November 2015 Surgeries Thread?

@frill God has blessed you darling! I'm a soo sorry about your scare during surgery. I'm happy you made it. I'll be thinking of you. Take it easy and heal, you significant other sounds loving, that's what you need right now.

@ sugar and spice I agree with your opinion on not having reconstruction, I almost decided to not have reconstruction and go flat and be free. There are complications with reconstruction but I somehow I chose for immediate. I really just want treatment to begin. Chemo is in my future (4 months) and maybe radiation on the left side. My incision site on my belly is tight that I have to walk a little slouched. We will see with the final path report.....best wishes and positive energy to you from me.

@Tikkasmom I promise not to overdo it, I chose to take another pain med instead of Percocet, I wasn't ready for the effects at all. I'm very scared of taking it again. Only as needed. My thoughts are with you, positive energy to you! I'm hoping for good path reports for the both of us.

@loving is living I believe I have chemo in my future too and I'm scared. I'm praying for you and your recovery.

Hi Eveyone, I was back at the ps today finally got 1 more drain out it has been almost 5 weeks, have 1 more drain to go which ps wont take until under 10cc, but I am hanging in there!

Frill: sorry to hear about your experience, stay strong and positive!

Live4them: It may sound weird but you might be able to release some fluid by massaging your breasts? Good luck!

I too get very sore after during the day I felt good. My doc told me I was doing way to much,

For those of you who are more recent out of surgery, stay ahead of the pain. I know my docs gave me more when I ran out. I also found that muscle relaxers helped more than the pain meds. It is still difficult to sleep at night!

Wishing all of you a nice Thanksgiving no matter how you spend it, I know even though this diagnosis has not been easy for any of us, I have a lot to be Thankful for! But I will not be cooking!!

Thought I'd get my one drain out yesterday, but it's still putting out 40cc. Maybe next week. My biggest irritant besides the drain, is the numbness on the inside of my arm from elbow up. I know that I had numbness when I got my knee replaced, and over time, the nerves regenerated, and now I only have a very small area of numbness. I hope this happens with my arm.

I'm meeting with therapy next week about exercises and preventive maintenance on my arm. Not showing signs of lymphadema,, but need to stay ahead of the game. Also I am flying in two weeks, so a compression sleeve may be in my future.

Best wishes to all November surgeries to do well, and feel well soonest.

Just had follow up with my Surgeon this morning. She is concerned about the drain that was plugged Saturday evening and leaking from insertion site during night so I go back to OR at 4:30 today for her to flush out and replace. She feels it's still very bright blood and too much fluid build up in chest. ARGHHH another pothole in the recovery road. Keep you posted

Smurfette Sending you lots of big hugs. I hope you're feeling better, at least a little bit. I'm thinking about you lots.

As for the drain woes we're all undergoing, I'm grateful to only deal with one once a day. DBF does it the other time. The amount has gone down a little bit, but I'm worried it won't come out at the two week mark. DBF is going to say it's because I'm doing too much. I'm trying not to, but it's so hard to see him working from 5 am to 6 pm, come home, cook dinner, and be cleaning the kitchen at 9pm while my darling SD is on the couch with her BF. She's not a bad girl, he just needs to say - COME HELP ME. I mean, she's not at the age yet where it occurs to her to do it w/out being asked (at least not very often).

I'm scheduling to see the surgeon less than two weeks after surgery, trying to get it rescheduled, because path report won't be back yet and there's no sense in me driving four hours without that path report. I send in a couple of alternate days to the scheduler and he says - she's not available at that time. I'm like....did you not finish reading the sentence or are you just that obtuse.

Deep breaths, lol.

Only cooking one tiny thing for Thanksgiving, and will not be cleaning, I'm sure. So there's that! Too tired, shouldn't have vacuumed, done any laundry, put away any dishes....that doesn't sound too bad.

Mominator - I wish I could tell your children and husband how much regret I feel now because I wasn't around to help my Mom when she had breast cancer. We lived in a different city about 100 miles away, and I rationalized myself into thinking that I couldn't do that much for her.

Now that I have breast cancer, there are so many things I wish I had done and said. I could have visited more often. I could have just talked to her and asked her questions about how she felt and what was going on even if I couldn't physically be there. I had no idea how complex breast cancer is until it happened to me. I regret every single day now that I did not take the time for my Mom. She was a survivor. Although she has passed on, breast cancer did not kill her. "The saddest words of tongue and pen, are those which say it might have been."

Please feel free to "whine" anytime you want to. We're all listening.

Catching up from while I was away at doctor appointments.

Smurfette26/Donna: I'm so sorry about your chemo Febrile Neutropenia. That sounds scary. I'm glad to see you posting just now and I hope you are feeling much better. I'm sorry about your hair as well. My best friend's daughter is just finishing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma (chemo/surgery/radiation). She lost her hair to chemo. Her mom & I were saying when you lose your hair, you know the chemo is working. She said,
"I am not this hair.
I am not this skin.
I am the beautiful soul that lives within."

Her hair just started to grow back this month. Sending big, gentle HUGS and keeping you in my prayers.

klmorales76: yeah for another drain gone! I hope you are drain-free soon!

live4them: so sorry about your drains. I hope your drains clear up, or that on call better clear them for you.
TikkasMom: I'm so sorry your drain got clogged. Did you have to go back today to get cleared out?
I'm praying that both of you get cleared out soon.

keepsake: I hope the side effects subside and the seroma goes away.

Frill: I don't think the drain is putting out more because you're doing "too much." I think we all need to find that balance between resting/recovering and moving/getting back into daily activities. We all need to move for our circulation, muscle strength, and mental sanity. My Breast Surgeon said that walking around was even better for my recovery than using the breathing device.

new_me/Diane: I haven't seen you for a while. I hope you are resting. Give us an update when you feel up to it.

brithael: I hope you are able to stay ahead of the lymphedema. That compression sleeve sounds good. I hope you feel well enough to travel. You're so sweet to me. I'm sorry for all your regrets with your mom. My mom is on her second breast cancer. She had DCIS at age 62, and now Stage III invasive lobular in the other breast at age 79. I was surprised. Then she told me that she is BRCA+. She had forgotten to tell me back when she found out. Probably because I live 300 miles away. Believe me, if I had know she was BRCA+, I would have been much more proactive in her care. Her health team totally let her down. She didn't have any additional surveillance, or chemo prevention, or prophylactic surgery options offered to her.

Love to all and my prayers to all the ladies on this journey.

Madelyn / Mominator
BRCA2+, wife, mom to 3 children of various special needs, musician, volunteer, 54 yrs young

Oh my goodness help I don't know if to be happy or scared !!! As I've posted before one if my drains hasn't been putting out anything since about Sunday ... I went to PS Monday thinking he would take it out and he told me oh no I feel liquid in there . The drain is staying ,, this morning went in to see in call Dr he told me Drain was working but maybe it was time to pull it but he preferred to wait till tomorrow to see what my PS thought .. Well intook some advice from one of you lovely ladies and I started gently massaging and tapping around my breast with my finger tips .. Applied very light heating pad .. My girls came home from college and when they see my drain had a horrified face . I looked and it was full !!! Red not deep blood red but red . I emptied 90 cc now half an hour later it filled again .. Is this to much ? Should I call the office at 1am lol .. The drain site is dry nothing coming from there .. Just flowing pretty steady . I just imagine I must have loosened it up . But I'm scared it's so much so fast . Do I call or wait to see if it slows down

I guess I'll have a drain for thanksgiving 🙄

To all you Brave Ladies reading this right now, I salute and hug you.

I wish I could send some of my support group your way, you make me realize just how lucky I am.

I went back in OR today for site cleaning and drain replacement. She removed 2 left drains and replaced right. Feel so much better already.

Good luck everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

A mammogram wouldn't have found the lump in my underarm. It would have been a waste of time. The micro calcifications (DCIS) were barely noticeable.

Finally got one drain out !! Woohoo .. Doctor was amazed as to how much is coming out of the drain that wasn't letting anything out since last Sunday .. Told him one of my fellow sisters on this forum had given me the massage idea ..so JLKMorales76 👏🏻👏🏻 Thank you

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving doing whatever it is you want to do !! I will be visiting family and my contribution is paper plates and napkins and cups 😍

We all have a lot to be thankful for

Many wonderful words have been "said" since last I was here. I'm doing ok. DBF is back to taking care of drain in the am. Today's total was under 100 (yay!). I limited myself to 1 hour of housework, which included wrapping a couple of Christmas gifts. I slept the rest of the day, which I'm thinking is a sign I'm doing too much. (Who, meeeee?) DBF is threatening to take away my keys lest I try to fly the coop again.

Mominator That's not a small whine. I'm glad you have some help, but I don't know how I could do my one drain on my own consistently every day, much less check on anything else for infection, especially since I won't look at the frankenboob that should have a TE but is empty. You are a strong woman. I wish I were close by. I'd sneak off while everyone was at work and help you. I'd just have to make sure I parked my truck in the same way. I'm under close surveillance. But seriously, I'd come help. Heck, I'd send my BF over and he'd clean your drains, he's a pro at it. But he's a close fisted Grinch when it comes to the pain meds lol, down to the minute.

TallnTerrific One of the nurses emphasized walks, she didn't mind me walking one of the chis, but not the schnauzer. Now I say, I have one good arm (since I didn't get the BMX yet) so Ruby still gets two walks a day. Walks feel wonderful. The weather is beautiful in Louisiana right now. I'm curious about the lymphatic massage you were talking about. The only lymphatic massage I have any clue about is "Touch for Health." Being away from my high stress job - doing what you're talking about, eating right, etc. - it's working miracles, if I'd also stop the housework lol. I said I'd have a problem with this!!! I'm going to look up the devotional you mentioned, I like positive messages from whatever source the Universe sends them.

Jblmom Yay for the good news!!!!! I hope it keeps coming!!!!!

MissBee I'm just happy to see your smiling face!!!!! I still have a lot of numbness. DBF says to be grateful lol. Much positive energy, prayers, and extra pie for your healthy recovery. You're one of the November pioneers, so I definitely keep an eye on you!!!!!!!

Live4them I'm glad to hear about the drain massage thing. Mine is still draining, but I'm so paranoid, just because it's starting to slow down! I think maybe because the color is still reddish - yes, it will only be a week tomorrow - see the paranoia? Lol, I'm glad to have it in my toolbox. The dr is 4 hours away. I want some arrows in my quiver should I need them. Super duper grats on getting a drain out. I'm so hoping I can get one out, but I'm sort of doubting it since my first follow up is so soon, Dec. 2. I don't think I've heard of anyone getting a drain out that soon, it won't be 2 weeks since surgery.

Smurfette Big hugs and love. Thinking of you always.

I am definitely grateful for you all. I wouldn't have made it without you, for all kinds of reasons. I've gotten support, advice, encouragement, etc. from each and every one of you and it is so very much appreciated. Thank you very, very much for listening, helping, and putting up with me! Love to you all!!!!

Now to wake up DBF and ask him to help with a shower. He is smoking turkeys all night, so he probably needs to check them....A little shower for me isn't so much.

Good luck this week's surgery warrior women. Big hugs (but gentle, gentle!!!) and we're all here pulling for you!!!!!!!

Ok, ladies, Black Friday drain advice needed. Can the drain tubing get "stretched" or something so that it doesn't work right anymore? I've had a feeling for several days that something was wrong because the drain output was going down and something just didn't feel right. I'm a very go with your gut person, but I know I can be a touch paranoid. Well, today, DBF was saying that the tubing was not filling back up after he pulled it through with the alcohol swab - ie, it stayed collapsed. Even he started saying maybe there was a clog issue because usually the tubing started filling back up right behind after using the alcohol swab to pull whatever goop is in the drain tubing down to the - ok this is gross, but we call it - the juice box. (Lol, nothing is sacred in my house, except discussion of my long lost breast, I have limits.)

I started screeching - a) start massaging, heat, tapping, etc.. like I read yesterday and b) call the triage nurse.

Then the tube returned to it's normal shape. It's been a week though and while the amount keeps steadily going down, and the color has changed somewhat, it's gone from gross red to a lighter pinky red, it's nowhere near clearish. The weird thing with the tubing, the color of the output, and decrease in output all make me think something is up.

Am I right to be suspicious or am I just being paranoid?

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving of being able to sit on the couch on not do too much! You know we won't get a break next year!

Do you feel like fluid is backing up in chest? I had DMX 11/19/15 and surgery again 11/24/15 to remove/replace clot clogged drain and flush out fluid.

I was in ER Saturday and Sunday after first surgery for fluid build-up, swelling in chest and blood leaking from tube insertion point in my right side.

Go with your gut feeling, you know your body. Remember, there are no dumb questions and you're not bothering anyone, that's their job.

Good luck & keep us posted.