One step implant procedure with Alloderm - Anyone?
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momof3brca: That's such good news. Even if a small area needs debridement, it will fade with time. Yay!0
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Momof3brca - that is fabulous news! I had an appt with my PS today, and he said he doesn't need to see me for another 4 months. He thought the skin looked great; I will have some pink skin there for some time, but it will eventually fade away. He also said "no restrictions", so I'm free to run, swim, lift, etc. He did remind me to keep up with the daily massaging. So, let your daughter know there's a light at the end of the tunnel! Monday will be 8 weeks since surgery.
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BeachDee....Yayyyyyyy! So happy for you! No restrictions!!! I sure hope my daughter is healed up at 8 weeks because we are planning a week at the beach. When did you start the massaging....the PS hasnt said anything about massage yet. Its been 2 1/2 weeks since her surgery......maybe too early?
TinaT...we were so thankful to get the good report from from the PS. She said if we werent planning a little vacation at the end of August she would probably just watch the spot for awhile, but since we have beach plans she wants this area cleared up and healed before then.
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Beached, excellent news! So pleased for you and your quick healing. Now, don't go overdoing it too soon.
Momof3brca, my heart goes out to you. I can't imagine how difficult it is to walk with 3 of your daughters through this type of struggle, but rest assured, you are doing what no one else can do for them! You are "Mom" and NO one else can care for and comfort them like you can. Their burden would be so much greater with out you. Love is the best medicine! Blessings to you and your family!
Fortunate1, let us know how your sale goes. It's consistently in the 100's here. I've decided to try and adapt and go about things as if it were much cooler. That seems to be about all any of us can do!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.0 -
BeachDee -- I saw that your doctor lifed all restrictions at the 8 week mark. I am at 6 weeks post op and I ran some errands yesterday and last night it felt like things had torn inside my chest...I was in so much pain...had to take a pain pill and sleep in compression bra again. Really discouraging and upsetting. Although things are feeling better now...and I'm taking it very, very easy today...but trying not to panic because I am supposed to return to my job as a Fed Ex courier in 4 weeks...that will make it 10 weeks since surgery and I hope things will be better !! The job is way more physical than running a bunch of errands... EEEK !
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Hello everyone. Good to know the fireworks south of the border went well. Ours were cancelled due to fog!
Okiegal, thanks for letting you know about your sister. How was yours discovered?
Meg, the cottage is great. It is only a 30 min drive to work and at the end of the day it is such a gift to come back out here.
Fortunate1: Looking forward to your photos.
Carole: Are you wearing a jacket up there?
I didn't get a veggie garden in this year because of our anniversary trip. I managed to convince our daughter to throw a few potatoes in the ground and we have basil on the deck but that's about it.
Hi to all the new woman.
Hope everyone has a great week!
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Hi all,
Jen42, you are still early out, in my opinion. I noticed dramatic changes in my healing each week, so you still have time to get better. I know some people bounce right back, but I felt like it took me forever to get my strength back. I eventually found out that I was iron deficient, but in retrospect, I wonder if a more dedicated approach to exercise or physical therapy would have helped. Do you have some exercises you're doing?
Upcreek, In answer to your question, I was doing a breast self exam and noticed a small droplet of clear fluid come out of the nipple. I had never noticed anything like that before and decided to get it checked out. An unsuccessful "ductogram" was preformed which lead to an ultrasound in the doctors office and then a surgical biopsy where a papilloma was discovered. The papilloma was benign, but the surrounding tissue had DCIS. An MRI followed and then another fancier breast ultrasound which lead to a needle biopsy and finally a diagnosis of multifocal DCIS. Whew! I'd forgotten how many procedures were involved before my BLMS! It certainly took a lot more than a mammogram to identify which is why I worry about my sister. On the other hand, there is the concern in the medical community that mammograms lead to overtreatment. Also, scientist think that DCIS doesn't always progress to cancer, sometimes it "self resolves". There are still alot of questions. I try not to worry too much.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.
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okiegal -- since about 3 week mark I have been doing gentle arm stretches, and the "walk your fingers up the wall" thing. At this point, my arm mobility seems OK. And my chest isn't all tight anymore -- I can stand up straight again. What a relief. Also taking near daily walks, and throwing in some squats and other leg exercises once back at home after my walk. Just to feel like I'm doing SOMETHING to not lose all physical conditioning ! I am definitely hoping for some "dramatic improvements" in the next 4 weeks, as far as lifting something heavy. If I had a desk job, I wouldn't be so worried right now. But thank you for reassurance that I'm probably on-track. I guess my body will let me know when I can handle lifting something heavier than 10 lbs.
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Momof3brca - It seems like the massage advice/timing varies from PS to PS, but mine told me to start around 2 weeks in. Your daughter's PS may be waiting until her skin heals a bit more. Might be a good thing to ask about at the next appt. Beach vacation! What an awesome way to celebrate.
Okiegal - Don't worry about me overdoing it - the 100 degree weather here has definitely prevented that from happening
Jen42 - The pain thing was strange for me - like okiegal, each week was an improvement, but at 5 or 6 weeks, I was pretty frustrated that it was still persisting. Then all of a sudden, the pec pain just stopped. I remember one day, I had pretty bad pain just bending down to take a dish out of the dishwasher, and literally two days later, it was not a problem, and I have been fine ever since. Sounds like you're right on track - glad you're feeling better - and definitely doing the right thing with the exercises and stretches.
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Jen42, I think I would have been in much better shape, much sooner if I had been following your routine. I have a feeling that you might just be ready in four more weeks. Here's hoping you are!
BeachDee, your name and picture had me fooled! We're suffering here, too.:(- I love summer, but I will be happy when this one is over. It was 107 yesterday!
have a good day and stay cool everyone!0 -
Jen42 If I can give you any advise it would be to go to physiotherapy. I started at 3 weeks and I was able to return my strength and range of motion with her help. Try to walk every day to build up your endurance. You will be tired when you first go back to work. Do you have a return to work program? I went to work after 2.5 months and started slowly. I was surprised how fatigued I was and I have a sedentary job.
Okiegal, thanks for sharing. Overtreatment, maybe in some cases. In my case with all my other issues I was told it would become invasive and they might not find it when it did.
90 degrees here today and I'm quite north of you!
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Hi, everyone. Somehow I missed reading a whole block of posts, including those by the mom of 3 daughters. My Aunt Augusta and both of her daughters had breast cancer. They all were carriers of the mutated bc gene. My aunt and her youngest daughter did not survive, but the oldest daughter, my cousin Iris, is a survivor. As I have shared previously, I was tested for the gene and tested negative. About a year after the test, I was dx'ed with bc at the age of 66.
Following my bmx with nipple-saving 1-step, I had healing issues. A strip of skin along the left incision about a 1 1/2 in. long turned black and eventually had to be trimmed. I went back into surgery and under general anesthetic for that procedure. The incision healed well after that. The right nipple was slow to heal, too, but eventually it did. I used two different creams. The first ointment is used by heart patients to bring blood to the area where the ointment is applied. Can't think of the name of it, but it caused a fairly severe headache for an hour or so. The 2nd cream was silvadene.
Thank goodness, that whole healing period is now a distant memory.
DH and I are now in Seward, another small town on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. We have a beautiful location for our camper in the city campground, right on the shore of Resurrection Bay. I can glance up as I write and look at out fishing boats coming into harbor. Last night we sat outside and watched a cruise ship depart.
Today we drove to the Kenai Fjords National Park and hiked up to Exit Glacier. The path takes you right to the edge of the glacier. It was quite an impressive sight. The ice absorbs all the light rays except for blue so there are bright blue gashes of color. When we returned to our camper in the parking lot, I discovered my sunglasses were missing, so I climbed the trail again (about 2 miles round trip) but did not find them.
The weather is very cool, the high in the 60's during the day. The days continue to be very long with daylight lasting at least 20 hours. We haven't experienced the darkness of night since early June.
Hope everyone is doing well.
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Bump
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Okiegal....Thanks for the kind and caring words....
BeachDee...You are probably right....we are babying that skin! This Thursday morning the PS is going to remove a little strip of necrotic skin that runs along her incision. Hopefully, after that this bad tissue scare will be over. The PS says the other skin is healing beautifully!
Carolehalston....Thanks for the overview of what you went through. Someone posted the number of pages to read your story so I had already done that......it was such a relief to know that this can and does have a good outcome. Sometimes we just need a little hope to keep us going. Sad to say my husband carries the BRCA gene......
I have to say aside from this skin issue, my daughter has been recovering wonderfully from the One Step with Alloderm surgery. Her discomfort was minimal, her range of motion seems almost back to normal and she is so pleased with the cosmetic outcome!
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Okiegal....Thanks for the kind and caring words....
BeachDee...You are probably right....we are babying that skin! This Thursday morning the PS is going to remove a little strip of necrotic skin that runs along her incision. Hopefully, after that this bad tissue scare will be over. The PS says the other skin is healing beautifully!
Carolehalston....Thanks for the overview of what you went through. Someone posted the number of pages to read your story so I had already done that......it was such a relief to know that this can and does have a good outcome. Sometimes we just need a little hope to keep us going. Sad to say my husband carries the BRCA gene......
I have to say aside from this skin issue, my daughter has been recovering wonderfully from the One Step with Alloderm surgery. Her discomfort was minimal, her range of motion seems almost back to normal and she is so pleased with the cosmetic outcome!
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BeachDee - I just experienced what you mentioned ! Feeling all frustrated at week 6 at still having pain if "overdo it" running some errands...and now a few days later, I am much improved ! Makes me feel much more optimistic about returning to work !
upcreek - there isn't a "return to work " program as a courier at Fed Ex. You either return 100% or you don't. There's no limited duty or anything (at least at my small station, where we only have 2 people working in the office). Luckily, I do have a compassionate manager who I know if he sees me struggling will try to figure out ways to help me out. I think a couple of my co-workers might also offer to take some deliveries off of me or lighten my load in some way, if necessary.
There will be no avoiding the exhaustion and potential uptick in soreness I will probably encounter when I first go back. Can't be home sitting on my butt (for the most part) for 10 weeks and think it's not gonna' hurt me to get back into 8-hour day of a physical job...I remember having to climb that hill back to physical fitness after being out 10 weeks with a back injury last winter. Ugh.
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Jen42, As you have heard from others, the healing can progress even more rapidly as the weeks pass. Still, with the lifting you'll have to do, I'm glad you have a compassionate manager! Even after all this time I can still get very sore muscles when I do heavy lifting - like this last weekend. Massage! It works. Tylenol helps. Avoid heating pads. With no feeling in the "foob" you can burn yourself badly. Women have destroyed their reconstruction with heating pads.
momof3brca, How did the necrotic skin removal go? I had the same thing, worried like mad, and it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I hope it is the same for your dear daughter.
Hello all, the sale was beautiful and profitable. Wore myself out, but happily. Did I tell you all that my PS lives right across the street from where we hold the sale in the summer? Is that funny? I almost don't recognize him in civies.
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Fortunate1 and ladies - It went very well! The PS did it in-office and we were out of there in less than an hour. That one little bad spot is gone!!... The PS said to take it easy for 24 hrs. She also said she is so pleased with the way the other breast tissue has healed. She admitted she had been worried the skin may not survive.... So glad this "necrotic nightmare" is behind us.
Now to get my youngest through this...she should be getting some dates for prophylactic surgery soon.
I want to thank each one of you who sent good wishes, gave advice or just shared your experiences.....your encouragement and concern helped get us through these very stressful weeks. I will still be checking in!
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Momof3, I'm so glad the procedure for removing necrotic skin went well for your daughter.
Fortunate, I'm not surprised that your sale was profitable. You're extremely talented in your art.
We're in Anchorage. Visited the Anchorage Museum today and was enthralled with the Smithsonian exhibit on Alaskan native culture.
If you ever visit Anchorage, be sure to have breakfast at Snow City Cafe. We ate there today and I had the Zodiac benedict. Alaskan king crab cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce served on English muffin. It was to die for.
Hi to everyone.
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Momof3, So glad it went well. Wishing your youngest the easiest of times. It's so scary, but how good to know about the BRCA status and have the options we have these days. Yes, please check in!
Hi Carole, thanks for the generous comments on my work. Can't wait for you to see in person. The Zodiac benedict sounds divine. Everything I love. I'm taking care of a 9-year-old this week. She is a lot of fun. Her sister told her that the food was really really good at our house, so I'm trying to live up to it. We made crepes this morning - a favorite of mine - with peaches from the trees in the front yard. Homemade pizza tonight. And working in clay this afternoon. I had better get going on my own stuff right away before she gets home. If she weren't going to camp during the day I'd be sunk, with deadlines looming.
Hugs to all. It looks like everyone is busy - fun summer busy.
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Hello Everyone!
Momofbrca, So sorry your young daughters have to go through this. They are blessed to have such a caring mom by their side. I wish you and them well.
Great news your daughter is healing well! Make sure she takes the time to heal. I was told not to lift anything over 5 lbs. for a while. I took walks for exercise. My range of motion was limited for a while. I started to massage after 8 weeks, but I did not have any complications after surgery. I massaged gently and not as often as suggested. There is still a lot of healing going on. Keep in touch and enjoy your vacation at the beach!
Carole, Sounds like you and DH are having a great time! Sounds beautiful! You are missing one really hot summer! How are you adjusting to 20 hours of daylight! I think I would be awake all the time...and grouchy from being tired! LOL
Fortunate1, Sounds like you are having a good summer! I hope your DH is continuing to do well. I'm glad your sale went well...sounds like fun! Sitting little ones can be exhausting...good luck!
Okiegal, I hope you are staying cool in this record breaking heat! I'm thinking winter! LOL
DCIS, cancer or not? It's hard for me to except that we had BMX for DCIS if it wasn't necessary. I have an area of extra skin on my right breast that I believe includes breast tissue. I still have OC appointments every 3 months and I don't understand why. I asked the tech who takes my blood and she said the OC checks my breast markers. Why? So much of this doesn't make sense. I try to not think about it...
Upcreek, Your summer at the cabin sound so relaxing!
Natrellex2, Good to hear you are healing well!
BeachDee, I'm glad to hear you're healing well! Don't do too much and take the time to heal.
Jenn42, Good luck returning to work. Good to know when you return your coworkers will help you....Take your time...your body will let you know what you can handle.
DH and I took our 30 Anniversary vacation at a small ocean town at the Jersey Shore. We stayed in a beautiful old Victorian home that was totally renovated. Our room had a rocking chair porch that faced the ocean. DH and I laughed the first time we sat there! Unfortunately, all that fun I had working in the garden before we left hurt my knee. Walks on the beach didn't help. I went to my PC yesterday and now I have an appointment with an orthopedic next week!
Good to be back home and catch up with everyone. Stay well everyone and have a good night!
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Carolehalston, Fortunate1 and Meg9 - Thanks so much for the good wishes! You are all so kind.... The new incision doesn't look great to me....the BS and PS said there is still a very small line of "dusky" skin....but, they think it will be ok. My daughter has been having an issue with fluid build up. The day after the drains came out we noticed it. Today is the third time (in 2 wks) she has had it aspirated. Doesnt seem like a lot of fluid.....8cc, 14cc...today 10cc. But the PS said if it keeps this up she will have to go back to the OR. Have any of you had any experiences with this or know anything about it? The PS doesnt want a lot of compression on the breast since the breast skin is still healing and we dont want to jeopardize the healing skin. She is trying to not over use that side and resting more than she wants.... Is there anything else she can do or should not do? Will appreciate any words of advice......thanks so much, ladies!!
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Meg: Congratulations on 30 years! Us as well. Time went by fast! And thanks, the cottage is a guilty little privelage. We just got lucky and bought before lakefront property skyrocketed. Couldn't afford to buy it now. With this wonderful heat, the breeze off Lake Superior is wonderful.
Okiegal and Meg: Okiegal--sorry if my post sounded like some of us shouldn't have had done what we did. I think we are all smart women and we did our research and in the end made our own decision. I know physicians who made the same choice for themselves. So lets all be thankful that we don't have to have chemo or radiation and our hearts go out to all those who have to go that route. I don't think we ever stop worrying though. My right axilla has been very sore the last week and of course I always think "oh no, what's that?"
Mom of 3: Unbelievable that you have to go through this with your daughters. My thoughts are with all of you and I predict a great future for all of you!
Fortunate1: We are always open for pictures of your work
Did you give your PS a special rate?Carole: So enjoy reading about your travels. Wish you could post videos!
Hope everyone has a good week. Took the day off with my DH and we plan to go kayaking.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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Hi to everyone. We are in Valdez. The drive from Glenellen, over a 100 miles, was awesome. Such beautiful scenery. Mountains, rivers, lakes, glaciers, vistas from mountain passes. I took quite a few "highway" shots as we rode along. Sometimes those quick shots come out really good. But there was a big insect splat on the windshield. LOL.
I spent the afternoon doing some computer work. The campground we're staying in for a couple of days is very pretty. We can sit outside and look up at a long waterfall cascading down a green mountain. But its breezy and dusty since the road in the campground isn't paved.
In reference to Upcreek's statements about not second guessing our decisions about surgery and reconstruction, I agree that we did what we thought was best at the time, given our states of mind and information. There's no point in looking back unless we can help someone else by sharing our experiences and that's basically what we do on this thread.
On a more trivial subject, DH and I both were drop-ins at a beauty salon in Wasilla, Sarah Palin's hometown. It's been about 10 weeks since I had a haircut or any color. The stylist gave me bangs and shaped my hair so it's much more manageable. I have about an inch of gray roots. I decided before the trip started that I wanted to see whether my gray was nice enough to go natural. I always admire women with pretty gray hair that attractively styled. But right now, I'm two-toned!
Meg, your anniversary trip sounds delightful.
Hope everyone is doing well.
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Hi all,
Carole, ahhhh, Alaska. I hope you are enjoying the temperatures for all of us because, wow, has it been hot!!!! And to make it worse, I'm having hot flashes, too!
When you read about DCIS, it seems that you can always find a sentence or two about how some scientists believe that it may be over diagnosed and that they believe that it may self resolve in some (unknown) percentage of cases. This is conjecture and there is much debate on the issue. These statements always seem to suggest that there is some hope for the future that women may not need to undergo the treatments that we and other women currently experience. However, at this time, it seems that we are all better off treating the disease with whatever is required. In my mind, the best part about DCIS is that it is "in situ" and has not spread or infiltrated the breast. That makes it very treatable and I am extraordinarily grateful, but every time I read one of those articles, I can't help but irrationally wonder if there was some other treatment, even when I know there isn't. Irrational, I know. Mostly I don't think about it too much. I'm happy that I'm healthy.
UpCreek, my left armpit has strange sensations and sometimes seems swollen. I wonder if there's "something wrong" too, but early on when I asked my surgeon about it she seemed mystified by my complaints. I only had one lymph node removed so she didn't think that it was anything to worry about and wondered if one armpit was just fatter than the other. I was having lots of strange sensations at the time and wondered if it was lymphadema. If I could manage to lose enough weight to be kind of skinny, I might figure it out some day! I guess if your soreness continues, you could see your doctor?
Meg, my BC surgeon has moved her practice. I'm supposed to have yearly screenings, she only ever does a breast exam, but I'm wondering if I could followup with my internal medicine doctor. I think that the reason you may have such regular appointments may be the difference in ER/PR status. I'm positive on both whereas I notice that you have a negative PR. Is there a different protocol perhaps? Or maybe it's just the difference in doctors?
Well, I better get started on my bike ride before the sun gets to high. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.
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Hello Everyone,
Okiegal, I agree completely...When I was dx I was told I had DCIS, the early stage of cancer. When my BS said I needed to have BMX I believed there was no other choice. My gynecologist told me she thought I would have a lumpectomy. So I was shocked when the BS said bmx.
After, I too read articles that DCIS is not cancer. I have a nephew who is in pharmaceutical sales. He said, "At least it's not invasive...it's pre-cancer." I wondered if DCIS is not cancer, why have MX. It is what it is. I have no regrets, but I will be major ticked if there was another way!
My other misguided decision was reconstruction! I believed the "one step" was truly a one step. I was surprised when I heard that many needed revision surgery. As the NP in my PS office called it "tweaking". That was an understatement! Currently, my foobs (just over 2 years old) have ripples, hang low and out, giggle, and have hollow areas at 12:00. Not exactly what I expected! That said, I am grateful my DCIS was dx, treated and I had no complications.
)Carole, Your trip sounds wonderful! I hope you have lots of pictures to share with friends and family.
I don't think we are second guessing our decisions. We are doing exactly what you expressed...sharing our experiences and hoping others will have a better understanding of what to expect!
Awhile back I made my first quilt square to be part of a quilt that hangs at the North American Bear Center in Ely, MN. The woman who started the project was dx with cancer so it took some time for the quilt to be completed. The bear center received the quilt a couple of weeks ago....my square is in the first column forth one down. (I hope the picture posts)
I hope everyone is well and staying cool in this heat!
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Meg, it's beautiful! What a fun project and everything a quilt should be!
We're in for another 107 degrees today. Already finished my bike ride for this morning and need to go to the grocery store. Otherwise, I'll stay inside.
Hope everyone, new and old to this forum is doing well!
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Hi everyone,
I had a birthday yesterday. I am now a not old woman of 64. 64! I ate far too much yesterday and probably will again today. I love it when birthday celebrations stagger on out for a week and I feel loved and lovely.
Upcreek, I would have happily given my PS a special rate, he's done so much for me, but he ran off to do something else. Last year I gave him a gift of one of my long trays. I thought I'd show you all a couple of pots from the last firing. I'm continuing to contemplate the womanly shape. To me she's revealed and disguised by that heavy slinky silk dress. Most likely only I can see evidence of the reconstruction. After more than two years it's that way for me too. Hmmm, maybe I'll consider my PS and his offer of more fat grafting. Maybe not.
DH is going to have another heart procedure, less serious this time. He has had two episodes of atrial flutter after the valve surgery. Keep us in your thoughts.
Hugs to all
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Meg! I forgot to say how beautiful the quilt is. Bravo!
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fortunate 1
Question about the healing process. I am a few years younger--about 60.
Will be having a redo with a new implant and fatgrafting--at some point in the future.
How was the healing process. After all--I am no longer 20, 30 or even 40. Please let me know.
Thanks, Eileen
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