2018 - February Surgery Support Group
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Hello, all. New to this site but finding it really helpful. I had surgery 1/31/18 so hope that doesn't throw me off the February site! I figured I was close enough. I had a right breast mastectomy, removal of 3 lymph nodes, insertion of expander (though we'd hoped for immediate implant, that didn't work out due to previous radiation treatment in 2010 and it's effect on the tissue. Anyway, recovery has been pretty smooth, was even thinking of going back to work early, and then today I felt like I got run over by a truck. Headache, lethargy, and my expander is hurting (had my first saline injection last week). Should I be worried? Am I beating myself up too much about being worn out still
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nabbyadams- I had my BMX about a week after you and I have realized this week I have good times and not so good times. I totally thought id be less sore by now and less swollen than I am but I’ve met with the PS on Monday and my MO today and everyone’s told me I’m progressing normally and recovery can take 6 weeks or more And I was reminded not to be a super hero.yes, give yourself a break! I posted question to the January group to ask how their progress went
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Hey Ladies. I was diagnosed with DCIS in December and just had 10 centimeters removed followed by a bilateral breast reduction on Feb 15th. It was a tough decision as the PS didn’t think we would get clean margins because so much had to be removed but the bs said this approach was reasonable and if we don’t get clean margins then they will be able to save my nipples if we do need to do the mastectomy. Surgery and recovery have been mangable. I called today to ask about Pathology as it has been a week and was told the report isn’t back yet but that it doesn’t mean anything negative that it is taking this long. I still find it troubling. I have an appointment tomorrow anyway so my negative mind says they are just waiting to give me bad news in person. But what I am really struggling with is the depression that has come in the last two days. Sadness and crying and loneliness that I wasn’t feeling up until yesterday. I was wondering if it is the pain meds? After effects of anesthesia? I feel so blue. More than just my normal anxiety due to all of this. Did anyone else experience post surgery sadness? I almost feel silly asking because I know these aren’t happy times but like I said the sadness feels different.
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Shalea; The pain meds can act as depressants, but it’s likely a combination of the invasive procedure you’ve just gone thru, fear, and the meds. It took a little more than a week for my pathology to come back too. I hope you have a loving support system around you. And talk to your doc tomorrow about the sadness
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Got my tubes and drains out 2 days ago (double mastectomy) Doctor said to keep wrapped tight with ace bandage for 2 weeks, I didn't like the Ace bandage it got loose a lot and sometimes pinched so I took a pair of control top panties cut the crouch out and Wa La great support very comfortable and even cute! And it didn't cost me a dime!! Hope this helps!
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Shaelea: yes I definitely had the post surgery sadness. I don't know if it's the drugs or what but I felt teary that made I made it through surgery, sad for my family to have to watch me go through it, weepy that I hurt, etc, etc. When my nurse navigator came in to talk to me about how things were going and how my emotions were, I started crying. I didn't feel depressed, just overwhelmed, out of control and sad. Give yourself some time. I thought the anesthesia and pain killers really messed me up for a few days.
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jt3 - pain meds are your friend!! It’s really important to stay ahead of the pain and know it will get better every day
Nurse patient - the darn drains! I had 80cc over for days and it dropped to 25cc overnight! I also used the hydrogen peroxide but my PS advised me to bolster it because it seemed there was a leak somewhere near entrance. What bolster meant was fold up a 4x4 gauze and tape it in place over the drain entrance. This really helped the pain as well as the drain became more productive. I had both drains out on Day 8 post surgery.
My tightness is a little better but the finger tingling, under arm numbness, and swelling on my left (cancer side ) are unnerving. I have BS post op appt Monday and my PS suggests I get him to recommend a Lymphedema specialist since I had Axillary nodes removed. Got the clearance for stage 2 exercises but ohhhh how they hurt — right arm (prophylactic) is easy peas .. darn left arm is gonna take some time ughhh
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nursepatient — so sorry about the drains!! Hope they calm down for you soon!
32b — my sentinel node side arm is numb and tingles too. I’ve been trying to massage it, it gives a little relief :
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McMaryKate, I love your DIY ace bandage! What a great idea!
Got my second and final drain out yesterday and I can't believe how much my self-esteem went up afterwards. I've been hiding drain bulbs under baggy shirts and whatnot, and obviously just dealing with the discomfort of having them there, not to mention all the maintenance. Last night I wore just a tank top to bed and it was the first time my fiance had seen me like that. I've been careful not to show him too much. One of my boobs was much smaller than the other obviously, but at least I didn't have a rubber tube full of blood and gore sticking out from under the shirt or creating a bulge. I looked pretty much like my old self aside from the asymmetry (which isn't all that drastic. My boobs weren't enormous to begin with, which I'm thankful for for the first time ever lol.)
For those of you still waiting to get the drains out, this is a great milestone to look forward to for so many reasons. You'll feel so much better mentally and physically.
That being said, I still can't lie on my side without pain. Anyone succeeding here yet, or are we all still stuck on our backs? Any idea when this gets better?
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Hi All,
I just had my surgery on Wed (Feb 21st) PROCEDURE . 1. Right breast seed localized lumpectomy . 2. Breast mound reconstruction with Wise pattern 3. Nipple recentralization. 4. Right axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy. I have an appointment with the surgeon to get the pathology report from the surgery on Tues. March 20th. She says I can't get it before then. Just wondering if this is a usual amount of time. I thought I would be able to get it much sooner. Guess I should just focus on healing but anxious to get all the details so I know next steps.
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Bbccats,
That seems like a long wait. I've been waiting two weeks and should have the results any day now. I would suggest calling your doctor periodically to see whether the results are back early and what the status is. Maybe they're just giving you a conservative estimate.
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Strengthandjoy
I think it's normal for a slight difference in size left to right and for them to swell or respond a bit differently. The human body is not exactly symmetrical bilaterally as we favour the dominant hand, that side of the body has better muscle development, and maybe other differences too which alters response to surgical trauma on each side. That's my theory. Is there a difference in drainage for left and right?
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when did you girls stop taking pain meds? I’m on day 8 and got off pain meds and switched to Tylenol. I’m doing ok, just so tired. Do you think it is to earky
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32b - I had my surgery on a Tuesday and heard back on path by Friday, but the first time when I had my surgical biopsy it was 3 weeks ... I don’t know that there’s any rhyme or reason to it??
Strengthandjoy - I switched to Tylenol after 2 days and stopped taking that by the end of week. I felt much better with the Tylenol than the heavier stuff
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For the pathology report — they told me a week to 10 days the doc would call — surgery was on a Tuesday he called the following Monday. I will go over full report with BS at post op
As far as Pain meds — PS told me to wean off dilaudid by day 10 (today) and go to Advil and Tylenol — I’ve been doing the Advil 600MG every 6 hours that’s been working well for me — I have a lot of swelling so the anti-inflammatory is definitely best over the Tylenol.
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nabbyadams
Welcome to the group. So long as you don't have increased swelling and redness or fever you're likely just having a bad day. I hope tomorrow's better for you.
Shaleae
Welcome to this thread. Time to get pathology varies. My surgical pathology was available to me after 12 days. I'm really sorry that you feel depressed. A cancer diagnosis and treatment, surgery, hormones and stress, personal/family/work problems are taxing and can trigger depression. If it goes on for more than 2 weeks you should see your GP. One study suggests 80% with breast cancer dx get PTSD.
Mcmarykate123
Welcome to the group. And congrats on getting drains out! How's your range of motion with your arm? And your ability to sleep?
Teaberry11 and mountainmama406
I hate to hear of your tingling, numbness, and swelling. That's awful. There's some helpful diagnostic info here. How many nodes were removed?
32B I have been lying on my side since day 1, although (and still) not without some discomfort. I took painkillers before going to bed until I could do it pain-free - about 2 weeks.
Bbccats
4 weeks till path is a long time compared to others. Do you live in a remote area?
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Day 4. I hate nightime. I tried to skip an anti Nausea med last night and my sinuses seem to swell up. Makes me not want to sleep at all. I Can’t get comfortable except for a couple hours between delaudid doses. Morning takes forever to feel better again. Chest feels a little less tight today and I discovered a show to distract on a Netflix called Riverdale. I took off all the IV tape and bandaids and put my contacts in. Everything doesn’t seem extra loud at the moment. Starting to feel a little better for a few minutes. Not too bad for 72 hours out I think. So thankful surgery is done though
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thank you everyone who responded to my pain med question. I was able to get totally off all day yesterday and through He night alternating Tylenol and aleve. It is working well and I feel more alert today! My pain is fine too. This is day 10 for me. I was also looking through these posts and realizing I was pretty selfish on my last few posts. Only asking questions of myself and not responding to anyone. So sorry!!
JT3 are you taking a muscle relaxer at night? This has helped me a lot. I am also still sleeping in a recliner. I can’t seem to sleep flat yet.
BBCats- it really is interesting how we are all on different time lines for our post surgery pathology reports. I revived mine the very next day. There must be variables we are unaware of.
32b- I’m so looking forward to drain removal. They don’t bug me much, it is really trying to dress and cover them and look semi “normal” that is the toughest part.
This Group is so helpful! Thank you all so much. We can do this BETTER TOGETHER!!
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Fembot- I just reread your original post explaining your diagnosis and plan. I thought you may be encouraged hearing what I just found out. I have your same diagnosis in my left breast and chose to also do mastectomy on both breasts. I did them together. I went and saw my oncologist on Thursday and he told me that there was a lot of “junk” in my right breast and the milk duct lining was thickening and most likely in process of developing DCIS. It would have been noticeable a few years from now. When you feel the need to give both breasts- go with your gut! I’m so thankful!!!!
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strength and joy, you aren’t selfish because you are in need. I didn’t get a muscle relaxer. I have medicines due every 4,6,8 hours and up every 2 last night... I just moved around until sleeping I guess. Today I am trying to move them into some kind of alignment with the pain med at every 4 hours
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I haven’t done #2 since Tuesday.. any magic you all can share?
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Jt3, It only took me a few days to get back to #2, but I was never on opioids. They can back things up. Everyone at the hospital told me to prepare for that, and to try Colase over the counter and drink plenty of water. They said if that wasn't working after several days to add Miralax to the mix. Are you eating normally? I definitely wasn't hungry for a couple of days, which obviously has a correlation to that as well.
Having friends over for dinner tonight. Not sure I'm up to it, physically or emotionally. Thank you to everyone here for being a part of this community. It feels good to virtually check in with you all to give me strength. Best wishes as always.
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Jt3 - During chemo constipation was a big problem for me. I ultimately got the most relief with Smooth Move Tea. It takes about 12 hours to work so drink it either first thing in the morning or right before bed. Hope that helps.
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Strengthandjoy
I've learned something new that strengthens my resolve to remove the 'healthy' breast. My surgical path specifies Comedo DCIS. This type of DCIS is more likely to come back after treatment and is also more likely to become an invasive breast cancer. And I say 'healthy' in quotes because I found concerning discolouration and change of texture on the areola.
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32B
When your guests arrive make a comment about what time your going to bed, say 9:30 or something. Then move and talk slow, and about 8pm start yawning lots. Then if they don't get the hint fall asleep in front of them. If they stay anyway and you're tired go to bed. ; )
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Haha thanks for the tip. I'll try that. Also going to find out whether I have Comedo DCIS. So many new things to learn along this journey...Glad you're getting yourself taken care of. The most important thing is to make sure we stay healthy once we kick this!
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Jt3:
Working as a nurse, my job somewhat revolves around people having a #2. I usually suggest to just go straight for the big guns and use 2 oz of milk of magnesia. If that doesn't work and it's getting really bad and uncomfortable, you can buy a Fleets enema at any store. Seems weird, but they're not painful and not hard to give yourself. Then for maintenance, take Senna or Colace daily for as long as you're using narcotics.
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Jt3:
Working as a nurse, my job somewhat revolves around people having a #2. I usually suggest to just go straight for the big guns and use 2 oz of milk of magnesia. If that doesn't work and it's getting really bad and uncomfortable, you can buy a Fleets enema at any store. Seems weird, but they're not painful and not hard to give yourself. Then for maintenance, take Senna or Colace daily for as long as you're using narcotics.
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My BS said Miralax and prune juice. It was the magic formula for me
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ate prunes and miralax is making noise. I am Day 4 still in surgical bra. What did you all wear after this thing
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