Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Poodles, so sorry about your mom. She sounds like mine was: stoic and unwilling to inconvenience us, nearly to the point of no return. As to the timing of your surgeries, I urge you not to undergo orthopedic surgery of any kind during the winter! Even if you will spend two weeks in inpatient rehab afterward, you would still face up to 6 more weeks of outpatient PT—it's tough enough getting there through ice & snow, but the last thing you need is to further injure yourself on snow & ice. I had emergency fracture surgery and my sis had emergency open ACL/MCL repair in the dead of winter, and recuperating & rehabbing was tough enough without the dangers posed by snow & ice. You also have to contend with possible osteopenia or osteoporosis from Femara, which would make a fall for us disastrous whereas for someone with stronger bones it'd be merely a speed bump on the road of life. As to my own TKRs (deliberately scheduled in June, a year apart), I was in rehab 10 days for the R and two weeks for the L. I had inpatient PT every other day after each--3 wks for the first, 2 wks for the second; and then 3x/wk outpatient PT for 6 wks for the first and 4 wks for the second. For the R, I chose a clinic that provided van transport, as I wasn’t allowed to drive for 6 wks, period. For the L, I opted for a closer one and started driving there as soon as I was off opioids. What also made the difference with the L one healing faster was that I started my low-carb diet 4 mo. beforehand, and did 4 wks of “pre-hab” to strengthen my core, quads & glutes and improve my balance before the surgery. Prepare, whenever you decide to have your TKR, to work very, very hard with PT (and rest/ice/elevate just as intensely). The English orthopedic-surgical nurse who runs the discussion boards at Bonesmart.org (where I first met Brithael, BTW) is very anti-PT, but she’s an outlier in that regard.
My housekeeper had open hysterectomy 20 yrs. ago, and was off work for a month. Laparascopic might heal more quickly, but then again, she was in her late 30s, not our age, at the time. As to how many surgeries are okay w/in a single year, only you can know what your body, budget and other tasks (e.g., caring for DH) can handle. I have one cataract surgery scheduled for early Sept., and will have to have both tendon-release surgery for trigger-thumb done either just before or after, and then the other cataract done after the first one heals. Those are all brief, minor same-day local-anesthesia operations, though. By contrast, TKR requires general anesthesia, and you should expect to be “under” at least 90 min.-2 hrs. for each. My R TKR took almost 4 hrs. because my tibia had deteriorated so severely years after having being shattered and patched back together with epoxy & hardware).
Abra, I love Montreal. I was last there in 2005 for Folk Alliance Int'l. (I can still taste Ben's cheesecake and smoked-meat-on rye, as well as the champagne choucroute at a wonderful brasserie suggested by a concierge when I asked about something quintessentially Montreal that didn't involve poutine). I found it very easy to make my somewhat-remedial French understood, and I could read signs and menus without even mentally translating them into English. But I found rapid-fire spoken Quebecois French difficult to understand, and I noticed fewer folks than in years past were willing to switch to English. At least they did catch on and answer me more slowly. Oddly, I have no such problem in Paris or elsewhere in France or the French-speaking parts of Switzerland—I can understand their answers to my questions perfectly.
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Poodles and Sandy, I keep forgetting that there's a BIG difference between So Cal and Chicago and Illinois! Sorry! Yes, Poodles, don't do any joint replacements in winter. I had mine in November, was driving in 2-3 weeks (it was my L), and went 3x wk for PT. My therapist was excellent, and I achieved full range of motion with it and can even get down and sit on the floor. (Of course, getting up isn't really pretty!) Sandy, my mouth has been watering with all your descriptions of indulgences. I think we get to a point where we think, well, damn it, the low carb diet didn't keep me from bc, so I'm going to enjoy myself. I had dropped a bunch f weight a couple of years ago, and then just stuck with the low carb. I tend to celebrate of console with wine when I get a report back, but y biggest regret is no diet coke! I don't smoke, don't really drink, and diet coke was my one vice. Oh well, hope it's all worth it!
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You are right! It's just so new and complicated and confusing to me ... I feel like the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz ... everything scares me!!!! Thanks for the info and encouragement.
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Oops ... forgot to identify that my last post was to Dara.
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I gave up diet Coke (and other artificially-sweetened beverages) years ago when I found out what artificial sweeteners do to your pancreas: the sweet taste signals it to scream “Incoming!” and spike insulin production to prepare for the expected sugar onslaught. When that glucose doesn’t appear, the insulin sticks around and promotes fat storage, and you become hypoglycemic: cranky, headachy, tired, and craving sugar. I’ve lost my taste for diet beverages--they just taste “off” to me. Been making my own seltzer now for years, and that’s what I order, with a wedge of lime (or unsweetened iced tea with lemon at places that don’t have soda water) when I want something to drink that’s cold & non-alcoholic.
Although I prefer my coffee black & unsweetened, I do love my cappuccinos. When at a cafe, I order either a breve (diluted heavy cream or half-and-half), a macchiato (espresso with a blob of froth) or a cortado (between a macchiato and a small cappuccino). At home, I mix a Tbsp. of heavy cream and unsweetened vanilla almond milk with a little FairLife ultra-filtered milk--half the carbs & sugar and more protein, and froth that with my espresso machine’s steam wand. (Not as much luck with the Aeroccino frothing pitcher--it will either only heat the milk without frothing it, or whip it up cold. It’s very finicky with the milk it prefers--Nespresso’s site specified “Organic 1%, opened less than 3 days ago.” Yeah, right--gonna throw away milk every 3 days. Not). No sugar, though. You should have seen the looks on baristas’ faces in Italy when I left the packets of sugar and sweetener unopened on the saucer. Nobody in Italy understands how anyone can take their espresso straight.
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Sloan, we were just talking about the art installation at Pershing Square. Once I am back to work I hope to see it.
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Myra, congratulations on your response to chemo. That's wonderful news. I am very slowly getting better. I still have to take a nap every morning but I am eating more and focusing on iron rich foods. I am adding prunes to my oatmeal and finally got past the anesthesia induced constipation. Sorry if I repeat myself. I am still pretty exhausted. My hope is to return to work on the 22nd. Hopefully my team will be okay with it.
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Hi ChiSandy! Nice to hear that you (and others) have enjoyed Montreal. There is much to see and do and eat here! It's true that it can be hard to follow rapid-fire French sometimes ... the 'street' accent is quite different from the 'international' French taught in schools. I took French every year when I went to school in Ontario, but when I first moved to Quebec I couldn't understand anybody! My DH is a francophone, and I giggled when we went to France many years ago ... in order to make himself understood in Paris, he had to 'put on' a Parisian accent when he spoke French. I thought he was joking (actually, I was afraid he was making fun of our cab driver!), but it worked! There are many different regional accents in Quebec, just as there are with the Engish language in Canada and the USA.
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Dara- thinking of you as you begin chemo. It is not easy but doable as many have said. First week or so is hard...lost hair on day 17/18...took it out in the shower. Never had a buzz or anything...did it all myself. We all have to do what is the most comfortable for us. In your pocket as you begin this next part of the BC ride.
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Thanks so much Happy Hammer. I'm glad to hear you took care of your hair yourself. I'd just as soon do that rather than go in to a hairdresser. I'll be getting the same drugs you had, so I'll see how experiences compare. I have my little chemo bag with things suggested on the chemo thread. I just want to feel well enough to go to a jewelry class at the art museum on Saturday. My pocket is big and has room for any interested! You guys are all so terrific and make me feel really secure and calm! Thanks!!!
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Good thing you have a roomy pocket, Dara, 'cause I'm in it too and I'm jumping around since I don't dance
You'll do just fine. I would guess the first infusion is the scariest because you don't know what to expect at all. My daughter-in-law had her niece and nephews help shave off her hair and made it a party (so it wasn't scary to them).HUGS!!
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Thankfully, we don't get a lot of ice or snow here in Atlanta. Although I do remember watching the snow fall during our 2014 SnowPocalypse from the recliner 2 days after my knee arthroscopy. Thankfully, I didn't have to go anywhere. At any rate, I know I will have to go to rehab. We have stairs from the parking pad to the sidewalk, then stairs to get up to the porch. All the bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs too.
Soooo, my mother is still in the hospital. They have gotten the kidney to mostly stop bleeding. Unfortunately, she has lost a lot of blood over the last 24 hours, so she's getting the first of 2 units of blood now. She is very confused, thinks she's been there for a week, can't remember who has been with her all day. Not eating, can't have a BM. I have a 31yo niece staying with her tonight. My sister will be back in the morning. I'm keeping my finger on this situation. Hopefully, I won't have to go down there this week. (I have a sister in WA who can't come, a brother in NC who won't come, and another sister in MS who started back to school last week so she can't come either.) I told me niece to call me anytime--I keep my phone on 24 hours a day. She's pretty good, but it's harder for a grandchild to handle my mother than it is for me or my sisters (my brother's useless.)
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Aw, Poodles, how hard for you. Hopefully your sister and niece can take care of your mother so you don't have to go down there. Sad for your mother. Fingers crossed that the transfusions will help clear up her mind. Lots of hugs - I suspect you need them.
HUGS!
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Dara, in your pocket for tomorrow also & a big hug!
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Dara, hopping into your pocket too. Can’t jump (knee implants), too klutzy to dance, so I volunteer to cater the pocket party, tend bar or provide the background music.
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Dara - Yep, I'm in your pocket, too!
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Dara, with ChiSandy MCee'ing your pocket party (plus catering and bartending and music) you are guaranteed a full pocket (please catch us if we fall out!). Loads of hugs!
HUGS!
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Dara - I'm in there too. Warm hugs.
Molly - thinking of you too. Hoping your recovery accelerates soon. Hang in there
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Well its Aug 7 and here's my update. My hematoma is finally going away, that may be due from an area by my incision became infected. The surgeon got me right in when I noticed the discolored area. They drew some fluid, and yes it was infected. So they opened an area and drained it, put on antibiotics. Four days later when I went back for a follow up, she didn't like the way it looked, I was running a temp at night 102.4 and chills. She walked me over to the specialty clinic in the hospital and I started 4 days of I.V. antibiotics, Rosephen. On the 5 th day, in the middle of the night, my breast popped open another hole. Got straight to the surgeons office in the a.m. after I cleaned All the drainage off. They preceded to cut the 2 holes into 1 large hole, and within this hole I have 2 tunnels, one is 4 cm deep and the other 7 cm. Yes Ladies they stuck a long q-tip type device into the hole to measure its depth. I now wear a device called a wound VAC that drains and suctions the wound after it is packed with black foam in each hole. I will wear this device for anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks, however long it takes to heal, and it is changed Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No one ever said radiation could burn a hole in my breast. On top of all this My youngest chld called me crying saying she has a lump. She is 19.. We finally got her into see a doctor for an ultrasound and he strongly suggested that she have a biopsy,because it was Not a cyst and it was abnormal looking. So Friday, 8/5 like a brave trooper she had an ultrasound guided biopsy, and of course I could not go in with her. She did great, took 1 mammogram for clip placement, and she passed out. Took an hour and a half to get her feeling ok enough to leave, and her blood pressure back to normal. We wont get results until the latest 8/10 God I pray its nothing ,I dont want her going through what I and my mom have. and yes my mom was bx with breast cancer the same time I was. Did genetic testing and their is nothing abnormal about our genes. We just mustbe very unlucky
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jdfly, I'm so sorry that you're having all the issues & on top of it worry for your daughter as well as Mom. Prayers for you're healing & worry. Prayers that your daughter's biopsy comes back negative. Big hugs!
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jdfly, what a terrible time you've had. Another one of our lumpy friends had that VAC thing used too (Poodles?) At least there is something that can help get the infection out of you. Was it radiation that caused the problem or just exacerbated it? In your daughter's pocket for benign results Wednesday. How scary for all of you. And how unusual for you and mom to be dx'd at the same time with no genetic anomalies. Not the kind of mother-daughter experience anyone wants. Many hugs to all 3 of you!
HUGS!
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Yes, it was me that had the stupid wound vac for 7 weeks. I must say, as much of an aggravation as it was, it really did speed up the wound healing. I started out doing wet-to-dry dressings and was getting nowhere with that. After the larger part of the healing took place they stopped the wound vac and had me doing some kind of gel dressing that I had to change every 72 hours. And finally, at the very end I was back to wet-to-drys. In all, 16 weeks. But then again, my wounds were horrific and huge.
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At least you healed, Poodles, but I know how hard it was for you and I assume it will be challenging to jdfly too. At least it does clear up the infection...eventually. P.S. How is Mom today?
HUGS!
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jdfly, praying for your daughter and your mom. Sorry about all your healing problems.
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I was away for the weekend (co-workers loaned us their lake cabin!!) so I'm just getting caught up. Wow... I'm very behind in just a few days.
Dara... Hope your first chemo wasn't too scary. Big hugs to you.
Welcome Abra!
Peggy... Glad you enjoyed Gleason. I haven't seen it yet, but will.
jdfly ... Sending hugs to you and your daughter today. Hopefully good news on Wednesday.
Poodles... Hope your mother turns the corner and that she has great medical care. Wonderful your niece is there for her.
Big hellos and hugs to everyone else. I need to step away from BCO today. I'm going to I tend to look good feel better class this afternoon and I better pull myself together. Seems to take a lot longer to get myself ready these days.
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Traci, Bet you had a good time at that cabin. Wasn't it nice to get away? Enjoy your Look Good Feel Better class. I'll be anxious to hear all about it!
HUGS!
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Rough allergy day today--my eyes (especially the L) were streaming all the way up to Highland Park for the bimonthly family shrink appointment. Should have used drops before leaving the house. I am getting very, very nervous about my cataract: yesterday, we were about to sign the e-file authorizations for our tax returns (late because of tardy 1099s from various investments and focus-group payments) and I couldn’t read the typeface on the cover letter (nor the tax returns themselves) without using a lighted magnifier. I have no problem with driving, not even at night, but reading and typing are getting harder and harder. I have given up my beloved crossword and acrostic puzzles (except online, where I can enlarge them) because I can’t read the letters and numbers in the clues (even if I squint)! My old standby--Foster Grant LED readers--no longer work, not just because my astigmatism creates distortion but because my lenses are too opaque for stronger correction to make any difference above 2.50 diopters. I don’t know if I can hold out till my scheduled surgery date of Sep. 7.
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jdfly so sorry for all you are goibng through. Gentle hugs, and hoping your daughter is okay. Note to self: never, ever google-image wound vac again.
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Sandy, Sorry about your allergies. That's rotten. And scary about your eyes. A month seems a very long time when you can't easily read or write. I assume you are getting toric lenses to correct your astigmatism(s). I don't have any suggestions for you sorry to say. But very glad you can drive! Do both eyes need surgery? Hope your allergy pills kick in!
HUGS!
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Well, my mom was very confused last night--my niece contacted me a couple times, just concerned. It's not unusual for elderly people get confused when they're in the hospital, especially if they are taking narcotics. The confusion has been better in the daylight, but not entirely gone, hence, why I want someone with her as much as possible. Her urine output went down and she's passing blood again, so they took her for another CT scan and called in a nephrologist. Turns out the stent they placed in the kidney Sunday has slipped down into the ureter. They're going to take her back to the OR tomorrow and put it back in place. I have a meeting with my boss at 1pm tomorrow, but I'll be headed down to the Gulf Coast after that.
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