NOLA in September?
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Victoria, I had my first recon 10 years ago with an implant. At that time my surgeon would not take both breasts since i was er/pr-. So i have always been a uni, without a nipple. At that time i didn't really care and still don't. So i probably won't get one, my real nipple isn't very, um, out there....maybe from having 4 kids who knows. I know Dr. M might talk me into it. I have my 1b so to say in March, i will then take a break. I need a little normal for a few months this summer:) Do what is in your heart. Oh, and my hubby said he would rather me not get the nipple. He loves me the way i am:)
Michelle
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Had my post-op visit and the other breast drain pulled. My girls feel all tingly now with a little pain in my sternum. Going home tomorrow. Yes!
DJ - Thye told me to where my bra for another week 24/7 then I could wear the bra just during the day. Mine is a size 42, holy #$%^. I am going to give away all my bras at home and use these. I feel "packed in "as I should they doubled what went in from what came out
Thyroid - like Surfa I had radiation and have ben on replacement since 1990. I get yearly blood work and am usually stable. Things ike surgery can throw you out of balance. When you start trying to get in ine it can be challenging and like Anne? said brand and/or type matters. What works for one person does not for another.
Dr. S said my stage 2 would just be lifting my butt, little shaping on the hips to blend the divots and if I want my breasts shaped down at all. I hate liposuction but know it is necessary for the final picture.
Thank you ladies for all the sharing
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Eve.. Thanks so much for sharing... I think my swelling is related more to the lipo than the DIEP as it started after stage II - or at least became more obvious to me... Today I started taking a probiotic as I was on that for a good stretch of time after stage I to help with antiobiotic issues.. and for the first couple of weeks after stage II... I noticed the bloat was starting to get to me 5 weeks post stage II... maybe up to that point I was still bruised and expected to be full looking. As long as it does indeed subside, I can be patient.
I had the Center give me a 42 bra as the 40 felt tight.. getting the bigger one was much better... Pre surgery I wore a 36C and am back in my 36C.. so don't be startled by the Center's bra size.
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Wow Karen!! That's awesome!! I am SO glad that you still get to go home as planned!! I have been thinking & praying for you as I know you had a rough time in the beginning. HUGS to you!!
@ Minnesota, thanks for the welcome!! This may be a dumb question, but where do you go to have laser procedures on your scars? I haven't heard of that..lol
I'm glad to know that a majority of the time you still get to go home as scheduled!!
Thank you all SO much!!
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I'm home from my biopsy. I was calm through the whole thing - even through a couple of eek moments where they hadn't numbed deep enough - but then fell apart afterwards. I haven't cried for weeks, but this just got to me. :-(
The radiologist said it showed up in the MRI as a small clump of abnormal blood vessels. Not a calcification, like my last biopsy in September. So I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the results now. Hopefully tomorrow.
If nothing else, I feel way more confident that I am making the right decision to have the BMX.
Gah!
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Eva, I'm sorry you have to go through this. Breast cancer sucks. You are on the right path, even tho its a bumpy one right now. You have lots of friends here, women who have been through it all--we will get through these days together. I am sending you big hugs and warmth-(( ))
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Eva - good wishes coming your way. Cry all you want. I cryed when they had to start my IV again
You are on your path.VictoriaB - On our way to to the Court of Two Sisters, saw your daughter while I was sitting in the car to go to my appt. and we waved.
Betsy - thanks for the heads up on the bra size, my hips are 42" !
Chelle - thanks for the prayers, better everyday, as we all know but hard to see sometimes.
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Eva - I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. No limerick - you must be very sad. It is good to know you have made the right decision but now you need to get all of the information. I hope it is speedy and you get it tomorrow.
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I want something more anticlimactic
Than this biopsy stereotactic
To be finished at last
But then they find a mass
Still I hope that the plan's prophylactic0 -
Bravo Eva! Waiting sucks!
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EvaM- May you get quick and happy results tomorrow.
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Daze, congratulations on the King Cake win! I won one last year, and it's a party in a box! Music, beads, cake, you'll see! Congrats!
The bloating. I had it, (I had plication - where they stitch the tummy muscles together, pulling tight) and I honestly would keep getting the bloat on and off with the amount of ab work I did. At first, even little things would aggravate it. As time went on it took more and more to swell it up. I was able to do some serious ab work last night in Yoga, and I could tell something was different. And today still flat. I am over 2 years out from all that ab surgery. So, As Eve said, it takes time, and is different for everyone. It keeps getting better slowly. I would think for anyone who did not have plication, you will get better a lot faster!
Eva, thinking of you as you wait for the results... hang in there! Feb 8 is coming up! Soon, you'll be on the "other side"...
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So Beverly... you are saying that it will eventually subside, but your plication delayed that healing?? What do you mean something was different last night? You didn't get bloated after exercising... So like 2 years out it will be all good?? I do understand everyone is different... I just want to know it will eventually stop bloating.
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Hi everyone--thanks for the info. I used to be a 36c, and now I have no idea what I am! I'm overstuffed so they can reduce at Stage 2. I'm not a big girl (size 8) but my boobs are probably a DD at least now! They gave me a 40 at the Center, and at my post-op I traded up for a 42...and that one is the one that is too tight now! I found a couple today at Nordstroms (used all my energy to do this) and found 2 that are not sports bras but have no underwire and have really no construction to them...but they hug so I think that's enough support...probably on the lower to medium support--def not as much as the surgical bra.
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DJ.. I am about your size and I found two bras at Target (size 40D).. I didn't want to pay Nordstrom prices for what I consider a temporary bra.. I had the 40 and went up to the 42, but am back in my 36C bras (now that I am well past stage II... I will look to see what I bought for those in between months.
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Ladies, I have been reading many of your posts as I plan to do the DIEP w/ Dr, M this summer. There have been many posts about abdominal bloating post-op and that really concerns me as I have moderate lymphedema in my back, arms, and trunk. Is this bloating fluid build up, lymphedema, or is it just normal post-op swelling? Did any of you have lymphedema prior to your reconstruction? Thanks! Katiejane
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Hi KatieJane... I do not have lymphedema... and only developed the bloat after stage II. I think its a result of the lipo and some scar revision of my abdominal scar... I had a lump (old belly button tissue) that I had Dr D remove at stage II... I am thinking this revision and belly lipo has contributed to my bloat... but after reading posts by Spring and Minnesota (Beverly and Eve) and they said theirs did indeed go away, but it takes time, I do feel encouraged. BUT no lymphedema before or after recon.
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Betsy, Thanks for your input! I would think the lipo could certainly be the culprit!
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Minnesota: I'm just as curious at chelle. I'd like to know more about using laser for scarring. Would you recommend it? Does insurance pay?
Eva: hoping for good results tomorrow. Hang in there!
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Here's some explanation of "Swell Hell"
The arterial system brings fluid (blood) to tissues to provide oxygen and healing cells, and the venous system removes this fluid. The system is not perfect, and normally some of the fluid leaks into the surrounding tissues. To account for this, there is a third fluid management system (the lymphatic system) in your body whose job is to scavenge up this extra fluid, and return it to the intravascular space. The lymphatic system is the body's system of regulation of fluids, drainage of fluids, disposal of bacteria, filtering fluids in the body, and getting rid of toxins. When a tummy tuck is performed, a significant amount of the lymphatic drainage channels are divided, and these take a long time to hook back up and function normally.
When the lymphatic system is damaged there is an accumulation of fluids, and draining doesn't occur as it should. This causes the fluids in the lymph channels (lymph fluid) to 'leak' out of the lymph channels and engorge the surrounding tissues, causing them to swell, sometimes dramatically, and even to the point of the tissues feeling hard. The accumulation of lymph fluid throughout the tissues is called lymphedema.
Certain things are recommended for lymphedema:
-Drinking lots of water
-Staying away from rigorous exercise
-Doing a gentle exercise program
-Keep the area clean as instructed
-The area may feel better when lying down
-Lymph drainage massage, if allowed, might helpI find that salty foods still cause my belly to swell, 14 months after Dr. D revised my DIEP scar and did more plication. Also, gardening or any other activity where I'm bent over for long periods will cause it.
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Chelle and db - You can get laser for scarring from a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. It's the same laser they use for other red skin discolorations. It's something about the wavelength in that particular laser - or something - I have no idea how it works. Anyway, I went to the plastic surgery clinic here. I had several treatments. Each time, the area gets temporarily darker, but then it fades to lighter. I think I had 3 treatments. It only takes a couple of minutes. I can't remember right now if insurance covered it. I'm thinking that it didn't. But maybe someone else's would - I think the clinic filed the paperwork but then the insurance company refused it. It wasn't horrendously expensive or I probably wouldn't have done it, but it wasn't cheap either (Gee, that wasn't very helpful, was it?!). I don't know if maybe it would be cheaper with a dermatologist. I guess I didn't try that route because this clinic had already done some follow-up for me from the surgery - pulling my drains and doing a teeny aspiration of some fluid. They were always great when I came in because several of the docs would ooh and ahh about my breasts, and I really liked that!
Also, I thought maybe dermatologists don't see as many breasts and it might be weird for one to be lasering me there. But I could be totally wrong. What do I know?! So if I were you, I would just maybe call around to a couple of places and ask if they do lasers to reduce the redness in scars and how much a treatment costs. But don't worry about it yet, because your scars will fade a lot over time. I'm sure I waited at least a year - probably two. And if I'd waited even longer, I might not have needed it at all or might have had fewer treatments. But if it bothers you and you don't want to wait, it can't hurt!
Eva - I totally have experienced what you did with your biopsy today. I held up really strong through almost everything, and then there would just be something that felt so much more invasive, somehow. That made it all seem more real and terribly nasty. So much of it runs together now, but I know just what you mean. After my needle biopsy, and after everyone left the room, I started to cry. And then I pulled it together just long enough to get out to the car and cry some more.
Seashelly (I think you asked about this - sorry, I can't read my little scribbly notes now and don't want to back up a page or I'll lose this), BDavis, Victoria - Bloating: Yes! It will absolutely get better!!!!! BDavis - I think Springtime meant that she thought the bloating would be worse if you have the plication. I would agree. I did have that and it definitely tightened things up more. It is a difficult additional step in this process - totally elective and not for everyone.
For some people, it won't really help much to flatten your abdomen more - the docs know which patients on whom it is most likely to produce good results. Also, it did lengthen my recovery a lot. I went into it knowing it would be hard but that I'd be happy I did it later -- which I am. But at the time, it was hard to feel so uncomfortable again, after just starting to recover from stage 1.
Back to the bloating tho. Ironically, I think I now have less "regular" bloating than I did pre-surgeries. Maybe my abdomen and intestines were all loose and gangling about and causing gas issues. Now, I think everything is right where it's supposed to be, held by a nice firm abdomen, with most things having a clear, uncomplicated passage that results in very little gas/bloating. Maybe that is TMI! Sorry!
Victoria - I now feel totally, absolutely normal and wonderful - and look it, as well, IMO! As I said, the abdominal scars are very faint, the scars on my first recon breast are very faint. I still have some redness on my more recent gluteal scars (now almost 2 years out, but Dr. D did some revision on them in October, so they are thinner now and will fade some more. I also have very thin scars on my most recent recon breast, but he also revised those in October so that they are thinner. I will wait quite a while, given my past experience, before I think of laser for these. I know they'll fade so much that laser will probably not be necessary. I have had very good return of feeling to both breasts - the first one still is improving, eventho it has now been 5 years! That is not saying they were numb all this time. They have just very slowly and steadily gotten more and more feeling - starting farther out on the breasts and moving in toward the nipples, with some feeling even regained in the nipples - tho not the same type as before. The same with the donor areas. They were very numb starting out, but keep improving year-by-year. I even actually have feeling in and around my belly button, which was always the numbest area. I still have quite a large numb area where I had my SGAP, but I am assuming the same improvement will happen there, as well. Slow, but steady.
Oh - I also have to say that I totally believe that using that Palmer's lotion for stretch marks with cocoa butter, I think it is? - It really did help, too. I just kept it right by the sink and used it morning and night - it gets to be a habit you don't even think about. i really think it made a big difference and other ladies have too. You can't start using it, tho, until everything is healed up and the scabs are gone. Probably don't bother until after your scar revisions in stage 2.
Victoria - For my first breast, I had stage 1 and 2 and then a little stage 2B. I understand how you feel surgeried out! So many of us have already had boipsies, lumpectomies, mastectomies, maybe hysterectomies, and who knows how many other surgeries before we even get to reconstruction! And then we start in on that whole series! You start counting how many surgeries you've had in a year and it's hard to believe. And boy, when you tell other people who haven't been thru this, how many you've had, you can get lots of sympathy! LOL!
Seriously, tho, if you need a rest - take it. This isn't a race. For my second recon, I took more time between stages 1 and 2 so that I was better rested and in better shape, going into the next surgery. It helped me immensely. Three months in between is pretty much the minimum. If you can take more time, it will only help in your recovery for stage 2. I can only imagine how exhausted you must be after 2 stage 1's back-to-back! For my second recon, I had to be taken back into the OR for some bleeding - it was no big deal, but it added to my post-op exhaustion, definitely. Then I had a stage 2 and again a little 2B. I thought I was totally done. Finally. But then I had this divot form, in the last year, over where they attach the flap to the mammary artery - where they take out that little bit of cartilege. My flaps have been not very thick ones, so sometimes that makes that area sink in a little more. Again, very minor procedure. So I don't want to count all these surgeries up, because it sounds like I'm kind of insane. But boy, after you go thru all this, you want your girls looking top notch, because these guys bring you as near to perfection as is humanly possible, so why settle for less!
One more little thing(s): Nipples. I get that sometimes gal don't want to futz with them, and you do get used to not having them if you don't have nipple-sparing and time goes on... But a caveat - there is at least one gal who was on this thread a lot, who didn't want to bother with them, but then changed her mind. So she went back and had them and couldn't be happier. She was kicking herself for not just doing it at the time - but her heart wasn't in it yet. My husband will argue that he thinks guys really would prefer there be nipples, but if they're decent and loving guys, they are not going to tell their wives that they have to get them. But given a choice, and if they don't think they're putting their wife/girlfriend out too much or causing her additional pain - they really like those little extra fluorishes!
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OMG! Did I write all that?!
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Minnesota, you know one thing that really set me off? They gave me a rose. It's normal practice there and it's really sweet. A pale pink rose with some baby's breath wrapped up in celophane and a ribbon. And all I could think was "I don't want to be someone who needs flowers." Whoever thought a flower could hurt?
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Thanks so much everyone for the response to the bloating question. It is good to know that it will get better some day. Being 6 months out from Stage 1 and 3 months out from Stage 2 I was beginning to think this was just how it was going to be.
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dj- I did the same thing, scoured the city for a wireless bra in 36DDD. Even sent the bf to Nordstrom's so he could ask them, and they had nothing. Turns out they had one, but it's a $60 bra! (the "Awareness" bra, which is nice, but there are cheaper versions out there)
So--after making do with other things--I found bras that work...
This one's good for during recovery and comes in larger sizes. It has short non-adjustable straps though, so prob not the best option if you're tall:
http://www.leadinglady.com/cotton-front-closure-leisure-bra.html
This one's good for a starter bra when you go back to work, etc. It has stretch cups so it'll take you through size and shape changes pretty well. And... it's cheap! Pretty easy to find in the stores too (Macy's here), but don't pay more than $20 for it. It's always on sale somewhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Bali-Womens-Support-Closure-Wire-Free/dp/B000MX922M/
There are probably easier options if you're A-D cup size, but when you're bigger than that your options are limited. I'm just glad I settled down to a DD, I can (almost) buy any bra I want now.
If you do end up DD or less, this one is a nice in-between bra if you like padded bras (or need to hide nipple guards):
http://www.amazon.com/Bali-Womens-Comfort-Revolution-Jacquard/dp/B00550QPWW/
Once you're allowed to pull stuff over your head, this is an excellent sleep or "leisure" bra. Very comfortable and supportive, doesn't give you uniboob and doesn't compress. You might want to buy a couple of sizes if you can't try them on in person. I'm a size 14-16 on top, 36DD (bust=41.5") and I wear a Large. XL might be more comfortable with swelling though (for me).
http://www.sears.com/apostrophe-seamless-leisure-bra/p-018J1470000P
Bali has a new one that's similar and looks promising, but I haven't tried it yet. I think it might have hooks in the back, hard to tell from the description.
http://www.onehanesplace.com/outlet/bras/bali-bra/-23782--1
I hope that helps!
-Brenda
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Sandy in Paradise, I believe I already know the definition of "Swell Hell". I have had stage 2 and 3 lymphedema for almost 5 years post-op. Even with treatment/management daily it just continues to swell, and become debilitating from the pain and loss of ROM. I appreciate you explaining the lymph system as you did because there are many people, physicians included, who know squat about the lymph system. Katiejane
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Lots of info today thanks.
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Eva - OMG! I had that happen with flowers, too! It was May when I had the mammo. I was told, at first, that the mammo looked fine and I was good to go. One of the nurses handed me a pink carnation. They were handing them out to moms in honor of it being Mother's Day month. So I got dressed, and with flower in hand, headed down the hall to leave. The tech gal called me back. She said that the radiologist had seen something "he wanted to investigate further" with an ultrasound. So I retraced my steps, laid the flower down on a chair, and got undressed again. The ultrasound raised more questions, so when I finally got to leave there, I did so with an appointment for a needle biopsy the following Monday. The first thing I did when I got home was to stuff that carnation into the garbage...
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Brenda, have you tried Soma wire free vanishing back? Just curious if you have, what you think; I'm going to try them as soon as my seroma is gone. I've still just been wearing the black surgical bras. http://www.soma.com/store/home.jsp
I would have thrown out the flower, too!
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B9! I can hardly breathe! This was the hardest thing to wait for. I've just been a wreck. Now on to the next thing.
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