Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction
Comments
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Jo, - good to 'hear' from you, - hoping that each day feels better!!
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Jo, I'm glad to hear the surgery went ok and you're tolerating Percocet a little better. Fingers crossed that things are on the upswing for you now.
Jbokland, I've never had trouble getting my pain med Rx's filled. That is bizarre. If you have a valid prescription, how can they not fill it unless they have some evidence that something hinky is going on? How do they decide whose to fill and whose not to, for heaven's sake?
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jbokland - my parents live in Florida and have nothing but problems with their CVS. They are in the process of switching to Walgreens.
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Jo, - why not call the dr to tell him? (do you have a fever?)
Even if it's nothing, your dr should be there to give you peace of mind! He knows that you have already been through so much!
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ShockedD - By the time you see this you'll be recovering from the surgery and I hope you made it through as easily and well and can be hoped for. I am a runner, I lift and I'm very active. I have full ROM and no discomfort. I'm currently working toward my Class A Skydiving license. This requires a good bit of strength and stretching ability. I also do white water rafting, swim and a few other fun summer activities. Physical therapy helped me greatly. I strongly recommend it. I hope your experience is as good as mine.
Ladies - I've been MIA. I have found that hanging on the internet focused on cancer is only serving to increase my anxiety. I repeatedly think I'm having a recurrence and I run off for one doc appt. after the next. And so, I'm simply not on here as much. I'm trying to keep my mind on more positive things. The weather is nice and I don't need to be on my stupid computer any longer. I just need a bit of a break. Anyone who wants to connect on Facebook please message me.
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warrior woman,
I totally understand!! I went through a period of MIA. I tend to check this site more than the Her2 support website because I feel like there are a lot more woman with recurrences and I get anxiety also from it.....it's good to take a break mentally every once in a while! God bless and take care and check in again when you can!!
Kathy
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Jo, if you haven't already, please call your doctor. It doesn't seem like the loaf should have gotten hard again.
Warrior, I totally understand about taking a break from cancer. I don't get anxious about a recurrence from hanging out here, but sometimes it's good to just not think about cancer for a while. I was just thinking the other day that I really need to get out in the woods for a hike or something. Not so much to get away from cancer as to get away from work!
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Hello..I'm new to this site. However, my breast reconstruction (Lat Dorsi) was in 2003. Since recon, I have experienced the contraction, pushing and pulling and movement of the implant that many women comment on. Last year I had a MRI to check on the implant which they said was "still in place". However, Im wondering if anyone has muscular pulling and discomfort directly under the breast. This began a few months ago when I was standing kitchen and suddenly I felt a super contraction on the left side (recon side) and my shoulder actually lifted up and then back down again from the contraction. Since then, I have had periodic muscle pulling under the breast (lat muscle??) which disappears after icing it. I have heard that there are multiple annoyances associated with implants/lat dorsi muscle and was wondering if anyone has a similar experience. Thanks so much and good ehalth to you!
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Jo - I am glad BCO is here when I need it and I'm glad I can power off when I need to. A day without fear and/or complications is a day with sunshine. I meant to mention, to improve your breathing capacity try inhaling and exhaling deeply and expanding your rib cage as far as it will go. I do that for a minute or two before and real exercise. I think it helps. Beyond that, I do tend to notice the tightness most when I'm warming up and then I don't attend to it. I tell myself that in a few minutes it won't be on my mind and then it isn't. I hope this helps.
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JO, - did they advise you to take acidophilus to help keep your tummy ok?
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Jo, I'm sorry to hear you have an infection. Yes, you certainly can have one without a fever. I've taken doxycycline without any problems with side effects. The suggestion from anotherNYC to take acidophilus is a good one. Or a capsule with a mixture of probiotics. You can eat yogurt with active cultures too.
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JO, - I was fine taking acidophilus, but not so fine the one time I had activa. I dont know what is in Align. Also, check the prescription info because sometimes antibiotics shouldnt be taken with milk, or too close to having, dairy products. It may interfere with absorption, I think.
FEEL BETTER!!
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Hi Jo & everyone else, I was on several combinations of antibiotics for two months and although I'm quite sensitive to narcotics, I never had any stomach issues with any of the antibiotics. My infectious disease Dr recommended Florastor. It is a probiotic that he said was clinically proven to help prevent C dif. --major stomach distress. I felt so good have been taking it at a lower dose ever since. Good luck and healing to you all.
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Jo......do as that doc you trust says. If you get fever go to ER and give his name. Don't hesitate.
I didn't tolerate my last lot of oral anti biotics well but I am done now. I have tentatively taken a pro biotic capsule for my tummy. I know this is a basic tip but be vigilant with anyone who might touch you at home. Insist on hand washing and provide anti bacterial wash, and if possible provide one use hand towels or paper towels. Your health is in a fragile state and friends, family and nursing staff must be compliant with good hygiene practices when attending you until you are over this high risk period.
Good luck, dear Jo. I am thinking of you and wishing you speedy healing.
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Jo, I'd call the doctor and ask about the lack of drainage. Good luck.
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Jo, I'm glad that thing is draining again because it didn't sound right that it had just stopped after putting out so much. It's unacceptable that calling on the weekend is a waste of time. Totally unacceptable. They should at least be able to get somebody to talk to you who could tell you if the change in drainage amount and the hard area are of concern.
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Jo, I completely agree with you. Not explaing things because he thinks the patient might not understand is patronizing and unacceptable. I hope you can get some answers from your breast surgeon this week. How is the drainage and everything today?
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Jo, - I am glad that you will be seeing the intern and nurse tomorrow, and will see surgeon on Wed. Your description of your PS makes me dislike him so much!
Sending BE WELL wishes!
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Jo, I wouldn't move more in attempt to make it drain more. I think moving can make more fluid accumulate in that space not necessarily make it drain. If things are draining normally, you'd seem more output, but maybe not in your situation. Besides, my feeling, and this goes along with what my PS told me, is that if it hurts, don't do it. I hope you get some answers and help tomorrow and Wednesday.
I'm doing ok. No problems. I don't see my PS again until the end of September.
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I have nipples! Just sayin'.
As it turns out I'll have fat grafting in Oct. to even the girls out. My PS promised the risk of complication is very low although Ive read of women having problems on here. Still, I did schedule it as I expect the outcome to be favorable.
Jo - I'm with Tabbies on this. I was told to avoid exercise as it increases fluid.
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Warrior, congrats on the nipples! Tattoos or reconstructed? May the fat grafting go well. I think I'm going to need a bit of evening out also. Probably won't happen until November or December knowing my PS's schedule. I'll get my nipples then too. I see him at the end of September to decide what to do and get it scheduled.
Jo, how are you doing today?
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Tabbies - I'm scheduled to see Vinnie Myers for the tats in January. This is just the reconstruction of the nipples. Come to learn that you can do the nipples with the fat grafting. Your plan should work.
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Warrior, so you've gotten reconstructed nipples, and you're going to have Vinnie tatoo them? Will he do a 3D tat on top of them or just color? I actually don't know if my PS plans on doing any fat grafting or not. He creates the nipples just from the skin that's there. I currently have some asymmetry that I'm hoping he can fix whether with fat grafting or something else. As if my brain needs another dose of anesthesia!
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Jo, you sure have been put through the ringer. I be asking someone to shoot me too! At least there is some positive news on the infection if the red area is shrinking. I don't blame Dr Williams for being annoyed at the calling his former student an intern. That term has a pretty specific meaning in medicine. I wonder if that doc knows he's being referred to that way. Rest up! Hoping the infection clears, and rhe graft takes.
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Jo - When I had an infection they cultured it to determine the proper antibiotic. I saw a infectious disease doctor. As it turned out, the bacteria was somewhat rare and not treatable by the usual antibiotics.
Tabbies - Yes, I'll still have the 3D tattoos. I need the pigmentation. The reconstructed nipples are only a bump. Right now they're the size of erasers but they'll shrink in time. I debated getting them but now I'm glad I did as everything looks more normal. It's all coming together. The fat grafting is to minimize the "shelf" above one of my boobs. It's minor but enough to give it a look of having an implant. Hopefully the fat grafting will eliminate that. They won't take much fat from my belly but I'm glad to donate all they want.
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Jo, - I have a hunch that you will be put on IV antibiotics.
I developed an infection after mx , was put back in hosp on vancomycin and that helped, then I was sent home with zyvox pills. Here in NY, the governor's girlfriend was just hospitalized for infection, weeks after BC surgery. She, too, is on IV antibiotics.
How is the flap holding up? color ok? How's your temp?
Hope you feel better SOON!!
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Jo--I hope you are getting good treatment this morning.
During my chemo I got an infection in a wound in my leg. The area got hard around it and red. I was on several different antibiotics before the right combination that worked. It involved several cultures and the infectious disease team. BTW, it took about 6 months on antibiotics to totally clear the area and for the hardness to subside.
Hope you find some relief!
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Jo, I hope you've gotten some answers today. It really sounds like they need to do a culture. I think the doc the other day was trying to get a sample for that, right?
Warrior, when I talked to the tattoo artist that I'm going to use back in May, she said I would just need regular coloring of the reconstructed nipples not the 3D tats, but we'll see. I want mine to be relatively flat because I do NOT want to look like the headlights are constantly on. I don't intend to wear a bra just to cover that. I'm only doing the whole nipple thing to get more of a sense of normalcy as you said. I have a bit of a "shelf" on my right side that I'm hoping to get rid of. I'm almost thinking we should replace that implant with a smaller size since the upper pole is so much fuller than that on the left. I like the shape of the left (lat flap side) better at this point. The upper pole has a more natural contour.
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Jo, I'm glad the infection is clearing up, but ripping that bandage off your leg sounds pretty awful. I'd prefer to be warned before they do something like that. I'm glad you kept that appointment though. It wasn't me that was on antibiotics for a long time. Must have been someone else.
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Joanne, are you taking probiotics? They saved my bacon when I was on antibiotics due to sepsis after my second infection. My regular doc recommended that I take them twice a day.
When you get probiotics, be sure to get the refrigerated ones from a health food store. I got some at GNC, but any health food store will have something. Just ask them what they recommend.
I also started on raw sauerkraut (some health food stores carry it) which is also loaded with probiotics. I am now making my own.
I felt pretty normal thanks to those. I have more antibiotics in my future to clear me for the next round of surgeries, so I am trying to be prepared!
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