TE TROUBLE
Comments
-
I am envious of you lucky people who don't have to travel for half a day to see the PS! mine has an outreach clinic in a town 130 miles from here, once a month.
0 -
If i really liked him mynestor,I would travel the distance!
0 -
Thanks Renn. Lots of upcoming surgeries, and lots of happy thoughts and prayers for all!
0 -
Fluff, you're right - a good doctor is WORTH going the distance.
0 -
Hi everyone thanks for your kind words. Can you put me on the list tba (hopefully 7th Jan 2012) right TE to be replaced.I dont know how to do it myself Im from the UK and we dont seem to change our doctors as much as the USA or Canada. He is a good surgeon and gets good results but I think that makes him a bit self centered. He forgets to think about how I are feeling. All he is bothered about is getting a good outcome that will impress everyone. I know that is what is important in the long run however if he just thought a bit more before he suggests these dates. I think my friends think I make up these dates they just cant believe he would be so insensitive. I knew I shouldnt have got so excited about 19th but I just couldnt help myself. Anyway back to the waiting game and not being able to have an end date in sight.Going to try to forget about everything until I see PS again in 2 weeks.
Good luck to the girls having surgery in the next few days I am thinking of you longingly.
0 -
I had my pre-op call today, and got a wild hair to contact insurance to see where we are on our $20,000 out of pocket max. (We were at 18,000 some the other day - my son had two surgeries this year on top of all my crap). Imagine my HAPPINESS to hear our new plan has kicked in - we went from $20,000 family out of pocket to $12,000 family OOP as of November 1 - and they told me we have satisfied that with all we've paid this year. I wasn't sure how that would all shake out, insurance companies can be persnickety at times. So the good news out of all of this? Friday's surgery won't cost me a dime out of pocket, other than gas to get back & forth. There's my bright spot for today. (never mind what we already owe, I'm thrilled we won't owe any more).
Debbie - the waiting game is for the birds, isn't it. I'm so sorry your PS is so insensitive. HUGS to you and you are in my prayers.
0 -
MTnester - wow that's alot of money out of pocket. Cancer is bad enough without having to spend so much.
Debbie - I'm from Canada. Is health care publicly funded in the UK as it is in Canada? In Canada, at least from my perspective, we don't change surgeons/specialists so much, and we don't have to pay out of pocket.
0 -
Renn-thanks so much for posting oour surgeries, nice to keep up with everyone.
So am I right to see that FluffQueen is almost done? Hell yes-get er done girl.
debbiey-Hate that it's not that easy to change PS's for you. I've been a nurse for 17+years and I know that sometimes we in the medical field can lose sight of the patient when we are concentrating so hard on the outcome. Maybe your PS needs to be called out my you so he can take a step back and reevaluate his bedside manner. You don't have to be mean or angry but a simple "doc I appreciate all your doing for me, but if you could, please refrain from giving me hypothetical dates for things, because in my current emotional state I hand onto them for dear life and it's hard on me when these dates change". May not do any good, that's up to them, but it may make you feel better to get it off your chest and to actually be heard by them. Hang in there doll.
0 -
Survivor...exchange is done! I still have nipples and tattoos and he may want to fat graft at the nipple time depending on how they fluff out. He thinks the right side may need somethin in the pseudomona area. I also continue getting herceptin until next march so.....a step is done! It seems to be ok so far. I see the ps next tuesday. He had me on cipro and bactrim but just emailed me back that I could stop the bactrim as it was making me sick to my stomach. Good thing because i quit taking itnyesterday.
Debbiey..i laughed at your post about egos. I fueled my ps's ego throughout. I wanted him to go that extra mile for me, knowing I picked him for that reason. So far so good. He's a nice guy though.0 -
Yes Mich M everything is covered by the NHS in the UK so people rarely change doctors. The thing is if I changed PS it would take more time than the time I will have to wait for TE to be reinserted. So I think I will try to be more assertive as survivor suggests and see if that makes a difference. I will keep you posted.
Fluff it is great to be able to cross something off your road to recovery list.
0 -
Hey Fluff just curious.....exchange is monday, don't know yet about fat grafting as the machine my PS ordered was on back order. Really want to go to OH for Thanksgiving (10 days later?). Easy drive on I70, but 400 miles. What are your thoughts? After TE replacement I was driving in 4 days but went out to dinner the very next day.
0 -
You know, I am with you on this. I had a BMX 5 weeks ago with immediate TE. I AM IN PAIN!! I mean excruciating, I can barely sleep pain. Only have the muscle relaxer/anxiety pills now. No more narcotics. I start chemo tomorrow and would be okay with it, but just in pain. THEN they have to put the chemo port in. UGH! I don't see how everyone is putting the TE in once they have to take it out. I am only 39 yrs old, but I am just over the pain. I'd rather just go buy a padded bra and call it a day. Whether I have boobs or not won't change any of this for me. Nope. I don't care about what a man thinks about them either. I just choose to live pain free. I also have to do radiation following chemo. These expanders may be in for a while. I went to the PS yesterday, I do have some additional fluid going on on my right boob- the cancer boob. I'll pray this cotton and bra tightness fixes it and that it does not get infected. I am telling you guys, I believe that if this expander has to go, that I am done with it. I initially was trying to get a breast reduction, that is how I found out about the cancer. I got one!!
0 -
Hi JDKscott. I feel for you, it brings it all back to me I was diagnosed in November 2010 after going for prophalactic breast removal. I think the thought of everything to come ie chemo and radiotherapy and herceptin makes us so stressed that our pain levels drop.We are in shock.Dont give up on your TE I think the steriods in the chemo reduced the inflammation which reduced the pain. Also you become acustomed to the feeling of having the TE in place. Having the TE in place means you are closer to the end when you finish your treatments.
Keep your chin up. ake care. Debbie
0 -
Chick-i had little to no pain in the exchange area. He did lipo under my arm pits and that was really sore and bruised but has improved dramatically. I would think that you would have no trouble going to ohio. You might have to be careful with hugs! My armpit area is still pretty bruised but i dont notice it unless i bump it.
Jdk-my tes were annoying but never painful. Does your ps give you big fills? Mine only did 60cc at a time so it was never dramatic.0 -
Ren - thanks for the surgery roll call. Makes it so much easier!!
0 -
Heres a new wrinkle....I broke out in ginormous hives today. Wasnteven sure which doc to call. Lol. After talking tonurse practitioner and my ps, the onlything we canfigure out is it is either cipro or bactim, and that maybe ican no longertake sulfa.
I took a hydoxyzine at 6 and helped enormously. Slept all night though. Waiting for 20 more minites to takeanother oneas I am starting to itch again!0 -
Mich_M: Don't know why I didn't think of it before! I was having trouble remembering everyone's details.
Any ladies who want to be on our surgery roll call, please PM me!
Fluff: Sounds to me like sulfa allergy. That happened to me years ago. Haven't taken sulpha since. Get better soon!
0 -
Fluff-Thanks for the hugs advice! Hadn't even thought of that and I have 3 young nieces/nephews that I am going to be seeing. I hope your hives are getting better today!
Thanks Ren for the list. Now we all don't have to strain our pretty little brains to remember whose doing what when!
0 -
Haven't posted in a while, but I've been reading & cheering you all on! Glad to see some progress & sorry to see more w/TE problems joining in...
I had an unplanned outpatient surgery yesterday. Had some edema-like swelling in my cleavage & on my rads side. When it went down, I had a small hole in the middle of my chest draining yellowish fluid & a scabby spot on my rads side that sort of dissolved & drained a little as well. I was convinced I could see the implant through the hole. Long story short, it was the implant--there was a hole in the lat muscle over the implant too. My PS took my implant out, irrigated the pocket, stitched the muscle, put in a new implant & dropped it down a bit. (My rads side was still really high & tight compared to the other.) He fixed the scar across my cleavage too.
Nipples will likely be delayed now, but they can be done in the office instead of in the surgery center. I can't tell you how grateful I am that he was able to fix things without leaving the implant out. He & his staff have been truly amazing. I went in Tuesday am & he would have done the procedure that day if they could have secured OR time. Instead he squeezed me in early yesterday before he went in to the office.
0 -
DLL66- What a day you had yesterday. I'm glad things turned out well for you and you were able to get an implant back! How are you feeling this morning?
Fluff, how are you feeling? Are the hives under control and any better idea as to what started them? And out of curiosity (if you feel like answering this now), what was the reason for lipo under the arms? Need some education here......
Take care everyone........
T
0 -
DLL66, glad everything turned out OK after that scare with the hole! So glad he was on it and fixed everything up for you. Good to hear positive stories like that. Gives me hope:))
0 -
Great news DLL66…you must be so relieved.
Fluff - I can sympathizes about the allergic reaction to antibiotics having been through it twice…..hives are just the worst. Hope it doesn't last too many days.
0 -
DLL66: Good on your PS! Hope you are feeling better. Scary that this kind of thing can happen even post-implant! Yowza. With all my TE issues, in my head I keep telling myself just get to exchange and all will be fine! But even then stuff can go wrong. Sigh.
When was your exchange date? Did you have TE issues prior? (I honestly can remember nothing these days!)
;-)
0 -
I had a bilateral mastectomy on Sept. 13, 2011. Reconstruction was started during this surgery.
My cancer was in my left breast. I had lymph node surgery on that side too.
Both of my tissue expanders have moved since they were put in. The one on my right is almost under my armpit and has a rash on the right side.
The one on my left has moved up on my chest. It's very tight and painful.
I have 4 - 5 fills left before getting my implants.
I showed my PS how the tissue expanders had moved during my last fill appointment. She didn't seem concerned and said it happens sometimes. She said it would all be corrected during my implant surgery and that my implants would be in the right place.
Has anyone else experience their tissue expanders moving? Did your implants stay in the right place and look okay?
Thank you, Cindy
0 -
I feel fine.
I had a skin issue with my TE on my non-rads side. A leaky incision turned into a half-dollar-sized hole over a weekend. My exchange was 9/23. I had a lat flap on my rads side in July w/TE placement & I had another lat flap on my non-rads side when I had my exchange. My non-rads side looks great & is healing great.
(So much for having no dr appts for ~6 weeks!)
0 -
dll66 - wow girl! Can't leave you alone for a second! I am glad your PS was quick to act and things seem to ok now.
cindy - welcome to you! Most of us are not to the implant stage yet! My TE's have not moved at all but I am not sure if the others on this thread have had any experience with movement of the TE.
fluff - sorry about the hives. They are such a bummer. I was allergic to the Levaquin after my BMX. That was worse than the surgery! They pulled my drains early and put me on steroids to combat the hideous rash I had developed EVERYWHERE!
tatina - I think fluff had some underarm lipo to get rid of the soft areas that are sometimes leftover after removal of the breast tissue. I have that as well but only on the prophy side (my problem TE side) because I had a complete AND on the cancer side they took all the fat out then. I look a little mismatched as a result.
mtnester - will be thinking of you tomorrow.
chick - are you getting excited?
ren - can't even give you a surgery date
all - had a double sided 50cc fill last week, OMG never doing that again! I had 25cc each side this week - way better! My non-troubled side was very unhappy last week, to the point that I almost cancelled this week's appt. because it still hurt over the weekend. I was on my bed laying down - which is a high four-poster - and I couldn't get off the bed because I couldn't use my hands to push up, it hurt too much. I have a high threshold for pain, I was really surprised. I had to wiggle around and then jump out of the bed!
0 -
Cindy - my TEs haven't moved. If your PS isn't concerned and can fix it up during exchange surgery, then that's great. Try not to worry.
MTnester - hope all goes well tomorrow
0 -
Hives appear to be improving. Ps called in steroids which i did not start yet since itching has lessened and the welts are much smaller. I was on both cipro and bactrim so hard to know which one it was. I have taken cipro on and off over the last year with no problem so if it is that, it just started.
Specialk you are right on the lipo. The left side had a pouchy smushy area. I thought the right side looked ok, but he lipo'd a fair amount out of both sides. It is looking better although still swollen.
My te's didnt move either. They were wedged in...lol. I had 60cc fils each time with no problem.
I have done absolutely nothing this entire week. Literally the most work i have completed is one load of laundry today to wash everything in hot water in case it is something not drug related, and a little christmas shopping on the internet. I am finally bored...bored....bored.0 -
fluff - glad things are improving. You are smart to stay off the steroids if you can since they inhibit healing. When I had the allergic reaction after the BMX my PS was cringing when the BS pulled the drains and started steroids, I was pretty close to a re-hospitalization, but he refused to put me on them. I will probably have the same lipo that you did to fix the pouchy-smushy, and some FG to fill in the divots above on my chest. I am pretty bony and even with this much saline I still have definite caved in areas. Keep resting!
0 -
The atarax worked great for itching last night but makes me comatose. I didnt use anything today and seemed better. Going to take another atarax before bed here shortly to sleep without itches and then evaluate in th e morning. Cipro will have been out of my system for 24 hours then.
When i research bactrim side effects, that seems much more plausible and can start after you quit taking it.
My ps will decide on fat grafting after everything settles a bit. I am going to lobby for it. Lol0
