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January 2017 Surgery Group

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Comments

  • 3bears
    3bears Member Posts: 161

    That barn is way nicer than our barn. Here's our barnimage

  • vargadoll
    vargadoll Member Posts: 1,942

    3bears- I like your barn better! I so enjoy and covered area to sit and rock! My husband brought home one of the rockers from Cracker Barrel. He is a property manger and someone left it! People leave the strangest things behind when they move. It's pouring in the mountains today. Stay dry and warm!

  • Shoregirl
    Shoregirl Member Posts: 338

    Congrats to Pugs, 3Bears and Cowboy-Up on finishing chemo and radiation!! I too am entering the next phase of the journey. I get my Squishies tomorrow at 11:25!!

    Alli, you said this is the most painful thing yet, were you referring to the upcoming fat grafting?? I hope you have less pain than anticipated!!

  • 3bears
    3bears Member Posts: 161

    Thanks Vargadoll, I like our barn too. Rain in the mountains sounds lovely. Weirdly, I've come to like cool rainy days. I used to only like warm and sunny weather. Probably because I have no hair to worry about frizzing up anymore. Plus the hot flashes are so annoying!

  • vargadoll
    vargadoll Member Posts: 1,942

    3bears - I so agree with you! I'm a sunshine girl to bit the past few months I have looked forward for an excuse to stay home! We have had 2 rainy days and I have only had to go out to drop the grandson off at school and pick him up plus the radiation appointments.

  • vargadoll
    vargadoll Member Posts: 1,942

    3bears - I so agree with you! I'm a sunshine girl to bit the past few months I have looked forward for an excuse to stay home! We have had 2 rainy days and I have only had to go out to drop the grandson off at school and pick him up plus the radiation appointments.

  • Alli
    Alli Member Posts: 34

    Shoregirl- good luck with your surgery tomorrow. So nice to move on to the squishy side. My Ps said the FG procedure was the most painful surgery that I've had yet due to the pain from the donor site (tummy). Not looking forward to it but hope it improves the tightness of the rads side.

    3 bears-I love the barn.

    Varga- A rainy mountain day sounds delightful!


  • farmdream
    farmdream Member Posts: 74

    Shoregirl - good luck with your surgery today...you are probably already at the surgical center. Let us know how you are doing Hug

  • farmdream
    farmdream Member Posts: 74

    3bears - the barn is awesome! What a great porch too!

  • LoriT-51
    LoriT-51 Member Posts: 1

    I just joined here and not sure if this is correct forum to ask this question but need help!

    I had double mastectomy w DIEP on March 8, 2017- I got infection was on 2 rounds of antibiotics then was put on Cipro; culture was done -it was not bacterial so plastic surgeon decided to open the incision so i could heal from the inside out Wound is large and still uoen; its apx 5" long and 1" wide but doctor happy w how its healing.

    Met w oncologist this week for first time-got my onco score.-because my score was 28 and I'm 7 weeks post op- there seems to be a rush to start chemo Taxotere and another drug (begins w a "C") -my concern and question is

    Now the plastic surgeon wants to skin graft the wound so I can start chemo because onc wants me to start Im scared of them grafting a wound that still has infection in it as chemo could put me at risk of idk what??? and

    Taxotere-can anyone share their experience with this chemo drug? I have read this is the ONLY drug that has a risk of permanent hair loss

    Im 51 yrs old


  • PugsMama
    PugsMama Member Posts: 337

    hi LoriT: it's very distressing when you find out you need chemo. Both DIEP recon & chemo present unique issues, concerns & questions that you'll want to connect with women in the same situation. .I'm going to recommend the following 2 groups on this site for you to join.

    (1) those who have had DIEP surgery. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics...

    (2) April 2017 chemo group: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...

    Best to you & hugs!

  • BeachBabyK
    BeachBabyK Member Posts: 148

    LoriT - I can't help with the PS question, but I did have Taxotere as part of my treatment and my hair is all growing back (albeit much slower than I would like). Everyone that I know that has has Taxotere hasn't had a problem with their growing back either. I hope that alleviates a little bit of the anxiety.



  • Fightingirl
    Fightingirl Member Posts: 328

    So happy to see everyone doing well! Congrats on those finishing chemo and radiation...the finish line is in sight! Just wanted to check in and say hello...still think about you all the time! Life is good! We are cruising towards a hot Arizona summer which I'm not looking forward to, but hoping I'll be able to escape the heat for some long weekends somewhere out of the desert. So much time off and money toward those medical bills so we'll see!! Lots of love to all of you!

  • dcbc
    dcbc Member Posts: 122

    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I didn't know the fat grafting was worse than the MX!!! Save me!!! I was hoping for a quick turn around... my exchange with FG is 5 May...Shoregirl, good luck today! And please let me know how it goes... expectations are everything! Hope you love the results and are back on your feet SOON!

    XOXO

  • dcbc
    dcbc Member Posts: 122

    PS, just gonna put this right here for someone... :))

    image

  • Elem
    Elem Member Posts: 246

    hey Fightingirl and Dcbc..

    nice to hear from you . Omg heat of summer in the desert . Southern utah is the same way in summer and being on tamox cannot be good with the hot flashes. Work for medical bills is where I am at as well . Although the out of pocket has been met, the year will fly by and followup care will be expensive next yr! Ugh! But happy to be alive and well !

    Congrats to all finishing Chemo and rads this week and last . Much love and hugs for all going foward⭕️❌ so BC just beat it!

  • annoyingboob
    annoyingboob Member Posts: 459

    wow - folks are getting their final boobs already?!! That's pretty exciting!! Congrats ladies on the homestretch!! Here's hoping it's a walk in the park compared with everything you've gone through so far!!

    I did a soul cycle type spin class tonight. Holy hardness!! If you want to feel your age, try a cardio class with a bunch of 20 year olds!!!! Granted, it was my first cardio in 5 months, so I just went at a sloth's pace and trudged along, but it was fun!! It's nice and dark, so very non-judgey. I doubt I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow though, so if you need me, I'll be at the cabana bar slurping on slushy fruity drinks replenishing my calories!!

    Love the barn!! Love a new pool in the yard!! Love a summer of weddings and babies!! So pleased to see everyone focusing on more fun things than recovery. Very grateful for my family of sisters - I love each and every one of you and I hope this little speedbump of 2017 means greater blessings are coming your way! You certainly have paid your dues!!

    Xxxoooo

    Ps - if any of you are too skinny for fat grafting, I have a bellyful that I'd be more than happy to donate!!!

  • PugsMama
    PugsMama Member Posts: 337

    hi everyone! I'm back from the dark days of the final chemo treatment. This one really kicked my butt, but each day I know it's only uphill from here!

    I have no idea who's up to what right now (I've been keeping up but can't remember anything...) but it seems everyone is moving along just fine!

    Shoregirl: congratulations! Can't wait to hear about your new permanent foobs!

    Next for me: CRUISE to Bermuda at the end of May. No hair, still have TEs, but I don't care!! When I get back from that, I have to talk to the MO about hormonal treatment. I think I'd rather be on Tamoxifen than Arimidex, the AIs scare the heck out of me. I just think there's something scary & dangerous about removing all estrogen from your body. At least with tamoxifen, your body gets the benefit of estrogen (strong bones etc.) without feeding the ER+ cancer cells. If it's a little less effective for post-menopausal women, I'm ok with that. Back burner for now, thank goodness

    I would imagine sometime over the summer I'll have my exchange surgery. Thanks A-Boob, but if I need fat grafting, I've got plenty of my own to contribute LOL!

    DCBC & A-Boob: LOVE the pug pics. Here are my babies...they each have their own crate but they often like to snuggle together...

    Love you all!

    image

  • vargadoll
    vargadoll Member Posts: 1,942

    long day for me! I just popped on to see who had posted and I'm so glad I do!! So much love for all of you! Shoregirl hope you are done with you procedure and resting, PugsMama, love you cuddly pugs! Fightingirl, I have been thinking about you!! Annoyingboob- you make me laugh! Elem and dcbc, hello!! Much love to you all u might post later tonight. I'm tired! Dropped grandson off at school volunteered at church for 3 hours with my girl, fed her linch had a almost 2 hour PT appointment, rushed to school (was 8 minutes late he didn't notice! ) for a 2 o'clock awards ceremony at grandson school. Come home, laundry, straighten up the downstairs started dinner went to radiation (they wereally so behind!) That took almost 2 rushed home finished dinner fed the family now I'm a doing this post instead of cleaning up the kitchen! ♡♡♡♡♡

  • RoseRN1
    RoseRN1 Member Posts: 44

    Pugsmama your babies are beautiful. I always laugh when I hear a pug bark. Seems like they like they are trying so hard to bark like a big dog!

  • PugsMama
    PugsMama Member Posts: 337

    RoseRN: you are so right about their bark! I crack up every time I hear it!! You're having your mapping tomorrow, right?

  • Shoregirl
    Shoregirl Member Posts: 338

    Hi ladies! Surgery went well, ended up not using drains, THANK GOD!!! Funny thing was, the day of my BMX I was barely nervous. But when I got to preop for the exchange I had major butterflies!! I was so nervous!! The nurse said it was PTSD, remembering the BMX and how hard it was.

    My new boobs look really good though!! Smaller than TEs, which were 475cc. My Inspira smooth rounds are 470cc. I had him move them a little bit closer together. He raised them up a little bit too. I'm probably a C cup, not sure as I am wearing a compression bra. The bandages have not come off yet. PS said I can take a shower after 48 hours which is today. I may take one tonight or wait till tomorrow morning.

    Now we must remember everyone is DIFFERENT, and some people tolerate things better than others. That being said, I Had a LOT of post op pain!! More than I expected! Everyone told me ahead of time that this was a piece of cake compared to the BMX. That being said I didn't think I would need as powerful a pain killer as I did following BMX. I requested Percocet instead of Dilaudid for the exchange. That proved to a BAD idea!! 10 mg percocet, I took two of them along with Valium 5mg and I might as well have taken a sugar pill!! Did NOTHING for the pain so I didn't sleep the 1st night.

    I called the doctor the next morning and they wrote me a prescription for Dilaudid which I filled and got relief, but still very SORE. I almost feel like I should have stayed in the hospital a day or 2. Remember, I spent 4 days in the hospital after my BMX instead of the expected 1 night.

    The implants are definitely softer but I can't really tell too much as it so fresh and raw, I don't want to push on them. It's a stinging, burning, aching and throbbing pain. My sternum hurts because he had to loosen the stitches to bring them closer together. And strangely my ribs hurt too! My incisions are along the IMF but extend past my armpit to get rid of the "dogears". Now that it's been 48 hours I would say the pain is localized to the IMF incisions and the sideboob. Sternum pain has eased up.

    I asked my PS again prior to the surgery about nipple reconstruction. He was adamant that I would be wasting my time and going through extra pain and recovery needlessly as they would flatten out in a year.

    He said Vinny charges $1000 per nipple for 3D tattoos and It's a six-month waiting period and when you go, instead of Vinny doing it, his daughter does it. I don't know, I guess I'll just have the PS do my 3D tats. I will ask to see pictures of their work. If I get them and can't stand it, I will save up for Vinny.

    I have time to think about it. I would love to find pictures of gals that had nip recon over a year ago and see how they look after a year has gone by. Maybe my PS is wrong and the nips may shrink some but at least have a little "bump". If any one knows of women who have had nip recon and are pleased with the results after a year please let me know!!

  • PugsMama
    PugsMama Member Posts: 337

    Shoregirl: so happy to hear you say your boobs look good! No drains either!!! Please keep us posted on your recovery process...very gentle hugs!

  • vargadoll
    vargadoll Member Posts: 1,942

    Shoregirl - sorry to hear about the pain! Glad you got relief and didn't have to hang out there! Hope your girls are pain free and perfect asap!

  • annoyingboob
    annoyingboob Member Posts: 459

    yay shoregirl!!! Our first graduate to almost-final boobs!!! Sorry it's been rough, but I'm so proud of you!! Trailblazer!!!

    Do a big online search, bc although vinnie may be the most famous, there are a ton out there doing great work. Maybe there is someone equally as talented and closer to you? Might also be worth starting a new thread to see if anyone a year out still pops in here to check. I wish I could help. Good luck to you!!!!

    Here's hoping the nest few days ease up and you are more comfortable.

    Xxoo


    Sunset tonight

    image


  • Shoregirl
    Shoregirl Member Posts: 338

    Thanks girls! I know I have been doing too much!! Another gal told me a friend just saw Vinny in January and it was $400 per side, not $1000. Maybe my PS is trying to keep my business and told me that to keep me from going to Vinny!!

  • Alli
    Alli Member Posts: 34

    Shoregirl-so glad that surgery is behind you. Stay ahead of the pain.

    I just got home from fat grafting/ revision and visiting the cabana. I was prepared for the pain to be awful but so far it is so much easier than my BMX or implant placement. I think the PS injected the long acting lidocaine because my abdomen feels numb. I do have some pain around my implants- I guess where the fat was injected.

    Have to wear compression wrap to abdomen for 3 weeks and back in surgical bra for 2 weeks 24 hrs a day.

    Will keep you posted. I expect to be sore tomorrow.

    Good night to all you amazing ladies!

  • Shoregirl
    Shoregirl Member Posts: 338

    Yay, Alli!! Glad you are now on the other side of the FG. I'm so happy to hear the pain was less than your other procedures!! My mom recently had FG, from her arms (bracheoplasty) and the fat injected into a few lines on her face, and to add fullness to her cheeks and upper lip. She didn't have much pain where it was injected, but her arms still hurt, and her surgery was 2 weeks ago. I think they still hurt because she had surgical Staples, which were just removed yesterday, and a lot of tissue was removed from under her arms.

    I hope you heal quickly!! Please keep us posted on the final result of the FG to the boobs!!

    I'm going to take my 1st shower today since my exchange surgery. My PS said I could shower after 48 hours. Then I'm going to my stepfather's office to get a Meyer's IV. He is a holistic doctor, wants me to get the Meyer's as it will help speed the healing process. It is basically a bunch of vitamins and minerals infused into my bloodstream.

    I hope everyone has a blessed day!!!

  • farmdream
    farmdream Member Posts: 74

    Shoregirl - so good to hear from you. Hopefully your pain gets better soon. Make sure you get enough rest Hug

  • dcbc
    dcbc Member Posts: 122

    Congrats Shoregirl and Alli!!! I'm right behind you ... my exchange with FG is a week from today.... I'm much more nervous about this one too.... I think its a combo of PTSD and also that this is what we will be living with (not a medically necessary procedure that will save your life, but the means by which we hope to accept that change of MX in our lives!) that makes it more fraught with emotion... at least I think that is what is going on with me.

    Re: Vinny, I've heard around $800 for both, so the info from the PS sounds suspect... My PS says everyone he knows uses Vinny (I assume that means him as well as his very small, trained staff) for 3D. My internist said she was amazed by the results. Of course, you have time to do your homework! But I would not rule him out summarily until you do! Also, insurance must cover at least some of this, no?

    Good luck with the pain, Shoregirl! Am hoping for less, but will plan for more. I suspect it will be short-lived situation... our bodies truly are amazing.


    XO to all, ahve a LOVELY weekend!

    Susan

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