October 2018 Surgery Support Group
Comments
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apatient, I ended up taking Oxynorm for 3 or 4 weeks after my double mastectomy, so I imagine there is a wide variety in people's pain thresholds and the amount of painkillers we need. That's okay because we're all different. It's important to take the painkillers you need after surgery and not try to be extra brave, because the pain can build up otherwise.
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Hope everyone is doing well today! Apatient, Pain is so subjective and differs for everyone! Hang in there and I hope your pain starts improving. I have had my pre op with my BS and PS. I am going to have the implants pre-pectoral she said with cadaver skin to hold it in place. The BS said today during my exam that we are not going to be able to spare my nipple. There were some further changes in the shape and (sorry TMI warning) new "crusting" of the skin on the nipple. She mentioned paget's disease but said that is usually more red and would be itching. I am glad she is being diligent and I really trust my team. Still trying to not let my anxiety take over.
Bookworm- As you see in my signature I was diagnosed in August as well and I am just having my surgery. I had to wait because of a second biopsy and my BS wanting to meet with the tumor board. Then trying to schedule the BS and PS at the same time. My follow up with my MO is not until Novermber 20th. However, I have ILC and it will be unlikely that I need chemo according to my MO, as my tumor is highly hormone receptive. They did send it off for a mammaprint test though. Also ILC tends to be pretty slow growing. I hope sleep is getting better for you! Wishing everyone the best!!
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Hi I had surgery on October 10 and my dye shots were horrible! Way worse than the biopsy. At least I got lidocaine for the biopsy. This was a huge needle and I got two injections. I'm kinda traumatized by it!
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I was told that the entirety of my sentinel node biopsy will happen in the operating room. That will be good, because I yodeled all the way through the lidocaine injections for the initial biopsy.
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You are so lucky! When I went home and called my mom and asked why she didn't warm me about the shots she said hers were administered under anesthesia. I see my BS this week for my post surgery follow up, and that is just one of the topics I will be addressing with him. It's time for breast cancer tx providers to do what they can to ameliorate the stress and trauma of tx.
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When I met with my nurse navigator on Friday to discuss my upcoming BMX, she talked about dye injections, saying they were painful, but they can't use numbing injection as that affects how the dye gets picked up by the lymph nodes and ducts. I also think that if node surgery is being done, it's at the beginning of the surgery, so if they wait to do injections after you're already under anesthesia, they'd have to wait for the dye to work it's way to the lymph nodes (don't have a clue how long that takes). Of course none of this means it's not painful and scary, but maybe knowing the why at least helps accept?
Hope all you October ladies who have already had your surgery are doing well, and those of you who are up next have quick and easy recovery. We November ladies are following you closely.
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GAWarrior,
I had some kind of pump called Prevena. Those extra tubes were HORRIBLE! They would get tangled in the other tubes. Luckily, they removed that as well as the two underarm drain(one each side). Unfortunately, I am very discouraged on the way my foobs currently look with the expanders. Completely uneven and just not right. Surgeon assured me that the final surgery will be fine to make them pretty, but I do think he could have done a better job that what is done. It is pretty bad. Hope you are doing well
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DWiseley,
Those dye injections were gosh awful...boy those doctors lied. It will be okay they said, will hardly hurt they said. Big fat lie! I had four injections and very uncomfortable. Hope you are doing well
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Dani444,
I hope your anxiety improves. The surgery pain, I feel, is not as bad as what I was told. I take a pain pill at night since I do not take them during the day. Glad that your cancer is the slower growing type!
The waiting to meet the PS and coordinate with the BS took the longest so glad to see that is moves that way sometimes, and that I should not worry...much! Sleep is much better thanks! Hope you are doing well
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Welcome MastectomySister, Bookworm14, DWiseley, MCBaker, and borogirl!
Just wondering... is anyone in this group "graduating" to radiation in November? Also, what instructions have you been given regarding exercise? I have permission to resume using the rowing machine and free weights this Wednesday (3 weeks post surgery). Can't believe lazy me is saying this, but I actually miss exercise. Yesterday, I needed to take a complete break from reality and spent most of the day binge watching stuff on Netflix.
Raysal, I also found the SNB site more painful than the lumpectomy site. And like MastectomySister, I developed a seroma beneath the incision. However, it has slowly been absorbed on its own, so my surgeon didn't drain it. It's still not gone, but instead of being the size of a golf ball, it's now about the size of a bean.
Kanona7795, you make the hyperbaric chamber almost sound like a spa vacation. I hope you're continuing to do well. How are your kids holding up?
GAWarrior, I'm so happy for you that the surgery hasn't been as traumatic as expected. I don't understand why you and so many others had to be conscious for the dye injections. Mine were given while I was unconscious.
Borogirl, the explanation you gave as to why the shots were given before surgery make sense. However, I'm not sure about the numbing agents. I've seen other women on BCO report that a numbing cream was used. Maybe there are regional differences in technique? I've read that mastectomies tend to be favored over lumpectomies in the south and midwest. Could be something similar here.
Bookworm14, yes it does seem very unusual for there to have been such a long gap between DX and surgery. Are you perhaps out in a rural area where there aren't enough doctors and/or facilities to go around? I had about 3 weeks between DX and the start of chemo, and those weeks were filled with scans & tests and consultations. There seemed to be sense of calm urgency, if that makes any sense.
apatient, no narcotics here at all, though mine was only a lumpectomy & SNB. Just 2 Advils during the first two days, and I really didn't even need those. Just felt like babying myself. The mental/emotional side of it has been a thousand times worse than the physical.
Julesm59, here's hoping your procedure went well and you're not in pain!
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Hi all and sillyrabbit,
I'm now 12 hrs post op. Doing very well. Significant headache when I woke up from surgery. After I came home and slept for 3 hours the headache is gone, but still a little foggy. I have 3 incisions all glued. They look good and Dr told my DH that everything went well. He doesn't ask questions, sigh, he doesn't understand medical stuff. So all is good. I can wait until I have my post op check up next Monday. I will get my official path report then, however, it will post to MyChart prior to that in 3-5 days. So I can have my questions all written down. I will find out my further treatment pathway then. Pain is minimal at this point and I can sleep in my normal position (sideish). I am off work till Thursday and totally anticipate going back to my office desk then....
The dye injection was painful, but only lasted about 20-30 secs during at actual injection. Good thing they warned me I would have blue urine. That quite a shock, LOL. I would imagine it hurt so much since it was so close to the nipple, very sensitive area. But when the inserted the wires for a guide for the surgeon, that hurt somewhat, since I still had hematoma from the core biopsy. They only took 1 node, but the incision is as large as the LumpX.
I hope that everyone is doing well post surgery.
apatient, your right about the emotional trauma caused from the waiting.
Kanona7795, sounds like a great treatment to induce proper healing. Haven't heard of many getting Hyperbaric, but it make great sense. Hope it works well for you.
Raysal, mine was the same, didn't even feel the others until I got home. But SNB, oh my. that was significant and since the pain meds in post op, nothing as bad.
GAWarrior, I hope all is going well post-op and the pain is lessened now.
Good luck and minimal pain for all those with upcoming surgeries.
Julie
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Thanks for your good report, Julesm59, and I'm so glad everything went well.
I've been puzzled why so many of you have been subjected to that painful dye injection while mine was given while I was unconscious. I think I may have found the answer. According to this page on the Mayo Clinic site, there are two types of tracers: a radioactive type and a simple blue dye. The radioactive one is supposed to be administered a few hours or a day before surgery, whereas the blue dye is given just before the procedure. So I must have had the plain dye, while the rest of you had the radioactive kind. Surgeons' choice, I guess. It was never discussed. Does this make any sense? Here's the article: Sentinel Node Biopsy
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I also did the dye injection back when I did the mx. A couple hours before surgery. I didn't find it particularly painful, other than the initial push of the needle. It was fast. I wonder if there are differences in amount, technique, or dye that account for the different levels of pain.
Best wishes to all of you. I go in for exchange and ooph very early tomorrow
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Hi sillyrabbit - I am starting radiation soon, although don't know when. Guess I'll see you on that thread! No instructions regarding exercise; I can tell I really, REALLY need some, but am still sore from the SNB and don't want to make it worse. Settling for walks around the block at the moment.
On the topic of soreness after SNB, I'm glad I was warned that it could be worse than the lumpectomy, because it definitely is. The incision itself isn't painful, and visually things have improved quite a lot, but I feel tender and sore for several inches even wrapping around into my back now. I suppose it has to do with extreme muscle tension as much as anything else? In the days before the second surgery I was actually starting to feel cramps in my arms and legs from being so tense. I sooooo need to just have a good stretch, but not with that arm ...
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Well last day with my own breasts! I am a little sad, but mostly I'm mad at them so good riddance!!
I have a matrix of pillows on bed I set up in trial run,including one of those chair pillows and a knee bolster. If I can't get comfortable I might try to sleep downstairs in our couch that has a big ottoman.
Getting the snb injectiontoday, considering how many biopsies I had I'm not anticipating it being a big deal, we'll see. Right now my worries go to node involvement, if any, and possible future treatments. My DH is really good at keeping my mind in the present and taking things one step at a time. So thankful for him.
I am so happy to hear that our October group seems to be doing well. I am so proud of all of your bravery. Keep it up!!
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I hope and pray it all goes well, Dovely!
You are right ... we ARE brave! I was thinking the other day of how this has been the thing I've been most afraid of for years, and now it's happening .. and I am handling it. As we all seem to be, no matter how stressed and scared and crying and in needs of anxiety and sleeping meds we may be. Women are amazing.
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Dovely, All the best for your surgery day! You got this! I will send prayers, and all the good vibes!
Purplecat, thanks for sharing that thought! You are right, even though I beat myself up over my level of anxiety sometimes, I am still handling it. I am so grateful for everyone on here. God is good!!!
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Sillyoldrabbit,
Actually I live 10 miles from the Slidell Memorial Cancer Center that is top for this region. The biggest wait was for the plastic surgeon...it took over a month to get an appointment with him. My Oncologists was not happy, but he did not make an effort to contact the plastic surgeons office to see if the date could be moved up.
There seems to be no sense of urgency from anyone, and that has me concerned. They did a PET:CAT scan and showed nothing in any nodes, but now over a month and a half has past and they found cancer in my lymph nodes. Just very upsetting. You would think the surgeons would try to move cancer patients up in scheduling, but when I went in the front office scheduled me as a reduction so that is why I was not seen sooner despite three phone calls.
Unfortunately, I cannot change doctors as it would take longer to get another appointment than the ones set up. It will have been a full 3 months since my diagnosis before the MO will tell me what treatments I have to do. They did not even start me on Tamoxifen during this time. Grade was a high 2 at biopsy so I am just getting mad with all the laziness from the different drs. Sorry for the rant! I hope you are doing well.
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Star2017 and Dovely, hoping for successful surgeries for you today and as painless a recovery period as possible.
Bookworm14, no apologies necessary. You have every right to be upset and I'm so sorry you have to deal with these kinds of snafus. It's very disturbing to think that the delay might have allowed the cancer time to spread to your nodes. During chemo, whenever my red blood count dropped too low for a treatment and I'd have to skip a week, I'd worry myself sick that even that small delay was allowing the thing to grow. However, all my doctors kept reassuring me that even the most aggressive tumor takes a long time to progress. Maybe the Pet scan just didn't pick up what was already there. The doctors don't REALLY know the true status of the nodes or the tumor until the pathologist has examined them.
PurpleCat, I know what you mean about pain and muscle tension. It's a kind of vicious cycle. When your muscles are tense, they're more prone to injury and your pain threshold seems to be lower. And when you're in pain, your muscles tense up. Have you ever tried the body scan relaxation technique?
I hope I haven't missed putting anyone on the calendar. There suddenly seem to be so many of us that it's getting hard to keep track. Please let me know.
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I had two or three injections,(I was in so much pain and stress at that point...) I am recovering well except for an enormous hematoma. That has started to disolve and heal as well. How are you healing?
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thanks, sillyoldrabbit. I’m at the hospital, waiting to be called in
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I will be graduating to radiation in November. My first appointment w my RO is November 4th which is when he plans on making a cast of my breast. However, I had an enormous hematoma and I'm still swollen, so it will probably be pushed back a week or so. As for exercise, I'm only allowed to do the prescribed post op stretches, so I'm trying to walk every day.
You do rowing and free weights? You inspire me! That will help you recover and feel strong!
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Good luck Star 2017! 🌟
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thank you, dwiseley!
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Star2017 and Dovely,
Good luck and best wishes with your surgeries today!
Sillyoldrabbit,
Thank you for responding. Just had to vent! I could definitely see how you would be nervous on having to push back chemo for a week....I guess some of us just worry about the What If factor.
To all the ladies:
I hope you all are doing well before and after your surgery. Best wishes, thoughts, and prayers for us all!
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hello beautiful ladies, i had my UMX and SNB last 10/16, everything went fine, only one lymph node was remove come back negative. Very little to no pain on incision site and drain but I’m feeling swelling and discomfort below my armpit, where they did SNB. I’m a week later after surgery and seems like it’s not improving. My surgeon said the swelling will last for few weeks. Any of you guys having the same dilemma as me
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Thank you for asking about me. I am ok. Pathology was pretty much as expected.
The primary tumor shrunk from 2.7 cm to 1.5 cm. The SNB found one sentinel node (of 3) that still had cancer. It was the known, biopsy proven node. It had shrunk from 2.5 cm to .8 cm but still had some cancer in it. This was consistent with the pre surgery ultrasound. The full lymph node dissection did not show any additional lymph nodes with cancer. The oncologist and BS downstaged me from stage 2B to 2A. Both said that survival rates for stage 2 cancer (a and b) are excellent and are happy with how I am healing. No DCIS found (there was some in my biopsy), great margins (45 mm), nothing suspicious found in the right breast.
The only thing that is bothering me is that the PS told me that he could only fit 450 cc tissue expanders. My path report stated that my breasts weighed about 800 g each. Before surgery I wore 36/38 D depending on the brand. He said that my upper body is too narrow to fit the larger TE and that my size after reconstruction would be smaller than I had been before. The difference between 800 cc and 450 cc seems huge. I am not understanding why there is such a discrepancy between my natural size and my size after reconstruction. My upper body is considerably smaller than my lower body. I am pear shaped and I think that having much smaller breasts will accentuate the imbalance.
I had a post op with the BS and the PS and both are happy with the way the mastectomy sites are healing. I still have 1 of 3 drains in. I think the last one will come out tomorrow. I had an infusion of Herceptin/Perjeta yesterday so I saw my oncologist. She was also happy with the way everything looks. I am not in a lot of pain. Most of the time I am just a little sore. If I twist the wrong way the site of the lymph node dissection screams at me but it only lasts a minute.
Someone asked about sleeping. I found it easier to get in and out of a recliner with an electric switch than my bed. My bed is pretty high and I am pretty short (5'3") so I slept in our recliner which we moved to the bedroom so the dogs wouldn't jump up on me. They are used to being able to sit on my lap. They are medium sized dogs (30lb, 45lb) so they are too heavy for me to deal with right now. Last night I slept in the bed in my son's old bedroom which is significantly lower than my bed.
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Hi Proud Patriot,
From what I understand, grams of breast tissue and cc’s of expanders/implants are not the same at all. Like comparing apples and oranges. Might want to check in with Whippetmom who is the expert.
I hope all goes well for you
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hi everyone. I’m done and home. No issues. The exchange doesn’t hurt at all. I’m quite tender from the oopherectomy
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Star2017 Glad the exchange was without much pain, I hope you get some rest! And I hope everyone is doing well
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