October 2018 Surgery Support Group

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited October 2018

    Welcome, Julesm59! What a wild ride! It sounds like your body did a bait and switch routine. I do wish you luck and every scrap of peace of mind you can find.

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  • Raysal
    Raysal Member Posts: 45
    edited October 2018

    so I confused my dates, my surgery was yesterday Wednesday the 17th.. I'm back home with a bit of pain and soreness but manageable..

    According to the doctor surgery went fine but she had to remove a bit of muscle to make sure she gets clean margins. Seems like my MRI was wrong, they thought they didn't have to cut into my muscle based on the MRI - or my tumor grew these last 2.5 weeks. I hope the pathology report proves that its clean margins. They also removed three nodes, not sure if that's good or bad..

    It will be three weeks before I know pathology results which sucks, I hate the waiting game.. dr did promise me if they were out earlier she would let me know so I hope it does come out earlier!

    Good luck to everyone else having surgery

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  • Kanona7795
    Kanona7795 Member Posts: 54
    edited October 2018

    Bubblybubbles, Stherye, & PurpleCat good luck today!! Dominos I hope you are doing fine and surgery went well

    It's 3am and I was just woken up to drain my drains. My left side seems to be draining a lot but I'm hardly getting anything out of the right side. Here is a little bit about my last 24 hours. My call time for surgery was 9am which shocked me since I was sure it would be 5am. I Got to the hospital and everything was going smoothly vitals✔️ Pee in cup✔️ Meeting with team is doctors ✔️ Medication & pain block✔️ Sedative ✔️ that's when everything slowed down. My BS came in my holding area to tell me that we were still planed for bilateral skin sparing and nipple sparing surgery. But they had found a spot on my last MRI right under my nipple. She said that they were going to still go with the plan we have but if that turns out to be cancer they have to go back in cut the nipple off and do radiation. Which I have tried so hard to avoid. I didn't end up going into the OR until a little after 3pm for the 6hr surgery I had thought would be 4hrs. I ended back in my room about 9:30pm. The pain I had trying to move from one bed to another brought tears to my eyes. After I was settled they brought in my family and friends that had been patiently waiting outside. The morphine that they give me has helped with the pain since this block is starting to wear off. It seems like day two is going to be worse then day 1 and they want me walking after lunch. Hope this wasn't too loopy sounding!!

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  • DeeDeeT
    DeeDeeT Member Posts: 76
    edited October 2018

    Bubblybubbles, Stherye, & PurpleCat-- Thinking of each of you today and praying for a wonderful outcome!

    Kanona, thank you for the update on your procedure. Hope day 2 is not as bad as you are suspecting! Prayers for a great recovery!

    Raysol, So glad that your surgery went well! I hate the waiting game too! Hang in there!

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  • Julesm59
    Julesm59 Member Posts: 24
    edited October 2018

    Thanks sillyoldrabbit, I messed up with my babbling, my surgery is on the 22nd. Appreciate these boards tremendously. Its good to see how others are handling the situation handed to them with a cancer diagnosis. Waiting is the worse though. Even though I haven't had to wait like some. The majority of the warriors on these boards are so brave and it definitely give me hope.

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited October 2018

    Raysal, I'm beginning to think removing 3 nodes is standard for a SNB. Does anyone here know for sure? I was surprised to learn that 3 of mine had been removed also.

    Kanona7795, do you have any idea yet what the surgeon ended up doing? You don't sound loopy, btw. Hope the pain is easing up!

    Julesm59, I updated the calendar. These boards have gotten me through the torment of waiting for results, chemo, surgery and no doubt will get me through rads, and God forbid, any future BC misadventures.

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  • Proud_Patriot
    Proud_Patriot Member Posts: 27
    edited October 2018

    I already had a treatment plan before surgery. I had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (TCHP), then surgery and I will have radiation as soon as the tissue expanders are fully expanded. I am currently on estrogen blockers (arimidex). I will have Heceptin/Perjeta every 3 weeks until May. For me the surgery is near the end of the process.

    I meet with the breast surgeon tomorrow for a full rundown on the pathology report. I saw the plastic surgeon today and he removed one of the three drains.

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  • Bubblybubbles_1
    Bubblybubbles_1 Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2018

    Hi guys,

    My lumpectomy and axillary node dissection was a success today. I was fasting since yesterday night. I was booked for surgery at 12 today but another patient didnt show up so they move it to 11am. I was admitted to hospital at 9am and did my registration. Once i was in gown, they started IV and antibiotics. It was hard to find the vein though (they cant do it through portacath during surgery)

    They wheel me down to surgery and doctor came in. Thats all i remember. I woke up in recovery and vomited twice. I was very sleepy and thirsty. After 1 hour, i was in day surgery for 2 hours. They put drain on my right side. The tumor was on right breast at 6 o'clock. I wanted to save my nipple so he made a vertical incision. I have bandages on right side. My right hand is in severe pain for some reason so Tylenol 3 it is.

    I am home now and resting.

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  • Kanona7795
    Kanona7795 Member Posts: 54
    edited October 2018

    Bubblybubbles - So glad your surgery went well and your home and resting.

    Sillyoldrabbit - My breast surgeon decided to spare the nipple and sent it all off to pathology. This morning when my plastic surgeon came in to look at my skin, nipples and expanders he told me we wanted me to use the hyperbaric chamber for 10 consecutive days. So I won’t be leaving the hospital until Sunday since my local hospital 3hrs away doesn’t run their hyperbaric chamber on the weekends. They said this should help my blood flow and keep my skin healthy and keep the nipples from dying. I’m grateful for all of these wonderful nurses, doctors and pain meds. But trying to deal with my kids and get them to understand what’s going on is just killing me

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  • Stherye
    Stherye Member Posts: 43
    edited October 2018

    Hi all, thank yoy sillyoldrab four your thougts.

    I an wirting from the hospital. My pbmx was yesterday from 8 am to 5 pm woou...

    I woke up dizzy but not too much pain. Now i am felling better. I had ns one step silicone implants with alloderm under the muscle. I know this is probably the mastectomy that hurst the most but I wanted tp avoid another one.

    I am only praying my last report from the mx will be ok or only benign or risk conditions.

    I still have one papilloma on.my right one and previously, i had another papilloma also in the right breast which had small focal ephitelial flat atypia.

    Well, thinking about it know, now I dont have anything as i only have the implants. I am happy to know that everything is out, only praying for benign results.

    I cannot see my breast right now, it is covered with bandages. But my doctor told me he put the same size, about 420 cc. And everybody in the surgery room were very pleased with the results ( I saw the doctor, two nurseries, anesthesia doctor an another one) I trust my doctor very much and told him that if possible, I wouldlike to have same size but if it wasnt the best option for me, he could put the shape or size better for me. So i am a little nervous to see the results.

    All the surgery was made through the nipple...ufff

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  • Lulabell75
    Lulabell75 Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2018

    Hi. New here. Had my lumpectomy on October 8th. Have kind of a silly question. I’m still dealing with the healing from my double lumpectomy and my bra is killing me. I’m a 42 year old mom, I think that should be enough said. I need to wear a bra during the day, at least. But the underwire is killing my surgical sites. Does anyone have any suggestions for bras post surgery

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  • DeeDeeT
    DeeDeeT Member Posts: 76
    edited October 2018

    I have not yet had my surgery, but I've been in pain since my biopsy. I went out and bought some sports bras. I'm a 44yo mom and before this always mainly wore underwire too. I think my sports bras have been a lifesaver for me. I plan to wear them post-lump too. Someone that's actually has their surgery may have better advice. I'm so sorry you're hurting.

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  • Bubblybubbles_1
    Bubblybubbles_1 Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2018

    thanks everyone.

    Linseywolfe : my doctor said not to wear underwire bra for 6 weeks post surgery. Have you tried sports bra instead? I got one bigger in size so its loose. I am allowed to wear a bra after 2 days of surgery which will be on sunday

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  • MastectomySister
    MastectomySister Member Posts: 19
    edited October 2018

    I have worn a Coobie Comfort Bra after my mastectomy and it is by far the most comfortable. Here is a link, good luck! Coobie Women's Comfort Bra... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011DSJ6FM?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

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  • PurpleCat
    PurpleCat Member Posts: 358
    edited October 2018

    I'm back after my sentinel node biopsy yesterday. Had the dye injection, then surgery an hour later, and was out of the hospital about six hours after walking in. The wooziness and drowsiness slowly wore off during the day. Today I'm feeling pretty normal except that I will need a nap later; anesthesia always messes with my ability to sleep!

    I'm a bit sore, and suspect that some of it is because my arm was probably in an unnatural position during surgery. Still, I'm determined to get by on OTC painkillers, as I'd rather have a little discomfort than a foggy head. I do have heavier drugs available if needed, just don't want to take them. I think the waterproof tape covering a huge portion of my breast and armpit contributes to the discomfort too. Glad I shaved before surgery, but pulling that off is not going to be much fun.

    Also, for anyone worried about the dye injection, mine was not bad at all. The needle was much smaller than the one used for the core biopsy, and there were no compressions or images taken like with the core needle biopsy or the radioactive seed placement. Basically, it was a shot in the breast with what appeared to be a very small-gauge needle. If they'd just called it that and could have given it to me when they put in the IV, rather than wheeling me to a whole different department with and giving it an intimidating sounding name like "RADIOACTIVE DYE INJECTION; THAT'S RADIOACTIVE, PEOPLE, LIKE IN NUCLEAR BOMBS!!!!!" I wouldn't have thought anything of it.

    Now just waiting for the follow up appointment. I suppose biopsy results and oncotype score could come in before then, but at this point I'd just as soon wait for the appointment and hear it all at once. I'd love to have a few days to catch my breath and try to build up some physical and emotional strength again before treatment really starts.


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  • Dani444
    Dani444 Member Posts: 522
    edited October 2018

    PurpleCat- Glad your procedure went well and you are able to control the pain with OTC meds! Also very good to hear the dye injection was not that bad. I am worried a bit about that. Hope your recovery continues smoothly, and your path results bring good news.

    Mastectomysister- I second the opinion on the coobie bra! I ordered one and it is so comfortable! I go today for my post op bra fitting, not the kind of bra shopping I would choose. But I was glad to hear my insurance will cover the cost of two bras.

    stherye- Thank you for sharing your experience. It really helps to read these before my surgery! Thats great you were able to go direct to implant. That is my hope but the BS said if the tissue looks traumatized we will do TE's. Sending good thoughts for final pathology!

    I really do not know what I would do without these boards! Thanks sillyoldrabbit for getting this thread going!!!!! I have been praying for everyone in this thread!!

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  • Lulabell75
    Lulabell75 Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2018

    Thank you for replying. I think a sports bra is my only option at this point

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  • Dovely
    Dovely Member Posts: 91
    edited October 2018

    I'm getting a BMX on 10/24 and I’m nervous

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited October 2018

    Proud_Patriot, I hope your path report was full of good news! How are you feeling?

    Bubblybubbles_1, are you recovering well? How's your hand?

    Kanona7795, what's it like in the hyperbaric chamber? It sounds like it would feel strange, to say the least. Can you breathe normally?

    Stherye, I'm happy for you that your surgery went so smoothly and also hope your path report will show no evidence of malignancy.

    Lulabell75, ditto on the sports bra. If it's comfortable, you can also use the large elastic bandage you were probably wrapped in after surgery, just not wrapped as tightly.

    PurpleCat, they told me not to pull off the tape, but to let it come off by itself. It's supposed to release between 2 and 3 weeks. Mine finally came off today - so that was 17 days. It didn't hurt. Glad no mushroom cloud formed during your procedure, too! :)

    GAWarrior, I hope you're resting comfortably now and that all went well.

    Welcome, Dovely! Nerves R Us around here. Keeping busy and finding distractions seem to be the most helpful coping mechanisms. Personally, though, there are times when nothing but a small hit of Valium will calm me down.

    It's been doctor week for me. Monday, annual skin check with my dermatologist. Wednesday, follow up with the surgeon. Thursday, follow up with the MO. Today, port flush and blood draw. And also today, made an appointment with the radiation oncologist. My "social calendar" is almost exclusively filled up with medical appointments. I'm so grateful for all these professionals, though. It takes a load of courage for us to submit to these awful procedures, but seems to me that it takes even more courage to perform them. I couldn't cut into someone's breast or inject poison into someone's vein to save my life!




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  • Raysal
    Raysal Member Posts: 45
    edited October 2018

    anyone find their SNB more sore than the lumpectomy? I'm bruised around the SNB location and uncomfortable, though my lumpectomy seems to be perfectly fine with minimal pain

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  • Dovely
    Dovely Member Posts: 91
    edited October 2018

    Those who are home already after BMX, recon... what is sleeping like? I’m thinking I’m going to needs LOTS of pillows. I saw the great pre-surgery list on here, which is awesome. We don’t have a recliner type chair, but we do have a large couch with ottoman that might work. Thoughts? I’m just trying to imagine how you can do anything if your arms aren’t totally mobile etc.,guess I’ll find out!!

    Silly old rabbit- indeed, Valium is my friend right now. But I’m also feeling kind of proud of how well I’m dealing with this, considering I have struggled with anxiety my whole life. I’m so glad for this forum.

    I think I’m doing direct to implant, find out Monday, surgery Wednesday. They found cancer in both of my boobs, so off they go. I was expecting a lumpectomy so I totally had to change gears.

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  • Bubblybubbles_1
    Bubblybubbles_1 Member Posts: 38
    edited October 2018

    sillydrab : recovery is going ok. My arm is in so much pain though. I am not sure if this is normal. I have a nurse coming home tomorrow to change my dressing. So will ask her.

    Raysal : i am in similar boat. Very uncomfortable around node dissection site compare to lumpectomy. Are you able to move your hand? Mine is in so much pain

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  • MastectomySister
    MastectomySister Member Posts: 19
    edited October 2018

    Raysal, my SNB site was very tender and sore as well, way more than the lumpectomy when I had that done. I actually developed a small seroma under the incision of my SNB site, so that was drained when they did the mastectomy, which helped with the pain. But what a sensitive area! And the bra kept hitting it so I would put gauze over it for weeks, to protect it.

    Dovely, you’ll do great. I have to say my recovery from the BMX was much better than I had expected. I didn’t use a recliner, just a lot of extra pillows and was fine. The pain was tolerable as well and I only took a handful of pain pills the first few days, then switched to just Tylenol. I’m not saying everyone is like that, but that was my experience and I’m grateful for it. The hardest part was dealing with the movement restrictions and the annoyance of the drains. Hang in there and ask any questions you need!

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  • Kanona7795
    Kanona7795 Member Posts: 54
    edited October 2018

    Sillyoldrabbit - The hyperbaric chamber is pretty neat. For the first 10 minutes you have to keep popping your ears every 10 seconds like if you were on a airplane. I was in there for 2hrs today and watched HGTV and talked to the tech that was working the machine. I will say my wounds and skin do look better. Can any of you ladies answer a question for me. On wed I had a bilateral BMX with TE and a couple nodes taken out. I was discharged yesterday but was not told about wearing a bra. My underarm where the nodes were taken out is very sore. What did you ladies wear for support with TE? I figured I would of been told about they type of support I need. They did fill the TE to 425cc's

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  • Raysal
    Raysal Member Posts: 45
    edited October 2018

    bubblybubbles, I slowly regained movement of my arm though still not as fully as before. Today is much better compared to yesterday and the day before. Also been trying to gently move the arm and not keep it in the same position for long that seems to help me .

    Glad to hear that snb soreness is normal.. wishing you all a quick recovery!

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  • GAWarrior
    GAWarrior Member Posts: 398
    edited October 2018

    Hi all, I'm doing much better after my Friday BMX surgery than I expected. Hubby is a great nurse. He's stripping the drains like a pro, lol. I haven't really even needed pain meds because I'm not sore unless I move. It feels sort of like I worked out really hard and I think my arm pits feel the worst. The drains are sort of a pain, but not too bad (just in the way). They put on an antinausea patch before the surgery so I haven't even been sick.

    Dovely, sleeping hasn't been too bad. I'm a side sleeper, so I have to get used to sleeping on my back. I'm only using 1 extra pillow. The hardest part is getting on/off the bed because I can't use either arm too well. Instead of getting silky pj bottoms that were recommended on the Surgery Tips list, I went to goodwill and was lucky enough to find scrap fabric that's silky. I put that on the couch, then moved it to the bed last night and that makes it easier to get up.

    Kanona, i dont have a bra after BMX either. Was told i wouldnt be able to wear one for awhile. I only have TEs though, so you might be differnt

    Re the SNB injection, I'm not going to lie, it stung. A lot. But it wasn't bad enough to bring tears to my eyes. He just took one lymph node because that's all that reacted to the radioactive dye. They do a quick biopsy of it while i wasin surgery and it was clear of cancer (95% accuracy). they're going to do a full work up on it when they do the path report, just in case. Also, Because I had the nipple and skin sparing surgery, I have to check under the bandages to be sure the nipples are still pink and getting blood. So far, so good.

    My right breast (the cancer side) looks like it got squished a little. It has a crease across the top of it. He mentioned possible fat grafting during the exchange surgery. We'll see how it resolves.

    All in all, this has been easier than I thought it would be.

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  • PurpleCat
    PurpleCat Member Posts: 358
    edited October 2018

    Raysal, yes, that's what I've been finding too. The lumpectomy was right around 12:00, and as long as I didn't jiggle too much or lie on it, it wasn't too bad. The node biopsy site is on the side and it hurts to move my arm; not a lot, but I can definitely tell it's sore over there.

    Good wishes to all on this thread!!!

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  • Bookworm14
    Bookworm14 Member Posts: 176
    edited October 2018

    Hello Ladies,

    The am a bit late in finding this post! I had my BMX on October 15th with TE. The cancer was originally found in my left breast, but I have the BRCA2 gene so it was recommended to remove both. The ended up removing 15 nodes of at least one being positive. Not sure about the rest. I feel that the surgery went smoothly although I was sick Monday night after I got back into my room after 8:30. The nurse thought it had to do more with movements as I was up walking to the restroom by 11 pm that nights. I did not have a bra or bandages just this vacuum type bandages across the incision sites. Going to the PS tomorrow to get that removed

    Sleeping is a pain only because I am a side sleeper most of the time. The drains cause the most problems as they pull and get hooked on stuff! Overall, the surgery was not as bad as I was expecting. I will say I was expecting some kind of weight loss after removing my breast!! Unfortunately, I weigh more now that prior to surgery. Anyone here seem to be suffering swelling after surgery?

    Also, does anyone find it odd that I was diagnosed on August 16th and took two months to have surgery without any kind of treatment between? Also, I had a PET/CT and no nodes lit up then? My MO isn't even going to meet with me until November 12th to work on a treatment plan.....just seems as though this whole process should had moved quicker.

    I hope all of you ladies that have had surgery are recovering well, and best wishes to those that are awaiting their surgery.

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  • apatient
    apatient Member Posts: 22
    edited October 2018

    Hi all—thank you for sharing your stories. I had BMX with expanders on the 15th. The expanders were placed in front of the pectoral muscle, not behind. Is this unusual? They filled them to 300 ml and they seem huge to me although my previous breasts were 1000...

    Anyway, I still need narcotics so I guess I’m not one of the quick healing ones. Number of days on narcotics, everyone? Please share.

    I see the oncologist tomorrow.

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  • GAWarrior
    GAWarrior Member Posts: 398
    edited October 2018

    Good luck with your surgery today, julesm59!

    Bookworm14, welcome to the group. I agree, the drains are the worst part, plus I have a PICO negative pressure pump system attached to my surgery sites, which means more tubing to get caught on things. Ouch. You probably weigh more after surgery because of swelling, I haven't checked my weight because of all the equipment that's attached to me. It adds weight, lol. Yes, it has been my experience that things move way faster after diagnosis than your treatment has. I was diagnosed 3/22, but didn't start chemo until 4/20 but only because they wanted to do an MRI guided biopsy of a second suspicious area and the MRI machine was down. I ended having the procedure done at a different hospital because my MO was worried that I hadn't started treatment yet. In your case, they will (should) hold off on chemo for about 4 weeks to allow your surgery sites to heal. You don't heal well or quickly while on chemo. Once you meet with your MO, they can start you on chemo the next day even.

    apatient, I have prepectoral expanders and the implants will be, too. Several ladies in my chemo group do, too. It's a newer way of doing the surgery, thankfully. You'll heal faster and won't have the implant distortion I've read about (when you reach for something or work out your upper body, post pectoral implants move around and can flip over or seem like they are squishing out the sides. No thanks). Re narcotics, I took exactly two pain pills since my Fri surgery. I'm just taking ibuprofen since yesterday. Apparently I have a high pain tolerance because this has been uncomfortable, but not overly painful unless I move the wrong way. Hoping you feel better soon

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