NOLA in September?
Comments
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Dragonfly1976: It is like a large envelope folded horizontally. You can keep all of the drains in it, but it gives you a pooch.
Xfit: So glad you are going to wake up with new & improved breasts!! I'll be prayin'
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Pam, ouch. I am sorry you are feeling so crappy. What about acupuncture? I've never tried it but some people have amazing results apparently.
About the Zea time. All three of us (Sandy, Minn, me) have our presurgical appts with Dr. D at 3PM. But you know how that is. I have waited hours and hours and hours because he was in surgery. There is no way to know when we'll get out of there. Do the rest of you want to meet at Zea at a time you decide? And then Sandy, Minn and I will come when we're done? I suggest early! I will be up at 4AM that morning to catch a 6AM flight into MSY. Hope I don't fall asleep in my salad!!
I have Sandy's number and PJ's number. I bet Sandy has Minn's. We can start PMing numbers any time now...
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Pam, I'm so sorry about your HA and thrush misery. Per Anne's advice, maybe you should go back to your PCP and insist on a CT scan. I have had very good relief from allergies with nasal rinsing with a neti pot or squirt bottle, but it does seem like it help to get a firm diagnosis first!
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Mauicarol - I know what the blue thing is, i wore it for 5 weeks or so!! LOL I was just trying to think of how to wear it without looking like you have a pooch? Maybe wear 2, one on each hip?
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Deja - You're right about our needing to exchange phone numbers and maybe appt times and times in hospital and where we're staying! And when we come and when we go! If everyone who is going to be there this next week and the following week will PM me with the info, then I'll PM the whole list to everyone who PM's me! I've got Sandy's info and Deja's. So, in this order, so I can just cut and paste: 1) screen name, first name, cell # 2) date and time arrive, date and time leave 3) pre-op date and time 4) surgery date and time 5) post-op date and time 6) where you'll be staying when not in hospital.
Oct 26 - Oddball1 - Stage I PBM, Dr. S and Dr. D., NOLA.
Oct 27 - K9Kim - delayed reconstruction on the left breast and a right breast mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I am hoping to be a candidate for the S-GAP. Dr. D., NOLA.
Oct 28 - Dinner at Zea. 1525 St. Charles Ave. (504) 520-8100. Time? TBD.
Oct 28 - PJ - --fly to Nola 10/28 9am-ish and staying at Roosevelt then home 10/31 at 4 something. Planning to do the half marathon, on 10/30.
Oct 29 - SandyinParadise - Tweak w/Dr. D., NOLA.
Oct 29 - Minnesota - Nipple augmentation with Dr. D. (if needed, to get Sandy's nipples) NOLA
Oct 29 - Springtime - Revisions w/Dr. D., NOLA. (Tattoo in December, then I'll be a NOLA graduate! YAY!)
Nov 2 - Dejaboo - Stage 2B, NOLA.
Nov 2 - Nordy - Tattoos with Donn.
Nov 2 - Journey - Stage 1 SGap with Dr. Massey and Dr. S. assisting.
Nov 4 - kcshreve - Stage 2b,lower abdominal hernia repair,lipo, belly button modification, SCSH, Dr. S.
Nov 5 - Gin52 - Stage 2 @ 11:00am if everything goes well
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Oh, and LIz and Dragoz, in case our times overlap with yours at all. Dragoz - hope you're doing well! And Liz - Good luck tomorrow!!!!
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So, like this:
Minnesota, Eve, 320-???-????, 10/26 5:09p, 11/02 5:30p, 10/28 3:15, 10/29 12:00, none, Place d'Armes and Clarion
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Ok ladies, I really need your help.I went to NOLA for DIEP in September, I had Dr S. I met the most amazing lady there who had Dr D, we were at the hope lodge together also. We've got to be really good friends since our surgeries. Anyway, I've had no problems getting in contact with NOLA, and setting up stage 2. Couldn't be happier, awesome follow up care as well. Great response from Stacy, Celeste, and Katie etc... Anyway, my friend has had the exact opposite follow up and responses. She can NOT get her stage 2 set up, she's called and called for Jeanine trying to get it set up, and nothing, not even a call back. We really wanted to be there at the same time for stage 2. I even emailed Celeste and Stacy asking for help getting her booked for stage 2. They responded right away and said they'd pass the message to Jeanine. Still nothing... She's feeling really frustrated, defeated and mad as heck and i'm afraid she's going to give up trying
Please ladies what else can she do?
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Sorry for not responding sooner. We are thinking dinner at 7 p.m. at Zea, but certainly anyone can show up earlier and we can enjoy each other's company until everyone is able to be there. I also have waited while Dr. D was in surgery and left the Center at about 7 p.m. once. Getting nervous and excited to meet everyone/see everyone again!
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K9Kim, iPhone4 and iPad are not compatible with a lot of internet forums. I've contacted the forum moderators and I'm sure that they will address this if enough of us ask them. They need to add html as a language we can use for posting.
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So let's say we start to gather there at 5, if possible, if we can, if we want - for drinks. We''ll hopefully have each other's phone numbers and can communicate. If any of us are naked in an examining room, we might not return our calls right away! So how do we indicate if one of us is at Zea's, if we don't know each other?
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Pam - I second what Anne said. If the headaches continue without relief, I would certainly push for some scans. One other thing that could be the culprit is tension. A tension headache often begins in the back of the neck at the base of your skull - the occipital area. The pain felt is usually at the front of the forehead and behind the eyes - this is referred pain and is due to the tension of the posterior neck muscles and the tension that it puts on the fascia (connective tissue) on your skull. You could try a good massage therapist (if you can find one knowledgeable in myofascial release and occipital release - this is sometimes a challenge) - better yet, a good physical therapist, to do some occipital release on you. And, Spring is right - accupuncture is wonderful - but I certainly would want some scanning to rule out other issues first. I hope you start feeling better soon.
Eve - we all need some kind of tata shirt at Zea's - although many of us already know each other! It sounds like you, Sandy and Bev are all going to be naked together in the examining room anyway... LOLOLOLOLOL. I think I should stop by the office first to see what kind of fun is going on there!
Spring - we leave at 6 am too... I hope my kids sleep on the plane!
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Dragonfly
With two hip drains left last Sunday I strapped one to each of my thighs so I could wear a dress and they would not be pouching out in the front. I cleared this with Laura before I did it. Worked out great and definitly gave me and my daughter some funny laughs when they ended up in the middle when I sat down.lol
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XFitgirl - thinking about you today!!!
Pam - I hope you are feeling better today? We've got to get you well!
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions & hoping I feel better. (wow, I sure had enough typos in my other post!)
Toomuch- I wasnt following the Directions well on the Nystatin...I think because I had no reason to get Thrush right now (no Known cause) I figured it was a 'Little infection' so I treated it 'little'
My tongue feels so much better then just 2 days ago before I started the peroxide rinse. it almost feels normal. I will continue to use that up until I leave & will buy some in NOLA if I need it. And also use it again when I get back home.
Someone on my sinus thread suggested a Neti pot...Which I did use once- about a year ago.
So I even had one! My headache has gone from a 5/6 to a 1/2! Yesterday my Dad took me out for lunch & I felt the best I have in ages & in the evening I ran errands & still felt good!
I am not one to do a scan if not needed. I guess in my mind the CT scan is still not needed. And same with the Antibiotics. Before bc I took them 3 times in my whole life. So when I was thinking of getting a prescription- I was desperate.
I am going to stick with the neti pot for now. Ill bring my Pot on my trip- LOL
if I have an infection...Ill be on Antibiotics soon after surgery anyway.
Anne- I should have asked the forum way sooner about this problem...if I had more time Id get in to see an ENT. Too bad my Onco or PCP didnt suggest that last week ;p
Thanks again everyone.
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Pam, I am so sorry you are suffering with that. I hope you find the problem/solution soon.
Dragoz/Juanita said via phone that she is doing great...sounded great. She had them pull the catheter the first day and was up and walking! (I was happy just to lay still and soak up the drugs my first two days!) She had the HIP procedure and loves the new girls. Dr. Marga is going to be keeping her in the hospital until next Tuesday.
I hope your surgery went perfectly, Liz!
Eve, I will be arriving in NOLA next Saturday with son in tow, although he will be heading out with friends of his own. Two of his best friends are getting married there on Halloween. They were always into Goth so I can hardly wait to see what the ceremony looks like. Don't forget your promise to take me along Sunday night! (please, please, please...) I hope I have a chance to meet with everyone sometime over the weekend.
On a side note, I must be the only one not happy with Donn's tattooing, but I am really disappointed and will have them redone by Judy/Facecrafter over the Christmas holidays. He used only one color of ink and in a pink tone that looks totally fake against my skin tone. It looks like someone drew them on with lipstick. I would have rather have not had them done at all after the beautiful job Dr. S did to make them look so natural. I called the Center and emailed Tracy pictures. Donn said he would redo them after 3 months, but I will not take a second chance.
I hope everyone is enjoying fall weather as beautiful as Pensacola's today!
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On that note... have any of you fair-skinned ladies had nipples but no tattooing? I'm considering it, just because my areola were so pale to begin with. Invisible, really, unless you looked really closely. The nipple itself was a light rosy pink, but otherwise I didn't have much color. So I'm thinking if the goal is to look "normal" or "like my old self", tattooing would look totally fake on me, even in a light shade. On the other hand, if I have scars from the nipple procedure, tattooing would help cover that up. So it might not look like the old me, but it'll look better than nothing.
Anyone gone au naturel with nipple color?
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Still hoping to get some suggestions for my poor friend and the awful follow through / stage 2 scheduling with Dr D's nurses. I've got a couple and passed them on, thank you to those ladies so much!! I'm really worried about her
As for the nipples, is any of it done at stage 2? I'm so leaning towards not having them done, now and if ever? Is that crazy? I mean I just don't care, and it seems like there are lots of problems of matching projection with them, the nipples flattening out etc... I just can't keep flying back to NOLA for every little imperfection. I'm thinking IF I do nipples I may just wait a while and have a great plastic surgeon here in town do them. He's amazing, but he does mainly implants which is why I didn't go to him to begin with.
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Dragonfly, I recently scheduled my stage 2 with Dr D, and it took quite a long time.I spoke with Jeanine and then sent 3 e-mails maybe a week or so apart before I heard from her. She was apologetic about how long it took, but explained why (it took the insurance ladies awhile to get approval from my ins co). I agree that it is not good that she doesn't respond. A brief e-mail saying she hasn't forgotten about you but things are in process would be reassuring. But I am willing to bet it IS being worked on and your friend will hear from her at some point. I think when there is a specific scheduling request it can take longer to work everything out. That has been the case for me for both stages, and it was a longish process!
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Yeah her customer service is not helping the center and Dr D. She got the insurance stuff straightened out a week or 2 ago at least?
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OK I added 7PM for Zea's above. Or earlier if you like? I am getting mixed messages here! I added 7PM for dinner, and 5PM for drinks.
Whoever is sending Minn their info on arrival and all that, please also let her know if you are going to Zea's. I think last time I counted, there were to be about 16 of us Minn.
Sandy, you sure you don't want to call and tell them ~16 of us are coming together? I know you said we didn't need reservations, but if we want to sit together, I'm wondering if we should give them a heads up?
Spring.
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NOLA wanted $5,000 after insurance for my procedure. NOLA is "out of network" for my BX / BS PPO plan. No surgery can be scheduled until they get half as a down payment. Something does not "feel right" about all this. I am beginning to feel like I am speaking with a "time share" representative on the phone. I understand they need to get paid, but it seems so dehumanizing.
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What they want out of pocket depends on how much you say you can pay, and the financial form. That sounds about right though my friend paid 4500.00 out of pocket for stage 1.They will work with you I'm sure, even at 5000.00 it's SO worth it!!
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I was quoted a much more exorbitant up front fee of over 20,000. Do you think that it's still worth it?
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too much is that after your insurance pays?
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Wow Springtime! 16! That would be great! I have no idea who all that is, tho - all I know is who is up at the top of the page! I agree that if we have that many, we should make a reservation! And my message isn't mixed - Happy hour at 5! Dinner at 7! Depends on how happy you want to be for dinner!
Sueinfla - Thanks for the update on Dragoz! I didn't forget about HAlloween! And you're at the Clarion, too, on Saturday nite? Sunday nite, too? I think they're celebrating Halloween on both nights, kind of. The parade is on Saturday, I believe. If you hang with us on Sunday, tho, be prepared for the Voodoo ceremony! You, too, DejaBOO!!!!!
Re: up-front charges, you're the only ones who can decide if it's worth it to you. I think they are doing kind of a sliding scale depending on how well your insurance reimburses and what your financial assets are. It's the best place for breast reconstruction in the world. Hard to put a price-tag on that, but possible. Decide if your breast(s) is/are as important to you as a used car or a new car or whatever. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't.
Melinda - you should have used duct tape!
Nordy - Well we might as well all be naked together, since we'll all be sleeping with the good doc the next day! At Zea's, I guess we just look for the women with the most beautiful boobs!
Liz - So anxious to hear how everything went today and what those first moments with your new breasts were like - listening for their heartbeats!
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Toomuch and Icis - I have to agree with Minnesota. It really depends on how you look at it. Do I think it was worth it? Absolutely. BUT, if you cannot afford 20K, then you need to let them know and fill out a financial statement and let them know what you CAN afford. Here is the thing - this surgery is not cheap. It is anywhere from 5 hours long and up depending on what you are having done - it is not an easy - slip the implant in and close kind of surgery. Microvascular surgery is VERY specialized, very time consuming - hence the reason you don't have every doc in town doing it, and out of the ones that are there are even less that are good at it. If I had gone to my the group of PS in state that do free flaps, I would have paid upward of $30,000 out of pocket. I did not pay anywhere near that at NOLA and I am 100% certain that I have much more beautiful boobs than I would have had if I had stayed in state. You are the only ones that can make the decision as to where you want to go. I think the vibe you are getting is possibly because they have had patients agree to pay a certain amount, but not charged them up front... then once the surgery was over, people have decided they aren't going to pay. Interesting how that happens, but that is my take on it and I know my local PS has had to do the same thing at her office because of people trying to skip out on payment. So... it is up to you and yes, I do think it is worth it.
Okay, so by the way, I went bra shopping yesterday... I have not gone since after I had my reconstruction last year. I went in looking for the size I THOUGHT I wear now, which is a 36C - it was so aggravating. Nothing fit, things were puckering on the outside... argh. THEN, I had the girl come in and measure me so that I could try on things that actually fit. Well, Dr. S had told me he could give me a large B with my hips... ummm, he gave me a 34D! LOL... I have amazing tatas. I have lost some weight since surgery so expected the band size AND the cup size to go down... apparantly taking from the love handle area is a good idea because they haven't shrunk!
Sue - I didn't know you were coming next week! Wooohooooo!!!
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Nordy~ I got a good chuckle out of your 34 D's, it seems as if Dr S does a good job of getting us to D's if that is what you want. I wish I could come next week just for fun. Have fun and have a drink for me!!
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Jaimie - I wish you were coming too!!! I am about to start tapering off this week. I can't wait to REST after all this!
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Dragonfly I always had good luck getting a response from Jeanine when I emailed her. I would start out by saying - Please update me on what is going on... She has never "not" responded. Worth a try, if she hasn't tried that...
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