NOLA in September?
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Pamela and Betsy so glad all is well!
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Pamela & Betsy - glad to hear that you are doing well!
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I have NO clue why my computer is doing this weird thing. If anyone has any suggestions for me I am open to them. Thanks, Jamie
P.S. it's not showing on my end now.
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Wow Jamie. It looks like it is listing every single key on your keyboard! So weird.
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For Stage 1 and 2 I received regular calls from Laura and Jeanine. It always surprised me when they did call. After Stage to when I was home maybe 3 days I received a get well cards from the staff and my wonderful wonderful nurse Ms. Toni.
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Hello ladies. Now in hope lodge. The hospital experience at st. Charles was excellent. Even the chef came by to see if the food was acceptable to us. Hope large is spotless and vey well maintained. There is a diner you can walk to but not really any other restaurants. We have a free laundry on ur floor. I will be here only for 2.5 days so we will probably not make our own food but go out to eat. Tomorrow we woll visit the garden district. I took a shower today, dr. Sullivan went with the miniunilatal lift (my suggestion) but i, not sure how that looks yet. They are swollen. I hope i didnt make a mistake. I did tell him to do the whole lift if plan a did not meet his standards. But he did plan a so we will see. I am not in much pain, mainly i feel a tightness around my braline in the front. The thights and abd lipo really do not hurt,only when. Got out of the taxi. I just took a total of two pain pills today. I walked around the floor 20 times before leaving. At 5:30 am i did 10 laps and at 11 am i did ten laps. I washed my own hair. So overall i am doing verey well. I hope this puts some of you who are goinig for ostage 2 at ease. Speak to you later
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Hi Pamela... Glad we could meet. It was my first lap and was a little unstable, so sorry it was short. I was discharged this evening and am now at my friend's house... Post-op tomorrow and fly out Saturday.
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I also jave post op tomorrow in the morning with laura and fly out saturday. Can u tell if u are happy with your results yet? Im not sure about mine and a little frightened to look so. Just took a peek only. I will see more of them tomorrow.
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I am too swollen and too many incisions to tell. I know that what i see today (bloody glue), is much worse looking than what it will be. Once the glue is gone and i have started thescar treatment i will have a better idea. My post op with Laura is at 9:30, then I fly out on the 10 something flight to Newark.
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Have a safe trip home Betsy and Pamela. I have certainly been thinking of you.
Pamela I remember those laps at Hope Lodge well. Nice long halls.
I have 3 weeks to go. Dr. M wants me to stay close for 4 days after surgery. I am an outpatient. This seems long to me. What do you think?? Surgery on a Friday and leave on Wednesday. With the night before this is 6 days at a hotel. Going broke. My insurance company hasn't even paid dr. M from my November surgery.0 -
I was required to stay two days past discharge from the hospital. Since i was discharged today, thursday, i have a post op appt tomorrow and leave satirday. I am well enough to have left today for home but thry wante me to stay for two days. The lipoed areas i feel
WHen i get up from lying or sitting but they just feel like w bruise, no biggie.
I took a look at my breasts. They are differrent from stage one. They are swollen. The right looks verny good, the left nipple ich hw was supposed to lift up looks still a little down but i guess i will have to wait to see the final result.
Betsy - how are you doing and how does it look?0 -
Cherrie,
Can you talk to Dr. M and ask to leave at least one day earlier? I don't know how extensive your stage 2 will be, so she may have her reasons. Did you have any complications with Stage 1? Is it due to her schedule that maybe her PA could do post op earlier?
I had a 7 hour stage 2 bilateral SGAP, which included lifting and moving one of my flaps extensively, a little bit of lipo from thighs to FG to a divot in axilla, and an LNT-lymph node transfer that had a tiny flap involving microsurgery. I had surgery on a Friday, post op on Monday morning, went to lunch beach side, then off to the airport to fly home alone that same day. I had a friend driving me of course and at airport I had wheelchair assistance.
Will your husband be with you?
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Pamela... I am quite sore but had a lot done... Butt lift, new incision to remove bunny tail, 2 rotational flaps and revisions on breast. Now my waistline incision is a complete 360 degrees. Plus lipo everywhere. I am wearing a compression vest and bottoms to below the knees... Almost 7 hours long. I am whipped.
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Oh man Betsy. Im hurting just reading what you had done. Are you going for the pain meds? Wont be long before you are home in your own bed. Take care and warm wishes for smooth recovery.
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PinkHeart, I would love to hear how the LNT is working for you. I also have trunk/chest LE as well as both arms. I had a bilateral DIEP in July with stage 2 in October. My LE volumes dropped greatly but have now gone right back to where they were pre op. I have toyed with the idea many times to have the LNT done but just am afraid of the swelling traveling to other parts of my body. Were the transferred nodes taken from your groin or neck areas? And insurance battles----I think that took as much out of me as the surgery!!! If I can ask, what insurance do you have?? Sounds like a gold mine to me!!! I would love to know what this surgery entails, both pre op and post op! Thanks! Katiejane
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All you peeps in NOLA. Listen up
I had my surgery in 2010 when THE SAINTS played and won the Super Bowl. It may be different since the SAINTS are not playing, but we could not find anything to eat. The restaurants were all closed for private parties. We were some hungrey dudes. Better stock up on food just in case.
You all sound so good. So happy for you all!0 -
Katiejane-
Im so sorry you are dealing with LE too and especially in both arms.
Im not sure how the surgeon would go about LNT on you because you have in both arms.
Mine is right arm/truncal so a small lymph node flap taken from left groin and transferred and anastomized to vessels in right axilla. So the donor site is on opposite side of recipient.
I have Anthem BCBS insurance through employer with low deductible, low out of pocket, and no co-pays. I met deduct and oop last May so didnt pay a dime for anything including rx through end of 2012.
So bilateral SGAP Stage 1 and Stage 2 and LNT surgery cost me zero. (except travel costs and I write those off on taxes along with medical premiums and everything possible allowable).
There was discussion on doing "wait and see" if repairing and cleaning up my radiation trashed and failed implant scarred chest wall along with SGAP tissue, that it could improve LE alone. I did not want to "wait and see" my arm get fat in heat of summer when Im major outdoors person and active. Also wanted it done because insurance approved it and had met deducts and oop. I may be changing insurance this year and didnt want to lose the opportunity of approval. Also that would be yet another separate surgery. Even though LNT surgery only 2 1/2 hours, I've had too many as it is like the rest of us.
As you know there are no guarantees on LNT. My surgeon said never had patient get worse. Patients may stay same, most significantly improve, and some patients say cure, but I dont think there are enough large, long term studies to say that IMO.
I need to get my bio updated with the LNT stuff because I am getting PMd for info from several women. I can give more detail and may copy and paste in my operative notes. Lots of us like detail.
Lots of luck and good wishes to you on your decision and dealing with insurance c-r-a-p, and hope that you or PT-CLT can keep your LE tamed in the meantime.0 -
Betsy and all, my honeymoon free of pain is over. I ami sore in multiole places, the thighs thei back the abdomen and under my breasts. When im laying down i am ok but as soon as i change position it does hurt. I dont think the pecoset is working that great. To complicate matters i ran a fever last night, had a sore throat and a throbbing headache. This am i. Still feel as if i have a lo grade temp but we have no thermometer. Going to the center for a post op appt so we will see. I alsofeel very dry and a little shakey. We'll see what we can do today because i planned to do some sightseeing, but if i have a temp i wont. Be able to. One breast is perfect and theer other wjere he did the minilikft looks good dont get me wrong. Ut i domt think lifting the nipple really worked. It is lower then the other side. We!ll see how it goes. They are very full now.
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Jamie, the phantom type'r strikes again. Don't worry about it. It must be something in your settings though.
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@ Pamela -- I thought I had a fever (actually did, very low grade) after Stage 2 and found that the culprit was that I was not drinking and taking in enough fluids. Got Smart Water and some G2 and that did the trick. Don't think I could have gone home in the state I was in, but by forcing the fluids that have electrolyte replacement and re-hydrating, the icky feeling and temp disappeared in less than 8 hours. Give it a try. Sometimes we are so focused on pain management, making sure we exercise and healing in general that we forget to hydrate. I was particularly bad about it (just wanted to sleep!) and ended up with tachycardia (this is common for me as a physical response to a number of things ... you shouldn't worry about it) that was only relieved when my hydration levels were back to normal. Hope this helps!
@Betsy -- Hang in there, girl. Eyes wide open, you knew this would be a bear, but you are one tough cookie and can hack this just fine! Let the healing commence!!
Maggie
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Pamela and Betsy....glad to hear your surgeries went well.. I hope things continue to improve for each of you.
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Kkemp2211 - looks like you are up on Tuesday. Best wishes to you. Please keep us posted.
Paula Kay - Hope your consult is positive and all you want it to be!
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Hi ladies, I had my post op and then headed to the quarter... Had some cafe du monde and then sat in Jackson square where it is super bowl central. Then my daughter and I had lunch at the acme oyster house... A little early for lunch, but worked out cause the line was long as we were leaving. We then took the streetcar up to Tulane where we met up with my professor friend who drove us back to his house... Resting now. Will shower soon and we are hitting a Mardi Gras parade tonight in Metairie. I am sore, but it's ok... Just need to have a BM and things will be much better.
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It sounds like you are managing some fun, Betsy! Woohoo! Laissez le BM's roulet!
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I know you are a veteran at this Betsy, but be careful of the crowds and don't overdo.
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In the end we didn't go to the parades... I am laying low.
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Betsy-
Hope you start turning corners very soon, and have smooth travels home. How long did Dr D write you off work?0 -
Wow it amazes me that you all do so much after surgery. You both are so strong and will feel so much better by the end of next week. You are healing. Betsy, I hear you with the BM. Are you taking something for that??
Pinkheart- no, I am an uncomplicated case. I will have a breast lift, lipo and fat grafting, and incision work. No post op that I know of. I will look into hotel cancelation policy and play it by ear. We have a 3.5 hr. drive home.0 -
Cherrie- did you see my post about airbnb? You can probably find a condo in walking distance to Dr M's office for $55 or less a night.
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Hi all,
I have seen references to bunny tail, and dog ears by some in this thread and am wondering what that is exactly. In June I will have what Dr M calls a shark bite taken from one buttock to add as an extended flap to the Stage 1 DIEP I had performed in August locally (that left me with a very small reconstructed breast and tons of scar tissue under the arm with no volume). I feel like I know what to expect for recovery from the additional microvascular surgery on the breast and underarm, but have no idea what happens to my butt, how it will look or feel or where the drains will be attached or if the bunny tail and dog ears refer to something that will apply to my outcome. I did read somewhere that the drains for my butt will be left in for up to 6 weeks so I am wondering about positioning and what to do about clothing during that time and after.
Any advice is so greatly appreciated. I found Dr M and NOLA thru this thread and feel like there is a life waiting out there for me with less pain, frustration and humiliation. The positive energy I feel everytime I read these posts has really changed my life already!
Thanks!
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