September 2016 Surgeries

I'm having September surgery also, thanks for starting the thread. I'm having a bilateral MX. Meeting with another plastic surgeon tomorrow, reconstruction plans are up in the air as there is concern over my radiation from 2012. You arnt sure which recon either? Its a huge decision.

Those are good tips, how are the "small kitchen garbage bags for the drains" used?

I've had 2 lumpectomies and a lyph node surgery, not nearly as complex as the MX but a few similarities as far as prep.

Drains: this time I made (or you can buy} a fabric drain holder with velcro that goes around the belly area. The last one I had pinned on my shirt, I felt like it was always jiggling around. I like the ideas of the drains snug in a holder this time. Got a lanyard also not sure how that will work.

Yes button up pjs and also button up shirts which I have a hard time finding. Plan easy pull on pants to come home from the hospital in, I remember the nurse helping me put my jeans on last time and it was not easy. And she wasnt there at home to help me take them off!

I think so much of it is just preparing and organizing your normal life. Its rather mind boggling but there are some great lists on here of what to do before hand. Best wishes to you, I'll be thinking of you on the 9th..

Hi 4girlsmom and Jean, I'm having lumpectomy (quadrectomy) and ALND on 9/14--just finally got my date. I've done 5 months of chemo and I am ready to get on with the rest of treatment (rads and anastrozole to follow lx). Really looking forward to having my life back. I met with PS who will reduce the good breast to "match"--must be 6 months post-rads so I think the early summer because it's easier to take time off then. (I teach.) When I asked what I could expect he said, "You'll look fine in clothes." Um, OK. I met with a physical therapist for lymphadema prevention/management and had measurements taken of my arms so we'll know if something is changing. I am so over all of this!

Will be thinking of you ladies having surgery next week. I second the ongoing thought from all of you that getting this behind us is going to be fantastic. I've heard so many say the thought of MX is often much worse than the experience. Lets hope for that! A pain in the ass for sure but hopefully bearable.

I am leaning toward no immediate reconstruction ... 90% sure today. Will sleep on it over the weekend. I think healing from the MX will help my radiated breast have a better chance of good healing.

4girls - I'm looking at the lat flap too, will hope to hear how it all goes for you after the 9th

Welcome to you Irony, We are glad that you reached out to our community and we hope to see you around the boards. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you to navigate here. The Mods

Thanks so much 4girlsmom! I was lulled into a false sense of security thinking I could only have one crappy thing at a time. Lol Best of luck with your upcoming surgery.

Hi 4girlsmom, I read somewhere on this site that seeing a lymphedema specialist before surgery was recommended. If they take measurements before surgery it will be clear if something is happening in your arm, instead of guessing/eyeballing it, or comparing to the other arm (mine are not the same size, I suppose most people are not the same exactly either). I will see the PT 10 days post surgery. Ask your MO or PCP for a referral and find a PT who is certified in lymphedema therapy.

Best of luck with your surgery everyone going in this week! I'll be right behind you on 9/14.

AnotherMichelle-

Welcome to BCO! We hope you find the support and encouragement you need at you gear up for your surgery. Drains are very common, and many of our members have had them (we noticed the topic you started, and one member has already answered there with her experiences!). We hope all goes well with your surgery, and that the drain doesn't cause you any problems. We'll be thinking of you, please keep us posted!

The Mods

4girlsmom, I am so glad you are getting in before surgery! My PT just returned from a conference with a new device (L-Dex) that measures your arms through electrical signals (not invasive or painful at all) and he took measurements. My readings are normal now, so we'll know right away if swelling begins. I really want to stay on top of it.

Good luck this week!

Hi All! I'm having a UMX and bilateral latissimus dorsi reconstruction with TEs on September 19. Last August, I had a UMX and ALND.

The drains are inconvenient. I used an extra lanyard from work to hold the drains in the shower. Otherwise, I pinned them to my shirt or bra. They weren't messy to empty. One of mine tugged a bit when I moved, but a bit of extra tape near where it entered my skin fixed it. They're about the size of a medium lemon, flattened. Because I couldn't hide the drains effectively under my work clothes, I worked from home until the last drain was removed at 13 days. I did go to my kid's games and a couple of social things with them because my casual wardrobe is a bit more forgiving. I think I used an Ace bandage once or twice to bind them to my torso when I was leaving the house.

Hello all, I am starting to get very anxious about the next couple of weeks. I'm not so worried about surgery, but I'm realizing that the pathology report is really really important, and I am scared there are going to be lots of + nodes. I know I have 2 from needle biopsy, more than 3 or 4 would bump me to stage III and that really scares me. Five months of chemo and Mammo and MRI did not show any changes to 2 swollen nodes or the size of my 2 tumors. In fact, it looked like there was another one--a "satellite". Need to manage my anxiety from now until path report. Time to get some Ativan.

I am scheduled for bilateral MX on Sept 30. I have just finished 16 weeks of chemo. Before chemo, the surgeon had planned axillary node removal, but noow he plans for the sentinel node instead.

I had a lumpectomy on Wednesday, the 7th, and came home the next day. I'm very pleased with how relatively easy it was, I've had minimal pain -- I haven't even taken a tylenol since waking up in recovery. My surgeon came to me there and told me the nodes were clear. I understand that's not a guarantee that nothing has migrated elsewhere in my body, but it does seem hopeful. I will see her next Friday to talk about what happens next, and in the meantime, I'm giving myself (as best I can) a vacation from this.

I am getting much better about blowing off the incredible things people say. A friend who visited while I was in the hospital said, 'You'll almost certainly get 5 years. It'll probably come back in about 15 years, but that's about what your life expectancy would be, anyway.' I said, Great, maybe I can start a ticker for the big countdown. Eventually, I hope to reach that nirvana of really not taking anything personally.

Best wishes to all of you who have just had or are about to have surgery.

Oakmoss, that was a pretty insensitive comment that your friend made! Did she mean it to be encouraging? Concerning the lumpectomy, I also found it to be pretty easy as far as pain goes. I had been having increasing pain from an intraductal papilloma that was growing behind my left nipple. Surgery not only removed the cause of my pain, but numbness covered my incision area. I am thankful for the papilloma because it is what started this ball rolling. I could have had a much larger invasive lobular carcinoma when they found it had it not been for that papilloma.