July 2015 Surgery Sisters

Glad to hear that everything is manageable tonight, Sailor!

Thanks for the great info and advice, mfana.

I have awful surgery nerves tonight too. My surgery is at 1:00 EST, so I tried to pound as much water as possible tonight to help with tomorrow's thirst. Wishing my surgery sisters a night of rest and low pain/great path results tomorrow!!!!

Hi everyone - i hope the handful who just had surgery are doing well, seriously don't over do things - the pain pills sometimes allow one to do TOO MUCH TOO SOON so don't lift heavy pans, do laundry, vacuum, fold clothes, wash dishes etc,,, think - i just went through a big surgery, a lot of anxiety and nervousness and total upset to your body and it needs to rest - thoroughly to allow the stitches to begin healing and the inflammation to calm down,

i found relief with cold clear beverages - especially watered down lemonade or diet 7 up mixed with cranberry juice (no sugar added kind) - the craneberry juices antioxidants, vit C, E seemed to help flush out toxins from surgery anesthesia and fluid retention,,,, i stuck with bland foods for while - saltines, special K, peaches, watermelon, berries, dry crackers, chicken rice soup broth,,,, my nurse said do not eat greasy or spicy foods right away - cold foods cool body - lemon italian ices, sorbet, non fat frozen yogurt, chilled yogurt - it is not easy to go to the bathroom at first so don't eat hard to pass foods too soon! red meat, nuts, granola - no no no as the chest muscles all inflammed so stick too bland first couple weeks,,, makes yogurt smoothies with a banana and almond butter or natural peanut butter for protein,,,, and it is peach season - watermelon, berries, reload on vit C and lots fruits in diet for healing,,,,,

rehydrate - get lots fluids in - lemon water too!!! lemonade, brew tea, make/drink iced tea - mint, raspberry, ginger, green tea - all great and get up and walk for 4/5 mins outside and back to couch or shade outside to rest in recliner type chair with pillows! use the time to meditate, listen to videos from youtube, louise hay, tony robbins, power of now, deepak chopra stuff - very comforting and on facebook, rawforbeauty and mindbodygreen pages,,,,

I agree - the way you think totally effects surgery and the end results so THINK everything WILL GO GREAT - chant I can, I will & I want to get through this fantastically - i can, will handle this stress as best as I can, God has my back, look to your angels for strength!

We CAN DO THIS - we all are brave and it absolutely helps to reach out on boards for sipport,, encouragement, questions and reassurance and a cheer squad - I hope you ALL are going to be very fortunate and get through it wonderfully,

My exchange surgery and lift to my severely droopy natural breast is July 14th and i am nervous - about surgery and being under and having just had a very very very stressful past year - most stressful 2015,,,, feel weaker then wanted to before surgery - lost 12 lbs in 6 weeks from stress - so right now praying for the much needed extra strength and nutrients needed to get me successfully thru it and safely,,,

if i were to turn back time - would have had double MX not unilateral - now worry that i will wind up either needing MX on natural side eventually and have to go thru more suergy and recovery - maybe that will never happen though - but very hard to get a severely droopy breast to look great next to an implant so anyone deciding on unilateral or double - my two cents - think hard - may be harder up front to remove both but then you get matching set cancer free breasts,,,

God Bless us all - peace and good night,

Your well wishes mean the world to me!!! Didn't sleep at all let night, but hey, I don't really guess it matters as I will sleep all day!

Queenmomcat, I had to laugh at your asparagus comment! I had fish for dinner at the hotel we are staying at pre-surgery and asparagus came with it. I opted not to eat it- I guess to hold on to one last shred of dignity so no nurse would comment (even to herself!) on my urine! Goodness, the things we think about at this point!! I read somewhere that sometimes you DO need to sweat the small stuff as it keeps you from sweating the BIG stuff!!! I'm trying to see the humor and silver linings…

Thank you all for your kind thoughts for us today!!!

ispy, IndyGal35, Queenmomcat, and JCFree prayers and thoughts for you all even as I go under myself in a few hours!

Blessings!

Hi Molly,

I just had my lumpectomy yesterday and am feeling good! I did take my pain med in the middle of the night, although it was more from discomfort than actual pain. I'm switching to Tylenol today and think I'll be ready for action by tomorrow. You could probably return to work on Day 3 depending on what you do, but I'd recommend waiting another day. (Of course I'm a teacher so that's my frame of reference!) At this point, almost24 hrs later, I think the pain med is causing the little bit of dizziness, not the surgery recovery.

If you have any other questions, let me know! Susan Love's book was great to read as I was preparing. It was published in 2010 but still has fabulous info and her website has lots of updates as well.

Good Luck!

TODAY IS THE DAY! All the best to ispy, IndyGal35, Free123, Queenmomcat, and JCFree.You can do it and the waiting is over!! (Just wanted to apologize to ispy for calling you ipsy - I think I was a little tipsy yesterday but I'm much better today!)

Ispy: I'd bring you iced coffee--something with caffeine AND something cooling, if you'd find that soothing--but a bit too far away...and not allowed to drive yet! But my sympathies, to you and to the others going through surgery today.

I'm back from mine--a re-excision/second lumpectomy. Technically, a breast-conserving one, but not an appearance-conserving one, as the first one was; the surgeon had to take my nipple and complete areola off this time. I'm bracing myself for a flood of tears when I take the gauze bandage off, and every time I catch sight of myself in the mirror or dress thereafter for a good long time. Cross your fingers for clear margins this time everyone, because if he couldn't, it's a mastectomy for me. Only silver lining there is no radiation. Sigh.

But trying not to get too sorry for myself, because I know there are many undergoing far more disfiguring and extensive treatments! (Hoping the insurance will cover some sort of reconstructive surgery, though.)

Queenmomcat, By US federal law, insurance companies must cover reconstruction for bc surgery, even if the reconstruction is done at a later date. The law is called the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act.

Molly, I'm a Cali girl, too. Where are you getting your treatment?

Mavski, I see you are in Cali, too. Where are you getting treatment?

Queenmom, If the insurance covers cancer surgery, it must cover reconstruction. I had all of my surgery done at once. The BS removed the cancer and another area of interest; my PS rearranged the remaining breast tissue and put me back together again. The PS also reduced the good breast to make it match. I woke up with higher, smaller, cancer free breasts.

BTW, every doctor that sees me says my PS did a fantastic job. I'm happy, too.

Thank you, sailorgirl15! It's very helpful to know you are feeling so good only 24 hours after surgery! I hope to go back to work after just a few days. Surgery on Wednesday and hopefully feeling well enough Monday to work.

PoppyK,

I am getting my care through City of Hope South Pasadena. Surgery at Huntington Outpatient surgical center.

Yesterday to prepare for my lymph node dissection/removal I had four injections of nuclear medicine in my areola. I was not prepared for that and have searched around for information about it. It really stung!! Apparently this was in place of the blue dye procedure. I guess the ducts drain to the nipple area (makes sense because that is where the milk goes) and then travel up to the lymph nodes. So this nuclear stuff (did I mention how much it stung???) travels up to the lymph nodes and the BS uses a Geiger counter kind of tool to track it to the sentinel nodes. I guess I had two. Then she removed those and in my case they had put wires in two others because they had biopsied a node and found metasases. But, they didn't clip it at time of biopsy so I went back two weeks later and supposedly they clipped it. Yesterday they couldn't find the node they clipped so they put wires in two others and removed them. Other than that stinging, it wasn't that bad. (Now that it's over I can say that!!) I'm just wondering if anyone else had this nuclear procedure. I didn't have the blue dye which was all I had heard about. It was not what I expected so I thought I'd put it out here in case one of you encounters this.

mana is absolutely right y'all. Dh had to put his arms behind my shoulders to lift me up to sitting for the first few days. Wish I still had a recliner because I was also dealing with a degenerated L4/L5 disk at the time. Was having epidural treatments before BC diagnosis. You do need to use your stomach muscles and legs, not your arms or hands.

Sparkle2014 I'm finally getting anxious about exchange. I postponed from April to strengthen my back and whole body actually. As with the cancer surgery, I have to keep telling myself that the TEs have to go.

Queenmomcat I just avoided the mirror until I was ready. Dh even saw me before I looked. Also insurance has to cover reconstruction on both breasts to make them somewhat match. As my PS said. She can't promise twins, but I'll have sisters. Prayers for clear margins.

Scottie

The injections were in the areola not the nipple - just all around it! And yes, the very nice radiologist apologized to me as well! I think they could have started that happy juice before this part!!

Here's to today's Furious Five! Ispy, Indygal, Free123, Queenmomcat, and JCFree. I hope you are done with surgery and well on your way to recovery.

Drs said my surgery went well. My one disappointment: I did not map well for the SND so I ended up having the ALND. I was smiling and walking around last night with my sisters and friends at the hospital. Everyone said I looked great and was in good spirits. I was hungry but did not get to eat real food until this morning at 9am.

Feeling tightness and discomfort in my chest but the meds are helping. I'm taking them on schedule regardless of how I feel.

Tissue expanders look REALLY weird. Drains aren't as difficult as I anticipated. I drained my own for the first time a little while ago; 50ml on the left and 30ml on the right.

Nap time again, in my recliner

Surgery date of 7/16 has been confirmed; can you add me to the list Ispy? Will be updating my diagnosis and more soon, but feeling more ready for this. I can do this! Edited to add: No, Ispy, don't add me at least too soon, as I think today is your surgery date. Will be think good thoughts for you and all the July surgery sisters...

This is really happening isn't it? Hi all. I've been lurking on this thread for a while. I think I keep waiting for a phone call telling me it was just a mistake and I don't have cancer after all. Since my surgery is on 7/9 that phone call better come soon. LOL. I'll be having a lumpectomy with SNB. My MRI wasn't until today, so if something pops up on that, my surgery could get postponed last minute. Hopefully, that won't happen. I think we all must have that urgent feeling of needing to "get it out!"

To everyone sharing their experiences, thank you! It really does help to hear about what to expect. Wishing you all fast healing, clear margins and good health!