January 2015 Surgery Sisters

Trailrose....go get em!  You will do great because it sounds like you have been taking care of yourself ...good trail run today!  My surgery is next Tuesday and I know how you feel...anxious!  Please keep us updated!  Hugs!

Trailrose, best wishes tomorrow. It feels good to find an outlet for the nervous energy, does it?

My downfall is also not able to sit still and rest. I agree with Homer that it is humbling to be at the receiving end of care. Some of my friends have to remind me to let others take care of me. I'm blessed to have loving friends and family.

I have a post-op appointment tomorrow with PS. I hope he will remove the drains tomorrow. I DESPERATELY need a shower.

Cinvee, the TE is uncomfortable even though I only have 30cc in there. Doc was supposed to put in 150cc, but was not able to because of tight pec muscle and skin. I feel for you because you have both sides to deal with.

Melisden, have you checked out the Exchange City forum? I think you will find more answers there.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Just got back from the Drs. Drains are out and everything feels much better! Path report was pretty good: no nodes, but tumor was twice the size they thought (still under 2 cm) and grade 2 not grade 1. Two weeks for Oncotype results. Keeping my fingers crossed for a low score.

Best of luck to everyone with surgeries or doctors visits this week!

Hello ladies!  I’m glad to read that everyone’s recover is going well!  I have my surgery BMX on the 28^th....anxiety is building - some days I feel that it’s hard to breath! Hope this is an okay place to post this.....I have question - well many of them but one that you may be able to help me with Has anyone had a person close to them tell you that a BMX is no big deal?  I have this person that I know loves and cares about me but keeps saying "medically" that the MX is not a big deal and if I could I would want to get a boob job...ummm excuse me...this isn’t something I elected to do I HAVE CANCER!  I want to scream at her but I know she really means no harm but it is really starting to get on my nerves!  How would you deal with this?  Thanks ladies!

Elaine-what your nurse said is true. I have a post-op appointment with my PS today, so last night I had my 11 year old daughter helped wash my hair and shave my armpits with an electric razor..didn't want to scare the doc with all that porcupine quills growing over one week. Anyway, as I was moving my left arm around to find a comfortable position to shave, my daughter yelled out "Mom look how fast the blood is moving in the tube" Take it easy Elaine and hang in there.

MrsTee-Don't get too upset with your friend. I think she meant better. Seeing you anxious about your upcoming surgery she probably wanted to redirect your focus. Unfortunately, she said the wrong thing to upset you. Not everyone knows how to comfort. I have friends and coworkers who made similar comments about getting new boobs. I responded by saying 'this is my chance to get the double d I have always wanted' .

MrsTee-

Come on over to the "Dumbest things people have said to you" or "Here's what cheezed me off today" threads and you'll see that the kinds of comments you were on the receiving end of are less common than we all have a right to expect.

If you feel like dealing with this thoughtlessness head on you could always point out that

1. Breast enhancement is elective surgery. A BMX is not. You did not get to schedule this at your leisure or choose your perfect breast size. You had to have this surgery in order not to DIE.

2. A bilateral mastectomy with artificial implants is much more painful and traumatic to the body than enhancement. For a BC patient the "boob job" she seems to covet usually involves either a reduction in size, surgery and scarring on another part of the body to transfer tissue, or months of painful tissue expanders and a second surgery.

3. BMX patients lose the feeling in their breasts. Enhancement patients don't. Would your friend trade all sensitivity in her breasts and nipples to go a size larger?

4. People getting an enhancement don't run the risk of lymphedema. Because breast cancer surgery involves the removal of lymph nodes, mastectomy patients do. Show your friend a picture of a woman with "elephant arms" and ask her how sexy she thinks that looks.

Now that I've written this I'm worried I'm going to scare those scheduled for surgery later this month. If I've done so I'm sorry. You'll soon be on the other side of surgery and it will feel so good to have it done with. It just pisses me off when women who have never had a mastectomy treat the idea so cavilierly.

On the positive side, 11 days out and my last drains and the positioning tape were removed this morning. Yay! Now, like others here, my biggest challenge is to take it easy. I don't think I'd be able to had I not been given a stern warning by my doctor. In the last week and a half I've read 4 books, binge watched the first two seasons of Downton Abbey and watched more bad TV than anyone should be exposed to in a lifetime. I guess when looking at the alternatives being royally bored is not the worst!

Lulu-- great explanations!!

Cassie, doc only removed one drain😢 I think he is extra cautious and just wantsto make sure the fluid does not accumulate. The good news is I get to shower. He was kind enough to put a waterproof bandage on the area where the tubing come out so I can shower. Thank you for asking. I'm glad to hear you are slowing down.Take it easy.

Hello Ladies,

Sorry I'm kind of late checking in but I was sort of manic last week and this week I've been doing next to nothing. I had a right side MX last Tuesday for IDC - three spots were found (the largest was 2.5 cm) and removed and the first sentinal node they took out and biopsied was negative (yay!). I've still got one drain in and hope I can get it removed when I see the Dr. tomorrow. Not moving my arm much is a fine line -- if I do to much it hurts of course, but if I leave it in the same position for any length of time (eg when I sleep) it starts to cramp up and hurt as well. I'm getting really sore from sleeping in the same position every night (elevated slightly and on my back and propped up on both sides) but whenever I try to make I change I regret it like crazy, usually at about 3:00. Still, Things seem to be moving along well and going forward, and I'm looking forward to moving around a bit more freely in the future.

It's great to see all the encouragement on this site, and if I can think of any advice to add I will, but it seems we have some pretty wise and seasoned women on here.

Mrs Tee, if anyone tells you it's not a big deal just tell them it is for you and anyone who thinks cancer is not serious is kidding themselves. I think people just deal with things differently -- I was not so much in denial pre-surgery, but definitely not going to pretend to feel worse than I did (I felt great) so I was usually the one making light of it and focusing on the positive and it used to annoy me when people were (perhaps rightly) devastated by the news. These people have become great supporters and helpers and I wouldn't change them for the world, but I understand how people around you may be trying to cheer you up by ignoring the seriousness. Take help and kindness where you find it and ignore what does you no good.

Best of luck with surgeries still to come, and quick, clean, and comfortable recoveries to all of you!

Hi-

I'm scheduled for BMX next Tuesday (the 27th) and am doing OK mostly.

Damselfly - I think I am handling things like you. I keep making light of it with people because I feel fine and keeping it light makes me try to believe it's not that bad (which being DCIS it's really not in the scheme of things). I'm so tired of the people who are all gloom and doom looking when I tell them. They want to go on and on about poor me and give me hugs and offer for me to speak to the cousin of their friend's tennis partner, etc who had BC. I've gotten to the point that I don't want to tell anyone else because I don't want to try to make them feel better about it. I understand and appreciate that people want to show sympathy, but I'm looking forward to the surgery to get it done with and also to stop dealing with other people about it. Thankfully all of my closest friends have been giving me the right kind of support as has my husband.

I am very concerned about being able to sleep because I cannot sleep on my back and absolutely cannot sleep sitting up. I flew to China and did not sleep a wink on the 17 hour flight b/c of that. Does anyone have any advice about something that might be OK to take to knock me out so I can sleep? I have a prescription for Percoset (which from previous experience does not make me sleepy) and one for Valium. My PS's nurse told me that if I wanted to take Tylenol PM instead of Percoset at night I could because that has Benedryl in it. I'm scared to try to skip the Percoset, though. Any thoughts?

jabec-

Like you I can't sleep on my back or sitting up...normally that is. I was surprised to find that in the week after my surgery I fell right off to sleep propped up and on my back. I was also able to sleep in the middle of the day, even in a house full of noisy kids. I think my body was so exhausted by the surgery that it just happened naturally.

You may want to ask your doctor for a prescription for Ativan/lorazepam. It's used to combat anxiety and as a mild muscle relaxant. When I was first diagnosed with BC my doctor prescribed it as a sleep aid.

thanks for the suggestion of Ativan for sleep. I'm hoping that initially I'm so exhausted that I sleep, but long term I don't think it will work for me. I guess in a week I will find out...

Justamy - good luck with your appointment!

Good luck tomorrow Dmarie71

Oh Shaz.😢 All nodes on left side??? No alternative options?

Good Morning Ladies, I was lurking, or not sleeping!, and I wanted to wish everyone here the best. I hope your surgery goes well, and you recover quickly. I had my surgery 12/15, and it went very well. And it is healed up and I am feeling good. I live alone, but the recovery was very easy, very minimal pain, and the drains were out the day after Christmas. They are annoying, but it went by fast. So I am very happy with the results so far. Fun not really, but very doable. Good Luck!

Fight the battles to win the war!

shaz101 -- My surgeon says that ALND typically doesn't go beyond the Levels 1 and 2 lymph nodes these days, which is what I had taken out. (They don't take out Level 3 nodes anymore for the most part.) In my case, I had 20 nodes in Levels 1 and 2, but everyone has a different number. My armpit is sore and I keep on drainin'. But ALND doesn't seem too bad. It does up your chances of Lymphedema.