advice please...
Hi ladies. I haven't been here in a while. Here's the quick rundown: Strong family history, BRCA2+
Aug/11- 6 core needle/MRI biopsies (all benign)
Dec 8/11- PBMX/TE"s
Jan/24/12- Surgery to repair incision (came open, size of a nickle)
May/1/12- Exchange for silicone implants + oophorectomy. Flung head-first into the brickwall of menopause, & IT IS BAD.
May/23/12 -1 week in hospital for staph infection in repaired breast
July/22/12-1 week in hospital for same thing
Now- Home, on I.V. meds (PICC lines) for a month.
Ok, first lemmie say that I know I made the right decision, & I am still very blessed. -Those are the only 2 good things I can say about this entire experience with this. Those are the only 2 things I am sure of right about now. Looking back, I was jacked from the start. I feel like the biopsiers (is that a word? lol) used me as a guinea pig. They saw Medicaid, knew they would pay... What they said & what they did made no sense:" clean mammo, STRONG fam hx? hmm. let's do a MRI...HOLY ****! uh, ya got more than 6 honey, but we ain't gone touch those 'cause "typically" they should be benign too." Me: YOWCH! HUH? You only did MRI because "TYPICALLY" everybody doesn't have my fam hx. YA FU**ERS coulda suggested a BRCA test BEFORE you started tortuing me!!!!!, GOOOOOOOOOOD BYE! I went & got the BRCA test on my own, quick too, @ my personal GYN.-did not recieve couseling, didn't know any better @ the time either. Also took myself to a very well known cancer center @ a very well known teaching hospital. I was approved for this surgery BEFORE my BRCA results came back..........
I know you guys can imagine how I'm feeling...Ok, 1st surgery went ok (what the hell did I know) til Jan. I was becoming unsatisfied with my plastic surgeon. He was missing appointments, & it took a week to get me into surgery for repair. *(I think this is when I got staph; was on antibiotics for a while, so maybe it was there, just..... ???) The day I was released, my social worker tells me my" insurance will end in June. Nothing you can do, good luck." If time were on my side, I would have high tailed it outta there & found someone else. I was stressed, scared, & didn't know what to do or how to do it. PS said I'd be done by then, if not, go to financial aid dept @ hospital. I only had 1 fill-up; he filled them 1/2 way @ 1st surgery. I was a small B going for a nice C. Exchange went ok, was not satisfied with results. I lost a nipple & way too far apart. He says too bad (actual words:"you're not going to look like victoria's secret") & btw, "I'm leaving this hospital, if you need me, GOOGLE me" Me: You sonofabitch! ..................................
Hospital stay #1- menopause in full swing, answering machine tag with that doc all month, can't do hormone therapy. Here, take these antidepressants, she says... F*** those. been there, done that, don't like. ...suffering like crazy. I MEAN nuckin futz. (my poor family) I reached out for help with numerous issues, I healed up & went home; the liason never called me.... At my post-op follow up, I handed the nurse a paper I had typed up stating all my thoughts, fears, worries, concerns,...about the whole thing.(I was overwhelmed, I get emotional & didn't want to leave anything out) I used words like neglectful, unsatisfactory...After my visit, they sent me immediately to speak with their attorney. She was supposed to be seting up counseling, support group, financial aid, etc...SHE NEVER CALLED ME. I healed up, went home & 1 1/2 months later I went in the hospital again with the staph.
P.O.'d & FED UP @ this point. I told them F*** IT, take 'em out & sew me up & good f'n bye! -I said it, but i know i couldn't handle it.( I was told today it may still have to be an option.) I came home with 2 PICC lines, meds for a month. I did get some good news, my insurance did NOT end; but I'm not quite sure why. Kinda afraid to ask & push my luck. But, since it's still good, I will be making several appointments ELSEWHERE to help with my issues. I am ashamed to claim ignorance. I'm not sure of my rights. I do know the only thing 'their' lawyer is going to do is help ME cover THEIR butt. HELP! Between this & the instant menopause I am losing my mind! What do I do?
Toni- BRCA2+, Strong fam HX, PBMX 12/8/11Comments
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Toni I am so sorry you are going through all of this. I am not BRCA+ but I am sure it is hard enough to cope with that and the choices you have to make, without having to deal with unsatisfactory surgical results AND a nasty infection.
What to do what to do...to me the biggest concerns are making sure you are healing well from the infection, and then working on getting surgical results that you are happy with. Are their any other reconstruction surgeons in your area that will take your insurance?
It's way too much stress and the hormone issues don't help. Many of us do take an antidepressant and/or anti-anxiety med to get through this. The mood issues caused by menopause are a whole new ballgame. And of course, venting here helps!
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Thank you, Christina. I had a pretty busy week. I am now on wellbutrin & lorazepam; I agreed to try it one more time, hope it works fast! I also started seeing a counselor. I have about another week & a 1/2 with this PICC line, & as soon as I can, I'm finding another doc. I know I will have a hard time finding one; nobody likes to clean up someone else's mess...plus these docs are gonna back each other up. I may have to go further out of town, but I'm worried if I do, then this infection comes back............... Half of me feels like screw it. I'm done. I'm alive, & blessed, leave it alone. The other half of me is like ummmm, for what I've been through, this needs to be right. So for now I'm just here, healing & hoping.
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