve 2 problems at once. 

vegangirl & lisamarie - the pain does get less day by day as the muscle gets used to its new position. make sure to stay ahead of the pain with your medication, it does make a difference. hope you're both feeling better.

plymouth - good to hear about the drains. I'm pretty sure I have one taken out on Monday but the other is stubbornly still putting out >40 a day. 

vballmom - i have those phantom pains too - I get these itches like I still have a breast there. I thought I'd freak out the first time I saw my new body but I was just so happy to have the cancer gone it didn't bother me at all.

Healing hugs to all! 

Mamabee, I also tried to stretch this morning but caught myself just in time. I felt good this morning so decided on Tylenol instead of the oxycodone.  Bad choice.  In another hour I will switch back.  I am fine as long as I do nothing. Not sure if that is smart or really dumb. I am alone today, so I am going to lay low.

I will be starting chemo as soon as I am healed.  The plan is AC/TH.

Hi all, I came home yesterday, although my surgeon offered me an extra night at the hospital. Seems my blood pressure is quite low, and I look like the Pillsbury doughboy,due to the severe edema in my legs and one arm...so strange. Due to the swelling, I have a difficult time getting leverage to stand up without my arms..yikes! I never realized how low our toilet is. Sheesh. I am outfitted with TWO On-Q pain bulbs, and 3 drains. My husband is a gem. When I get sick, or need special care, he opens up "Jon's Hospital for Pretty Sick Girls". I,too, have these sharp dagger-like pains under my arm..only hurt when I move my arms, though. I am so impressed with those of you who are taking walks and doing some normal activities! Time for an antibiotic and oxy....followed by a nap.



Be well,

Karina