continued Tissue expander pain!!

I wanted to get caught up with all the great posts and got about half way through when I realized what time it is so I am going to post fast and get caught up tomorrow!  But I wanted to share with everyone I got a promotion today!  I am now a supervisor of sorts and also now train the new hires!  I am so excited..!

Also....someone (forgive me I don't  have time to scroll back up to make sure who it was....) was asking about having ovaries removed.    The only reason you would need to do that is if you do have the BRC gene because the breast cancer gene and the ovarian cancer gene are basically one in the same...and ovarian cancer doesn't show up anything on your pap...soooooo.....I had the test done last month and am waiting on the results.  My insurance did indeed foot the bill because I have a family history since I lost my mom to BC about 8 yrs ago.  So check into it!!!!!!!!!!!  Be safe. If I remember right, we are the same age, I just turned 40 right after my diagnosis last summer.  My girls are 3 and 5 and I am doing every damn thing I can to be here for them!  I can't imagine leaving them with their father!  OMG you all know how I feel about HIM.

So....if that is what I need to do ...I sure as hell won't like it but it is sure better than the alternative.  I am not one to sit and play the waiting game. Just like with my mastectomies.  My surgeon suggested I just have a lumpectomy, and I only had it in one breast...I said, without hesitation, NOPE take them both off immediately.  His jaw hit the ground!  I did not want to be watched constantly and my thought was why in the hell take the chance? What if they don't catch it as soon if it comes back?  Afterall, mine did not show up on my mamogram and there was no lump! 

okay...I said I was going to be quick but continue to ramble.....back tomorrow!  Hugs!  Gentle ones at that or we would all sound like banging coconuts together!  hahah!

Sharon-

It always amazes me that (some) parents cant see what is happening right infront of their eyes.  I have named this tragic "mind fart" the "Oh no, not MY child" disease"....and alot of americanos have it.  Its the sister disease to " lack of personal responcability".

The cure is very simple, yet hard to "get".  I think you are doing the right thing.  I would tweak it just alittle by, saying less and dumping all the things you find on the ex wives,and your husbands desk (like you have been doing).  Silence can hurt the ears too:<}. 

As for the violent step son....It is your house and you make the rules.  I believe until a child moves out of the home.....he or she has NO privacy.  The trick is NEVER give away this info.  Letting them think they have it, gives us the opertunitly to always find it, sit on it, then, when we put alot of thought into our action...collectivly (as a team) do something about it.  UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL!!!!!!! 

Good parents will always have kids hate them between the ages of 13-17.  We are not on this planet to befriend our children.  Many devorcies are always trying to make happy happy joy joy with their kids out of guilt from ripping the family apart.  I always tell my 10 year old daughter and my 8yr old son....."you guys are so lucky to have soooo many friends....I am better then a friend, I am YOUR MOMMY".

Good luck I will never be the parent to say "not my kid".

J

Jean.. Squid ink in your pasta!  You are a true Venetian!

Sharon,

Just sending you big hugs your way. No one should go thru that kind of abuse . This kid does not realize now how lucky he is to have some one like your self to care for them. So should the husband. They need guidance and believe me you might not think that you are getting thru to them but somewhere I think when they light the next joint up hopefully he will think about the incident and think twice. I know its far feteched to think this way. We cant give up on our children. I have one daughter who I can scare the pants off . She was really pretty good that would be my oldest. My youngerst  daughter fears no one or nothing. Everyday she walks out that door I pray to G-D she returns. Dont get me wrong she is a great kid but loves to have fun she is 20. Likes to drink but I really dont think that she does any drugs. I can be nieve. But I too check her room. She used to smoke pot when she was 17 but it didnt agree with her (how Lucky for me). You just hold on tight to your convictions and I am very proud of you. I just hope that the husband supports you. Today should be a day for you to just rest try to find a mindless book to delve into and forget for a moment about yesterday. Hey by the way don't feel guilty for one moment about returning back to work. I have not returned since  my lumpectomy in sept. I am so looking forward to going back hopefully within the next week or too. 

Please take time for youself !!!

Denise

Sharon67, could the Critical Value Read Back possibly mean there was more on the back of the printout but you didn't get it because they only printed the first side?  Aren't critical values when something reads a little high or a little low - like glucose reading a little high from too much sugar or electrolytes being a little low from being dehydrated?  Hopefully, this cvrb thing is nothing to be real concerned about.   Hope things get better for you soon ~ 

Well then Jean, you're just gonna have to post the recipe!  ps - how do you get the ink out of the squid? 

I forgot to say that I have a name for these new little bumps--I am calling them my booblets! 

Hannah

Try Ciao Italia or foodnetworks's websites. Lots of great recipes. The pasta is black, give it a try. (I make my own sauce, generally, but Barelli is great.

You haven't started your expanders yet? I am not sure I woudl go thru this again, had I been told how painful and time consuming it would be. Gee, by the time this is over - it will have been a YEAR and seven (7) surgeries. As, I was not informed until AFTER my mast/reconst that all the cacner had been removed at the time of my lumpectomy, I would have only needed the first surgery and not have had my beasts removed. I worry everyday about this expanding and it effect on my pacemaker. (and it's effect on my heart.)



LInda: My chest felt terrible until I had my first fill, then for some reason it felt better. The same after the second fill. However this last fill started hurting the next day and has continued until today. Tomorrow I have another fill. I started with 200cc, and the additional fills were 60cc, however I am not sure what the third one was, as I think they used almost all of the saline in the bag. Maybe 100? His nurse said he normally only fills 60 but on ocassion will go 100. Good luck with yours. I hope you have no major issues.

Denise ~ Yeah, that's what I do LOL....I go to a drive-thru (I cycle through about gosh, it must be like 15 if you include the donut place which now has a drive-thru too!!!) pick up the food, bring it back to the hungry masses, then plop down in front of the Food Network channel to watch food being made while I eat!!  How crazy is that?  It's the way to achieve the full sensory experience of eating!!!  And, the amazing totally mind-boggling thing is by watching food being cooked and eating at the same time --- I don't eat as much!  It's like a new diet - hey, you and me - we should patent this as a diet, get some celeb's to try it out and we get to become rich Cha-cha's!!  With new Tatta's!!  Go figure!

Chow bebe! 

Hey there girlie girls!!!

Hanna you do crack me up!! I like the diversion myself. Food is my passion. Haven't had much of an appetite since the exchange. I had a minor set back  ,but this morning ps took care of that. Remember I told u guys that the right was larger than the left. Well it turns that that I had a hemotoma (pardon me if I spelled that wrong). Today he drained it while I was awake turns out not to be such a big deal.Came home and I am resting.

Funny thing I was thinking about Margaret also and where is that girlie girl Teri been?

Well girls have to go and rest up now .

Have a great day!!!

Denise

Hanna, I sent you a PM, check it out.



Has anyone developed pain on their RIBS?

I am having another fill today, but experiencing a lot of pain on one side. The bottom of the expanders feels like its pushing into one of my ribs. I would love to reach in there and lift it up if only for a minute or two. I haven't taken any pain meds since I started these fills, as they actually seemed to feel better after the fills than before. However since my fill, I have been in so much pain I am unable to find a comfortable way to sleep. I was given a number of pain meds for my surgery and all of them upset my stomach, and really did little to nothing for the pain. The pain has been so bad I've been taking compazine for nausea!

Hi Ladies,

I'm still lurking around but not posting as much right now (school's kicking my butt!). The person I hired to teach my night class was a no show so I've been trying to move students around to other classes and stuff. I hate the beginning of the semester because there's so much stuff to do in getting things done for my online classes for sure. My office is being moved but not until I can get computer access and a desk (got a locking file cabinet delivered Wednesday so I don't have to carry all my stuff home the days I go on campus-yea!!!). It's currently on the 3r floor of the building (an of course no elevator since Hurricane Katrina) so I'm not liking the schlepping of my stuff all the time up and down 3 flights of stairs! And, I'm up for my first teaching promotion (from Instructor to Assistant Professor) and have to get my promotion packet together for review by the higher ups. Of course, lost all of my promo backup material in Katrina so now have to find everything I can to recreate the documents if possible (it sucks...I don't remember everything I've done school related for the past 4 years). The final decisions aren't made until May so I get to be on pins-and-needles for a bit longer. The process kinda reminds me of getting a colonoscopy: lots of prep work, looking around for stuff, then done in 30 minutes!

Hanna and Denise-Yes I am always lurking around and gathering info on things because I'm a nosy sociologist!  I could never leave this board! I share some stuff with my students (especially the humor)because I want them to see that even in your darkest most painful times, having a sense of humor about stuff really helps!

Jean-The rib pain is the worst! My expanders found a home on the first 2 ribs and it was absolutely miserable. That particular pain should be reserved for your worst enemy but it does go away as soon as you have the exchange. Of course, there may be new pains with that but it's a different type of pain. I took flexeril for the muscle spasms/rib pain throughout the expansion; 5 mg. during the day when I didn't have to drive or do much else and 10mg. at night so I could sleep. It takes the edge off for sure. I hope everything else is going okay for you. Squid-ink pasta, hmmmmm? I think I'd have a hard time getting past the name!

On Children-It sucks they don't come with instructions or the ability to return them (I love the return policy with HSN; one month)! Children give you your greatest joy and your greatest sorrow. We've been through hell with our youngest son and sometimes I didn't think we'd make it through the other side (or that he'd live long enough to become an adult because I wanted to kill him!). He started acting out at 12 by shoplifting, did a stint in juvenile detention, straigthened up for about 5 years, started taking/selling drugs, went to prison, the whole 9 yards. He's now clean and sober for the past 5 years, been out of prison 1 1/2 years, and in college studying to be a social worker (his drug dealing caught up with him 2 years after he stopped selling/using). He wants to work in the prison and impart what he's been through to others to give them hope that things can and do change (with lots of work). The good thing is that everything passes with time but while you're going through it, it's practically unbearable. Venting helps for sure; I kept a journal for years and wrote out everything I wanted to say but didn't (I try not to ever say anything I'd regret; you can't take words back no matter how hard you try). 

Got to get started answering student mail; I had about 100 e-mails yesterday from students and was tied to my computer so long I thought I'd develop DVT from not moving out of my chair! Yall have a great pain-free day!

Margaret

Margaret & ehk



Thanks for the info on pain meds. Last night was the first time I have taken pain meds since my bilateral mast/recon. I took Tylenol w/Codeine. It wasn't strong enough, so I guess I'll try the Valium. IF that doesn't work I still have some Oxicoden (sp). I was given all of these for pain after surgery, plus something else but I forgot what it is. They all upset my stomach and/or did not relieve the pain. That rib pain is unbelievable. It feels like something is stuck in between my ribs.



My PS has given me 4 weeks before my last fill, which will be only 12 days before my exchange. He also looked at my elbow and said he will repair it for me, so no need for the extra surgeon. My PS is performs hand/arm PS as well as breast reconstruction and is well known in both fields. (I cannot believe it but he performs these surgeries every day....not even a day off for golf!)

.

Linda:



How many fills have you had? Have they been around 60cc? I started with 200 and then had 2 fills of 60cc. I forgot to ask the nurse if they over filled them last time as that was the first time they really hurt and the pain never stopped. In fact, when I saw my PS on Thursday, he asked me if I wanted to wait another week for my fill.

Maybe the additional weight is causing the pain on the ribs or the rib lifters (serratus muscles) as you said. I never thought of it before but, you're right, it does feel a lot like being engorged when breast feeding. Unfortunately, we cannot just wake the baby, and nurse for a while to take the edge off. I definately need something tonight for the pain, before I attempt to lay down. I may also try the massage. I have never looked forward to a surgery as much as the exchange. Five and 1/2 weeks and counting.