A little scared dmx/ expanders.

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LoverofJesus
LoverofJesus Member Posts: 255

My surgery is in less than two weeks. DMX with expanders. I’m in good health aside from having this, I do have Bp issues but that is under control with meds.

My questions are these:

I know surgery will be about 4 hours. Longest surgery I will have ever had. And I’m kind of afraid of being under that long. How did you guys feel when you woke in recovery? And if you remember at all how long were you in recovery?

When did they pull your catheter? I will be there like 23 hours as per insurance and it is considered outpatient surgery. Don’t ask me why. 😂 I just know I’ll go home before 24 hours is up as long as I am doing well. Did all of you do well? And if you could just give me some hospital stories I would be so grateful. I know what to expect at home when I come home. Because my mom had a mastectomy. But she does not talk about the hospital stuff and she didn’t have expanders and she had a single so she was only under about a hour.

Any stories I would love to hear. I’m praying for an uneventful surgery and easy recovery, and an easy recovery after being home as well. I know about tubes etc.


Thank you all in advance

Loverofjesu

Comments

  • serendipity09
    serendipity09 Member Posts: 732
    edited October 2021

    LoverofJesus - my BMX was more then 10 hours long. When I woke up I was a bit groggy for maybe 30 min. and then I woke up. I was very chatty and feeling good. I was in recovery for about 5 hours and sent to a room, it was decided by my PS and BS that I would stay the night, not sure why. The catheter was removed prior to me waking up. When they took me to my room there wasn't a wheel chair in the room so they went to get one; I told the nurse I wanted to try and walk into the room, they were surprised, but let me and I did. Again, I was still very talkative (SE of anesthesia, I guess). I was able to get up and use the bathroom with observation of a nurse or CNA. Everyone was very attentive and it was a very positive experience for me.

    I hope that this helps you and that your surgery goes smoothly.

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited October 2021

    LOJ,

    My surgery was 10 years ago so my memory may not be entirely clear. I had the same surgery that you are having but had my permanent implants put in, so no TE's.

    One of the biggest effects that general anesthesia has on me is that it warps my sense of time. My memories of waking up are vague and definitely drug tinged. I do remember that the bandages or binding around my chest were too tight and I asked to have them loosened, which they did. The rest of my memories were very fuzzy as general anesthesia takes some time to wear off completely but it was not unpleasant. I have no memory of the catheter being removed but do remember being somewhat shocked at how soon they got me out of bed and moving but that is actually a good thing! Overall, it was far easier than I would have imagined. I was actually quite surprised by how not awful it was! For me, the biggest key to quick recovery was to rest when needed but to be more and more active each day (without overdoing it). The day I got home from the hospital was a beautiful day. My younger dd and her fiancé (now husband) helped me walk around the block, very slowly. It felt good but it wiped me out. However, each day I added a bit more activity and I think this really helped in my quick recovery. Honestly, don't sweat the details of the surgery/hospital stay. It goes by quickly and is probably not as difficult as you may be imagining. Take care.

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited October 2021

    I just read serendipity’s post. I think it’s probably true that the se’s of general anesthesia can be weird but not in a bad way. She was very talkative and I had a totally warped sense of time! Again, I was surprised by the fact that the whole experience was not even close to what I imagined. It was much easier

  • TXLorelei
    TXLorelei Member Posts: 85
    edited October 2021

    My single MX and ALND (no reconstruction) was about 3 hours. The last thing I remember beforehand is my husband kissing me goodbye in the prep area; I don't remember entering the operating room at all. My memories of the recovery room are very fuzzy so I don't know how long I was there before they moved me to the actual hospital room where I stayed one night. They didn't remove the catheter or the leg massagers (to prevent blood clots)until early the next morning and I was very unsteady on my feet at first. One thing that surprised me was how I was SO THIRSTY but not hungry afterwards.

    I'm very glad the hospital relaxed its visitor policy shortly before my surgery. This meant my husband was allowed into the pre-op room. He wasn't allowed to stay in the waiting room during the operation, so he went to his office for a couple of hours until the surgeon called him to let him know I was in recovery. He then came to my room for the remainder of visiting hours.

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited October 2021

    i want to add one more comment on general anesthesia. I had a non-bc related surgery back in April that was day surgery but did involve general anesthesia. No one was slowed to enter the surgery center with me so my daughters dropped me off. They prepped me for surgery, accessed my port and almost as soon as the anesthesiologist explained what she would be doing, I have no memory until I had been dressed and was being readied for discharge! Then as I was being wheeled out, I was asked what color my daughter’s car was and I panicked! You see, it had been dark when they dropped me off and older dd was driving her partner’s car. I had no idea what color it was and I convinced myself that unless I could correctly identify the color, they wouldn’t discharge me. Completely absurd, of course, but anesthesia always messes with me a bit but not in a bad way. It’s very clear that having someone help you out for the first 24 hours at home is important. I also think that part of the anesthesia cocktail acts as an amnesiac so there’s a lot you may not remember.

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