May 2020 surgery

ijl · May 2020

Hello,

Here is the group for those of us undergoing surgeries in the month of May. Let's chat and support each other.

I am having my unilateral mastectomy with tissue expander on May 13. 12 years ago I had a mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction.

I spent 3 days in the hospital last time but this time hopefully only one night. However my husband can only drop me off and pick me up due to the restrictions. It is not easy being by myself all the time at the hospital

Last month I had a lumpectomy and it was very strange to be in pre-op room all by myself. Looking forward to all this being over soon and me being back home .

toria1212 · May 2020

Hi there ijl,

My surgery was scheduled for May 11, then doc called and pushed it back, now back on for May 11! I had my seed implanted Wednesday(ouchy) and had required covid19 drive through test yesterday(still feels "funky" up in there). I am scurrying around trying to clean lol, most of the supplies I believe I will need for lumpectomy I do already have. Getting my adult son to set up a TV in my bedroom so next week I can rest(I have three old-ish kids at home)

Are you anxious, and ready for next week? You have experience with the surgery-does that comfort you in any way, to 'know' what is coming? I had a reduction and lift four years ago(hard recovery!) so I believe that this time the process will be easier. Definitely won't feel relief until I get pathology results.

Here in Michigan it is cold and snowy today-bizarre, but allows time to do indoor things.

I am praying for you and all of us with bc challenges and upcoming procedures. I hope your recovery goes smoothly and quickly. I was told that my fiance is allowed to walk me in and sit in waiting room, but I will be taken at 7am to pre-op, have dye injection for lymph nodes at 8am, surgery at 11am, then recovery after 2pm, and won't see him again until release. Ugh. It is difficult to be alone, non? I got weepy at my seed implant but the nurses were simply amazing-new best friends! lol. The nurses and the female dr were so very kind to me-makes all the difference....

Have a blessed weekend

xx

ijl · May 2020

Hi toria,

I had my lumpectomy last month. It was a rather uneventful experience. I did not even have to take tylenol afterwards. I was up and about the next day after anesthesia wore off. If you are very stressed you can ask your anesthesiologist to give you something to relax you in pre-op: happy drug :)But at he end I decided to go with mastectomy which I will have on May 13. Hopefully I will spend only one night in the hospital.

HH25 · May 2020

Hi Everyone!

I’ll be having my bilateral total mastectomy with expanders on May 19th. I’m nervous but more excited than anything because this surgery has already been postponed once. I have twin 4 year old boys so we’ll see how much down time I actually get. Hope everyone’s surgery goes well

Gypseysalle · May 2020

Hi all!

I was diagnosed late March with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ and understand that this is a very early stage diagnosis. My surgery is scheduled for May 13th and has been on hold due to COVID-19. The Covid test was this morning so of course I an in isolation until the surgery. Last week was stressful at work (it seems I am unable to concentrate lately) so I am looking forward to a few days at home.

I hope everyone's procedure goes well.

ijl · May 2020

toria,

I will be thinking of you this Monday. Like you said the lumpectomy is much easier then the procedures you had before. Hopefully like me you will have very little pain. I am wishing you speedy recovery and a good pathology report.

Come back here and let us know how are you doing

Gypseysalle

DCIS is stage 0 very early caught. you and I will have our procedures the same day. Good luck to you!

toria1212 · May 2020

ijl,

Can you share why you are now having a masectomy? I am praying that my pathology comes back ok-still worried about all of that! Thank you for the encouragement. I am a 'doer', and an energizer bunny, so resting and recovering is hard for me. My breast lift and tummy tuck(five big babies) forced me to sit still-it was all a very hard recovery for me.

I am grateful for all of the info and support here-all of you are AMAZING!

Gypseysalle, I am praying your procedure goes smoothly and well for you. Covic19 has made this an interesting journey, non?

HH25, I'll be praying for your surgery and wow! four year old twins-YOU are a rockstar. I hope you have much support as you recover.

xx

ijl · May 2020

hi Toria,

5 kids wow! You are a hero . Hopefully like me you find recovery after lumpectomy is quite easy.

This is my second bout with Brest cancer I had a mastectomy 12 years ago.

I would have another mastectomy now too but because of CoVid it was easier to get lumpectomy and sentinel node dissection first to get the cancer out.

Good luck to you tomorrow

Nana2-8 · May 2020

Toria1212 - I will be thinking good and prayerful thoughts for you tomorrow. When you feel up to it, let us know how you are doing.

christas_cupcakes · May 2020

Hello,

I will be undergoing a right nipple sparing mastectomy on May 19th. I am nervous as the date gets closer. I had a pre-op appointment last week and left with all kinds of things to do in preparation for the surgery (hibiclens bath, incentive spirometer, protein/amino acids drinks...etc). It was all a bit overwhelming to say the least.

I have my COVID-19 test this coming Saturday - just trying to stay healthy.

Good luck to all as we embark on our surgeries this month.

ijl · May 2020

hi christas_cupcakes

I will also have aright side mastectomy on 13th with implant reconstruction. Are you doing reconstruction?

I had left breast mastectomy 12 years ago with DIEP reconstruction, as I recall most of the discomfort came from the stomach and not my breast.

I haven’t done much preparation except for buying mastectomy bras, breast forms to wear while waiting to fill and drain belt with pockets. Tested negative for Covid virus today.

My husband is not allowed in , he will drop me off and pick me up the next day.

Good luck to you on 19th. I will check in here after my surgery to share my experience.

Dmorales · May 2020

From the looks of it, we are in the same boat. I am Left DCIS stage 0. I do not know the grade and am ER/PR +. I am opting for bilat total with expanders and left sentinel node removal scheduled for May 16. I was just curious as to why you are choosing the total mastectomy after having a recent lumpectomy? I have not waivered in my decision and genetics has come back negative. I do sometimes feel that my surgeon may think I am being a little "extra" to get a total when I have a stage 0 non-invasive cancer. I mean I don't care, but curious about your experience.

I appreciate the feedback. It is the week of now and I am starting to get nervous!

ijl · May 2020

Hi Dmorales.

12 years ago I had DCIS and could not get clear margins in lumpectomy so went for unilateral mastectomy. I thought of getting bilateral then but my right breast was clean so I left it alone. I did have DIEP reconstruction then which turned out beautifully.

This time I do have IDC and I thought to get mastectomy with TUG (innert high donor site) reconstruction.

But Stanford was postponing major surgeries due to COvid, although the hospital was empty. So we decided to get a lumpectomy with sentinenal node dissection to get the cancer out. For a while I was even entertaining the idea to stay with a lumpectomy and have 5 day radiation course.

But the pathology came back with DCIS in the margins. DICS was not seen neither by mammogram nor by MRI, so it was a deal breaker to me as I could not trust testing anymore. Also i read about a lot of complications with TUG so decided to give implants a try. I hope it will somewhat match my beautiful DIEP breast

Good luck to you! A lot of time I wish I did the bilateral mastectomy 12 years ago So your decision is very reasonable.

Lostchick · May 2020

I had mine done today! Bmx with allograph (?) tissue expanders. And I am home already! They asked me if I wanted to go home or stay and I figured with all of covid nonsense I'd just go home. The pain is there but manageable for now. My s/o is being a rock star and basically waiting on me like a princess so that's good. My main issue is that any movement basically makes me want to scream. Ugh. For those that have already been there, when does that get better. My chest muscles are so sore. Like just trying to reach for something is an ordeal. Super frustrating. but lymph nodes were clear so they're thinking this surgery and boom! Done bye-bye stupid cancer. And I cried a lot today- before surgery in the holding area, after in the PACU It was kind of embarrassing but super cathartic these last few months have drained me

Oh! But best thing ever is this little apron thing I bought off of amazon to hold my drains. It is great. I'll try to post a link to it but I'm not super tech savvy and I'm on a lot of pain medication so bear with me. Lol

Best of luck to you all!! We got this! ❤️

ijl · May 2020

Lostchik,

I am glad you are home and already posting ! Sorry to hear about your pain. Hopefully it will get better soon.

I am going for my right breast mastectomy tomorrow but they did not give me a choice of going home the same day.

Wishing you speedy recovery , keep us posted.

Lostchick · May 2020

Thanks! Best of luck to you. ❤️ I will wait for an update and hope for the best.I was really surprised when they said I could go home!

morrigan_2575 · May 2020

I'm getting a BMX in June and they offered Same Day Surgery, which I accepted.

Lostchick · May 2020

It was great to be able to come home the day of the surgery but I also have a lot of help. My husband is taking the week off and my kids (18 and 10) are being really helpful too. I don't think I could've done it without them here with me.

I am on my second day out now and still really sore when I do pretty much anything which is frustrating. Like I went to put something in the refrigerator today and just opening the fridge door made me wince in pain. Ugh. I can't wait for that feeling to pass.

Ijl- how did your surgery go today?

ijl · May 2020

just has may right breast mastectomy with TE. Staying overnight just in case.

The hospital is much busier than it was month ago when I was doing lumpectomy.

I feel fine just a little headache from the cream they put to ope blood vessels.

Tylenol works well for it.

good luck to those who have surgeries coming up a and those of us recovering f from them

Lostchick · May 2020

so glad things went well for you! Today I'm trying to work up the courage to take off my surgical bra and take a shower. I'm scared to see it.

toria1212 · May 2020

Hello all

My surgery was on Monday, and I did well! It was a long day, but only one sentinel node was removed(and clear!) so praying that pathology comes back all good. The biggest deal was NO DRAINS. I was sooo relieved and thrilled. Tuesday, I felt great for two hours then it was a nosedive to feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Beau and kids have been great-I am NOT a rester, so have stapled myself to my bed so I don't get cocky and do too much. Showered yesterday and today, pjs only though. Initial glass and fire needles through breast. ICE IS YOUR FRIEND(as others have said), but no oxycodone for me. Taking off the dressings yesterday was very scary-my armpit looks far worse than my breast.

I am sleeping horribly due to the anastrozole, so that is why I am so adamantly staying in bed-ish, otherwise I will get NO rest. The insomnia is pretty awful. I am binging Yes to the Dress

ijl, I hope you are resting and healing nicely, sweetie. My heart is with you!

Lostchick, Wow-you're home already... hope you are also doing well as you heal. If I don't take it slow, I'll mess things up. I'm a mover and shaker so sitting still is NOT my strong suit. My kids are dolls, like yours, so we got this, right?

Nana-2-8 You are too kind! I appreciate the well wishes and support. I am so thankful to be on the other side of surgery.

My follow up is May 26, and then radiation. Will we ever NOT be quarantined and have a 'normal' ish life again? It's all so much. The poor kids at home..

Love to everyone xx

Nana2-8 · May 2020

toria1212: So good to hear that things are going well for you! You know yourself well to stay in your jammies and stapled to your bed! Taking things easy now will allow you to celebrate once this whole lock-down is behind us. BEHAVE!!! (That's an order!!) ~ Had to giggle at you binge watching "Say Yes". I met Randy in the Atlanta airport on Feb 29th! He is so cute and gracious....immediately said (once I acknowledged him) "Hello Beautiful" Me: "Ya right, you say that to EVERYONE" Him: "No....but you truly are" Wasn't that nice? Just lifted my spirits since it was only 3 days earlier that I had met with my whole cancer team.....and let's just admit, I wasn't feeling exactly 'beautiful' and must have had a very strained appearance radiating from my 'beautiful' persona. He was very kind. Made my day! ~ Now, young lady, let those around you pamper you for a bit longer! The worst is behind you!

ijl · May 2020

Hi Toria,

I am glad to hear your lumpectomy went well. it is good to hear your family takes good care of you.i

My husband takes care of me and my friends drop off the food. I am afraid to gain weight

Did you ask your surgeon about icing your breast. The reason I am asking you that my PS wants me to put nitroglicerin oinment which causes blood vessels open up and promotes faster healing. Icing the breast has the opposite effects so you may want to verify it with BS.

I haven't started taking Arimidex yet , that's the next challenge for me

ijl · May 2020

Lostchick :

I had to take a look at my breast to put the ointment on it. It was not too bad.

I am a bit lopsided now since my DIEP reconstructed left is obviously bigger. (38d)

But I bought a few large tops with buttons on front and the breasts look good in a bra.

Camama2 · May 2020

I had a bilateral mastectomy on May 13th. Fifteen years ago was diagnosed with triple negative in right breast, had lumpectomy, chemo & radiation. Late April I found a lump in the scar tissue of my lumpectomy. Triple negative again in the same breast (oncologist says it's not recurrence but whole new cancer). Can't handle a third diagnosis of BC so I chose bilateral. I was not eligible for immediate reconstruction because I am considered "high risk" due to my prior lumpectomy and radiation. Plastic surgeon says the skin and blood flow can be compromised so she needs to see how I heal from the mastectomy to decide what can be done. I was in the hospital one night and also could not have anyone accompany me. My hubby had to drop me at the curb. After I heal (4-5 weeks) I'll be having 4-6 rounds of chemo. Then two months later I should be able to begin reconstruction. After 15 years post cancer treatment I'm not looking forward to what I'm about to face but no choice. I'm definitely in pain from the mastectomy and thank God for Percocet! I'm sure everyday will get better. I'm really not looking forward to going to the doctor alone when I see myself for the first time. This Covid stuff stinks!!!

Laurie

ijl · May 2020

Hi Laurie,

sorry that you had to join us in this forum,

You and had surgeries the same day but I only had one breast mastectomy as I had the other one done 12 years ago.

I know how it feels to be hit with second cancer so many years later

I find that walking helps a lot with mood and pain.

I hope you will feel better soon.

GlendasGotThis · May 2020

Hello. Wishing everyone on here a speedy recovery.

I had a lumpectomy on May 12th and a sentinel node removal. The node was negative. I’m awaiting the pathology report, but as far as I know things were good. I’m supposed to start radiation in 5 weeks and then hormone therapy. Like others have said. I felt weird getting dropped off at pre-op and knowing nobody could be there waiting. This was only my second surgery ever, so I was nervous. I was surprised by how little pain I have though. I haven’t taken pain meds. I rested the day of the surgery, but the following day I showered, and even did my hair and makeup to feel a little better. I was back to cooking and cleaning and even got in the pool today, although I’m not sure if I was supposed to do that. The surgeon said no restrictions other than not lifting my arm too high and not lifting anything over 5 pounds, so i think I’m ok.

I’m curious if anyone else has had the sloshing sound. I thump on my breast and sound like a ripe watermelon. Lol. My surgeon warned me about this, but it still freaked me out. I’m wondering how long it lasts.

I’m also curious, why you opted for the mastectomy after the lumpectomy. Did something come up on your pathology report? I hadn’t even thought about that being the possibility. Once the genetic test came back I thought I’d be in the clear, but after reading these posts, I’m less confident.

Again, prayers for everyone going through this. 💜

Gypseysalle · May 2020

Hi Toria

I see that your procedure went well and you have family to help out.

My lumpectomy went well with very little discomfort afterwards and my husband has been so great in helping out. I spent a few days at home before returning to work.

The pathology results were not as hoped. In addition to the DCIS that was removed, there was also invasive ductal carcinoma discovered. So, back to surgery next Wednesday for sentinal node removal.

Prayers for everyone to have a speedy recovery.

Lostchick · May 2020

sorry to hear that gypsey!

I have a question for you guys? Hopefully someone can help or get me to the right place for help. I had my bmx on 5/12 and things are going pretty well other than annoying nerve pain and I still have drains. Ugh. Today I got the results back from pathology. Right side just showed lobular carcinoma in Situ. Left had 2 invasive lobular tumors measuring 4mm and 5mm. Sentinel nodes clear so they are saying stage 1 and calling my mastectomy a definitive surgery!! Yay! No chemo or radiation!! I was wondering about oncotype and was told they would not recommend that because the tumors were so small and there was no node activity but I still worry. Is this normal for them to not do oncotype based on tumor size? Anyone know anything about this? I'm of course glad the tumors were so small but still worry and feel like oncotype would put my mind at ease. Thsnks

JayC10 · February 2021

Howdy All,

I had a left mastectomy and 22 lymph nodes removed. Stage 3 HER2,ESR+, on May 7th,2020. Following month incision revision in a covid OR due to emergency, 3 weeks later dehiscence of incision. I could see about the size of an orange into my chest. The tissue expander was visible. Well #3 surgery was to remove it. Wish I had stuck to my guns and not gotten talked into getting it in the first place. Grr. 25 radiation tx completed. Two more infusions to go ! I just recently found this site. Guessing none of you rock stars may even follow the site anymore but... I'm curious how you are all doing now. I've been unable to return to work as a RN for 37yrs. Nerve pain, adhesions, not gotten back full ROM (range of motion) of left shoulder..yada yada. Still going to PT 2x/week. Finances tottaled.

Give a shout ~ Hugs ~ Jay

May 2020 surgery

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