December 2014 Surgery Sisters

Hi KNM and all sisters! I wil have my date soon, see you all here! Meet with PS tomorrow

I don't have a date yet but it be in December sometime.

Had what is hopefully my last fill yesterday, and my exchange surgery will be sometime in December. Shooting for 12/17-19 but will know soon. The PS filled me some during my BMX (skin sparing, lost the nipples), then I had one fill on both sides, and then a fill on lust my left yesterday, and that was it! I was not very big to begin with, so there was not a lot to fill. Expanders are either 500 or 550 cc; don't know how much we ended up with as we were going by looks more than anything. They look plenty big to me, LOL.

My BMX was back on 7/30. It was relatively uneventful until I got cellulitis 2 weeks later and ended up in the hospital for about 6 days on IV abx then at-home IV abx (via picc line) for a month. So ya'll just try to keep everything near the drains as clean as you can.

I'll check in as often as I can, but I'm kind of busy right now. My mother passed away a week ago (multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome), so I have a lot to do dealing with that.

Knmtwins - I was told to begin using an antibacterial soap two weeks before my BMX and then had to continue using it on all incision sites for at least 3 weeks after BMX.  I continued to use it for 4 weeks after my BMX before switching back to my Dove.  I wanted to make sure that everything was good and closed before I stopped!   I have already been told to begin the antibacterial soap regime again at the two week mark before my exchange surgery in December. 

Sorry for your loss Straitlover.  I lost my mother two years ago, so it is hard not having her to talk to about all of this.

I am talking Dial or Safeguard.  I was also given the pre-surgical soap to use the night before and the morning of too. 

Two weeks before using Dial, then night before and morning of Surgical Soap, then back to the Dial for at least 3 weeks post-op.  Like I said I used the Dial for 4 weeks!

I was also told to sleep on clean sheets, and sleep in clean PJ's as well.

I just did the clean sheets and pj's the day before surgery.  I would have never gotten my husband to change the sheets daily either!  I did have more than one set of pj's clean so that I didn't sleep in the same ones more than a couple of nights before clean ones again.

Good luck in your surgery knmtwins, I hope all goes well for you. 

My exchange surgery is scheduled for December 11th. 

Oh wow Straitlover that long on the drains!  I am so sorry you had to go through that!  Hopefully your exchange will go much smoother.  I didn't cover my drains when showering, I was told to gently wash using my hands all incisions. I was told to keep the drain bulbs themselves out of direct spray of the water but that the tubes at their entry points were fine to get wet and gently clean.  My PS said Cetaphil Antibacterial soap is good to use as well if Dial or Safeguard is too harsh.  You might want to look for Cetaphil Antibacterial.    Good luck on your exchange surgery.

Hi Bippy625 - My surgery was the BMX with immediate reconstruction with tissue expanders.  So I can't say if the route you are having to take will be more painful or not with delayed reconstruction.  Maybe some others on here that have gone with delayed reconstruction will chime in with their experiences.  I can say, that the tissue expanders are uncomfortable.  I've read some call it an "iron bra", I call them the "rocks" or "weights" sitting inside my chest.  

I can say that yes, with my BMX it was a one night hospital stay.  My surgery was 1 in the afternoon and I was discharged around 10 the next morning. 

Also, in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to be a germophobe nut during all of this!   Good luck in your surgery, I hope all goes well for you with no complications.

I couldn't sleep in our recliner at all.  I have a wedge for the bed but found it didn't work good for me.  I found that I needed to sleep more upright than it could provide.  So I ended up using a lot of pillows to prop me more upright.  If I was laying too far down, I would have what felt like a "ripping" sensation.  My PS assured me that nothing was ripping and it was just the internal stiches trying to heal and I would continue to have that feeling for about 6 to 8 weeks.  She was right, after about 6 weeks that sensation stopped.  I am getting all the pillows back out in case I need them after my exchange surgery on 12/11.   

Good luck on your surgery pinkninja9560, I hope it goes well with no complications.

I started in the recliner. Then I moved to the bed. I had found a wedge pillow that was long like a body pillow at the Westpoint sheet/towel outlet. Then I also got a regular body pillow. I put the regular body pillow up against the metal headboard, then the wedge, then a set of regular pillows horizontally, then a set or regular pillows vertically. That put me almost upright. Then I used those squishy microbead pillows, to keep my shoulders from dropping back and stretching my chest too much (used those in the recliner, too). I had one of those already from back when they were the rage; I looked and looked and finally found another one for not a lot of money at Big Lots. I also had to put a pillow under my knees because of of my degenerative discs in my back.

I still have not graduated back to my side sleeping. I now only have to use the body pillow, two horizontal regular pillows and then one regular pillow in the center of those. That puts me to less than 45 degrees. I can kind of turn a little to the side; I tuck one of the microbead pillows under the inside breast to hold it in place, Otherwise I wake up with a lot of pain. Don't know how long I stay lie that because I'm usually on my back when I wake up. I'm going to have to go back to the pillow under my knees, I think, because my back is starting to hurt again.

I sure hope I will be back to side sleeping not too long after my exchange sx!!!!

Straitlover I am having my exchange December 3 and I have a trip booked on the 14. Just wondering how much time you took to recoop and start feeling better after your exchange?

date 12/1/2014 - Nipple Sparing, Skin Sparing BMx, (one prophylactic) TEs then implants (ILC)

Hi, 2014 Sistahs! I had my BMX in December 2011... so it's been a while. A few suggestions:

If you usually decorate your house, and you still want to do it this year, do it early. DH was a trooper dragging stuff down from the attic after Thanksgiving, so we could make the house festive.

I didn't have a comfy recliner to sleep in, and our bed is a massive Tempurpedic memory foam mattress which is like swimming in Jello, so I rented a fully electric, fully adjustable hospital bed for a month. I covered the mattress with a twin sized Tempurpedic topper and it was incredibly comfortable for my back. (I am not a back sleeper, but that's the only position you'll be in for a while.) We were lucky - it fit in the sitting area in our master bedroom.

DH hooked up my reading lamp to a remote control and pinned it to my mattress, so I could turn out the light when I was tired.

We got an over-the-bed hospital table, and toddler sized sippy cups and little snacks I couldn't spill.

If you have any pain at all - take your pain medication around the clock! You can't catch up to pain, and the fight isn't worth it. Of course, you may be one of those ladies who goes home and takes nothing stronger than a Tylenol.

But if you do take the pain meds, TAKE THE STOOL SOFTENERS!!!! Seriously. Just do it.

I set up a Pain Station and a Drain Station in the bathroom. DH kept track of every pill I took, and at what time.

The Drain Station contained all my alcohol wipes, surgical gloves, the measuring cup, and the log of bulb measurements. I actually had no problem emptying my drains myself, but it gave DH (a retired EMT) something to do to feel useful.

We were very cautious about letting me have visitors. Our family is notorious about being deathly ill, then denying they are contagious. So we just told everyone I was in Quarantine.

Which brings me to another important point: now is the WORST time for germs out in public places. My BMX was scheduled originally in October, but cancelled by the hospital for scheduling reasons. Then I was scheduled for November 8th, but as I was out and about trying to do my Christmas shopping early, I caught the WORST upper respiratory infection that lasted for three weeks. They barely let me have my surgery in December.

So we armed ourselves with surgical masks, giant sized hand sanitizers, large cans of Lysol spray at each door, where we would spray the soles of our shoes after coming in from the outside, Clorox wipes in case anyone came in the house - we'd wipe down surfaces afterwards, and - every time we went to the hospital or the doctor's office, we always wore surgical masks (on the advice of our doctors.) I know, sounds like we were crazy people, but we didn't get sick, and I didn't have some horrible infection while trying to recuperate from a BMX.

So I wish you all the best - quick, successful procedures, no complications, and complete healing.

And remember.... the worst parts of recuperation are JUST TEMPORARY. This too, shall pass.

Okay, y'all, I really need a reality check.  How incapacitated should I expect to be?  I am single, so I don't have a DH.  I have one daughter who turned 30 this week and has a relatively new job with very little time off and one who is still a teenager ('nuff said?).  I have great friends who have offered to do anything they can to help, but they all work as well.

I am having bmx on Dec. 2nd, but delaying the reconstruction.  I had total abdominal hysterectomy a few years ago that I had very little pain from and was back at work part-time in 4 weeks. How much help do you think I'll need the third day post-op?  Will I be able to stay on my own tracking meds and toileting with a friend or my daughter stopping by to check on me in the late afternoon?  Should I ask someone to check on me at lunch and late afternoon? 

I've always been very self-sufficient, but I realize that if there was ever a time to ask for help, this is it.  Please help me plan this adventure.  I'd really appreciate the help.

Thank you SO much, clmtootie.  I will take your good advice.  I appreciate your candor.