April & May 2015 Surgery Sisters

Hi--

I was just in the hospital for one night---hospitals are NO place to rest, so I was quite happy to go home--my surgery was at 9am and I was able to leave after lunch the next day. My surgery from being put to sleep to waking up was about 4.5 hours--it's was about 1 hour per breast for each surgeon for the mastectomy and insertion of expander (2 hours total per boob)--i didn't have anything else (nodes etc) done.

It was about 4 months from my BM to exchange--the PS picked out my implants (I told him what I wanted to look like) and I'm happy w/ them--Round 575cc.

Holler if you have any other questions!

Be well!

Lots of great advice coming in - this is so helpful.

Thinking of you bbbbun!! Being bumped from May 5th to tomorrow you must be spinning but soon it will all be done

And welcome to the April team livelovelaugh78, 3 weeks to go for you!

Donna

bbbbun - March Surgery Sister wishing for an easy surgery for you!

bbbbun,good luck tomorrow! I hope everything goes exceptionally well for you! I bet you are ready to get the TEs out. I know I am. :-)

if anyone wants to be friends on FB my username is Christy-Jon Anderson in Texas.

Good luck tomorrow bbbbun! I'm sure they will take good care of you, and know prayers and healing thoughts are being sent your way.

Katherine

Jstme, welcome to April Surgery Sisters! Sorry you have to be here but hopefully the support will help you get through this easier. You and I had the same neoadjuvant chemo, mine in 2013, then I had a axillary lymph node dissection. My recovery was not bad, better than I expected, I then had radiation. The radiation was the hardest for me. I now have a recurrence found last month on my second six month check. My surgery is on April 6th, a BMX, so I will be able to post some info for you and my other sisters that may be of some help. I also am getting anxious, less than 1 week before surgery. Can't wait until it is done. Good luck on your surgery.

Welcome Shelley,

We are all on here to share and support each other. I think this BC diagnosis is a shock to all of us.

Lynn

Thanks Zeeba for the information.  I was thinking the same thing about not wanting to be in the hospital any longer.

Hello shelly4321, I am glad you decided to post here too. I was looking through a recommended reading list for BC patients and this title really caught my eye "Why I Wore Lipstick: To My Mastectomy". It is written by a young woman who was diagnosed and 27. And I had to laugh at the description of the book, the link from BCO sent me here... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312334451/...

This girl did not let anything get in her way, the BC just made her live more boldly than ever. It sounds like a humorous and encouraging read, though I am sure it must have its moments. It is rated 4.5 stars so far. Just thought I'd mention it to you as you are only a few years older. I am finding that I need a break from all the potential seriousness of my current situation with DCIS and the upcoming surgery next week and wondering about SNB results already!!! Humor definitely works for me so I need to get me some of that Hope you can too!

Hello to all April Surgery Sisters! 

I will be joining this thread but don't have a sx date yet.  I saw my plastic surgeon today and had a great consultation.  I am hoping for a BMX with direct to implant. He is calling my BS to review and then hopefully I will get a sx date.

I found a lump in my left breast just after the new year.  I went for diagnostic mamo and sono Jan 15, and bilaeral core needle biopsy jan22.  Results were benign but radiologist did not agree with findings and seriously urged a surgical biopsy.  Surgical biopsy Feb 6, which turned out to be bilateral lumpectomies.  Feb 16 I got "the call", BC in left breast.  I then had SNB on left side March 3, which bought me some time to think about what course of action to take.  So much info is thrown at us in such a short period of time. Its been nice to just have time to think.

Lymph node came back negative, oncotype is 11 so no chemo.  Which brings me to my decision to have a BMX with direct to implant (no radiation).

Best wish to all.

Audrey

Patty101014 - I am sorry to hear about your surgery date delay.  Patience at a time like this is not easy.  I call it the "hurry up and wait" phase. 

KJSun and Zeeba, I think I will check into having my husband spend the first night with me in the hospital.  He can sleep through anything though, so it will be interesting to see how that will work out.  LOL.

Okay here goes.  I have been on pins and needles since January when my I went for my annual mammogram.  For the past 6 years I have been doing them yearly and because I have very dense breasts have had to go back for a second every time.  Also have had to have an ultrasound one time after the second mammogram.  This year after my second they told me to get dressed that a doctor would be in to see me.  I knew this was different and that they must have found something.  The doctor came in for a 5 minute conversation and told me they found micro calcifications in a cluster and that 80% of the time they turn out to be nothing.  If it turns out to be cancer it would be stage zero and easy to take care of.  I was in shock!  They scheduled me immediately for a stereostatic biopsy. After the biopsy I had to wait an painful week and a half to find out the results because my doctor wanted to see me in person and that is when she could fit me in.   I couldn't believe that this could be happening to me.  I had been helping a close friend who was diagnosed last July with breast cancer.  Little did I know that I would soon be starting my own journey with breast cancer.  There is no family history of breast cancer so I never expected it!  I always new that if I ever was faced with this decision that I would choose BMX.  If I chose lumpectomy I would have radiation after and have to take tamoxifen for the next five years.  For me this was not something I even wanted to consider.  So I will be getting a nipple and skin sparring BMX, SNB and reconstruction with TE's.  I only have cancer in my left breast but I do not want to go through this again!  So as of now I have DCIS in situ, grade 3 with almost 100% positive ER and PR receptors.  I went for an MRI last week and it turned up another spot on the same breast that they wanted to biopsy.  I asked if we could skip it since I am scheduled for a BMX and they said yes.  So possibly more cancer but we will find out when its over. This has been a roller coaster ride with my emotions and if it wasn't for all of you amazing woman on this site I would have lost it by now!  So my surgery date has been set for April 28th.  I am ready to get this show on the road!