January 2015 Surgery Sisters

good morning all, I'm home and feeling pretty good. BS removed 4 nodes, one with cancer. That along with the LVI, pretty much assures chemo, but I'm ok with it. And the cancer is out of me😄. Surgery was at 8:30, got there at 7:45, and they were wheeling me into the operation rooms a 8:33. Last thing I remember, other then the shock of being inside an operating room, was the nurse commenting how pretty my panties were! It was the only thing I felt I had control of. But everyone was wonderful. I was home by 7pm.

Bikerbabe, that is too funny about your panties. I was thinking the same thing. I need new panties. I had a pedicure done with my little one. I know it seems trivial at this point, but I have control. I haven't been under anesthesia and scared. So why not look pretty.

hahaha

Hope your recovery goes smoothly.

Happy Friday

Robin-

Yes, you want to deflate the drain bulbs after you empty them. The idea is to create gentle suction to pull fluids into the bulbs. I had my husband help with them for the first day or so because my range of motion was so limited.

Every day will get easier. Celebrate the little victories- pulling up your pants on your own, pouring yourself a bowl of cereal, taking your first shower, but at the same time, take it easy. Your body has been through something traumatic and it needs time to heal.

I also did a BMX and immediate reconstruction w/implants. Yesterday, at 12 days out I finally took my first walk around the neighborhood solo, something I was used to doing every morning. It felt so good to be out in the cold air, and although I only went about a mile it felt like an accomplishment, and a marker of a return to a normal life

Just checking in after my PBMX on Wed Jan 21st. I had direct implants and lots of fat grafting done...taken from my tummy and sides. Movement of any kind has been very painful until today. I am still in the hospital because my bladder is retaining urine. Praying I can go home today once my bladder decides to start working! Overall...everything went well and I'm so glad to om the other side!!

Thinking of everyone including Shaz, Trailrose, Mary, Loveroflife, CassieCat and all who are posting. I had my surgery a week ago and thankfully, all follow up news has been good. I am so grateful. My thoughts and prayers go out to those of you still awaiting surgery, those recovering and those gearing up for the next phase of treatment.

My drains were removed yesterday and I had my first real shower this morning. It felt wonderful but I am amazed at how exhausted I was afterward. I am trying hard not to overdo. I have opted to forego reconstruction so have been looking at options for foobs, undergarments and clothing on other threads.

For those struggling with sleep, a wedge pillow and something under my knees has helped immensely as well as small pillows under each forearm. If ok with your doc, you can also try 25-50 mg of plain benadryl (diphenhydramine) 30-60 minutes before bedtime. I am a light weight with meds, so 25 mg is plenty for me. I haven't taken a narcotic for the last 36 hrs, but am staying on schedule with ibuprofen which has really helped.

Hi, everyone.
I just found this site (and the boards) today when searching for an explanation for the extreme sensitivity I feel all around my surgical sites. Every time I get a chill (and I'm in Wisconsin in January, so that's pretty often), I wince at the sensitivity of everything that's been cut--the scars on my breasts, the spots where the drain tubes came out, the lymph node removal scar, and the port placement.

Anyway, I will introduce myself and then realize I should go update my stats so they show under my posts.

Dx (changed with post-surgical pathology) on December 5, 2014: Invasive Lobular Adenocarcinoma, Stage 3a, Grade 3, ER+ PrR+ Her2+; BRCA and other 15 genetic subtype negative; 8/12 LN+; Age 44 at Dx; Surgery 1/8/15; Scheduled for chemo (ACT) to begin 2/11/15

Boo-welcome! Glad you are doing better. The energy and sleep will get better. It is hard to be patient. Take it easy

Mary, Shaz, and Elaine- there are exercises you can do to help prevent lymphedema. Check with your PT. They are boring but better than the alternative.

Jarpsyd- yes the sensitivity on the side is normal. I remember the first few weeks after MX and lymph nodes removal, I could not stand anything rubbing the area. I found that wearing a loose blouse helped me, but it is not practical this time of the year to do so. It has been 4 months since the MX, I don't actually remember when the sensitivity stop bothering me. I kind of get used to it after awhile and then it's gone.

Cassie- removal of staples sounds painful. Mine is the kind that falls off or get absorbed into the skin. How long do you need to be on Herceptin? How did it go today? Hopefully, side effects are not as bad as chemo.

AnnMarie- I got a good chuckle when I read that you posted on the January 2014 Surgery forum....I could see myself doing the same thing. Sorry to hear that the girls are too small for you. My surgeon was only able to put in 30 cc at the time of TE placement and I am still sore especially at night when I try to fall asleep. I am small breasted so the TE is already as big as my native side LOL. There are days when I asked myself why go through this, but, I know the emotional impact if I decided to forgo reconstruction. Sigh. Thank you for your desire to come here to help those of us who choose recon.

Jmo- glad mom's surgery went well. She is blessed to have a caring child.

Robin and Lulu good for you for being able to have direct to implants done-all in one shot. You are spared the painstaking process of tissue expanding. Robin, it just does not make sense...how could you be in remission if they found one of the node to be positive of cancer cells?

Lulu- congrats on your 1 mile walk. My goal is to do that this coming Momday with my walking buddy/friend.

Bikerbabe- You sound like a tough cookie. Pretty panties...that's hilarious. I wanted to keep mine on but nurse said "no".

Dmarie - praying that the bladder will cooperate and release the urine so you can be discharged soon.

Homer- Yay!!! Rejoicing with you. Yes, the first shower was heavenly for me too. I think you heal faster without the TE.

Bfmomma, when I am cold the fibers or cells in the area that went through trauma are the first one to dance and once I shiver it takes awhile before I m able to stop.

I got my last drain out today. Now I need to find a way to sleep comfortably and through the night. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Robin- it is a roller coaster ride. I think I would be overwhelmed too after 12 rounds of chemo and then get mixed messages from my providers on whether or not enough is done. Praying for wisdom for your medical team. Perhaps you can create a new post to ask to see if others have/had similar experience. Hugs to you.

Robin, I hope you get some answers very soon. The not knowing is always the part I hate the most, seconded by unexpected new!!!! My thoughts are with you and I am sending lots of positivity your way xxx

Hi lisazac, so sorry you have joined us. But you will find everyone so helpful and supportive. 

Thanks homer, I hope you are feeling better each day. Its amazing how good little things like a shower can make us feel.

Lover of life, thank you, I hpshall google some exercises, as I feel tight already from the SNLD, so I'm dreading the next one. I hope they go through some exercises with me before I go home. 

I'm feeling very nervous about going back for more surgery on Tuesday 😣 I don't feel like I've healed enough from the last one! Oh well, I guess the sooner I get it over with the better! 

I hope everyone who has had surgery is recovering well and getting lots of good support from family and friends.

Hello ladies.

Finally feeling up to posting a quick update. 4 days post op.

First stop the day of the surgery was to receive the radioactive injection for the Sentinel Node Biopsy, which did not hurt at all. They used a local prior to the injection. Then on to the hospital. My BMX took 4.5 hours, including the PS TE procedure. I awoke in recovery with excruciating pain, received a Dilaudid injection and drank a flavored syrup? which helped tremendously. Then the hunger set in. My husband ran down the street for Mediterranean food. He brought back several different dishes which I grazed on all night long in between medications and vital checks. I was able to keep my pain level in between a 2 and 3 throughout the night and the next morning. I was discharged around noon the following day. Total hospital time was around 24 hours. The entire surgical team was incredible! They did not mind my sister, an 11 year breast cancer survivor, and my husband dancing at the foot of my bed as I received the first injection before I was wheeled into the OR. We are a silly family. The nurse anesthetist looked back at my husband as she wheeled me away and said "I will take care of her" in a very serious voice.

Recovery has been a little challenging. I am currently taking Percocet, Flexeril, and Keflex, although I am trying to sub in some Tylenol for the Percocets when I can. The Flexerils seem to be having the greatest impact as I am experiencing some chest cramps and spasms due to the TE. The cramping is decreasing day by day. Sleep has been difficult as its hard to get comfortable for any length of time. I can usually go for about 2 or 3 hours, then need to rearrange my complex pillow combinations (done by my patient husband).

My follow up with the PS is this Monday. He instructed me to keep my arms down and no exercises until he clears me. Hopefully on Monday the drains will come out. They are each producing around 5 to 10 ml per day. No full body showers, waist down only (husband). I feed myself, which I could not do on day 1. I am a coffee lover, which has to be in a small plastic cup, because I cannot lift a normal coffee mug.

Remember to bring lip balm with you to your surgery and have a stool softening plan thought out. I used Miralax on my first day home every day and have had no issues, beyond a slow start.

Thanks for everyone's support. Will post more as my head clears and my energy levels return.

Trailrose

Hello all. Please add me. I had a uniMx with Diep flap reconstruction on 1/15. I'm glad to be with you.

My path just came back and they did not get clear margins unfortunately. So more surgery in store

The hardest thing about all of this has been (more than once) thinking that I'm done....only to find out that they didn't get it all. Hard...

Ganzgirl2010, thanks for your last post!  My BX & Expander is on Tuesday and getting a bit nervous about pain and all.  How long after your surgery would you say that you were able to go back to a normal routine?  Is it after the drain gets taken out?  Does the expanders hurt throughout the whold process?  Thank you so much!

LisaZak, welcome. I hope things go very well for you this week.

shaz, I'd feel ner too, but I think that's normal! Good luck to you as you go back in.

trailrose, it sounds like you're doing pretty well and have excellent support from your husband. That is awesome. Take it easy, and hopefully soon you'll be back to more normal movements.

concernedhubbyalan, I hope your wife is resting well and healing as each day passes.

OVienna, I'm sorry you'll have to go back in due to margins. Any idea when?

KjAgent, good luck this Tuesday!

Mary, good luck at your appointment tomorrow.

I'm doing better as the days go by. I still have some soreness, especially in my armpit, and the skin there has a numbness as the nerves all figure out what the heck has been happening! I'm not as sore down the back of my arm anymore, and I don't take ibuprofen as soon as I get up now. I'm 16 days post MX without any recon.