February 2015 surgery

Sounds like our February sisters are doing well. Have appt with BS surgeon tomorrow aternoon, and hope this damn drain comes out soon. How are you all bathing? My breast is covered in gauze and a bandeau type of covering. Have not seen my breast, but want to clean up before appt. Suggestions?

God is good!

My PS did not allow showers with the drain, just sponge baths. I used baby wipes

for showering with JP drains, I just used a shoelace round my neck - pinned one drain to each end. Worked perfectly!!

My surgery was a week ago and I think I've been doing well, but I'm also at the point that I'm feeling like I'm done with this pain. 4 days of it was manageable, now I want it to be over! I have been off Percocet for a a few days except for at night time - just taking extra strength Tylenol, which I guess explains why I'm still feeling a decent amount of pain. Everything looks good to me and I go to the PS today for my follow up and I'm hoping that at least 2 of the drains come out. I'm dying to take a real shower, but am not allowed to until all the drains are gone. I'm ready to feel like a "real" person already!! Just needed to blow off some steam - thanks!

Hair? What's that? Teehee! I guess one good thing about being bald is not worrying about washing my hair after surgery. (Just wanted to give you sisters a laugh.) Love, Jean

Yes Audrey, waiting is hard. I'll be praying for you. Let us know how you're doing, Love, Jean

Just praying for everyone, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Sorry for TMI, but finally got rid of constipation since 2/5!

God is good!

Ladies-I wish to add myself to the February list. I am scheduled for lumpectomy this Thursday, 2/12 followed by bilateral breast reconstruction 2/20. I feel everyone's pain and anxiety but admit that with each post I read, my strength is renewed. All of you have been supportive and wonderful to each other and I believe that when you can see past your own anxiety and discomfort and be able to support complete strangers, God will support you in your time of need. Stay strong!

OK, I put my big girl panties on. Thank you BB for your kind words.

I just took a shower which takes twice as long now, and put my makeup on.

This situation does not define me. This situation will not define me. I am a strong, loved woman and I will get through this.

Prayers for all.

Had my visit with the PS today and got 2 of the 4 drains out. He said everything looks great. However, the earliest the other 2 drains are coming out is Friday and my entire family has a trip planned to Mexico leaving Sunday. PS said that even if drains come out on Friday he's not really comfortable letting me go on the trip on Sunday because he wants to check me again before he lets me travel. My next appointment with him won't be until next Tuesday. I'm so bummed about this, especially since my surgery got postponed a week because of the "blizzard" we ended up not having in NY. Had they done the surgery on time I doubt there would even be a discussion about whether I could go. The question is whether I go on Sunday and hope that I don't develop an infection or fluid buildup (both slim chances and I'm only a plane ride away), try to meet up with the rest of the family on Wednesday, or have my husband go with the kids and the rest of his family while I stay home feeling sorry for myself. I know that it's just a trip and there will be others, but with everything else I've been through I was hoping I could lie on a lounge chair by the pool and recuperate instead of sitting on the couch by myself in the cold and snow.

JustAmy - I hope the surgery went well today and that you are put back together the right way

JustAJennifer - that's great that you can shower. I'm not supposed to shower until my drains are out. Getting 2 out today was just a tease since I still can't shower! I've been washing my hair in the sink and using a handheld shower to clean my lower half, but I'm dying to take a real shower.

AudreyB - I'm so sorry things aren't turning out how you hoped, but I'm glad to see that you are coping as best you can until you have answers.

jabec

If you do go to Mexico, is it in an area with water quality issues? I've gotten eye infections from opening my eyes in the shower overseas(along with the big "D" because I rinsed my toothbrush in the tap water)...could there be potential problems with the drain sites?

Went to BS this afternoon for path reports, and thought getting drain out. First time I am seeing my breast, not too bad, but armpit is ugh! Anyway, going for more surgery re-incision ? in the morning to get the last bit of cells they did not get. Overwhelmed again, but at least I know what to expect, just seems so soon!

Blessings to all. God is good.

I'm thinking of all you strong ladies. The first 2 weeks are hard, but then it gets easier. I couldn't wash my hair for 2 was and just found it easier to go to a hair salon. I needed to take oxycodone for 3 weeks solid and Valium at night for the tightness for 4 wks. I also had 6 drains and the last 2 finally were finally taking out at 4 weeks. I had no choice, but to go back to work after 6 days and it was a horrible decision. Please ladies, if you can take off of work or chores to rest, please do it. Your bodies have gone through so much physically, emotionally and mentally.

Lovemylab- there are some great posts on preparing for surgery and aftercare. I am so much better prepared now from these ladies for my exchange then I was for my bmx. I hope you makea speedy recovery and we are here for you.

Aubrey- sending you thoughts and prayers of peace, strength and comfort.

Fmmbw- I hope your procedure is quick and easy. Sending you good thoughts and prayers that everything is a success.

Your support here to each other is amazing and inspiring to read :-)

Good luck to all of you preparing for surgery this month! You may find the section on What to Expect with Surgery a little helpful.

AudreyB, (we're thinking of you!) xoxo

Waitingtoexhale and jabec, yay to you both doing great one week post surgery

Sending kind thoughts to you all

The mods

I just woke up from ten hours of sleeping, trying to catch up on all posts. Audrey I'm sorry you are in the waiting game, that part sucks. I find as tough as it is sometimes, straightforward information is better. Not sure I know why you were having excisional biopsy--was the core inconclusive or discordant with the imaging? i have had it all now--steroetactic, ultrasound guided, needle localization, lumpectomy, re-excision, sentinel node biopsy and mastectomy. We always make our decisions with the best information we have at the time, but the information we really need is not knowable. Cancer in my opinion is a series of crappy decisions where you have to choose the least awful out of nothing that you would ever want. Try to focus on just what you have to do now.

Last night i was having hot flashes so bad I thought I had a fever. My drainage output has dropped so i should be having that pulled on Thursday at my post op appointment. After that I have to race to MO's office in Brooklyn for my next Zoladex implant and we're starting our 4 year old in a new school and I'm hoping I can get him there at 12:30.

Yes, I have a drain after exchange, and I'm sorry to tell you that when I woke up I was actually in MORE pain than after the mastectomy/TE placement which shocked me as I was not prepared for that. But there is a lot of pocket work in recreating an inframamammary fold and all of the discomfort was under the implant. Any motion that required abdominal muscles hurt. After two days of round the clock opiods I was able to cut back to every six hours and yesterday I went on Advil during the day as i was tired of the mental fog. But as far as the arm--i do not seem to have any of the shoulder tightness I did with the first surgery. I could still slip my hand behind my head without an issue.

I am forbidden to shower until 48 hours AFTER drain is pulled so really hoping this is going tomorrow.

Been obsessively reading about implants the past few days (not that i can change what I have) I believe i have an Allergan 410 (i.e. gummy). I wanted this because the skin on my chest above my TE was thin enough that i could make out my ribs and I could not deal with summer clothing like that. I figure that i know this isn't real--its not fooling me or my husband, so how it looks is more important than how it feels, since my goal is not to have people staring at my chest and trying to figure out what happened --seeing ripples--such that i feel i have to say something. From the top of my bra it looks pretty amazing. Husband was also impressed on the bandage switch. But I'm also aware that this puppy is not going to be moving anywhere and it won't squish into bras like a more fluid round could. I just keep telling myself there was nothing that was going to really recreate what it was and thats it. The crappy decision was form or feel. It is a lot softer than the TE so that's an improvement.

I did not do anything to my native breast to make them match. As I said above, this isn't about how its going to look to me or hubs as we know the truth. PS advised against a lift because even though I have some droop ( one pregnancy and I'm in my late 40's) and he could pick it back up to where it was, it would be at the cost of a scar around my nipple and down and around my inframammary fold and possibly some loss of sensation. And he said, over time, its would droop again anyway so they will not permanently match and I will have to wear a bra no matter what. Some of the women on the uni board have said that the lift surgery was more to recover from than the exchange. I am also wary of scar tissue making my right mammogram more difficult to read in the future