DIEP 2013

Kuka, I am in the same boat as you, what do we do about blood pressure, and blood draws.  Right after our bmx we had IV's and blood draws, right? They did take my blood pressure on my leg, though.

Sb-

I've actually seen people tattoo a breast cancer ribbon with "limb alert" under it on their wrists. I've contemplated what to do when I'm unconscious. I have zero interest in dealing with LE on top of everything else!

OMG...did the place the iv in your neck after you were asleep.  I am so needle phobic it's not funny. 

Yeah, they tried to get my blood pressure at Dr Habash's office, but the little wrist thing had broken. 

I wonder what your MRI will show.  It will probably be all better by then, and maybe you won't need it.

Yes nihahi, I'm following orders and already scheduled a visit with an orthopedic doctor for Tuesday.

Goldie, the neck iv is placed after you're asleep, but you wake up with it. It is not bad at all. I had the one on my neck and my arm. Since I only had to keep one iv in case they needed to push meds I told them to remove the one from my arm and leave my neck one in place. The one on the arm gets on the way for everything!

Just checking to see if anybody was reading.  

Once, at work, I wrote a policy on field determination of death.  It was about 7 pages long, and boring.  It went through about three big committees and nobody discovered that toward the end of the policy, I had written "Paramedics who fail to document findings shall be determined to be dead."  I had to hold the vote in the final committee to confess and fix it (while I was laughing my socks off), and it sure made me wonder!

Kuka, that's a tough call.  I think I recall reading that people in your situation should use the arm with the fewest nodes removed, or if your had a complete dissection on both sides, consider using your foot for blood draws.  Have you asked your onc?

Movie, it might be fun to bathe a couple of German shepherds too.  They can leave their sheep at home.

Today I donated 5 breast forms to my local cancer center, and 12 brassieres to the Goodwill.  I pray that they'll be helpful to some woman somewhere, but what a wonderful thing to get them all out of the house.

Bailey, I called the number provided on the website and they had it mailed out to me that day.  I mailed a check to them for $9 or so, but they didn't wait for it.  I've saved it for future surgeries. 

Ok now goldie.....don't be going into negative mode!!!!! Remember sbelizabeth's theory.....the pillow is a "non combat zone". Leave today's issues at the bedroom door! 

awwww, kuka....sounds like you've got cabin fever already!!!!!

Just think how much fun we could all have around a campfire with our flashlights, glowing boobs, and morphine stories!!!!! 

omg.....is NO ONE ASLEEP YET?????

Still here! Just finished my icecream and it was delicious! Knee hurts too much for me to get up and go look at my boobs glow.

Nihahi, you guys tell the stories while I take the morphine. I could use feeling stone right now! But really, we should all plan a get together one day and meet somewhere. I say Las Vegas, and spend a weekend there. If we loose too much money we can always make it back by putting a glowing show!

We'll be the glowing flappers!!

What do y'all think?

sbelizabeth.....time zone diff.....it's after 11 here.

ps....you still haven't really explained the elbow chewing.....

When at risk for LE on both limbs, our medical center recommends using the leg, below the knee, for BP and IV.

I am also alergic to codeine, but take Norco with no problems.

I luie of tattoo or medic-alert bracelet, there is a NEON PINK LYMPHEDEMA ALERT bracelet.  I have 2 of them.  I don't recall where I got them.  But, I use them whenever headed to a medical procedure.  They may not help the medical personnel, but it reminds me to say something.

VEGAS is set up for bc.org members, the TA TA Sisterhood, of which we all belong.  Would love to see a group of DIEP sisters to compare stories, scars, progress and HUGS!

Time zone?  What is a time zone?  Is the world not run on California o'clock?

Yeah...let's just talk about our caffeine intake, 'k?  Stop jumping on the bed, dear.

ohhhh, caffeine high, is it????? I thought you were exceptionally vibrational tonight!!!!!!! You can keep the earthquakes, dearie, and while you're at it, you can take some of our winter windchills for good measure.