NOLA in September?
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Oh boy... what a day... just as I was wrapping up my day at the hospital with my son, my husband called me to say that my dad's car that we are borrowing was hit while parked in front of our house... I am ready ready ready for this day to end.
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Seriously, bdavis, tomorrow has got to be better...
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Betsy - just look at it this way - you're getting all of your bad sh*t out of the way now. So sorry it's all coming down on you at once - but it can only get better from here. How's your son doing? Any thoughts on what it is? Hugs to you!
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Thanks... my son is doing better... its some upper GI thing that they say is not an ulcer, but irritation that can also cause the same pain... and I think brought on by stress... and he is a highly stressed kid for a 15 year old...
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I left Nola this morning and happy to report no issues with TSA. I am waiting on my luggage and hoping that being home will help with my recovery. I finished all of my percocet. I will report more later.
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hi everyone, hope you can answer question....b4 leaving the hospital I had 1 breast drain pulled..today I'm 10 days post op and met criteria to pull 2nd breast drain (hubby did it) and I had bleeding ,it has been a few hours and still some bleeding. I would say 30mins I filled up one of those 5 x9 pads and after that every hour to hour and 1/2 had to change doubled up 4x4..is that what you experienced? we are waiting for a call back from dr but figured i would ask ya'll
thanks dawn
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Dawn, I never had more than a drop or 2 of blood. I would be a little nervous about it, but hopefully others will weigh in soon or you'll hear from the doc.
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Did the doctor call? Maybe you can go to one of those emergency walk in places.
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Call again!!! They told me that call backs would always be immediate. You dont want to be dealing with going out somewhere on a Saturday Night. Too much action in most ERs,etc. Definately not the norm but dont know what the threshold of concern is for this. Sounds like the bleeding is lessening.
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I agree! Call again. I would not use an ER unless you have to and there should be no reason to have to. Did you call the Dr or did you call St Charles Hospital? I think I would call the hospital if you have not already. Maybe the nurses could help you figure things out.
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Dawn. I had a little clear fluid (kind of like that ends up in the drain bulb.) Call back! It could be nothing (hopefuly not) but better safe than sorry.
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thanks ladies..dr trahan just called and explained to my hubby that it is not uncommon to have bleeding for up to 3 days. He says that the drain tube goes up high and when you pull it out just the gravity will pull more fluid out. I just have to keep changing pads out and putting on betadine until it closes up. I feel much better knowing that it is okay. hopefully my stomach drains will be less of a pain! I have to wait until 50 or less in both for 2 days..not there yet..
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Dawn - phew!
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Dawn - Glad you heard back from Dr. Trahan and everything is okay.
BD - Glad to hear your son is feeling better!
My 3 year old threw up all over in my car last night... sigh... It was a long night of cleaning upholstery and the car seat, but she seems to be doing better today and slept through the night - which was good since I had a sitter this morning to go for a long run. Ugh!
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Glad to read your update, Dawn. Hope you have a restful night. xo
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Thanks for the info, Dawn. I guess I'm on post op day 12? I had the other 3 pulled on my post op appt, day 7. I'm still draining about 60cc per day. I put the neosporin plus on the drain area as they suggested and it helps with the pain.
I'm SO not done with the percocet! My breasts hurt a lot more than my belly. I'm so glad not to feel any pulling twinges in my belly when I get out of bed. I just want to stretch more but am being prudent. Now my breasts do feel painful. The closest thing I can compare it to was when I had a candida yeast infection in my breasts when I was first breastfeeding and the letdown was so painful---that's how my breasts feel if the pain meds are late. I watched the DIEP surgery video that's floating around. I'm so glad I watched it. I'm quite fascinated and wonder what Dr S did differently with my belly muscle to make recovery easier.
I'm still finding it very hard to accept that I had 21 nodes removed on my cancer side. I just don't understand why so many/all had to be taken and I'm fearful of lymphedema. It doesn't help that Dr Sullivan said he hopes in the future not as many nodes need to be taken when very little cancer shows up in one sentinal node. My underarm is a mixture of numbness and pain and tingling. I guess it's another hurdle in the cancer journey.
I've been trying to walk about a mile each day. Sometimes I feel like I can't walk straight. It's hard not to feel strong and in control. I know I need to take it day by day and most of the time I'm able to do that.
I have a weird itchy rash on my forearms and hips/upper thighs since Thurs. I wonder if it's an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. My course ended this morning. I'll take a photo and send it in to Laura.
One thing that is really bothering me is that my body odor is different! It's like european old man BO, heavier on the cumin type smell. Though I love cumin, so it's blasphemous for me to correlate it that way. I said this at the hospital and a nurse said it might be from anesthesia.
One question: how often do you all get follow up/check up calls? They told me they generally do calls on Fridays. I didn't get a call and thought maybe they'd call to find out what my drain output is at. Just curious. I'm also finding it surprising that I wish I could talk to Dr S more, like I wasted time before because I was so nervous in general (I knew he'd be my PS even before the consult, so I didn't feel like I had to interview him) and I was all doped up for the daily rounds! I don't really have questions yet beyond how is it possible the drs are so humble and compassionate and understanding and were then able to put together a whole practice that is the same, and do the Drs really refer to themselves as the Three Stooges?
I'm totally rambling! Thanks denouement for your milestones. You are rocking and rolling along!
Oh, one more subject. I sent my husband out to get me some prunes. He came back with some Naked raspberry juice and told me the little old lady said they must be out of prunes. Apparently he only looked in produce and not in the dried fruit/canned fruit! So my brother came by for a visit today and I asked him to bring me some prunes and prune juice. He found it no problem! I can remember my mother trying to make us drink prune juice as little kids and it was the most awful thing ever. Well, I must say prune juice smells worse than it tastes. The prunes and prune juice are working, though!! Thank God! I should have started that earlier.
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Cider... about the smelly pits... I had an odor after my lumpectomy and SNB... my cancer/node side underarm smelled to no end... I asked my doc and she had never heard of that ... but it did pass at about a month after surgery. Perhaps its the lack of nodes and their healing?? I only had 2 removed, but maybe it doesn't matter the number.
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I was trying to login to this board and had trouble, so I clicked around a bit and found an article on this site about a study that shows that women treated with the type of high blood pressure medicine (ACE inhibitor) my dr. prescribed about six months ago is linked to an up to 77% increased risk of recurrence!!! I've been on the lowest dosage, but after reading that, I'm done taking it and will call Monday to get an Rx for a beta blocker instead, as they've been shown to lower risk of recurrence. Interestingly, I never had high blood pressure until after my DIEP, when it started going up 10 points per month. It went all the way up to 150/100 and upon investigation, we decided it was due to sleeping on my back and not getting any REM sleep because I was waking up every three minutes. I did a sleep study and don't have sleep apnea. Despite trying to sleep on my sides for the past couple of years, I couldn't get the pressure to go back down all the way. We really need to watch what is prescribed to us!
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I am on Norvasc, a calcium channel blocker and hydrochlorothiazide (a water pill)... hope my channel blocker is ok.
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Cider - I was only taking a pain pill at night and one in the AM about a week post surgery and about 10 days post surgery I started itching at night - started on my thighs. The next night it was my feet and legs, by the third night it was my whole body. I'd wake up in the middle of the night scratching. I'd stay up for an hour at night before bed scratching. I called the center and ask if it was a reaction to the opiates. They said no, it wouldn't take that long. I stopped them anyway. Then got online and saw this is a typical reaction to longterm (less than a few days) use. It took about another 6 days after stopping them for the itching to completely go away.
Of course I love(d) NOLA and feel I have not received better medical care anywhere else - but the one component I feel is missing is the psychological. For some women it is a G-dsend to go there - they've already been through the mill with their cancer and this is the lifeline at the end of their road. For me it was the beginning of my journey and I was hugely nervous and also upset about by diagnosis. The three months prior to my mastectomy were spent testing, trying to find surgeons and determine what I wanted to do. I was a wreck by the time I got there. So much of the center is designed to comfort but I think having a therapist on duty or on call (while still in New Orleans or even after we get home) to talk to - however briefly - could be a great asset. Of course this thread also serves that purpose but not everyone at the clinic passes through here. Anyway my $.02 (that I think I'll bring up when I go back for Stage 2 - but I'm guessing I'm not the first to mention it.)
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Less than a week...getting nervous...trying to stay calm. Driving back from hair salon on Friday and someone rear-ended me at a light ... a big Tahoe totaled my paid for little car....ugh. No one was hurt though...
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Rogam, you are on the launchpad. I told you last week that I would work on a list. I just have a few little quirky things that may not be on the other lists that are around. I think I already gave you my 2 cents on what you need in the hospital ( nothing! Chapstick!, jammies -esp bottoms if you feel like it after a day or two), panties ( for DIEP- real low or hi up to your waist), after ( pants with drawstring or fold over or elastic waists). It was lovely cool weather when I was there last week but was getting hot when I left on Friday. So for a few items I found useful: a thermometer -- in case you didn't feel well and wanted to check once out of the hospital, Neosporin-PLUS-- it as topical anesthetic in it if your drain sites get sore and your doc okays,small bedside flashlight so you can keep room dark but find your way around at night, pill holder with dividers so you can keep track of what you've taken - especially during the night, a water bottle that you can tip without spilling, feminine wipes such as "Always", small scissor. Take your bottle of hand sanitizer, fancy LE lotion and big water pitcher when you leave. They really come in handy at your own bedside.
Lastly, my INVENTION! After surgery you will be placing "combine ABD pads" over your incisions. Every time you go pull down your pants to pee, they all fall onto the floor - where you cannot even bend down to get them to toss in garbage. You will have to be frequently putting new dressings on-- more often than necessary, and you will be kicking them around your bathroom floor. They have these white, stretchy boy short disposable panties that the nurses will be giving you for holding the dressings on. They are hot and tight and hold the dressings only until you pull them down. SOOOO, before you put them on, stretch them out and then cut across the crotch. Also snip the waistband at the front and back seams and on each side when you put it on. Two or four places. It will kind of curl up and be like a band around your middle...kind of a tube-top for your hips! It holds your dressings PERFECTLY in place and they never shift around or fall off. The snip at the waistband stretches into a little "v" notch to go around your nice new little belly button. !!!!!!
BTW, I am 10 days post op. I am feeling super. This has been way way way easier than my recovery after BMX with tissue expanders. You will be amazed at how well cared for you are. Feel certain that you have made a good decision, Rogam. Best to you. Let me know if you have any last minute questions or jitters that I might help with.0 -
I was out of town for 4 days, glad to see the thread is self sustatining!!
Betsy, what a decision. Any closer?
Amy, are you home yet?? Or still making your way?
Denoument - I added your surgery in August above in the listing.
I hope all the rest of you are healing up okay...
ROGAM and NOWORDS are next!!
May 25 - Rogam - Stage 1, Dr. D., NOLA.May 27 - NoWords - uni-stacked DIEP at Fairway in NOLA with Drs. Massey and Sullivan
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Not yet, but seeing MO Tuesday, so that is my day to decide.
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I hope everyone is home and doing well .
Cider- I had problems with Itching after my Mx it was from the pain meds after they switched to new one it stopped.
Can anyone recommend a hotel to stay for two days before i go to St. Charles that a good price never been to New Orleans.
Jerusha- Thank you also for more info on what to take
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Go to Expedia and there are GREAT rates... try Montleleone
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Kathryn LA and Dragonfly looking forward to meeting both of you, and B Davis I hope to see you also .
anyone from Ga.?
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I won't be there til July 19... but you ladies... have fun!!!!
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I am still on the fence for my surgery. It's all booked, but waiting to hear if I'll get the grant for the 2000.00 to cover my upfront costs. I have to have it paid 10 days in advance of surgery which would be the 11th of June. Not too far away so kind of in limbo and nervous!
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dragonfly-What kind of grant are you looking at?
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