Nipple Sparing Mastectomy with immediate reconstruction
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hi TN i'm an exercise person too. i went back to work pretty soon, so just my every day life...i'm constantly moving around.....so far i've walked on the treadmill one time....i just feel tired, and basically when i'm not working i just rest.....like you said, it's a slow process....i wish i could fast forward to a few months from now and skip this recovery period......i definetely don't think we should be doing any weights at this point, i think walking is fine, i just don't have the energy...too tired after work....take care
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PS73---I had the same type of NS mx. I think you will be pleased with the incisions, they fade and are located in a place where bras don't press up against them.
Pain. I didn't use muscle relaxers, I came home with Q-pumps which constantly wash the chest wall with bivocaine for about 5 days after surgery. They are inserted by the PS during surgery and removed after they are empty. I also had Diluaded 2mg. and took as needed, didn't take much. I wasn't in much pain, except from where one of my drains excited my body, that area hurt the most. I had things that felt crummy--couldn't get out of bed easily, couldn't flush the toilet--got good and learned how to use my foot. My PS really restricted me, nothing overhead for 10 weeks, no lifting over 5 pounds for 10 weeks.
All who are just past mx or about to have one, I would encourage you not to do any exercise until PS releases you to do so, then ask for a referral to a Physical Therapist. I went to a PT weekly between mx and exchange and I think it helped greatly, but go to one who is trained or very familiar with breast reconstruction. As much as we don't want to admit it getting dx and treatment is emotionally and physically challenging. You will be back to working out soon, but it takes most people awhile to really get to where they were before. I told myself a year after surgery, and my exchange was in May, so by May 2010, I hope to be as close to the old me and accepting of the new me as possible. The only thing I cannot do is anything that build pecs, no more flies, some presses, and some things on the Pilates reformer. I was even back on the rowing maching until I injured my shoulder a couple of months ago.
KEW
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Good morning girls, ally, cant believe you are working so soon. TN The sharp shooting pains I was told was the nerve endings repairing. My PS gave me the Loricet which is hydrocodone but do better for pain control on the Percocet( oxycodone) no wonder. It makes me extemely itchy. I have a back scratcher. During post op PACU recovery had the itchy reaction to the antinausea meds given. It must all still be in our systems. I, too, worked out every day and its hard to think that I can't lift a finger. Thanks for the warning ally about doing too much. My husband reminded me that from working out previously we have tight pec muscles which are now suddenly stretched to accommodate the implants. KEW...thanks for the encouragement. My PS told me if I wasnt pleased after things have settled to consider fat transplantation in the area where the chest wall was scaped. Couldn't bear to think about any more procedures. TN...PS suggested the cocoa butter for the scars. I am allergic to adhesives so don't have any tape covering mine. The sutures are inside, and dissolve and I had sterile gauge covering until they were closed. I am pleased with the way the scars are healing, and the nipple is pink. Don't see any scars under the areola. I am exactly 3 weeks today post op. Hoping that I will be able to drive when school starts back after New Years. I go nuts looking at the dust collecting! Did you ever think we would be so preoccupied with boobs.
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Ally, I went to my PS today, he said not to worry about the nipple. He said to keep using the ointment and using the sterile pads and it should heal in time. He said he would be worried if the whole area was black, but it is just the nipple. He explained it is where the GS was aggressive getting the tissue around the nipple area. So, I feel better. He gave me the okay to start walking again, but no weights. I went for a walk this evening and it felt good. Of course I had to take a pain pill before, due to the fact that my doctor is over an hour away, one way, and I was a little sore from the two hour ride round trip. We live in the boondocks and have very curvy, bumpy roads. I plan on starting back to work in two weeks and am hoping the walking will build my stamina up. How long did you take off before you went back to work?
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hi pb22....i know, it's very weird not being able to do any housework. i just do the basics, nothing heavy, i don't do anything at work that is too physical, i think you're husband is right, i'm used to doing weights several times a week, only 5lbs, but consistently for several years....and my pec muscle is just not happy about this....i also can relate to not wanting any other procedures, i even cancelled my dentist apt......i don't wnt any dr's inflicting pain for a long time....lol....hopefully in several months we'll be back to ourselves.......ally
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KEW, thank you for the helpful information. You had mentioned the picture forum, how do you get to that? I have been looking for it, but have not been able to find it. I have looked at many before and after pictures myself and I think it is very helpful for woman to be able to take a look at pics to help them be more prepared for what they will see after surgery. I was still a little shocked when I first saw mine, but not as much if I had never looked at other peoples before and after pics. So thank you for being brave and posting photos to share with others.
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Hey ladies - I am having skin sparing PBM with immed recon sometime in Jan. I am very very active and my biggest concern is recovery and not being able to work out. I am so concerned about losing all of my hard work...I know that is stupid, in light of the situation. Do you lose all your muscle mass and did you lose weight? I have been consistently active since I was 10...I am now 45. I had to take time off for a few things, but not like this. Any advice appreciated!
Kimber
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PB22, thank you for the laugh! I know what you mean about being preoccupied about the boobs! LOL I feel that is all I ever talk about with everyone-my husband, my kids, my friends, etc. I will be glad to have this past me. I guess I have much to feel blessed about and should not complain, but sometimes we need to vent. I am thankful to have people to talk to that are going through the same process. You said you were three weeks in, I am at two, do you still have stitches in then? I was curious how long they would stay in? Mine are also supposed to be dissolving and I have the tape on them. They told me I can change the tape every three days or so. I will have to try the cocoa butter when I take the tape off. Does your doctor think that is better than the creams made for helping scars?
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Kimber, so glad you joined. I too had the same worry! I would tell my family before surgery that I was worried about not being able to exercise and feel a little silly saying it, but I understand your concern. I am two weeks out from my surgery and was given the okay to start walking again. My PS said I can walk what I was walking before surgery. No weights and no jogging. I was so excited to get this news, because honestly I am sick of sitting! So when I got home today, I went for a walk and it felt good. Make sure you have several good sports bras that zipper in the front. You will want these for after surgery anyway. I wear one all the time, even while sleeping. Make sure you get one at least a size up, I learned that the hard way and I have had to buy new ones because of the swelling. JCPenny has a nice one that is soft and zippers in the front. They have them on sale now buy one get one free. You can get two for aroud $20. I did not lose any weight, but I did not gain any either, so that makes me happy. I did not seem to lose muscle tone. I have read other posts where women said that their PS told them not to lift weights before surgery, due to the fact that you do not want the muscles too tight. That makes sense to me, that seems to be where most of my pain is coming from-my muscle stretching to accommodate the implants. I have been trying to eat very healthy and have been drinking lots of water. Someone told me before my surgery that pineapple juice is supposed to be very good for healing, so I did some research, and it sounds like there is some truth in that. I started drinking it before surgery and I am still drinking it. The can kind is the best, or fresh. Any questions you have please ask, we are all here to help!
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Just to share a laugh girls. Warning when taking your significant other to the doctor with you! My husband has now made my PS's face turn completely red twice! The first time: Pre-op exam while my PS is examining my breasts and we are discussing what size I would like to be-my husband says, and I quote "I always say that more than a handful is a waste." My doctor turned so red he looked like a beet! The second time: Today while my doctor is examining me, my husband asks when he can start massaging them? Well, I think my doctor was ready this time with a comeback. He proceeds to tell my husband that he has a whole page of massages that he do. My husband asks him if he is serious, and my PS said "No, I'm just kidding!" He still turned red though. You may be wondering if I get embarrassed with all of this and I can honestly say, after being married to my husband for 22 years, I am prepared for him to say or do anything. I think it is good to have a good laugh now and then, even though laughing right now does hurt a little in the boobs. I hope sharing this gives some of you a good laugh!
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Ladies the picture forum is run by a member named Timtam. If you look under the members list you will find her. You can request access to the forum, however there has been kind of a community-wide agreement that someone requesting needs a good posting history, to try and avoid lurkers. So, I would suggest that you PM Timtam ask for access and not be offended if she doesn't immediately grant it. We all appreciate her very much as she maintains the site out of love for all of us, using her free time, and protects our pictures. I would also ask that you too post on the forum because there are very few of us there who've had nipple sparring mastectomy. Also, for lots of general questions about reconstruction I highly suggest Exchange City, some of us have been posting for almost a year and have become pretty knowledgeable, and new ladies join all the time.
I do not always wear a bra but do when I work out, and most days, and have just been allowed to wear underwires again, but I'm 7 months from exchange. I sleep in a bra most nights to protect the lateral pocket, and that bra is http://www.movingcomfort.com/dyn_prod.php?p=350003 once you are past the zipper front stage I highly recommend this bra, it provides great support and you can adjust the straps in front, depending on what I'm doing I can change support easily. It is the bra I work out in as well. This bra can also be found at Title 9 and REI.
Best,
KEW
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KEW - Thanks for the info on the photos. I was diagnosed in May and had a lumpectomy. Just finished chemo and currently doing rads. Big history of cancer in my family, but tested negative for BRCA and P16 mutations. Sister is currently thinking about BMX - she saw what I went through and knows it's no day at the beach. We are starting to learn about skin and nipple sparing procedures - I am grateful to find this thread. Any info and advice is appreciated.
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TN, I think the PS suggested the cocoa butter to assist with the skin stretching because when I was looking at my incision line near it I noticed what looks like a stretch mark. I plan on asking him about the scar reducing creams as I already purchased a specific cream for that but wanted his approval first. I'll see him again after New Years. My sutures dissolved with dermabond over them.
Kimber, I get frustrated thinking about how long I've been working out and now nothing and I'll have to start over again. I am finding now after the surgery every movement I make is felt in the chest muscle. I was trying to move a step stool over with my leg and I felt it. Was trying to move my legs in a bicycle while lying down and felt it. I have resigned that this will be a time out for a while.
KEW, thanks for the bra recommendation. TN I know what you mean about the bumpy roads, have to cross a railroad track to get to my PS and its taken very slowly.
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Kew, thank you for the bra suggestion. I read many of the posts on Exchange City before my surgery and did find it very helpful. I will check on the picture forum and I would not mind posting my pictures to help the cause. I know how much I searched for nipple sparing pictures before surgery and there is just not much out there.
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PB, I am going to have to try a cream. Today ,while in a dressing room, I noticed my right breast, which is very bruised, is starting to peel. This is the breast that I had the cancer in and the lymph nodes removed. It is scary how bruised my breast looks, it's at the very dark stage of bruising. My other breast hardly bruised at all. I am still having the itching problem too. I tried Gold Bond medicated lotion, but it did not seem to help much. One positive, I was able to go see the movie Avatar today. I took my pillows and was very careful to stay close to my family, so nobody would bump into me. Just so other ladies know: my church makes pillows for the hospital to give to woman after their mastectomy. They are about the size of throw pillows and are heart shaped so that they fit under the arms. I use them while sleeping, sitting up during the day, and they are perfect when riding in the car too. So, if you are handy at sewing or know someone that is ladies, they are very helpful after surgery.
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MAG, I know it is a big decision for your sister and any questions you have please feel free to ask. I am so thankful for this procedure and I do not regret my decision at all. I had the choice of having a lumpectomy with seven weeks of radiation or the nipple sparing on the breast with cancer, and I decided on doing the BMX. My mother had breast cancer and had one of her breasts removed, without reconstruction. I decided with the family history that having them both removed would work best for me. My doctor thought it was overkill for me to choose to have both breasts removed, but that is what I was most comfortable doing. His analogy for my decision was, "I'ts like shooting a squirrel with a shot gun.", I kid you not, but he did not try to talk me out of my decision. It turns out, my path report came back with some suspicious areas in the healthy breast. Let your sister know we are here for her and thank you for joining our thread. I pray things go well for you too!
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TN , its great you left the house and were able to take in a movie. I have found that rolling up towels of different sizes real tight and placed under the arm and back help some. My course of decision to have the BMX done was same as yours. My mother had breast cancer, a radical mastectomy in the 70's, didn't know anything about her staging at dx, put a different perspective on the decision than if I had no history with the disease. I didn't want the radiation as I had the thought that if I radiated and 10 years later I got a new cancer on the other breast, I would be that much older to go through this type of surgery and the radiated breast would be more difficult to work with. My other thought was what if there is a new cancer years down the road, I'm in a different stage of my life and I don't find it early enough, I feel like I have been given a gift of early stage.The BMX seems to be more common down here in FL and in other parts of the country seem to be more conservative. My surgeon has performed over 1000 of this type of surgery and will be coming out with a paper at the annual surgical convention which he expects will have an impact on acceptance of this procedure as well as with the insurance companies.
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Thanks, TNLady - my sis and I appreciate your help.
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PB, that was my thoughts exactly on the radiation. I was worried about the cancer coming back and the damage from radiation preventing me from having the nipple sparing procedure in the future. I bought the cocoa butter today, I noticed I am getting stretch marks.
That is great news about your doctor working to get this procedure more widely accepted. I don't think there are many doctors around the country doing this procedure yet. 0 -
Happy New Decade ladies. May everyone be blessed with an easier year.
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Happy New Year!
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Kew, I checked out your pictures and you look great! I plan on posting mine as soon as I can get my husband to take the pics. I wish I had been taking them from the beginning. When looking at the other women that have had the nipple sparing, it seems they all have different incisions. I did not see any woman that have had it under the breast like I did. Thank you again for sharing on this thread!
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First complete day without any pain medicine!
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thank, TNLady. I'm going to post new pictures some time soon, it has been 7 months and they are still changing. I didn't take any before pictures and at first was sad about that, but I've developed a don't look bad attitude, I love my new girls, I think it is healthier for me to think that way.
Happy 2010.
KEW
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happy new year ladies...i hope you are feeling well....interesting info on bras and photos...thanks...kew it's good to know that they are still changing after 7 mos....looking forward to them being softer....i did well with pain for a couple of days, then last night i wore a bra for the first time.....felt very uncomfortable and now have pain today...going back to braless for now, i find the massaging the ps recommended to be very helpful.....hope we all have a wonderful new year.....ally
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Kew, I'm going to request to view your pics. I did take photos of my before and will get around to taking the afters when my energy level improves. TN, great you are off pain meds. I started today with 3 advils and am trying to do the same. How is the cocoa butter working for you? Greasy but smells good. Ally, was thinking of you going back to work. My path report came back and on the other breast was atypia hyperplasia with califications. My gut tells me it would have turned into cancer years down the road or led to more biopsies. I am very happy I made the decision to BMX. I know its not a sure thing it wont reoccur but hated to have all that manipulation, lifts , implants, incisional healings and then have to possible have biopsies or lumpectomies on that side years from now. I know its not a 100% sure thing there will be no reoccurance but for me the less breast tissue around the better.
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pb22....i made a similar decision as you did. my right i had dcis, had an unsuccessful lumpectomy, my left i had lcis which i could have left alone, i had an excisional biopsy around the lcis, the right one had to go and the left one had the lcis and numerous calcifications, and after going through many stereotactic biopsies, i knew if i left it i'd be going through that again, and also double the risk factor having dcis in the right, also the ps said it would be better aesthetically to do both.....hope you're feeling better each day
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Kew-I went ahead and ordered a couple of the bras you recommended. I can start wearing them now, I will just put them around my waist and snap them up front, then turn them around and pull up. I usually did my bras that way beforehand anyway. I can't wait till they come in, they look very supportive and comfortable. As for the before pics, I was telling my husband the same thing when we were talking about posting my photos. My PS took before pics, so I was thinking of asking him. I
PB and Ally-I had the same reasons for doing the BMX and the symmetry was a definite bonus.
Ally-sorry to hear about your set-back I hope you are feeling better! I notice when I switch up bras that I will have some discomfort too. I'm not sure I can go bra-less yet, but I can't wait till I can. It will be like freedom! I'm sick of wearing a bra 24/7.
PB-The cocoa butter is amazing! It is greasy, but the pay-off is worth it. I had a stretch mark that hurt before using it, but now that I have been using the cocoa butter, it is much better. I don't have the dryness that I have before either. I think if I had used it right away my stretch marks would not have been as bad, but I am very tight from having the immediate implants.
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Update on nipples: Almost three weeks after surgery and they are looking much better! They formed scabs and the scabs are now starting to come off. I am still putting the ointment on them and covering them with sterile pads, but I see much improvement. Both of my nipples are lighter than before, I think this is common. My nipples are also a little low, but my PS said that when the implants drop some, they should look better. Two things that are bothering me and I was curious if anyone else has had this happen to them: When I get cold my chest gets tingly and hurts a little. I also have some spots on my implants that seem harder than others. Has anyone had these problems?
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Kew, your pics are beautiful, couldn't ask for better incisions and the areolas look so nice. TN, The hard spots is probably the scar tissue forming, I remember my PS telling me to massage and break it up and then he dug into me and told me he just broke up some scar tissue. I'm not telling you to dig in but having the PS do that soon after my surgery certainly felt like it. My incisions are still burning I'm going to have to buy the bra mentioned above for some support. Definately feel the cold in the nipple area. Helps to drink something warm.
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