Exchange City
Comments
-
Elizabethaw, thanks, that sounds hopeful. I have slept in a recliner pretty much every night since July 14, up until this past week and have been able to make it most nights in the bed. I'm hoping the exchange and possible lift go smooth and I can finally move on from this ordeal.
0 -
A couple of you are my facebook friends. Feel free to friend me. Search Julie Cochoit Chambers. I'm the only one :-)
Sailon (Linda) you'll do great. The exchange was so much easier but I agree with the others that you'll be very tired.
0 -
Julie, sent you a friend request!
Here's a link to my FB page, if you'd like a friend request.
0 -
Well its just over 4 weeks since my exchange and I went back to work this past Thursday. I am a USPS City carrier and walk a route. These first few days have been rough and Im a bit sore. Majority is from the amount of walking since I have done very little of anything so I would heal. The routes I do probably average about 7 miles each. Im also a bit sore on my right side, Im right handed and quite physical. The worst part I think is pushing the carts out to load the truck weighing in at 100's of pounds of mail. Just need to get thru today and I have the next 2 days off0 -
three weeks post exchange and prepping for a bunch of preteen girls coming over for a birthday sleepover. Heaven help me. Anyone thinking I'm going to be sore?
0 -
Catey, I hope your body doesn't complain too much and you get back up to speed soon. As a former fitness instructor, I know how fast we decondition. Fortunately you can ramp back up fairly quickly unless your muscle memory has deserted you. Even though I've gained 35 lbs in the last 1.5 year of sitting in my recliner recovering (and self-soothing via cookies), on our Alaska cruise three weeks ago I did three long rainforest hikes, paddled a canoe at least three miles, climbed all over a slippery glacier, and had to practically run for a mile to get back to our ship when an excursion ran long. Somehow I survived but boy did I pay for it. I was nearly catatonic with fatigue for a full week after we got home. In retrospect, I should have started slow and allowed my body to adapt a little more each day instead of jumping in with both feet. (literally) You haven't had that opportunity either so I'd expect lots of fatigue and muscle soreness since it's only been four weeks since your surgery.
0 -
I start back on Tamoxifen Monday. My follow up appointment went well. I return in 6 weeks and schedule fat grafting. I feel so normal off of Tamoxifen but I know it is necessary. I don't feel as bloated and yucky. I hope that the hot flashes are not as fierce as when I first started the taking it. It made a HUGE difference in my healing when I quit taking it. I am glad to know this for my fat drafting. My Facebook is Alexa John.
0 -
Happy Birthday JulieCC!
0 -
Happy Birthday, Julie! Hope you're enjoying that walk on the beach!
Goldie, thanks for the friend invitation. It's nice to see others enjoying life outside of cancer.
Does anyone feel like they get short of breath easily? I seem to get winded so fast now. Is that an after effect from surgery/anesthesia? I had a chest X-ray and everything looked good. I wish I had remember to ask the doctor about it, but my short term memory is shot. Funny how I can remember the song from a commercial 40 years old, but I can't remember why I came into the room.
Last night we had a big storm come through, complete with thunder, lightening, and pouring rain. It looks like fall is here! I love the fall, with the jeans, sweaters and boots it brings, but.......I can't fit in my pants now. I can button them if I do the "too tight jeans" dance, but I'm afraid the button will come flying off, and take out someone's eye. And the muffin topping is extraordinary. Too bad insurance doesn't cover after cancer exercise classes so we can lose any weight we've gained!
0 -
I feel that my nerves are regenerating and that pain comes and goes. I have had to work on my weight also. I have been walking. I hope we get a break from the heat. I hate my muffin top. EEK. I asked my PS if that is where he will take the fat from when he grafts- he laughed and said he has a few options! HAHA. I have lost 20 pounds but I still have more. My metabolism has changed and now I love carbs!
0 -
Also- I posted my pics in the forum. It took a while for me to figure it out-
0 -
Thanks for the birthday wishes. It's a good day. Goldie, I saw your pictures and you look amazing!!!
0 -
Thank you.
0 -
Goldie, just saw your photos. You have a beautiful outcome! My exchange is on Friday and am a bit nervous but also looking forward to getting rid of the TEs. I miss sleeping on my stomach!
0 -
thank you. good Luck Friday. The implants are so much more comfortable. Don't look in the mirror too much at first. I don't look took close. I have to wear a sports bra still. I don't like it but I want a good result.
0 -
I do miss being braless with my TEs. That is the only thing I miss.
0 -
good afternoon everyone,,,,, I just wanted to give you something you might want to check out ,,, I was told that my local YMCA does a 12 weeks exercise FREE program for all Cancer patients, it is called Live Strong,,, I called and checked mine and yes they do,,, the next program starts in January, I am sure with my extra 15lbs now and the extra holiday lbs I will need it by then,,, it is a small group of 6 women and you go at your own pace and limitations,,,m, check it out in your area,,,,, healing hugz to all,,,,,J
0 -
Andrea, on being short of breath do you know if you are anemic? Anemia can cause that. I became anemic after BMX and had some shortness of breath, which was made worse by chemo.
Kendra
0 -
Post anesthesia can cause the shortness of breath as well. Takes about a week to kick that out. It's such a wierd thing but does go away. Hopefully that's all it is.
0 -
Angelia, It made me sad to see you thought you made a huge mistake. It will be worth it in the end! This TE thing has been the worst. Some days I just want out of my own skin. But I know when its all done and over, I will look in the mirror and feel almost like myself again. You will too. Then before we know it we can hold our beautiful grand babies! Its been horrible at night. I hate sleeping on my back and I wake up sore every morning. My exchange is Oct. 28th. I'm sorry you have to wait until December. I'm not looking forward to starting over with the restrictions again, but I know it's only temporary.
Take care,
Karmenn
0 -
Kendra and kamm, I don't know if I'm anemic, never have been before, and my surgery was 3 weeks ago, so you'd think the anesthesia would be well out of my system by now. I see my PS again on the 8th, so if I'm still experiencing being short of breath, I'll ask him about it then. Thanks for your replies!
I am still not symmetrical, and you can tell when I'm clothed too. My rads side is tight and a lot smaller. This was my third attempt at an implant on that side and I am getting discouraged.
0 -
Andrea - I heard the rule of thumb is one week to recover for each hour under anesthesia. Hope it resolves soon.
0 -
Smilinkar, I know, I look forward to an end to this all too and I had just now kind of been able to sleep, with the help of Melatonin. I guess its the whole lift that has me worried.My mind wants to say no, don't do it but then if I look back and wish I had, it will be too late. Right now, my natural side and TE side are about the same size but the TE side is higher so thats not something you can hide very well. When one was smaller, could pad it but one higher and one lower, not much I can do with that. At least when its cooler, it will make sense to wear sweaters and jackets. I had on a jacket Friday and it was 82 degrees.
0 -
Thanks, MinusTwo. I guess I still have two weeks to go!
0 -
Angelia, I'm sure the lift will go just fine. Have you tried putting that into the search feature on this site? I'm sure there's a lot of posts on that.
Don't feel bad about your shape. One of my TEs is higher than the other one and it looks ridiculous in tighter tops. But I don't care. They are bigger and higher than the old ones so I walk around pretty proud of myself. Haha
0 -
Hi ladies. I had my exchange surgery six days ago and I feel amazing. I had some pocket work along with some liposuction done but I feel amazing. Almost back to normal. Walking 3 miles a day and back to work.
I know my experience isn't the norm and it isn't this easy for everyone but I just wanted to share my experience because many of you don't get to see the positive stories.
I know I am early in the recovery process and there could still be complications but I hope not.
My implants feel amazing and I'm so glad to tissue expanders are gone!
0 -
Smilinkar, I understand totally. Actually today, I put on a regular bra instead of the soft one I had been wearing, and that allowed me to pull the natural side up more and they are almost even. I normally have been trying to wear shirts with large patterns and if people didn't know, I doubt they would look close enough to tell but in a solid, its pretty plain. One thing for sure, even a tight, underwire bra isnt' making this TE side go anywhere.
0 -
Angelia, yeah these things do not move. Did you ever get that sand papery/sunburnt feeling with them? Right now that's the main thing that's driving me nuts. I've tried rubbing lotion on them like my PS said but it's still there.
Turtle42, happy to hear you feel so good! How do your pec muscles feel? Mine are so tight it seems impossible they will ever feel normal again.
0 -
turtle42. Thank you for that good report. I hope I will follow in your footsteps. I am hopeful because I see lots of postings where women had to have pain meds for weeks after their mastectomy and I didn't have that much of an issue with that. Only took pain meds a few days. Now I did take muscle relaxers longer and sleeping and things like that were an issue but actual pain from the surgery wasn't bad at all. I was surprised at just how long it too to not be sore. I had always prided myself in getting well from any surgery, ie knee surgery and things of that nature, quickly but this time, I was sore a lot longer than I anticipated, guess thats why I"m thinking this other surgery may be the same. I had like 5 biopsies prior to my surgery and had no issues with those at all so I'm hoping this exchange is closer to a biopsy than the mastectomy. Well, I know more in depth but quicker to heal. I keep hearing about pocket work and i don't understand all of that. Can anybody let me know what that involves.
0 -
I've had that sandpaper/burning feeling after most of my surgeries. My PS said it was nerve pain, and put me on neurontin for it.
0
