DIEP 2013

Curlylocks, I am SO glad your mom is doing better! I hope she can go home tomorrow and YOU can get some rest.

Krissie42, thinking of you! Say hi to Wilbur for me.....you will do great.

Oh Curly,

Your poor mom. She has really been through it. So glad she has turned the corner. She is lucky to have you. As we talked about on here just last week, the elderly need to have an advocate in their corner, or they don't get the care they deserve. I am sorry you had a bad time, but you are a hero to your mom.

Question for all of you that are ahead of me please.... Nipples or no nipples and 3 D tattoos? I've heard some like the ability to go braless or wear any shirt without nipples? What do you think?

So excited to be finishing up my time in San Antonio...If anyone is considering PRMA for their surgery I would be glad to give you my feedback. We also have stayed prior to surgery and after at Town Place Suites by Marriott San Antonio Northwest on Prue Road.

The hotel has been great? They have recliners in the room for you post-op as long as you request them. They have a shuttle that can shuttle you home from the hospital, grocery store, Wal-mart...... They have breakfast every morning and dinner Monday-Thursday night. But you have a almost full size fridge in your room a stove top and a microwave in the room. The staff here is very helpful, caring and concerned:)

My bilateral DIEP was 9/25....9/27 was a terrible day with nausea and vomiting...stopped taking demerol and went straight to oral tylenol. No more Nausea/Vomiting... The next really tough day was Wednesday, 10/2...trying to get bowels activated again....that's a story in itself..... Saw the nurse at PRMA on Friday and was able to get 3/4 drains removed....such a relief...one more appt on Tuesday before we fly home on Wednesday!!!!! Can't wait.

As far as PinkOctober here is a post that was on Facebook that I think explains it well....but I'm not sure many would understand it:

Pinktober through a survivor's eyes



Disclaimer-Yes, I am happy that breast cancer is funded through the actions of others. Some companies give a lot, others don’t give as much as you would think. I am grateful to still be counted as a survivor. I am grateful that there are runs and walks in order to raise awareness. I am thankful for all my family and friends who were supportive and there for me during TYOC (The Year of Cancer). I do, however, feel the need to post this note.



Pinktober…through the eyes of a breast cancer survivor



Well, it’s here. The month of October. I used to love October before I became the “one” in the 1 in 8. Really, if you live in NJ it’s closer to 1 in 7. Now, some of you may be puzzled by my lack of enthusiasm for an entire month dedicated to pink products. This includes products like pink ribbons, pink pins, pink clothing, pink kitchenware, pink appliances, pink tic-tacs and, yes, even pink buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s time for me to let you in on a little secret. Many breast cancer survivors HATE this month and here are some reasons why:



1.Pink is a color that seems soft and cuddly. I’m not sure how pink ended up being the “color of breast cancer” but I can tell you for certain that breast cancer is definitely not soft and cuddly. I’m not sure what the opposite of “soft and cuddly” is but whatever it is, that’s the color of breast cancer.



2.Many survivors try to forget about breast cancer as much as we can. We can’t think about it all the time-it just doesn’t work for us. Trust me, I tried that. Being in a heightened state of fear is, well, it sucks. So, when it’s Pinktober and we go into a store, any store, just to pick something up, it brings us back to that scary place. Some survivors say that when they see the massive pink displays they relive the moment of diagnosis. That’s a lot of emotion to process when you just wanted a $4.99 rotisserie chicken.



3.When we express the fact that we hate Pinktober people will oftentimes look at us like there is something wrong with us. Let’s put it this way…If you were in a horrible fire and narrowly escaped, or got out but with burns to part of your body, would you really want someone to be waving a lit candle around you several times a day for an entire month?



4.There is so much pink crap sold by companies who actually give very small amounts to research. I hesitate to type this because of course we want breast cancer research funded. If you really want to help with that, donate money rather than buying a pink (insert name of product). Alternatively, read the fine print to see how much money is actually going to research breast cancer. Some companies donate a good portion of their profits to research and others, well, not so much.



5.This is the month where I get phone calls asking me if I want to “give to breast cancer awareness”. Really? I have to give money in order to be aware? It’s not like I can avoid being aware of breast cancer at least twice a day…every day….every single day. Additionally, I think giving an actual breast (which aside from the cancer was pretty ok), along with my hair (also pretty ok most days) for about a year sort of pays the tab for me.



6.This is also the month when people like to send survivors articles about what causes breast cancer. That fake Johns Hopkins one comes to mind. Please don’t send us that. It is not true and takes a blame the victim stance.



7.The slogans “Save Second Base”, “Save the Ta-Ta’s” “Save the Hooters” and “Big or Small, Save them All” completely miss the mark for many of us. It is NOT about saving body parts. It’s about saving lives.

Sorry for the LOOOOONG post...don't post here very often, but am glad to be feeling so much better.

Thanks,

I heard something tonight that made me so mad. Chris Collinsworth, who was announcing the football game tonight, with it's pink shoes, gloves, penalty flags, etc., was talking about some woman who had breast cancer. He congratulated her, on air, for only having a lumpectomy! It's still breast cancer, no matter the treatment. You don't congratulate someone for that. I get that he is happy that she didn't need to lose a boob, etc., but it just shows again the lack of "awareness" out there that there is no cure and that you don't just get treated and forget it. Okay, I feel better now!

Well I have 8 days until surgery. I been pretty calm throughout this 10 month ordeal so I have been successful at putting it out of my mind for a day or two. But then a friend or relative will call to check up on my progress, or the hospital will call to make pre or post appointments. But I was still okay until this week. One of my sisters who who has had major health problems including bc, has called me for assistance. The transmission on my 2 year old car has decided to go crazy. I found out that insurance co does not want to pay full price for port even though it paid for the surgery to input the port in my chest. And, of course, my major distraction is the fact that I am a federal employee who may not get a paycheck this month.

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get it out of my system.

To all who are in trying to mend, I wish you a speedy recovery.

Curlylocks - So sorry to hear about your mom.

Butterfleyez - We should start a countdown clock together.

Kimdy - Where do you get a $4.99 rotisserie chicken?

Can someone tell me who the H is Wilbur?

GwennyMD wow.. When it rains it pours! This too shall pass. I keep reminding myself of that as well. You've been through a large tough part of the journey already so I know you can hurdle over anything that comes your way. I have a countdown buddy. We can keep tabs on each other.

Anyone have any other helpful meditations for relaxing/sleeping? Getting my downloads together

Gwenny, Costco sells rotisserie chickens for $4.99, I think!

Sbel, I'm sorry you are going through more. That noob better behave. Prayers and thoughts, warrior-sister.

GwennyMD, whoa, that's a lot to deal with. I hope you get it sorted out fast so you can take care of YOU and mentally prepare for surgery the best you can.

SueChirple, it's so good to hear you sounding so chipper and well! It gives us all hope.

I am releasing all kinds of worries today. They better not come back!

Noob update - the PS is satisfied that the flushing is working so won't cut it open because he doesn't want to risk the healthy tissue, but he's not satisfied with the job the home care nurses were doing of it, so I have to trudge across town to the hospital for their NP to do it every day. Getting a call tomorrow for an appointment for another ultrasound so they can check the abscess and also see what this other painful spot is. They are as determined to save my noob as I am and after reading the stuff some of you ladies have gone through, I am so grateful that they don't fob me off when I complain.

Painkillers are knocking me about so it will be an early (and probably mostly sleepless, anyway) night for me. I long for the day I can curl up on my side and have no pains and no pulling, just glorious sleep. It's the little things in life

My drains came out today! what relief. They are oozing a bit, but i but I hope that will stop soon. My PS says everything looks good and the leg burning is nerve tingling that should go away soon. Gwenny - best of luck to you.

Lahela, it seems you are really getting excellent care - hang in there, 'this too shall pass'.

Debdylan, you are a true warrior - really enjoyed your last sentence! That's the spirit!

Krissy, glad you're doing okay, and lost those pesky drains. Drains are a royal pain.

Gwen, best wishes to you. Stay as busy as you can, and just think of the new boob and the flat tummy - it is all worth it.

jan-m, I did not have any lymphedema issues after DIEP in May, and still don't. Hope it stays that way! I've read that the flap that they transfer from the tummy to your boob contains lymph nodes which will regenerate, and make new connections in your new boob over time, so it is one positive there. Don't know about the C-sections - did not have any - but somebody here will chime in on it soon.

Flu shot saga continues, and I am getting more angry at my breast surgeon every day. I had a breast MRI after my biopsy of my left breast. MO wanted to see if anything was in nodes. Well, she calls me two days before my appt with my BS all upset, and says that something suspicious was in the right breast too. No biopsy, straight to surgery. Breast surgeon decides based on MRI that she will do sentinel biopsy on both sides not telling me the ramifications of this for the rest of my life!!!!!! Lymphedema was not even in my vocabulary yet.

Today I start calling around to see if anybody will give me Flu Mist even though I am over age. Nope. Then I ask about this new sub dermal flu vaccine. Not a shot, more in the lines of a TB test thingy. Just slightly goes through the skin, but it HAS to be done in the arm, according to guidelines, and there is a 70 percent chance of local reaction. No thanks!!!!! Sub dermal, is sub dermal Does it matter where? Sorry, guidelines state that is the only site we can give it. Oh, and CVS and Walgreens will not do it in butt. Called my GP and he will do it in my butt, but I have to pay a co-pay to have my flu shot now...ugh!!!!!!! I was so close to having my Shingles vaccine right before my dx, and I didn't. Darn it. I don't know what they will do about that one. It's not a regular shot. They inject it under the skin and it slowly absorbs. I am really angry right now. I hate BC!!!!

I feel so enlightened now that I know the origins of Wilbur!! That is priceless!

Jan-m, welcome! I had two c-sections, hysterectomy and oopherectomy and gall bladder removal and was still able to have a tummy flap. I have truncal lymphedema and arm lymphedema since my mastectomy in November, 2011. Flap surgery didn't make it any worse.

First day back in the office after being out for a couple of weeks. Oddly enough, life seemed to go on without me there, and it would appear that I'm not indispensable. I spent the day catching up, with my little farting wound vac machine perched on the desk beside. me.

The wound care nurse thinks I'll get the vac off when I see the PS on Wednesday afternoon, and they'll probably keep the IV ancef going until a couple of days afterward. Unfortunately...there's a couple of small spots under the OTHER noob that appear to want to be opening up, and I'm treating them with Polysporin and a clean dressing until I can show them to the PS. They're not huge, just worrisome to both the wound nurse and to me, after all the hoopla we've been through already.

Sleep well, sisters!