December 2014 Surgery Sisters

Twolumps, I also had a complete hysterectomy and was back to work with in a week. This to me was MUCH harder than the Hyst. I was not prepared for the pain. I am not trying to scare you or anyone, I just wish I had known. I tried skipping pain pills because I did not take them after my hyst. Big mistake. Of course everyone is different and all surgeries are different. I would have help at least the first 3 days. This is a big surgery. With that being said I would not change it! The pain does not last and the piece of mind I have now makes it worth every bit of it!

knmtwins, my lumpectomies were on my left breast. Had 3 at once and than started Tamoxofine. About a month later I woke up with a sore on my right nipple. Had a mam and ultrasound and radiologist came in a and said you have Paget's and need a mastectomy. The worst part about all of it is that my surgeon office just started a patient porthole so you can view all if your files and my very first visit before any surgeries I had a visit with a surgeon and he was very nice but any concerns or questions I had he would say, I wouldn't worry about that. I felt so dismissed and frustrated. So at the end of the visit he said he wanted me to have a MRI. I went ahead with the MRI but switched surgeons. Fast forward 3 lumpectomies a year of Dr visits and a mastectomy and I read my very first surgeon visit report and he said patient has many palpable lumps in both breast, clusters of calcifications on mam,ultrasound shows complex cysts and area of concern in both breasts, stereo biopsy shows atypical cells. He goes on to say that due to her her age (35) my recommendation to her will be a double mastectomy with or without reconstruction. MRI will be ordered first. My heart sank when I read this because if he would of been upfront with me and told me this it would of saved me a year of surgeries, medicine and worries. By the time I had my mastectomy my right nipple had flattened and was one big sore. I

Knmtwins, it is your right to have access to any documents you want. You could request copies of all of your reports. I wish I would have. Aromasin is for post men. 2 years ago I had a complete hysterectomy for complex cysts and lesions on my cervix and all over my ovaries. At that time I told my gyn. that I had lumps in my breast and she told me at my age she would not worry about them and they would most likely go away after my hyst. A year later my sister-in law went in for her 40 year mam. and called with the news she had breast cancer. I went in 3 days later. By the way I found the Aromasin much more tolerable than the Tamoxofin. What I am wondering now is if I can start taking a estrogen for my hot flash's and all of the other fun symptoms that come along with menopause. Twolumps that is great that they are coming to help with cleaning.

Hello pamusc93, sorry you had to find yourself here but we want to welcome you to the BCO community.

You may find it helpful to check out/post in this forum: Hormonal therapy: Before, During and After for when you start on AI's.

Sending our kindest thoughts and hugs to you! If you have any questions for us regarding the boards just let us know.

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GREAT ADVICE, Blessing2011. I will be referring back to this post. Good to know that as longs as drains still flowing nothing else is necessary. That is a relief.

Just ready to Get. It. Over. With! It's getting harder everyday to distract myself. I am usually a very good sleeper and nothing keeps me up. Not so much tonight, though. Oh, well. Guess my days and nights will be disturbed soon enough anyway.

So sorry, Smitty. That really sucks.... Thank God you listened to your instincts after you got the news about your SIL

Hi, Bippy. I've actually begun crocheting a pair. Check out knittedknockers.org. It has both knit and crochet patterns for free. Sounds crazy, but what the heck!

hi funclassy, I will be right with you, getting my date tomorrow for bmx. Chemo was very difficult, and I too hope surgery is different. All I can offer now is what others have shared, mostly, no major issues. Sleeping and bathing, it will suck for awhile. The issues seem to increase if TEs are placed immediately, but not always. Ladies here report minimal pain, hard to believe but true. My PS agrees that recon is the painful part. This is all speculative on my part, just sharing some from the boards that I have read here. But it at least sounds better than the hell of chemo

I was diagnosed with BC the day after my 46th birthday. I believe I am still in shock, but need to snap out of it because I will be having a double mastectomy some time in December. I am reading all of your posts about the surgery and some of it I expected and some of it scares the **** out of me. How long is the recovery period? I was expecting to only be off of work for one to two weeks. But from the sounds of it, I think I am way off base.

My best to all of you on you surgeries and recovery!!!

Skin Sparing Mastectomy Dec 3, 2014 includingleft prophylactic for right IDC and DCIS. Will use tissue expanders and then implants. Finished 6 rounds of TCHP and will continue herceptin until July, 2015. Doing great so far but so nervous for surgery!

Robinmich9 - I was told by my BS 4 weeks recovery after my BMX.  I was feeling pretty good at 3 weeks though, but I stayed out for the full 4 weeks.  Although, I sat back with my laptop and logged into the office and worked from home during those 4 weeks.  When I did return to the office the first few days I was exhausted by the end of the day! 

Good luck in your surgery.  Happy Thanksgiving.

My surgery will be in 3 weeks, no set date yet, to recover fully from chemo. My BS said the pain is very minimal, and he does not do loads of restrictions. Says most are up and about in a few days, back to normal in a few weeks. I know we are all different but this is encouraging. Will stay one night in hospital.

I am so glad to be done with chemo, it has been very hard at times. At one point I did not want to finish. I am lookin forward to being able to have some normalcy returned. No more feelin like chit!

Happy thanksgiving all

I am not sure of a date, but know that my surgery will take place in December.

Six more sleeps and a wakeup as we used to say in the Navy.  I was just thinking at lunch how happy I would be to see the old things out of my way.  So looking forward to being flat!  Flat, flat, flat!  For the first time in nearly 50 years I will be as flat as can be and I won't have to wear a BRA!!!!.  Yay!  So glad I opted for a delayed reconstruction.  I've had big boobs all my life and they are such a hassle. It will really be nice to not have to worry about whether a top will fit or not or if the buttons are going to gape or not being able to wear a top because of my bra straps, or the hassle of shopping for bras.  I might even be able to sleep on my stomach after I heal.  The compressed nerve in my neck might bother me less when I'm not being pulled forward from the weight all the time.  Tuesday, Dec. 2nd can't get here fast enough for me!

Smitty, I haven't hsd my exchange yet. Just got my date today - 12/19. Doc said I'd probably need to be out of work a week, maybe a little more since he is also doing some fat grafting. Sx on the 3rd and traveling on the 14th may be OK if it's nothing too bouncy. Careful on the luggage! After my mx, I over did it on the lifting 2 weeks after and partially pulled a drain out.