November 2015 Surgeries Thread?

Good luck Girl53 I am scheduled for November 19 without reconstruction. Keep us posted on your progress.

TallnTerrific, lovingisliving I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but I'm pulling for you today!!!!!!!! Lots of love and light and all your angels are around you taking good care of you right now.

Free123, Mominator I hope y'all are having peaceful, relaxing days, but I bet they'll be like mine - at the darn hospital having tests all day. If not, I'm wishing you bubble baths and mani pedis!!!!!!! Y'all will kick butts and take names tomorrow!

As for me, back on track for surgery on the 19th. Idk what was going on with hospital online scheduling. But I just realized that is just about a week away. All my okay-edness with everything I had last week has gone down the tubes. Back to tears when no one is looking. I still don't know what kind of bras to get - or does it matter. Not completely sure if I've been okayed on the surgery I'm guessing I want. I assume at this point I'm going to have to make all these decisions the day before. I'm a muller, not a last minute decision maker. I feel almost like the doctors have been like - because I've come in knowing something - like hey what about nipple conserving mastectomy - that all the other options aren't being presented. Or it could be I'm not hearing everything. I mean, the plastic surgeon didn't want to examine me at first because she was scared she was going to traumatize me more. I'm like......uh, I'm here. Shouldn't you check out my fabulous, perfect boobs before you hack on them? That made her laugh. (Yeah, I'll say about anything!)

Ha ha! That's me, leave 'em laughing!

Frill, gosh THANK YOU! That means so much! And yes, I took my last bubble bath for a while last night! It will be showers and more showers for several weeks, but at least my PS does believe in showers, some won't let you with drains in (although I'm not expecting any with my exchange tomorrow, but I say, prepare for the worst and you're never disappointed…). Gave myself a nice pedi, even though it's not a cute purple like MissBee's!

I felt like that had to be a mistake moving you to Thanksgiving Day surgery! I would think all the high-ranking drs and nurses had the day off! Ha I think in the end you'll be glad it's sooner. But DO ask questions!! Obviously you aren't afraid to speak your mind so just keep on and get the answers you need before you go under. Measure twice, cut once, as they say in carpentry!

Thank you all so much for the well-wishes!! Blessings and prayers to you as well~

Freeland

Update:

Double mastectomy with lymph node removal was on the 3rd, so 6 days ago. Just got pathology results, but HER2 is +2 so waiting on additional tests to determine if I'll need chemo.

For those about to have surgery, my experience:

Pain is manageable after the first day or two. It is not as bad as I feared. The breasts themselves are numb, so the incision area doesn't really hurt. I'm pretty sure most of my pain is from the TEs and under my arm where a lymph node was removed. Take your meds BEFORE the pain gets bad. It seems much easier to prevent it from getting bad than to stop it once it takes hold.

SO easily fatigued with activity and even after talking for more than a minute... Not sure if that is the trauma from the surgery or from the TEs or just because I have asthma. Right now, this is my biggest obstacle.

I HATE the drains and will beg for their removal when I see the surgeons tomorrow. For those of you who have already had drains removed: How badly does it hurt?

Irish, so happy to hear from you and to hear how everything went! I am scheduled for the same next week. Comforting to hear pain is manageable. interesting about fatigue and possible asthma connection. I have asthma too Can't wait until surgery is done! Make sure you rest and sleep so your body heals. Sending warm hugs and chocolate thoughts

Y'all won't believe this......my phone rings at 5pm. I'm mopping, or vacuuming, or something, so I think - it's not the hospital, screw it. Only it was 4:57 and it was the hospital with my test results from the MRI biopsy. The nurse that called will explain the results, but Lucy Lawless wants me to come in tomorrow or Mon (4 hour drive) to meet to discuss surgery options if at all possible.

I'm trying to tell myself that it doesn't matter. I decided on BMX and implants to get awesome new tatas, at least I think that's the best decision. It shouldn't matter. But what if it's even worse than they thought.

However, after tomorrow I should know what kind of bras to get, and that kind of thing.

Mominator, Warm wishes and prayers for you tomorrow. I hope all goes well. You are doing the right thing having the prophylactic BMX and Oopherectomy. Take care.

I just got the DX - the satellite areas are cancerous, so MX is the only option. Good thing I'd decided that's what I wanted to do for cosmetic reasons.

Even though I'd pretty much decided, now it's all real and whoa, it feels like I'm hit with a ton of bricks all over again. Plus, I'm worried about cosmetic looks afterwards. Really worried. I don't know if I have to have radiation or not. I basically just want this done and over with as fast as possible.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Hi TallnTerrific, I'm glad to hear you're doing better today. My surgery went well, but they did find one positive lymph node so they went ahead and removed the rest. I hope it is the only one. I had a hard time after anesthesia. I was scared, dizzy, and very tired. I have a low tolerance for medicines, so I was kind of expecting this. Otherwise, pain is minimal. But now I understand how annoying the drains are. I'm still tired but I can get up and do small things around the house. Luckily I have my husband and son to help me. Prayers for everyone having surgery this week. Best of luck!

I had my right mastectomy and TE inserted yesterday. The pain has been terrible. I woke in Recovery crying from the pain. I was discharged 4 hours after surgery (for some reason it's day surgery where I live - ridiculous) and I had a horrible night last night with pain off the charts. I wept all night long and finally drifted off at 5:30am. Tylenol 3 doesn't begin to touch it. I have two drains which are collecting thick red discharge. Ick. I have a binder on, which is getting stained with blood and other fluids from my drain insertion site. Plastic surgeon told me to remove nothing until I see her next Monday, so I will call the office tomorrow to see if I can wash it and change the dirty gauze pads. It's strange and upsetting to me how concave the right side of my chest is. I am not enjoying my journey so far...

Sugar and Spice, here in the States you’d have been an in-patient and probably on a morphine or Fentanyl pump, not oral opioids (and the oral ones you’d have been prescribed would likely have been stronger than Tyl. #3). You need to be an advocate for yourself and stay ahead of your pain--it’s much easier to keep your pain at bay from a 3-4 level than to try to reduce it from a 10. (I didn’t get an opioid Rx after my lumpectomy, but after both of my total knee replacements was given excellent pain management both in-hospital and once transferred to rehab). Don’t be afraid you’ll be dismissed as a crank or a drug-seeker, since only YOU know your pain.

Sugar-and-spice, I'm so sorry you're having a tough time. By far the drains have been the worst part of it for me. The one for my underarm is draining so much more than the one for my breast and I dread having to 'strip' them. The whole process makes me uncomfortable and it is painful, even when someone does it for me. Don't hesitate to give your surgeon a call about the pain. Thankfully I am getting by with Tylenol #3 but I have to take it exactly every four hours or else I can barely move. I think the first few days are the hardest for us but it will all pass. I'll be thinking of you and keep us posted with how you're doing.

new me thank you for your response!

For of those of you b hurting I'm so sorry