IBC and Surgery fears!!!

My answers to your questions

1.  I've had a Will, Living Will and Advanced Directives on file for MANY years - only makes sense to me.  Hubby has a full POA from me as do I from him 'just in case'.  That's been going on for 37 yrs.  I review everything annually in my birth month.

2.  For ME - post op was not bad at all.  'Healing' is subjective.  a bit more than 4 weeks post surgery very shortly after the 2nd JP was taken out I started having problems with a seroma but that finally was gone too.  I had no problems with ROM immediately - maybe a 5% reduction but nothing that bothered me at all.  Remember we are all SO different

3   You should ask to be referred to a CERTIFIED Lymphedema Therapist immediately to get a 'baseline' and information.  Also ask for a PT (physical therapist).  Some times PTs are also CLT but most aren't.  Seeing an OT (Occupational Therapist) is also a good idea sometimes.  My CLT is an OT.

4.  Again - we are all different.  I have never had nausea from an anesthia but then I've only had it  (to different degrees) 8 times in my life - 2 C-sections/oral surgery/port implant/mast./colonoscopy/2 cataract surgeries).  I am very hard to keep 'knocked out' so have had some fairly high levels of drugs.

5.  Again, we are each different.  I don't know how long I was in the OR - didn't have my watch (LOL - anyone who knows me knows I am lost without my watch).   I was in the hospital overnight.  

6.  Scared - don't know what that means to you.  I was more worried about what Hubby and Son were going through sitting there waiting than what I was.  Hubby (at that time we had been married 3 yrs) had lost his Mom to Cervical Cancer when he was 9 so it had to be horrible for him to be sitting there while I was in surgery.  I think it was harder on Son to see what was going on with his Dad than knowing I was in surgery.  In fact he said something later to that line - I wasn't worried about you - you're a fighter and had greaat Drs - Dad was 9 yrs old again.   I put my faith in my Heavenly Father that what is to be will be.

7.  What I took was a Sudoku puzzle book, Son's lap top, my warm fuzzy robe (figured I just use a hospital gown overnight as if there is a problem it's a lot easier to deal with), wool socks (my feet freeze).    I had bought a big open front shirt as I had been advised to but left with my turtle neck and sweatshirt on that I had come in with on as that is my winter 'uniform' and had absolutely no problems getting them on.  I did not put my drains in camisole pockets as my surgeon said to hook them to pants as they would drain better using gracvity in addition to the vacuum.  I used a bandage pin (huge 'safety pin' used with horses) to hook them into the side belt loop of my jeans.

8.  Radiation was easy for me.  I started rads a week after 12th Taxol (I did 4 A/C then mod.rad.mast then 12 Taxol).  Taxol had totally EXHAUSTED me but with every day on rads I felt better.  I did burn VERY bad but it showedthe day after last rad and took months to heal BUT that is incredibly rare so I'm told.  Even knowing that I did burn so bad would I do it again - you betcha - I'd just start what finally healed it (Domobro soaks) sooner.

i had no neuropathy but as I said the EXHAUSTION on Taxol was complete and basically all I did was exist on the couch in fornt ot TV (Hubby took care of all home chores and Son did all horse/barn chores).  When I saw Dr. T before my 10th Taxol I complained a bit and he said that he would put in orders that I could quit at any tiime IF I wanted to - the 9 Taxol had probably done 85-90% of what 12 could do so it was up to me to decide.  I'd already done 9 so 3 more wasn't that bad to get all that they could do.  But we are each so different - THANKFULLY.