October 2014 Surgery Sisters

Hopeful  I feel like ripping pages too some days.... I totally know where you are coming from !

Oceansky. How's the healing going ??

swoobs, yes I believe your Mom would be heartbroken but I really believe she is with you on your journey and help you to a positive outcome. I think the internet is invaluable to gain information but unlike reading it you can only read for so long, here you can stay on for hours, the info can become over whelming.

 Hopeful82014 I am very thankful I found all of you, it has helped. I know the drill, that is making it harder. No more innocence here and know some of what you are going through, I may have the full adventure we shall see that's why I will be hanging on to your shirttails. You give me hope that there maybe some sort of road map to get through this.

@ Akita,

LOVE THE WIG!!!!!!!

SUX on losing all your girly parts. SUX SUX SUX SUX.

SUX.

I'm sorry.

You will still be a girl Akita. That's assured.

@Sharpei,

Sorry about the nip, but thanks for sharing your thoughts.  Love your posts.  Good luck tomorrow.

I had more to write to y'all, but a phone call from a friend just erased whatever I intended to write.  Sorry, my mind is a freaking sieve lately.

Hopeful82014 I want to share some thoughts with you. It has been 19 yrs now, I worried about it coming back on and off for about 5 yrs. Then I stopped and lived my life knowing cancer isn't the only danger out there. We can't control if it will come back but we can control how we move on. I am totally pushed out of shape about this, worrying about it again won't change the outcome. If I had 19 yrs whos to say you won't have 30yrs or it never comes back. I believe threatment is better now so whos to say I won't buy another 19 yrs.  We are a band of warriors, all of us, togeather in the same war. I will be having my biobsy tomorrow so we shall see if I push the panic button but I know were I can go for help. I will be sending positive thoughts to you and remember I had years not months. Not a bad run.

Dear RevUp - Thanks for your perspective. It's a valuable viewpoint. I agree that we can't live our lives worrying about recurrence; that would be a waste of whatever time we're given (and I'm hoping for another 30 years or so). 

However, I think that many people outside of this community fail to realize that there IS the risk of recurrence and figure women can just check this off their bucket list and move on. I DO think we need to address that. 

Good luck with your biopsy tomorrow. I hope it's totally benign and you can go on without any further detours. Thanks again for your insights.

Welcome Ginger.

Swoobs, tomorrow am one week from implant surgery and just two weeks past mastectomy. So healing, but hurting a lot.  Got a thumbs up at my PS appt today when the bandages came off.  Those who got immediate implants, what type of bra were you told to wear after a week?  Anything specific?

Fourminor...You said it, Sharpei does have a way of sharing that makes you feel as though you're listening to her talk.  Am feeling sad about Sharpei because the nurse told me today how many women loose their nipples during the healing process.  Am very grateful that I didn't loose an implant or get necrosis.  There are a lot of women on BC.org who've been through so many surgeries.  A couple have personally shared their experiences with me and it's pretty amazing.  Feeling very fortunate.

Sandra, be extra careful with your new implants.  You've been through enough surgery.

Hope tomorrow is a good day for everyone.

Hopeful,

I know it sucks, but try to remember, that while you're worried about a recurrence, life has plenty of other ways to off you, we've all got other organs that can cook up entirely different neoplasms, in addition to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, mentally ill people who aren't hospitalized and have access to heavy weaponry, and infections that may still mutate to become airborne pathogens without cure.  

Just trying to keep it in perspective

Good morning all - thank you for the encouragement, and glad the wig gets the thumbs up!  

I agree with Fourminor and others regarding how to move forward day by day.  In fact, my daily devotional addressed exactly this issue today.  I hope you don't mind me sharing:

"People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives.  So they pour their energy into trying to control those situations.  They feel happy when things are going well, and sad or frustrated when things don't turn out as they'd hoped. They rarely question this correlation between their circumstances and feelings.  Yet it is possible to be content in any and every situation....  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.  I will meet all your needs according to My glorious riches.  Nothing in all creation will be able to separate you from My love"  -exerpt from Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young

Whatever your beliefs are...I think we can all take something from this.  To walk in peace regardless of what is going on around us will allow healing both inside and out.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Akitagirl

hello everyone,  reading and catching up from my time at the hospital.  Me lx and SNB was on monday.  I did have seizures so spent the next 24 hours on mega doses of ativan so I don't remember much of them. I'm home now amd recovery is going well. The dr decided to leave my nipple and just take out a section of it. I haven't seen anything because I have to keep this bandage on until tomorrow. The ride home from the hospital was not pleasant as I was getting sick the whole way! I was surprised to not be given any pain medication so I'm just alternating tylenol and ibuprofen.  It's bearable but I'm not exactly comfortable.  Ugh

my return appointment is 1 week from today...he didn't say when I would see the MO or RO yet or if oncytype was ordered. 

glad to have the cancer removed but wonder what is still ahead...wish I could remember more of the hospital.  How any lymph nodes did he remove etc.. oh well..more wait wait wait

Glad you're doing ok ForHisGlory!   I agree about the wait, wait, wait   A week will pass before you know it...    I have a week before my latest results so I can say this lol   Don't know if I believe it

Hi hummingbirdlover.   I agree the underarm and armpit area seem to take long time.   I think the swelling in armpit area after Lx finally improved 3-4 weeks afterward but now it's back after my UMX lol

I was given a sheet of exercises to do starting day after surgery and then on other side were the fingers walking up wall etc etc exercises to do after drains removed and at least one week after surgery.

Sharpei had her nose job this morning! All went well. No argument about morphine and no projectile vomiting this time! How refreshing. 

We went out for lunch on the way home. I will have a quiet day flushing out anesthesia, but hope to go out for an interesting event tomorrow evening and to drop in at a dinner Saturday night, assuming I feel well.

No talk of pain meds and certainly no pain today. I have one drain, but may shower, which means I have control of my shampoo and my hair style! (Do you think I was the only one who set her hair in hot rollers the night before surgery so I could have some bend to my hair for the next few days? I have very high maintenance hair and how I feel about my hair makes a big difference in my overall sense of well being.)

The doctor did not have to deflate, if dear husband remembers what the doctor reported correctly. Unable to stitch edges together, she used staples. Does that mean a Frankenstein mouth? I scar. Remember when Sharpei was a striking cobalt blue, full of the dye used to find the sentinel node with no good lymphatic system to drain it away? Dear husband said I might have to tattoo the other side to have a matched set! I may end up with the most unique foobs yet. And no one will ever know, since I am extremely modest!

My emailed thought for today was that a day without laughing is a wasted day. Managing Breast cancer can be downright ludicrous at times! 

Sharpei is trying to transform into a cupcake. No cherry on the top, though. The big reveal comes on Friday when the bandage comes off. I will arrange to do that with the visiting nurse, just in case I go into shock like the first time I saw Sharpei a month ago. My Visiting Nurses have been wonderful. Woman to woman. They have been there when I needed them and I am very grateful. 

Heal quietly. I wish for group healing so that we may all find our ways back to joy and serenity, which is our birthrites. Even with a diagnosis of breast cancer. I believe that we still had breast cancer the day, and perhaps many days, before our diagnoses. So in that sense our diagnoses are hopeful, leading to treatment and hope.

Thanks for allowing me time and space to express myself, figure some things out. I am listening to you, too. 

Love, Sharpei

I'm glad everything went well Sharpei!  Do you think Sharpei will look like she's winking?   How awesome would that be with blue "eyeshadow" and a cute little wink!  ; )  😉

I agree and today is not a wasted day.  Hope everyone is having a great day.

Thanks for the welcome OceanSky! I'm 9 days out now from surgery and reconstruction and I have to say I think Im pretty pleased. They are still a little swollen i think, but not as bruised anymore and I'm surprised how similar they look to my real ones! Ok they feel completely different... But I was pretty small before and they still are and shape looks pretty much the same. I don't know how much more they will change but I'm happy with the results. 

How are you and others healing?? The implants haven't bothered me at all... It's the drains! I got two out yesterday and go back Friday for last two. Can't wait! The itch and the discomfort.... Ugh! Anyone else? Really no pain at all.. Some soreness under arms and tightness at incision site but other than the drains and not being able to take a real shower it hasn't been too bad. I'm so ready to move on and get my life back which has been completely taken over since my "mammogram" last August. Sigh. I was so lucky and I'm grateful that I'm coming out of this knowing I'm cancer free and clear!! I read others stories and wonder if I would have their strength! 

I wish a speedy recovery for everyone and send positive thoughts and hugs to those who still need further treatment.... Thinking/praying for all you strong amazing women! 

Funny story today:  Went to King Soopers to refill percocet and was talking with the pharmacist about wanting to reduce the amount I need to take and replace with ibuprofen.  However, I know I am not supposed to take ibuprofen because of blood thinners....but really, can't I get away with 600mg here and there?  She looked at me, smiled and said "talk to your blood doctor, but I would advise against it".  She asked, "when was your surgery?".  I replied that I was 1 week post-op from yesterday.  Now, I forgot to tell you that I was feeling frisky this morning and wore both my wig and a pair of fluffy cotton boobs that my husband thinks are about a size D (now, how does he know, when I am an A???? Hmmm... :-).  At any rate, she looked down at my chest and said, "wow, you look great for being one week post-op!"  I then grabbed the fluffy boobs and said, "yes, but I can't seem to get these cotton-filled ones to sit right".  She and all the others burst out laughing and just said that with my sense of humor...I would be just fine.    

Yes, at times, this is actually quite funny.

Akitagirl

Sandra, you are adding to our vocabulary. What could "bottoming out" and "migration" mean in our context? Just like " debridement" and "necrotic", words with ominous sounds. 

Good luck to you. You have had a lot of experience and are an excellent teacher. Thank you.

Sharpei