May 2017 Surgery Group

HI Dizzygirl and Lordhelpmetoo (love the name)

my surgery is scheduled for may 18 preop may 9. Planning a BMX with immediate DIEP. Unless my BS talks me out of it on Monday.

Seems I have two lumps now and the second one was just biopsied yesterday- get results Monday ugh.

nice to chat with others going through surgery around the same time. Don't know what my hormone receoptor status is yet. wont know until after they cut them off.

Hi all, I will have BMX sometimes around mid-May, which will be more than 6 weeks after my last chemo. Should I be concerned about the timing？Thanks!

I'm having mine 5 weeks after last chemo.

Dizzygirl,

I had lumpectomy before chemo with negative nodes. But because of BRCA, I'll have DMX.

dizzygirl, I know I am, my mri is scheduled for May 2, I know my family is all about one more chemo yeah! but I know I am not out of the woods yet,... that coupled with to recon or not!! but I am definitely opting for double as lumpectomy usually ends up being a double mx down the road anyway from my research

I have had to be very aggressive and pushy with getting appointments, if you make a fuss they usually attempt to bump you up and on occasion I've been fortunate to have my drs intervene and get me in faster..

its a very stressful ordeal ...prayers for all of us

Hi all, I would like to connect with May surgery people. I had a reconstruction consultation lined up, had a minor one not been through chemo. Have done MRI and guided for biopsy, also have to decide on SNB with BMX or not

Count me in. I originally thought I'd be part of the April group, but I just got my call yesterday and I'm scheduled for May 4th. Had my last chemo (TCHP) on March 30. I opted to have a BMX instead of a UMX or lumpectomy. I was diagnosed with IDC and had 2 enlarged lymph nodes. They biopsied the mass and one of the nodes. Both came back positive. Had my post MRI last week which showed that the mass has disappeared and the lymph nodes are both normal sized. During my last consult with my BS she mentioned that she would do the surgery 4 weeks after chemo, but it looks like they could only get me in during the 5 week. I know it's just one additional week, but I have a fast growing aggressive type of cancer so I feel like every hour counts.

I originally didn't think to do recon because it seemed like too much work. I was leaning either way honestly. I told myself that I'd give recon a try and met with a PS to go over my possible options. She said that it looks like I'm a candidate for immediate "one-step" recon with skin sparing and possible nipple sparing. She'll go in with the intent to place the implants immediately (I'd like to bypass TE if at all necessary) and if it turns out she needs to place the TE instead we'll go that route. I told my PS that I wanted to go any route that would limit the number of surgeries I will need. My rationale was that if starts looking like I'm going to have multiple corrective surgeries or several complications, I'll just have the implants/TE removed and go flat.

Congrats to all who are on their last chemo or coming up on their last chemo.

I am having a lumpectomy May 11th left breast after having a mastectomy and reconstruction right breast 9 years ago. I work full time (desk/computer type work) and I wonder how much time I should put in for disability. With the mastectomy it was kind of intense and I took 6 weeks off. I am understanding that the lumpectomy will be less invasive. The surgeon says 2 weeks but will sign off on whatever I need and I want to take as much time as I need. What do you think....is adequate. I am also big chested and wearing a bra to work will be an effort or at least it was with mastectomy. I would appreciate any insight/advice. Thanks.

My surgery is scheduled for May 1st - this is my second fight with breast cancer. I was Stage 1 ERPR+ Her2Neg in right breast in 2015; had lumpectomy and radiation. Finished radiation October 1, 2015. Rediagnosed with breast cancer, same spot known as a local recurrence, on October 1. 2016. Finished 16 rounds of chemo on April 10th - AC then Taxol. I do not have the BRCA gene.

Having a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction - very nervous about what it's going to look like when I wake up. My hair started coming back, so now it looks like I have a receding hairline versus being bald. I may need radiation again in my neck/clavicle for hard to reach lymph nodes since my breast cancer spread a little - but trying to negotiate out of that and they won't know until I have my lab results.

Thanks for starting this thread - and my insurance covered 2 zippered camisoles with drain pockets which is what I got for after surgery.

Is anyone packing anything in particular for their hospital stay?

As long as I can type, I will let you all know how it goes..

I think 2 weeks is a good time. I'm a teacher and I went to work 2 weeks after. You should be fine

Hi! Super nice that someone has created a May 2017 Surgery Group- thank you! I'm scheduled for a lumpectomy and SNB on 5/10, and when I'm not obsessing about every little detail of what will happen to me on that day, I'm planning for post-surgery life. Sports bras with a front closure, booking my favorite dog walker, comfy track pants and button front tops on PJs. And of course something fun to wear around all morning and for the wheelchair ride of victory out the front door of the hospital later that day that doesn't go on over my head.

One thing I'd love some input on is ice packs. I literally do not have one in the house. So far I'm keen on those coaster size gel packs with cloth backing for stuffing into a bra, and some of the larger oblong shaped gel packs around 11x5. I also like the traditional round screw top bags you stuff with ice. My tumor is on the left side at one o'clock- very close to the surface, and right next to the nipple, which I keep hearing will be handy to hide a scar, although a little tougher with the radiation boost down the road.I;m thinking the pack will rest on the top of my chest, and maybe a smaller one for the lymph area? I've heard a little pillow to keep your arm raised away from your body is a good plan.

Does anyone know just how much icing will be involved? A day or two after surgery, or every 20 minutes for two weeks? Not sure if I need to convert the freezer into an ice pack-palooza or not....any suggestions (on anything!) are very welcome! This site has been a godsend to me ever since diagnosis, and I'm just now taking the forums/community out for a spin- appreciate any help!

hi,

i'm having a DUG flap surgery on 5/30. i am terrified but need these implants out. hate them! i had cancer in both breasts and had bilateral mx last may and direct to implant surgery. hardly anyone has ever heard of the DUG flap procedure so there's very little for me to research and pictures are nil. it's a bummer but i guess i'll post mine to help the future patients. good luck to all who are upcoming!

@nattydreadful i had an excisional biopsy in my left breast on april 6th. it's basically a lumpectomy but bc it was benign they called it the other deal. the lump was pretty small. i had the wire localization done first, which i was dreading but it wasn't as scary as i thought... in fact, most of my biopsies were more painful. anyway, i didn't use any ice. my take home instructions only noted ice for pain and i really wasn't in pain. i took the pain meds for the first two days bc i was afraid of feeling the pain, but then i realized i just didn't need them. i'm 2+ weeks out and although i can function fine i still have tenderness... exercise is the only thing that doesn't really feel right yet, except for walking and hiking.

now, i'm dreading my mastectomy w/ flap reconstruction on may 17th. i'm getting fitted for my surgical bra on thursday. i can't believe how much treatment you all have had... i was diagnosed three months ago and they've taken out a benign lump and have left the cancer in my body w/ no treatment. i can't seem to get over this anger around how delayed my treatment has been.

I'm having my TEs exchanged for implants on May 17. Boy am I looking forward to it.

I had my BMX with TEs feb 1. I also felt the process from diagnosis to surgery was excruciatingly slow. The funny thing is, everyone around me seemed to think I was rushing. To me it felt imperative to get the cancer out asap. Anyway, things I wish Id known before the BMX:

Don't pack fancy pjs for the hospital. I did put on sweatpants but was in too much pain to change out of the hospital gown.

I couldn't reach the positional buttons on the bed with my incisions. Finally a nurse gave me one of those reach and grab tools and I used that.

Sleeping in a bed was impossible for about 2 weeks for me. Get a bed wedge and a "husband" pillow and some neck pillows. Try all sorts of arrangements to make yourself as comfy as possible.

The tubing from my drains, when pressed against my skin, left burns and blisters. Place a clean dish towel between you and the tubing.

I had a nipple sparing surgery. I had bought the amena Camis with the built in pockets for drains but my PS said even that was too much compression on the nipples. So I never used them. Speaking of nipples, they used nitroglycerin paste on them during surgery. This dropped my blood pressure to 80/40 for two days. I was alarmed by that until someone explained the connection.

What I did wear for several weeks was a t shirt with lots of stretch ( I pulled the neck real wide and stepped into them) and a zip up hoodie. And sweatpants and socks with nonslip bumps on the soles.

If I think of more I wish I'd known I'll post it. Good luck ladies and remember on the other side of the BMX the tumors are gone.

Hi, all. I'm a newbie here and find myself in the May surgery club, as well. On May 22, I'll have a BMX followed by immediate DIEP reconstruction in Burlington, VT. I'm glad this topic was started, so we don't have to go it alone... We are so much stronger together!