March 2014 Surgery

Hi FrostedCat

My surgeon was surprised when I told him I wanted a BMX, he just assumed I would have one breast removed. (& yes I knew about the chance of it more likely y to come back in brain, bone or lung) He called my oncologist & she told him she knew of my decision.

I can only speak for myself....it was a combination of what you said...worry, symmetry, no one thing but just the way I felt. And the fact that I have a super supportive husband of 40 years...& being age 60 makes a big difference, in my body image, self esteem, attitude, I am not the woman I was (good or bad) as when I was 30! 

That said, I did think I was going to have tissue expanders in both, then implants. The PS would not do that because of upcoming radiation (risks & issues). He would do a TE on non cancer side (then implant) & a dorsi flap on cancer side, then TE then implant eventually. I was not 100% with that, not even close. My surgery date was coming up & I needed to make a decision. I chose a BMX with no recon, I am one week post op. 

~~~ We all have so much going on in our heads during this time. Tough to make a decision & feel totally ok with it. I'd already had a lumpectomy & lymph node removal in Aug. Then 5 months of chemo, looking & feeling like crap. Then having to make a decision on having one or both breasts removal as well as recon or not was a biggie.

As I have said here before, I was flat chested all my life, always wore a padded bra so dressed I really won't look much different since I do plan to wear little foobs.

It is such a scary, confusing time & we can only hope we each made the right decision.

Hello All,

I had my 2 chest tubes pulled today. I didn't realize how much I didn't like them until they were gone. I took 2 percocet before and it wasn't that bad. I was a little concerned last night as i went to bed with a low grade fever. Everything was going so well, I was so disappointed. My nurse took my temperature this morning and it was gone. She told me to take it easy and let her know if any fever returns. My incision looks good, I just have lots of muscle pain in my armpit. Everyday gets better. My son had a tumor removed from his pituitary gland on Tuesday, so the emotions have been high all around. My husband stayed with him at the hospital. My sister set up www.foodtidings.com so dinners have been taken care of. I have never felt so loved.

The anxiety that blanketed me prior to the surgery has lifted, and I think was worse than the surgery itself. I have not received a call yet regarding my pathology. 2 nodes were removed, but I don't see my BS until April 14. I am assuming if there is something found, they wouldn't wait until then??

Thinking of you all. Keep remembering, This Too Shall Pass.

OMG, K!  Do not tempt me to send you my mother's number!  I almost fired it off right here on the thread

Will do regarding drug reminder.  Haven't even been doing Advil.  I just feel finished with that whole thing, you know?  And yet -- I would not have said 'no' to an Ativan for the eighth drain-pulling appointment.  XXX

BoBogirl -- My mother is with me as well. 

It was insightful when she said to me that she was in denial. (it hasd been 3 weeks since surgery) She said that to be with me and see me do things made her process it all and hopefully finally accept it.  I responded with, this is real, cancer is removed, additionally treatment has begun, reconstruction has begun -- I am going to get through this -- 

Maybe your Mom asking you to do everything you would normally always do is her denial.  Don't know your Mom, but maybe this insight is helpful. My Mom is not pressing me to do stuff however, in fact she is making sure I do not do tooooo much. 

KLJ, congratulations!  That's wonderful news!

Sailon, thank you for the offer of advice if I need it.

Today I went to my plastic surgeon's nurse just to check on all the different colors on my incisions to make sure everything is normal.  She said everything looks good.  I didn't get my last two drains pulled because they are still draining a little over 30 cc per day.  Tuesday should be the day which will be day 15.  I'm meeting with the PS then and I'm expecting my first post operative fill.  I'm excited about this.  On the table I got 200 cc on each side and they are kind of dippy and wavy looking.  My right boob is much wider than my left but I was told they will look wonky with the expanders.  Pain is minimal except I am definitely aware of a sore rocks on my chest feeling when I wake up during the night and in the mornings.  I've only been using Tylenol for pain for the past few days.  No codeine or valium.  Tomorrow I will sip a little chapagne to celebrate my good path report :-)

Frostecat, choosing a lumpectomy over a mastectomy is a very personal decision and I believe a person really shouldn't have to defend whatever they decide to do.  I chose bilateral mastectomy but was only diagnosed with IDC on the left.  The decision was easy for me for many reasons.  I had very dense and lumpy breasts my entire life.  I ALWAYS had lumps in both breasts that would come and go (fibrocystic disease).  My first worrisome mammograms started in my 30s.  Nearly every time I had a mammogram, it led to a diagnostic mammogram and sonogram.  I had a couple of needle biopsies and a stereotactic biopsy on my good right side in 2009.  I had microcalcifications on both sides.  They didn't find cancer but they did find a radial scar.  This led to an excisional biopsy.  So my right side had a dip in it from that surgery.  I was never happy with my saggy droopy breasts and the anxiety of mammograms and biopsies were getting tiresome.  My breasts had defied me and I wanted to reduce my recurrence rate as much as possible.  My surgeon had told me that he would have to remove a third of my left breast and I wouldn't have a good cosmetic outcome.  I figured that my breasts now know how to make breast cancer so it would be best to go the BMX route.  Lastly, if I did a lumpectomy, I would need radiation for sure.  Radiation can cause heart and lung issues and my tumor was close to my chest wall.  Also, if I needed a mastectomy later on, I know that reconstruction could be more of a challenge due to the radiation.  I did a lot of reading and thinking and felt it was the right choice for me.  I am totally at peace with my decision.  My surgeon and plastic surgeon also agreed that it was the best way to go for me.  I wish you the best in whatever you decide.

Here is a good thread you can read about lumpectomy vs. mastectomy.  Especially read the 7th post by Beesie:

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/68/topic/806074?page=1

Hope all the March Gals are doing ok!? 

~~~ When I was with hubby at the store last week, shuffling along, ever conscious of my BMX post op fragility I almost started laughing.  There I am poking along, with a hat on to cover my bald head looking like the poster child for a chemo cancer patient & realized I am NOT a chemo cancer patient anymore!!!! I may look like hell but I am cancer free!

It seemed bizarre to me also when I had my lumpectomy last August how well I felt & looked, healthy, nice long hair, eyelashes, brows, decent skin & nails...yet then I had cancer. Oh the things life throws at us! Ya just have to shake your head & laugh!

VintageGal1111,

Your post made me smile this morning. Thank  you!  I'm sorry you've had to endure so much.  But YESSSSSSSS!   You are a survivor.  Amen to being cancer free. Although we are all on different paths of somewhat of the same cancer journey,  I think we can all relate to those moments that might make us smile or she'd a tear or two.  Thanks for sharing. 

My right TE has been giving me sharp and unexpected pokes lately which makes me immediately grab my right foob. Since I'm still at home, and nobody is offended, I'm wondering if might still grab it if this same sensation should happen when I go back to work. ;-)  Can you imagine the looks i might get?! LOL

EverForward, I'm sure it's difficult at times to endure some of the unhappy emotions living alone.  It's good to hear you allow yourself those moments but then able to get back up and move forward. You are a strong woman!  I love this group in that we can lean, learn,  cry and laugh with each other.  I'm wishing you smooth sailing ahead. 

I wish all you lovelies a happy and healing day/night.  Gentle (((HUGS))) and smiles to everyone. 

Susan

KLJ -- congratulations on turning the corner.  I hope you have many more corners turned on this recovery. Looking at The Scars were an issue for me too.  My sister who was helping me out for the first 10 days continued to tell me how healthy and wonderful and perfect they looked. (really!)  I did not look at them the day my PS took the drains out - day 8.  I finally looked a few days later. It was ok -- my mind mourned the disappearance of ME a bit but the 10 or so days that had gone by had given me enough time to process the reality of what I would be looking at -- the view was ok- not bad- and all was healing as it should. It was a big step for me.   

I firmly believe in multiple daily use of stool softeners and yes prune juice too, with any kind of surgery and or narcotic this is critical. (learned this from appendix removal)  I almost took one with each pain pill I took - right from day one -- helped all go fine.  On my Exchange I will do it again.   

VINTAGEGAL1 & KLJ & Juliecc---- WOOOOOWHOOOO on being cancer free. A little sip of Champagne is well deserved.  It's lower in sugar than wine too -- 

iwannsee -- I say grab the foob all you want whenever you want.  Anything to minimize discomfort and pain.  I had my first fill  last Monday and my next one is this Monday.  The muscles are all talking to me -- one strand by one strand of fiber I think.  warmth, massage, backward shoulder rolls -- even though they hurt a bit help gently move the muscles and infuse blood and circulation stuff --  this all seems to help.  But I get the pings too and pressure on them feels good to me too. 

Thinking good thoughts for Gabriella and Sandra.  

Frostcat- I feel like my decision was made partly based on the fact that my Mother and both grandmothers had it done. I was three when Both of my grand mothers had it and 16 when my mom had her BMX.  None of them were tested for BRACA but my mother's sister was BRACA+ .  I was watched closely by oncologists scince I was in my 20's. I was even part of BRACA studies at Dana faber.  Once I has the genetic testing and was found negative I was told that I no longer needed all of the MRI's, mamo's an trans vaginal ultrasounds. I was told to just go to a local gyno and have yearly mammo's and pelvics. 

Flash forward 10 years and Mammo showed DCIS.  I felt like I had been lied to by doctors and previous mammography. Shocked but at the same time I felt like this is wht I have been expecting all of my life so lets do this and fight big! 

My Mom was 36 when she got BC. She got ovarian cancer when she was in her 40's.  If she had he ovaries removed she might be here with me.

I don't want my kids to say that so i chose BmX and will be having an oopher on April 1st and if they say chemo will be even slightly beneficial then count me in even though that sounds worse than BMX.  

VintageGal- You are an inspiration!  Every day I try to start at least one sentence with..."The GOOD news is......"  

MCbeach...awaiting the 2nd season of Orange is the new Black. I was off work sick and sat and watched the whole 1st. Was glad I was alone as my husband and 16 yr old wouldn't have been liking a lot of it. By the end was loving all the different characters. Hoping my mom will like Mad Men. Got started on that series and need to finish. Any other series out there I should watch?

Will also start my journal with...the good news. I like that, Stfne.

Taking a break from cleaning. After heating the house with wood in the evenings the house suuuuure gets dusty. Yuk. But boy I my house sparkling now. Too bad it never lasts long

LOL I watched all the Orange episodes too during winter chemo then read the book on my Kindle.

Footballnut...you are an inspiration. Thank you.

Just a word of caution on taking stool softeners and laxatives.  Unless you already know from previous experience that you tend to have constipation issues with either anesthetic, or narcotic pain meds, be careful how much you use.  I have a tendency to have the opposite problem, so taking these types of drugs preemptively would have been disastrous.    This was the case throughout chemo and Herceptin as well. 

frostecat - here is a link to another thread with surgery prep suggestions:

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topic/699896?page=21#idx_601

One thing I recommend is having a basket that you can keep all your stuff in when you get home, like tissues, glasses, remotes, phones, meds, a medicine tracking sheet or log, pen or pencil, etc.  Also get a thermal cup with a lid and hole for a straw, narcotics make you clumsy and you don't want to have to clean up an unintended spill.  Also, my DH got a lamp extension thing from Home Depot, that meant I did not have to lean over from the bed to turn the lamp on or off - here is the link:

http://www.homedepot.com/s/lamp%2520dimmer%2520remote?NCNI-5

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Credenza-300-Watt-Plug-In-Lamp-Dimmer-White-TT-300H-WH/100001525

He got me the $10 one - love it!

Good afternoon March girls, I am 1 week out from my surgery, I still have 1 drain left. I hope it will come out on Monday. I had a temporary implant put in until I finish rads. It's a little tight especially under my armpit, I assume it is swelling. How long does it take for the swelling to go down? Also I had PCR on my path report so all clear. I am wondering what they will radiate since I had nodes removed and had MX. RO initially said chest wall and clavicular area, I guess I will wait to find out when I see him on the 31st. I am so thankful that path report was good, but I just still feel blah when I should be happy. Any of you feel that way? I am hoping as the weeks go on,I will get my spirit back. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!!