Charleston Bound, part 2

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  • Adey
    Adey Member Posts: 3,610
    edited June 2012

    I can't wait for the finishing touches!  Hopefully my last surgery (2B) is Aug 27.  Congrats to all that are done.  (c:

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  • GointoCarolina
    GointoCarolina Member Posts: 753
    edited June 2012

    Cascader,so glad you are through the surgery and on the mend!I am busy making plans and wondered if anyone knew the best way to get around to pre op appointments and from the airport? I will be flying in alone,I don't think I would be comfortable renting a car and driving myself.I am sure there are taxis,but are buses an option? I am just hoping to keep my expenses down.

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  • bdavis
    bdavis Member Posts: 6,201
    edited June 2012

    panda.. I was in Charleston last June and rented a car... it is easy to get into the city from the airport, but the hotels do charge for parking...

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    Hotels may have a shuttle to/from the airport. Then you could use a taxi in town. It is very easy to drive and park around Charleston, if you do decide to rent a c at.

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  • GointoCarolina
    GointoCarolina Member Posts: 753
    edited June 2012

    I am going to be staying at Sandpiper Village and they do not have an airport shuttle.They do have parking though so that would not be a problem.I checked on taxi prices and they were outrageous.I guess if I am brave enough to go alone before surgery,I can be brave enough to drive in a strange place!!

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    I forgot you were staying there. It really is very easy to get around. And you can get a GPS with your rental car if you need one. You are brave! But you will do great!

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  • bdavis
    bdavis Member Posts: 6,201
    edited June 2012

    The airport is like 20 minutes from downtown.. The car rental places give you a great map... I not only drove to the city, but drove around the city and out to Isle of Palms... It was very easy. I do have a good sense of direction though... the hotel charged $20 per day to park, as many trips in and out as I wanted... and it was valet parking, so it was even easier. I stayed right across the street from Poogan's Porch, some historic hotel.. Mill House Hotel.

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  • cascader
    cascader Member Posts: 599
    edited June 2012

    Hi Panda, It really is easy to get around . From the airport to Mt Pleasant is one highway, a straight shot. I will be by myself next week and altho I have a rental car I cannot drive yet so will be talking to Sandpiper tomorrow about transportation. They have a bus that takes residents to town/ appts etc.It is literally less than 5 minutes away from East Cooper if that is where you are going. Haven't seen a single taxi bit I imagine they exist . Will let u know what I find out.

    Goodnight all!

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  • GointoCarolina
    GointoCarolina Member Posts: 753
    edited June 2012

    Thanks for the info on driving,sounds doable! I have a good sense of direction,but I am a country girl and go by landmarks like big trees or barns!!Only thing that might be a problem is getting the car back to the airport..do any of the car rentals have a drop off spot in Charleston? I know you can rent for one way trips but that is usually between different cities....Can you tell I am not a seasoned traveler??!!~!Cascader,how did you like the doctors and East Cooper and Sandpiper?? Did you eat any meals there?

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    Not sure about a different drop off in Charleston. I know they usually charge more to do that, but maybe not much since it is the same city. I'm a southern girl too and will catch myself saying, " well, as the crow flies, it's............." lol

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  • Downey30
    Downey30 Member Posts: 337
    edited June 2012

    Cascader, how are you doing.  Are you able to enjoy Charleston?  I hope if everything works for me from this Stage 1B that I can have stage 2 in Charleston.  I have enjoyed New Orleans for the past two but I can drive to Charleston in about 3 hours.  It would really simplfy things for me.  Take care and heal.  HUGS!

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  • cascader
    cascader Member Posts: 599
    edited June 2012

    Hi Downey, I am doing well, 2 weeks tomorrow. Have just one drain still but expect to have it removed on Friday, not even enough to measure anymore, so guess I am not juicy!

    Spent the afternoon at the beach today walking and just enjoying . Love, love love this area , picking up real estate flyers for fun. Beautiful homes.

    Sounds as if you are doing well, good for you!

    Panda- Love Dr Kline and East Cooper took great care of me No complaints except for the food. Sandpiper is working out really well, very close and everything I need . It's kind of a funny place being senior living and all, but the residents are so nice to me and it is quiet. Have not eaten their yet but invited by

    my next door neighbor :)

    Have a great night ladies!

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  • renee-tattoos
    renee-tattoos Member Posts: 161
    edited June 2012

    Budget has a drop off on Meeting Street......downtown Charleston

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  • LindaG47
    LindaG47 Member Posts: 400
    edited June 2012

    Joni,  I'm not ready for tats yet, but do you know what Vinnie charges?  I suppose Ins. doesn't cover it, or do they.  Have you been to NOLA before?  Congrats on your final chapter!  Linda

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited July 2012

    Linda....At NOLA I was told it was a flat $400 for both. That is the most I will have to pay, regardless of how insurance pays. I didn't even check with my insurance because I still have deductible to meet. $400 is tolerable to finish this journey! I do think insurance has to cover it as part of the recon process. I could have had Vinnie in Charleston as well, but NOLA is closer, so we will just make it a 4 day trip. And I get to see Dr. Marga there, so it's all good:) I was in New Orleans last summer...just for an afternoon. It was about 107 degrees that day!! Didn't much care for the part of the French Quarter we saw. Hoping to see a better side this time. Do you still have another revision to do? I think I could talk myself in to having more work done, but it's time to call it quits!!

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  • LindaG47
    LindaG47 Member Posts: 400
    edited June 2012

    Joni, I agree with you about NOLA.  There are nicer parts of the Quarter, but some not so good.  You can't beat the beauty that Charleston has to offer.  I visited the Center when I was there and it was very nice.  I did enjoy riding the trolley and doing the walking tour of the garden district( but not if it's 107) and the cemetery tour is very interesting. Even the tour of the city that shows the devastation from Katrina and the rebuilding is pretty remarkable.  Let us know how the tats turn out.  I am on the fence about more work.  I do have surgery scheduled in Oct. but who knows I may just say give me nips and not a slight reduction and fat grafting.  I do have a fat necrosis I would like removed in the breast that needs reducing.  We'll see.  Where do you stay in Charleston?

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  • GointoCarolina
    GointoCarolina Member Posts: 753
    edited June 2012

    Thanks so much for the info,I feel good knowing I at least have a couple of options for getting around.Gail at Dr.Kline's office has been great about helping me make plans,yesterday she sent me a link to a video of Charleston traffic.I checked it about 5 PM and there was not much traffic.So I will be at Sandpiper before surgery and at Shem Creek Inn after,I wanted my friend to have activity close by.Cascader,I am so glad you enjoyed the beach,I am looking forward to walking on the sand.So the food at East Cooper is a little...blah? Typical hospital food?Did you feel much like eating while you were there? I am a foodaholic,maybe I can get them to send out for pizza?!!! Jacee,where does Vinnie do the tats in Charleston?

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    Pandazankar.....Dr. Massey actually flies him into Charleston and he does them in her office. I think she waits until she has several patients lined up.

    Linda..we will be staying in the Garden district, so maybe the walking tour would be nice. I had a big chunk of necrosis removed at Stage 2 and replaced with fat from lipo. It turned out great. She did a great job on it!

    We stayed at the Holiday Inn & suites ( express) I think. Just over the bridge to Mt. Pleasant. Very convenient to Roper..maybe 7 or 8 mins. October was a great time to be in Charleston!

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  • GointoCarolina
    GointoCarolina Member Posts: 753
    edited June 2012

    Wow,I just got some great news.Turns out my cousin moved,he is now about an hour from Charleston!!!He will be with me the day before surgery,take me to my appointments and amuse me that evening and go with me the next day to hospital.I haven't seen him in several years,we will have so much catching up to do.I was really dreading going by myself,but could not admit it,tried to be brave.I was even having second thoughts about the surgery because of it.I finally feel like this is really going to happen!!!!

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    That is awesome news. So much more fun to have someone to share it all with. Just be careful sharing stories while you are under the influence of pain meds😄

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    I started doing the P90X workout about 8 weeks ago. There is a 15 min. ab workout on MWF after the regular workout. After about 5 weeks I woke up one morning with severe pain in my upper rt. hip. I stopped working out for 2 weeks, but it didn't go away. Finally went to the Dr. last Friday. She thinks I have a muscle tear/strain. Hip xray was normal, so nothing with the bone. So, I started going to a phys. therapist. He was amazed at how tight my ab was, and how weak my ab muscles had become. I guess I really haven't pushed my abs since my DIEP surgery 18mos. ago. So, he is actually working my butt and doing A.R.T. (active release therapy) on my core and hip flexors.  He said I was still walking bent over slightly, which surprised me. I am still in pain, but hopefully things will improve soon!! I haven't been able to do a sit up since my surgery, and was always scared to force it. But, I guess I let too much time pass. WHYYYY I thought I could do P90X I will NEVER know!!! Learning the hard way...lol  Were any of you able to do ab exercises shortly after recovering from surgery? I'm sure Anne was:)  I won't give up. He actually told me I'd be doing situps by next week...we'll see. For now, living on naproxen:) 

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  • LizR
    LizR Member Posts: 330
    edited June 2012

    Joni:  Congrats on at least trying the P90X workout - I have never given one of those worksout a try - they seem very intimidating to me!  I am sorry about your injury - does this mean you won't be going back to the workout?  I am a big fan of crunches and core workouts - important to keep the core strong.  Hope you will be doing your situps next week!  Can you please tell us more about your ART therapy - does that have anything to do with release of scar tissue?

    All is good here - enjoying the summer and mentally preparing for my oldest to go away to college in August (he settled on University of South Carolina - part of my "master plan" to get the kids out of NJ and down south (preferably SC where I would also like to settle).  So far, so good!   My -ex (who moved out April 1 after 25 years together) and I are making good progress on the mediated divorce proceedings and if all goes according to plan, I should definitely be divorced this time next year (originally he did not want me to even file until 2014).  It has been very difficult but I have found that adjusting to being single is not as hard as I had feared (helps when you still have 3 kids home (full custody), get to keep the house and are financially sound).

    Sounds like all of the Charleston ladies are doing great!  I am up for my next Stage 2 in October - hope this is the last one!  Take care! Liz 

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    Liz...yes, releasing scar tissue is the objective. He uses heat, stretching and a lot of muscle isolation where a lot of pressure is used in specific areas. Not exactly a comfortable treatment, but hopefully it will give good results. No, I probably won't go back to the P90X workout. My DH and son, and I were doing it together. I was told not to do it for 3 weeks, and they will be finished by then. I am really going to focus on my core, though. I did enjoy the yoga session in the workout and may continue that. I've found my balance is crazy out of whack!!

    Sounds like you are moving on amazingly! I found when my oldest went off to college, it was like sending him to kindergarten all over again..couldn't stop the tears as we left, but yet I knew I had done all I could to prepare him. I am sure you have too! And, he made it through, married and I will get my first grandbaby on Aug 2nd.

    You will have fun visiting him in SC. It's kinda weird how that area just grows on you....some days I hear it calling my name:)



    Cascader...did you get the drain pulled? So much freedom once you don't have to deal with that!

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  • cascader
    cascader Member Posts: 599
    edited June 2012

    No , still have the drain, it is still producing about 15ml a day so hopefully soon. have developed more redness/dark area beneath my breast that is a bit of a concern. Dr said to stop wearing bra to see if it is just irritation. I had quite a bit of radiation damage there so I am hoping it does not develop into anything serious. Will see him again tomorrow. So happy that I decided to have an extended stay here, see dr twice a week and that is sooo reassuring. I am in between caregivers right now so have 5 days alone . Today I walked to the corner nail salon and treated myself to a deluxe pedicure. Even brought my pillow to sit on. Lol. Anyway, it felt so good I started crying telling her that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!! Wow, guess my emotions are a little out of wack along with everything else. :)

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  • AnneW
    AnneW Member Posts: 4,050
    edited June 2012

    jacee, sounds like your deep abs are shut down. We tend to think of "core" as being our 6 pack muscle, but there's so much more!! My personal bias is toward Pilates (not a mat class, but private lessons on a reformer or other apparatus.) You need to put the work into the deep bas, not the 6 pack or the hip flexors. The ART should help, too. But sounds like you're not quite ready for the intensity of P90X just yet!

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  • PinkHeart
    PinkHeart Member Posts: 1,193
    edited June 2012

    Hi ~

    I know we won't all be exactly same, but can you all please give me an idea of how long to expect to be in hospital for Stage 2 surgery with Dr. M in Charleston?  Also, is there a pre-op appointment day before surgery, and how how long to stay after and go to post op appointment?

    Thanks! :)

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  • LizR
    LizR Member Posts: 330
    edited June 2012

    Anne-So great to see you posting!  I could learn so much from you!  

    Joni-That is so wonderful that you have a grandchild on the way August 2 - that must be the most amazing feeling in the world!  

    I am still knee deep in the trials & tribulations of the teenage years (all of the sudden, 2 of my children have seemed to gone WILD and school has only been out 3 days!).   When did this house become party central - this has got to stop (they are taking advantiage of the missing authority figure....).  Thank goodness I have good children, but not so sure about their friends! Any suggestions from those of you who have "been there, done that"?

    Need to investigate ART and see if it is something that insurance might cover for me!  Take care! Liz 

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    PinkHeart- my Stage 2 with Dr. M was in Charleston. It is an outpatient stay. But you do stay overnight. I think they keep your stay under 23 hrs from the time you get out of recovery to keep it as an outpatient surgery. I did have a pre-op appt the day before for both of my Stage 2's. And I only had a post op appt for one. It was the day after I got released from the hospital, and I could have traveled home that day, but I think we always waited at least one more day. So, usually about a 4 day stay. Dr. M has always done my post ops at the end of the day...like around 5pm or so, after she is through with surgeries for the day. I knew the appt time could change if she went late with one of her patients. So I was always a little nervous about scheduling a flight out that day.

    Anne....wish I could go to your Pilates class!! Core might be my word, maybe he is working muscles I don't know about!!

    Liz...well, kids are all so different. I thought I had it all figured out after my oldest. My youngest was a totally different story! I did find out one bad influence can change your child quickly. Best advice.....never stop praying for your children!!

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  • PinkHeart
    PinkHeart Member Posts: 1,193
    edited June 2012

    Hi jacee,

    I think you got cascade & me mixed up :)

    How many hours was your Stage 2 surgery?  Did you fly home alone from Stage 2?  I have a friend that can come get me at discharge there.

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited June 2012

    Pinkheart....Lol.....You are right, sorry for the mixup! I went back and edited my post.

    My Stage 2 was about 4 hrs, and Stage 2B was about 6 hrs. Everyone is different with what they need done. My DH flew home with me each time.

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