January 2016 Surgeries

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  • CoolgrammieNC
    CoolgrammieNC Member Posts: 54
    edited April 2016

    Hello Ladies,

    I have a few questions. I had my BMX w/Diep reconstruction Feb 8. I am now scheduled for revision surgery May 17. has anyone else have their revision surgery? If so how was it, how long were you unable to do things again? I have my pre op May 5, I just want to know what questions to ask and to try and be a little more prepared.

    thanks....

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  • Gardnergirls
    Gardnergirls Member Posts: 89
    edited April 2016

    Coolgrammie, I'm sorry I'm not able to answer any questions on revisions. I'm still waiting to have my exchange surgery scheduled for May 6th. Maybe someone will chime in and have some answers for you. Best of luck

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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited April 2016

    Coolgrammie - There is a pretty active thread called "Exchange City" that would probably be able to help with your questions:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/728266?page=1276#idx_38254

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  • Mominator
    Mominator Member Posts: 1,575
    edited April 2016

    Hi Grandma3X: I just saw my BS this week, and I told her all about BreastCancer.org and all the wonderful people I met and the wonderful support everyone gives each other. I also asked her about SLN biopsy on a prophylactic mastectomy. She said she doesn't do SLN biopsy on a prophylactic mastectomy, but would mark the SN in case occult cancer is found on the pathology. I remember one of the other January ladies was talking about marking as well.

    DecisionFreak: so kind of you to take in your mother in-home hospice. The neighbor across the street is doing in-home hospice as well. I am watching her two mornings a week so the husband can run his business, another lady watches her 3 mornings a week. My mom is stage III, but is not a chemo candidate because of her other health issues.

    Gardergirls: so happy to hear of your vacation with hubby.

    Coolgrammie: I found the Exchange City and TE's: A Beginner's Primer threads to be very helpful while I was going through reconstruction. There may be a similar thread for your surgery.

    So nice to see everyone doing well.

    Mominator

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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited April 2016

    Thank you, Mominator! I agree that marking the node without removing it would be the best approach. But then I start thinking "what if they do find cancer?" The thought of having an additional surgery to go back in and remove the sentinel node is enough to sway me toward getting it done all at once. Since they were not able to accurately detect my cancer with mammo, US or MRI, I would not be surprised if they find it on the "good" side as well.

    I hope you all are doing well and finishing up any rad or chemo treatments! I'm about 5 weeks into letrozole and so far, so good. I'm looking forward to having surgeries over with!

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  • Mominator
    Mominator Member Posts: 1,575
    edited April 2016

    Hello January surgery ladies. Look how far we've come!!

    I had my 3-month post-op visits with both my BS and my PS.

    BS said that I do not need any more imaging studies now for routine screening. No more mammos for me ever again. If there is a lump or some area of concern, we will image with ultrasound first, and then MRI if needed. I'm to have physical exams with BS every 6 months for the next two years, then annually after that. I next seeย BS in 6 months.

    PS was pleased with the reconstruction. I have some rippling and dimpling in both breasts, and some adhesions when I lift my right arm.ย He talked about the possibility of revision if I wanted. None of this bothers me. I look fine in clothes, my breasts don't get in the way of my flute like the TEs did, and I am happy with the reduction of my ptotic breasts to the reconstructed implants. I next see PS in 9 months, around the 1 year anniversary of the exchange surgery.

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited May 2022

    Great news. I wish I saw my BS at 3 months but they do 6 months so not until end of July. I hate my "nasty bits" but not sure I will want to do any more surgery in another 9 months to fix. Hoep everyone is doing well.

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  • Jr114
    Jr114 Member Posts: 69
    edited April 2016

    Great news Mominator. I am on a similar schedule. 6 mo for both bs and ps. I have some ripples and ps offered fat grafting. I told him that I would see how things go but I didn't want to do anything else till September. I still have to deal with hysterectomy within the year but probably won't have that surgery till the end of the year.

    I just also want to say that this forum was a very comforting place to come during this journey. Thank you to everyone that has shared. I am back at work now, but I still check in to see any updates.

    Hugs to all!!!!

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  • Kessa619
    Kessa619 Member Posts: 80
    edited May 2016

    Hi, January surgery sisters. I am coming back here looking for advice from the women I trust! The lymph node that I talked about back in early February is still there. Back then, the surgeon said it was a reactive node with a normal appearance on ultrasound. Now, all these months later, it is still there, seemingly unchanged (at least in how it feels to me). I see the surgeon on June 7. Should I ask for a biopsy?

    Thanks, and I hope everyone is doing really well.

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  • Moondust
    Moondust Member Posts: 510
    edited May 2016

    Kessa, I would ask for a biopsy. I wouldn't be able to stand not knowing. Good luck!

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  • Mominator
    Mominator Member Posts: 1,575
    edited June 2016

    Kessa, good luck on your appointment with your doctor this week. Let usknow when you schedule your biopsy.

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  • Kessa619
    Kessa619 Member Posts: 80
    edited June 2016

    it is very kind of you to check in with me, Mominator. I had my appointment today. The BS looked at the node on ultrasound and said she was not concerned, and that it is pretty tiny (5 mm x 2 mm). She offered a fine needle biopsy, which she admitted was unreliable or excision. I would not have been able to do either one at this appointment, though. Ultimately, she thought we should wait and biopsy in August if it came to that. I went along with her recommendation and felt reassured when I was speaking with her. Once I got home, the usual doubts started creeping in...

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited July 2016

    Hi Ladies - happy 6-month anniversary!

    Just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing as we all hit our 6 month surgical anniversary and will all probably be going in for our check-ups.

    My anniversary will be next Tuesday, 7/12 & I go for my 6-month check up with BS end of the month.

    For me, still good days & some not so good.

    Overall, doing well emotionally and healing well but I am still suffering from chest wall tightness, soreness & some swelling under armpits that the summer heat & humidity seems to have intensified. I still can not bear to wear any type of prosthetics and have the "iron bra" feeling that I have read many women get.

    I am still going to PT weekly and will be seeing a lymphedema specialist next week just for a peace of mind check but he is also a PS who I want to get some input from about my "nasty bits" left by my BS that have not gone away as I had hoped and I am not happy with my physical outcome.

    I opted for no recon and am still happy with my decision but I was planning on wearing prosthetics vs going flat but until I can or does not bother me but I have a lot of excess skin under left armpit, a dog ear under right armpit and what I call "alien" kind of in the middle of my chest - this puffy tiny ball-like thing where my scar ends. Not really wanting to do revision surgery yet but want to know my options. I have yet to find the right thing to wear that is comfortable and right now am wearing stretchy camisoles. I was ok during the winter covering up with sweaters and scarves but it has gotten harder as the weather has changed.

    Some of the soreness lately may also be related to increase in exercise as I have made significant changes in diet and fitness. I am now going to gym 3-4 times a week and started swimming (with noodle or kick board) and doing treadmill in addition to recumbent bike & walking and wearing a fitbit for awareness. Thank goodness for Lands End and their tank swimsuits and rash guards so I can go to the pool and not feel uncomfortable.

    It's been an emotional 6 months as my 30-year nephew was diagnosed with a rare osteo sarcoma in his right thigh about 5 months ago and has been through months of chemo and will have his 12-hour surgery next week followed by 18 weeks of chemo. So please say a prayer for him. No history in our family just like no BC either.

    And a good friend and woman who has worked for me for many years had a mass found on her pancreas during a CT for back pain and is meeting with a surgeon today and is having upper GI scope & biopsy on Friday. So prayers for her too please.

    I had BMX with SNB and my therapist and most everything I have read says no needles or BP in my arms due to LE risk. When I talk to doctors though to ask about blood draw in my foot when I have to get my upcoming labs done, they tell me I have very little risk of LE and will not write order as they say blood draw from foot has more risk. Kind of drives me nuts.

    Life otherwise has returned to normal or new normal. Days I do not think of my BC and days it's all I can think of. Days I have profound gratitude and days of intense anxiety about recurrence. Days I love the medical system and many new connections I have made and days where the lack of continuity of care and lack of consistent info drives me nuts.

    Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and thought it'd be a good time to check in as this board has been pretty quiet.

    Sending lots of love, peace, joy, health & happiness!



    image









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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited July 2016
    Balthus - so good to hear from you - love the photo! Is this your work? I am glad that things are returning to normal for you (or at least a new normal). I hope the LE/PS is able to provide some advice about your dog ears.

    That's such a shame about your nephew. I will be thinking of him and hope the chemo won't be too bad. It sounds like they are throwing everything at it.

    I had my second MX in May and am healing well. They put the BP cuff on my left calf during surgery and it now swells up anytime I try to wear "non-supportive" shoes, like sandals. It's really driving me crazy and I hate having to wear sneakers every day. I had an ultrasound and a segmental pressure test and there is no evidence of a blood clot or peripheral artery disease. I see a LE next week.

    My TEs are filled to 210 cc's and I feel quite buxom lol! I will probably get 2 more fills to expand the skin and then wait to have the exchange surgery this fall. The TEs don't bother me so I'm not in any real hurry to getvthem out.

    Love what you said about your new normal. I also have my good days and my bad. Small things seem to trigger anxiety, and while I try to occupy myself with work and home life, the thought of having BC is always in the back of my mind. It is getting better, though, and I feel healthier now than I did before my dx, so that's something! Like you, I have shed some weight and make time for exercise. I eat healthy and am surprised how much I don't miss sweets.

    Thanks for checking in. Much Love to all my January surgery sisters. I think of you often and wish you well.
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  • Moondust
    Moondust Member Posts: 510
    edited July 2016

    Grandma3x, glad to hear your surgery went well. But I wonder what could cause your left calf to swell! Were there any other symptoms in your calf right after surgery, such as pain or bruising? I would be suspicious of some malfunction with the BP cuff, especially if it was one for arms. Things like that are so hard to figure out.

    It's great that you are staying on the road to a healthy body and good lifestyle! Good luck with everything!!

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  • Logang
    Logang Member Posts: 421
    edited August 2016

    Just stopping in to see how everyone is doing. Thought it would be good to catch up. Here is what's happening in my world....

    I had my last chemo treatment on 6/22. Woo-hoo! I had f/u appointments with my MO and surgeon the end of July where I had a mammogram of the left breast. Thank goodness it was all clear.

    My mediport got evicted on August 12th. My prophylactic left mastectomy and bilateral recon is scheduled for November 3rd.

    I started monthly zoladex injections at my July f/u with the MO and will be starting an aromatase inhibitor in September.

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  • Nolagirl1126
    Nolagirl1126 Member Posts: 196
    edited September 2016

    Hi Logang, Good to hear you are doing so well! I am 3 weeks post-op from my s-gap reconstruction. Harder than I thought, but I'm still trucking along. Finished Taxol in May, but still have Herceptin through March.

    Glad to know there a light at the end of the tunnel!

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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited January 2017
    Hi everyone! I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year - may 2017 be filled with health and happiness! I had my exchange surgery in Oct. and finally feel like I have put BC behind me. I hope you are all doing well.
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  • Mominator
    Mominator Member Posts: 1,575
    edited January 2017

    Happy New Year!! Wishing many blessings, especially health and happiness to all.

    Happy anniversary to everyone. I hope everyone has recovered from their surgeries, and is doing well with the rest of treatment.

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited January 2017

    Happy 2017 to all! May it be a year of health and happiness and peace.

    Still a lot of iron chest discomfort and not entirely happy with my physical outcome (my "nasty" bits) but otherwise doing pretty well physically and emotionally.

    I go for my one year check-up towards the end of the month and my surgery anniversary is 1/12.

    Hope everyone is doing well and all the best in the new year.

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  • lford_az
    lford_az Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2017

    Hello,

    Just joined this forum today, it's a-mazing! Sooo helpful.

    I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago after an annual 3D mammogram & MRI Mammogram: stage 1, grade 1.

    I've been "interviewing" (let's just call it what it is) surgeons & oncologists. I'm considering the Biozorb. I see a post from Virgina123 on 2/15/16 regarding her biozorb experience (pain) but no updates.

    Does anyone else have pros/cons regarding the biozorb? I understand that, with the Biozorb, I will have to do traditional, 6-week radiation versus the 5-day accelerated partial breast radiation. Also wondering about the pros & cons of the 5-day vs the traditional radiation.

    Hugs & best wishes to everyone going through this. I'm naturally a bit of a Pollyanna & have already kicked the shit out of thyroid cancer, so am not too freaked about this. Still, I want to make smart decisions.

    Thank you in advance for your feedback.

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  • Mominator
    Mominator Member Posts: 1,575
    edited May 2017

    Hello lford_azย  and welcome to BCO

    You may not get too many answers here as this particular thread in not very active right now.ย Most of us had our surgeriesย in January 2016,ย have moved on to other threads.

    I suggest you post your question directly on the main page of the surgical forum:

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91ย  with a title that asks your question, such as:

    Looking for pros/cons regarding Biozorb and radiation schedules

    Sorry, I don't know anything about Biozorb or radiation.

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  • lford_az
    lford_az Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2017

    Thank you Mominator. Will do. :)

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited August 2017

    Checking in on everyone as I had my 6-month/18-month check-up yesterday, It seems like my check-ups get pushed out a week every time I go as my next one will not be until early February in 2018.

    Just wanted to say hi and see how everyone was doing. Positive check-up yesterday. All good.

    Doing my best to stay healthy. Keeping up with my 3x/week exercise although can't seem to lose any weight but not gaining either.

    My husband and I started a plant-based diet almost a month-ago and already there are noticeable improvements in sleep, skin, digestion, etc.

    The red meat was not hard to give up and it's been a challenge but a good one. We have a lot of food options here so has been easy and tasty to do although more challenging during travel.

    Still having the iron chest syndrome and too scared to do another surgery to get rid of the excess skin under my armpits, dog ears & other nasty bits as well as to try & clean up the scar tissue that might be causing this so just learning to live with it and doing massage and myofascial release treatments when I can. Have totally gotten over living flat and no longer even try that hard to disguise it except when swimming when I wear a swim shirt over bathing suit.

    My dear nephew who we thought had beat his osteosarcoma last year has had recurrence in both lungs and has had 2 surgeries in the past 2 months To remove the tumors. It's heartbreaking.

    The treatment options presented all have the same outcome none of which are very promising (20% at 5 years) so we are starting the process of 2nd/3rd opinions and perhaps will hear of something more optimistic.

    Hanging in as best as we can. It's been a very difficult and sad journey. Doing our best to stay positive and focused.

    Wishing everyone here the best and hope it's been a good 18-month anniversary for all since our 1/16 surgeries.

    โค๏ธ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ™๐ŸŒบ


    (thought I posted this yesterday but apparently something went wrong)

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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited August 2017
    Hi Balthus! So good to hear that you are well. I'm sorry about your nephew. I hope he is recovering from his surgeries and that treatments are successful.
    I had a check up in June with my MO and due for another one with my BS in August. So far so good. My MO wants to see me only once a year now. I know that's a good thing but I'm nervous about it. He's starting me on bisphosphonates (my request because of new guidelines). My first infusion is in August, then every 6 months for a couple of years. If anything, it will help prevent bone loss from the AIs.
    How are you liking the plant-based diet? I have been slowly moving in that direction, but still have some meat at dinner for the protein. We rarely eat beef anymore so it's usually poultry or fish.
    I dropped about 25 pounds after surgery last year and have been able to keep it off with exercise and diet. Physically I feel fine but still a lot of anxiety. I guess it just takes time.
    Thanks for checking in! I think of you all frequently and hope everyone else is doing well.
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  • Jr114
    Jr114 Member Posts: 69
    edited November 2017

    just checking in with everyone... just had my 6month check up since I had to have a revision surgery in April of this year. I hope everyone is progressing good. I seem to have more good days then bad but every so often the anxiety creeps back in. I am changing primary care doctor which is making me a little nervous but I guess if I don't like him I can always change again. Sending good vibes to everyone!

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited January 2018

    Hi All - just checking in with my January 2016 sisters and hope everyone is doing well. Two years ago tonight I was terrified of what the next day would bring with my BMX on 1/12/18. Not doubt lots of change and still tremendous discomfort and tightness but thrilled to be celebrating 2 years NED. Trying to stay as healthy as possible and heading to Florida in the morning to visit my 89-year old mom in assisted living for the weekend. Love and hugs to all. ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘โค๏ธโค๏ธ

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited January 2018

    Hi All - just checking in with my January 2016 sisters and hope everyone is doing well. Two years ago tonight I was terrified of what the next day would bring with my BMX on 1/12/18. Not doubt lots of change and still tremendous discomfort and tightness but thrilled to be celebrating 2 years NED. Trying to stay as healthy as possible and heading to Florida in the morning to visit my 89-year old mom in assisted living for the weekend. Love and hugs to all. ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘โค๏ธโค๏ธ

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  • grandma3X
    grandma3X Member Posts: 759
    edited January 2018

    tomorrow will be my 2-year anniversary of my surgery. I'm doing well. I had fat grafting done for my mplants in October along with an oopharectomy. The surgery was easy, but I've decided no more surgery for me. The implants aren't perfect but will do.

    That said, I had a biopsy of my cervix on Tues. My PAP smear came back as abnormal. My GYN is not really concerned since my HPV test came back negative, but did the biopsy out of an abundance of caution. So here I am, once again waiting for biopsy results.

    Sending well wishes and a Happy New Year to all of you! May you all enjoy good health and much happiness in 2018

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  • woodstock99
    woodstock99 Member Posts: 338
    edited January 2018

    hi grandma3x - thinking of you and hope the biopsy turns out ok. Thanks for responding and wishing you a good and healthy year ahead.

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