June 2012 Mastectomy

curveball:  Ok, I'm not a doc/nurse/etc, I've just done an awful lot of research.  My mapping is done the day before too because the surgery time is already very long.  The isotope tracer is absorbed by the sentinel node(s).  The techs will use something that looks like an x-ray machine to locate the points of the greatest radiation.  This is the location of the sentinel node(s).  You'll get x-marks-the-spot with marker on your breast/armpit.  The half life of the tracer is very short and so it will degrade before it gets pushed out of the lymph nodes.  It is very likely that you will receive the dye injection the next day before your surgery, which is what I'll have.  The doc wouldn't want to take the risk that your lymph nodes will push the dye out too soon (remember, that's the job of lymph nodes, to push garbage out).  The dye itself isn't used to identify the sentinel node(s), it is just used to make them practical to find in the general area identified by the isotope tracer.  There is an awful lot of similar-looking fat and other tissue to dig through.  Having something indigo blue to look for allows for a much smaller incision.

Oh ... and I ride Western ... basic trail riding gal. 

Hello June friends --

 It's so nice to have a forum to chat with folks playing the same waiting game. . .

Loriio -- thanks for the heads-up about the pectoral muscles and TE expanders. . .  I've really not known what would be the best thing to do to prepare.  Called the PS's nurse who said all the workouts are great, BUT to discontinue anything involving pectoral muscles and latissimus muscles for about a week prior to surgery, just to let them heal and rest before surgery.  Unfortunately, there's nothing really to be done in advance (other than stretching) that can prepare the area or make the placement of TE expanders any easier.

Then, she hit me with this - - and here's where I'm going to sound like a big whiner.  Tellie and KimKay - I know you're already in this boat.  My plastic surgeon has just been placed on complete bed rest for her pregnancy (20 wks along) and they are rescheduling surgeries until late October at the very earliest.  Obviously, people with immediate need will be referred to another surgeon.  I have a call in to my BS to find out what's going on, but I just really don't know what to think at this point.  After umpteem appts with surgeons this spring, to arrive at decision of which surgeon, which procedure, whether to do this, and finally setting the surgery date. . . I was hoping for a little breather for the lead up to the surgery. . . certainly not looking FORWARD to it, but finally at a little peace with the decision.  Obviously, I don't blame this young woman. . . she needs to take care of her baby and her health, but ugh - - what to do, what to do? 

You ladies are all so positive and wonderful - - and those of you dealing with the chemo and radiation are already handling so much - - I'm sorry to sound like such a whiner.  Hope I can stay hanging out with the June ladies and all get this behind us together!

Getting ready!  I just put in my PTO - I am hoping to be off for 2 weeks and then work from home for 2.  I can change it if I have to, I just can't wrap my head around not working for 4 weeks.  My work has been really great, my boss refused to accept my PTO for my chemo days and I've worked from home the day after Txs.  How much time off is everyone else anticipating?

I told my boss and his boss a shortly after I was diagnosed that I wanted to work part time from home until surgery. But what with one thing and another I am still going in to work and don't yet have the remote access software installed that will enable me to access the network while I am away from the office. I am hoping that will be done by the end of this week, because I have a bunch of loose ends to tie up before surgery that I will never get done if I go in to work every day.I haven't told anyone else in my office yet but one person overheard part of the arrangements for telecommuting and guessed most so I told her the rest. But in a way the delay is a good thing because I don't have enough vacation time to have stretched from when I got diagnosed until June. I have a ton of sick leave, but I can't use that for the errands and stuff I need to get done before surgery.

Now that I have a surgery date of 6/6, I have put "out of the office" on my Outlook calendar from the 4th thru the 19th and told boss's boss that I would be unavailable during that time, because I don't expect to be able to drive nor to be recovered enough to take the bus in to the office.

Hello, June Sisters!

Just popping in here with a load of good wishes for all of you.

I was dx'd last September, and after being rescheduled twice, had my BMX w/ TEs on December 5th, 2011.

I remember the anxiety leading up to my surgery.....what would they find? How would I cope? How "disabled" would I be when I got home from the hospital?

Please believe me that the anticipation is WAAAY worse than the reality!

I remember reading (as I was waiting) where someone posted that they just wanted all of this to be a bump in the road in their rear-view mirror. I'm not quite there yet, but soon!!!

I'm in the process of losing weight, so have postponed my exchange surgery til the fall. In the meantime, I'm feeling good. I surprised DH after surgery when I became so much more independent sooner than we had expected.

Distraction now is good. Stay away from Dr. Google. Sometimes he's a big fat liar. Find something you love to do and stay busy.

Sending up big prayers for all of you, for successful procedures, and quick recoveries, and good healing!

Ahhhh blessings, thank you once again . Blessings was on the december surgery thread when I was going through my lumpectomy. I am so grateful for sharing their experiences.

My friends are taking me out for margaritas the week before. We are calling it "Adios Amigas". Since I'm currently a double a I thought that was a good name. Yes I know. It's amazing that something so small could cause so many problems ; ).

My daughter has named my future boobs "bafoobies". She got the name from a tv show. We are trying to find laughter wherever we can.

Love the "Adios Amigas" Margarita Party, Lori - - - Yes, it's good to find some laughter wherever you can in this. . . particularly as the days wind down. 

We have plans for a Ta Ta TATAs outing  - going to outdoor Earth, Wind and Fire concert (and maybe have a few margaritas?) with friends couple nights before. . .

Now the TATAs sendoff might be on hold, as the plastic surgeon part of my PBMX team can't do the surgery -- - -

Rosetx -- Welcome to the June sisters site --  I'm sorry about loss of your sister and all BC in your fam.  If you don't mind me asking. . . what was your diagnosis that kept leading to biopsies, etc.?  Wishing you all the best on the 5th, now that you've made the PBMX decision.

Blessings - - You mentioned that your surgery was rescheduled twice from last summer to Dec. - - - How did you stand it?!  Mine is being posponed (or I have to go thru the plastic surgeon search/selection process again (ugh), and I'm really bummed.  Don't know whether my anxiety is fear of the waiting and what might happen. . . or just wanting so much to have it be in the rear-view mirror.  Anyway, you sound great and amazing - - thanks for the positive thougts to all the June ladies!

7of9 - - How did your pre-op go?   Hope you're vacation is off to a fantastic start  - - - Enjoy yourself, and throw cares to the wind! 

Hi, annievan!

I was dx'd on September 15th, and my first surgery date was October 31st - Halloween! I really didn't want to wake up and find a witch or a clown taking my blood pressure, and fortunately, there was a scheduling problem. My BS and my PS both needed to be in the OR at the same time, and one of them had a conflict.

So they changed it to November 8th. On November 3rd, I went into the Apple store to buy an iPad, and the teenage clerk sniffled and sneezed and coughed on me the whole time. Three days later I was sick as a dog, and it went into bronchial asthma with suspected pneumonia. I tried to tell my docs that it was just a cold, but they all refused to do surgery.

So I got rescheduled to December 5th. From early November to the day I checked into the hospital, I didn't leave the house except for doctor visits, and then I wore a surgical mask. DH and I wiped everything down with Clorox wipes, and sprayed the soles of our shoes with Lysol before we entered the house. I was a crazy woman!

I just knew that had I had my surgery in November, my nodes would have been clear, but waiting another month would mean that the cancer had spread...not to mention the fact that I'd had a core-needle biopsy, and I imagined that was like popping a balloon.....and the cancer was now spreading all over my body!!!

Fortunately, the Breast Care Coordinator talked me down from the ledge.... she told me that it didn't work that way. And as it ended up, there was NO invasive cancer found in my final path report - they said the biopsy had gotten it all! (And the lymph nodes were still clear....)

We were in the middle of redecorating our house at the time. New paint, new carpeting, and everything packed up in boxes. I was happy for the distraction. All I wanted was for my surgery to be over, and suddenly, there I was - done, home again, and looking forward to recovery!

Hi, fellow lucky ladies!  I'm having BMX and hip flap reconstruction in NOLA on June 19.  Still can't believe it.  Any of it.  But I felt strangely peaceful after I made my appt for surgery yesterday.  

Thanks for your insights, Blessings!  It makes a world of difference to hear positive thoughts from the other side of this.  

lastar- Hello in Oregon.  I am up by McMinnville. Why are you going all the way to NOLA?