February 2015 surgery

BBi i am starting to get anxious as well. Mine is Tuesday morning. Early morning surgery is good news, no waiting all day with no eating.

We are all going to get through this crappy month. Ive been reading AntiCancer, it has been having a calming impact on me. I recommend it if you havent read it yet.

Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber. He was a physician diagnosed with brain cancer and spent his time researching ways to change your lifestyle to prevent recurrences of cancer. He shares his personal stories and of others.

I am so statistics and research focused that this book has helped me calm down about it and make a longterm plan. It is literally getting me off the ledge.

"Statististics is information not condemnation. The objective, when you have cancer and want to combat fatalaty, is to make sure you find yourself in the long tail of the curve."

The book focuses on how to put yourself in the lefthand side of the bell curve through changing of lifestyle.

BBwithBC45 - I hope you have already settled in and are watcing the Superbowl. I will be thinking of you tomorrow and looking forward to hearing about your successful surgery. There are a few of us here that will tell you that the more positive you are going in for surgery the more positive you will be about your recovery. It is true. That old line, "fake it till you make it" does work. I thought the surgery was bearable but uncomfortable. I definitely took my pain meds, muscle relaxers and valium right on time, regardless of having pain or not. I didn't want to find out if it was going to hurt so I planned ahead. lol At the hospital I went to there was a push button for morphine. I know i pushed it every 8 minutes and when i was too tired I had hubby push it. Also for the discomfort in the hospital and at home- the ice pack worked great. The ice definitely helps with the cramping and valium helps too.

WIshing you all the best tomorrow

I am getting prepared for my surgery Tuesday. Tomorrow I'm going to buy a recliner. Nothing like waiting till the last minute! Today I found out my pastor and his wife are visiting me in the hospital. I think that makes me as nervous as the surgery. I just don't know what I'll be like on the pain meds. The surgery itself doesn't scare me too much...more the whole recovery process and not being able to care for myself for a few days.After months of chemo, I am just ready for this to all be over. Pray that I get clear nodes. If I do then no radiation!

Best of luck to everyone that isstarting off our February month this week!

Sunseta1969

Bbwithbc45

Pray you have restful sleep tonight.

I pray all surgeries go very well and you will both be calm.

May you feel the Blessing of the Lord!

Robin

Hi, what kind of surgery? Lumpectomy? Do some deep breathing, and trust if you can, the process. I have to have some more taken - for a better margin, on Wednesday. From a lumpectomy a few weeks ago. All the best,

wishing all of you fine ladies having surgery this week an easy recovery from anesthesia and successful relief of your post operative pain, hoping your surgeries are uneventful, and that your surgeons are able to get clear margins, hoping for negative nodes, and that you get some relief in knowing that this beast of a disease has been removed. I have been waiting for my day in the operating room since my August biopsy, 26 more days to go. Odd that February is the shortist month, but will feel like the longest month to me. I'm currently 3 weeks pfc, I feel like the stay puf guy. Edema with weight gain have set in. Teary eyes and runny nose, sore fingertips, sore heels, muscle aches, hot flashes, and still with GI issues. Hoping that some of this gets better before surgery. Herceptin # 5 comes Tuesday, MRI Wednesday, then no appointments for 12 whole days. Some serious chemo recovery time.

hey there, I,m joining this thread too. Feb 5 ....BMX with TE.

Loulou and nurse shark.....so sorry for your sad news.

Nurse...your baby is so adorable.

I've already had a segmented mast in June but have to go back to get full mast on L side and over decided to remove the R side as well. I'm starting to stress about surgery and drains. Not sure what to do to prepare so I'm starting to read .

Just finished watching super bowl....great game!!

Good luck to surgery sisters tomorrow!!!

Dancing

NurseShark- Your Doctor will help guide you down the appropriate path when it comes to having children. My sister an 11 yr. survivor of breast cancer and is BRCA 1 # had 3 children since then. She had her ovaries removed and hysterectomy 2 yrs. ago at age 36. Hopefully this will help you too.

Sending positive thoughts to sunseta1969 and bbwithbc45. Thinking of you.

JustAJennifer - thanks for the list. I'm double checking my packing now.

My BMX is tomorrow afternoon. I'm so anxious to have it done after being canceled last week due to the "blizzard". Of course a big snowstorm today, but at least it has now stopped and tomorrow's forecast is clear. The panic thankfully hasn't set in yet and hopefully I can keep it relatively together until the surgery. Hearing everyone's stories has made it feel more manageable.

Hi, Jabec -

We are practically neighbors. I work in Brewster, but live in Dutchess County. I am having my surgery at Putnam Hospital instead of Northern Westchester. I am pretty sure that you will have a morphine button to push when you open your eyes. Keep pushing it even if you are not sure you will need it. I tried to be a hero and waited too long and regretted it. I hope you have little wait time. I found that checking my list a couple of times really distracted me. The roads are looking good now. My husband just arrived home from working in Yonkers and he said the "roads look good". If you can try to bring baby wipes. It will help to get off the marker on your chest. I didn't find the hospital staff very helpful with getting it off. Baby wipes definitely worked. Another suggestions was when it came to void- (pee) if you have problems, try putting your hand in warm water and/or pouring it over that private area. Hey, it matters to the nurses. Also, I became violently illl from the pain meds and the anti nausea meds the doctor ordered really weren't helping. If you find yourself in the same boat ask for compazine. I totallly stopped throwing up. It was horrible to throw up after just having the bmx. You wil be uncomfortable sitting and it's tough to get up with no hands to push so I found walking really helped. The hospital nurses nicknamed me Super Trooper. I kept walking and walking. They had no idea that i was too scared to get back in the bed for fear I couldn't get back up.

I will be thinking of you tommorrow.

@ goMOMgo

I'm sure you don't know all that much about breast cancer as if you did you would realize that this is a board for women (and men too!) who are about to undergo mutilating surgery for their potentially lethal cancers, and for others at later stages of reconstruction. We are hear to support each other through this experience. We are here to check in with each other and be heard through our own ordeals. Your post is intrusive and insensitive. You did not even read the posts ahead or wish anyone well with their surgery. Although I am sure your mother's book is intended to be a help to women, this is not the forum to be asking for money for her to write it. Since she has spent a lifetime writing about breast cancer, I am sure she can explain to you inappropriate your request is on this particular board.

Waiting to exhale, jeeper4, Amy and jabec..... Praying your surgery goes well today with no complications and you have a good recovery. Love, Jean