NOLA in September?
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Well I am at the Place D'Armes awaiting my pre-op appts I had a wonderful dinner with Amy and Sara as well as there caregivers last night. It is very hot in NOLA , it is only 86 degrees but feels like 101 according to weatherman. So those upcoming pack for the heat. I am getting more nervous each day. I think because I will be alone the day of the surgery and I know that I will be out of it but I still wish someone was with me. Does that make sense? Hope all of the drain pulling went well for everyone. I could not do that myself. Just because I would probably pass out. Hey Minnesota I tried the Beignets, WOW.
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Tweeti - we are also staying at Homewood after. If you want I could send you an email with my cell phone. My email is energyescapade@optonline.net.
I just started packing ........anyone with advise on items I might not think to pack but should really bring.
I did get some large safety pins for drains as someone suggested.
I hope those post surgery are recovering nicely, Good luck to those going in.
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Tweeti - we are also staying at Homewood after. If you want I could send you an email with my cell phone. My email is energyescapade@optonline.net.
I just started packing ........anyone with advise on items I might not think to pack but should really bring.
I did get some large safety pins for drains as someone suggested.
I hope those post surgery are recovering nicely, Good luck to those going in.
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A long shoe lace or ribbon to hang the drains around your neck when you shower!
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Thanx Sue
Did you need to bring any compression type clothing for flying, I forget what it's called but saw something at pharmacy
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Mama, they will give you everything you need. I even asked for a third dom and bra to make keeping up with washing easier. They will give you compression leggings for flying. Just be sure to stand up once an hour (aisle seat makes this much easier!) and flex your calves every so often.
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Thanks for getting back to me so quickly Sue. Last minute jitters, afraid i am going to forget to ask something or do something.
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Sally, I was alone too. It was difficult seeing everyone else there with family. But, they (staff) WILL take good care of you. There was a pre-op nurse Sally and an OR nurse Robin who were wonderful!
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Ladies, I thought Dr D was going to run out of BLUE marker on me but then saw he had a spare. I am marked all over from my sternum to my knees Front and back.
Minn I didnt see your post until after my pre-op. I will try to remember before I got to sleep with the doc. It is amazing how a doctor can make you feel so at ease. We are very blessed to have such compassionate doctors.
Keep those prayers and healing thoughts coming. I truely appreciate them
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Ladies, I thought Dr D was going to run out of BLUE marker on me but then saw he had a spare. I am marked all over from my sternum to my knees Front and back.
Minn I didnt see your post until after my pre-op. I will try to remember before I got to sleep with the doc. It is amazing how a doctor can make you feel so at ease. We are very blessed to have such compassionate doctors.
Keep those prayers and healing thoughts coming. I truely appreciate them
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Sue, (and all) you are welcome!
I watch sugar like a hawk, but when in NOLA, I also indulge in Beignets! yummo.
Sally, I think I would feel that way too. But I bet once they know you are on your own, they will make a big fuss over you, and hopefully, you won't feel alone after all. How did the appts go??
I am scheduled for a revision end of Oct, same day as Minn and Sandy. I have yet to put my date up there because I just can't believe I am doing this again!!! I have to call and confirm my date for sure (but Jeanine said I was already on the schedule) and then book hotel and flights.ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
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Hey ladies!!! Getting closer and closer to stage 1, excited but scared to death now that it seems more real and I have my flight arranged. Do I just call my local surgeon for the pre-tests? What is an EKG exactly? It says that, a cbc and a couple other things? Hope everyone is doing good and enjoying their summer!!
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I have been trying to get caught up on reading all of the posts as well as going through the postings on the Timtam site, but it has become a bit overwhelming. I am now exactly 5 weeks out from having Stage 1 (September 22) and I have a question. I hope someone can help me out.
What determines if there will be a football shaped scar vs the scar that runs below the nipple area? Is there any way I can know which I will end up with? I had a skin-sparing bilateral mastectomy last September but my scar is horizonal. I have a good size "pocket" left on both sides -- enough to fill a B cup. Has anyone had a horizonal scar going in but ended up with the vertical? Some pictures I see have one type of scar and some have the other but I haven't read anything about how that call is made.
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Just got home from Las Vegas a couple of hours ago and had a lot of reading to do to catch up here! It was 119 degrees there yesterday, but I was thankful for the dry desert air.
Sara, Amy and Sally---you're all in my prayers!
Dragonfly, my family doctor does all of my pre-op tests at her office. The EKG is just a recording of your heart rhythms and checks for abnormalities. They stick some electrodes on your skin and monitor for a minute or two.
Spring, I can't believe I am going back either, and that I'm asking for more drains! I may chicken out on that, but I know that if I do, I'll always regret it. It's just been so long since I've had them. I did pull my own with no issues...I guess I'll miss out on the fun of being in the hospital with you if I back out!
Ann, if you need skin added, you'll have a football shaped patch, or possibly another shape, like an oval.
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I don't have a local family PCP just my onc and breast surgeon, I'm hoping she'll order the tests for me.
The list says UA, CBC, BMP, Chest x ray, and EKG.The first 3 are what, urine test,blood work, and blood pressure? What's the chest x ray for?
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I didn't have to have my doc order the tests. NOLA faxed and order, so I just went to the lab for the blood work and the UA and then our hospital for the chest x-ray and ekg. Easy peasy!
UA=Urine Analysis
CBC=Complete Blood Count
BMP=Basic Metabolic Panel
The Center will give you drain belts and an extra one for showering and all the compression garments you need!
Good luck to everyone coming up!
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Dragonfly - You may be able to take your script to the hospital and have ALL of that done there in their pre-op testing dept. That is what I did here... okay, so then I had to follow up with phone calls because they neglected to send the results to NOLA when they were supposed to! But still, it was one stop shopping! Also, you PM me if you need anything!
AMY- I am so sorry I missed wishing you the best before your surgery today. I was out of town, so missed it! I hope you are resting tonight and that your surgery went off without a hitch. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Sarah and Sally - The absolute best to the two of you this week! Hugs and positive thoughts your way!
Okay, so while I was out of town a lady from the hospital where I have all my pre-op stuff done called me. She is a breast cancer survivor and has had a uni mastectomy without reconstruction. When I talked to her today, she told me she has decided that she wants to go to NOLA for her reconstruction (yes, I just happened to have Dr. S's card in my purse when I went in for my stage 2 pre-op testing) and she just heard from Liz today. She is super excited and I have to say, I am super excited for her! We have the same insurance, so hopefully I paved the way and they won't give her too much crap like they did me! I think she is looking to stay at the Hope Lodge - which I know Katie arranges because i stayed there for stage 1 - but I did not know that Katie would also arrange the Mercy Medical flights. Thank you for that info (I think it was Sally that wrote it?)! Anyway, I am so excited for her that I had to share the news!
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PS - Trishia - I PM'd you back!
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Mamaluch - my email is Liz693@hotmail.com. That would be great. Hope all you that had surgery this week are doing well. Sending healing light and prayers your way.
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I hope everything goes well Amy, Sarah, Sally and everyone else at NOLA this week! Happy thoughts for fast healing to all of you.
Does anyone know if you have to have another preop before stage 2? I am up for stage 2A with Dr. D 11/11/10 (another scar revision, breast lift, evening up the girls, fixing my messed up belly button and - yay! - the abdominal lipo.) He also said he might do nipples at this time too, depending on how it goes (I guess then it wouldn't be stage 2A
I am a little nervous about having all this done at once - aren't the nipples kind of fragile once they are built? How long do the nipple protectors need to stay on? If you keep them on longer are the nips more likely to stay "perky"?I have a contribution to the Dr D shoe report (belated): dark bottle green alligator (crocodile?) driving shoes with squared off pointy toes
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CandDsmom, I had to have a pre-op with my family doctor that included blood work and urinalasis No Chest xray, and then when I got here ( I am in NOLA now) I met with Sally briefly and Dr D yesterday with surgery tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for all the prayers and healing wishes. You girls are amazing. I will write when I can after the surgery
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hi tweeti..sent u an email
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Sally - Wish I were there with you now. Prayers and healing vibes flying down the Mississippi to you - scheduled to arrive in a couple of hours...And yes, we are blessed with the best docs! I was so covered in blue last time, I practically didn't need to wear a top on Bourbon - but I did anyway...I'm sure all will go great for you tomorrow! Glad you got to have some beignets! Hope you love Place d'Armes and take time to enjoy the beautiful courtyards! I especially like that fountain that's shaped like a quatrefoil and the seating area around it. And try to stay awake to check out the shoes, tho I think he just wears sneakers for operating. But at post-op!
Mamaluch - Hey, you got Dr. D.! Don't worry 'bout a thing!
Ladybug and Mchas - You are two tough broads - pulling your own drains. OMG!
CandDsMom - Thanks for the shoe report - wow! You do have another pre-op prior to stage 2, and there is a lot done in the second stage! I'd say the lipo is what makes the recovery hard, sometimes. I'm still feel pretty crappy, and it's been almost 3 weeks. My instructions say to keep the nipple protectors on for 2 weeks post-op, but I know others who have kept them on a lot longer! Nip Girl, you can chime in here...
Nordy - Great job in getting the word out about NOLA and paving the way for your friend!
Dragonfly - I think the chest x-ray may be just to make sure your lungs are in good shape for the surgery. After your surgery, you have to use this little plastic gizmo every hour, to make sure they stay clear and you don't get pneumonia or something. (you can tell I'm not a doctor or nurse...)
Sandy - You better be in that hospital in October, in case I need your nipples!
Ann - Sandy is right. And the doc will make the call - depends on how much skin was spared in your previous surgery and how big your new breasts will be. I had delayed skin-sparing, and not very big breasts, and my "football" is pretty small and now almost invisible since it's faded.
Springtime - Yeah! All of us high on anesthesia at the same time! It'll be a wild Friday night at SCSH!
Lynn - I hope you felt better today.
Amy, Sarah - Hope you're resting comfortably and everything's going great!
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Mamaluch - I''m sorry I accidently gave you the wrong email. Its email is Liz693@live.com., not hotmail. I still get those two confused sometimes. I went out yesterday looking for long cool tops with button up fronts. They are harder to find than I thought. Most of my clothes are tighter and shorter than I think I can use.0
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Surgery went well, and I am SOOOO happy to be on the side of this. Felt really crappy last night and earlier this morning, but had a percocet and was able to walk (though hunched over of course. Catheter is out (hip hip hooray-I hated it) The nurses at Fariway have been fantastic. Thanks so much for all the prayers and positive energy sent my way. \
Sara and Sally, hope both your surgeries went well. It was wonderful to meet you both
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For anyone with surgery coming up... I have a great surgical bra I'll be glad to send you. It's too big for me, and it was discounted so I can't return it. It's never worn. It's this bra: http://marenagroup.com/garmentstore/product/tabid/199/p-16-surgical-bra-2-elastic-band.aspx , size XL. It runs big in the band and small in the "cup", so it would fit you well if you normally wear a 38-42 B C or D cup. It's incredibly soft, and medical grade, so you don't have to worry about it stretching out. I hate to see it go to waste, it's a great bra. I'm not looking to get my money back, but money to cover shipping would be appreciated ($5-10?). PM me if you're interested.
-Brenda
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AMY!!! Hurray!
Sally - It is a great day for surgery! I hope all is going well for you!
Okay, so today I would just like to wish my "girls" a Happy 1rst Birthday! Having this surgery last year has changed my life. I am active again, I love wearing clothes (well, at least ones with short sleeves since the lymphedema makes long sleeves hard... but that is another story in itself), I love going to the gym, I love to go swimming and not have to worry about my prosthetics floating within their pockets to the top of the suit. I LOVE feeling NORMAL. I love what Dr. S and all of those at the Center have given back to me. I am one happy camper, so... Let's hear for the Tatas!!!!
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THANKS sooo MUCH for all of the prayers and positive energy sent my way--surgery went great yesterday! Through Dr. S's magic with lifts, lipo and fat grafts I have two matching, well shaped beautiful breasts--I just hope the grafts stay put. Recovery is going well with only my glute revisions giving me discomfort so far,=I'm pretty sure I will be discharged later today.
Shoe siting: Dr. D in cute blue surgical booties--he assures me thay are covering up athletic shoes. Dr. S-no booties just Nikes.
AMY--so glad you turned the corner! It was great meeting you and Barb the other night--I'll call you when my cell gets charged and see when you think your discharge will be...
SALLY you are in surgery as I write this and I'm hoping to be right there when they bring you up==If I miss that window please have someone post your name on the door!
The scrapbooks look lovely--how fun to see all of your artwork and to add my own. Thanks for putting it together Trainer Tam--I'll send you a contribution when I get home--sorry its so delinquent.
MINNESOTA I told Alice hi and thanks for the cake from you==it really made her day to be remembered...Also Walter the limo driver appreciates all of your prayers for his daughter--she's had a little setback.
TATA for now, Sara B.
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Nordy, you are restored! Wonderful!
Amy, you did it! Here's to being on "the other side"!!! What a psychological load off, right?
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Hooray Amy! I'm so glad things went smoothly.
Sara too! It's sounds like you're feeling pretty good already. Good luck with the fat grafts.
Sally - thinking of you.
Nordy! Happy birthday to your girls! Are you getting them a cake? Or a fancy new bra perhaps?
Spring - I love your new profile pic. Are you a horse woman?
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