DIEP 2013

Hi everybody,

I'm 8 days past surgery - yahoo!!  Hope to get all drains out tomorrow.  It's probably much better for everybody that I waited this long to post.  First 2 days after surgery were horrible which I believe was from the anesthesia - I was vomiting and just plain feeling horrible.  I stopped taking pain meds execept for tylenol after 2nd night in the hopes of getting all that nasty out of me.  Well, of course now I feel 1000% better.  Still taking an occosanial percocet. I am taking valium every 6 hrs cuz they said would help relax the muscles.  Doc's are all very happy with the outcome so I'm happy.  Have a visiting nurse coming in and HHA for shower which is nic

Carmelle, yay! Welcome to flapper land! I hope you recover well. Rest, be patient, drink water, eat protein, walk a little every hour or two, rest, rest.

aspinner.....hoping today is a better day?????

Nihahi, Liefie, Bailey, Sweetpickle, everyone...thanks...and if sharing this journey through cancer-land will nudge just ONE woman to get her mammogram, or help ONE woman who's struggling with her own diagnosis of BC, then it's worth it.  Even as a long-time nurse, I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I got the news I had breast cancer. 

Liefie--a grandbaby!  Fireworks, hearts and flowers, explosion of joy! 

Jeannie, YAY!  It's just a couple of weeks away, and one more step toward the end of the tunnel, girl!

Carmelle, nice to hear from you, and glad you're recovering well.  Don't rush anything.  This is a big surgery and it takes time for our bodies to knit back together. 

The home nurse will be here in a few minutes to change the wound vac dressing, so I'll get a close-up look at how the hole is doing.  Yeah, I'm a little tired of carrying around this purse 24/7, but on the other hand, it's nice to know my hole is getting such good care.  It's also nice and sealed up, so there's no staining my shirt or bra, and no dressings for me to change!

The IV antibiotics are simply a wonder.  Each dose comes in a little ball about the size of a tennis ball.  The drug in the ball is under pressure, so it's delivered at an exact flow rate.  Every 8 hours, I flush my PICC line, attach a little drug ball, and forget it for 1/2 hour.  Then I remove the ball, flush the line again, and that dose is done.  When Jerry's home, of course, HE'S in charge of all of this!  But there's no home nurse needed, I don't have to drive to an infusion center, and it's all very simple and mess-free. 

There's the doorbell--Lisa's here!  Have a great day, sisters--Katy

sbelizabeth after reading your post this morning, I did a mass email to all the members of our local tennis league (about 800 ladies). My message is that early detection is important. It has made my bc journey much easier. After that, I've received many reponses, including a number of them saything that they have scheduled their mammogram and two had their mammos done today! Cheers!

The link that sharon1942 posted to the article in the NYTimes, is an excellent article!!!!! Thanks, sharon for sharing it with us.

I totally believe in mammograms even though my report said my dense breasts were normal - and I could feel a huge 7 cm ILC tumor which even indented my breast. Insisted on a diagnostic mammogram & sonogram that same week and was getting a biopsy the next day! The rest is history. Self-exam is also important!

How many of you had your cancer found on a mammogram?  How many of you found it yourself?  Just curious. It seems like so many of us found it ourselves, or through some other means other than mammo. Don't get me wrong, mammogram is an important tool, but I would bet that over 50 percent of the bc's were found by a means other than mammo.  Mine was missed on my mammo, and found three months later by accident on a CAT scan taken to re-check a thyroid nodule.

Dense breasts, mammogram then ultrasound.  Both PCP and gyno missed it just a few weeks prior.  I had the sneaky kind of cancer, lobular.  It doesn't usually form a lump but is more like a spider web.  I hate spiders....(at least in the house, not the garden).

Sharon, I don't remember the article talking about AIs, which was interesting.  I have a family history of bc, no genetic risk which was determined after I was in an extensive genetic study.  Some of the author's statistics didn't jibe with what I have read in other places.  It was interesting to read the history of this whole fandango, as Sbel would say.  When I had a failed lumpectomy and was told I needed a mastectomy, my BS agreed with me that it would be a good idea to take the healthy breast, too.  Lobular is a sneaky b***ard and has a slightly greater risk of going to the other side. Plus, I had node involvement.  There was a big psychological componenet in my decision, as well.  It has been almost a year since I finished radiation.  So thankful for that.

Learning about fly fishing today was a kick!  It's a good group and should be a lot of fun on Saturday.  I plan to mostly enjoy the deluxe motor coach, the food, the people, river, the mts., the fall color, the eagles and throw a little fishing in from time to time. As usual, LE is a drag and limits my ability to cast over and over again.  My arm became a little sore just from practicing.  I am excited about Saturday -- it's supposed to be sunny over there! 

Dyvgrl, just curious, are you being treated in Alaska? You don't have to say if you don't want to.

Bluebird, thinking of you.  Faith, too.  Cherrie, how are you doing?

Mammalou - you nailed it for me. When Katy speaks to her group I'd love her to mention that if you are told you have dense breasts you should not rely solely on mammogram. I'm 45 and I've had mammos every year since turning 40. I have no strong family history of breast cancer. I discovered a small lump in my left breast and I almost ignored it. They couldn't see it on the mammogram and it wasn't until the ultrasound and biopsy that they determined it was cancer. By the grace of God they scheduled me for an MRI. The MRI found a larger lump in my other breast that was also cancer. I couldn't feel it and it never showed on the mammogram. But I was told that it had probably been there for 4-5 years.



Oh, nice article Katy. Thanks for sharing it even during your current struggles.

Like Mammalou, I found my breast cancer myself after a normal mammo three months prior.  There was a red spot on the lower inside quadrant of my left breast, about the size of a silver dollar.  Directly beneath it was a tiny lump, 1.2 cm, but it had already navigated to my lymph nodes.

Yes, the decision to remove my right, "healthy" breast was mostly emotional.  The cancer had sneaked up on me so hard, and so fast, I didn't want to stay awake at night worrying about it.  The NY Times article was very interesting, and very thought-provoking. 

My tumour was found by my OB/GYN in a routine breast exam, sent me for a mammogram, got a follow-up mammo, then had an ultrasound, the rest is history.

So far the the pattern is most found it themselves, or somebody else found it.  Mammo was either used as follow up to manual discovery, or as a precursor to other imaging and biopies. Interesting.

Very dense breasts and felt a thickening in upper left breast. Mammogram did not pick it up. Went for an ultrasound and had core biopsy. (2002) Lumpectomy



Tenderness in left breast (2011)', ok mammo again. Ultrasound and biopsy showed ADH. Prophylactic Mx.



Jeannie- October 16- it is nice when you can go in that fast and don't have time to think too much about it. This will be much easier for you. Your compression time is very doable. I did 4 mo. Full time for my second surgery. Lucky ou.



Liefie- My mother had dementia and I think that is what got to me. Apparently there is research out by a Dr. Lin, Johns Hopkins, that has linked early hearing loss to dementia later. I wish he hadn't told me that, but I can't waste time stewing anymore than I have. Then he said he wanted to do and earring aid eval. I am holding off. My hearing really doesn't feel that bad to me. My husband doesn't notice it at all.



Mammalou- congrats on wound almost being closed.That is awesome!



Goodie- I want you black bean burger recipe



Lahela- as much as I love my PS, most of my learning came from this and the NOLA thread. I was able to ask good questions because of this.



Momof5- I bet you are excited to see your PS next week.



Bailey- Congrats on getting your Stage 2 date. You will be ready and we will all be with you.



Katy- thanks for being so brave and helping many others through your story. I was sobbing reading and looking at your pictures.



Kat- Sorry you are having a bad day. This can all catch up with us and we are going to have down days. I know I have been there. Hope your day tomorrow is better.



Butterfleyez- WELCOME-You have come to the right place to ask questions. It is normal for high anxiety and a feeling of being overwhelmed. I am very happy with my results. My breasts look and feel natural. There will be a lack of sensation though. This surgery is not easy. Everyone is different, but you will have 2-4 surgeries before you are done. This is not to scare you because the results are amazing.

I totally get that it is not always easy to diagnose people. The scary part is that they have sold the public on the idea that a mammogram is failproof. I have been assured by a radiologist that they do find a lot of breast cancer that way. People just need to understand that it is a mass screening device and that it will not catch all cancer. Thus, we can be more proactive. I actually had an e mail spat with the Calif. Medical Assoc because they fought a bill that required them to tell us we had dense breasts. The person I talked to basically told me that if they told women, they would want more imaging, and then the state wouldn't have enough money to pay for all the mammograms they do.



Ok, sorry about my soapbox. It just makes me mad.😁



My wound is closed but it doesn't look pretty, that's for sure. I'm not sure if the PS will even want to try to fix it after all the trouble it has been. I still have abdominal pain and hypersensitivity. I hope that goes away soon.



I'm trying those silicone scar strips on my foob. My scar has kind of gone keloid. Ugggg. My BS said last week "who would have known that someone as fair as you would get keloid". That really made me feel good. Not! Could I just get a half way descent foob and be done with this. I want stage 2 now. I've been putting off a nice bras for 2 years now.



Welcome to the new girls!



Leiflie... Hoping everything turns out well for you.



Katy, I loved reading your story too! You've come a long way and it is amazing how we can cope and survive. Thank you for sharing.