January 2013 surgery

Ok, so I'm what you would call an excessive planner and have begun packing and preparing for "S" day. I have finished all my pre-op visits, had cardiology clear me for surgery and finished my pre-op lab and interviews at the hospital. Now I am packing a bag for my family and mainly my husband to keep them occupied. Here's what I have so far:

~~3 days worth of my daily medications (I have MS and am on specialized medicines that sometimes the hospitals have and sometimes they don't)



~~A card for my husband with a picture of us inside.



~~A notepad for keeping up with medications and instructions



~~Snacks for everyone in the waiting room and a roll of quarters in case someone wants something from the vending machine.



~~Packet of Clorox wipes. They clean rooms between patients, but they are not completely disinfected. My mom has strict instructions to wipe down everything my hands will touch such as bed controls, door handles, remotes, faucet knobs, side rails, etc. (trust me, I used to work in a hospital and I've seen some poorly cleaned rooms)



~~iPad and charger



~~small containers of hand sanitizer



~~Phone and charger and list of people to notify when surgery is over



~~iPod to block out hospital noises....some of these can be really loud and annoying!!!



~~Small bottles of mine and my husband's favorite beverages. These are not always readily available.



Anyone have any other suggestions???

Hello,

I am Joan, in Maryland, and was diagnosed with HER2+ on Dec. 12. I will have a lumpectomy on Jan. 22 at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. I understand that this will be outpatient and I will be home that same day, so I am grateful that I won't have to deal with major surgery. My question is how soon will I be able to work? I teach at a community college but will have a reduced class load this spring (two classes, one of which will be online). My surgery is on a Tuesday, so I wonder if I could expect to be able to teach the Thursday following or if I should wait until the next week? Thanks, and am both glad and sad to be joining this group!

Welcome, Joan. You might want to think about having someone else cover for you for the on campus class for at least a week mostly because if you have a drain and most people do it can be both uncomfortable and difficult to find something to wear that will disguise it. While campus dress standards have relaxed a lot in recent years I am not certain that they are ready for a teacher in sweats. However they are perfect for teaching online. I remember Mercy Hospital. My husband took his residency at Uof M and they did a six month rotation there, still have friends in the area. All the best to you with your surgery. Remember you will heal faster if you don't push yourself too much at first. Just having a general anesthetic is a shock to your system and will take a while to totally clear from your body. Rest is an important part of the healing process. Be good to yourself and your body will thank you.

Hi everyone,

Thanks to Jennifer for starting this list. As you can all see from my info below, I've been through a lot, but I'll spare you all the long tale. I'm having a revision to my left breast (not even the cancer side) on January 10. The surgeon has said that he thinks we can do it under twilight sedation instead of general. I'm happy because it's an easier recovery, but I'm also worried because I don't know what to expect from it, as I've never had it. I know exactly what to expect from general now.

Best wishes to everyone in this group! If I can answer any surgery questions, please feel free to ask.

Happy to know so many strong women! January arrives soon, one step closer to living cancer free for all of us.

Cookie Monster~

I had a golf ball sized tumor removed from my breast under twilight and it was fine...didn't feel a thing, and didn't remember a thing!  Recovery was a breeze!  Good luck!

Tami

Hi everyone! I'm looking at having surgery at some point in mid-late Jan. (bilat. mastectomy with reconstruction).  I'm 42, married, and the mother of two girls who are 18 and 22 (and have guardianship of a nephew who is 18).  I was diagnosed on Sept 14th with a grade 3, 4cm tumor on my R side.  I had one lymph node biopsied and it was completely taken over by tumor.  My MO decided to do chemo first so that he could shrink the tumor (and stop any sneaky little bits that may have gotten loose).  So far, it has worked really well, and you can barely feel my tumor anymore.

My last chemo treatment is on Jan 9th (wooohooo!!!), and I see my surgeon on Jan 10th.  My surgeon told me at my last appt that if my numbers were ok, I could have surgery as soon as 2 weeks after my last treatment.  If my numbers aren't ok, I may be bumped to Feb.  Thanks to (the hell that is) Neulasta, my numbers have been ok all through treatment. I've (unfortunately) had MANY surgeries in my life, so I consider myself a vetran at this point. None-the-less, it's still very daunting to go into something like this.....especially in a weakened state.  Not knowing what to expect, and knowing that it's still many procedures long (fills, exchange, nipple reconstruction) is unnerving.

I've met some really great women on this site, and have gotten a lot of practical advice.  I'm also lucky to have the best husband in the world supporting me and taking care of me.  It's made all the difference in getting through chemo.  I'm hoping to join with you as this part of the journey begins. I hate seeing so many names on the list though!   I hope this time goes quickly for all of us!!    ~Andrea

I'm seeing my name in print, for reasons none of us want...and I see it says I'm having recon. But I'm not. I don't have any idea how to fix this! I'll start with my own profile, to make sure that matches.

Crescent5 added some great advice - yes, be sure to have Colace or other stool softener on hand - the anesthesia and pain meds will pretty much stop you up, and that can be extremely uncomfortable.  And she's spot on about walking - the hospital will probably have you up and walking the halls no later than the next morning, IV and all.  When you get home try to walk at least once daily, doing a little more as you can each day.  My surgeons encouraged me to get up and get moving - even if all I could do that first day was shuffle down the sidewalk to the next driveway and back. (That first day I was in my old sweats and slippers, and was unshowered with dirty hair - pretty much a mess.  As I shuffled down the sidewalk, I had visions of one of the neighbors calling police to report a vagrant in the neighborhood!  )

To ease the strain on your dh or whomever will be making the post-surgery phone calls, organize a phone tree or else collect email addresses so he can either make one or two phone calls at most, or even easier, he can send out a single email or text blast.  Your dh or other loved ones who will be in that waiting room while you're in surgery will be exhausted from stress, and probably won't feel like making phone call after phone call, and yet there are so many people who care about you out there and will want to know how it all went.  Collecting email addresses or being part of the phone tree is one of those things you can hand off to someone who has offered to help - let them do that for you and your immediate family.   

Hopex3 is right - this first part is the very worst part emotionally.  It really does get better as you get into your game plan.  Hang in there ladies - January is when you finally get the d*mn thing out, and it's amazing what a good feeling of relief you have once that's done.  There are many many women who have walked this path before you and are there to support you. Take our hands and take courage from us as you walk.  You CAN do this, and before you know it you'll be reaching back with a helping hand to those who are walking the path behind you. 

I am scheduled for a preventative left sided Mx with TE on Jan. 23rd.  In May I had a right sided MX for ILC and five weeks of radiation.  I'm feeling the emotions coming up a little for this second one.  Even though I am better prepared this time and the cancer is out of me, I know the nerves will hit me more the closer I get.  One step at a time...

Happy New Year to everyone!

Thanks for the list of what to bring to the hospital...I have my BMX on 1/7... Others have suggested a pillow for the car ride home to cushion the seatbelt.

Glad you all are here!

xoxo

The very first "board" that is called: New to Breast Cancer?  New to These Boards?  Start Here, has a link to all the abbreviations.  Hope this helps

Right!

Good luck tomorrow auntieEm! I will be thinking of u! Sending u my positive thoughts and prayers! I wish u speedy recovery! 🌺💜🌺