October 2014 Surgery Sisters

SummerSun, glad you're back home and so happy the SNB was negative. Don't get behind on the pain meds and take some stool softeners along with them. Every day should get a little better. Rest and heal. 

I haven't seen a post from Laurie. Hope she's ok.

SummerSun, I'm glad to hear you're back home...I'm sorry about the pain, I hope it gets under control pronto! That's great about the negative nodes!

Sandra, did you get your bra and pouch from the hospital?  My PS said I have to bring my own sports bra.

I hope KayG is resting up for her big day tomorrow!

After every surgery, I wake up with the same kind of soft zip front surgical bra, complete with Velcro drain pouches. A sports bra would be too tight. My PS says you shouldn't have tight binding, especially if your skin is thin. Blood flow shouldn't be cut off or reduced because that can mean necrosis (tissue death.) He says the bra should be loose enough so it doesn't make any red marks on your body.

I have two other similar bras that the American Cancer Society sent to me. Maybe you can get some too.

Oh October surgery sisters  I am getting so nervous about my surgery to put the tissue expanders in on Tuesday.  When I met with my PS he said I know it has been nine months since your last surgery and you are physically ready, but are you emotionally and mentally ready to do this all over again.  I said yes, but the anxiety is kicking in and the what ifs...... Omg I have to get some sleep these next two days because once the iron bra gets inserted I do not sleep well!!  I had a great weekend visiting my daughter at college.  Now that I am home I am a stressed out mess. 

Togetherness I felt the same way as you last Thursday. Once I woke up after the surgery, it was amazing how much better I felt with respect to my state of mind. For me, the waiting was way worse than the actual procedure. No matter how many surgeries I go through, it's the same thing every time. Hang in there and the pink bus will be picking you up before you know it!  We will all be in your pocket. 

I hope and pray that you have a smooth surgery and an easy recovery. (((((Hugs))))))

October sisters, any advise on what kind of bra to get during the TE phase? At this point I can't imagine putting anything on except for my PJs, but, I know that will pass. :-) 

Togetherness & SCMom, I agree that the waiting is the worst.The "what ifs" would play through my mind in an endless loop. It didn't help that I lost my mom and both of my sisters to breast or ovarian cancer and I had a front row seat to what they went through. 

SummerSun, lots of people like the Genie bras. I actually like the Bali 3488 as well. You can find it at Kohl's, Macy's, etc. It has very light padding to smooth out the bumps and dents during the TE phase. I would wear that if I had a solid colored shirt on. Usually, I would just wear a cami with a wildly patterned shirt so you couldn't tell what the heck was going on under there:)

Akita Girl - I, too, have been thinking I should just move it up and get it over with - except that I can't due to surgeon's schedule and other appts. scheduled. I'm pretty useless though, at this point. 

I'm keeping busy with work in the garden, since I'm losing my prime planting season due to this stupid disease; I've been waiting all summer for it to be cool enough to divide and transplant, to say nothing of planting bulbs. I am SO ticked about the timing of all this!!!

I also like to do fall housecleaning, which is a really good way to work off tension at this point. 

I've upped my workouts, especially the strength training, since I won't be able to do as much of that for a while.

We have a harvest party 2 days before surgery followed by a family dinner, which is a pre-birthday, pre-procedure event suggested for my by my youngest brother. That will definitely help. 

On top of that I'm trying to get all my work projects done and write up notes for the colleagues covering for me. In my spare time I've got a ton of other appts. - dental, vision, surgeon, pre-op. Just thinking about all of it though makes me squirm. 

Good luck with your waiting - I think the 5K is a great idea, and getting your daughter ready for the dance should be a sweet diversion. Enjoy, as you can.

Laurie! So glad to hear from you. Now I know our little foursome came through to the other side without any big problems. DIEP is such an intricate surgery and you've got more places to hurt than just your chest, so I applaud your positive attitude. With the lymph node transplant you are really on the cutting edge of new treatments. It will be interesting to see how your recovery goes.

Did anyone take the Pink Bus for KayG? Her BMX was today. Kay, I hope you are resting comfortably and on the road to recovery. Better keep that engine running because tomorrow we have Swoobs, who is having a BMX and implants, as well as Togetherness who has made it to the finish line again and will get her implants. Best of luck to you and fingers crossed, no infections! We know exactly how you are feeling right now but it helps to know so many people are behind you. See you on the other side of surgery.

You know, people always tell you not to worry. Gee, really? That's all you have to do is decide not to? Why didn't I think of that? Don't you want to poke somebody in the eye when they say that?

Laurie, glad to hear you've made it through and that your husband made it to and from in one piece, too. Chicago traffic is bad enough without exhaustion and stress added to the mix. 

I hope your recovery goes very, very smoothly. I'll be interested to hear how the node transplant works out. With luck, I won't ever need it but since I'm scheduled for ALND on the 14th I am, of course, stressing out about it. Much more worried about that than the lx. 

Kay - hope you're doing o.k. and feeling all the good energy going your way from all of us. 

Swoobs - good luck tomorrow!!!

Sandra - LOVE the picture!!!!  Sending it to my team before I head out on med leave.  Perfect!

Hopeful - I love to garden too, although up here at 7,300 feet above sea level...we don't get much time.  Where are you located?  Also, quick gardening question(s).  I have some really tall grass plants that I want to re-locate (didn't think before I planted).  Should I wait until early spring, or can I do it in the fall?  Also, for roses - mine keep dying each year.  Any recommendations?  Maybe the cold gets to them?  Should I try a rose cone?

To KayG and Togetherness - sending prayers your way!  Let us know how everything goes.

Laurie - keep resting and healing!

Good luck everyone.  Hugs from Akitagirl.

Hey -- for those who can't sleep, that happened to me too, about a week before my DIEP surgery (didn't happen before my lumpectomy -- not sure why).  Anyway my PCP prescribed a sleeping aid -- I didn't want to go into surgery exhausted as I knew I had a long recovery ahead of me,  That worked for me and I weaned myself off them shortly after coming home from the hospital.    Might be an option for some of you.

Glad to hear from those who are home and recovering.

Two more sleeps for me and then I'll be at the hospital for 7 am  -- that will make for an early morning, but hopefully that means I will be home my mid-afternoon.

Swoobs and Togetherness, good luck tomorrow, and Ridley, good luck to you on Wednesday!  I think our October group's surgeries seem to be starting off really nicely, I hope this continues through the end of the month!

If I was given the chance to have my surgery tomorrow (ok, Wednesday because I haven't gotten everything together) I would do it in a heartbeat. 5 weeks is way too long to wait for this kind of surgery.  Between the "what ifs" and the general fear of the unknown...well, I have images of myself having a full blown panic attack and bolting out of the hospital before they get the drugs pumping into me!  I have about 6 ativans left over from when I started chemo, I've been saving them for the week before my surgery. 

I work from home and it's been very slow lately, so I've been reading a lot, I'm playing 5 games of Words with Friends, I've done a lot of fall cleaning and yard work (mostly weeding.). I started walking last week, I was never the most active person before chemo but am happy to find that I've been easily walking about 1 1/3 mile every day. It's getting a bit boring already so I think I'll start wearing headphones and listening to music. I think it really helps with this pre-surgery stress but it's also a bit depressing knowing that I'll be losing all the strength that I finally gained back. 

I googled the Genie bras, some of them are really cute!  I also like the zip front bras, I keep thinking that the zipper might get annoying when sleeping on my side until I remember It will probably be a long time until I can sleep on my side

Sorry for this stupid question, but will my bras get bloody in the days or weeks following surgery?  I don't want to spend much money on them if I'm going to have to throw them out. 

Sandra, I hope you don't take this wrong but I'm selfishly glad that your surgery was bumped up to October. I had enjoyed your posts in the September board and am so happy to have you share your experience, expertise and humor here.  And I'm feeling so encouraged reading that all of our October ladies that have had their surgeries already are posting and seem to be doing great...thank you!

I don't think I've slept 3 nights in the last 5+ weeks since my diagnosis without either melatonin, benadryl, or both.  I'm just glad my leave started because i was an air head at work, particularly last week.

I"m having sentinel node map tomorrow and surgery Wednesday.  I feel kind of like I"m walking off a plank, but I'm being chased by a ferocious beast and somewhere under the plank there is a safe landing. 

I have spent the last few days cleaning and organizing, my personal stress reliever.