September 2012 Surgery

Chiquita. I had my BMX with TEs put in Monday. Thanks for the link. I really don't believe I have even gotten to the point where I am simply uncomfortable. I am still in pain. . Surely it will improve soon??



Locke so sorry to hear of your 2 week hospital stay. If you don't mind me asking how did they know you te was infected?

Thx. I keep telling myself it has to get better!!! PS did fill some at the time of surgery. But my future fills are all subject to whether I get rads or not. Long story and all still up in the air.

My next steps are healing, that's all for now.....I was in the OR 3 times that's why they moved me so much.

Have I posted about my Path report? I only got info over the phone from a nurse and I have to get a hard copy to see for sure what it says. What I know is that the left side (good side) was clean and on the right side (where I had the IDC of anywhere from 2.5 to 3.1 according to which scan you believe) there were only traces of cells? And she used some technical words I can't remember. Clean margins. The nurse said the report didn't mention LVI. My original biopsy said "suspicious" for LVI. So anyway guess the chemo worked. My rads issue is that I only had one positive node but I am youngish (39) and her2+ and grade 3 so the first RO I consulted with said it was up to me but he would recommend rads. BS wants me to get a second opinion. Which I assume will be within the next few weeks. I already have the TEs and PS warned me that if I do have rads and my skin doesn't cooperate later I may be looking at a lat flap to help support the implants.

Thanks Jenn. My BS feels really strongly that I should get the second opinion. The RO I consulted with literally just started practicing this year. So he is very gung ho. He actually spoke with my BS and after she told him where my tumor was (nowhere near the chest wall) its response to neo adjuvant chemo etc he agreed that my case might need another look. So I will gather all my research and be better prepared at the next consult to ask questions.

Lockekopp- I'm so sorry for what you've been through! I can't even wrap my mind around 3 surgeries back to back. I hope you are continuing to heal more each day.

Btw, I too have a black nipple. My doctors are still holding out hope for it though. Have you spent any time on the nipplesparing thread? Plenty of great gals on there who can talk ya through it. Many of them with black nipples. I currently have gauze over mine but occasionally get a glimpse. I have a weak stomach so I try and squint. Keep us posted.



JennT-

Thanks Jenn for your willingness to share your thoughts on the importance of gathering as much info as possible needed for any patient to make an intelligent informed decision about treatments.

I'm encountering some negative feedback from others about my decision to go forth with a big operation for a small cancer. Especially now that my pathology confirmed my DCIS had not become invasive.

Im 46 years old and have a very complex medical history. I've had an enormous amount of radiation from scans for other health conditions. I'm also not a candidate for tamoxifen, beacuse of a dvt history, or HRT needed because of my complete hysterectomy earlier this year. My decision to go forth with a BMX was the right decision for me. Having said that, if chemo, and radiation were my only options, and not elective I would have dove in full speed ahead.

I sought out many, many opinions, and it's shocking and confusing as hell when there is so many schools of thought within the medical community.

Your thoughts are so appreciated. Big healing thoughts!

I had my surgery on sept 28th my doc gave me a rx for 30 hyrocodone 7.5,i only have two left, am i over using them but my pain does not seem to be easing a whole lot, i take 1and a half every 4 to 6 hours night time is usually 4 i cant sleep pain gets to be so bad and im still running 100.4 temp they keep telling me its normal to call if it goes over 101.

Yay, Jenn!

So glad you're home Jenn!! Prayerfully those drains will be out soon. Hopefully just being home will speed up your recovery!

Jenn glad you are home. That Is exactly what I have here in my little rented bed - a nest!



I have 2 drains and they aren't bothering me nearly as much as I thought they would. My DH is quite the drain stripper/dumper/recorder of the amounts.

Robertson - that doesn't sound like too much at all. You have to stay ahead of your pain. And I am having a temp come and go from right under to right over 100. Told to call of it reaches 101.

Lockekopp - so sorry about your nipple. I have been so out of it - was it your own retained or a reconstructed one? So sad when everything doesn't work out quite right.



I have the two abdominal drains left. Both come out in my pubic leg fold - one on each side. It is hard to get them taped so they don't pull when I walk...



At the hospital they were measuring the output at midnight each day so it was last done last night. It won't be done until whenever the community nurse gets here tomorrow so the next measurement instead of being 24hrs could be up over 36hours. I was upset that will put me back at "square one" again with a big measurement. Hubby has said he is more than happy to set the alarm for midnight and to look at the measures then and make sure they are called through to the PS in the morning. One of the drains was only 15ml last night so if it stays low tonight it might be able to come out tomorrow.



Jenn

Locke - I missed your post too - so sorry of the infection and resulting loss.  Sending healing thoughts your way

Jenn - what a place for drains - hope you get them out and soon!

Those of you with TE's - do they look a hot mess?  I go for follow up (one week) tomorrow so I will see PS but mine are just a lumpy mess - especially the left one.  Still having lots of pain but I am going to have to stop the Percocet.  It was interfering with my sleep (makes me doze but not sleep hard) and last night I started having these odd feelings like jerks and twitches as I was drifting off and I would jerk wide awake.  I have been on Percocet before but never 24/7 like this.  The only other thing I am taking is the Flexarill and I would think it would STOP twitching, not  exacerbate it - thoughts anyone?

I laid awake from midnight to 6 something just alternately reading online, crying (just from frustration, some from pain), and trying desperately to sleep.  At 6, I said no more painkillers right now and took a phenergran simply because they make me sleep.  I got about 3-4 hrs of broken rest.

Hope everyone is doing ok...I will update on what PS says about this mess on my chest tomorrow.

kltb04 - hope the dr visit goes well.



The pics I have seen of women in the interim period of xpansion between having them in and having them full have all shown some "slackness" and uneveness so I would have thought that was normal?



Jenn

Kltb, I haven't had any fills yet, so the TEs look a little weird. However, in all the pictures I've seen of TEs during expansion they have strange shapes so what you're seeing is normal for TEs I think. I should add that even though they look weird when you see them, they look OK under clothing.

Have you tried any painkillers that are milder than percocet? Maybe something OTC would help. I've been using ibuprofen since about 2 1/2 weeks after surgery, and as of now (4 1/2 weeks after surgery) I don't need them all the time, though most days I need them once or twice.

Leah