November 2015 Surgeries Thread?

Miss Bee!!!!!!!! I'm glad to here you made it through to the other side with good things to report. After talking to the plastic surgeon today, I may go with a BMX if insurance will pay for it, and if it can be nipple sparing. Maybe something good can come out this?

I am soooooo freaking sore from the biopsies they did yesterday. It's 4am here and it woke me up I'm hurting so bad. I have to have another one today. Then a 4 hour drive home. I may have to wait another day to come home. I'm just so spent and in pain.

I hope to hear from our other sisters who just recently went in. I can't believe my day is coming up so fast. So many things to get taken care of before time to go in, and I'm stuck in H-town getting my boobies stuck.

Love & light those in surgery today. Surrounding you with peaceful, protective light of God (universe, Goddess, your preferred Higher Power) and the angels, knowing you will come through this with stories of comfort for those coming behind you. Huge hugs, ladies. We're all behind you here.

(See, I'm not a big baby *all* the time!)

I had my TE exchange on Monday. I certainly feel better than I did after the BMX. I laughed a little when I undid the binder on my belly (fat grafting donor site) to see a heart shaped bandage.

The boobs look small but I have read on here these are them yet. Drop and fluff, I think? Either way, I am just glad this is behind me.

Best of luck and good wishes to those who are having surgery this month!

Live4them

I know how you feel about not wanting to stress out your family. We have two in college one a senior and in finals and one who has struggled with school and is away from home. We also have two done with college with families and new jobs, one is pregnant. At the first it was just a lumpectomy so I told them all it was no big deal. Then it became a much bigger deal when they identified multiple tumors (more than 15) spanning a 6cm area. Then the PET scan came back with possible metastasis in my abdomen (false positive) and then a torn retina out of the blue. Through it all my husband and I cried and laughed as needed, but only my youngest son called two or three times a week to see how I was and talk about his life and mine.

Yesterday I cried for awhile just thinking that none of them knew enough about it to decide to be there the day of the surgery. If something were to happen there would be no opportunity to tell them how much I love them and how proud I was of them.

We decided to call the two that are in college 60 miles away to see if they could come home for dinner the weekend before just to all be together. Don't get me wrong, I have so much love and people offering to help and pray and care for me that I am amazed and touched. My sister is flying in from Florida to stay over a week to be there for me and my husband.

There is something different about our children though. I feel a little selfish about it. Even though they don't know all we are going through with a bilateral MX, TEs. Chemo. Radiation and recon, I wish they would be there that day.

It is difficult putting our own needs in front of those of our children.

Debiann, My surgeon told me I was "too thin" for the DIEP alone. Nicest thing anyone had every said to me, lol! We solved that by also using thigh tissue.

Doing well and I have more advice for you: paint your toenails something fabulous! You will be spending a lot of time staring at them. Plus I've gotten compliments from my entire care team on them. Next up : de-orange myself! Thinning of all of you and sending love.

TallnTerrific I think you hit the nail on the head there.

"It is difficult putting our own needs in front of those of our children."

As mothers that is a concept that is foreign to us. Something we have never had to do before.

But to be there for our families in the future we need to make our own health a priority for the moment.

Must admit I am still struggling with this at the moment.

THANKS !! It looks like i am the last one (so far) i will be sending healing thoughts and prayers to all throughout the month. Come December we can raise a glass to successfully making it through! Take care of yourselves.

Cjafarm and Pattymeg are off to surgery today, so lots of love, light and prayers for them today!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're all behind you, sending you tons and tons of love.

MissBee, if it weren't SOOOOO inappropriate, I'd ask to see your awesome new boobs so I'd know what to look forward to. I'm seriously considering BMX now just to have it over and done with - and to have a new set of tatas lol. You keep me from totally sinking into oblivion. I'd be you if this were anything else, attitude-wise. What are those things on your legs? I have on my list to have my hair, lashes, and mani pedi the day before going into the hospital. All bf can do is roll his eyes.

Debiann, I saw the nipple reconstructions on the hospital website and I just can't believe it! Lol. The one thing I worry about (and maybe TMI) is my nipples never grew? I don't know how else to say it. I still have the same size.

The plastic surgeon said I was a great candidate for implants, if that's what I want. I think it might be because I don't know about the other put fat from other places into the boobs options, lol. She just didn't bring it up. All I heard was - lumpectomy, radiation, half as big and I started freaking out.

Anyway, prolly not the right forum lol.

Jblmom, I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I have just recently heard about mine, and your surgery is scheduled before me. Good luck, and know that we'll all be thinking about you on your day.

Hi, Everyone! This is just my second post (first was on the IDC Forum). Happy to find this thread. My BMX surgery is November 12th. Been super busy trying to prepare.

Welcome Jblmom and Thundergal64 !!

Thanks for the new list, TallnTerrific, you're scheduled the day after me.

I'm sending healing prayers to the ladies who had surgery this week. I hope your surgeries went smoothly and recoveries are gentle.

Nov. 2 MissBee123, debiann, katykids

Nov. 3 IrishEyes39

Nov. 4. zzlady, Quiddler, Natejordlee, EllenMC

Nov. 6 cjafarm, PattyMeg,

Love, Mominator

Bee, so you have incisions on your breasts, tummy and thighs? Yikes! It will all heal and the scars fade nicely, but isn't awful when you first see yourself all cut up? I felt like Frankenstein.  How many drains do you have? 

Frill, you may want to see more than one plastic surgeon to hear all your options. They only tell you about the types of recon they themselves do. If you are interested in DIEP you have to do a little research ahead of time as not all do it.

The things on Bees legs are to prevent blood clots in the legs during surgery. They caused me a little problem. Prior to my 13 hour surgery I had some neuropathy in my right foot from chemo. The "boot" apparently pressed on a nerve during surgery and I awoke  with something called "dropfoot". I couldn't rise my right toes and foot. Walking was difficult. I had to do a few months pf physical therapy. Its back to where it was after chemo, not 100%, but not a problem either. They didn't put the boot on that leg for my last surgery.

Hello All ! Day three post op and it has not been too bad at all. I was stuck in over ight because i had a little bit of excess bleeding. I was very down the week before surgery but woke up feeling much better mentally so hopefully some of you will have the same result. The only major complaint is my right leg is numb from hip to knee .. will follow up next week when i see the doc. Sending healing thoughts to thiose who have had thier surgeries and positive energy to thiose waiting xxxooo

Letsdothis Welcome to the amazingly popular November surgery list !!

Thank you New Me and Thank God I found this thread!

Debiann- thank you so much for your info! I am not athletic either but need to work on a healthier lifestyle- no rock climbing or white water rafting- lol just maybe walking, bike riding- stuff like that. I'm not a gym goer.

13 hour surgery! WOW...