Exchange City
Comments
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Absolutely Jean.....I'll pray for her. Have her come visit us here for some additional support.
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Jean
I am so sorry to hear that your friend is facing unemployment with surgery facing her. Does she have family that can help her? I will pray for her.
Nedeza, I took only a week off after my exchange. I work in a hair salon and move my arms.
Laura, I can understand you having a meltdown. You have been through so much. Hope your eyes are feeling better and that you felt relief after your melting.....
Deborah, I hope you are healing fine and that things will be perfect for you this time. You help so many sisters and you deserve to have a great outcome. I can relate to the loud TV...not just football games at our house. It is every night. I can stand the loudness. We cannot watch TV together anymore. I have threaten to get DH some of those TV ears so he can adjust the volume just for him.....LOL
Kew, how is the shoulder? Better I hope....
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Linda: I wonder what it is about noise? I am so sensitive to noise....is it menopause?
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I don't think it has anything to do with menopause. Maybe our ears get more sensitive as we "age".....DH has some hearing loss and don't want to admit it. He has gone to bed so the big TV is mine....yeah!!!
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Bonnie: You are right...no one looked at me in the library. Seven books selected and no eye contact was made by anyone. With reference to your question about capsular contracture: Pain can commence as you move up the Baker scale in the grade of contracture. You will need to discuss options with your PS - massage, prescription meds, a trial of this and then surgical release if there is no resolution.0
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Jean--Of course prayers and love, thank you for letting us know, and I agree with Deborah, if she is willing have her come to EC.
Bonnie--Love the picture!!!!!! I hope someone can answer your question. I didn't have rads, so I don't know anything. I can do coffee next weekend if it works for you.
Nedeza--As I mentioned, I took 6 weeks off after the exchange because I had a total abdominal hysterectomy, my ovaries out, and an appendectomy at the same time as they exchange. This was not done with a laproscope, although I hear that has several weeks recovery, itself. Externally I have a four inch scar, internally I had an incision from hip bone to hip bone, it was for me, by far more painful than my MX, probably because I had Q-pumps with the MX. It was a couple of weeks before I could drive my clutch--the car again, it was hard to lift my legs to depress the clutch or brakes, and I pretty much felt like I had burning knives in my stomach. I was very black and blue between my navel and incision. The exchange was easy, I was moving my arms and normal from the boobs up the day after the exchange, but still took it easy on what I did with my arms for about a week. I probably would have been normal the day of, but I had IV's and stuff because of the hyster. I stayed in the hospital 2 nights. They told me I couldn't leave until I um...well, my bowels were working, I lied and told them they were, but the dilaudid had me really constipated for about 6 days and I couldn't push because of the stomach surgery. It took a couple of weeks for all that to function normally.
Deborah--Pjs or not I know you still radiate. I would have to flee a die hard ND fan, too, but hey, he had lentil soup for you when you go home.
Hope this helps,
Karen
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Linda54 ~ Thanks! I use my right hand/arm for work (hygienist) & my MX is on my right side...WWONDERFULLL!!! I hope a week will do! I don't have benefits (sick leave/vacation time) since I am part time so I do not like staying off work for long. I do get state disability which helps.
Anyway....many hugs!!!!
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Hi Linda--The shoulder feels great because I'm taking vicodin every 4 hours at least for the weekend. I can't drive or work like this, but a couple of days free of pain is worth it. Wednesday, PT.
Umm, I'm more sensitive to sound, maybe it is compensating for the loss of sensation in my nipples--kidding, you know they say when one sense is lost another becomes stronger...anyway, things do sound louder to me. I have no idea why.
Hugs,
KarenW
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Kew ~ Thanks for your input. I know what you mean about the being constipated. I landed back in the hospital a week after my hysterectomy and spent another 5 days there due to Ubstructed Bowel syndrome. Not pleasant....had to have my stomach pumped in emergency!! Although this process (MX) was involved, I would have to say having the abdominal surgery was not easy!!! Oh, had 2 C-sec's on top of that. My goodness....what we, women, have to go through!
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On the topic of bowel issues: I have discovered Smooth Move tea. You have to try it! It works like a charm!
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Jean, my prayers go out for your friend. What a rotten thing to happen at such a time. Please let her know our hearts are with her.
Had a great time with my BC buddy from CA today! The weather was perfect and the atmosphere just beautiful! Funny, we both think we may have gone too big! I still haven't decided yet.
dani, if I have to have any more surgeries, I'm trying that stuff for sure!
Deborah and Linda, my DH has hearing loss(years of driving tractor), and I sometimes complain that I can hear his TV louder than mine across the house! Ugh!:)
Deen
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Jean, Prayers for your friend, How cruel for all of this to happen at once. I am at a loss of words for this situation.
- Deborah, You crack me up! It sounds like you are feeling better and I am glad that you were able to get out to the library.
- Coolbreeze, glad to know that you are doing a little better.
- KEW, Thanks for posting the healthcare rights informtion on this site.
I have to tell you a funny story about my annual female check up. My Dr. is great, I worked with her for years before I started seeing her professionally. I wanted to be out of the healthcare business before seeing her for female exams. I knew that she had BC 8 years ago, had lumpectomy and radiation. What she didn't tell me when I saw her last year was she was dx'd with BC recurrence around the original lumpectomy in 8-08. She ended up with a mx and trans flap surgery and had just come back to work when she had to tell me I had BC. Bounce forward a year,2009, This is the first time I had seen her since I was diagnosed. I do my girlie check-up, we get to talking, We have a lot in common with the BC deal. The hour long appointment ends up with her showing me her reconstruction and tattoo and the cartilage in her fipple. "Yes I felt up my Dr. and she felt me up!!! In the most clinical sense of course. She really is an amazing physician. I just thought this was too cool that she was willing to reach out to let me know what was ahead for me. The bad thing was that she called me today (Sat) at home and said we got busy yakking that she forgot to talk about the colonoscopy that I need at my age. Sheesh, I thought I had gotten out of it for a another year (haven't had one yet!) How many of your Doctors will call you at home to discuss your colon needs? I just wanted to share what a cool Dr. I have. She stated her DH has been so supportive, but she is sure glad that that she is through, and prays she doesn't get it in her other breast. Jan
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Hi Ladies,
I'm new here. I'll have a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on 11/16 after two unsuccessful lumpectomies. Now I'm thinking what kind of implant I should use. I worry about the leakage of implant, especially the silicone ones. Could you please give me some suggestions?
Many thanks!
Liz
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Dani: I'll try the smooth tea. Nothing else seems to be working. Do you just get it at the regular grocery store?
Jean: Special prayers for your friend. I truly believe in the power of prayer.
Deborah: What is the recuperation period for your last procedure?
I'm feeling crappy today. Maybe I should not have stood in line at Walmarts for 2 hours to buy my grand-daughter a Zhu Zhu Pet.
Love and prayers,
Jane
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Yes the smooth move is a blessing, I tried Miralax and Mylanta yesterday for bloat. It helped some for sure. I was unsure if I could use the smooth move with the chemo. But I will ! My energy leve is really low but I am hoping it will pass in a day or so. I haven't been sleeping so good.
Hugs and friendship girls ~
Alicia
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Alicia, I remember after the FEC chemo, I would not be able to go for at least 3 days, then back to normal. Wish I would have tried that tea! Good luck!
Don, take it easy!:)
Deen
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NIP SURGERY COMPLETED ON FRIDAY!!! Thanks for all the post about after nip surgery ladies. It helps. It wasn't as bad as I had thought. My PS was really surprised at how much feeling I had, he had to do several injections. That was the hard part. I will post some pictures on Timtams site after I get the bandages off on Thursday. What do the nipple guards look like, do you where them under a bra? He said I have to be careful for six weeks,
typhoo55: I had some of the same feelings before too and I almost backed out. The day before the doc's nurse called and she said she could tell I was a little nervous and she told me everything and she really reassured me that it was easy and it really was. My PS said the tatto artist likes to have nips when she does the tatto's It gives her a reference and they look better. But their are some great pic's on the pic site of ladies that just had the tattoo's done. I'm glad it is over. I did it mainly for my hubby. He keeps asking me "So when will those puppies be mine again" Ha!!
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Best wishes to Candi (Baxter). You have her down for surgery 11/19, but I'm pretty sure she goes in tomorrow. Deborah, you've been talking to her by phone. Is it tomorrow?
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Deborah?whippetmom - The ps I went to for the second opinion says my results are satisfactory - "A solid B" job and yes, he could probably do better but I have to weigh that with the risks of additional surgery. He recommends that I go back to my first ps and work with him to correct my divots. He wants to do the fat grafting like you just had done and I am scheduled for Dec 1st. I will ask again about a lift on my good side, but that is where I don't think I can make progress with the first ps, but I will try. He thinks I have a "perfect slope" on that side, while I think it is not perky enough. The 2nd ps understands what I mean & would do a Ryan procedure to suture it back up & placing the nipple back in the correct position.
I am still somewhat tied to the first ps, because like Laura I had what she calls "vanity surgery" but on my upper lids and he is going to tweek them on Dec 3rd....at no cost and hopefully, no bruising!!!!
Take care bc sisters. I may not post often, but I am always on here reading and on Facebook farming! LOL! Hugs, Joyce
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Ladies ~ I wanted to give all of you who are undergoing chemo/rads a tip. As you go through these treatments make sure you are maintaining your dental care. Dry mouth syndrome (xerostoma) is a very common side effect with cancer patients due to tx from chemo/rads. When saliva flow is reduced, there is a higher risk for breakdown in the enamel...thus rampant decay occurs. Without adequate salivary flow, everything sticks to the surfaces. It is important that you use concentrated fluoride products. These types of products are not found in the OTC section. You need to get them from your dentist since they are Rx items. I usually recommend Prevident toothpaste for daily use. Also, there are special fluoride rinses....Gel Kam is one of them. I am sure if you inquire with your dental office they can provide you with what you need. There are also products that help to keep your mouth moisturized. This one is an OTC item. It is callled Biotene. It can be found at Walmart (cheaper).
I really appreciate all those who have given me great advices so I hope I can do the same.
Oh ya....don't forget to floss, floss, floss.....
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I just took my bandages off from my exchange and took a nice long shower. It had been 24 hours. I think my PS did an amazing job on both sides (cancer and non-cancer). They are smaller than I thought but I'm okay with that.
I'll post photos if I can ever figure out how. I did have hubby take some before photos with my TE.
Jane
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Jean - my thoughts are with your friend. What a lousy thing to happen. If her cancer dx was before her being laid-off, or was the cause of it, she should check into labor laws. If it was just one of those things, I don't know what to say that could be helpful - but I will be thinking of her.
Ladies, what is "cording?" People have mentioned it and I don't know what they mean.
I am doing better every day. Except for sleeping, I am gaining more energy and feeling better. I almost think I can drive again. I have a soft bra and have a fake padding now, so I'm not freaking out my kid. Getting back to normal.
I will not lift anything because that was responsible for my setback. My poor old dog has to stay where he is, I can't help him get up.
I was told not to lift my arm over my head but to do other stretching exercises so I'll set up a schedule and begin tomorrow when I figure out what kind. Liz, I intend to get a silicone implant. The risk of leakage is minimal and it's not as dangerous as it was back in the days of the famous lawsuit. However, if that scares you - it can happen - you can try saline. There are also new ones - one is in clinical trial on my area - a combination of saline and silicone. I think it's called the Ideal. Whippetmom is the resident implant expert and she can answer all of your questions. I thought about joining that trial (you get 10k after 10 years) but I like my PS and don't want to switch.
I have a funny story about constipation. I never thought I'd share this but we do lose a bit of our body pride during this process, don't we?
Anyway, after my surgery I was constipated, as many are. I began taking senekot on day four, but it took three days to begin to work. On my son's birthday, in the middle of the night, at about the same time I'd given birth to him, I was in the bathroom, feeling pretty much the same as I had 23 years earlier! I didn't get a baby out of the process but I certainly did get relief! I will not delay on taking the teas or laxitives or whatever when I start chemo after that experience!!
Hope you all are enjoying a lovely Sunday. I see my onc tomorrow and should get the details of my chemo regimen.
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Best wishes to our surgeries tomorrow:
11/09 - Angel10 - bilateral revision with nipple reconstruction
11/9 - Baxter - Uni Mx and bilateral LD flaps
And thanks for your prayers to my friend. I think she will be checking in here soon. I told her that this was a wonderful group of friends!!! Thanks ladies!
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The Ideal implant is only limited to breast augmentation patients for Phase 1 of the clinical trials - no reconstruction patients. Unless there are a good number of reconstructive surgeons with access to ANY implant in clinical trials, it will always be better to steer clear and stick with plastic surgeons who have sufficient experience in the breast-reconstruction-after-cancer-arena. It will be interesting to see how they address this in Phase II.
The majority of us here on EC have silicone implants....there are many discussions on bc.org re: the merits of saline vs. silicone. There was never any doubt for me that I would choose silicone.
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Silicone for me, I love the way they feel!
Candi and Angel---Thoughts and prayers for tomorrow. Post when you can.
Ann-Here is some information about cording. It is often dried lymph channels that have shrunk or dried due to node removal. It can run from your wrist up your arm and from under your breast towards your stomach. It looks like violin strings in your arm pit. It can be painful. PT helps. Not everyone get it. Mine began on my cancer side within days of surgery. http://community.breastcancer.org/topic/91/conversation/702473
Hugs--Karen
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Ann ~ Mondor's cord is the cording you asked about. Someone posted a website on the thread last month. It was helpful to me===a visual of what this looks like. I had one under my MX breast along my ribcage. It was painful/uncomfortable but eventually went away for me.
NAE
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Hello Ladies - I am scheduled for my exchange on Thursday. I think I let my PS put too much saline in on the last fill and have been experiencing lots of discomfort, mostly on the cancer side where they took lymph nodes from. I am not sure if the discomfort is from the overfill or if it is from going back to work full time. My right arm aches constantly and I keep getting pins and needles and electric shocks in my arm and arm pit. Could this discomfort be the beginning of lymphodema? I am not experiencing any swelling but should I start wearing a compression sleeve 'just in case'? could the overfill be causing the discomfort? My skin is about to burst and the bottom of my right breast (bottom fold area) feels tender and brusied like the muscle is tearing. Will I experience relief with my exchange? Its been six weeks and I am just so tired of hurting...
Thank you!
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Whippetmom,
In my local newspaper they had an ad for the Ideal trial and specifically said breat reconstruction. However, in later ads they said augmentation, so I wasn't sure if they had enough candidates for the reconstruction or if it was an error. In any event, it attracted me but only briefly. I've participated in trials before and have no objection to doing it again, but perhaps not with an implant. Since I had a unilateral, I don't want to take any chances on lack of symmetry due to the unknowns of a trial.
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Hi Ladies,
I am Jeans friend who is having a pedicle TRAM on the right side in Dec and has been laid off. Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. Good to know there is a place to turn for comfort and support. Keep your fingers crossed all goes well. I am firegirl 33 if you are looking for me on this site. Thanks again.
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Cool breeze, If I remember right I was in discomfort for about 4 weeks after my surgery. For me it helped to sleep in a recliner until things got better. I do think after getting fills things got better. Almost like the TE wasn't poking me as much.
NAE I would say 3 days to 1 week off after a exchange would be the norm unless you had more stuff done like Karen did. PS happy to hear you had some mojo time ; )
Jean sorry to hear about your friend, things are really tough right now in the work force : (
Liz it would be helpful if you see the u-tube video about implants. That's when I found out silicone implants are no longer runny.
I will see if I can find that video
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