January 2015 Surgery Sisters

Mrs. Tee -- best wishes for surgery today!

Fralaliso -- yes, lucky for you that you got a BMX! Amazing what imaging can miss....

jabec -- the rescheduling really has turned out to create all sorts of challenges..... Are there any friends who can run errands for you or drive you places? I've found that lots of people want to help as long as you have a specific need to be met.

Just found out why my MO appointment has been cancelled. MO is out with the flu!

Glad to hear things went well, Lisa. Sending good vibes your way for a good path report.

Hi Everyone,

I had my surgery yesterday. Lumpectomy. It went very smoothly. I am surprised like LisaZak by how good I feel. Sore and tired yesterday and today feeling pretty good. This morning I felt like I had a slight hangover (from anesthesia) but tonight good.

Now waiting on Path report. I feel it will be all good.

Hope everyone heals nicely.

Hi All,

I have been off the boards, so I am so happy to see that most are doing very well with recovery! Best of luck on the path reports.

I was very lucky and besides finding PASH and more ALH and ADH, nothing more serious was found. My surgeon said I had the most dense breasts she had ever seen. (20 years!) She told me that we did the right thing, and that those boobs should only be in one place, a bucket. It made me feel reassured regardless of the final path. Oh, and I am shocked by how much tissue came out! 1000 on left and 890 on R. Seems like A LOT. I am 5'5, 150lbs, size 8 and previously wore a 36 DD.

Expanders are tough. Ouch. Part of it might be that I was filled 300cc's in my expanders immediately. I had planned on just going to a C, but I wondering if I will be disappointed so small. I want to go smaller for sure, just not sure how much smaller. I still have 2 of 4 drains in 2 weeks later. CANT wait to get them out.

LuLu, I feel for you to be rescheduled. We build our minds up so much for appointments, then boom.

Fralaliso -- congrats on making the right decision. Scary what could have happened.

Fralaliso -- yes, lucky for you that you got a BMX! Amazing what imaging can miss....

Elaine, I totally agree. People want to help, being the independent person that I am, it has been hard to accept help. I have decided to think of it as ME doing something for THEM, by letting them help. Silly, I know. But letting them feel better by helping me, makes me happy.

Cinvee

I used this site and found it very helpful:

http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com

Good morning ladies . I am 2 days post BMX and still in the hospital had some terrible nausea and vomiting . After they changed my meds I've been doing better but may have to go back to the OR because of some fluid build up on my right side (nervous yet once again!) won't know anything until later this morning. Glad that others have been doing well - need to read to catch up on everyone been way out of it! :

MrsTee, sorry to hear about the nausea and fluids. I hope everything is OK. Please keep us posted.

Msmath, good luck today!!!

Boo, I got my drain out and half my staples a week or so after surgery but had to wait another week for the rest of the staples. Just getting the drain out makes a big difference, though! Congrats.

Audry, of course you are anxious. Hopefully they are benign but it is wise to err on the side of caution. I had a lumpectomy in August and it was easypeasy. I never even opened the bottle of pain meds. I was sore for a week or so but certainly it was manageable. While everyone reacts differently, I hope your recovery is quick and easy too. Are they checking lymph nodes as well? If you check the February 15 surgery sisters thread and scroll up a bit there is a link from the moderators giving a lot of tips and useful information. Love, Jean

Audrey, I don't have any experience with that kind of biopsy or with having something done to both breasts at the same time, but I can say that recovery from my MX has been fairly easy and the pain was never too bad. The worst of it was in my armpit where my surgeon did have to go in for two lymph nodes. Good luck to you, and here's hoping for benign results!!

Any tips,from those having had ALND?

zjrosenfeld -- I had ALND with my lumpectomy -- they took out 20 nodes (all clear). Because they took out so many nodes, my drain stayed in 2.5 weeks. But, now it's out. Unlike a sentinel node situation, the surgeon has to cut across some nerves to get out so many nodes. So, there's a numb spot in my armpit. Today, I went to the pool with my husband and sons to work on some of my exercises -- it's definitely the ALND which reduces the range of motion in my right arm. A little swelling in the right arm but no serious lymphedema yet. A lymphedema specialist is coming to my hospital on Wednesday to speak to the BC group -- since I got ALND and am at risk, I will try to make his talk.

Hi again-had my lumpectomy on 1-29: needle localization, radionuclides in breast went fine as well as surgery removing cancer and 3 sentinel nodes. However my surgeon was unable to get a port in on either side though she tried for additional 1 1'2 hrs of surgery. So I will have to see an 'interventional radiologist' who will inject dye in my breast veins to find a way to put port in but that is later. Like others above I have had little pain from surgery and not used any pain pills.

Though this was outpatient surgery they used general anesthesia and I got very nauseated from it. They gave me a lot of anti-nausea meds that made me groggy but let me go around 7 pm to return with my friend to the motel. Total screw-up on getting me oxygen as now I need 24/7 and the portable concentrator (I purchased myself for my copd use overnight as could not get insurance to cover lighter weight concentrator) I knew was not going to hold up to that much use overheated yesterday twice and had to be off. I started 8 am to get through the hoops to get a regular oxygen concentrator and some small bottles to 7 pm yesterday to finally get the oxygen delivered to my motel. Was unable to get certified by medicare to pay for it due to super tight restrictions and catch 22's so paid for it myself.

Was very tired yesterday from multiple phone calls trying to get oxygen I fell asleep early last night and awoke at 2:30 am. I coughed up a little blood so out of an abundance of caution I got a cab to take me to the emergency room as my friend had gone home. They took another x ray and said it was the same as the one they took right after surgery to make sure they had not breached my lungs. Doc said likely from endothracheal tube they put in during surgery that can scratch going in or out.

Now waiting for another friend driving up from town I live in with some home made soup and bread. She was supposed to bring me a stool softener but instead brought a mild stimulant laxative so will make do. Otherwise I am doing well, taking my dog out several times a day and walked at least 500 ft in several small walks today.