Mastectomy Sept 2011
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Starting chemo tomorrow Olgah!!! Yeah...insurance finally gave into my two times a day phone calls. Did I really just say Yeah to chemo...what is wrong with me!
Maggie
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Thanks for the info - this is all so new to me.
Some one told me to look at the American Cancer site for ordering as they have good prices with little mark up.
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Diana -- My surgery is not rescheduled! Thanks for the peaceful wishes anyway!
I so agree with the previous comments about pre-op. When you go to that appointment it feels like the gears are finally in motion. Sadly, the day after my pre op, however, the gears came to a screeching halt!
Instead of letting it eat me up, I am trying to relax and reexamine my options. I have an appointment with a cardiologist Thursday and should know more then. It's possible I will have to seek a surgeon who can do MX and DIEP faster than my current PS can.
Olgah -- Have you visited the chemo discussion board? You might want to ask your oncologist for ativan or another tranquilizer to offset that wired feeling you get from the decadron. Sounds like you are not going to have nausea--good news! I didn't have any nausea, either, and stopped taking all the anti nausea meds after round 2.
Tappy -- Glad to hear you are healing so nicely. That plasma spraying-thing is very intriguing. Where did you have surgery?
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Olgah, glad your chemo went so well. Maggie, that's a drag about the insurance.These things should be covered. I can't believe there is ever a question. The pre op appointment really makes it seem real. Joanne and Tappy, glad you're doing well. Caryn, keep up the work outs. Diana123, keeping my fingers crossed on your report.
Oh, KatheW, what a drag to be in surgery limbo! Here's hoping you get rescheduled very soon. The waiting is so hard. I only have one day more before surgery, but it feels like forever. Sending wishes for healing to all.
~ Therese
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Bev, I had the same 3 weeks ago, still feel uncomfortable, try to sleep on my side, hurts sometimes.When I bend over, I feel tight.Chest looks gross, but my PS already filled first and I did not feel anything. I don't take any pain killers, but I am doing chemo now, and take ativan at night, may be it helps?I guess, I have to start exersize...
Ladies, I have visited chemo board and some of them start feeling nausea on the 3 thru 5 days, when emmend goes away, I guess...So I am waiting holding my fingers crossed...I have compasine for that and smth per rectum my PS gave mr. Still keep drinking a lot of water.
Maggie, let me know how did it go!
Good luck to everyone! Miss Sarah
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Kathe- Had my surgery in Louisiana at our Lady of Lourdes.
I am healing well - but at night I do have lots of "pin pricking" sensations - keeps me up at night.
Is this due to nerves healing or something else ? I have been taking my mothers Xanax (no lectures please) - because it helps me sleep and we all know how healing sleep can be.
(I hate pain meds and otc sleep meds dont work for me) I hope my surgeon will be open to giving me a script for it.
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Joanne, it is so good you are a knitter! We need to get together and talk about it! I have a lot of questions for you. My e-mail is: olga.hill34@yahoo.com
happy knitting!
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Jucar -- Good luck today on your MX
Teresa -- Good luck tomorrow on you BMX
I will have both of you in my prayers for a easy/pain free surgery.
I hope all the sister who have had surgery this month are doing well.
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Hi girls - don't remember if I've posted in this thread before now but please add me to the list for September. Had uni MX with immediate DIEP reconstruction at UCLA on 9/14. Those drains are coming out TODAY!!!
Jenn0 -
Diana - Thanks for the info on the camisole and how insurance just might cover it. Never thought to pay with insurance. I will look at my policy. Still looking at reconstruction options and talking on the phone with those having it done. Just wish I didn't have to go back into surgery. ugh!
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Jen333, Enjoy being drain free. That was a wonderful moment for me ( and it really only took a moment). Caryn
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Jenn- welcome, getting those drains out is an amazing feeling
Monse- my ins will cover 2bras a year and 1 prosthesis a yr. Hoping to have recon but not sure how soon it will be.
Therese- best of luck to you tm. I'll be thinking of you and sending you good vibes all the way from Canada. And thanks for the good luck on my path report.
It's a mixed bag. I had 3 cm IDC and dcis (both) when they thought it was only dcis from biopsy. I prob won't need radiation (yeah) but he said they may discuss chemo. My nodes were all clear.
((gentle hugs to all))0 -
Junar, thinking of you today and wishing your luck. MargieC and Diana123, thanks for the good wishes. Diana123, all the way from Canada?
Glad that that you don't need radiation and here's hoping you don't need chemo either. Jenn, welcome, hope this site provides the support you need. I'm frantically getting things organized before my bmx tomorrow (finally!). I got really upset last night and couldn't sleep. I'm keeping it together for friends and family, making jokes and deflecting concern, acting brave, but I'm scared. I am so apprehensive about being unconscious and having my body cut up, even though I know so many more people have much worse things to deal with. My husband and friends are being supportive and telling me that it will be fine, but I just wish sometimes someone would let me express my fear so that I could get through to the other side. I'm so damn emotional right now -- up and down and all over the place, easily offended, needy, blech!!! I just read an inspirational quote in an article in the latest Oprah on breast cancer (p. 241) "Mountaintops inspire leaders, but valley mature them." Thank you, September sisters, for your support. May we all our journeys--however rocky at times--lead us safely to the other side where we can clearly see the sunshine glistening on the mountain peaks. xoxo, Therese
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Jucar and Terese--Best wishes for a smooth surgery and speedy recovery!
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Maggie -- I am appalled that your insurance initially declined to cover chemo for you, but glad that you succeeded in having it covered. What was their plan for your treatment??
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Just checking in and hope the healing continues for those who have had surgery. Also prayers and positive thoughts for those who are coming up on their surgeries. Went to the gym again and increased my overall work out time by 10 minutes. It felt good! I also drove for the first time since surgery. I felt a bit of strain when looking over my shoulder to back out but not bad. DD provided corny joke about whether I remembered which one was the brake pedal. Tightness in chest area is diminishing but I'm still sleeping on my back with a wedge pillow. I admit that I am afraid I might "hurt" something although I appear to be healing well. Thinking of you all. Caryn
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Jucar and Therese, prayers and special thoughts for you this week.
TAPPY, ask your doc to give you your own xanax... it can be very helpful and your doc should be helping you out with this, as well as making sure your meds are compatible with each other. Most of us take something to help us sleep or calm our anxieties as needed. I did not want to take anything to start with, but find healing occurs when we can rest well. And you deserve your very own Rx!
Those of you starting chemo, I wish you the best. Give yourself time to rest if you need it - SEs often hit several days to a week after chemo, each cycle is different in some ways, so you cannot always predict what will happen with each one, but you can be grateful with each one that you get through with the minimum of SEs.
I am a little frustrated with information I am getting from the PS and BS. I asked both of them if I would be a candidate for skin-sparing MX with immediate implant reconstruction - the PS said it is up to the BS and the BS said the PS would be the one to decide. ARRGGHHH!!!!!!
I am attending a conference this week, so am able to keep myself occupied and not worrying most of the time, but do think of all of you several times a day. Warmest wishes to you all.
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Congrats Jenn333 on getting the drains out today! I hope to follow in your footsteps next week ...
diana123 - I too got to pass on the rads but may need chemo... Have to wait to see what the onco recommends. (UGH!)
Jucar & Therese - sending love & prayers to you on your surgery day...
Caryn - congrats on the regained independence... I'm sure it felt great.
Hope everyone continues healing well ..........
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Met w/PS today. Just can't get rid of this drain. boo. I am set for another surgery next Wed. to reduce amount of fluid in expander and she is going to cut away the skin that is not viable and preventing my healing. We are hoping my surgeon will be able to pop in and place my port to save me from another surgery in a couple weeks. So, it's another week of restriction for me. PS says that after next Wed. things should start rolling along. We'll see. Meet w/oncologist tomorrow.
Jenn-glad that someone got to kick their drains to the curb!
Caryn, keep up the great work!
Linda, I hope your surgeons can figure this out for you...good luck!
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Hi, new to all of this, I had a double mastectomy on August 30th after having a new cancer in my right breast after DCIS stage 0 in 2008 follwed by 5 weeks radiation. Iam having implant reconstruction, just got my last 2 drains out on Monday (I had 4). So now I am at the point of having saline "fills" once a week, slow, because radiated tissue doesnt stretch as easily. Just today I visited my oncologist to hear about the type of cancer removed. Luckily for me in that there was no lymph involvement. I did find out that the tumor was triple-negative stage 2 and that it was very small. Since triple-negative tumors are fast growing I am living proof that a mammogram likely saved my life! I have been told that I need no further treatment (medication or chemo) because the breasts are now gone. Anybody out there having a similar situation?
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Hi peony888
Welcome to our unfortunate club! I am a bit behind you as I just had my BMX on 09/13. Got my first two of four drains out Monday! My bc was found on what should have been my "baseline mammy" which my bs said was an incredible find. The mammogram saved my life as well and luckily I have no lymph node involvement as well. Told I will likely not need any chemo or rads either since I did the bmx but won't know for sure until I see the med onco.....However my cancer was estrogen positive...Have my first saline fill in two weeks hopefully.
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Hi All, I having anxiety attacks one after the other, my bilaterial mastectomy w/o reconstruction surgery is on Monday Sept. 26th, I'm not new to surgery but this one is scaring the heck out of me, I had a lumpectomy and sentinal node removed in June I thought that was scary but at least it was early in the am and on time. My BMX is scheduled for 12:00pm and I'm an early riser so I gonna have way too much time to worry. They just told me today that I will be staying over night, originally I was scheduled to go home on a day surgery... sorry for the rambling, I'm just working hard to remember to breath! Prayers and thoughts for all of you going through this for a safe speedy recovery and many years of celebrating all milestones with family and friends
... Lisa0 -
Hi Lisa, Welcome, I'm from Ontario also and went home same day, only had umx but it would have been nicer to stay 1 night. I didn't start reconstruction yet either. My surgery was scheduled for 1.30 but had to be at hospital at 800 am for node injection. Went home when it was done then went back for 11.30 Time passed quickly. Worst part was no eating or drinking but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
Welcome peony--it must be a relief to have no further treatments!!0 -
Lori-- sorry to see that you are going through so much. Let's hope they do port at same time.
Hugs to you.0 -
Best wishes and hugs to all who are having surgery.
Everyone told me before that it would not be bad and they were right. It is still very scary and a leap of faith that your surgeon is doing his very best for you (and mine did)
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Thank you diana123 for sharing with me I think I will be most upset by the no eating thing as well, I get the shakes and a headache when I wait too long to eat... how long was your surgery? and is you don't mind my asking which hospital did you go with?
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Lisa-- I feel the same way when I don't eat. That day I was so nervous that it didn't bother me. They did let me have 1cup of clear liquid. They told me that at post-op. Did you have yours yet?
I'm from Hamilton area( which is about an hour from Toronto ) and went to st. Joseph hospital. I was only in surgery for 2 hours. I've now been referred to the Jurvinski cancer clinic for follow up treatments in Hamilton. What area are you from?0 -
Lisa-- I will private message you. Up in right corner it will show you have a message
I hit delete instead of edit. Ugh0 -
diana123 sorry for asking about the hospital on an open forum... please don't worry about answering that I wasn't thinking when I asked, I just read you post and thank you
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Dont worry. Took me awhile to figure out how o send a message. ( duhh)
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