January 2014 Surgery Sisters
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the nurse I spoke with on the phone said if it's taken out I'm good. She didn't say there was a grade or stage. She just kept saying it's gone so there's no threa
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hi ladies.... where's everyone been? Hope you're all doing well and are just too busy to post!! Thinking of yo
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Hi!
I haven't been checking this site and apparently I don't get email notifications anymore. Beverly, it sounds like you're doing everything right. You got it checked out and they took care of it. But it's always a good idea to have a copy of your report and then forward it on to your cancer care team.
I had a colonoscopy a few months after my BMX and they found 2 polyps that were not precancerous, but were removed. The doctor sent me a letter explaining everything - what it was, when to follow up, etc. I'm also able to check my records online and print off copies to share with other providers without having to go through my clinic. I hope you can get your questions answered.
Wow - it's been a long time since I've been on this site.....lots has happened!!!
So.....my mom passed away on May 7th - just before her 89th birthday and Mother's Day. We were all with her during her final days. For those final weeks we spent at her bedside, I feel like I've been in a different world and I don't really want to join the "real world" yet. It's been emotionally exhausting....working with hospice and nurses at memory care, selling her house, the estate sale, cleaning out the house and her apartment, making funeral arrangements. I'm just so tired! The worst thing is that our family is broken into pieces.
Good news is that as far as we know, both hubby and I are still cancer-free.
Guess I'll take that.
Love,
~M
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M, Hugs. Your mom knows how much she was loved. My husband lost both of his parents not long after we were married. It is tough. Hope you are giving yourself permission to rest. You and John have had an exhausting few years
Love to all....
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Sweet Mary,
So sorry to hear about your mom. Hope "things" will settle down soon and you can look back on the good memories.
Love and hugs,
Eve
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Thanks Ann and Eve! Yes, it's been really tough. One thing after another....
It's good that she's no longer suffering. I just wish she didn't have to go through it and she was still here. Such is life.
I hope you are all well.
Take care,
~M
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HAPPY SUMMER!!! I'm officially on summer vacation!! Love being a teacher!!
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Enjoy!!! Beverly.
Hope all is well with everyone. Pretty routine here.
Peace
Eve
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thanks Eve! Prayers for me please.... I have a colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled for June 28. I had one done in February but they found pre cancerous polyps and I've had some bleeding and stomach issues. Hoping it's nothing, but prayers couldn't hurt!
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Prayers for you, Beverly, and everyone! I am sure it's nothing, Beverly but sure can understand your anxiety!
Good to hear from you, Eve, and very happy to here that life is routine. That is a good sign!
I don't get out to the site much anymore, but, every so often I think of all of you and want to catch up. Even if I don't post I feel a sense of well being knowing you are all here.
You will always be my tiara girls forever
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just checking in to make sure everyone is doing well!!! Check in when you get a chance. Think of you all ofte
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I know my sisters aren't as active on here as we've been in the past.... looking for prayers for my mom. She had been diagnosed twice with breast cancer and now they suspect uterine cancer. She's post menopausal has had vaginal bleeding and when they did ultrasound her uterine lining was thick... 14mm. She has surgery scheduled for September 27. Please pray for her! She's been through so much already!!!
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Praying for your mom, Beverly.
So sorry I'm so late in posting and supporting you and your mom. Please keep us updated.
We are still digging out after Irma. Lots to do. We made it ok but my neighbor had a huge oak tree crush his house. No power for 5 days....akk.. Cold showers are not my forte. lol
My best friend has just received the word, after yesterdays routine mammo, that she needs a "super mammo' and ultra-sound. sheesh.
I just had my every 3 month check-up and all is well. So i have made a year with out a recurrence. Woot
Prayers are going up..take care
Eve
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I agree. Find a nurses hand. Squeeze. Count backwards from 10 and I will be over 💜💜
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Beverly I'm praying for your mom. I'm so sorry she is going through this.
It's so great to hear you are okay Eve! You have been on my mind so much. Thinking positive thoughts for your friend as well.
There are so many people affected by the hurricanes. It must be so overwhelming. We have been donating our here and my realtor went to Texas with her company to help with the relief effort.
Congrats on a clear exam! I am down to yearly and go next month.
I spent the summer getting my condo ready to sell, then sold it and bought a small house. We only moved in last Saturday. Things have been really hectic, but I'm very happy to have a home with no stairs and a yard. It's a bit of a fixer, so there is a lot to do, and I'm finding I don't have the stamina I used to have, so i take breaks and it takes longer.
Painters will be here in an hour and s half to give the outside a facelift.
Love and hugs to all my sisters!
Diane
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So nice to hear from you Diane. You too are in my thoughts.
Congrats on the house. How fun to renovate, one of my pleasures in life. Have fun! Would love to demolish my kitchen Hubby doesn't want to put the money into it. Sooooo, 3 1/2 more years till we move, step-son will be 18 and we are debt free.. We'll see.
Yes, i feel so relieved that I'm finally a year out. Feeling pretty good.
I have a new passion. I played flute as a kid and teenager. Gave it up. So I recently expressed an interest in playing again. Ha! Hubby bought me a solid silver flute. Beeeutiful. So much fun. I am taking lessons online, and having a ball rediscovering music.. I have a long way to go , but I practice 3 hours a day and find it hard to put down...
My older son Sean Sean graduated on the presidential list, dean's list and with honors from UCF. he has moved to Ft. Collins Colorado with my reccomendation, Yes! he listened to me lol, and has found his home. He will get his 2nd degree at CSU.. Steve the younger son is at UCF and getting close to his degree in organic chemistry, then on to veterinary medicine school. Also straight a student..This mama is so proud.
Sorry for going on...but life is good, and I am grateful.
Really would like to hear from everyone.
Love you all,
Eve
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Beverly, I hope that your mom's surgery went well yesterday. Sending you HUGS!!
It's SO nice to hear from you ladies. I know we sort of see each other on FB, but Eve - we miss you! I'm so glad that things are turning out so awesome for you.
Congrats, Diane, on the new house - how exciting!!!
At work I just completed 2 out of 3 Walks plus 2 big fundraising events. It's been very stressful - especially doing it while grieving. I think of mom all the time and miss her soooo much. I keep telling myself it will get better ....
Lots of exciting stuff on the homefront. DH just had his 2 year anniversary of being cancer free. WOOOT! Plus I am planning on stopping AI's coming up in July. I can't wait! I had the BCI test and it came back as low risk, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm good! Hubby wants to retire next year and we just got a (used) 5th wheel and pontoon at an auction, and next we'll be getting a new truck since the old one just died. I can't wait until next summer!
Luv you all!
~M
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I HAVE GREAT NEWS!!!!! They found no cancer for my mom!! The tamoxifen caused the issues. There's no cancer!!!
Her uterine lining was 14mm and she had post menopausal bleeding so they wanted to rule out cancer. Now we have to figure out if she should stay on tamoxifen or come off... dr said if she stayed on she'd need biopsy either 6 months or yearly.
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AWESOME!!! Go out and celebrate - just the two of you!!!
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I'm baaaaaack. So, Eve, I've got a question for you.
After almost 4 years with these implants I've decided I've had enough. I want them out. They hurt and I'm just tired of it. When I had them done, I knew in the back of my mind they were too big, but I thought I'd get used to them. I tried. I really did, but they are just too heavy and I am super conscious of them. Plus the pain is really bothersome. It's not bad-bad, but it's enough to make me worry.
How are you doing with being flat - are you still loving it? I'm not sure I want to go totally flat. Maybe replace them with salines that are much smaller. I'm seeing a PS next week. My original PS is no longer there - not that I miss him. In fact, all of my providers have relocated, so this is going to be hard with a brand new team. Or maybe not.
Hope all is well with you ladies!
~M
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Hello dear Mary,
I'll try and answer your question, it's complicated.
Yes, I don't mind, notice I didn't say "like", being flat. When at home I don't even think about it, until I look in the mirror. I do miss my boobs and my nipples. My scars are not pretty. I have extra skin that I'd like to have removed, and I still have pain, though not much, and weird sensations. However that is a result of three surgeries and my surgeon having to dig out a lot of muscle in order to remove encapsulation from my very old implants.
Like I said while at home I don't care. When I go out I am a bit self conscience about being flat. Clothes don't fit the same. I tend to buy bright highly patterned loose tops that camouflage my lack of bumps. At the same time no one has ever looked at me funny because I don't have boobs. So the self image stuff comes solely from me.
I, thought really hard about your question with regards to having smaller implants. Would I do it? If I had insurance? For me, no. Really NO. More surgery, and then having nipples made and then tattoos. No. But that is just me.
I have found a couple of bras that have wide, soft bands that i will try to wear, when I get my little knitted inserts . we'll see. An organization called knitted knockers.com will make you inserts for free. pretty cool.
I guess it boils down to being comfortable, and self image. I'm comfortable, self image is a little iffy when I'm out but not anything I need to have more surgery to counter.
I'm cancer free. That is what matters. Plus when I falter, I think about our troops that have lost limbs, no brainer about boobs.
love you,
peace, Eve
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Eve,
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
It's all so subjective and personal, isn't it? Talk about feeling self-conscious. I do, too. While out in public, certain types of men will stare at my boobs. Yuck. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I choose to go this size. Actually my surgeon chose the implant for me. I'm not a skinny girl anymore, and the boobs make me feel even bigger. Plus I have to wear a bra ALL THE TIME - even at night.
Sorry to hear you have pain, too. I suppose they'll tell me there's no guarantee that my pain will go away with different implants, or even without, and that just plain sucks. But I worry about what's going on in there and the health effects of having these silicone blobs in my body. I've had a long list of health complaints since my surgery. I could wallpaper my house with the amount of paperwork generated by my medical records. I think they are tired of seeing me coming and wish I would go away. But yes, I'm very grateful that I'm still cancer-free!
I'll let you know what I find out after my appt. next week.
Luv,
~M
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No problem Mary...I always look for any communication from here.
Yes, very subjective. No guys look at my boobs, maybe looking for my boobs...lol. No matter, I don't care anymore.
The pain your are feeling may be from encapsulation. Scar tissue surrounding the implants. Remember I had mine for 20 years plus. The pain I was feeling, while still having those silicone implants was encapsulation but that only happened after the first two surgeries. Hence the muscle pain after having the implants explanted...fancy words, yes?
I develope keloids which is thick scar tissue, even if I have a small cut while shaving my legs. AKK!
At any rate, pain is very stressful to deal with. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be pain free...just a part of my life. But I don't let it get to me. NOT GOING TO DO PainKILLERS. No way, no how. Don't do any pharmaceuticals at all.
Doesn't really apply, but I believe when your number is up, its up. My fav Tom Petty died a few weeks ago. Hubby and I got to see him in concert during the very beginning of my BC walk. I'll always treasure that lovely weekend with my hubby and Tom Petty. Sigh.
Boobs are just boobs. Life is wonderfully awesome, day in and day out. Little things are what counts. Your weather and the fall leaves must be awesome right now. Enjoy.
Love you
Eve
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Greatings from Pacheco! It’s always good to hear from you ladies.
Mary I’m sort of with Eve and would basically rather have sticks in my eyes than have another surgery. I’m sorry you are still having pain. For me it is mostly pressure and a dull burning sensation which I’m pretty used to, since it is constant. I’m also not taking any pain meds, including ibuprofen, because my stomach was getting irritated.
Please tell us what your plastic surgeon says. If they can swap them out for small saline implants with one surgery, that sounds awesome. I will say that I would personally not bother with the nipple recon and just get tattoos. My faux nips are okay, but just seemed to make tattoos more difficult and I would love to be braless more often.
I see my BS for my yearly exam tomorrow, and don’t expect any drama...knock on wood!
Keep us posted Mary!
Love and hugs,
Dian
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Hi Diane,
Nice to hear from you! Yes, I never thought I'd ever be considering surgery again. I thought 4 was enough. But my mind is made up. Just like with anything else in my life that I wasn't happy with - if you can do something about it - great. I owe it to myself to at least try. I'm so glad I didn't have any nips or tattoos done. I'm sure that would have made a revision more difficult.
Hubby has been very supportive of my decision, which is awesome. I just hope that the PS is willing and able to get onboard. I'm so tired of being dismissed by my doctors whenever I 'complain' of pain. I'm not unused to pain. I have advanced osteoarthritis and am very much used to quite a bit of pain which has been getting worse over the years. I don't take any pain meds for that. But there again, I plan to have hip replacement surgery when it gets unbearable, which may be sooner rather than later. I'm not willing to put up with limping around like an 90 year old if I can do something about it. Anytime I can move pain-free enough to enjoy life again, I'm all about that.
Eve, the leaves were beautiful this year - especially up north. Last week it snowed and it wasn't pretty! I'm not looking forward to winter. But yes, life is good. Hubby plans to retire next year so I'll be on my own as far as health insurance. Thus the need to get any surgeries done, if I can. I've started decluttering my house, hoping to get it fixed up to sell in a few years after I retire. Then...we'll be taking off to who-knows-where! Also joined the Y and started Yoga again. Trying to do all the right things to stay happy and healthy.
Take care,
Mary
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Diane, you crack me up, sticks in the eyes, indeed!
When I think about it, My decision to go flat was, well, obviously to avoid any more recurrences but also to nix anymore MRIs with the radioactive contrast crap. No more drugs with side effects.....just don't want to deal with any of it.
Mary, I so get the constant pain issue. Same here. It is everywhere. In every joint. But i just adjust and deal with it. My MIL had a knee replacement and is thrilled with it. Medicare paid for all off it. Hoping I can wait for anymore major medical issues until I am 65.
3 1/2 more years to go..lol sheesh..I am getting old.
Any how, i gave you the wrong organization to order fake boobies from. Knitted Knockers is fine but this is the one that I ordered mine from.... awesomebreastforms.org. They are free, but. If you knit or crochet, oh wait you do! you should be able to follow the pattern very easily. Havent received mine yet, I'll let you know how they work out.
I've just finished 2 huge quilts, so maybe i'll try to make them my self.
Happy Halloween all,
Peace
Eve
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Hi ladies,
Just checking in after my PS consult. Regarding the heaviness and switching to saline, she said there is no weight difference between saline and silicone - that was a surprise to me! She is willing to exchange my implants for smaller ones, but wants to first try physical therapy and acupuncture for the pain. Funny...when she first touched my implants, she said, "They're cold." I laughed and said, "Not really. You should feel them in the middle of winter or after I go swimming in the lake!" They're never really warm - that's the worst thing about my fake boobs, but was surprised by her reaction.
So.... although I'm tired of these heavy sandbags, I'm not overly anxious to jump into surgery again as I had such a painful experience last time. I'm hoping that PT will ease the funky feeling in my armpit where the scar tissue is and help with the muscular pain. This will give me some time to do some research and think about what size and type of implants to go with. My PS suggested going from a C to a B cup. Hubby says small bumps would be fine with him, but to do whatever I want.
Eve, you have me thinking about crocheting again! I always get the urge to dig out my hook and yarn when cold weather sets in. Maybe I'll crochet a bra to help keep my foobies warm!
~M
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nothing new to report... just catching up with you ladies and reading the posts I miss. Love you all!!
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Hi everyone,
Hope you all remember me- it's been so long since I've been here. I am sick with bronchitis, and too worn out to do much, so I've just been rolling thru the site and found you. Mary, so sorry to hear about your Mom. I lost both my parents while I was in my thirties, and have learned over the years that it doesn't matter what age you are when you lose a parent- the pain and sense of lose do not change.
I am not much help with advice on implants. The very first time I saw my BS, I told him I wanted them both off, and did not want reconstruction. I have never regretted that decision. I wear prosthetics most of the time, and in general, am fine with those except for when I look down and they have shifted, I have had a boob in the middle of my chest and one under an arm. ( I am exaggerating, but they do shift a little occasionally). I still sometimes feel like I have a bra that is way too small on, but remain satisfied with my decision.
Still working on repairing damage from Hurricane Irma. Needed to replace all the flooring except for the master bedroom and bathrooms, get a whole new roof, and replace our shed. I have also decided to replace two sets of sliding doors and a wall of kitchen windows with hurricane strength ones. I had just remodeled my kitchen and garage in March, and did not plan on any other major changes thiS year. Thank God, I have pretty good insurance, but they only replace,not update. So, for example, the paid $1400 to replace the door that came off the track- the new hurricane strength ones are costing $13,000. When all is done, this house will have had about $75,000 in upgrades this year, including a new solar hot water system. That is certainly a silver lining, but the process has been slow and frustrating. I have scheduled a deep cleaning appt for the Tues before Thanksgiving. I am just praying that all the inside work will be done by then.
My son thinks our bronchitis we all have is from the dust from the reconstruction. I tend to agree.
Hoping you are all doing well.
Anne
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!!!!!!!
So good to hear from you Anne. We went through Irma too. Luckily no damage to our house but the one across the street still has a huge oak tree laying in the middle of it. So sad.
Mary,I have the very strange sensations on the side and under my arm also. All is well unless I touch that area or get an itch...Doc says it is the extent of the muscle she had to take out AND that it gets worse when the weather changes...she's right. Weird stuff, but tolerable.
Soooo, we were talking about boobs vs no boobs. So I am comfortable at home boobless. After a year of being flat I just wanted to try breast prosthesis'. I like clothes that fit and had grown tired of baggy shirts. I found myself wearing an oversized tank with a collared shirt over that. So not my style, I like a bit girly girl/ stuff. Not over the top but pretty. So today I received my prosthesis.. C cup. Was a bit worried they would be too big but they are fine. Been wearing them for a few hours and I don't even notice them at all. Plus I have bumps again.. I like it. makes me smile...so it is an option and seems to be fine for me. They were $100 bucks apiece..so not too bad. They are even jiggily..lol..
love to all,
Peace,
Eve
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