DIEP 2013

lahela....I'm so glad you got such supportive and loving responses from some of your friends......so sad about the "silence" from the other one. Remember, whatever her "issues" may be, they are not yours to sort out. Keep up with the healing, hope you get good results from the silicone too. How is that sore foot of yours doing???

Hugs to all, happy Sunday morning! 

Lahela...Hugs honey. Concentrate on the two who were able to support you. Don't write the third off forever, maybe she has her own story happening.

I am good friends with several women in the neighborhood and, unfortunately, we have all had major things happening in the last year. We support one another as best we can, but we have all been limping along, so to speak. When we call or text or stop by we always say, hi, this is your horrible friend...lol....maybe, for whatever reason, she just needs more time. 

Morning all.  Just got back from a walk and a coffee with two great friends.  Wonderful way to start the day.  It's still a bit icy here, but we walked on the roads, so were good to go.  Felt great to get outside for longer than a walk to the car.

Lahela - I had a similar experience with one friend.  I was at her house with a couple of other friends, and had intended to tell them all that evening. We are friends from university and see each other a few times a year and keep in touch on the phone or by email during the rest of the year.   The conversation just didn't flow in a direction that it made sense to add my news to the mix, and there were a number of little ones and teenagers around.  So I ended up telling just her when she walked me to my car at the end of the night.  I  would now characterize her reaction as shock.  It struck me as a bit odd at the time and I couldn't put a name to it.  In any case, I didn't hear from her for a long time, and I thought maybe this is something that is going to come between us.  We are fine now.  I think she needed some time to process, etc, and she had a lot going on at the time ( going away on vacation, etc.). So maybe give your  friend more time.    She might have something going on that prevents her from handling your news right now.  I hope you hear from her soon.

Nihahi- you sound a lot better

Kelly - welcome to the other side!

Bailey- you always bring such a warm, sunny feeling to the board:)

I am still having some incision healing issues where they removed the nondissolving dissolvable stitches.   I wish these areas would seal.  The surgeon said just gauze, so that's what I'm doing, but not seeing any progress.  I still have a nurse coming every second day, so I will see what she says today.  

Have a great day everyone,

Ridley

I wouldn't read the silence as not caring. Some people just don't know how to react or what to say. Some people hear the word bc and freeze. It may have something to do with their past experiences, or their fear of the unknown. Just as we would hope they are understanding of our situation, although they don't have any idea what we are going through, we should strive to understand their situation because we don't entirely know what they have experienced. We are often surprised when we receive the most support from those whom we would least expect it.  We don't have any control over how others deal with our situation, we only have control over how we choose to deal with it ourselves. I pray no friendships will be dissolved over my diagnosis.

Lol....We are all different creatures. I worked all through treatment and I was very open about it. I am a very visible person in the Company and knew that my physical changes and frequent absences would be noticed. So I figured I would rather have people hear it from me, as speculation is always worse than the truth, and feel free to talk to me about it. Besides...I had blonde, redhead and brunette wigs....kind of a giveaway.

At the end of treatment they had a "hat/wig day" for me where everybody in the office wore a hat or a wig (it was a surprise to me) to celebrate.....very fun.

They're going to discharge me shortly.  I've got to be honest I don't love the nurses here.  I've had nausea and dizziness since my surgery Wednesday and things like being in a dirty gown for two days, no toilet paper in my bathroom, both bras they gave me are dirty - and I'm in one of them.  They haven't cleaned my wounds today despite telling me to do it twice a day.  Nurses disappear for long periods.  Has anyone experienced nausea and vertigo post surgery?  The doctor said it was a reaction to the pain meds, but I didn't have this issue after my mastectomy.  

Mine was also caused by my antibiotic, Minocycline. I couldn't eat or drink and became dehydrated. Visious cycle.

goldie...I hope you let the pain management people know about ALL your issues, and give them a chance to help sort things out for you. It might be they recommend meds, to get you on a more regular routine with less "sensation", or it could be different tools altogether!!! You have a ways to go before you have the flap surgery...might as well try to make it as good as possible. Stay positive!

that'a girl....give it a chance!

Saw my BS today - she's very happy with my noobs and is amazed at how taut and trim my tummy is! She agreed that a bone scan would be a good idea, so that's set for Thursday.

goldie, good luck at your appointment today. It would be great if the doctor has some non-pharmaceutical suggestions to make.

Kelley, I'm so sorry your hospital experience has been so bad. Be sure to let your doctor know. Most doctors I know throw a fit if the nurses are not taking care of their patients. Ditto the above, the dizziness and nausea could be from the anesthesia, the pain killers, and/or the antibiotics. (Have your blood pressures been okay since surgery?) Hard to control those things because you needed/still need them. And I'm sure you had more anesthesia for recon than for mx. All I can suggest is to stay hydrated, take your pills with food, yogurt can help with tummy troubles from the antibiotics, and just give it time. Eventually the anesthesia will leave your body, you'll need less pain killers (eventually none), and you'll finish the antibiotic. If it's very bad you can ask the doctor about changing the antibiotic and/or the pain pills (I don't like to take dilaudid, it works well with pain but makes me nauseous). Be mindful that you don't fall when you get up! And welcome home!

Thanks everybody, getting ready to leave soon.

Zen, I love those micro derma planing facials. I use to go pretty often, but they have gotten very pricey. But, Deb...definitely worth it to get the fuzz off. Or, if you are really adventurous. it's really the same thing as having your whole face shaved. I know that sounds scary, but not really. With micro planing they take a very fine little scalpel and scrape it over your face gently to remove dead skin, and the fuzz comes with it.  With shaving you take a find blade and scrape it over your face to remove hair, but dead skin comes with it.  Same thing.  But, if you say "shave" instead of "micro planing" women freak out because they believe the old wives tale that the hair grows back thicker.  Not true. 

Things are better today.  Made it to the hotel and got a good night's sleep.  I was feeling ok to walk down and eat breakfast downstairs but showering and changing dressings wiped me out - so back to bed!  Overall the breasts look fantastic, it's a bit harder to see my tummy line, I'm so tight.  Feeling very sure Dr. Sullivan was the best choice.  I notice today that at the top of my left breast that there is a short "ridge" of what feels like hard, ropey tissue.  Everything else is still soft and squishy.  Is this normal?  

Kelley, it must be so nice to be out of the hospital. Showering totally wiped me out for quite a few days after surgery.

Lahela, eye is the same. I see eye specialist next week......after MO and Gyno this week. Thanks for asking.