NOLA in September?
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Nordy, I will be there from 2/23 to 3/2, so I hope to meet you and HoltBolt and hopefully others from this thread.
Does anyone know how long before the flap is completely safe in the sense that there is no danger of failure? I'm thinking that it must be up to the point where you can sleep on your side?
I just found out that my family member who was going to come to NOLA with me for the last few days and the return home, is not coming now. My daughter is coming at the beginning, but she can't stay 10 days because of school. Did everyone have people who stayed the whole time? Nobody in my life is really able to do that. I'm thinking maybe I should ask my daughter to come later rather than earlier.
I am so far behind everyone! My surgery is scheduled for 2/23 and I haven't got the packet or sent my photos in yet. My home PC is in repair and I won't get it back til the weekend. I am not looking forward to taking those photos! LOL!
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HelloFromCT- I do believe it is about 6 weeks when the flap is safe- Sleep on side at 6 weeks...While a flap failure is rare after the 1st week. it can happen.
Sorry your 2nd family member is not able to go now.
While it is really nice to have someone in the hospital...Especially the 1st 2 days. The Nurses take very good care of you...Extra good if you do not have anyone there. PlainJanes person canceled on her...So I would talk to her.
I do think it would be good to have someone with you at the hotel & you do need someone to fly home with you.
Pam
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HellofromCT~ I believe that you have to have someone in order to be discharged from the hospital. I have a gap in caregivers since I also can't have one person stay the entire time. I have a 12 hour gap the day that I leave the hosital so I am staying until later in the day. So I found out this week that I will be in the hospital from Jan 25-30. I don't mind a bit and I am glad that they are concerned enough to extend my stay
. Okay in the packing thread I can not find a list..... Here is what I have so far:
- 1. Chapstick
- 2, yoga pants
- 3. button up shirts
- 4. hoodies
- 5. slip on shoes
- 6. suppositories (sp)
- 7. Miralax
Can you think of anything else ???
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Thanks Pam...that makes sense. I may just ask my daughter to come later so she can accompany me home.
6 weeks--that's about what I guessed for the flap to be completely safe, but it sounds like it is pretty rare for it to fail once you're discharged from the hospital.
JenniferJane...did you have someone there at the beginning? If not, was it difficult?
Thanks for the help! Oh, should I buy a recliner for when I get home, or one of those foam things?
Suzanne
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Thanks Jaimieh. My surgery date is 2/23 but I'm not sure how long I'll actually be in the hospital. I think Liz said 3 days. That's nice they are extending your stay in the hospital. It's one less thing to have to think about arranging! You are a month ahead of me...can't wait to hear all about your experience!
What is that last item on your list?
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Hello Ladies, I have read all your post. I had stage 1 Hip Gap with Dr. D back in Sept. You really helped me through the tough times during stage 1 recovery. I have been a lurker. I had my drains in for over 8 wks. I never got below 30 cc. I am very excited about stage 2 on March 4.
Alicia
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HellofromCT~ I changed it I went and found the stuff that I took during Chemo. The last 2 items are things to help you go to the bathroom after watching this thread I saw that a lot of time "help" is needed. The pain medication, anesthesia and lack of mobility doesn't help with moving things thru.
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Welcome Alicia!
My last drain is still at 50-65ccs. I have it pulled on Fri (9wks) Did you keep your drain past 9 weeks?
Did you ever get a seroma?
I really dont want to have to deal with that.
Pam
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Jaimieh, okay thanks...yes, that's something I've read a lot about on this thread.
Hi Alicia...how are you doing now? Good luck with Stage 2!
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Good Morning ladies!
I would have been on sooner BUT I had a suprprise this am......My ongoing saga! My cleaning lady whom I sent away a couple weeks ago showed up to clean my house today! And because the place is a sty and I still have EVERY christmas decoration up.....decided LONG ago i would celebrate my lifting restriction being OVER tomorrow by undecorating! ANYWAYS I was happy to see her and said HELL yes! Come clean this mess! She's here to clean not be my nurse and I guess I didn't fire her a coupleweeks ago just told her I wasn't feeling well and would feel better alone or w/ someone else.....OK guess I'm over it!
Hello from CT. Here's the deal....You do HAVE to have someone to be DC'd w/ and someone to fly home w/, for liability, safety and because you NEED the help...plus you may still be on heavy duty pain meds. It is of course nice to have someone there w/ you at first BUT reality....we don't all have traditional families/support systems SO we work w/ what we got! My nurse called a friend every 2 hours during my surgery then afterward...They knew my situation in regards to no husband, no one w/ me going in to surgery but they were SO good to me just said "We're your family for now"..I was pretty snowed the first day or 2.....I'm pretty sure nursing care is one to one for the first 24 hours or so....even after that period they have phenomenally great nurse pt ratios your nurse might have one other patient?......SO YES...I had no one physically w/ me for gosh almost a week and I was WELL taken care of and even in my medicated state I grilled them asking what why, who, etc and they were AWESOME...very on the ball and genuinely compassionate. I was texting, on the phone and on the computer probably the second day after surgery but you will sleep a lot....actually I was so wiped out from doing EVERYTHING to get there pre op and nervous and not sleeping for a long the time before- I think that too contributed to sleeping for almost 2 days after. SOoooooooooooo if you're having to ration your support ask them to come on day 3 or 4 when you should get dc'd(barring no issues). I earned one extra day because I had a blood transfusion and had to go back to OR the first night. But after that they just made no big deal and kept on w/ 'just stay another day! we like you'. I was so embarressed felt like such a squatter! But they wouldn't let me leave alone.
Need to run...Oh HEY...if you have Steinmart mine has Spanx stuff and better prices just maybe picked over by now due to Christmas. I also have some jockey stuff from Kohls that is similar compression/foundations.
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Dejaboo....You gave me some great advice back in December right before my surgery, but we hadn't talked about spanx. Must have been someone else back in September, because back then is when I started my radiation and before my expander failed because of it. Everything changed in early November regarding reconstruction and that is when I decided to get a flap surgery... I will look at the pair I bought and see if it has seams. I hadn't thought about that. I want it to as comfortable as possible. Thanks!
Jamie...Bring an extra bag with you or save room in your suitcase because they will send a lot of supplies home with you.
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Do you use Spanx after stage 2 or is it used after stage 1 ??
Okay room in the bags for supplies...check....anything else ??
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Hi ccbaby- Sorry- What I meant was Spanx & other brands were discussed on this Thread- maybe around Sept.
Nordy pointed ou tthe Seam thing to me...And I thought- How much can a little seam hurt? LOL
Jaimeh- You will come home with the Black Dominatric Outfit & Maybe a Bra? Im not sure what the Boy Drs use ( I had Dr M)
At some point when home you will wear Spanx after stage 1 (I think) & again after stage 2
(Dr M just does Spanx after stage 1)
Pam
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Jaimieh, with my SGAP, I wore compression panties, not Spanx-brand, till after my last drain was out from Stage 1. Really helped slow down the drainage.
Anne
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Norty, that sounds great! Come a stalking anytime! Would love to see ya!
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JenniferJane...thanks for the great info! Okay, well that makes me feel better. I'll have my daughter come later after discharge. Like you, I'll be on my own--single, nobody going with me into surgery, etc. so it's nice to hear from someone who has already done it.
Another question for anyone (everyone). When you have a primary doc (in my case Dr. D), does that automatically mean Dr. S is the secondary doc? And if so, do they both work on both sides? I thought I saw where somebody said both sides were done by different doctors. Do you know who your secondary doctor is ahead of time?
Thanks!
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HFCT~ I called the center and they were able to tell me who my second doctor will be during my surgery.
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Dejaboo....I checked and the only seam is in the front, so I am going to try them as soon as I remove the drain today or tomorrow.
OK, did anyone else LOVE the food at St Charles hospital in NOLA like I did?? They have their own chef there and the food was amazing! I had the fresh fruit with every meal...My husband loved the flank steak and ordered it a couple of times. My nurse told me that when it first opened, they got their food from a nursing home that is nearby and it was awful. I am glad I wasn't there then!
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I don't know where I got this, but I think that both doctors work some on both sides. I think one is working on harvesting the flaps, while the other is working on the recipient sites. At least for DIEP. I don't know how it works for GAP.
Hello from Ct - I don't know how the pairing goes, now with more than the two docs. I don't think it's a given anymore, tho that Drs. D and S work together. In fact I know they aren't always together anymore. I would assume, tho, that at least one of them would be working with either of the 2 newer docs.
Dejaboo - Swedish rosettes! Yes, my mother (Swedish descent) made those. I learned how to make them and my husband still tells the story of how he cracked a tooth on one of them. It's true - which, as you can imagine, would be very difficult to do! I cringe whever he tells the story (it was some hard thing in the flour). Needless to say, I don't make them very often!
Sandy - Maybe I just assumed it was a doc who inhaled. Or if he says he didn't inhale, I believe him!
Jaimieh - Bring a notebook so you can journal your adventures!
Melanie - You say it's cold there?! Don't make me laugh! HAHAHAHAHHHAHHHHAAAAAAAAA!
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Minnesota--thanks. There are two newer docs? I didn't realize.
Holtbolt and I may have the same pairing since our surgery is on the same day. I'll have to ask about that one. I can't help but wonder if both sides would look the same with 2 different docs working on them. I guess I'm getting a little nervous, that's all.
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So now you are telling us Minn that the Drs Inhale?
I had no idea! LOL
Love your Rosette story- I bet dh loved telling it!
I have not made them since I was a teen.
ccbaby- Those 'Spanx' Sound great then!
I loved the Grilled Cheese! I ended up staying a day extra incase of flooding from Ida. And I had ordered a Grilled Cheese. But left about 5 minutes before lunch. I was so bummed! LOL
Pam
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You can call the center and they will tell you who your second surgeon will be. I wasn't given an option on that one.
When I went for my consult with Dr. S. I told him that I wanted to stay the same breast size which was a C/D. I had more fat on my hips than anywhere else and I believe that is why he decided to do a hip flap.
Goose, yes, I found there are differences in the recovery between the hip flap and the Diep. The hip flap was much less painful and I felt that I recovered quicker. The only negative thing is that my drains were in about 7 weeks and probably would have been in longer if they didn't loose suction and stooped working. I am 2 and half weeks out from the Diep and I removed my last drain a couple of days ago.
Nordy, the scars from the hip flap after stage 2 do go all around the butt. However, they are pretty low. Because I had the Diep and tummy tuck as well, I have one long scar going all around me.
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Nordy - I guess it must depend on each person because my scars from the hip flap do not go all the way around the back. Where they were after Stage 1 is where they still are today....
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Hello from CT,
DellaCroce was my primary and Trahan was the second surgeon. Honestly I didn't find out until later.....when Trahan was on call the first night post op and was having me sign a consent I asked him.
Last week I went to lunch w/ Teel and Dr. Massey was her primary. Teel got the impression that Massey typically uses Sullivan because he is L handed? Then again....didn't Warrior have DellaCroce and Massey? BUT supposedly during her(Teel's) surgery they switched sides....Teel told me she seemed to think the Sullivan side was prettier but........??? not sure.....since he did part of each?
Someone else asked also about danger period for flap failure. Yes I think those first 6 weeks are VERY important BUT that FAILURE is usually in the first 10 days if it is going to happen....which I believe is why we stay in NO 10 days for stage 1.
I know I'm jumping the gun but wondering how long until abd/back-trunk feel 'normal'. Realistically.
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Nordy, Like Pam, I had SGAP & on stage 2 my PS ended up making the incisions longer to deal with the bunny ears and tail. So, while it isn't exactly one long scar it looks it because the separation is hidden by the butt cheeks. It all depends on what the ends of your incisions look like pre stage 2 and how much revision is actually needed.
The way I figure it, is that I don't have to look at these things very often and they will fade if my other scars are any indication. So even though it's a long incision, it's OK by me. I'm happy with the recon and that's the biggest thing for me.
Charleston is in the 20's this week also!!! YIKES! Us warm-blooded gals can't handle this chill!
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Hello from CT,
A few other words from someone who is VERY used to being VERY independent. It would be a good idea, if you've not already done it, to enlist some other supports. You have every reason to believe all will go off well. BUT, the reality is, you will probably need help once you get back home too. You may already be aware. If you can have someone around for a week or so that will probably be good. You'll probably still be on lortab or some other pain med and you cannot drive when on that. Fortunately, I had someone here for almost a week. We made grocery store and target runs when I returned home and then she made sure we had a date every week or 2 to do the same. My neighbors came over to take out the trash etc. It was a VERY difficult thing for me(asking for help on stuff that has always been NOTHING!). I got busted at the grocery store by another set of neighbors....I wasn't buying THAT much! BUT you are restricted and aren't to lift greater than 10 lbs for 6 weeks. When you are single and live alone.......that is a HUGE consideration because we get used to and are very GOOD at doing EVERYTHING!
I truly do wish I had tighter family support and a few more strong supportive types....actually a husband would be just great but HEY no guarantees on those either !....Actually, making/building/maintaining more of those sorts of connections and support systems has become a new years resolution as I just didn't realize how lacking I was until all this...I've always been VERY self sufficient......I did become very involved w/ my church prior to stage one, got into a class and those classmates are truly there for me in spirit, prayers and one even fixed a plumbing issue and saved me a phone call/bill and rip off . I also met w/ the priest, was annointed prior to leaving. All these things just took me into the experience feeling more supported. And being on here and staying in touch was EXTREMELY helpful. Melanie and I talked on the phone before, during, after our stage 1 surgeries. I also met Stephanie and kept in touch w/ Nordy....she actually called me after her surgery which was a month before mine....that helped me feel more confident as well. My boss at work and several work friends stayed in touch and sent me flowers that were waiting for me post stage one. Since no one was w/ me physically I also set up a caring bridge website and updated that way. It is exhausting to update, and make phone calls to person after person. I think I told you the OR nurse updated my friend/boss at work calling every 2 hours during the surgery. My boss then got on my caringbridge website and updated it initially. Then after a day or so I was able to get on it and do so myself and people can leave you messages and encouragement and ask questions.
Don't forget your cellphone, charger, laptop, charger. If you can't have people there w/ you physically it is NICE to hear their voices and read their e-mails! Those good feelings and laughter help you heal better too! I was OK w/ just those connections...Not everyone would be BUT think about it. When Sally calls you for preop and when you meet w/ the preop and OR nurses they will ask you both before and day of surgery about who is with you. Also I had a living will and other documentation necessary...they'll ask who is to make decisions in the event of problems, complications, etc....and have a preformatted one if you don't have your own. I DID discuss these things w/ loved ones, even updated a will. Not because I thought I would have a bad outcome just reality....This is a BIG surgery and a big deal. There are risks w/ it....but there are risks w/ everything else too! I truly never felt alone BUT I've never really met a stranger and for stage one I CHOSE not to tell many people until I was much farther along in the healing process....honestly some people and their behaviors would have been a hindrance to my peace and healing process so you gotta do what's best for you!
Hope I don't sound too preachy just stuff for us single gals to consider.
xoxo,jennifer
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Jaimieh I brought my ipod which I used every day. Not always easy to sleep in the hospital so I found it very soothing to listen to music. You don't need much in the hospital as far a clothes I used the hospital gown my entire visit and they provide a very nice robe.
Nordy looks like I will just miss you. I haven't finalized my plans yet but I thought I would leave on Mar21st. I have to confirm my date with the center so it still may change.
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Okay - time to chime... teehee.. Jennifer is right - you DO need someone to be with you upon d/c from the hospital and they REQUIRE someone to fly home with you. I know this because I wanted to fly my hubby home on a different flight... because if my plane crashed I wanted someone to live to raise the kids...
LOL... sorry, this is just me... (always worrying about my kids...!) AND - I too found my IPOD invaluable. Also, I had an 8x10 collage (spelling?) picture of my girls printed and framed it to keep next to my bed in the hospital. I missed my kids tremendously, so this helped so that I could see them everyday. Journaling is GREAT as someone said and helps pass the time. I liked flip flops to wear in the hospital. They do have warm fuzzy booties, but I hate walking on the floor with them then bringing them into my bed, so kept them for in bed use and the flip flops for wandering the hallways. HellofromCT - I am sorry! I am not in NOLA in Feb - it is the end of March that I will be there. It looks like there are going to be several people there while you are there though, so you should all have a great time!
Stephanie - boohoo. I am sorry I will miss you! Maybe for tats???
Cat1 - Okay, consider yourself stalked! We should overlap in hospital stay since you will likely be there for 4 nights and I will have one night in the hospital.
I am trying to figure who will come with me as my hubby does not want to come back to NOLA. Who knows, maybe he will change his mind by then, but this way he can stay with our kids when he is not working, so it may just be a good thing.
As for the docs - Dr. Trahan was my assisting (I found out after). One nurse told me that Dr. Sullivan likes to take up his own flaps, and in general - it is your primary surgeon who draws all over you and decides where the incision lines are going to be. Mine both look pretty good, but I am very curious to know who did what as well. Not that it matters... just curious!
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Well, a dream woke me up this am. wasnt the worst...but I didnt like it. I dreamed that my drain bulb was all the way full & it looked like soy sauce!
And my drain which is normally 50-65. Was 35 overnight! I usually measure 50 during the day.
So I will probably be 85-95 today
I have an appt to get it out tomorrow. Im going to call Dr Ms assistant & see if she thinks I should wait. Dr M said Saturday to have it pulled no matter what. But she also said they have had patients have a drain for 10 weeks. I am 9 weeks today.
has anyone had a drain past 9 wks?
What do you think?
Pam
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Nordy..............Offer still open........
but the biggest update is to celebrate ......................
I AM DRAIN FREE!
woo hoo! 15 cc this am and in case anyone is interested I measured and there were 11 inches between the suture and end of drain........SO in case you think you've pulled it out KNOW it is tunneled quite a ways girls! OMG this is SO exciting BUT I do still feel sort of boggy/weird in the sacral and abdominal.......SO I will be wearing the compression as long as I can stand.......will probably aim for another month and re-eval....he did a LOT on me! I will probably look into spanx in another week too as i do think the dominatrix(s) have stretched some, AND i expect to shrink so need to support that!
Spring are you still compressing?
Alright one more question too.....to anyone plicated.......when did you start doing sit ups again? Stacy told me ok to resume aerobic activity BUT I forgot to ask about toning core stuff following plication and a LOT of core lipo......may go on ask the DR.....AND will for sure consult my phys therapist. Yesterday while doing a project-planted some bulbs- I was bent a little forward and my back was killing me....this happened after more time on the feet monday too.
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