NOLA in September?
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LAUGHLINES -Thanks for sharing your experiences. KATHRYN LA, I'm glad that your healing well. I'm hoping for a "shorter" surgery too. Was Dr. S your primary surgeon? I tend to think that I'll feel better & heal faster then realistic. Wishful thinking, I guess. It sounds to me like I should ask for 2 months off and then try to come back with shorter shifts. There is one 7 hour shift. So, I guess I'll ask if I can work it my first month back. Otherwise, I may need to take off 12 weeks just to be sure! If I present it that way, maybe I'll be scheduled for the short, daytime shift.
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Toomuch,
Sounds like a good plan.
Yes, Dr. S was/is my primary physician but I hear that Dr D is equally as good. I also did nipple sparing surgery - I'm guessing that adds a little time to the mastectomy rather than shortens it.
Also, I stepped up my exercise about 3 weeks before surgery. I use the treadmill (or did pre-surgery) 5x a week. I didn't extend that but upped the intensity of the workouts. I think that helped me.
Good luck.
Kathryn
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TooMuch - I have a desk job. I had bilateral stacked DIEP/lumbar (so both front and back) and I needed 8 full weeks after stage 1. I found the center was excellent about asking for (and filling out the forms) for the time I felt I wanted/needed. I think you will need at least 6 weeks and probably more given 10 hours on feet, that is a lot. If i was you, I would start walking as soon as I could as you recover. You will need to gradually build your strenght back up. Walking will do this and is also good for reducing all the swelling. They encourage it right away as part of your recovery.
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Pre-op for my stage 2 was this afternoon. After much thought, I decided to have my remaining nipple removed so that I can have 3D tattoos later on. Dr. S marked up my body pretty good and I was beaming by the time I left. My young 22 year old daughter who came with me as caretaker, was in amazement! Surgery tomorrow at 7am. If all goes well, we'll be partying with the rest on Saturday at the first Mardi Gras parade!! This morning we took a 2 hour Segway tour --- OMG, I am in love with Segways!!! So much fun! Talk with all soon!
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You will be fine dbdaze, I just know it! I had surgery on Thursday and by Saturday we were out and about and touring the city! It was a much slower pace but still it was awesome
Really helped with the swelling I think! HUGS to you! 0 -
dbdaze - Good luck with your surgery. I'm jealous you're there for the parade! Be sure to get lots of beads!
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db - Sleep well and have a great week! We will all be thinking of you and wishing you the best!
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dbdaze - good luck tomorrow. Can't wait to hear all of the details!
Kathryn
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Hi everyone! Just stopping by tonight to check in on everyone. We are moved and operating from our new location, so I'm in recovery mode now. My hands became so sore from lifting and carrying boxes that the ends of my fingers felt sunburned and one index finger swelled up like it was sprained. My hands still hurt a lot. My back is a mess, I'm exhausted and still trying to get my office situated/unpacked, but feeling great relief that we actually moved ourselves. We have amazing employees who wanted to be a part of the process rather than have us hire a moving company, so that worked out great. Tomorrow, I'm doing stretching and massage with my trainer rather than a regular workout, just as a treat. I desperately need my hair done, as I'm weeks overdue for highlighting...but there is light at the end of this tunnel I've been in for so long! We started moving stuff just a few days after Dr. D revised my little belly button scar in January, and I think that wearing jeans and carrying boxes irritated the incision. It's been red and puffy for a couple of weeks, but has settled down over the past two days. I'm hoping I didn't ruin his beautiful revision work.
Db, best wishes for a quick and easy recovery so you can go out and enjoy NOLA. I'd better get to bed---wow, your surgery is in 5 1/2 hours!
Laughlines, so glad you are in the clear! Kathryn, Tracee, glad to hear that you're doing well. Minn, I can feel your pain all the way in Cali when you are thinking about Mardi Gras beads.....Kathryn, be careful, because you might start another war over which doc is the best! Dr. D is most definitely as good as Dr. S. LOL.
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Sandy - oops, didn't mean to start any infighting. Honestly, I couldn't get anyone to sway one way or the other over who was better. In fact, I asked the women at the desk at Hope Lodge when I was taking the tour and neither would commit. Funny thing was, later on in the tour one of them admitted to being Dr. D's wife (and even she wouldn't say her husband is the better surgeon! LOL!)
Where did you move your business to? Sorry it was such an ordeal but now you can rest.
Kathryn
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Good luck tomorrow Daze!!!!!!!!
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Surgery went well! I do have to say a big thanks to Erica for mentioning how the pain meds affected her after her stage 2 surgery. I spent the better part of today throwing up and feeling pretty miserable until I asked them to take me off of all pain meds. An hour later, I was glad I had ordered dinner because I was soooo ready to eat. Still have some walking the halls ahead of me but wanted to answer some emails and check in with you guy first.
Thanks for all the well-wishes. We are staying at Place d'Armes after we are released and are trying to find a restaurant on the Parade Route (probably Royal St) with a balcony where we can eat, drink and safely watch the parade. Any suggestions?
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Wow Daze!! You sound like your old self!! So glad things went well and you are feeling better off the pain meds. AND EATING!!! Go girl!!
Enjoy the parade! (I can't help with a spot, but if the nurses there can't help, call Katy at the center, she knows everything like this and may be able to help -- just a thought!) 0 -
Hello ladies! I hope everyone is doing well. I am currently doing radiation and going to try and get my stage 2 done in September. I didn't pay too much attention to what goes on during stage 2 when I was going for stage 1. It seemed like too much information all once! So now I have to pay close attention to what happens and what to expect!! lol
dbdaze~ Glad to hear your surgery went well, and you are in high spirits
Mari
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db - Glad you're on the other side! So sorry you were throwing up - that is miserable! I've been there and it is not pleasant! I remember holding a towel tightly across my abdomen, fearing something might split open, and being highly efficient in my heaving. OK - TMI. Sorry...
I have a couple of suggestions to you regarding the parade. We were able to catch one Mardi Gras parade when I was there in February a couple of years ago. Make sure to find out what the route is, as they do vary with the parade (Duh! I'm sure you already did this - this is like something I would tell one of my kids - hard to get out of the habit!) Anyway, the folks at Place d'Armes will know and may have suggestions for places to watch it. (If Lyn is there, ask her, and tell her hi from me.)
Also, when I stayed there after stages 1 and 2, the hotel had a wheel chair for me to use. It was light and folded up. I didn't think I'd need it, but we brought it with us to the parade, anyway, just in case. We went to watch it across Canal from the Quarter, as there were less tourists and it was less crowded (tho if you can get on a balcony to watch - definitely go for it!). Well I did get tired, afterall. And a bit nauseous. Plus, I was not going to scrunch down to sit on the curb or to stand all that time, so I sat in the chair, standing up only periodically.
Well, no one pushed in front of us to see or catch beads, and some people gave me lots and lots of beads because they felt sorry for me in the wheelchair and recovering from breast cancer surgery! And I totally needed to have my husband push me all the way back to the hotel, because I was very tired by the time it was over. (The French Quarter streets are a little bit bumpy, however, so make whoever is pushing you go sloooooooooooow!) And I did find out you can get motion sickness from being pushed in a wheel chair too fast - even on level ground!
I can hardly wait to hear about your parade experiences and how many bead you get! Yes, Sandy knows how much I like those beads! Sandy does, too. She'll do anything to get them!
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Minnesota: I think my daughter is worried that I will do ANYTHING to get those beads, like Sandy!! I'm afraid my daughter will leave me if I get out of hand. lol
Thanks for the suggestion to check with Katie and Place d'Armes on seating. I'll definitely keep the wheelchair in mind too.
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Kathryn, if you read this entire thread, you'll see some bouts of sparring about which doctor is the best. Actually, I tried really hard not to ever get involved in those debates, which are supposed to play out as leg wrestling next time we all meet up in NOLA.
Minn and db, whatever do you mean??? The worst I ever did to get beads was pick them up in the street (only where it was dry and they were clean, of course!). Minn, you know that is true!!! Help, somebody save my reputation!!
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...lol... Oh, the great debate. So Kathryn meet Dr. D's wife, was she as sweet as he is ?? Even though I had the wizard he was just way to cute coming in to do follow up.
So I think that you can NOT go wrong with any of the NOLA doctor's. I think a lot of how we are placed with a doctor depends on the look of our body unless we specifically request a Dr. I had Dr. S who you all know I call the wizard because the things he is able to do BUT I love all of them. I especially love the fact that they still blush when I went on to profess my love for them. Which I should add shocked my sister because I am NEVER like that but I needed to make sure they realized how grateful that I am to have had them in my life.
Okay so I was back at the doctor's this week due to a buldge next to my belly button and now they think I have a hernia from my kidney surgery. Too say I am pissed is the understatement of the year and I am still hoping it is just a fat pad because I have gotten so pudgy.
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Oh Jamie, I hope you don't have a hernia!
I am sure you don't want more sugery!!! DBDaze, how goes it girl?? Enjoying NOLA??
I have never seen Sandy do anything untoward to get beads!!! (Reputation saved! )
Hi Mariposa!!!
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dbdaze - glad to hear you're doing well, but sorry to hear about the throwing up. This seems to be a trend for Stage 2!
Jamieh - Dr. D's wife was super sweet, kind, very pretty, petite (with small breasts! Not that I usually look but I was very focused on breast size at that time!)
Sandy - spent one full day post-surgery trying to read through the site. Think I got through 30 pages in 6 hours! There's a lot of stuff that's gone done in 300 pages!
Kathryn
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Kathryn, I don't envy anyone who decides to start at the beginning of this thread and try to read it all! Your comment reminded me of something though...when I had my revision in October, at my pre-op, Dr. D told me that if I were to gain 30-40 pounds I'd end up with EE breasts. I very quickly told him that's a good incentive to NOT gain any weight, because these breasts are large enough and larger than I ever was before! I've had a lot of fat grafting done, and by losing weight, the fat cells have shrunk but they are still there. I hope I never forget that!
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Back to the Hope Lodge yesterday -- restful night and here we are just waiting to go down and get some red beans and rice, baked chicken, salad and desert before calling a taxi. Then it's off to Place d'Armes! With my luck I'll fall asleep before the parade begins! LOL I feel much better up and moving. No pain meds today either. God, I love Dr. S -- I don't know how he knew it but he told me during my pre-op I wouldn't be having any drains put in. That in itself is pure bliss!
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You're lucky to have no drains, but I was ok with the one since it came out so soon. I love Dr S too. How he does all that work at stage 2, and I had almost NO bruising or pain except discomfort the 1st day. He's so talented! Thankfully so because I couldn't do the pain pills either!
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What are you eating in your pic, Dragonfly??
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Hi everyone: I am so excited about going to NOLA! Thanks for all of your advice and support. best, heather
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Springtime, how do you not know
LOL!!! It's a beignet from Cafe Du Monde 0 -
Dragon, YUMMO!! Great Pic!!
Heather, make sure you get a beignet from Caft DuMonde!!!
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Thank you!! They are soooooo worth it, I would love one right about now
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I went to college in NOLA, and your posts are very reminiscent.
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One down, one to go! My dh pulled one of my drains this AM. How liberating! I had 3 days in a row in the mid-20s and couldn't stand it any longer. Now the countdown for the other one (which is not as cooperative.) Celeste at NOLA did say that hip drains are more prone to seromas -- so the question is - what do I look for? Hoping not to get any but want to be on the lookout.
Can see the mountaintops covered with snow off in the distance today -- soooo gorgeous. The upshot of rain.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.
Kathryn
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