November 2015 Surgeries Thread?

Hi ladies. Just checking in. 11 days post op. Recovery going well. No pain at this point, just minor discomfort handled with Advil. Pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the TEs are. I expected misery lol. PS put in 250cc in both sides at surgery. I saw him today for 2nd follow up. Left breast is healing well. Right breast is not. Skin along incision has turned black. PS opened the oncision and cut away the dead tissue. Restitched and prescribed antibiotics. I have strict orders not to move my right arm too much. Also still have 2 drains. Won't pull them until each one is under 20 for 24 hrs. Currently at 35 each. am to go back thursday morning when he will unwrap it and see if the dead tissue is gone. I am very worried. Things were going so well. What if the tissue continues to die farther and farther out? I have heard about wound necrosis but never dreamed it could happen to me. I have never had healing issues. Have any of you heard about necrosis?

Diane

new-me/Diane: (((gentle HUGS))) We are in the same boat. I had black patches on top of my aureoles along the stitches on both breasts. It is caused by the lack of blood flow to those areas post surgery.

My beast and plastic surgeon doctors watched the patches very closely. Part of them both recovered but not all.

Last week, day 13, my PS made the decision for the debridement, which took place this Monday, day 19 I trust my PS that he got all the dead tissue.

I'm sure that this is one of the many reasons we all are followed closely week to week.

There are many other causes of necrosis in wounds (diabetes, infection, etc.), but both you and I were in excellent health before our PBMX and we don't have those risk factors. Our black patches were caused by the trauma of the surgery. I don't expect more patches to develop.

You can talk with your PS about your concerns and ask if he expects this to be an ongoing problem. It sounds like he's striking a balance between being conservative not to take too much tissue and being careful that he got all the dead tissue.

Sending you many more (((gentle HUGS)))

Love,

Madelyn

Oncologist appointment done.

No need for chemotherapy or radiation. Thankful

Wants me on Armidex. Anyone else on that? Thoughts???

Hi ladies, I've been off the grid since my DMX last Wednesday and this is the first time I've had the energy to log on and catch up on how the rest of our group is doing. 7 days post surgery and I have swings of feeling really good to feeling a good bit of pain and discomfort. The tightness in my upper chest is the worst because It makes it hard for me to take a deep breath, which leads me to tense up, which increases the anxiety - a vicious circle to which I know you can all relate😫. I am trying hard to not use the Oxycodone as much as I was right after surgery. I find that I can tolerate not using that and that the muscle relaxer is equally, if not more helpful than the pain meds. Last night and today, I skipped three medicine times, and while I felt OK for a few hours, the pain became really bad again late today, so I am back on the pain mess as directed. My husband has been tremendous in taking care of my 4 drains. All are good, according to the home health nurses who have visited this week. One drain, though, is continuing to increase the amount of fluid its collecting. I see the PS tomorrow for first follow-up and I'm hoping he'll remove the 2 that are collecting very little. The drains themselves are such a weird feeling for me. I feel tethered to them. My final pathology came back today. Surgeon took 7 nodes out during surgery and all came back benign-yay! Will do Oconotype testing and see what number results. I am feeling that even if the score comes back low, that I would still advocate for chemotherapy to be as aggressive as possible in preventing or minimizing the likelihood of recurrence. I'm 51 years old and in great health, so if chemo can kill even one rogue cancer cell that may be lurking somewhere in my body, it seems a small thing to do. Thoughts?

I, too, have so loved reading our thoughts, questions, challenges as we all move through this together. What an incredible group of fierce women we are!

Thundergal-- I also hated taking the narcotic pain pills but you have to take something so,it doesn't get out of hand . At 1 week post op I would take my Vicodin ( I don't tolerate Percocet well ) in the morning and late at night for bedtime , through out the day I would take regular extra strength Tylenol 2 of them or Motirin 800 mg .. I varied depending if the pain was tightness ( Motrin ) sharp pains I would take Tylenol.. But don't allow the pain to get to bad , maybe cut the oxcodone in half if you don't want the full amount .. If you're in pain you won't be moving around and stretching as much and I think it'll cause more pain at the end .. Again I'm not a doctor just speaking from my experience .. You'll feel so much better when they start removing your drains . And lucky you for having home health and a fab husband. Hope your feeling better with each passing day

Thanks Marijen, Thundergal, Live4them and Jblmom,

His reasoning was tumor was small, I had double mastectomy and all 5 lymph nodes removed were clean.

Still interested in your thoughts.

---

Tikkasmom,

I also had the double mastectomy for a very small cancer. Initially the BS wanted to do lumpectomy and radiation. But after discussing my history with the other breast we mutually decided for the double.

I also was adament about not wanting radiation.

Margins and lymph nodes were clean. Will meet tomorrow with MO to discuss hormone inhibitor. I am post menopausal.

Will let you know what drug he recommends.

great news TallnTerrific

Congratulations Talln Terrific, so happy for you.

Good luck and praying for more good news from others today.

November ladies,

Here is today's devotion. To everyone struggling with pain, fear and threats of more surgery or more difficult treatments it should be inspirational. I will add in parentheses how it speaks to me but of course add your own messaging:

"Do not be surprised by the fiery attacks on your mind (doubt about your doctors, anger-why me?, frustration because you work so hard, defeat- I can't keep doing this or this could even include the terrible attacks we all feel on our bodies). When you struggle to find Me and to live in My Peace, don't let discouragement set in. You are engaged in massive warfare (against cancer) spiritually speaking (against my own doubts and fears that I can do it). The evil one (or even my own doubting Thomas feelings) abhors your closeness to Me, and his demonic underlings (fear, pain, lack of trust) are determined to destroy our intimacy (inner peace and patience). When you find yourself in the thick of battle, call upon my name "Jesus help me!" At that instant, the battle becomes Mine; your role is simply to trust Me as I fight for you.

My Name, properly used, has unlimited Power to bless and protect. At the end of time, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, when My Name is proclaimed. People who have used "Jesus" as a shoddy swear word will fall down in terror on that awesome day. But all those who have drawn near Me through trustingly uttering My Name will be filled with inexpressible and glorious Joy. This is your great hope, as you await My return!"

I personally have not been as close to God prior to this illness. I believe in his love and love his word, but since I have had cancer almost everyday has been marked by some reminder that I am surrounded by love and friendships all around the world and throughout my life that continue to lift me and love me. It has truly been overwhelming. Survivors I know have told me once this is over you will feel almost thankful for how cancer has changed your life. I tell them I feel that way everyday right now. This experience has strengthened my love and friendship with so many people from all over my life that I know this is the hand of God. It has also helped me focus on treating my body more like the temple it should be instead of ignoring my needs for water, fresh fruits and vegetables and regular exercise as simple as they are. I used to be in an inspirational dance troop as a teenager and I find just those simple flowing moves with my arms at a slow pace have helped to losses things up. If you were a dancer they are called " port a bras".

I hope this helps you all find peace!

Thank you Tall. And I appreciated your devotion too.

awesome devotional .. Thank you I need that a lot lately ..

As for random question of the week . Anybody else always feel like their new skin ( be it with expanders or implants ) always feel like it's on fire or burning . I had nipple sparing and honestly the burning feeling I have all the time is driving me nut so ... I feel like saying my boobs are on fire. But I haven't accepted these blocks as my boobs 😊

Tallin that was a wonderful devotion, thank you. Just what I needed to hear too

TallnTerrific, I'm happy that your MammaPrint came back low risk! I'm still waiting on Oncotype results. I'm very nervous about it. I wasn't offered the MammaPrint since I wanted to know a specific score, and I was told that Oncotype has more data to support it and it is more widely accepted. I know this is good news for you, but I think you might want to seek a second opinion. Many oncologists automatically recommend chemo when cancer is found in the lymph nodes, since they can serve as an "incubator" for cells to escape into the bloodstream. While I haven't talked about this very publicly on the boards, I have had experience with breast cancer in my brother (yes, brother). When we found out about him, which was March of this year, he was already Stage IV with bone mets. He is also ER positive, and of course chemo will probably be ongoing. Tamoxifen didn't work for him, and the time that he took a break from chemo and used Tamoxifen, the cancer regrew. It's a difficult situation that no one deserves to be in, but having said that, I want to do the most effective treatment possible to prevent me from getting to that point. I need some definitive answer that chemo will or will not help me. Cancer is scary, but hearing many positive stories gives me a lot of hope. I am so thankful to have access to so much support that I wouldn't have otherwise. Best wishes to all of you here.

I hope everyone I doing well. It is a busy time of year. Loving is living, I want you to know that your note did encourage me to seek to advice of a expert Oncologist who is a family friend on the other side of the country. He wants to see all of my tests and results to provide his opinion. I hope he is prepared for the big file!

He also expressed some doubt about the genetic testing, but I will feel better about it all after hearing from him. sorry if I wrote off your concern too quickly. But more important are the devotions for the last two days:

Dec 5
"Let My Presence override everything you experience. Like a luminous veil of Light, I hover over you and everything around you. I am training you to stay conscious of Me in each situation you encounter.

When the patriarch Jacob ran away from his enraged brother, he went to sleep on a stone pillow in a land that seemed desolate (like the time after surgery, while receiving chemo, or while receiving bad news at a Drs. Office). But after dreaming about heaven and angels and promises of My Presence, he awoke and exclaimed: "Surely the Lord is in his place, and I as not aware of it (when I was treated for the torn retina, during the PET SCAN and laparoscopic biopsy, or in recovery after surgery, I didn't think about how God was in those stated places)." His discovery was not only for him but for all who seek Me (this means all of us no matter how hard it gets or how low we feel.) Whenever you feel distant from Me say, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!" Then, ask Me to give you awareness of My Presence. This is a prayer that I delight to answer."

Dec 6
"Stay ever so close to Me, and you will not deviate from the path I have prepared for you. This is the most efficient way to stay on track; it is also the most enjoyable way. Men tend to multiply duties in their observance of religion (women reach out with their hearts--I hope that is what it means). This practice enables them to give Me money, time, and work without yielding up to Me what I desire the most--their hearts. Rules can be observed (attending mass, going to church or synagogue each week) mechanically. Once they become habitual, they can be followed with minimal effort and almost no thought. These habit-forming rules provide a false sense of security, lulling the soul into a comatose condition (we should all follow the path of our hearts, and keep Him in our mind, to grow closer to God and not just meeting obligatory rules).

What I search for in My children is an awakened soul that thrills to the Joy of My Presence! I created mankind to glorify Me and enjoy Me forever. I provide the Joy; your part is to glorify Me by living close to Me."

I hope today you have time to Enjoy your God!!!