Hi ladies,

I'm so sorry I haven't posted, I'll try and keep this under 3,000 words. I've caught up on all your posts and have been right there holding your hands virtually even if you didn't hear from me. xo

Mast on 3/7; sent home 5 minutes after surgery in the shirt I came in with, gauze and tape + 2 bitches, I mean drains. Some of you haven't had any issues with them and I'm so glad for you. Mine were super painful, oozing out the top, still draining and thankfully around 20 on 1 & 5 on the other.

Bandages off on 3/9 and left with Steri strips, and the drains. I think I told you all this, my BS was an ahole and I was on the verge of tears, etc. I was ready for my next appt which was

Drains out on 3/16; I yelled Kelly Clarkson when took them out and it just keep on hurting. (Oh BS was MUCH BETTER on this last appt, very much like the man I met, although I still disagree with some of his opinions. I am listening to my body on certain things). Instantly my con caved chest (formerly known as my breast) swelled up on the top portion and became hot and red. He said if it doesn't subside in 4 days, call and he'll rx me antibiotics. Today is Day 3 and the redness/swelling is just now going down, thank you Lord. I would rather not go on antibiotics.

Referred to Oncologist to discuss my Path Report (Stage 2, metast to 1 of the 4 lymph nodes); appt 3/23

Sleep, I have been doing A LOT OF SLEEP/NAPS: First couple nights, the Love seat with Ottoman with lots of pillows placed everywhere it felt good, then days forward, moved to bed with lots of pillows (wedge, fluffy puppy pillow, horseshoe neck with air control and bed pillows put wherever they felt good.

How I am dealing with Drains out that are still draining: maxi pads or mini pads with 3m Transpore tape clear. I've tried so many different things and this seems to work the best. I was taping it under my arm pit, but why? it's not going to leak out of the top, unless I stand on my head and that is the area that hurts the most to remove it, so it's open there. A couple nights/days I have been wearing an ace bandage just for coziness and then a real soft top. Sometimes, I tape a maxi pad over my Steri stitches on my concaved chest for coziness.

I've been sick with a nasty cold so that has added to the fun. Drugs I was on Hydrocodone and now Advil. I haven't had Advil for 12 hours, so far so good.

That's 3,000 words. Praising God for all the victories, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

PRUNES, PRUNES,PRUNES!!!

2Fun -I will try that!! Thank you!!!

also gotta say this TE is for the birds. I am trying to think long term. I have a big wad of tissue under my arm.almost looks like a Third boob, and i cant put my arm by my side. Thanks for letting me vent. Family is tired of listening!LOL

Scottiemom1 Wow that's an amazing list! Great job!

I am so greatful I found and signed up on this site. Everyone is and has been so amazing and supportive. Well I have to be at the hospital at 5am and surgery is at 7:15. After surgery and recovery they are putting me in ICU I don't know how long I will be in there. After the amputation I will get a nerve block to help with the pain. I'm hoping and praying they keep me pretty drugged up and I sleep alot so I don't have to deal with the pain. Thank you all so much! You are all in my thoughts and prayers as you go through your journey.

Meadow thats great news on the wound!

Any news on Annie?

Magjr, added your surgery to the list. Scottiemom11 I've seen the word bump on other posts but had no idea what it meant. lol )

Forgot to answer the question for whomever asked about a post-surgery garment, but my PS always puts me in a compression bra after the surgeries, even after my fat-grafting back in October. I think it's more a surgeon preference than anything else. As usual, he put me in one this time as well but I took it off as of yesterday as it was pressing on the tube incision so it's more comfortable without it and, let's face it, it's all about US at this point.

Sitti, yes Emergen-C can be good as well. I got most of my research and info from a poster named macb04 on the thread about pre-pectoral implants. Here's her most recent post about Vitamin C and essential oils. I don't know how to link to another post so I copied and pasted, but please know that this is HER post - don't want to take credit for the research, links, etc:

macb04 Seattle Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 484

Post a reply Report this Post

Mar 18, 2017 11:55PM - edited Mar 19, 2017 12:05AM by macb04

Hi littleblueflowers, I think that Lipospheric Vitamin C is a good substitute compared to standard formulations of Asorbate/Ascorbic Acid/Vitamin C tablets. It uses the encapsulation of Vitamin C by Liposomes (fat molecules) to increase absorption levels of Vitamin C, which is limited by bowel tolerance. I have been able to have 10 to 15 grams of Lipospheric Vitamin C by mouth, without diarrhea, whereas I get loose stools with around 7grams of the standard formulations of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid/Asorbate). I space the oral dosing out over the course of the day, that way, I hope to keep my blood levels of Vitamin C elevated as high as possible throughout the day. I actually take a combination of Standard Vitamin C tablets and Lipospheric Vitamin C, because then I feel that I am covering all my bases.

Hope this helps you figure out some good ways to get the best benefits of Vitamin C if you can't afford Intravenous Vitamin C.

ALSO, WANT TO BRING UP ESSENTIAL OILS SUCH AS OREGANO/THYME and GOLDENSEAL have Synergistic Effects against bacteria, alone or in combination with antibiotics. I posted this info somewhere else, but copied it to here again.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4915787/

Pharmacokinetics of oral vitamin C

Abstract

Purpose. To test whether plasma vitamin C levels, following oral doses in supplemented volunteers, are tightly controlled and subject to a maximum in the region of 220 µm L−1, as suggested by previous researchers for depleted subjects. To determine plasma levels following single, variable‐sized doses of standard and liposomal formulations of vitamin C and compare the effects of the different formulations. To determine whether plasma levels above ∼280 µm L−1, which have selectively killed cancer, bacteria or viruses (in laboratory experiments), can be achieved using oral doses of vitamin C.

Design. This was a single blind study, measuring plasma levels in two subjects, in samples taken half‐hourly or hourly for 6 hours, following ingestion of vitamin C. Data were compared with published results and with data from 10 years of laboratory plasma determinations.

Materials and methods. Standard 1 gram tablets of vitamin C; liposomal vitamin C. Plasma levels were analysed using the method of Butts and Mulvihill.

Results. Preliminary investigations of the effects of liposomal and standard formulation ascorbate showed that blood plasma levels in excess of the previously assumed maximum of 220 µm L−1 are possible. Large oral doses of liposomal ascorbate resulted in plasma levels above 400 µm L−1.

Conclusions. Since a single oral dose can produce plasma levels in excess of 400 µm L−1, pharmacokinetic theory suggests that repeated doses could sustain levels well above the formerly assumed maximum. These results have implications for the use of ascorbate, as a nutrient and as a drug. For example, a short in vitro treatment of human Burkitt's lymphoma cells with ascorbate, at 400 µm L−1, has been shown to result in ∼50% cancer cell death. Using frequent oral doses, an equivalent plasma level could be sustained indefinitely. Thus, oral vitamin C has potential for use as a non‐toxic, sustainable, therapeutic agent. Further research into the experimental and therapeutic aspects of high, frequent, oral doses of ascorbic acid either alone or (for cancer therapy) in combination with synergistic substances, such as alpha‐lipoic acid, copper or vitamin K3, is needed urgently.

Essential Oils and Their Components as Modulators of Antibiotic Activity against Gram-Negative Bacteria ..

http://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/3/3/19

Essential Oils and Future Antibiotics: New Weapons against Emerging ' Superbugs ' ?

Nicholas A Boire1, Stefan Riedel2 and Nicole M Parrish2*

1The Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

2 Department of Pathology, Division of Microbiology, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253567306_Essential_Oils_and_Future_Antibiotics_New_Weapons_against_Emerging'Superbugs'

PDF]Antimicrobial and synergistic effects of some essential oils to fight ... - The Battle Against Microbial Pathogens: Basic Science, Technological Advances and Educational Programs

www.microbiology5.org › book

by H Padalia - ‎2015 - ‎Cited by 2 - ‎Related articlesEssential oils can be individually effective or they may be combined with antibiotics or plant extracts. Traditional healers often use combinations of plants to treat or cure diseases and found that synergy was most

According to a report published in The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, the government of the United Kingdom estimates that by the year 2050, more than 10 million deaths and 100 trillion dollars in global health care costs will have resulted from drug-resistant microbes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27872555

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28224112

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27895802

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26256994

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25185110

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16085104

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12643856

Good luck Scottiemom11 and DiV on your surgeries today!

Hugs!

DiV:

My prayers, thoughts and warm wishes are with you! You are ONE tough lady and, boy, do I admire your strength!!!!

Hey ladies:

So many of us on the same surgery path more or less this month. Hugs and prayers to you all.

Fatigue normal huh? Well, I don't like it. LOL. I guess I am impatient to get on with things. My family is tired of me sleeping and pooped out too. LOL

On the other hand, Its good to know its normal and time will ease it. I am going for another short walk this afternoon. I think it can't hurt.

My drain is getting less and less drainage. Tomorrow it will come out I hope and then drain free. yippee!!

wallan

Scottie, thanks for reposting the list! Prayers for you today.

Raven, wow, that's a lot to digest, thanks for posting.

Wallan, I know it's so hard to lay around constantly huh? At first, it was like ya, this is the life. But then.. come on, I need to move this body, get stuff done! I'm curious when you get your drains out if you have as much leakage as me. Got mine out on Thurs and it's like having my cycle, but vertical and under my arm. Sorry, it is what it is.

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks for me since surgery and today I vacuumed! Very very carefully but I did something! Also I am testing out my sports bra (Marika) that I have always loved. I need to get ready to go out in public sometime, and so far so good! I put in a little stuffing since I'm con caved on one side and I look like my old flat self! Maybe tomorrow I'll crash and be back in bed all day, but for today, VICTORY!

Molly and BlueBird, prayers for you as you head into surgery tomorrow.

Now about DiV, I can't get this girl off my mind today. So I have been praying my head off for her. Amazing woman of courage! We're all going to hold her up! She's going to have a lot of tough days ahead. We love you DiV!

Praying for DiV and Bluebirdgirl my surgery sister. The fatigue can be tough, though I found the muscle spasms from the TE to be the hardest part. One thing I did after a ruptured hematoma after my second umx (I had two units of blood transfused) was to be purposeful in my eating and resting to get myself strong enough to return to work. I ate plenty of protein, fiber and dark green foods along with plenty of water. I ate prunes every day (I hate prunes) and still do.

I am not judging anyone's fatigue and you should take the time you need to recover but that was my 4th surgery in a year and I had it with being in fatigue mode. It worked. I was back to work in a week even though my BS thought I was crazy.

My best healing wishes and prayers to all of you. I certainly hope this surgery goes well for me and I can recover quickly again. Hugs!!!

Good morning sisters. I'm here in spirit. Surgery went well but apparently I had alot of scar tissue. The nerve block helped until it wore off last night and then pain went down hill quickly. On the bright side, no drains and I can shower with help tonight. Also blessed to have my Dh as I could not get up or even take my meds without his help last night or this morning.

I forgot to have pharmacy put the non locking tops on meds, and I need to stop trying to do anything other than sleeping and typing on my tablet with T-Rex arms. This time I have an ace bandage which will come off when I shower. Then back to older surgery bra with light compression.

Hopefully by tomorrow I'll feel up to binge watching Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Plantchild. . .take it easy and don't do anything you don't have to.

Praying for DiV and our sisters having surgery today.

Scottie

Plantchild, wow! So glad your ps is on top of things and to answer your question, my drains coming out of my body were extremely sore and red and pussy even with the Hydrocodone. Can't believe you went back to work and what is this walking thing you speak of?