August 2014 Surgery

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  • iwannaseeyoubebrave
    iwannaseeyoubebrave Member Posts: 226
    edited August 2014

    SueEllen, thinking about you as well!  Big day tomorrow.  We will be in your pockets cheering you on.  Sleep well tonight.  You've got this! 

    Hugs to you. 

    Susan


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  • maryland
    maryland Member Posts: 1,298
    edited August 2014

    Good luck to all you tomorrow surgery girls, in your pockets. Got my last 2 drains out today, onward and upwards. Lipgloss, hope it all turns out ok and was just a glitch.. Imheretoo, good news, moving on...Ally, hope things are going ok and improving everyday.. Night ladies, I'm moving out of the recliner and back into my bed. Sweet dreams all!

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  • ml143333
    ml143333 Member Posts: 658
    edited August 2014

    I finally received my HER2 status and it is negative!  My surgeon told me that it was the longest time she has ever had to wait for results.  It did take from 7/11 to today to get them back.

    My surgery is in 6 days!  Part of me is excited to get it done but the other is a bit anxious.  I guess once I get the surgery, it just gets a little more real but that is okay - we are tough and we will all get to a new normal once our treatments are over.

    Thank you ladies for being my support!

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  • iwannaseeyoubebrave
    iwannaseeyoubebrave Member Posts: 226
    edited August 2014

    Great news ml143333! Hopefully that will give you a little more peace of mind before surgery. 


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  • SunnyC
    SunnyC Member Posts: 75
    edited August 2014

    Congratulations ml143333 !!!!  that is fantastic news.  Breathe........

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  • Milaandra
    Milaandra Member Posts: 271
    edited August 2014

    I had a little breakdown at work today...first crying I've done since diagnosis. I found out today that I haven't been a staff member long enough to get realistic sick leave. (I was contract for two years, and with a branch in Canada for 9) I have three weeks to recover, with nothing in reserve for rads or chemo. I thought I was pretty dedicated coming in to work with this oozing ulcer, but it's a good thing I did! I'm considering doing 10 hour days next week so my surgery day doesn't come off that 15 days leave.  So yes, feeling very forsaken...

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  • ml143333
    ml143333 Member Posts: 658
    edited August 2014

    Milaandra - I am so sorry.  Does your company have a program where people can donate leave to you?  That's what I had to do because I have only been at my current job for a year and didn't have enough leave to cover the entire time I will be out.

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  • Sassy_Seven
    Sassy_Seven Member Posts: 47
    edited August 2014

    Milaandra, so sorry to hear this. Not another thing to figure out... Do you have short term or long term disability benefits in Scotland?

    Ml143333, great news! Even if it took forever! Which is the hardest part.

    I am having some mixed feelings. Tuesday I got prelimary pathology report from surgery and it was almost fabulous!! Clean margins! No node involvement! Wow!! Big yay!! ER+/PR+ confirmed! Tumor 2.2cm so shrunk from 3.5 through neoadjuvanct therapy! Yay!! 

    But, HER2 status uncertain so they are doing more testing: FISH. HER2 status was negative from core needle biopsy last Nov. If positive it means a sea change in therapy, probably chemo then rads instead of right to rads. Maybe differet targeted therapy. Plus I feel like have the past 10 months been in vain? Aarrgghh. 

    Lots of great news!! More waiting. I feel so lucky, mostly. ;-)

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  • Sassy_Seven
    Sassy_Seven Member Posts: 47
    edited August 2014

    Oh, lipgloss, I wanted to tell you I have some heart issues so my cardiologist had to approve surgery after passing a stress echocardiogram. She made sure I was on the correct heart medication. I admit I was more concerned about that leading up to the surgery but I met with the anesthesiologist as part of pre-op and that gave me greater peace of mind. Everything went great! UCLA is excellent (former So Cal girl here). I am sure it will be great. Keep us posted. Did I say great yet?

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  • Allydp
    Allydp Member Posts: 520
    edited August 2014

    Brandy - so happy all went well with your surgery! You look beautiful in your recovery pic. :)

    Jules - I'm smiling ear to ear for your path report! That is awesome, awesome news! And wohoo for one drain out! 

    Seashore - yay for a successful surgery and congrats on your initial path report! 

    Imheretoo - so sorry the care in Italy is so frustrating. I hope you can get some answers soon and devise a good game plan going forward. 

    1more - yay or getting at least one drain out! Why are they removing more tissue on the 22nd? Did they not get clear margins?

    Sunflowercat - welcome! I hope all is going well today. We're all here for you when you feel like checking back in. Sending you gentle hugs. 

    Lipglossmom - how scary about your EKG! Have you found out why you failed? 

    Genny - so glad you got those last drains out! Must feel awesome! 

    M1 - congrats on the HER2 status! 

    Milaandra - how upsetting, I'm so sorry. I know you have to do what you have to do, but please don't overdo it and set yourself back. The donated leave idea is great. I'd definitely look into that, or speak with HR and find out if anything can be done. 

    Well, I got home yesterday around 2 pm and have been feeling pretty good. Still can't believe I ended up with 6 drains. My PS said it was because I had a much larger breast pocket that expected. The spot my BS nicked is already scabbing over and healing so I'm relieved about that. My biggest issue now is constipation (sorry, TMI). I've tried colace, prune juice and even a cup of coffee, but nothing is working. I'm starting to get nauseas from it, so I need to find a remedy soon. On a much better note - I have some awesome news to share! Path report was clear - no cancer cells found - so I had a complete response to chemo!!! For us triple negatives, that means really great things for our prognosis. My BS actually called me at home last night to personally tell me that and officially declare me cancer free, which I thought was awesome. :)

    I'm thinking of all you ladies who have undergone sx this week and sending you many gentle hugs. 

    SueEllen and Quilt - hope all is going well today. Can't wait to hear from you.

    Hi to everyone else! xoxo

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  • Juliecc
    Juliecc Member Posts: 4,868
    edited August 2014

    Allydp, that's awesome news!  I'm so happy for you!

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  • iwannaseeyoubebrave
    iwannaseeyoubebrave Member Posts: 226
    edited August 2014

    Alicia! Welcome home and fantastic news on the pathology report!  That is awesome!  Sorry about the drains but better out then staying put. Also speaking of better out....try some milk of magnesia ASAP.  You need to take care of that right away.  Call your doctor if you don't get any relief soon. 

    Sassy, congratulations on your report as well. My HER2 eresults were same as yours.  The waiting stinks. After a few more tests mine came out negative.  Fingers crossed for you. Stay positive. 


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  • Sassy_Seven
    Sassy_Seven Member Posts: 47
    edited August 2014

    Congrats Allydp!! Yay!

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  • ganzgirl2010
    ganzgirl2010 Member Posts: 235
    edited August 2014

    hello ladies..i made it thru the 5 hour surg ! They DID put my TE's in and so far so good...Im in a lot of pain and ended up with 4 drains. Lymph nodes were negative !!! So now waiting on pathology from surg for onco score..if that is low then NO CHEMO...pray, pray, pray :) I will hopefully be going home tomorrow...glad to see the others that are recovering well ! And good luck to the rest of our August sisters

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  • iwannaseeyoubebrave
    iwannaseeyoubebrave Member Posts: 226
    edited August 2014

    Ganzgirl,  you did it! That's a long surgery.  I'm glad to hear you are doing well. Yay for clear nodes!  Praying the rest of your tests come back clean.  Rest up and stay ahead of the pain. 


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  • Sunflowercat
    Sunflowercat Member Posts: 177
    edited August 2014

    Hi ladies!  Checking in from the hospital.  Surgery apparently went well.  Took about 6 hours and PS showed my husband a pic and hubby said it looked good. (That's saying a lot, because he 's a medical woos).  I have yet to talk to my surgeons.  Everyone says I'm doing great and look good, but the pain is keeping me awake. I have 2 drains and it's no joke about the vice grip on the chest.  Eeeek!  I've got ice packs under both arms and a cryo sleeve across my chest to help with swelling.  I was thinking I'd go home today, but now considering staying as long as they let me.  Don't think I'd rest at home at all. 

    Allydp - I had a terrible time with constipation after my knee surgery in June.  My PS told me to try aloe juice.  Might want to google it to get recs on how much/best way to take it.  Mine is sitting in the fridge at home and I stocked my bathroom with colace, miralax, suppositories and enemas.  I am not taking any chances this time around.  I'm also drinking tons of water and eating lots of roughage.  Anything to help.

    Milaandra - hoping you can figure out a way to get more time off.  You've earned a good cry.  Just get it all out.  It would be great if others could donate their time off to you.  Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

    Lipgloss - so sorry about your EKG.  I really hope that it's a mistake.  

    Oh and as for my hair - I got a blow out. Best! decision! ever! Took her almost 90 min to do, but now it's brushable.  I bought a hair brush and have been making my visitors fix my ponytail after napping. Ha!  Feels awesome.  I have scheduled a weekly blowout for the next 4 weeks.  Totally worth it, but it freaks everyone out since few peeps have seen me with straight hair.  I get a kick out of that.  Like to keep people on their toes.

    I hope everyone is doing well.  I'll check back in later...off to pee for the millionth time and harass my nurses! 

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  • ganzgirl2010
    ganzgirl2010 Member Posts: 235
    edited August 2014

    Good Morning Ladies,

     

     Still here in the hospital. Last night was really bad as far as the pain...I think I only slept for a total of 2 hours...don't think I will be going home today since they cant seem to get pain under control. Walking is really painful...any kind of movement is painful really. Please tell me this gets better because I see no light at the end of the tunnel right now...all I want to do is cry :(

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  • ml143333
    ml143333 Member Posts: 658
    edited August 2014

    Ganz - I am so sorry you are in such pain and hope they can get it under control for you.

    Sunflower - I am glad your surgery was successful and over!  Sorry about the drains and the general discomfort you are in.  I hope you will be feeling better and better each day.

    Ally - WOOHOO!!!!!  I am so happy for you and the results you received!  Enjoy this day!

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  • aviva5675
    aviva5675 Member Posts: 1,353
    edited August 2014

    It gets better!!  The first few days can be very painful.  I loved my every 7 minutes morphine button for the first 36 or so hours. Then tried to back off it a bit...Moving is painful for sure! Stay in the hospital as long as possible, have the nurses help you do things-- remember have some one put their hand/arm behind your back to help push you up/forward when trying to get up.  We don't realize how much we use our arm and pec muscles til they are not there!  The tightness should relax as the weeks go forward--- remember, during the surgery they sliced and diced you- its going to hurt!

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  • Allydp
    Allydp Member Posts: 520
    edited August 2014

    Thanks so much, ladies! I appreciate your support and encourage so very much!

    Susan - you are a life saver!!! I sent my hubby out for Milk of Magnesia last night and it did the trick! I feel like a new woman lol. 

    Ganz - so happy to hear all went well and nodes were clear! I'll be sending you lots of good thoughts for no chemo. As far as the pain, have you told them your current regimen isn't working? I didn't want to be on morphine, so I tried toughing it out with just norco which didn't even touch it. Finally they switched me over to percocet and it worked wonders. I've barely been in pain since. There's no shame in needing a little extra help, so please speak up and hopefully they'll get things under control. Sending you gentle hugs.

    Sunflower - so great to hear from you and glad all went well! I'm so jealous of your blowouts!

    So little by little my hubby is remembering everything my PS told him about the sx lol. Apparently my peck muscle was so short he couldn't reconstruct me without a good amount of donor skin grafting. He said I shouldn't experience too much muscle discomfort because the expander is mostly under the grafts, so that's good I guess. I took a nice long peek today. I've got a lot of rippling, indenting and asymmetry. I know that's to be expected at this point since they're not yet expanded, but it's still unsettling to see. 

    Imheretoo - thinking of you! Hope all is going well!

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  • angelfaith456
    angelfaith456 Member Posts: 83
    edited August 2014

    Hey Ladies!

    Surgery for Bi-lateral went well..They took out 4 Lymph nodes and 3 sentinel nodes. No signs of cancer!!! Woo hop!! 

    Plastic surgeon came in put in expanders..because my chest muscle was so strong, he filled it to 500cc..I woke up with a little something something!!! LOL!!

    I'm sore and have some pain, but doing good..I have a high tolerance for pain, so please don't use me to gauge your pain..Sleeping in a recliner chair and learning how to get up with my legs instead of my arms.

    Best of Luck to those coming up! You will do great! Think Positive!

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  • Juliecc
    Juliecc Member Posts: 4,868
    edited August 2014

    Allydp, my chest looked pretty bad and very bumpy after my BMX with TEs. Hang in there.  They will look better with time and a few fills. 

    Ganzgirl, I'm sorry you are in such pain!  I hope you are doing better. 

    Angelfaith, congrats on the clear nodes!

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  • quiltlibrarian
    quiltlibrarian Member Posts: 174
    edited August 2014

    Hi everyone, just got home a couple of hours ago. Only one drain. Three nodes removed. I don't now results yet. I woke up to a lot of pain but they were great and gave me morphine until it was under a 2 for pain. my doctor came to see me and when I told her about the pain she said my chest muscles were spasming a lot and it was like I had done a 1000 push ups. Suggested that I should move my arm a bit more. it did help. She also said to keep up with the pain meds when I needed it. I really like her. I had a bed by the window but both beds where by the window.

    I saw my chest this morning and was shocked about it. Knowing about it in your mind and knowing in your heart it is the right thing but seeing it for the first time.... wow shocking. My doctor was the one who took off the large dressing and was pleased with how it looked. I had very caring and kind nurses.

    The one funny thing that I did have to deal with was. The poor lady I shared with(she broke her knee cap ouch) was the worst snorer that I had ever heard. Poor lady could not help it and apologized because she would wake her self up. We kept each other company when we could not sleep.

    Thank you for all the good advise that you ladies gave me and are giving still. I sure needed to keep up with the pain meds and still do. The drain is the only place that is sore, numb everywhere else. Feels weird under the skin. Home nurse comes tomorrow and change the bandage tomorrow.

    Bye for now ladies. hugs to all.

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  • aviva5675
    aviva5675 Member Posts: 1,353
    edited August 2014

    I said over and over and over ad nauseum to all in the hospital how I really wanted a single room/no room mate. The hospital is no place to rest, especially if there's someone else in there with you 24/7..

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  • Seashore
    Seashore Member Posts: 33
    edited August 2014

    All - it's been a week since I came home from hospital after BMX surgery.  As others said, I am shocked by what I see, although I know it had to be done.  Still seems swollen and tender, plus output from all 4 drains.  

    Surprised to see my chemo brain/fog seems even worse, but my husband thinks the pain pills are adding to it.  Have been keeping to regular schedule for pain pills, etc., but hope to slowly start decreasing.  When my concentration level improves, hope to catch up with more of you specifically - otherwise know I an sending gentle hugs(())!  

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  • Lipglossmommie
    Lipglossmommie Member Posts: 44
    edited August 2014

    Just posting really quick about my EKG I "failed" at my Drs pre op apt. 

    Went to UCLA had an echo and saw the cardiologist, I'm fine! Yay! 

    I have what's called right branch block, the left part of my heart beats slower than the right. It's all electrical, no worries. 

    I am cleared to go on w my surgery on Wed. I will always have this. 

    So glad to hear about everyone's clear margines and nodes. I hope I get to write that as well. 

    Btw- What does "In your pocket" mean? 

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  • quiltlibrarian
    quiltlibrarian Member Posts: 174
    edited August 2014

    Quick question ladies. I have a lot of swelling above my arm pit area. Is this normal. I am going to put a cold not frozen wheat bag on it and see if it helps. Also do you strip your drains. At the hospital they did not do this and didn't say I had to.

    Lip glad to hear that you can have your surgery.

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  • ganzgirl2010
    ganzgirl2010 Member Posts: 235
    edited August 2014

    2 days after surgery :)

    image


    I don't feel to bad...except when I move lol'''but my daughter and my DBF have been my rocks...I don't know how I would get thru this without them :)

    Now...just praying for a low onco score fingers crossed

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  • Ally2345
    Ally2345 Member Posts: 320
    edited August 2014

    Ganzgirl-  Great pic!!  You are doing so great!!

    Allydp-  such great news!!

    Quilt-  Yes, I had swelling around the arm pits. It did go down but took awhile.  Yes, I did strip the tubes for the drains. I was told it was important to do that to get an accurate measurement and to make sure the drains continued to pull out the liquid. You might want to call your doc office and speak to the PA to see if you should strip the tube. If so, use an alcohol wipe to make it easier to slide down the tube!

    Lip-  So glad your cardio is ok and that you have a date. Waiting was harder for me than the procedure or recovery.

    Catey, Cookie, Zeeba and Ml- Thinking of you all this week!!  You are all going to do great!!  Know we are all right with you!!

    Thinking of all my August Sisters and hoping everyone is doing well!!

    Ally

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  • Sassy_Seven
    Sassy_Seven Member Posts: 47
    edited August 2014

    Ganzgirl - love your photo! You look strong.  Beautiful daughter and cute puppy.

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