Topic: February Surgery

Thanks Shiny, I LOVE to hear happy recon stories!  I bet you will be so happy to get your nipples all finished -- wow -- what a long and drawn-out process all this is!  Congrats on being on the "other side"

Hi, Jill ~  I'll help you bump this by stopping to tell you that I had a Diep flap in May, and am thrilled with the results.  Where are you having your surgery?  (Mine was UCLA).  Take care, and best of luck with your surgery ~  Deanna

I'm scheduled for my bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction (implants) on February 23rd - only 55 days away and I'm starting to freak out just a bit!

Amanda, Jill ~   Like you, I was totally freaked out about surgery.  But one of my SIL's gave me a wonderful guided imagery CD that she had used prior to a surgery, and it helped me so much.  In fact, I was so impressed with the way it eased my fears, I later purchased the one the same company has for chemo (actually downloaded that one right to my MP3 player), and it was also a huge help in getting me get over my fear of chemo.  Here's the website, if you feel like checking it out.  They have little snippets you can listen to:

http://www.healthjourneys.com/

The two I got were the ones by BelleRuth Naparstek.  Funny name, but her voice and images are incredibly calming.    Deanna 

Scheduled for a swap - expanders for implants on Feb. 4th.  Yeah!  Looking forward to the exchange.  Hope all the surgeries go well for those posting. 

Scheduled for Bi-Lat Feb 24th with immediate expander placement and scared to death of the unknown. Have to be at the hospital at 8:30 surgery at 10:30

I think in ways I push it aside but somehow it always creeps back in my thoughts like what kind of questions I should ask and such, since I eveidently am an idiot or at least feel like one because I didn't ask questions before Chemo about the different types and side effects and what not and still have no clue what my score is really the only thing I know is I am er/pr + her2 - it is IDC Grade 2 stage 2 no numbers for reoccurence chances which I wish I knew did 4 DD A/C's scheduled to do 12 taxol 4 to go and my tumor was 2.3 cm with axilla node (1 supposedly involved) and that they want me to take Tamoxifen for 5 years after (which I am questioning after reading some of the post) And I feel like a world class idiot and the bad part is generally speaking I am usually pretty smart and the family caretaker and go to person so Why did I drop the ball this time??  IDIOTOTIC of ME huh???  They threw things at me so fast and I don't feel like I ever received enough time to process most of it, not making excuses.  Is it to late to go back and ask all the pertinent questions now plus the ones I have that concern my surgery or should I just focus on the surgery questions??  And what should I ask??  I have a little anxiety but, think its more to do with what to ask I am not taking any meds and maybe I should, I just don't know. and Jilliucat I envy u I wish I was getting a tummy tuck out of the deal but, they said NO!!!! because of prior back surgery.

Janet,

     I totally agree with you on everything.  I too feel they should give us our options and then when we make our choice RESPECT it and if they don't agree explain as to why and discuss stats with us and such but, ultimately let us make the decision.  After speaking personally with the pathologist about my cancer and choices I decided to have a bi-lat mas and he told me that I was probably one of the smartest woman my age (43 at the time) he had met, that made me feel really good.  My onco however makes me question myself not that he isn't sweet and good but, in the beginning he said 4 A/C then 10 Taxol then he decided 12 Taxol and acted as if he never said 10 trust me Chemo brain and all I remember what he said and so did my husband.  I have 4 more to go and really only want to do 2 more and have decided to talk to him in regards to this mattter tomorrow after my 9th Chemo. I don't want to do Tamoxifen myself and since I am having a Bi-Lat don't really understand why I should except from what I have read here about being ER/PR+ I guess its standard and I will probably at least try it however if I develope serious or nauseating side effects I will not continue to take it although I am curious to see what he has to say about it and my score if he can not answer those questions or explain to me why it will benefit me to take it I may not take it to begin with.  Janet since yours what caught early I take it you did not have to do Chemo is this correct?  Also with it being in the nodes I was told that made for a stage 2 or did I misunderstand, however I have IDC not DCIS so that could be the difference. Thank you for the reply and making me feel I am not as stupid as I felt and I say Make YOUR decision and as long as it is something you can live with than that is all that matters.

Hugs,

Deb

Hi Deb. I did not have to have cemo and opted for lft mast. instead of lumpectomy and radiation. My cancer is stage 0, grade 3. The cancer was confined to the milk ducts and had not spread but the cancer cells were a aggresive type (just did not have the chance to become invasive) None of my nodes were involved. Hope your feeling o.k. through this cemo!...I was amazed at how many doctors are involved that you have to see. All the different appointments were mind boggeling!!!

and each doctor had different decisions that they want you to make...so for all of us that feel..WHAT DO I DO??!!!...we need to pat ourselfs on the back that we can even face the calander and appointments and decisions.....(i sure wish I could e-mail my doctors! that would be wonderful!) I have to go in thurs. just so I can sit dwon with my dc. and discuss the issue of having a MRI. She just wants me to have a mammo. If Im a high enough risk to have to take tamoxifin you would think a MRI would not be so far out there. O. K. I think I climed back up on my soap box again... Janet

Hi Ladies!

I am scheduled for a unilateral mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction on February 2nd at Georgetown Univ. Hospital.

How I got where I am today... I had a lumpectomy in 2001 followed by chemo and radiation. I took Tamoxifen for 4 1/2 years and then my oncologist switched me to Femara. Even though I'm having a mastectomy, I have to continue taking Femara.

Four years ago I saw three ps and got three different opinions about reconstruction. I was confused so I didn't do anything. Last Spring I decided to look into reconstruction again and this time I did a lot of research on the options and decided after seeing four more ps to have a DIEP at Johns Hopkins on July 15th. I had to cancel this surgery the day before because my insurance coverage would have left me with a large bill. 

I then rescheduled a DIEP for December 1st at Georgetown. The night before the surgery my brother-in-law died very suddenly and I had to cancel for the 2nd time.

I'm hoping the 3rd time will be the charm! I'm looking forward to sharing this next adventure with all of you.

Oh, and I don't consider myself a "survivor." I worked full time during my treatment and felt like I was in the fight of my life for my life. I am a bc conqueror!

Andrea

I have Southern Health and JH was out of network and they wouldn't approve it because even though they didn't know what a DIEP was, they "just knew" someone in network could do the surgery. I filed an appeal but found out the day before surgery that I had been denied.

I went to 2 ps in VA who are in network and do the procedure, but neither one was as experienced. One told me that at 5'4" and 153 lbs. I was obese and that was why he didn't recommend the DIEP for me.

I kept calling and found out Georgetown Univ. was in network and then they agreed to cover the doctors, surgery, etc at in network benefits. My surgeon trained with Dr. Flores at JH and he is board certified with an excellent reputation. I feel very confident with him.

I should have said in my previous post that I actually had a partial mast, nipple, etc., not a lumpectomy.

Our surgeries will be the same so it will be great to share the recovery period with you!

Welcome Mich - Good luck to you too! Where do you live in NJ?  I grew up near Blairstown, do you know of it?

Hi Nino, welcome to the February crew!  Where are you having the surgery?  Those are great questions and I'll be curious what people respond with.  I haven't heard of keeping the areola before, but I'm pretty new to all this.  But I would think that having the nipple removed and reconstructed trying to leave the areola intact would be bound to distort the areola anyway.  Again, I am not knowledgeable about that and could be completely wrong.  The tattoos I've seen pics of look really realistic, so I don't mind the thought of that.  I opted for a DIEP reconstruction because I wanted the tummy tuck that goes with it, but I think I'd go for the lat flap over implants myself because having a natural flesh foob is more appealing to me.  But if I weren't having immediate reconstruction I might think otherwise as well, as two separate major surgeries was appalling to contemplate. Good luck with your decisions and with your surgery!

Jill