Outpatient bilateral mastectomy w/recon?????

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  • BethL
    BethL Member Posts: 286
    edited September 2016

    it's just flesh? I can't believe she said that. Tissue expanders are under the muscle. And I,like many Ialso had alloderm placed. It is a trauma to your body. Perhaps if it were a mastectomy without reconstruction I could have gone home the next day but I can't see the same day.

  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited September 2016

    I had outpatient surgery for both of my MX surgeries but that included an overnight stay. There were no complications and I was ready to go home the next day. I'm not sure what qualifies as "outpatient" but check with your surgeon to see if this means you will be kept overnight or sent home the same day.

  • MaryG59
    MaryG59 Member Posts: 28
    edited October 2016

    BethL,

    I will be having BMX on OCT 20 with no reconstruction surgery at the time and was told this was an outpatient surgery also. This alone use to be 3 days and with recon 4/5 days! You can thank Obamacare for this lovely socialist medicine! No, I don't buy my insurance through the Obamacare Network. I have BCBS, I pay for through my retirement, but we all are affected by the reimbursement cuts to the insurance co. and hospitals, so they are cutting their expenses/our benefits.

    Also, the CT Chest Scan w/contrast (had to request 3 times before getting contrast/dye) indicated I have pulmonary emboli (blood clots) in the upper lobe of my right lung. Since, SEPT 2, I have been taking Eliquis 2x day (blood thinner for PE - pulmonary embolism). My SO and MO thinks most likely the small clots are from my cancer maligancy, but MO will run blood panels NOV 16 to make sure and get beginning markers for treatment after surgery. So, I have to stop the Eliquis, Sunday, OCT 16, which I knew would happen. Both oncologists thinks it is best to bridge me with lovenox (blood thinner) injections OCT 17 & 18, nothing on 19th because of the clotting problem. I know how serious a PE is! Believe you me, I will be pushing for an overnight stay because of the additional blooding problem I could have. If not approved for overnight, my hubby and I will stay at a hotel five miles from the hospital the first night in case of emergency. We live 50 minutes away from the hospital.

    In FEB 2010, my SIL had a single MX w/recon - stretchers and was approved to stay 4 days. This shows you how much as changed.

  • Janett2014
    Janett2014 Member Posts: 3,833
    edited October 2016

    I had BMX with TEs placed two years ago. It was on a Wednesday, and the surgery took six and a half hours. I went home that Friday morning. I was glad to have the pain pump and catheter on Wednesday night. On Thursday I walked around a little to get my strength back. I also had very good nursing care while I was there. On Friday morning a nurse helped me shower and showed me how to care for the bandages and four drains before I left. I live two and a half hours from the hospital and would have been very nervous to come home in the first 24 hours. I was there slightly more than 48 hours.

  • Bluebirdgirl
    Bluebirdgirl Member Posts: 115
    edited October 2016

    I had BMX with TEs on a Friday, surgery was 5 hours. I didn't leave until Monday! No way in hell I would have done out patient. That's crazy! I had a pain pump, a room to myself, and the food was decent! Enough said

  • magiclight
    magiclight Member Posts: 8,690
    edited October 2016

    I had BLM at noon, then sudden onset of atrial fibrillation, transferred to the Emergency Room for observation and released for a 125 mile drive home at midnight. So much for the dignity health care system.

  • Jennj99738
    Jennj99738 Member Posts: 34
    edited November 2016

    I am following up with my experience. I did indeed have outpatient BMX, bilateral sentinel node dissection with tissue expander placement.. I arrived at the hospital around 9:30 a.m. and was home around 7:30 p.m. There were no complications and the surgery was approximately 4.5 hours. I don't know if it made any difference that the plastic surgeon was able to do the implants over the muscle. I was actually glad to get home and into my own bed. I was in pain but it was not unbearable and I didn't require more than the pain pills every 4 hours for about 4 days. After that I took the pills only at night. The surgery was on October 12th. I haven't taken any pain meds for about a week. I guess I was very lucky.

  • clarrn
    clarrn Member Posts: 557
    edited November 2016

    I had BMX with a direct implant on the left and tissue expander on the right due to how 'intimate' my dcis was with my skin (didn't know dcis could be like that). My BS said that it could be day surgery but was scheduled for 1 night bc my surgery started at 1. A 2 hour surgery turned into 4 (but I had a breast plastic surgeon and a surgical oncologist both working so maybe that's why it could have been shorter), and I am a puker so they ended up keeping me 2 nights because I kept getting sick. And my pain control was TERRIBLE in hospital so that didn't help. I would try to have the option to stay in.

  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited November 2016

    IMO thats crazy! I had a BMX with reconstruction and it was an 8 hour surgery. I agree you should get out of the hospital ASAP but out patient is just ridiculous. I needed heavy duty pain meds the first 24 hours. Good luck

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