NOLA in September?
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Holy cow you lades!!!! Lots of updates!
Nordy, no poopy diaper changing in dark cars on your lap!!! LOL!! My sensation is less on my butt, I have numb areas there. No lymphedemia that I can see or feel.
CCBABY, YAY YAY YAY!!! Side sleeping!!! Wooooooo! Enjoy!!! Isn't it things like this we take for granted???
Cat, I will add you !!! Happy Bday to you! A new you!!
Macksix6 - are you on Tamoxifen? I read somewhere recently that most women on Tamoxifen get a thickened lining. About going back to work, I think it will depend on what you have done in Stage 2.
I needed 4 weeks, but that is the hight end.Warrior, things okay with your DH?
Anne! I was not napping!!! LOL. I took a 2 mile walk! 31 minutes! My record! I still have it!
LouAnn, funny dream! You really want this surgery!!! You are going to have it girl!! Not long now!!! You will be at the right place, you can't go wrong with the limo service!!
Drains: the boob drains came out the day I left the hospital. I had 2 belly and 2 butt. One more belly drain came out at the post op appt. the doplars came out then too.Liz, there are dents after phase 1 that sort of fill in on their own a lot (mine did) and then they fix your butt in stage 2 and lipo and contour so everything is good.
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Hi Girls!
I have been reading your informative thread every since I have been thinking about reconstructive surgery. Now my decision has been made, I am ready to jump in!
Saturday, I had a phone consultation with Dr. Massey. After having an unilateral mastectomy in Dec. 2008 followed with 38 radiation treatments, she decided stacked DIEP would be the best procedure for me. My surgery date has been set for May 5 in Charleston, SC. (of course I am awaiting insurance approval!) Dr. M seemed to be such a compassionate doctor. I am SOOOO excited!!!!! I am ready to finally have this surgery done so I can try to put the cancer part of my life behind me.
I do have a question that hopefully someone can answer. I have had several abdominal surgeries before...C-section, hysterectomy, and one other abdominal surgery. I was wondering if this could affect the chances of finding good blood vessels for DIEP? I was just concerned.
Thanks for any help you can give me!
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Bennetts, I met Dr. Massey when I was in the St. Charles Surgical hospital for my Stage 1 in Sept (she was doing the rounds) and she is very nice! You will really like her. She is very compassionate, and easy to talk to as well. (Dr. D was my primary).
As far as abdominal surgeries, I think they will do a scan ahead of time to make sure everything is okay. I never had any abd surguries, but Dr. D did like a doplar sound thing to listen to them prior to surgery. They are all so good, you are in the best of hands! Congratulations!
I will add you to the listing above. May already !!! Wow!!!
Spring.
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hi bennetts1,
I'm not sure, but I had an appendectomy and when I sent the photos they wanted a clear view of the scar, so maybe there is something to that.
Spring, did you have GAP or HIP flap? Liz let me know that there is a remote chance I may not be able to do DIEP and may have to do GAP. You did a combination, right? How did they determine whether to do GAP or HIP? I don't really think this will be an issue as I have plenty of fat for DIEP but I want to be prepared for what might happen.
Thanks!
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Hello, I had to stack the belly and the butt, I didn't have enough in either one place. Stephanie had this too. It is called a "Stacked DIEP/lumbar" where they use 4 flaps (2 in each breast) instead of 2. I believe they put one belly flap on each side and then attach the lumbar to it. My understanding from Dr. D is that you can "hook" stuff onto the DIEP flaps (another DIEP or from the backside), but you can't stack two lumbars or GAPs to each other. Hope this makes sense!
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Jeans, jeans, jeans. I checked Buckle, but the jeans there were to blingy and low cut for me. I deliberately steered clear of 7's. My waist now fits about an 8, my hips a 6, and my quads/thighs are an 8. So, I must have pants that come up to my hip bones. (I'm long-waisted, so it won't look like I'm wearing Mom Jeans!) If I get the lower rise ones, I can tug them off my hips while still buttoned! SO--I found a Levi's 515 that fit great. If I hadn't found that, I was going to have to go to the cowboy store for guys Levi's or Wranglers. I might still, just to find a jean that's all denim, no spandex!!
And I had to get slacks for work. I had a mini-meltdown yesterday when I realized all my Dockers were at least a size too big, and uber-saggy in the butt. Now that I'm not wearing my Spanx, this size difference is way more noticeable.
I'm eager for tomorrow--it's climbing day, and Pilates reformer day. And I'm getting a massage after. I found this guy who gives a really great massage. I've always had women massage me. My first massage with him, I wore my panties. Is it kosher to be commando for a guy massage??? I need him to get into my hips and butt scar tissue...
Anne
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Spring...You are so right! I slept so good last night too!! I really needed that.
Liz...I didn't have GAP, but I did have a HIP, which is higher up right above the buttocks. I just had my stage 1 5 weeks ago and I do have a indention there, but all of that will be fixed at stage 2 in 7 weeks.
I am sad because I just read that a girl that was on Survivor:Palau died of Breast cancer....Jennifer Lyon...she was only 37
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Jaimieh the Ct scan is not a big deal. They have to hook you up to an IV and the only wierd thing is when they shoot the dye through. It gives you a very warm sensation that goes through your entire body. When it hits the groin area you swear you are going to pee but you don't. It takes about an hr or so.
Lou Ann I had the stacked diep/lumbar (nipple sparing, actually areola sparing) I did not have enough fat from my tummy for two breasts. Spring is correct that they take half the diep flap and stack it with one side of the butt flap. My results are great, the breasts are very nice and natural and the tummy is very flat. I do have one side of my butt that does have a very prominent dent that I am hoping to fix at stage 2. From what Spring tells me they go back in through the same incision and pull the tissue together from each side to smooth it out. I never really had much of a butt before so anything would be an improvement.
Wow you girls are up next week !!!!!!!
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Jennifer where are you girl ??? You are working too hard.
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Hi Girlfriends!! I just wanted to pop in to say my DH is HOME from the hospital. They ended up having to do a cardioversion today. ie ZAPPED him ..ouch ( He was put under) Gladly, that put him back into rhythm! He is beat but resting NEXT to me now. That makes me so happy. It feels like Normal once again...now we just need one of us to find a full time job. Simple requests..lol Truly, thanks so much, my dear friends for your thoughts and prayers. I could truly feel the love here in cold Michigan! lol
Bennets and Liz-I had Dr. M this past fall for a DIEP and I am really happy with my outcome. Please feel free to PM if you want!!
J-The CT Scan should take less than an hour. I had it done. They had trouble finding a vein but I have HORRIBLE veins, so mine took longer and they basically had to put a central line in my neck the night before surgery. BUT they said my situation was very, very rare. Once or twice a year only....so since I was there in fall, then you should be just fine...lol
Dejaboo..Pam!! How are you. PM your cell phone. We have to chat and email will be too long lol
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Warrior thank you for taking one for the team...lol.... I hope you or your DH find a fabulous job soon. I have cruddy veins now thanks to chemo & herceptin but I hope they can find one.
Just wanted to check but I can take Ativan before surgery ?? Or Xanax ?? I am heading to NOLA by myself on Sunday and I know thtat I am going to be a nervous wreck so I am thinking that I will take something to help me relax and sleep. I can call the center but I have been on the phone all week. I pulled my back out last Friday which I was able to get in control without anything but I wanted to check about advil before I started popping it. Glad I didn't have to take anything. Then we went skiing and my 4 year old lost his ski and it tangled me up and I look like a 90 yr old walking...lol.. I am sure it will keep getting better and like I told my DH if not it will feel just fine this time next week...lol....
Almost have my house ready to go... I hate leaving things to other people.....
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Jaime - I believe the active ingredient in Advil is Ibuprofen - which they do NOT want you to take because it tends to have properties that may increase bleeding. If you call the center, they will probably recommend Tylenol for pain control because acetaminophin does not have this property. I do not know about the Ativan or Xanax however... Sorry! It will be okay... Really. I so hear you about getting tangled up with your 4 year old. My hubby had our 4 year old skiing, but my 2 year old's ski got caught under mine a couple of times and we almost wiped out... LOL. It makes it impossible to turn! I just have to calmly remind myself that all I have to do is pick up my ski and move it further out and the problem is gone!0
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Thanks everyone for all of your help and info!!
LouAnn
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Warrior! SO glad your hubby is home and doing better. I have no doubt that you both will find the jobs you want. You put out way too much good energy for it not to happen.
My hubby has been having chest pains for months and FINALLY got his blood work done this week. His triglycerides are 295 and his glucose is high too. He eats horribly at work. No more! This was a big eye opener for him. My husband is fit and trim. You would never know his insides are so unhealthy. But you can't eat like he does at work and not have it affect you!!!
I love reading all of your love stories. It warms my heart. My parents are celebrating their 40th this year. They got married at 16 and 17 and had me at 17 and 18. Dropped out of high school, got their GED's and beat every statistic out there. They are the BEST.
Jamieh, Bayyy and LouAnn, you guys are going to do great. The CTA was really easy. Dr. S told me I could take valium if I needed it. No Advil though!!
For those of you ladies who are concerned about swelling. Remember...the full effects of the lipo can't be seen for 6 months! Liz really stressed to me that they pump you up with fluid. My tummy still swells a little after I work out really hard. So be patient with yourselves!
I am the girl with the JLo ass. So I am having to wear a belt because my pants are too big around the waist...LOL! I am wearing 10/12, but want to get back down to an 8 or even a 10. I could have had killer boobs made with my butt, love handles or stomach! Sometimes it pays to be the fat girl. LOL!
So I'm back to working out with the trainer for the Biggest Loser contest part 2. The one I joined 3 weeks after my stage 2 ended 12/1. I worked out over the holidays and LOVE going to the gym again. I lost 1 lb instead of gaining through Christmas so that's nice. The contest started up last week and tomorrow is our first weigh in. I can't believe how slow it is coming off! And I work out HARD. My sister is getting a pool this year and I am GOING to have a bikini body dammit!!!
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Glad you found a pair of Jeans Anne. Sure hope you can find others eventually!
maybe we will have to start a list of Brands/styles.
Do you think your shape changed a lot from stage 1 to 2? I tried on my smaller size jeans this week (Express & Levi) And they fit better then before. But then I have not had stage 2 yet.
Enjoy your massage- dont know about the undies- Never had a massage.
Warrior so glad your dh is home & doing good! Sorry I meant to pm my # but forgot. No surprise there. Ill try harder to remember this time.
Trishia- Hope your dh can get his triglycerides down. Sweet story about your parents
Pam
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Thanks for that info Spring. It's just what I needed to know. I think that combo would work better for me than GAP. Did they give you a choice about donor sites? Between HIP or GAP to go with the DIEP? Do the HIP scars connect with the DIEP scars? LOL...sorry for all the questions. There aren't any diep/lumbar photos that I've seen so I'm trying to imagine.
Thanks again!
Suzanne
P.S. I don't know what I would have done without all of the info from you all. Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!
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Greetings
After posting how great I felt on Tuesday, Wednesday saw another trip to the ER when we noticed that my left ankle was swollen and I was having repeated epidoes of Raynaud's syndrome (fingers losing blood flow). They ruled out blood clots aanything else serious, buut a CT scan of the chest did reveal that the left axiallry and riught retrocrural lymoph nodes were enlarged. Since I am 20 years aout from my breast cancer dx, I do not assume that this is breast ca related -- I am assuming it is surgery related but will f/u with my primary. Has anyone else had similar experience?
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Warrior, so glad to hear your DH is home.
Jamie - is anyone going to be with you after your surgery.. you mentioned going alone.... if not.. take your laptop.. we will be here!
I decided not to freak out until I am less than 30 days from surgery .. and it's still a little over so yay! lol. Sally, the pre-admission nurse at St. Charles called the other day and we had a nice long chat... LOVED HER. She put my mind at ease (a little).
ccbaby - yeah, I saw that the Survivor contestant lost her battle with bc... truthfully it catapulted me into a bad day yesterday.... I can be going along doing great and something like that will have me thinking about cancer again.... it sucks.... today will be better though... because I am a lucky girl heading to NOLA for a new beginning!!
My mom is still waiting to hear whether she has to do chemo or not. She's 72 and just had a mastectomy right before Christmas. So, we are both in the 2nd time around bc club... crazy..... I think when I find out she does not have that in her future, I can get more excited about this NOLA trip. She is supposed to come here and stay with our son (so DH can go to NOLA) but if chemo comes up, that's off and we'll be scrambling for a Plan B. Having gone through chemo myself, I pray she does not have to do it at 72.
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BiLat 12/2/08, Completed 4 rounds of TC on 3/24/09
Diagnosis: 11/22/2008, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, Grade 2, 0/1 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-0 -
holtbolt~ My sister is going to be there with me until Saturday and then I will be alone at the hospital for 12 hours until my DH gets there. I am taking my laptop so I will be on trying to think about something besides the drains.
I just need to throw my stuff into a suitcase and then I am ready.... I had a dream last night that Dr. S laughed at me and told me that I needed too much work. It was horrible
. Glad it was just a dream but it was odd because I normally do not remember my dreams. 0 -
Jamie, just a few more days for us--but you to NOLA and me to NY!! I'm pretty excited about it today!! I had my CT scan last month and it was a piece of cake. It took less than a half hour. Easier than an MRI to me. You'll be fine!
Thanks Tricia for you the good wishes and for the story about your parents, that's why you turned out so sweet!
I had my pre-op yesterday and it went well, I just wonder why I didn't have to have a chest xray, I thought it was standard?
One of the nurses came in to take blood and evidently she didn't know i was having pre-op for a DIEP because when she asked my weight and I said, gee, I haven't been weighing myself because I've been trying to grow my belly to make some nice boobs...she burst out laughing, smacked my arm and said Honey, it doesn't work like that!!....I said, uh, sometimes it does!
and then I told her what kind of surgery I was in there for...lol, we then had a really good laugh together!0 -
Margit, I'm thinking the lymph nodes are merely reacting to the surgery you had. Probably a repeat CT in 3 months will be advised and show resolution. At least, I hope so. Even being 20 years out from your diagnosis, it's all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Hope you're feeling better.
Anne
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Good luck to everybody going in for surgery. I will be going to NOLA Feb. 2 St. Charles Center. I am having wild dreams too. It was so funny reading about Jaimie's dream. I dreamed Dr. D. looked at me and said "You are just too old!" Ha.
I guess I am getting pretty old. I just don't feel like it. I have been married to my husband for 42 years. OMG I can't believe it! We started dating at 15! He's till the one.
NOLA girls, we will contact each other one way or other. OK?
Bettye
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Anne - Haven't had a massage since all this started but I've had a guy before and I left my undies on. Just felt weird taking them off.
Warrior - So glad your DH is home and doing better.
Good luck to everyone going into surgery next week!
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Hi everyone - haven't been on here for a while and it took FOREVER to get caught up on reading!
Spring - can you put me down for Stage 2/3 in NOLA on March 15? Need to have my left side reduced and lifted AGAIN and then we might get nipples done (still haven't decided on actual nipples or the 3D tattoo)!
Nordy - poo on your shoo! Toooo funny! Looking for that pic of your feet in those nifty shoes! Left you a VM - hoping to maybe catch up with you this weekend when I'm back in your area!
Dejaboo - glad to see you are doing well. Hope that tenting gets better with time! I've had an impossible time trying to find a bra also - really hard to take. What fits one side is too small for the other and what fits the other side leaves the first side rippling with extra cup material! Hopefully, the second Stage 2 will make everything better.
Jeans/pants!!!! I've been wearing the same ones I had from before. Just tightening the belt. Don't want to spend any money on anything new yet - only just over 6 weeks out. Hoping really hard that I'll still lose some swelling! Getting out of a solid 12 into a good 10 would be terrific!!!
I just love this thread and can't say how helpfull each of you has been through this whole process!
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Laura - you needed to come to NOLA 10 days later!!!! Yes, would love to meet up - will call you later this evening.
Have to run... going to pick up the sitter for a date night... but just wanted to say - this thread is really the best. Really. That is all.
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LLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADies, I cannot keep up!!! I am so fried!!
If anybody needs me, pls PM !!!
Hello - after stage 1, the two donor site scars did not meet (the tummy one was way up high, the lubar was low) but after stage 2, they now meet, he significantly lowered the abdominal incision. Hope this helps. It is all confusing. Ask all your questions at your pre surgical. I went with what Dr. D thought would give me the best outcome. They are the experts and just know. Me I know web site design, those docs know our bodys and our fat! LOL
Just remember, after stage 1 things look good in your boobs (gets better too) but your body needs some help. DO NOT FREAK OUT. When I was back at the hotel and saw my body naked in the mirror i felt totally ravaged. My but had dents and my belly was puffy mess! But soon, the belly de-puffed and looked better than before, and the butt got better. REMEMBER - Stage 1 is just the start. Everyone here told me that, but it is hard to see your body in flux for the first few minutes!
OH WARRIOR, I am glad DH is okay. Yes, somebody needs a job !!! lol. simple requests, right?
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Anne Thanks for the info - I'll check out the 515s! I'm long-waisted also, so the low-riders do feel a bit strange even though they fit well. And, hey, about the massage? Two words - thong underwear!! The guy can reach the scars that way and you're not quite nude...
Stage 1 ladies - Spring is so right! But don't freak out if boobs don't look so good at stage 1 either - my left one reminded me of a bagel. and I freaked some, but my doc said it would be ok after stage 2 and he was right. Still may need a bit of revision down the road but not much. Im jealous about the lipo magic, didn't get that! But my butt dents are pretty much fixed. You will be amazed at the difference between stage 1 and 2.
Glad to see some ladies coming to Charleston! Let me know if I can help with anything!
So, DH took pics of my tatts and I will post them - except they are hidden under 2 white squares and tegaderm! LOL! Looka much better that way, what with the weird color paste smeared on top. In about a week the non-stick squares go away and I;ve been told to use saran wrap and vaseline - LOL! I'm starting to feel like a science experiment! Wrapping yourself in saran wrap and vaseline - who comes UP with these things!
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CharlestonGirl, I considered thong undies but just went ahead and went nekkid. My massage guy is really cool, and he draped me appropriately. It was a really good massage, and he was able to break up some scar tissue in my hips and glute areas.
Off to work today...ready for the weekend!
Anne
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Good morning ladies, I remember that some of you mentioned that you got a belt to hold your drains from the hospital and some talked about shoe strings holding up your drains while in the shower. Does NOLA give you a belt with pockets to put your drains in? Did they give you two belts? I'm trying to think ahead to see if I need to make something for the shower. With SGAP, I'll be stuck with them for awhile.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
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That's something I've been wondering about---when you have drains up and down--do you wear one belt or 2 and how are they positioned?
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