April 2014 Surgery Sisters

Options
12467…23

Comments

  • birdlady222
    birdlady222 Member Posts: 276
    edited March 2014

    Welcome imnicoletwo!  I am new here, too.  I am scheduled for mastectomy on Wed April 2.  I have found this site to be very helpful, and the ladies here very welcoming and knowledgeable.  It is sad that we all have to meet this way, but it is a comfort to know that there are those who understand and are willing to share their experiences.  Ask questions...many here are willing to help find answers.

    Best wishes on your surgery!  Here we go April sisters!  I am ready to get it done and move on to healing.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Asb
    Asb Member Posts: 99
    edited March 2014

    chiclet92, Tb2005, Chicagopatient, 

    You will be in my thoughts tomorrow as you lead us off. I hope you can relax and enjoy your evening. Keep us updated.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2014
    • Chiclet92 
    • Tb2005
    • Chicagopatient

    Can't believe tomorrow is April 1st … Good luck girls!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Gracielou4123
    Gracielou4123 Member Posts: 6
    edited April 2014

    I find myself reving into panic mode, the clock is ticking with only one week until my surgery. I've probably had way too much time to think about everything, research things to death, come up with worse case scenarios. No amount of worrying can change my outcome or future, but that does not see to stop me. I draw strength from all of you ladies, and hope I can provide the same for you.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • KLJ
    KLJ Member Posts: 284
    edited April 2014

    Gracielou41, I was just like you. Too much time on my hands. I was diagnosed in FL.on Dec. 12 and moved to CA on Dec 18. The move was planned for my husband's work. Had to find doctors here and start from scratch. In all complete honesty not one thing that I researched and was afraid of turned out to be true. Nothing hurt. I built everything up in my mind and was my own worst enemy. You can do this!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Debzjourney14
    Debzjourney14 Member Posts: 67
    edited April 2014

    good luck to the ladies having surgery tomorrow!  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Txgatata
    Txgatata Member Posts: 60
    edited April 2014

    Going in for my bilateral lumpectomy and nipple removal tomorrow morning, April 1st - No April Fools Joke! :)

    Even though this is my second time around, I'm choosing not to take nodes. My GS was concerned that since my nodes have already been "disturbed" with my original mastectomy, they wouldn't be able to find a sentinel node and would have to do the axillary dissection. But my MO said that we didn't have to take the nodes if we cant find the sentinel node. Has anyone here ever not gotten their nodes taken?

    Another fun fact, they are using a nuclear material to try to find the sentinel node because the dye would tattoo me. I didn't get why - maybe because of the DIEP flap? Anyone ever heard of that happening?

    Off to bed to get my rest for tomorrow. Sending good vibes to all my April Surgery Sisters!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • noonrider
    noonrider Member Posts: 464
    edited April 2014
    • April 1 - Chiclet92, BMX with tissue expanders
    • April 1 - Tb2005, BMX with tissue expanders and SNB
    • April 1 - Chicagopatient, MX TBD

    Thinking of you ladies tonight. I'm hoping you're able to sleep tonight to prepare you for tomorrow. Praying for you guys!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Chiclet92
    Chiclet92 Member Posts: 14
    edited April 2014

    Good Morning!  I'm ready to get this over with.  I'm also having a SNB and had my injections and imaging yesterday. It was no big deal. Then I got my markings from the PS. I couldn't shower after that. Oh well!  Thanks for the good wishes. I'm sending my best to tb2005, Chicagopatient and Jmanningtx!!  I'll report back when I'm released from the hospital.  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DiveCat
    DiveCat Member Posts: 968
    edited April 2014

    Love to all in surgery today!

    This is not surgery related but I need to vent as it is affecting my need for calm before surgery! I am soooo stressed out. Not about my surgery, but the lack of time before it because of some major fires that came up at work yesterday on a file that I cannot really turn over to someone else (for several reasons). I am pissed at opposing counsel who has had several months to bring up this issue and chose to do it now! Especially as the issue itself is a bunch of bovine excrement and his client is a nutbar (and I have the emails to prove it!). So, now I am in for an incredibly stressful week or two dealing with this in addition to all the other deadlines I need to tie up and do not know how I am going to get it all done and retain my sanity. I generally like the challenge of my job, but right now I sure do not!

    Also, yesterday I realized I am more anxious about my mother and stepfather staying over for a week after surgery than the surgery. I am such an introvert and very private. Even more so when not feeling well. I get severely anxious when others (other than my husband - and even he knows to give me space when I need it - and cat) are in my private space including my home. I really, really fear them being around is going to have me feel confined to my bedroom (without TV or recliner which are both in the living room..or even my comfort cat who typically is not in bedroom!) or going for much longer walks alone than I perhaps should initially! I am mad at myself for not, in the pressure of the moment when my mother had already booked tickets, standing up and saying I wanted them to stay no more than 3-4 days after surgery as originally agreed.  My mother just wants to caretake, and I get it but I do not like it, and I fear she will be resentful if I get cranky about it. She never did like how I spent my teen years out or in the basement....though I do not know if she gets it is because of the anxiety I get being around people so much...even ones I like! I am going to feel too worn out to do anything about it and then just feel more anxious. They both mean well, but even good intentions can be too overwhelming for me! 

    Sigh. It is times like this when I wonder if maybe I DO need to be on anti-anxiety meds. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • birdlady222
    birdlady222 Member Posts: 276
    edited April 2014

    Good luck to ladies having surgery today!  My thoughts and prayers are with you!  Tomorrow is my day, and I am very much looking forward to having it done and getting on with healing.  Please come back when you are up to it and let us know how you are doing.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • carnes
    carnes Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2014

    Good luck to Chiclet92, Tb2005 & Chicagopatient with your surgeries today, also  Birdlady222 & Lespring with your surgeries tomorrow.

    I am still waiting on a date for my surgery...question: I am starting a new job (desk job) on May 5 and will need to be in the office part of the last week of April. I am having a PBX w/expanders placed while I do realize everyone is different I wonder what the recovery time will be, I will have more time off in December and thought I may postpone the surgery if needed. Thank you for your advice.  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MakeLemonade
    MakeLemonade Member Posts: 153
    edited April 2014

    Can I be added to the list?  

    Had my lumpectomy plus lymph node dissection last week oh March 24th.  One area on small tumor came up with margins that were too close so we are going back in next week on Apr 9.  Surgeon will also place my chemo port. I am HER2+ so we know I will have to have Herceptin and we know I will have chemo due to lymph node involvement.  Now that the left arm can't be used anymore and I have sucky veins to begin with, I am THRILLED to get a port. Hubby was horrified, but he doesn't do the reading that I do

    I am glad for the "two-fer" surgery because it turns out that I don't wake up quickly from the anesthesia. Couldn't stop crying, nausea .... Really took me by surprise as I only felt mild discomfort from the initial biopsy, and the radioactive injection and the 2 wire locs the day of my surgery 

    Good luck to all having surgery today and tomorrow!  Thinking of you all and sending positive light!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MissMaples
    MissMaples Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2014

    Chiclet92, tb2005, ChicagoPatient, and now jmanningtx too!  Hope you made room in your pockets for us today.  We are with you, cheering you on! You can do this :). Safe and gentle healing wishes for all four of you. (Welcome jmanningtx, so happy you joined us!)

    Jmanningtx, I am afraid I don't have any knowledge regarding your nodes questions, sorry!  I wonder, once you are home and feeling up to it, it might be worth posting these as their own thread on the Surgery forum. I would be surprised it someone on these boards wouldn't know something about it?

    DiveCat, aw, I am sorry everything has come to a head like this for you.  It is totally understandable how you are feeling. The timing of the work mess is awful! And I am a total introvert and slight weirdo about personal space like you :). And though you may have been joking about the meds lol, and I am pretty much a cautious chicken about medication, honestly, if there was ever a time to get a bit of help to try to deal ..... it is definitely now!

    Birdlady222, Lespring, and cdelv66 I want to wish you the very best for your surgeries tomorrow and Thursday as well.  I am going into the hospital a day early for mine so won't be here to send you a message at the right time.  I will be thinking of you all!

    Carnes, I think a bit further up i.e. earlier on this thread there was some discussion on estimated recovery times that will hopefully help :)

    See you all on the other side!  

    MM

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MissMaples
    MissMaples Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2014

    Welcome MakeLemonade!  Thank you for joining us, though I am sorry about the margin troubles, anaesthesia woes and now an additional surgery.  Fingers crossed it will all go easy peasy next time 'round! 

    In any event, we are happy to have you :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DiveCat
    DiveCat Member Posts: 968
    edited April 2014

    MissMaples, 

    I appreciate the sympathy! :)

    The work thing took up, oh, 12 hours of my day today, but I feel a bit more like I have a grasp on it. I might have to still hand it over to someone as it might come to a head when I will not be around, but in meantime I am putting together EVERYTHING that person would need to rely on to deal with it.  It will take me a while, but they should be well briefed! It also helped that, though I ended up staying 2 hours late at work to deal with it (and came home hungry and cranky to a very hungry kitty), opposing counsel sent me an email near end of day and I sent a substantial response that he will get to open up tomorrow to start his day off. Only fair if that is how I ended mine yesterday and today! I truly hate when someone claims to be the aggrieved party after there was substantial prejudice to us and great patience also by us through the process.  Sometimes being fair can come back to bite you, which I hate as it just reinforces the stereotypes on us lawyer types and has me being concerned about extending that much fairness next time around! I am not a mean lawyer type, and I don't really want to be! A good advocate, yes, but not mean!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2014
    • April 2 - Birdlady222, UMX with tissue expanders and Contralateral breast lift
    • April 2 - Lespring, Lumpectomy and SNB
    Thinking of you both!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ddkath70
    Ddkath70 Member Posts: 129
    edited April 2014

    hi ladies, just found this forum and wanted to chime in. I have a lot of reading to do here, but it looks like I'm not alone with a surgery tomorrow. I'm having a lumpectomy in my left breast, and I'm praying for clean margins and no lymph node involvement. 

    I wish everyone good luck with your surgeries!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tb2005
    tb2005 Member Posts: 9
    edited April 2014

    Lespring I know how you are feeling, such a hard decision. I just had my surgery yesterday, bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. Cancer was only in the left breast and my decision as to removing one or both was hard, but I felt at peace when I decided to remove both. I truly feel there is no definite answer and we just have to listen to our heart and do what we feel most comfortable with. This is all so hard and so emotional, but you'll get through. I emotionally feel much better 1 day after surgery because I feel like I'm doing something about my cancer now. Good luck with everything 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MissMaples
    MissMaples Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2014

    tb2005, welcome back and well done!  You are a star, can't believe you are feeling well enough to post already. Thank you so much for letting us know you are doing well.  Sending gentle hugs and healing your way.  Take good care of yourself, we are thinking of you :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Txgatata
    Txgatata Member Posts: 60
    edited April 2014

    Good Morning, Ladies!  Surgery went well-did nuclear injection and they were able to find the sentinal node very quickly. GS removed just that one along with my nipples, the tumor and portions of my fat on both side. The girls look pretty sad right now but I am confident my PS can make them look great again!

    Some pain, but manageable. Wanted to post again for you ladies in waiting to make sure you coach you DS or the person that is with you at the hospital to ask questions of the doctors if you are too out of it to remember they are there! According to my DS, the surgeons said "the tissue around the Sentinel node lit up from the nuclear material so we took that to"". Unfortunately my DS didn't thing to ask what in the HE double matchsticks that meant so here I am at 3:30 in the morning scouring the internet to decipher that message. No matter how awesome your doc is, you have to ask questions so make sure you tell your DH to do it when you can't!

    Good Luck today, Birdlady222 and Lespring!😊

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MissMaples
    MissMaples Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2014

    Ddkath70, welcome to the group and thank you for joining us!

    We will be in your pocket today, all the very best wishes with today's surgery and recovery.  Let us know how you are doing when you can :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MissMaples
    MissMaples Member Posts: 46
    edited April 2014

    Jmanningtx, welcome back and well done to you too!  Gosh you guys are amazing in your resilience.  Sending gentle healing hugs your way :)

    Re: the node tissue question, I am sorry that is causing you such worry!  I wish I knew something to help.  I wonder if it would be worth posting the question itself as a thread.  That way it will appear right at the top of the discussion boards as it's own item, and thus many more are likely to see it.  I am certain someone here at BCO will be able to shed some light on this for you and hopefully put your mind at some ease.  

    And please take good care of yourself!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Asb
    Asb Member Posts: 99
    edited April 2014

    Sending hugs to birdlady,leap ring, and Ddkath. I will be thinking about you today. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Rubiayat
    Rubiayat Member Posts: 144
    edited April 2014

    tb2005 and Jmanningtx - glad to see you are back here already and everything went well! That is good advice to have someone asking questions for you. When I had a SNB they took some tissue around a node (never said anything about it lighting up - but then maybe I don't remember!) and sent it to pathology along with the nodes. All came back negative.

    Divecat - I am glad your work situation is feeling more manageable - you have enough on your plate already! How frustrating to try to find more time and energy to resolve work issues when you need to prepare yourself for surgery. I am working hard on several projects to get them to a place where I can hand them over for a couple of months. Of course our health is the priority, but I worry about what will happen to my projects while I am gone. I have worked hard to get them where they are and I don't want all of that to be for naught!

    I can empathize with your anxiety of having your mother and stepfather stay and care for you for a week. I need my space as well and can get overwhelmed by people at times. My friend is going to come help for a week instead of my mother, as she drives me crazy! Sometimes I find it hard to just be vulnerable and let others care for me - I am used to be the one caring for them. One thing I am learning from this whole experience is to ask for and receive help.

    Birdlady, leap ring, and Ddkath - wishing you all the best!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lakegirl1
    Lakegirl1 Member Posts: 316
    edited April 2014

    Make Lemonade...I was in the March surgery group too...I completely understand your concerns re: the nausea/pain issues after gen anesthesia.  The reaction you are describing is similar to mine.  I can't have any narcotics...at all.  They don't use any in surgery or in post-op recovery.    I also don't get ANY narco  pain meds.  They start meds to prevent nausea/vomiting prior to surgery, one starts the night before.   Another thing, I get motion sickness as well.  They like to roll you around on the bed and you are laying down.  Ask to sit up a little, enough to see where you are going.  Staring at the ceiling tiles going by sets off my motion sickness almost immediately.   

    Have you talked with the surgeon re: Exparel?  Miraculous stuff!!!  My hospital doesn't keep it due to the cost, but PS is allowed to provide at time of surgery. If your not familiar, it is a local analgesic that is put in before close and lasts approx 72 hours. For me it helps get past the initial surgical pain to get to a point where they can give me the milder stuff.   In the hospital, my IV pain med is Toradol.   I go home with 600mg Motrin and 5mg Valium.

    Tell anyone and everyone who will listen re: your concerns about nausea/vomiting, especially, anesthesiologist.  There are def measures they can take so you don't feel so awful. 

    Good Luck...

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • vfay49
    vfay49 Member Posts: 101
    edited April 2014

    Gracielou41,  I understand how you are feeling.   My surgery is the day before yours.  My emotions have been all over the place ever since I made my decision to have a BMX with implant reconstruction over a month ago.  Although everyone keeps telling me that I should stop researching now that I have a plan in place, I can't seem to stop myself from doing so.  I look daily for information that will ease my mind and get me through another day.  This site has been a great help as long as I focus on the positive.  I have also been fortunate to be able to communicate with someone who had the same procedure I will be having this past fall.  She has such a positive attitude and is doing so well that talking with her has given me hope for a speedy recovery and successful reconstruction experience.  I hope to offer the same support to others when this is all behind me.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lettinggo
    Lettinggo Member Posts: 52
    edited April 2014

    Stonesmama, glad to hear that chemo has shrunk your tumors considerably.  Do you have the measurements?  I too am doing chemo first before surgery - still got 10 more taxol and carbo to do before July surgery.  Hope you had fun on your cruise and keep us posted on how you do post surgery.. take care

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ninany
    Ninany Member Posts: 55
    edited April 2014

    Hi all, 

    Just at the one week mark now, surgery on the 9th.

    Gracielou & vfay49 - I am with you on the researching and pre-planning. For me, it calms me down to be doing something, even if it's just reading about others' surgeries.  I've had a fair amount of time to prepare for this so I am basically done when it comes to assembling my post op stuff.  This week I am pampering myself, getting a massage, a haircut, taking yoga classes, etc.  No big plans for going out or seeing anyone.  Sort of nesting, I guess.  I find that deep breathing yoga exercises are really helpful for my anxiety.

    I hope everyone's surgeries go well and will update my status after the 9th.  

    Good luck to you all.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Chiclet92
    Chiclet92 Member Posts: 14
    edited April 2014

    Hi!  Am home from the hospital.  I had a BMX with expanders and a SNB. All is well. I am so extremely relieved to get the surgery over with!  The pain is tolerable with pain meds. I am wrapped up and will stay this way until I see my doc next week. He filled me with 200cc already.   I also will take an antibiotic.  I do feel a little helpless trying to follow the restrictions. Though my sister-in-law is here to help for 2 weeks so that is a big help.  (I'm used to doing, doing, doing).   If anyone wants more details on my experience please let me know. I feel like I learned quite a bit reading from others experiences.

    Sending good wishes and hugs to the ladies who will have surgery and who went in today!  Be mighty!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories