August 2014 Surgery

Ally great to hear about less pain. 

My favorite place to be would be Banff or Jasper Alberta. lovely snow capped mountain. Lovely blue mountain lakes. Sigh I would love to be there now. Only 4 hours away from here.  I will have to wait for a few weeks when I have the energy to do this.

Hugs to all

Outpatient!    Great!!!!   (to Psalm34-4)       Wishing the best to you, and talent and luck to your surgeon for this second scoop!     And most of all, wishing you peace and calm.   So very sorry you're having to go through this again!!     This time he will (had better!!!) get clean margins!!!!      I hope you heal quickly and easily.

BTW-  as for your wondering about Italian docs---    Also the Italian surgeons expose only the operative site during surgery.       It was only in the after surgery and the wake up/recovery period in the reanimation room, once they wheeled me back up to my room, that I felt more than a bit "overexposed"!      But I didn't mean to imply that I didn't have a hospital gown.     and warming blankets in reanimation room and normal blankets in room.    Just that I was latched to bed by never ending  IV that was hooked on to bed headboard and nurses wanted me to stay that way and not even sit up.      Hence-- at that point underwear got taken off (and deliberately hidden) and pee pan inserted by nurses (some male) when needed.     (as a total zoo of other people's noisy visitors buzzed and rumbled in the hall, and the male patients' rooms were right across the hall,  and the door was of course supposed to stay wide open.)             

Wondering--- "outpatient" means you don't get put in a room even for a few hours to get lots and lots and lots of IV fluids to wash out anesthetic?   (since you did say you were getting knocked out)        Or do you do all the IV in a post op recovery room?     that has a bathroom and that your husband came go into???????????????????    I got four liters of liquids in my hospital room, and that was on top of whatever they gave me both during surgery and in the reanimation room where they brought me to wake up.     Can't imagine getting through all that without needing to pee!      (Plus--- don't the American docs make sure you really can still pee after the anesthesia??     But maybe if they don't give you all that liquid your bladder has more time to recover before it truly needs to be able to work?)       And maybe your knock out anesthesia was something different than mine--- Perhaps not a full knockout, but a dissociative anesthetic cocktail that keeps you still and not remembering what happened but not totally KO??????????????       Mine was true general anesthesia.      

I am getting my drain out today. Not looking forward to that, but to get it out wonderful. Hopefully that will take care of some of the pain I have been getting.

IM crazy what you had to go though. Are all hospitals like that there? I bet you were glad to go home again.

Hugs to all

Quiltlibrarian, Hope your drain surprises you and slips out painlessly, and you feel much better afterwards!

Are all Italian hospitals like the one I was in?    No!   I was in a GREAT one!!!!     In most hospitals here there are four to six beds to a room and they often end up cramming extra beds in the tiny amount of space that was left (by taking out the table intended for patients to eat on and nearly eliminating walking space between beds).       The last time my husband was hospitalized in CARDIOLOGY they had EIGHT patients  in the room!!!  (all critically ill and in desperate need of peace, calm, and breathable air)      Sister-in-law in Neurosurgery had five roommates.     And FORGET about a bathroom in the room.     That's down the hall.  (and usually dirty!!)    No air conditioning.     I was expecting a similar situation, and instead was actually pleasantly amazed with this university clinic, which is a relatively new building!      

imheretoo what a story!! Glad you are home. It's easier to explain the technical meaning of inpatient which is if you are in the hospital for more than 2 midnights. So out patient is less than that, it can mean 2 things. You go in, have surgery recovery in PACU (post anesthesia care unit) and go home the same day or have surgery, PACU, get a room for one night and go home the next day before midnight. The second is what I did and I was considered an outpatient. Staying overnight depends on a lot of things. The time of your surgery, how extensive it is, how well you recover from anesthesia, etc. PACU's are usually one big room and the patients are separated by walls or curtains into cubicles usually large enough to for the bed, some equipment, and a chair for a visitor. You usually have to walk to the bathroom but they usually put a gown on your back too. If you are being discharged from the PACU they want to make sure you can walk anyway. General anesthesia is used here too!

Iwanna glad to hear the nodes looked good!!

Love and hugs ladies!!

So happy for Cookie and Psalm!  I'mheretoo, congrats on your swanky digs for sx.. so fun to hear.

Hanging out for an update from lipglossmom and milaandra!

Glad it was easy on you quiltlibrarian!    I'm in waiting mode for path (and margins) report, too.     And so we wait!...     But waiting with the bulk of it out and first step of treatment taken is sure a lot better than waiting to get the train moving was!!        Enjoy your napping!!     

Oh, and there was like a foot of drain in there! She did the take a deep breath and release it slowly thing...and again...and again....and again...I could feel it moving...ewww. It's so good to be sitting on my comfy chair in a room that is cool and comfortable and to be able to get up without dragging that stupid pump and bag around...and to pull my knickers down with both hands! LOL how long did y'all wear those stupid compression socks?

Hi girls,

Surgery went well, nodes clean. Awaiting final pathology report for HER2 "tie breaker". Came home less than 24 hrs post surgery but was grateful to be in my own bed in a quiet place. 2 drains and yep they suck. 

Had my first fill yesterday. It was tiny maybe 30-40 cc's but I too woke up with burning, mainly on the left side. That was also the cancer/lymph node side 

My daughter is here until Monday which has been like an angel sent from heaven. Hubby doing a lot to help also. 

Therapist was supposed to visit in the hospital for arm exercises but never did. I think I left too quickly. Clearly they needed the bed. 

Catching up on all of your statuses and wishing you strength and healing. 

Cynthia 

hello all.. I had typed out so many comments to you all, and somehow they disappeared!! I am doing great, thank you all for your well wishes, this second time around was easier than first, shorter surgery/anesthesia time, and no lymph node checking, the sentinel site first go around was a booger!

I am waiting for path report and I know so many of you are too, please know you all are in my prayers.. gosh.. it is amazing how many on just this site.. I never realized how many people are affected by breast cancer. This has been one of the most overwhelming months in my life! Scary to think I am just getting started! You all are such an awesome inspiration.

Sassy7..hoping to be a help to you as a nurse (unfortunately a nurse who was not very breast cancer savy)..  One of the biggest concerns after any surgery procedure is to prevent infection. Symptoms of infection include fever 101 or higher, foul appearing / smelling drainage from incision, increased redness/ tenderness/ pain around incision site. From what you described, sounds like you just havent closed up well yet. If your redness is just on edges, could be local reaction to tape (do you have sensitive skin?). I am guessing they put glue in to help reinforce incision as it continues to heal.. and if top edges were "open" a little, then it should heal from the bottom up to surface of skin. Main thing for you to do is keep it clean and dry, wash gently with antibacterial soap (unless surgeon told you otherwise).. let warm water of shower rinse soap off well. Be sure to be gentle when bathing. Gently pat dry when getting out of shower. (No tub baths or soaking until completely healed). Wear loose cotton clothing, nothing tight or that would cause friction over incision. Let skin "breathe".  If you can, and dont have any medical contradictions that would prevent you.. Get following vitamins to take.. Vitamin C 500 mg... take one three times/day. Zinc 220 mg ( I think that is right over the counter dose) and take Zinc twice a day. This is regimen we used when I worked home health doing wound care, it supports wound healing and boosts your immune system. But please be sure ok with your MD, esp if you are on any Rx meds or have any other health issues where vitamins might be contraindicated. Drink plenty of water and juices too. Hydration, nutrition, and rest are important for healing. Be sure you are eating plenty of protein too. And if in any doubt, call your MD. Hope this helps and wishing you speedy recovery.

God bless you all~

Hello lovely ladies,

As we put this month behind us I just want to say that I am truly thankful for all of you. We each bring a different side of BC to the table. Though I know we are each going onto our next step in this sucky journey I hope that we touch base occasionally. Even though this is a surgery thread I hope that what ever issues anyone has going forward you feel comfortable posting here too. Since it's likely that someone has gone through it already.

Love and hugs to my sassy sisters! 

Julie

I am glad that ally started this thread. We have been such awesome support to each other. I hope we can continue our supportive journey here.

Milaandra!   Glad you're home and drain is out!       I think you're probably going to have to educate most of us about the wonderful world of compression socks!      Were you having fluid accumulation in your legs, or low blood pressure issues after the anesthesia, or is that a sadistic little game Scottish docs make everyone play after surgery?      Or do you not really mean sock in the sense of someting going on your legs, but a socky thing you need to wear across your chest?       I didn't have any kind of compression garment put on my chest.    (but I didn't need drains either)

Psalm34-4 Glad you're home too!  -- In answer to your question, I had a quadrantectomy.  aka segmental or partial mastectomy.       (This bco website just gives us a choice of describing our surgery in our profile as either lumpectomy or mastectomy, and I have impression that they want us to refer to any breast conserving surgery as lumpectomy, so that's what I indicted)   Anyway, while that's technically removal of a wedge of tissue amounting to about a quarter of the breast, surgeon let me understand that he took less (and now we'll see margins...)      I was asked to report to hospital at 8 AM the day before surgery.     That day, at 10 AM, I had the node mapping.     Then had a little interview with doctor to sign consent forms, and  rest of the day I spent chatting and getting to know my roommate and the other bc girls, as I occupied a room on the public health system's dollar  (well-- Euro, actually).   After a pre-surgery night in the hospital that I would have very much loved to have done without (...) ,  surgery was second day at 8 AM.      I was the first of four breast surgeries that day.      But  also girls two, three, and four checked in the morning before.         Then we all spent full day and night in hospital after surgery.      Those that got drains continue their stay in hospital until drain output is low. (I think roommate told me less than 20 ml?)     So-- Psalm34-4-- Your surgery started even earlier in the morning,, but you (and all you other early morning surgery girls) had to just report super early in to hospital  that AM?     What time did you actually have to be at the hospital for a surgery that started at 7:15?     (no matter what, that would have been preferable to my hospital night from h*ll!")      

ml14333-- Great to hear about the negative nodes on the immediate cryosection check!      Here's hoping the path report confirms that!!!   And glad your HOME now and in own bed!!!     You say you got a mastectomy, but you talk about margins.      Did you get a skin sparing mastectomy, and "going back in" would mean removing skin in tumor area??    Or do they always look at margins also when mastectomy is done, to know if they need to go back and take muscle??     Forgive me- I'm uneducated about mastectomy details, so far.

Allydp--  Great to hear that you've been able to eliminate the bulk of pain meds, are feeling lots better and feel life is moving towards normality!

To everyone healing my strong wishes for rapid surgery recovery, and to everyone awaiting path reports---  we're all here hoping to hear good things and share support for whatever answers come.     Strength to all to deal with the next steps !

I think this group will stay and continue to give support.     If my path report says I need a second surgery in Sept, I'll certainly be writing about it here.