Moving On......After the Flap
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dang....just wrote a long post.....then it disappeared into cyberspace!!!!!
short recap.....
enjoy.....glad to hear clothes were part of your work ensemble
cherrie....no such thing as "just" as river.....amazing things.....they are the true embodiment of "life moves on"...of course, I'm not such a fan of a river in flood...but that has meaning too.
sbe....princess in the pool??? naw....you be the QUEEN!!!!!!
teach...glad the "bulge" got sorted....I'm joining the technicolour group again too.
I'm supposed to take it easy this week....I'm already bored...NOT a good sign. Why doesn't Wilbur like me???? I'm getting a complex about the dude! I went "ativan free" for yesterday's lipo under local. I got HUGE shakes from the epinephrine, and the doc had to refreeze the thigh once, and the breast/chest twice!!!!! He thinks the ativan last time might have kept my body from throwing off the freezing. Does that sound possible sbe??? They made me sit and drink some juice before they let me leave, and I was shaking so much I couldn't keep the dang juice inside the cup! I thought yesterday would be "it" for the "fine tuning", except for the tattoo.....my PS suggested letting him redo the internal suture that abscessed, to regain some of the nip projection that I've lost since he had to remove it. I'm going to have to think about that one.
anyhoo...I'm allowed to walk...so will head out before it gets to warm today. Hugs to all....thinking of movie and morningsun....
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Thanks, nihahi, ultrasound tech told me this morning that she didn't see anything abnormal. The radiologist will look at the images and write-up a report. By the way, where the heck did your ps find fat on you to graft from, nihahi?
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Nihahi, sorry to hear Wilbur deserted you. Even if you decide not to go back, sounds like you will have some good looking thighs!
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Nihahi-I'm sorry that Wilbur jilted you....he was having too much fun with me......
I echo Morningsun...where the *bleep* did they find ANY fat to lipo?????? I hope you get feeling better real soon.....Still trying to sort out my sick doggie-she's 9 years old (almost), fat, lazy, and apparently has pancreatitis...or did Wilbur mention that already????? Still not eating much (which I don't give two hoots about^^^see above), but her fluid intake has been hellascary low, which DOES worry me. Today, she finally lapped up a bit of chicken stock/water I boiled her chicken breasts in....(I do believe she eats better than I do!) Hope we are turning the corner.....
My mother.....SSDD........literally. She is the poster child for "lingering"....and life with no joy is just exhistance(sp?) >sigh<
Thumb is doing MUCH better....I am using it on the keyboard.....and stitches come out next Monday....I WILL be hottubbing by September.......sharks or no.......
Love to all.......Jackie
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A friend sent this to me and it is calming, fun to watch and is "Happy". Sometimes I wished we had remained in Australia as the people just accepted who I am. Anyways I do hope this brings comfort and smiles to all of my dear friends here!! Kat
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Oh Movie- You have a lot on your plate right now. I will get in that hot tub with you if we overlook a couple of rules. Wine in no breakable glasses must be allowed.
Nihahi- Sorry about you and Wilbur not working out. Take it easy. How warm is too warm to hike?
Morningsun- :-)
Enjoy- cough is barely there and my ear is normal again. I hate being under the weather. Thanks for thinking of me.
Jeannie- loved your pictures
Zenful- You will have no problems if you are in the shufflers group.
I am trying to walk 4 or 5 days a week and usually get in 3-4 miles. Trying to be consistent if possible.
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hey ladies!
I'm back from Aruba and I've got to figure out how to upload pictures to share the island paradise. I'm scheduled for dog ear revision Thursday. Thanks to this site I sent my doctor a note wondering if I should stop taking tamoxifen before surgery. They forgot to tell me the list of things to stop taking. I'm so grateful for this site.
It's weird because I'm starting to get nervous about the surgery. I know that it's a smaller scale surgery but the nerves from the first one are creeping in.
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Butterfleyez- it is so natural to have these feeling. I was this way for each one, but it is most definitely a walk in the park compared to stage 1. Good luck and keep us posted.
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thanks Cherrie.. Good to know I'm not alone. I'm really counting on this being a faster recovery because I drop my son off at college on Saturday.
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morningsun.....SPECTACULAR NEWS!!!!! Take a deep breath, then shut that damn elephant away in the closet and lock the door.
cherrie...neither sun nor snow nor sleet....well, maybe sleet.....can stop me from some variety of "shuffling". It was just over 30C here today.....which for you "southerners" is about 86F.....I know, nothing special for you....for us!......almost UNBEARABLE!!!!!!!! If I have wine while in a hot tub...you better put water wings on me.....I have NOOOOOO stamina for adult bevvies anymore!
haha everyone...not sure where any of you got the impression I have undetectable fat, but the PS was definitely able to find some in my upper thighs. Will they turn out "shapely".....I doubt it, but...as long as they get me places, it's all good.
movie...I just don't know what to say...if you ever decided to chronicle your life, it would be a best seller. FYI....I'm now 84th in line at the library for the new Gabaldon book.
katski.....we "get you".....no need to move back to Australia. Hope your aches are feeling a bit better.
butterfleyez...eagerly awaiting photos!!!!! Just because your brain knows the difference between the BIG surgery and the smaller ones....doesn't mean your emotions play by the same rules. The message of "just show up" still applies, but, it WILL be a very different experience this time for sure.
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Hi girls, summer is getting in the way of my posting regularly. Weather has just been glorious for the last few weeks, and supposed to stay like that for another few weeks. So I'm having a little holiday here all on my own reading, swimming, relaxing, and being lazy. Here on Vancouver Island we get so much rain in winter, and it can be gray and miserable for months at a time, so I'm investing in my bank of memories for when it's cold and rainy. We've been having temps upwards of 30 C lately. Last Saturday it was 41C here.
Morningsun, great news - yay!!!
Nihahi, will have to talk to you at the get together. I can see that the DIEP breast is 'fuller' than the other one, and I'm wondering whether I should have it corrected or not. I think I may just accept it as it is. Just no more taste for any of this - procedure fatique. Seeing the PS one last time later this year. She wants to take 'after' photos. Still have to get the tattoo done too. Sigh.
I hear you guys about your kids' stuff. My three are all grown and gone with their own homes, but their stuff still fills up half our garage. I've threatened to put all their boxes on the Greyhound bus, and send it to them - only thing that prevents me from doing that is that I will have to pay for it - lol. May be cheaper to hire a moving company to cart their stuff to Alberta. I'm trying to get rid of as much as I can to simplify and declutter my life, but I'm up against a wall with this.
Al the best to everybody, and I hope we won't have any more accidents before That Weekend. Take special care, please! I'm also walking again now, and will keep it up. Don't want to be left behind.
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Nihahi,
I am almost 60 years old and have had more novacaine shots at the dentist than I can count. Back in March before my diep I went to have a crown attended to so I wouldn't worry about the tooth going bad on me during my diep recovery. When they gave me the novacaine shot I had the same reaction you had during your lipo session. The dental tech wasn't shook up, but I was. She told me to breath. I asked her what the heck happened. She said a lot of people react that way to the epinephrine
I was confused since I never had the reaction before, ever. I was told you can ask for novacaine without the epinephrine in advance, but they don't keep it on hand. Since when? I am really sorry you had that reaction. It was scary, and I really don't want to have it again. I haven't been keeping up, I didn't even know you were joining the lipo club. How did you feel afterwards? I have nipples now. They are big..lol. But, I am expecting them to shrink about 50 percent, I hope.
Jeannie, you look adorable in your pic.
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Aruba really is beautiful
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Jeannie - Your picture is adorable!
Sad to hear that Wilbur has deserted you, Nihahi. Though I think he mentioned something about a wine tour in Napa this month. But, I've got him on hold for October, when I finally get my nips. LOVE hearing all the happiness stories surrounding the finishing touches. I've postponed mine three times so far, but am determined to get them sometime this year. I was on the fence for a while, but all the first hand accounts have spurned me on.
Movie - I'm so glad your dog is having some chicken stock. I just love those little creatures.
And I'm so looking forward to seeing all the Mount Hood pictures. I'm green with envy at the fun you're going to have, but looking forward to the stories. If I send a cardboard cutout of myself, can you put it in the pictures?
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Nihahi were they fat grafting to add to the noob? Sorry Wilbur wasnt there for you.
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liefie.....enjoy every blinkin minute of the summer....!!!! 41C!!! that's inhumane, and I bet makes you really, really, really happy to be living on the lake!
I can't remember if you had anything done to the "original" side???? I can't imagine how lopsided I would be now, if I hadn't had a lift/reduction done on my original breast, but since they were taking out the implant on that side as well, my PS recommended it. I do hear you on the procedure fatigue. I'm putting off the decision to redo the internal suture until I see the PS again, which won't be until after the gathering. That will be just over 2 months since he had to remove it, so I will know what the consequences of taking it out will be by then. Things were 100% great, pre-abscess, but if I don't lose anymore nip projection, I'm still very happy with what I have. If I keep losing....well.....I think I've come this far, I'm not ready for it to be "nothing". I'm on the waiting list for tattoo at the PS....likely not until October/November. I have sourced out another place in Calgary that does BC nip tattoo....by a "real" tattoo person....but of course, not covered by healthcare. Haven't made final decisions about that either. I can tell I'm getting to the "end of it all", because none of these decisions are front and centre in my thoughts anymore.
goldie....congrats on the nips! They do seem outrageous at first, don't they! Hope you end up happy with the final result. I'm feeling pretty good now...thanks. The bruising is colourful, but everything just feels like I took a heck of a tumble. The fat grafting last time did well, in creating a better "transition" from chest to breast, so that's why I went in for one more go-round, to one other area. I can assure you....I'm done with it now!!!!!
Have good days, ladies.....hugs to all.
ooopps......missed some posts while I was typing.
ARUBA!!!!!! Lovely photos!!!! I can hear the sound of the waves when I look at them. Thanks for sharing!!!!
janet.....you are too funny.....you'll be with us in spirit, girl!!!! As will everyone else who can't make it. I'm sure there will be more in the future. Maybe we can convince everyone to come to Canada....think how much farther their $$ will go up here!!!!
re: fat grafting....no, not to the flap, that has been just fine on it's own. I had a couple concave areas above the flap incisions that have been "slightly plumped" to create a softer transition. Those spots were from the type of MX I had many years ago, and the scar tissue from the capsular contracture around the implant that had to be carved out.
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Janet - I think Wilbur got his travel plans mixed up this month and left Nihahi stranded. He is expected to be with me on Tuesday for the coastal road show where I put away the pasties and tassels for real nips. After 29 years, I can't wait to get them (course the tats will come after the first of the year). We have promised Wilbur lots of fun in the sun before he has to go to work.
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marty......I SOOOOOO get where you're coming from! I hope you're planning a "pastie burning" party! Tell Wilbur to give you the 5star treatment....you deserve it in spades!!!!!
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Butterfleye, beautiful photos! Makes you wanna go there, for sure.
Marty, you soooo deserve the nips after all those long-suffering years. Best wishes for an excellent outcome, and that you and the nips will live happily ever after.
Janet, send the cutout, will you?
Nihahi, when the nipple was done, I had a lift on the other breast. So they are even, but I can see now after a few months that the lifted breast is not as 'full' as the DIEP one. When I wear a tank top or swimsuit it does not sit straight, and gets pulled a little to the side because the DIEP breast is a little heavier, I think. The PS said that she can always fix whatever I want fixed, so I guess she could easily do some lipo and fat grafting. Just not sure I'm up for another round. I'm also a little leery to have my healthy breast tampered with.
Movie, how is the dog doing now? And you? Have you slowed down a little? We need you to be well rested before Mt Hood, okay?
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Liefie, my symmetry issues are exactly like yours. Although both sides are DIEP for me, the cancer side was entirely constructed from abdominal skin and fat. The healthy side was scooped free of breast tissue and "filled" with abdominal fat. It's significantly droopier than the cancer side, and like you, when I wear something that is close to the contours of my chest, the neckline pulls to the droopy side.
I saw my PS yesterday, and he's with me on the "suck it up and get it over with" philosophy, with the goal of being done and dusted before the end of the year. With this in mind, I'm back in the OR on Sept. 4. He'll try to even everything up, get the nips on the same horizontal plane, and dig out more of the radiation scar on my back. Of course, I'll have my usual week of hyperbaric joy--need to start choosing movies! Movie, do you have a DVD of Erin's latest???
What will I do in 2015 with my vacation days? Ride across the US? Volunteer in Africa? I can't wait to find out. One activity I'm sure of is BRA SHOPPING. I have four--two exercise bras, and two mastectomy bras, and all of them are ill-fitting and tatty. I just can't bring myself to bra shop before this whole fandango is over.
Nihahi, how you doing? Yes, I have a theory about the ativan/epinephrine/lidocaine thing; let me run it by Dr. Google! Movie, how's the finger and the momma-sitting? Marty, when will you apply to Hooters? Butterfly, great photos--I wonder why they're called "pink" flamingoes? They're pretty orange in my opinion.
Later, girls!
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sbe......yep....go for the best you can get...then put it all behind you is my thinking too. Gosh....with surgery on Sept 4, I hope you'll be good to go for Mt Hood!!!! (fyi....it's an omen that it's a GOOD date....would have been my Dad's, and is my brothers birthdate!)
I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on the epi/ativan stuff!
Liefie...I'm having lunch with websister and benny tomorrow in Calgary...wish you could join us too! It'd be like old times.
Another hot day here....won't complain anymore, since I just looked at the long range weather forecast..........(sigh).........
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sbelizabeth - Sometimes I just skim this thread for a quick catch up to make sure that everyone is okay. Last night (insomnia) I was rereading and realized how much you've been through and how much you've got going on. It's that darned positive attitude of yours! You make all the big challenges sound like tiny hurdles - just another day at the rodeo with a wild horse and a kick-ass cowboy.
In fact, you remind me of a commercial from the 60's for the board game Trouble. 'You've got trouble, wait don't run, this kind of Trouble is lots of fun!'
I also like your PS's attitude about 'sucking it up'. Immediately after my diagnosis I had a meltdown with a favorite friend who'd had BC. After stroking my hair and listening to be blubber and whine for a couple of hours, she said 'Buckle the F*ck up. This is a job'. Best advise ever.
Goldie - Wilbur is most definitely coming your way. He may even bring you a bottle of Chardonnay.
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I totally agree, Janet......sbe is a "rockstar" of the "buckle up" mentality.
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Janet and nihahi...you are so kind. But in the famous words of someone here, "you don't have to be brave...you just have to show up." I've done a lot of showing up, yes, but I've always brought my cheering squad along. With my husby and friends, an accommodating employer and great boss, and all of YOU HERE, it's a one-step-at-a-time marathon that I'm dedicated to winning. The finish line is just over there!
I love, love, love what your friend said. "Buckle the fu*k up. This is a job." A few days after my miserable diagnosis my medical director/friend came into my office and said, "You've got some work to do. Get it done, we need you here." No poor baby, no how long will you live, no how can this be happening. It was a perfect approach.
Nihahi, here's my theory, although I can't find much to support it yet. Usually the local anesthetic of lidocaine with epinephrine lasts a good long time, but it's possible that the epinephrine in a big dose gave you the shakes, which were suppressed last time by the Ativan. Shivering can raise the metabolic rate to 400-600 times its normal state, and I'm thinking you might have metabolized the lidocaine faster due to the shakes. If/when you need local anesthesia again, especially if it's going to be a substantial dose of it, take the Ativan. It might prevent your shivers and help the local last longer. Again, just a theory.
Gotta go...love you all!
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addendum to "buckle up, this is a job" is "and take the Ativan"
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Oh, I've missed you ladies. I haven't even been away except for the last couple of days. It seems to go in spurts on here. No posting, no posting, lots of posts! I love the baby pics, two legged and four legged. I cannot believe the babies are 1 year and 5 months already. Yes, birthday parties are not what they used to be. You have to give as much as you get and entertain everyone. It doesn't stop with the one year birthday either. At least we are the grandparents!
It sounds like everyone is on the mend. A couple of nips and tucks, too! I am very pleased that I got the nips. Nihahi, I believe you said it made a flap into a breast. I agree. Yes, the viewing audience is very limited, so perfection is not necessary.
When you all are hiking, I'm going to stick around and help in the kitchen! Sbe, you have to skip the cellulitis this time!
Love you ladies...Julie
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Since I can't work with my trainer, I sought out other outlets.
This is one project in the works.
I took a brownie trifle to my PS's med assistant for her birthday. My sweet Princess Penny Grace photo bombed because she heard the fridge open. I got her a couple of baby carrots as a treat since I was leaving. Anyone else's dog go crazy when the veggie bin opens or do I just have a weird dog?
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I didn't catch up on all the posts but this page but Teacher, first of all WOW nice smocking!!!! Dessert looks decadent and your PS's MA will be shouting hallelujah to have you as a patient. PS your puppy is cute and there are lots of dogs who eat carrots! My one dog did but this one doesn't. You are hilarious.
Goldie, I am with you, so happy to have nipples but they are quite el grande'. Everyone has said they will reduce so I am cool with that.
Nihahi have fun at your lunch!
Sbel, September 4 isn't too far away, good for you, getting done will be so nice! You are a warrior princess, I agree! I think everyone is here, when you think about it we never know the boatload of stuff some deal with, they might not share it. There is so much more going on with everyone than "just" having bc. Truly is a testament to the toughness of the human spirit.
Edited to say the very important reflection on the Aruba pictures. Can we write that off as a healing prescription...?
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Aruba looks awesome.....on my list
Teacher you're very talented! Good use of energy
We had a Schnauzer when I was growing up....best dog EVER. well.....maybe....our current Moses is the best dog ever right now Both of our current dogs LOVE all manner of vegetables....I think celery is their favorite....we don't buy dog treats.....just vegetables!0 -
ooohhhh yes. I like the "take 2 weeks in Aruba" prescription!!!!!
teacher....the smocking is lovely....gotta say though, you really got my attention with the chocolate trifle!!!!! Your photobombing schnauzer is adorable. My dog would eat fresh peas.....wouldn't touch cooked ones. We experimented once, and put one pea in his dogfood bowl. He ate the entire bowl.....cleaned it out.....except for the one single pea!
sbe...your theory pretty much matches what my PS thought too. If there ever is a "next time".....sign me up for the tiny white pill!!!!!!!
jbloom....glad you're happy with the nips...amazing how much of a mental shift it gave me too.
enjoy....good thing those nips do shrink though eh! The first glimpse is quite a "wowzer" moment eh!
sbe..listen verrrry carefully......THERE SHALL BE NO MORE CELLULITIS!!!!!!!
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