TE TROUBLE
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Moon....o.m.g. That is so unfair. I hope you are starting to feel better at least. Sounds like it happened so fast. And with your daughter in town is doubly hard. At least she is there for you. Heal quickly and know there are still options.
Melinda, I had a bunch of those squishy microbead pillows that I used after my mastectomy. I am also a stomache sleeper. Here was my configuration. For my side, I put a squishy bead pillow behind my back, so I kind of leaned back on it a little. Then, I squished one under my foob and the bed on the side I was laying on. It kind of kept everything pushed together and it didn't bother me as much.
But, others are right, you should probably be on an incline for a bit. I had a medical wedge pillow that I used for about a month, but I had bmx and recon at the same time.
For the desparate times when I felt I just had to be on my stomache, I stuffed one microbead pillow under my hips, and another under my stomache area. Then had the main pillows built up enough that there wasn't pressure on the foobs. I assure you are laughing your head off about now, but it did work and it did help. I would only last about 30 minutes that way, but at least I had the feeling of stomache sleeping.0 -
Thank you all for Your concern. I am still in the hospital just said goodbye to my daughter she is leaving very early to join her husband In the morning. we had a nice visit in between the Ivs, shots, and procedures- NOT! Well, yes in that I enjoyed seeing her, but sleeping and sweating.are not the memories I had hoped for. And the family.photo I wanted of us all includes me looking pale in s hospital gown, and everybody else in yellow isolation gowns and purple gloves....LOL, I'm sure I will really see the.humor In that- SOMEDAY! LOL much love to all, and I promise not to be quite so self centered in the future.
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Moon, that could be a great Christmas card. You could say instead of ugly Christmas sweaters, you were starting a new holiday fashion trend!
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Moon-I hope you get out of the hospital soon. What a bummer of a visit with your sister!
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When I get a copy of the photo, I will go on my computer for a change and try to post it. Maybe I will send it to family on a Christmas card! Thanks for the idea Fluff! That sounds just wickedly warped, just like me
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daughter Moon. I meant daughter. I have a cold and am a little foggy!
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Thanks fluff! I'll try it that way! Sounds like I need to build a hole for the foobs to live if i am on my stomach. I broke down and bought one of those icomfort beds with an adjustable base so have been "sleeping" on an incline without using 8000 pillows. Was actually a good investment for my foob situation.
Thoughts with you, Moon.0 -
Chickadee, if that's the worst mistake you make, you're home free! LOL i, um, wouldn't have corrected you! It was definetly the thought that counted. Besides someone on the other board does have a sister visiting, so I understand. Besides you can surely play the chemo brain card! LOL
And, really, Thx so much to all for the concern. Makes it Doable, and I only broke down into a blubbery mess once or twice instead of all the time! Much love.0 -
Moon - How are you doing? That's awful you're in the hospital! I just read through some posts.
I hope you're feeling better. I do like the idea of the Christmas Card pic. If it were me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd send it out to my close friends and family who would expect that from me. 
(((hugs))) I hope you are ok.I looked at my right side, I changed the tape that's on me. I see what my PS did now. She revised some of my original scar, it was looking awful. This is why I don't have the natural fold under my breast like the other side. Here's to hoping my skin relaxes and my implant settles in the next few months. In the meantime, this tape I have to have under my foob as an anchor to add support is IRRITATING my skin!!!! It's elastoplast. Anyone have any experience with this tape? I'm either allergic or the glue is just so strong my skin can't handle it. I'm gonna call my PS. See if there is something else I can use.
Michelle
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BCAvenger, is the tape sort of like a strip of foam tape? If it is, my PS glued that to me once & wanted me to keep it on for a week...if he wants to do it again, he'll have to catch me first
If it's the same thing, it was very itchy & irritating.
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It's like stretchy gauze that has like cement glue-like adhesive to it. AUGH!!!!
Michelle
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I can sympathize! I think it's the adhesive that was so itchy. It reminded me of rubber cement.
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Bc, when they remove some tape from me, it also removes skin. My skin is pretty sensitive. But I would call the ps just to be sure You could try an ice pack when its really bad, that helped me. I hope it feels better soon.
I am home, have a nurse give me iv antibiotics daily. I also have a f**kn drain again. Not to mention a hole in my chest where a foob used to be, but other than that, I am fine, LOL0 -
I've been having to tape gauze to my skin since June 9, every day. I use the paper tape which is the least irritating I think. They also have cloth tape. My skin is sore all over from the tape, I can tell you that. It's awful but make sure you only use the paper. It comes off the easiest. The cloth tape was good too but didn't stick as well..
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I called my PS, she's gonna call back. Yes, DLL, it's like rubber cement! I've had to change it twice since Monday cause it gets all goopy when showering. Moon, I put ice packs on it last night. It did help but as soon as I took it off, I wanted to rip off my skin again. I could have worse problems, this is actually the least of the unbearable ones I've had over the course of reconstruction.
Moon, ugh, so sorry you have a drain!!! Really sorry you have a hole in your chest but good to see your spirits are up!
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Could you maybe put a piece of old cotton t shirt UNDER the tape when you replace it? So the outside perimiter is the only tape touching you? So you would have the support but not the coverage? Just a thought. Oh, and my spirits are probably up due to the pain pills, I've been laughing all day! LOL
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are you still in the hospital, moon? and with a drain? Man, this thread goes too damned fast for me and while I am on Femera, I can't use the chemo brain excuse. I can use the getting old and losing my memory excuse though.
The drains were awful and getting rid of them was such a joy. I had 2 drains for 42 days!! I agree with you about the pain pills, moon. Some people couldn't handle them and it made them sick. Poor them because I found they were my best friend. I haven't needed them in several weeks now but I remember how much better they could make a person feel....I glad you're laughing today.
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BCAvenger - have your PS call in a prescriptin for Atarax. It will help with the itching.
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Second special k's suggestion! That is some fine stuff.
Moon, when I had iv antibiotics, they accessed my port at the oncs office and said I could keep it for a week, I think. The nurse came, did the first one, showed us how, and DH and I did it from then on. sometimes, I had to take it with me if we were out to keep the timing right. Once, we sat in the back seat of the sic, while he infused over whatever the time period was. This was in a very popular, hip area of the city. Our friends were walking around and we ad the giggles as you could see us through the front window. He said it looked like he was shooting me up!0 -
Fluff, I can not only picture it, I'll probably be doing the same thing! LOL. Well when I left the hospital, they told one week, I could fumble my way to avoiding my having to do it. But when the nurse came, she said the time was three weeks. Even I don't think I could pull off fumble fingers for three weeks! LOL
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Lol. It was really pretty easy. I was nervous at first, bur after she did it once, I realized it was no big deal. I had one time though, where I had to infuse over 30 minutes. That was really a pain in the a**. Cramped my style big time, as I had to do it three times a day.
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Oh, three times a day, Yuck. Once is plenty. She is set to come straight through Monday. After that she said we could try me doing it. Still not sure, what happens if you stick the saline in last instead of the heparine? LOL. Oh well, I hated to do the drains to. And now, I was teaching the student nurse to strip the drain tube before measuring! LOL
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Yep, it's the education we never wanted to get.... I know so much more about cancer and drains and stitches and pain meds and anti estrogen meds and packing and bandaging.... All stuff I really never wanted to know... You girls are really brave with those ports and chemo.... I dodged that bullet with that.....
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Renn,
I am praying that the pain and discomfort you are experiencing will stop promptly. It is quite understandable that you feel uneasy after the new exchange after having experienced complications in the past. I am also cautiously optimistic, being careful not to get overly excited, checking my incisions and taking my temperature everyday.
You had mentioned that you have been sleeping in a recliner. Is that what your PS suggested for you to do? I was not given any instructions like that. I fact, I've been sleeping on my bed from the beginning and sometimes I turn to my side in my sleep. I hope I am not damaging the implants.
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BCAvenger: I am glad that your surgery went well. I can relate to having veins collapsed before they can find one. That was more traumatic to me than the surgery itself and the pain afterwards. After they removed my drains I went to try on a bra, because my own bras were to big for me. That was quite depressing. Four day later, I am almost filling my old bras. I think I fluffed some, but I have not dropped. They still look too round, but looking at the picture forum has really encouraged me to be patient and wait.
Blessings: I ordered the genie bra online and I cannot wait to get it. Thanks for the tip.I tried the Ah bra, but it rolls up. Probably the size was quite small for me. At this point I am wearing a surgical vest that was given to me by the PS.
Moonflower: Wishing you a speedy and successful recovery. Sorry you had to go to the trauma of having your te removed again.
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Now, sometimes Shopko has the Genie bras. just FYI. Autocorrect just told me Shoplifting......LOL, but your honor, my computer told me to!
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I picked up the genie bra at a fabric store in town. 19.99 for a box with two. And I had a coupon.
Mkw, the recliner usually helps right after mastectomy, but I didn't have any problems after implants. I did stack up some pillows, but I was on my side pretty quickly also.0 -
mkw1 - I got my Genie bras when I was 50 pounds heavier. I got an XL. They did roll up on me at first. Now that I've lost weight, though, they fit perfectly. So if that does happen, a larger size might be in order. The cup size is about the same on all the sizes, I think (because they're so stretchy)...it's the band size that changes. Hope they work out for you!
Sending gentle hugs to all tonight!!!!!
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When I left the hospital with the IV antibioitic it was with a PIC line. That's an IV line, like the port, that stays. Then I was to infuse the antibiotics. One was 4 times a day and took an hour, the other was 6 times a day and took 2 hrs. The spacing was unreal. There was the little bulb that contained the meds, set up in what looked like a little baby bottle. I just hooked it up and carried it around with me. I had to have big pockets on everything I wore.
My new T-shirt: front; hug a survivor (with a pink ribbon) and back; Breast Cancer is not all pink ribbons and long walks.
Ladies, people just have no idea what we go through, even for 'just the cosmetic' stuff.
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I had a BMX on 12/8/2011 and started with 50cc in each TE. Fortunately, I did not need chemo or radiation. We started gradually filling, and got up to 250cc, but I had a stupid wound that refused to close up (on the side that had cancer, of course) because the soluble sutures didn't dissolve, and kept sneaking out through that open wound. We resutured 3 or 4 times, drew out 150ccs from the right (affected) side, and seemed to be making great progress using Promogran and Tegaderm. Then I developed a staph infection in May and had emergency surgery to remove the tissue expander on 5/11/12. I was discharged on Mother's Day (48 hours later) and went home with a PICC line. Twelve hours later (on my way to the doctor to get my PICC line antibiotics and supplies), I started having increasing pain every time I took a breath. I was thinking pulmonary embolism or a puncture from the PICC line, and I honestly thought I would be dead before the day was over. So I was admitted again for pericarditis. No lingering symptoms from that (Thank goodness!).
My biggest aid in healing, I think, came from taking care of me: In February, I had started considering becoming a housewife, because prior to cancer I had been working 60+ hours a week and getting paid for 40. But I loved my job and had 17 years into it. I did a lot of praying, asking for a sign to help me decide. I took the infection/pericarditis episode in May as a "wallop upside the head" sign, and resigned in July.
I had my TE replaced on 8/16/12. Everything is healing well, and my PS filled me up to 200 ccs on the right last week. The next time I go in both sides will be even! Our goal is to finish everything and get my "foobs" before the end of the year. That will be a great Christmas and birthday present, plus I won't have to meet my insurance dedutible again.
So now I am temporarily retired, thinking of myself more than I ever have before, and enjoying life. I'll go back to work part-time eventually - probably after I get my "foobs". My PS, BO and MO are all thrilled with my decision, and with the progress we have made as a team.
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