October 2015 Surgeries

Hi everybody. I am still in the hospital. Unfortunately the immediate reconstruction did not succeed. Because of scar tissue on the pectoralismuscle caused by the 2 earlier surgeries. The muscle would be too thin to put over the implant, so the plastic surgeon choose to place a tissueexpander. Tired now. Hope everybody is healing well!

Thank you Jbdayton! I am more than ready to be on the other side of this. Surgery isn't until 3:30 this afternoon, so I still have more time to sit and think about it all. In general though, I'm doing well and feel very ready in all aspects of this. Prayers going out to TCinMN, Doxiemom1962 and Waterstreet. Wishing you ladies well before, during, and after your surgeries today.

Congratulations on your cancerversary hummingbirdlover! I had self dissolving sutures for my LX plus steri strips over them. I was told to leave the steri strips on for the BS to remove at 5 days PO. For my MX I had sutures that had to be removed and some waterproof tape over the incision that was left on for a week and the sutures remained for about 4 weeks until the PS removed them. All in all my MX recovery was uneventful and my TE stopped bothering me once I started getting fills. There is hope ladies. I am nearly 7 weeks post mx and feeling great! I don't even mind the TE anymore. My temporary FOOB looks great.

constantine1-lumpectomy Oct 8th

hi all,

Made it through the 3 needle localizations, LX and SNB yesterday. Long day but today has been better than anticipated! Surgeon was able to remove calcifications and SN through same incision in area between breast and underarm so I have no incision in the underarm area. Really little to no pain or swelling at all! I was so afraid it was going to be awful. (Maybe I caught this break because I've been dealing with a staph infection in my finger from a splinter- for 9 weeks due to impaired immune system after chemo.)

Sort of funny thing is that I felt no pain after surgery so was able to sleep on my right side...a few hours later, got up for water and my husband noticed I was bleeding. It didn't hurt and mostly seemed like serous fluid SO am hoping I got rid of any extra fluid- although by accident- and won't have any issues with seromas. We will see.

Anyway, path report should be in 5-7 days. Doc said it all looked good so am praying not in node and clear margins. Then, radiation.

avmom and Tulipa- Hope you all are resting and not in a lot of pain.

Dizz- rest is good stuff! Gabby56b- hope the drains are out soon. jbdayton- hope your reunion is full of good fun and lots of storytelling and laughter! Enjoy!

God bless!

Getting discharged today. Despite all my preparations to avoid post surgery constipation, I ended up with 2 doses or miralax and a dulcolax suppository prescribed..and for the last 18 plus hours I have been up and down to the bathroom...along with on-q, drains, flap senors...I know that I won't remember all these horrible details someday, but right now my dignity is at an all time low. Nothing like having the nurse tech tuck you back into bed after an urgent episode and then having to call them back before they can even get back to the nurses station.

I am so ready to feel more normal and independent. My M.O. stopped by this morning with the surgical pathology and confirmed my Complete Pathological Response and no node involvement. That really makes this painful time easier to deal with. I hope everyone else having surgery this week and next is doing well.

thinking of you, Trichick196 and KCinMN... Hoping you are doing ok today after your surgeries. Constantine, how are you doing after your LX on Oct. 8?

sounds like you are doing well, MayK. That's awesome!

Thanks Mary. We travelled for surgery, so are now discharged to the hotel. We will stay here until Monday when we will likely get my breast drains removed. We are then toying with the idea of staying maybe another week as it appears the abdominal drain may not take that much longer to drain...especially with the painful binder I am wearing. Funny part is that I wasn't too annoyed with drains in the hospital, but now that we are at the hotel and I had my first shower they are exhausting me. My husband, my 11 year old son, and my MIL are here helping me out. So, I've got lots of support.

Doxiemom, I know you are really hurting tonight (and hopefully not reading this) but I am on 5 after diep bmx and can tell you that each day will get better. Rest and stay on top of the pain.

Welcome LiLNutmeg,Welcome to the community. We hope that you will find support and information form this generous and well informed group. Keep us posted on your recovery. The Mods

Gabby, i am keeping you close to my heart. Yes now it is time for you to heal. Peace. ")

Oh Gabby.... Big hugs to you! So sorry, hang in there...

I'm at home recovering. Bilateral, ALND, TE's... I was in rough shape for awhile, but it's gotta get better at some point, right?!? I'll post again later....

I had a bilateral mastectomy on 10/12/15 with sentinel nodes removed on right side. things have been tough since surgery. First I had a bad reaction to the nerve block & spent all day Tuesday throwing up. So I didn't get to leave until Wednesday afternoon. Brian had to go back to work this Tuesday & I didn't realize how much help he was until that first day all alone had me sobbing. The pillows are great. I carry them with me most of the time. How soon were you without help? I feel so unable to do most things still & tomorrow will be 2 weeks. Can't take pain meds during the day because they make me unsteady & I'm nervous I will fall or something with no one to help me. So I hurt & I'm in a rotten mood by the time my husband gets home at night. Asked my primary care dr to put in for some home health care a couple hrs a day just to help me do the stuff that's hard to do. And allow me to take meds & rest because I feel exhausted all the time. My insurance allows me to have home health care when I have limitations that are temporary but my dr was out of town until Friday so I couldn't get her to put in the referral. They promised to have her do it first thing Friday for me. Actually my insurance has regular, a cancer & a behavioral health caseworkers for me right now to make sure we get all we need & they called & told me what my dr had to do to get it. Because they didn't want me home alone right now. I'm just not sure why none of the Drs & nurses on the team dealing with my breast cancer at the hospital didn't say 'hey you won't really be able to function alone all day long with no help. They said Brian (hubby) being off a week would be fine. But I wasn't even home from the hospital for 3 days so I had his help for 4 days. And now Monday will be 2 weeks since surgery & I'm still at the point where going to the bathroom is still painful to deal with, so how I'm unsure how anyone can deal with everything that needs dealt with when this sore & weak. I'm doing way more than what I was told I should do just to get through the day. And I've never for anything taken more than a few days to recuperate from any surgery & ive had a bunch. But Brian was in the navy & the longest he ever was there after a surgery was 5 days & I wasn't even supposed to climb stairs (my bedroom was upstairs & the kids were downstairs so good luck with that right) or drive for 6 weeks. But the kids needed to get to school & needed all the things kids need so I was back doing it all in 5 days with Brian at sea not even able to call home much less help. So I'm not one to get help from anyone but this is so far beyond anything I've ever experienced & I just want help. Just feels like by the time they line it up I won't need it anymore. And maybe I'm just a whiner. I just feel so alone. Everyone that would help me lives somewhere else. And I'm just overwhelmed yet again..

Hi, all.

I'm back at home since late Friday after my prophylactic left mx. My surgeon said everything went well, and that there was no suspicious tissue found at surgery. He had planned that I might be in the hospital until today, but gave me a choice on Friday to go home, as long as I promised not to do anything to tire myself out. I was glad to get home, but have been asleep most of the time.

My incision looks pretty good, but I'm pretty swollen, all over. I do have active lymphedema on my right side (arm and trunk) but my left side is also very swollen, and even my face and feet are all puffed up. I don't seem to be voiding enough to compensate for all of the iv fluids.

I'm cutting back on pain meds - today I'm down to T2 (acetaminophen with codeine and caffeine), and Im fairly uncomfortable, but I really dislike the problems I get with my digestive system when I'm taking pain meds. (Pain meds make me stupid and constipated, so I add laxatives, which can easily overshoot, and then I'm incontinent, etc., etc., etc. If there is one thing that your body teaches you through this process, it's that NOTHING is FREE in medicine. Everything has benefits and costs, so all you can do is try to strike a balance that works for you. Maybe I'll be rebalancing toward more pain meds later, but for now it's manageable.

Like my first mx, I seem to be very lucky in that my range of motion comes back quickly. At this point, my ROM exercises are limited by not wanting to stress the incision or the lymph system on the surgery side rather than discomfort. I do stretch a lot though, as I have had cording on the right side.

I've been able to shower since day 2, but no soaking until at least next Thursday, when the drain is scheduled to come out. argh. Drains are no fun!

I hope to be more alert today and tomorrow, so I can read through this thread with some comprehension and retention. Gentle, healing hugs to all.

no, I have a couple nice neighbors but they are elderly & I don't even know their names. My kids are grown. Oldest is a marine in North Carolina with his wife & 4 yr old daughter & youngest lives with us in a basement apt. because he has Asperger's syndrome & serious medical issues. He tri s to help but doesn't really understand & me being in pain just freaks him out so he mostly stays away from me. All our close friends are back in Virginia & I wish they were near me because I know they'd help. But we moved to Missouri about 5 yrs ago & without working as I'd always done before & without kids school & activities I've found it hard to make connections. I'm kind of shy anyway so it's hard anyway but even more so when mostly I only get out to grocery shop or go to dr Appts. I wish I'd known how hard it would be & I could of had help lined up. I next have to get a porta cath put in & then chemo &'I don't see how I will get to that point as exhausted as I always am now. And I feel like a real baby because I'm not used to asking for help. I hope you are doing well thank you for the response. Venting does help with the stress of all this