NOLA in September?
Comments
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Bdavis - I remember something along the lines of this from the may surgeries. In the end if I recall everyone had their surgery. Maybe you should give the center a call so you don't worry about this for the month before your surgery.
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I remember too, but never heard how its done, just that they get it done... I only know what MY surgery will require (time-wise) so of course it makes me wonder... How are you Teresa?
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I am doing great. I was worried june 27th would be too soon to return to work but I am starting to get antsy at home. I am healing nicely and working on being straight. I am 97% there. I am doing physical therapy and am doing the easy exercises she gave me. I am driving again. Yeah. Things are well. Thanks for asking. It almost feels like my surgery date was a long time ago.
I think I will be going back for stage 2 in november. First time I can.0 -
I plan on Stage II in November too... or late October. Maybe we will be the same time??
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That would be great if we were there at the same time!
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Off to a great week. Made it back to Alabama on Sunday(actually I drove did not want my mom to drive). I walked today and did some window shopping. Walking actually felt better... I need some other compression garment the binder feels weird. If I continue on I will return to my desk job in another week.
JustLaura and Leslie T I hope you guys are doing well...
Shout out to Springtime the fairy godmother of this great board!
Now I can start to think about stage2... Oh how soon we forget the drain etc... I may see some of you ladies in Nov/Dec. Gotta let hurricane season pass before i do anything!!!! Not to mention I need to get back to work crank out some great numbers and then I won't feel bad about being gone again.0 -
HI LADIES, HOPE EVERYONE IS WELL! IS THERE ANYONE GOING TO THE REUNION- SUSAN KOMEN RACE IN OCTOBER? OR ALSO THE COMMENTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY POSTED ON THE CRUISE OUT OF NOLA? JUST WONDERING-- LOVE YOU GUYS!
HEATHER
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Heather, I'd love to come to the NOLA reunion and the Susan Komen race in October, but won't know for sure until I get a job.
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JustLaura-Thinking about you and hoping that you're resting comfortably.
KathrynLA-Your stage II is almost here! I hope that you had enjoyed some yummy New Orleans cuisine tonight and that you have a good day tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you on Thursday.
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Dr. Sullivan is doing my surgery. the plan right now is to do a stacked DIEP. He is basing that on pictures that I sent. the problem is I had a TRAM 14 years ago to the right side. he is hoping that there is enough fat (I think there is more than enough) on the other side of my stomach to use. If not he will take it from somewhere else, I am really hoping for the stomach though. the TRAM left my torso very un-even if I gain any weight at all, which herceptin has caused alot of. I talked to my PS who did the TRAM yesterday and he is trying to tell me that it is not possible to do a DIEP after a TRAM and that "whoever these DR's are, are selling me a bill of goods. I called him to see if he would be available for any follow up if I had problems after coming home. My oncology breast surgeon said no, she would not follow up someone else's surgery, she is partners with a PS though. I worry about something going wrong after I get home 1200 miles away.
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djfrro - I am only 2 weeks out from surgery with Dr. Sullivan so I can't say for sure what after care might be necessary. But, I had the same concerns. My BC and my OB/GYN refused follow-up care for another doctor's surgery. I checked out a local urgent care center that said they could help with drain/wound care if necessary and I felt comfortable enough with that as a backup plan. I could also go to my internist. So far, I have been managing my drains on my own and have not sought any help from local doctors. I stay in touch with NOLA for any questions. Dr. Sullivan is fantastic and was able to for me what every doctor here said was not possible. We planned for a stacked procedure but, in the end, did hip flaps only. I am quite pleased.
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I am doing great. I came out of anestesia talking and couldn't stoo. I guess I was talking to any one that walked by. Maybe this was my relief talking. I even got to go to my room earlier than normal since I was so lucid and active.
The first night was long with all the monitors and interruptions -but it should get better from here. Im not producing a lot of liquid in my drains at all, in fact the nurse just skipped the last cleaning since there was not enough fluid to measure. I'm hoping that is a good sign. But I'm not sure!
Dr D was wonderful and managed to make slightly bigger than I was. For me that is better then smaller. I had Dr D's sister for my surgery prep and my recovery! She was adorable and very competent. they just keep it in the family!0 -
I am doing great. I came out of anestesia talking and couldn't stoo. I guess I was talking to any one that walked by. Maybe this was my relief talking. I even got to go to my room earlier than normal since I was so lucid and active.
The first night was long with all the monitors and interruptions -but it should get better from here. Im not producing a lot of liquid in my drains at all, in fact the nurse just skipped the last cleaning since there was not enough fluid to measure. I'm hoping that is a good sign. But I'm not sure!
Dr D was wonderful and managed to make me slightly bigger than I was. For me that is better then smaller. I had Dr D's sister for my surgery prep and my recovery! She was adorable and very competent. they just keep it in the family!
I'm thinking about Leslie today she is going into surgery in about an hour. We ran into each other at The Center yesterday - it was nice to meet her in person.
I'll update more later. I'm having a hard time 'typing' on my iPad.0 -
Well, I'm back in New Orleans, yay! Spoke to LeslieT for awhile but she was too worn out from the day and we didn't meet. So my husband and I went to the bar at Hotel Monteleone where we are staying. (The room is small but charming - and with a view of the water!) And in good ol Narhleens traditions we to dinner at Luke's and completely over ate. Still full this morning. But it was worth it and the food was awesome! My mind is already wandering to biegnets and cafe au lait.
Later this afternoon is pre-op. Can't wait to hear what Dr S has in store for me! Please say yes to skinny knees!
Laura - congratulations! Sounds like you came through with flying colors. I can't even remember post-op. Put your name on the door and I'll try to stop by and say "hi" today. If not, see you on the other side of Stage 2 on Friday!
I can't remember who was talking about this but I too was told I was going in for a stacked hip/diep but Dr S only used the hips. Tomorrow we fix the tummy!
Betsy, I have read back on some of the old posts and like you said, they can do a few surgeries in one day. I think Dr Stollier starts with you for a few hours while they work on someone else. So glad you have a cycle buddy. Welcome djffro!
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Laura, so glad to hear that you are doing well! I am amazed to hear how much you were talking, etc. If I was, I surely don't remember it. I don't remember anything until the next afternoon! But my surgery finished quite late. Which one is Dr. D's sister? Aren't they all great down there?! I am 5 weeks out and my husband caught me staring in the mirror again yesterday! I know your situation is different, because I had the implants for the last 4 years, but trust me, you are going to have THE BEST possible outcome and I think/hope you will be quite pleased/relieved.
Kathryn, glad you made it back to NOLA. Still wish we could have had surgery together - I know we would have "clicked". But you will just have to come ot NC sometime! I also can't wait to hear what he has to say about the knees! Wish they could help with my fat feet as well! Where is Lukes? I will have to check it out in September when we go back. Re. the Monteleone, how small is small? And how is the bathroom? We stopped in when I was there last month, and I am kicking myself for not asking to see a typical room. They were going to be doing some construction. Has it started yet?
djfroo, I have had no need for aftercare, fortunately, but I did go see my former PS for reassurance. He was very supportive and pleased to see me. He does not do DIEP or TRAM. He just did a bit of cleaning up the glue, talked about the surgery with me, and said he cannot wait to see the end results. I feel lucky he was so supportive. I know many women's docs are not. My breast surgeon who did the MX was not interested in helping if I need it. Very disappointing. Mine is a female also, and I guess that made me feel even more disappointed. Anyway, they are very good at NOLA about follow-up. You can call them for any little thing. I had a concern and they had me send pictures, and they reassured me everything was fine. I have been told that if there should be a real problem, they will fly you back. But you are unlikely to have problems. They also will call you to follow up and make sure you are doing well.
ref, glad you are doing well. Hope those drains can come out soon! That is a real turning point, when you can do the drain-free dance!
Betsy, I panicked when I realized someone had the same surgery date as me, or maybe there were even two others scheduled, I can't recall. But they have it so well coreographed, it must be like a bit of a dance, as they swirl out of one OR, into the other, back, forth, back, forth. But no worries, these guys have it down pat. Wish we could see the whole production on film though!
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I did call to ask and they said that especially if we are both at SCSH it is choreographed (as you said)... it gets a little more complicated if the other surgery is at another hospital... But djfrro, correct me if I am wrong, you don't need a MX, as you have already had one?? And I do need a MX, so maybe by the time Dr D needs Dr S he will be done with djfrro?? Not sure... we are both doing STACKED DIEP so both are long surgeries. My surgery is at 7am... what time is yours? And I assume you will be at SCSH??
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Kaitsmom - I'm still sad I missed you in May. But we've defiitely made a cyber connection. And yes, I'd love to come to NC. I think they closest I might get this year is a convention in Orlando in October! As for your feet - LOL! - I'll run it by Dr S today to see what he says (for you.) I'm also wondering if they can inject a little of that fat into my lips and laugh lines! But I will be happy with it just in my breasts
The rooms are a bit like a european hotel - but maybe a little a little bigger. Not too much room to move around but there is a small sitting chair and small desk. Very small closet, so the large suitcase my dh and I shared can't fit into it. The bathroom is small but not tiny. A nice large window, lotos of light and very cheery decor. Charming. Although I definitely would not do my recuperation here, I'd feel too claustrophobic. I'll try to take pictures and see if I can figure out how to post. The Ritz Carlton is much bigger. But we'll be at the Homewood so we have two rooms. Okay, off to stroll, shop and eat before my pre-op.
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I forgot to tell you guys that Dr D was deep sea fishing last week. That may explain why there were not any surgeries we knew of.
Julie Salazer is Dr D 's sister. A cute little blonde with some freckles just like him. Once she told I could definitely see the resemblance.0 -
KathrynLA, We ate at Lukes one night as it was an easy walk from Homewood. I had this yummy dessert called Gateau Basque. I asked for the recipe and they have since sent it, along with elaborate baking instructions! Another night we ate at Herbsaint-also a short walk from Homewood . The food was so FABULOUS that I was very disappointed that my tummy was too tight to stuff in as much yummy food as I had my eye on. They had this amazing pasta with creamy sauce and a deep-fried fried egg on top. May sound yukky, but it was soooo good. I'm sitting here in my office, wishing I was sitting THERE! Oh, and the sorbet was delicious also. This place was the best of all our meals in NOLA. Goooood Luck! Yeah, definitely find out about lips, etc! Much more enticing to me than my knees!!
Laura, Wonderful to hear you sounding so chipper! Feeling so very well cared for goes a long way toward improving everything. I was anxiously waiting to read some word. So glad it all went well and you've got your new, IMPROVED version...
Kaitsmom....hi honey...I miss you! So busy at work and getting ready for my daughters grad party on Saturday. They are such silly girls....having sno-cones and a Bounce House. All those 18 y olds jumping around( on top of each other...) may just pop the whole thing! That would be a sight. I agree that the Monteleone is good for before -- very charming, lovely and CLEAN-- but way too small for recuperating. They were having internet issues when we were there, while renovating.
Bdavis, I was very concerned about the "choreography" of several surgeries in one day. I tried and tried to pin them down about the details, and I just couldn't get any. When I reached the point that I just had too much else to worry about, plan, arrange, etc., I gave up and (totally outside my usual way...) decided to go with the flow. There were a zillion surgeries that week, and I've certainly never seen docs going in and out of OR's before....but it all seemed to go perfectly for all of us.They definitely have it down! Try not to worry....
K. Back to work for me. Thinking about you all.0 -
jerusha - This morning, I tried your technique of holding the pads in place with the boy shorts. It worked perfectly and my two hands were quite enough. Definite progress! Thanks for posting the suggestion.
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djfrro - I would not worry one little bit about a surgeon that does TRAM on one side but does not bother to clean up the skin/fat on the other side to make you symmetrical. Give me a break. We have ALL gone to the Center on this thread... thousands of women have gone there. Their results speak for themselves. When you are all finished you ought to walk in his office and lift up your shirt...not to mention bring pictures of the before and after so your doctor can know exactly how inept he is. Sorry... now let me tell you how I really feel...
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Kathryn - SO jealous that you are getting your tummy taken care of. I missed out on that opportunity out of fear... and now kick myself everyday about it. Just saving my $$ now so that I can fix what I should have last year! You know you will do just awesome!
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djfrro: even if Dr S decides not to do a stacked DIEP from the one side, he will even out your belly at Stage 2. So if you are thinking you want the DIEP to even out your tummy, you need not worry. There are other ladies here that had hip flaps and had their tummy tightened up at Stage 2. I am 5 weeks out and have not needed any after care. I do have a PS that I know would help me (he got me in contact with one of our NOLA grads). Most of my contact was via email when I had questions. You will always have someone to contact with any questions or concerns, big or small, at any time.
Yeah, I can't believe it's been 5 weeks! I gently tugged on my last sutures that were sticking out on one of my breasts. It pretty much fell off without much effort. I never snipped those because they seemed too far in. I'm pleased they are gone now. I started PT yesterday. I love my Dr! She's a BC survivor but doesn't want to be 'poster child' for it. She told me I can talk to her about any of 'that crap' and warned me people are going to say the stupidest things to me regarding BC. She also made me laugh when she warned me not to get obsessed about what to eat because I might wind up thinking I can only eat blueberries. She's gone through the chemo I'm getting now, too, and wants me to focus on getting through it. She's very thorough with noting how my limited arm range is affecting my neck, chest, back, hips, etc. So I'm in the right place! She really rubbed on my belly scar, too, to loosen it up. One side is tighter than the other. I'm headed there now! Oh, I've also got a bolster to do exercises at home. It's a killer!
Laura, you sound so good! I think it's great you were talking so much.
Kathryn, I can't wait to hear all the details! Love Dr S!
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My surgery is scheduled for 11:00 AM, I do not need a MX, I had that last Sept. My surgeon then refused to do recontruction because she was concerned that I would need radiation, which I did, now I am glad because the only option I was given then for reconstruction was an implant, I had not heard of the breast center yet. My cousin went there last winter and could not say enough positive things about it.
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I may have gone overboard peeling some of the glue that was starting to flake off! Yikes inner portion of breast is peeling back just a little!
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Jerusha - missed the dessert since we were so stuffed. But loved the dozen oysters for $13! We'll have to try Herb-Saint. I hope I am up for some good food post Stage 2
Nordy - You should definitely go for it. Keep saving! I am so marked up right now and can't wait to see the results. No fear here! More in a minute about my pre-op
Cider8 - I love him even more after today!
Rogam - stop picking and let it heal!0 -
kathryn was it you that wanted the knees done??
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It's been said before but I'll say it again - Dr. S is awesome! As is everyone else at NOLA. I am more excited than ever. When Dr S came in he asked what I thought he should do. And I said - "oh no, you go first and I'll tell you if you missed anything." He went to town, and Kaitsmom he even marked my knees without my asking! I asked about taking some fat and putting it in my face but he said no work from the clavicle down. We joked that if he injected my lips with fat they may end up looking like breasts! He marked inner thighs, outer thighs, full tummy tuck (maybe plication, maybe not - he'll have to see when he gets there), pull up on the hip flaps for a tushy lift, lower breast to round out, upper love handles, some filler for my nipples because they are a little indented, plus fat added on the upper part of my breasts for more fullness. Think that's it but there could be more. LOl! I had my dh take pictures of all the blue markings and maybe I can figure out how to load them here.
Lynn, the nurse who was in there with him said he loves it when it's a no holds barred surgery and gets to go to town. When he left the room I was tempted to take the blue pen and write "Just go for it" on my body.
Funny thing is I was wearing a low v-neck dress and when I put it on when he was done you could see the circles where my upper breasts are peaking out of the dress. So, I ended up turning my dress around and putting the v in the back to hide it. All the nurses were laughing.
Surgery time has been changed twice - Katie just called and it's now 8AM - it could take up to 4 hours. I will only be there one night but plan on finding Leslie and Laura.
Oh yes, met a woman in the hospital lobby who had a failed diep flap and was so nervous. I reassured her and told her about women on the board who had had the same thing happen and now feel whole. You could just see her relax hearing that. Sally told me during intake that she had overheard me talking to the woman and that it was just what she needed. Without this board I would not have had any stories to share - so no surprise, all of our sharing and good will permeates out into the world.
It's really such a positive experience when you are there and everyone is so friendly and optimistic and professional. I could go on and on but you all know what they're like...and for those who don't know - take our word for it, they couldn't be better!
Okay, off for drinks at the hotel bar then Irene's Cuisine.
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Kathryn I agree about Dr Sullivan. I am so anxious to see what he'll do at stage 2b, I want ALL of that done
It's been 6 or 7 months since my stage 2 so everything has settled where it's going to.0 -
Laura, glad to hear from you! Glad all is okay! You crack me up talking up a blue streak when you woke up from surgery! I have a similary post anesthesia experience. I must metabolize it quickly because I pop right awake and, yes, typically start talking!!
So LESLIE and SURFA, we are thinking of you!
Betsy, glad you called to find out about the surgery choreography. Hope it makes you feel somewhat at least? I think there are several doctors going at the same time. Dr. D., Dr. S., Dr. T, I bet they go back and forth, and then if somebody is getting a Mx, that's another doc! You are in the best of hands. It's all they do, and they do it all the time.
Deep Sea fishing!!! I wonder what the shoes were for that adventure?? ha!
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