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June 2017 Surgery Group

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Comments

  • susanga
    susanga Member Posts: 66
    edited July 2017

    Hi to everyone. I have been off the grid for a few days visiting my brother in the mountains. What a great place to recouperate. I'm just trying to catch up,with everyone's information. I'm sending warm thoughts to all of you. Leatherette! I hope things settle down at your house. Talk about when it rains etc. Big hug to you all.

    I spoke to my surgeons office to see if I should wear something tight on my swollen painful incision but they want to see me on Wednesday morning instead. Perhaps they will,drain it. I must admit the swelling has made everything sore again. I hope,they have a quick solution.

    SBKH hang in there. Keeping busy before surgery helps a lot. I cleaned my house from top to bottom. It made me remember about the days before I went into labor.

    Continued good,thoughts and prayers for all.


  • misbehavinggirls
    misbehavinggirls Member Posts: 9
    edited July 2017

    Thanks for the welcomes ladies :) Yes I'm 2 weeks 3 days out from bmx. I have no personal experience with surgery. My mom (had a double bmx after her 2nd occurance of BC) who's visiting, remembers little of her surgery 10 years ago (actually the *entire* cancer experience) so she's not much of a reference since we did not live near each other during her treatment. So I only have online references to compare. I think I'm probably doing really well. I was having pectoral muscle spasms when my drains were still in. My pain tolerance is pretty high but those took my breath away. I'm still having quite a bit of muscle twitching but I haven't had a painful muscle spasm since the drains were pulled. Those came out around day 10. I've had a bit of fluid build up in what I affectionately call my boob pockets so I'm continuing to wear my compression band.

    I'd say the main thing that I'm struggling with is pain in my armpits and nerve sensations in the skin on the upper inside of my arm. Of course my chest feels weird. It was intense at first and is gradually getting more tolerable.

    I'm supposed to return to work at 3 weeks and I'm nervous since I work nights 12 hour shifts and I do a lot of physical work. :-/

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    I was wondering about the pain, seems to be getting worse as I heal and feel more. I guess that numbness is/was doing me a favor. So far it's not terrible but certainly sore and uncomfortable.

  • legomaster225
    legomaster225 Member Posts: 356
    edited July 2017

    I am still sore too Illimae. Not a deep pain and mostly upon movement. I don't think we are unusual and my pain felt worse the day after the numbness wore off. Now it's just tight and achy when I stretch too far it move too much. I like the pain relief from the ibuprofen better than my norco though. I only took those for a few days. My head feels clearer. I'm a lightweight though. Hang in there.

  • legomaster225
    legomaster225 Member Posts: 356
    edited July 2017

    My husband sent me this today. Lol. Patriotic inside and out. Happy 4th of July my friends.


    image
  • JenRuns
    JenRuns Member Posts: 299
    edited July 2017

    we're at the cottage this weekend and my girlfriends decided I needed some fun hair before I shave it on the 20th.... it was fun, but man, it's different for me!

    image


  • IGL
    IGL Member Posts: 17
    edited July 2017

    Your hair looks great!! What a fun idea

  • susanga
    susanga Member Posts: 66
    edited July 2017

    jenruns. I like it! What a great attitude. Good luck with the chemo. Hopefully it will go easy on you and tough on the cancer.

    SBKH good luck tomorrow with your nuclear injection and surgery on Thursday. You go with our thoughts and prayers.


  • RRusso23
    RRusso23 Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2017

    anyone else tired of sleeping on their back? It is so hard for me to fall asleep that way!

    Ladies who've already had their expanders filled.. what am I in for? I go on Thursday and want an idea of what to except

  • JenRuns
    JenRuns Member Posts: 299
    edited July 2017

    RRusso23: I was just thinking today that I might try my side tonight!! I'm so stiff and sore (neck and back) from sleeping on my back :(

    For the fills: I've had two so far. The actual fill is a breeze. A little poke and that's it. But I'm still pretty numb. After the fills: Both times I felt a little tighter and sorer (ribs mostly) for a day or two,but not too bad. Sometimes it was like, oh yeah, there's those darn things. Oddly, the past two weeks I've been sore/tight again the day/night *before* my fill. Go figure. Good luck to you...

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    Yes! I hate sleeping on my back and waking up so stiff, I do fall asleep fast though, 2 minutes tops, just a creature of habit.

    I should get my 2 small drains (right and left breast) out tomorrow and the final axillary node one on my left next Tuesday hopefully.

  • RRusso23
    RRusso23 Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2017

    jenruns I found it easier to sleep sort of on my side if I wedged this big body pillow I have behind me supporting my back and a pillow in front of me to hold onto. The expander feels heavy like unless I do it this way..


  • ouray17
    ouray17 Member Posts: 39
    edited July 2017

    Met with the RO & MO - taxol once a week for 12 weeks followed by AC 4 treatments every 2 weeks, then 6 weeks of radiation. All thanks to the 3 little lymph nodes. I expected some, but not that much. After listening to the doctors & the statistics, the protocol is my best option to keep from having a reoccurance.

    JenRuns - love the short hair! Got mine cut short for surgery, guess I'll probably end up shaving mine when it's time.

    IGL - sorry about the 1 node - it's a little frustrating to be so close to being clear.

    lllimae - thanks for the comment that chemo was easier than recovery.

    Legomaster2 - hate the drains. Hopefully my last 2 will come out next week. Olami, Lego mentioned ibuprofen for pain. I am taking an advil during the day and an advil pm to help me sleep at night. Working great & got me off the norco.

    misbehaving - the upper inside arm pain does hurt sometimes very much. Doc said it's from the cut nerves trying to heal & time & exercise will help.

    VL22 - hope all went well. You are tough to go through another surgery so soon.

    Leatherette - You're just amazing taking care of a sick family while trying to recover. Hope all are better soon.

    Rrusso 23 - the first day I exercised, I did each of the exercises one time. The next day, I did 3 times each, then 3 times, 2 a day & built up to 5 reps/3 times a day. If that doesn't work, ask for PT.

    SBKH, you are almost there - 48 hours and surgery will be over & you will be much better. Sorry about hubby & mom. Do you have a close friend or sister or will your in-laws help? My daughter stayed with me for 3 days after I came home & I did need her.

    Susan GA - I'm jealous of the mountains! I head to Ouray, Co every summer for at least 30 years until now. In the last couple of weeks, two of my kids have been in Colorado & my 3rd son & family are in Ruidoso, NM. ....and my summer vacation consists of bc surgery & chemo. Gonna change my username to Ouray 18 - that's the plan anyway.

    Hope everyone has a great week!!

  • SBKH
    SBKH Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2017

    You ladies are great!

    Jenruns- love the hair. That color looks so good with your eyes!

    And I'm so grateful to read through the various stages of recovery and know what I'm in for Thursday. Susan, I actually get the dye injection the morning of surgery- which I'm glad about.

    So just curious, for those of you that did not do reconstruction, did you find you needed muscle relaxer prior to getting the drains out?

    Hugs and prayers.


  • susanga
    susanga Member Posts: 66
    edited July 2017

    I did not have any muscle relaxants. My drains did not hurt at all. My surgeon put a tight elastic dressing on the entire area which held the drain in place. It was removed 7 days later but I subsequently developed a seroma(very painful). I had it drained this AM and now I am in a compression garment and everything feels better. True to their record the draining did not hurt at all. I watched it on ultrasound. There is an advantage I believe in leaving the drains in longer. Also, the more active you are the more serous fluid you put out (I think). I started exercising after the drain was out. Live and learn.

    Best wishes to all of you fabulous women. You are all amazing. SBKH special healing prayers


  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    Just got my 2 small grenade drains out, yay!! Hopefully the larger axillary drain comes out next week at my BS post op appt. I'm sleeping on my side tonight Smile



  • legomaster225
    legomaster225 Member Posts: 356
    edited July 2017

    SBKH- I never had any muscle relaxers at all. Although was worried that the drain removal would hurt it did not hurt at all. 👍🏼 Good luck tomorrow. Praying for an uneventful surgery foryou.

    Glad your drains are out Illimae. I just returned from the PS and my final two were removed as well! Glad to longer be tied up with those.

    I have to say I'm jealous that you get to sleep on your side though. I'm going to be in my back for quite a while I'm sure. I can't even wear a bra for a while. Good thing I'm small breasted, even after implants at least that is not that big of a deal.

    We're moving forward...

  • SBKH
    SBKH Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2017

    Thanks again for all the info ladies! Trying to set my emotions aside and put on my game face. Tomorrow this time, I'll be a uni-boober!

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    SBKH, lol to uniboober! I call my MO, BS and RO my tittyteam.

    Legomaster225, I won't be bra shopping for a little while either and the surgeon for the reduction/lift said I no longer need a bra with underwire, which is so bizarre for me. I'm guessing I've gone from a DD to a full C, maybe. The smaller chest makes the belly more obvious though, bummer.

  • Leatherette
    Leatherette Member Posts: 272
    edited July 2017

    SBKH, I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

    When I got my drain out, it did hurt while she was pulling it out, but it was bearable. She was pulling 4 to5 inches of plastic out of me, so I guess I should have expected it. I was not given any muscle relaxants.

    There was this purple glue over my incision. The doc told be to take it off, that it was easy. After half an hour in the bathroom with tweezers, it was off, but so was a little skin! Ow. Overall, the scar looks and feels better though. I put neosporin and a gauze pad over it. I haven't heard anyone else mention the glue. Is it common/uncommon

  • legomaster225
    legomaster225 Member Posts: 356
    edited July 2017

    I don't have any glue where my drains went in. They just covered it with gauze after removal and said to keep it clean and covered. I'll change the gauze after showering until it closes up.

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    I have the purple glue over my ALND incision and for me peeling the taped dressing covering the drains hurt more than the drains themselves.

  • JenRuns
    JenRuns Member Posts: 299
    edited July 2017

    thinking of yo, SBKH, and hoping today goes smoothly. Pain meds are your friend Happy

  • tara17
    tara17 Member Posts: 150
    edited July 2017

    SBKH - all the best to you today ! Facing this challenge of surgery head on for life and health and emerging with disease removed makes all of us more whole than we were before !

    glad everyone is making progress

    I didn't have any glue on my incisions - everything was left open wth just gauze pads that I changed daily

  • nightcrawler
    nightcrawler Member Posts: 22
    edited July 2017

    Update on my situation.

    I saw the surgeon this morning. He got the final path report from my lumpectomy last week. I am officially NED. He got fantastic margins, 1.1 cm. He said that my situation with the breast cancer is ideal: grade 1, stage 1, no nodes, clear margins, ER+/PR+/HER-. ER and PR are both 100%.

    He said is highly unlikely I will need chemo. I may need rads. I've already decided I don't want chemo unless they tell me there's some absurd chance the cancer will recur without it, which is unlikely because of the specifics of my case.

    Best of all, he is going to set me up for a consult with an onco gyn for a bilateral oophorectomy and a possible bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. This means, after 35 YEARS of BS, my endometriosis (which is highly aggressive and stage IV) will finally be addressed, once and for all.

    Ironically, I have the breast cancer to thank for this. Not only can I not take bcp's anymore, but breast cancer, combined with ovarian involvement of the endometriosis, puts me at high risk of ovarian cancer. That's why he wants me to see the onco gyn, on the off-chance they find ovarian tumors when they open me up. Additionally, my BC onco is in the same office, so I'll have a one-stop shop.

    35 YEARS and BREAST CANCER later. I am looking FORWARD to this next surgery. I can't wait to get it!

  • Leatherette
    Leatherette Member Posts: 272
    edited July 2017

    Sounds good, Nightcrawler

  • Leatherette
    Leatherette Member Posts: 272
    edited July 2017

    Why does my final punctuation mark get omitted from my posts?

  • Leatherette
    Leatherette Member Posts: 272
    edited July 2017

    Except, of course, the one where I am asking about it

  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,739
    edited July 2017

    leatherette, hit the space once more before submit or it seems to go back one space. We thought Paula from another thread was Paul for a few weeks before she asked about the missing a, lol

  • JenRuns
    JenRuns Member Posts: 299
    edited July 2017

    LOL ... glad it wasn't just me who noticed the punctuation problem!!

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