TE TROUBLE
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So happy to hear about all the exchange surgeries! Renn, I hope your pain is less everyday. I had so much scar tissue, it took my PS almost 3 hours to cut through it. I had the drain on that side for about 2 weeks.
Going to see PS today, and will let her know that I'm going straight to the tats. Not sure when the tattooing will happen, but at least we can get the ball rolling.
All clear at the Onco this past week. Iron levels are now normal:)
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As far as nips go mine have flattened out. There isn't much there to "play" with. I am hoping once I get tattoos they will look a little more normal. DH says they serve their purpose.
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Saw PS this morning. When she took a look at everything, she was so happy she literally cried! She said they are magnificent. How often do you get to see a surgeon cry?! Then she said, "So, when are we going to do the nipples?" I was completely prepared to go in and tell her that I wanted to go straight to tattoos. But something came over me, and the answer was crystal clear that I should go ahead and get the nipples done. She's actually known for great nipple reconstruction. I've come this far, so I'm going to do it!! It's going to be an outpatient procedure with just sedation, no anesthesia. She said I'd feel fine when I wake up, and it will only take an hour. December was my choice, so I'll know more when they call to set it up. I figure I can heal up over Christmas break. Here we go again, but I'm excited about this one...
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Momof3infla: So happy to hear about your great result. Do you feel the same about your result as your plastic surgeon does? Good luck with getting the nipples done. Please let us know how it goes. I won't be able to get my exchange to probably Feb. or March! I want nipples too only if they can have some type of function for my DH. Sounds like they do their job according to other posts! Yeah!
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momof3 - you and I have the same history of how we react to anestesia. For nips they gave me gas and I came out of it just fine and was home within an hour of getting out of the recovery room!
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Ok, here it is we noon I was rushed into surgery to have my.left TE removed due to infection, again. Sucks! Especially dove this .is when my daughter is here for a visit ,from pa . I would rather have the pedicure we had scheduled instead of another operation.
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So sorry moonflower. I've lost my TE twice due to infection. I know how disapointing it is. I hope you are not in to much pain. I agree, it sucks!
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moon - crap! What the heck? did this come on suddenly?
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This is my first post here, and I am hoping to get some info from the experienced ladies here. I had a left mastectomy and SNB in February with TE placed. When the path report came, I unexpectedly had one positive lymph node, which totally changed the game. My PS was not happy, but I had to have 25 radiations with the TE. My skin held up well, and rads finished two months ago. Now I am beginning to feel a distinct tightening of the skin over the TE. It is also definitely gradually shrinking in size, and it is much harder than it was before. This is the damage that was done by the rads. Is there anybody here who experienced the same thing? What was the outcome? What kind of reconstruction can be done with this rad damage? What more can I do other than putting cream on the area? I feel so helpless watching this happening.
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Very suddenly. Last nite I got the chills and could not get warm Woke up with a fever of 102.4 . Knew enough to call doctor, cause I was pink and hot on the new foob. I was scared so I did not drink afteyr 3am. Did not take meds. So when I saw doc he said it.had to come out. He was able to do the surgery and the surgwruy center had an open room so by noon I was having surgery. Now I am in the hospital, they transfered me there after the surgery. I am still running a fever . I am just so pissed cause my.daughter is here and I am stuck in the hospital in an isolation room. Sucks.
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Moon I just read this and u'r dgtrs here, I forgot about that. O Geeze I can't believe u had this now. Of all times--Not that there is a good time. but u know what I mean. Crap. I'm so sorry Just get better soon I hope, Oh I feel awful for u.
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Awe...Moon....I'm so sorry and mad you are going through this again! Your experience teaches us all currently with TE's to pay attention to infection signs and to act on them right away. You were smart to stop drinking fluids at 3 a.m. I pray your fever goes down and that you get extra loving care from the nurses and your doctor.
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Moonflwr, so sorry about this turn of events! Hope you heal well & heal quickly & are well enough to be home in your own bed soon.
liefie, I also had rads. The tightening sounds like possibly fibrosis from rads? I had delayed reconstruction, though because we knew I had to do rads right from the beginning. I have lat flaps with implants. There are pros & cons with that type of reconstruction, but I am very happy with my choice of recon.
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Aw, Moonflwr, sending up HUGE prayers that this infection will resolve quickly and get you back on the healing path....
Big, gentle hugs to you.......
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Moonflwr - sending you lots of healing thoughts. xxo0
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Thanks, DLL66. The DIEP flap reconstruction will only take place around April/May next year. What I'm wondering, is how much more shrinking/hardening is going to take place, and if there will be enough skin for the reconstruction. The PS overfilled the TE to compensate for shrinkage, but at this rate there will be nothing left. Does it shrink to a point and then stop?
Moonflower, I hope that fever will be gone, and that you will recover soon. This stinks!
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Oh, moon....I feel so bad for you. Wishing you a speedy recovery so you can go home.
I hope the rest of our squishees are doing well.....Renn, I'm hoping you have less pain.
Update for Nipples in NOLA: No nipples in October. PS thinks the right side needs more time to drop and stretch since this was our infection/skin loss side. Go back in December for another "looksie."
Still going to NOLA to have a consult with Vinnie in October.
BC recon has forced me to be patient....it has it's own way of doing things!0 -
Hi all
I know what you mean about patience. Mine is being tested now. Just got my TEs placed 09/04. I am having alot of trouble sleeping. Already sleeping poorly due to stupid hot flashes, but these TEs are making it worse since I am a stomach sleeper. Sleeping on my side causes a really uncomfortable pulling sensation in the middle of my chest. Back sleeping is causing headaches. Stomach sleeping causes alot of pressure.
Any suggestions for better sleep? Also, is that pulling sensation going to always be around?
We are shooting or 800cc implants and I don't start fills till next week. Sigh. It's going to be a long sleepy time.
P.S. Moon, what a massive bummer. Just thinking about starting over at my early stage is overwhelming.0 -
Melinda,
Have you tried a body pillow?0 -
Tatina, thanks, yes, you wouldn't believe the number, kind and location of pillows I've tried. But willing to try again. Certain position you suggest with the body pillow?
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liefie: What does your PS say to do about the skin situation? Is he/she worried? This might be a good time to get a 2nd opinion.
Moonflwr: Dang girl, I'm so sorry to hear you lost the TE and are in the hospital. I know you'd rather be getting that pedicure with your DD, but I'm glad she is in town for you! Please let us know how you are doing. Sending healing hugs.
Tatina, even tho you won't be getting tatts just yet, I'm glad you're still going to NOLA!
Melinda: I agree with Tatina, pillows are your friend right now. However, if you just had your TE's placed a week ago, it seems too soon to sleep on your side OR your tummy. You should still be sleeping elevated and on your back to minimize swelling. Check with your PS's office about what they specifically want you to do. I know how uncomfortable it is to sleep, I'm on an incline and on my back for another 2 weeks. I've played around with my pillows so at least I can sleep without my back hurting. But it takes a lot of fiddling!
ALL: I had my drains removed this morning and no longer feel like an invalid! I know they serve a good purpose but I HATE them. I hope I never see another drain. I have had 8 of them and 8 really IS enough! I am in less pain and am only taking a pain pill at night to sleep (tho as I said above, getting comfortable on an incline is a challenge). Friends are calling me to see how I am and everyone is expecting me to be all happy that this surgery is now behind me. I do not yet feel relief. I do not yet feel I am out of the woods with my healing. I do not expect to feel "happy" for a good long while yet. Anyone else out there feel like they had to put on a "happy" face post-exchange? Or is what I am feeling a delayed reaction to my delay in recon?
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Rennasus, my PS expected damage and shrinkage from the rads, and suggested that in a while we should try to fill it some more when I saw her two weeks ago. Not looking forward to that. She did not look too concerned. The skin actually looks good (from the outside, that is). The contraction is the problem, and I hope it will stop soon.
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Congrats to everyone who had their exchanges!
Renn- I totally get that you don't feel like you're out of the woods yet. I think that's very normal in light of everything you've been through.
Moonflower- I am soooo sorry that you had to go through losing your TE again. I hope you heal very quickly
I have finally healed on the right side from my TE removal. The hole is gone! As my luck would have it, 2 days after the hole finally and completely closed, my left side started getting pink. That was just yesterday. Today I started with a low temp and the pinkness continues. So I see my PS first thing in the morning tomorrow. In the meantime, I self -medicated with some Zyvox I had left over from my previous infection. If I end up losing my left TE too, I think I'm going to be a recon quitter! I need to move on with my life. The left side has been in for almost 5 months and now becomes infected!? When are we really out of the woods with this process? Sorry for all the negativity- I'm just really frustrated :-(0 -
Thanks for the feedback rennasus. I'll try to change the cinfigurations of my pillows again. My PS gave little instruction when he sent me home. See him tomorrow and hoping for drain removal. Drains were an unwelcomed and unexpected surprise when I woke up from surgery.
I thought i was supposed to be happy post TE surgery. This was a "good surgery" being done for a " happy" reason. I was not and am not happy. It has instead put me into a significant depression. Weird, huh?0 -
Melinda- I see you're from Durham. Did you have your surgery at Duke? They're big advocates of delayed reconstruction. Thats where I had mine done.
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Yep, done at Duke with Dr. Zenn. Delayed because of a previous breast reduction. He wanted to give the previously scarred skin time to build up new blood supply.
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Zenn is my ps too! I'll say "hi" for you when I see him tomorrow! He was pretty adamant about delayed recon because he didn't want my chemo to be delayed after my BMX, in case I had any infection problems. So given all the problems I've had with my TE's, I guess it's good I followed his advice. . . That said, there's no reason to believe you'll have TE problems. The vast majority of women don't!
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Melinda- I just re-read your post. It looks like we're both seeing him tomorrow. Maybe we'll see each other too! My appointment is at 9am.
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Haha! That's so cool. I'll be there around 2 i think to hopefully get drains removed. Hope all goes well for you!
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Hello ladies! I've been taking it easy the past few days. Was feeling really good on Saturday. My next door neighbor was having a yard sale and I went to take a look. I was ordered back hom quickly though cause I was all wobbly. haha
Surgery went well on Friday. I was an hour late getting into the OR. They couldn't get a vein for the iv. I told them I needed an iv therapist and they insisted on trying first. Well, five attempts later they finally called the iv therapist. Byt this time, I'm very worked up and tense. The nurse who was working on me wasn't helping. She kept saying...oh no, I thought I had it, see look...it's not going in cause the vein is blown. THATS NOT HELPING ME LADY!!! Anyway...my MIL also was in exploratory surgery that morning. I think I told you all already. This is how sad it is that I'm well known at the hospital. I pop into registration early cause I want to see my MIL before I go in. The registration lady greets me by name, asks me how I"m doing, tells me what room my MIL is in and asks me if I can take her admit papers up to her. This is all before I even sit down and tell them what I'm there for. Really??? It's nice that the registration desk and OR peeps all know me though. Made me feel at home... *shaking my head*
My MIL was released on Sunday. Drs said she has to rest and be in a no stress environment. She went down to her daughters yesterday to stay a couple weeks. This is nice for me cause I will be able to relax and rest. I don't have to worry about her. My SIL came down and sat with me when I came out of the OR. That was really nice. If you only knew how much she never liked me before. She sat with me until my girlfriend came and gave me updates on my MIL. She said me and her mom are exactly alike. We both wake up asking how the other person is doing. I'm glad she isn't threatened by it. I think she used to be before.
My oldest is coming home tonight for a couple days. I'm looking forward to it. She has a couple of days off work and is inbetween quarters at school. She doesn't start back up for another 2 weeks.
So about me...my PS was able to get the implant in. However there wasn't quite enough skin. I don't know exactly how to reiterate what she told me she did. She cut out some scar tissue to make more room in there. She did something along the bottom of the natural breast fold in hopes that when my implant settles, I'll have that natural breast fold that the other side has. Right now, it has the shape of a hamburger bun (mk1). I am taped up along the bottom with what I call medical duct tape, that is pulled up taught on both sides of the foob to keep it up. It appears to be wider than the left side also. My PS seems ok with it for now. She says we won't know what it will look like for another couple months. Which I know, the left sdie already has two months head start on it. And I had many more problems on the right so I think considering that, it doesn't look bad. I have to wear a sports bra 24/7. Blessings, I bought the Genie bras awhile back. I like them. They don't flatten you out like a sports bra can. And they are a little more comfortable.
I went to Macys and Target today to try bras on, big mistake. Not even close to being able to seeing what I look like in a bra. I got little depressed but I have to remind myself...one I have NO expanders anymore and two, I'm swollen and it'll be some time before the drop and fluff happens. At the same time, I was hoping I could find a bra that would give me some kind of shape but it's just not time for that yet. So the Genie bras I will stick with. I was really tired venturing out just for a couple hours. I want to go to bed now!
It's so nice to be able to sleep on my sides again! No more being jabbed in the chest wall if I want to be on my side! I have some soreness and have to take care how I lay on my right but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so much BETTER!
Oh...also yesterday my PS comes in and says, do you still love me? I said, huh? She said right after I had my 'cocktail' I was telling her how much I loved her and everyone else on the floor. LOL I said...OMG, I was at the I love you man stage?! hahahahahahaha
Think I'll go for a little walk right now with my doggie.
Michelle
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