September 2012 Surgery

Hold everything..... My breast surgeon just phoned... She is pregnant and is right now sitting in the hospital with a complication. Not sure if she will be released or capable of surgery on Friday morning and without her doing the mastectomy first the surgery will have to be cancelled.

There is a back-up plan but it still involves her having to supervise the surgery as her public registrar will then perform or partly perform the MX (I am currently going in as a private patient and would still be private but with the MX part done like it was public - funny Australian system of socialised healthcare). He can't go ahead without her supervising though and if she can't then the whole surgery falls in a heap and I have to find a new BS and reschedule the surgery.

I am the only surgery on the PS' list and my BS can't get hold of him today because of the Jewish holiday so he won't know about all of this until tomorrow.

Won't really know if all OK until Friday morning right when surgery is scheduled... :-S

I had just gotten back from my Herceptin infusion when I got her call. I am gutted....

Jenn

Jenn!

I am so sorry! I am praying the her complication with the pregnancy will be quickly resolved making her available for your surgery! You've been on a long road. Waiting any longer would really be frustrating!

OMG Jenn, and not knowing for another day too! BC throwing yet another curve ball. Positive thoughts heading west.

Marian 

Jenn, so sorry that your waiting just became even harder!  Not fare, this whole BC road is too damn bumpy!! Sending hugs your way, hoping your surgeon's complications are better in a few days!!

Sneakychiquita, Good call on the lids!!!  I have an issue with those lids too.  It's amazing how much I use those pectoral muscles....ouchy   

Sigh. Not gonna lie, but these last two weeks have been super hard. I was in the hospital almost a week (got out on the 17th) b/c I was in so much pain. The worst part was the drains. I had six of them. Four in the breast and two that were practically in my vajajay (those were the worst ones). I had 5 of them removed last Fri but one of the vajajay ones had to stay in til Monday. It felt so good to be free of the drains, but I think the drain pain was masking the other pain, b/c I've had a lot of pain in the breast and abdominal area. My dr told me to get compression underwear, so maybe that will help the pain a bit. I'm trying not to take too much percocet but I caved this am. In good news, my dr said the margins were clear! There was still a 15cm tumor left in the breast, even after 10 rounds of aggressive chemo, but they think they got it all. My dr said it looks like the lymph nodes were all lumped in with the tumor and they can't tell how many were affected, or how many they even took out. My dr said she's never encountered that before. I'm back on Tamoxifen now and hopefully will start radiation in a few weeks. I hope all of my Sept surgery buddies are doing well! Feel free to pm me with any questions, etc.

Jenn - So sorry to hear about the confusion! I remain in surgical limbo as well and was much happier with my original plan.

Update from my stressful surgical limbo experience: Everything just got more stressful. Because of my elevated liver enzymes I had lab work and an abdominal CT yesterday. The lab work was back same day and it was great [although they did not rerun the liver enzymes]. They said they would call with CT results today. Today they called saying I need an MRI on my spine. Evidently there was a spot on my spine early in the diagnostic process that was deemed to be nothing. This morning they called it a "lesion" that appeared bigger. They are also going to rerun the liver enzymes [like I care about my liver right now...]. I am trying to not freak out. Afterall, I have been through 20 weeks of chemo already, with wonderful imaging results. How could anything be sneaking around elsewhere in my body? I have an appointment Friday morning to go over all the test results. It will be a true test of my faith to get from now to Friday without some kind of breakdown.

I hope you are all having a better morning than I have had. Sorry if this is a downer. Wanting deperately to remain a stage IIB...

Leah - You're right. The days I don't take the pain meds I end up miserable and passing out from exhaustion. I just hate the constipation that comes with the meds. I've been taking colace, senna, etc. already and having issues to begin with.

Jenn- hope you get your surgery done as scheduled, sending you hugs!!!



Lynda and Sar - sending positive vibes for a speedy recovery.



I'm hoping to get my last two drains out on Monday, I really hope it happens.

Jenn,

I am so happy for you! I pray that all goes well as u hit the road running towards the new you!!!

Happy to hear you are back on track, Jenn.  Hope it all goes well for you and everyone else the remainder of this month.

I have feeling back in my hand!  That was the scariest thing to wake up with a numb/painful hand.  Really thought they did some serious nerve damage while working in the axilla.   And I've got stronger pain meds now, so hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight.

Jenn, such great news to wake up to!!  Yay for "Barbie Boobs" so happy for you.

Sneakychiquita, My hands are good now too, but just started this awful burning painful sensation on my back below the shoulder blade.  

Kittykoma, Hang in there with those dreadful drains!

Marian, I've been taking Miralax with prune juice.  My next trip to the grocery store I think I will try the stewed prune and apricot recipe from Leah S.  I still need my pain meds 16 days post surgery, hopefully the pain will ease up these next couple of weeks so I can get off the meds! 

Oh and when I go in Monday, I have to be there at 5 a.m.!  Meaning I will need to leave my house by a little after 4!

kltb04 - I am very close to my 6 year old daughter and initially planned on bringing her to the hospital for a good-bye cuddle, but then axed that when I realized I had 2 different hospitals to go to and it was looking like a hectic pre-op schedule. Instead I brought a picture of her and had it taped to my bedside so hers was the last face I saw before drifting off.  She visited me in my room post-op - we waited before telling her dad to bring her for the visit until I was fully awake, but also well doped up on pain meds to ensure she didn't see me wearing a pain face.  She definitely seemed quiet and out of sorts at first, but after about 30 minutes she was laying in bed with me and watching cartoons on my laptop.  I was glad she visited, but grateful for the laptop as I didn't have had the energy to talk the whole visit.  I don't keep anything from her so she's been fully informed since Day 1 and was somewhat prepared for this.  I was afraid of her seeing the drains, but she seemed totally fine with it once I explained it all.  She'll likely be the first person I show the scarred foob to and judging on how she's handled everything else so far she'll probably hold my hand, tell me everything's going to be alright, and then run to get a stuffie from her room for me to hold onto   She's a good kid.

Best of luck! 

Jenn, so happy that you got the go-ahead and I got the smiles thinking about your drop dead gorgeous resident. Wow, the Australian medical system sounds complicated and maybe broken? What happens to BC patients who do not have private insurance?

I got to go for my SNB injection so early preop that when I was driving to the hospital for the surgery the sun was just coming up. We really enjoyed that to be honest, no traffic yet, quiet and beautiful. Sneakychiquita is that what you had to do to for the SNB? Sneaky, I am with you on the kids question. Several years ago I was having a reasonably serious surgery and wanted to see my 3 young kids (7, 10 and 13) and I am glad they came for a brief visit. They were interested in all the machines and the youngest watched cartoons on TV. In a way, I think if they had not been allowed to come, it would have been more worrying for them. So Kitt I would do what you want! Sandlake, Miralax is on my list.

Bone scan today, Yay! And another sunny day.

Marian 

Positive-

Where r u?? I am in MA also!

I am

Going to the Faulkner tomorrow for surgery.