May 2018 Surgery Support Group
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Hi Marena-
You’re almost through the hardest part, the waiting! See you on the other side!
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I am one month and one day post BMX!! I wanted to post yesterday but had 8th grade graduation stuff all day! How are you feeling? I got on here to check on someone and started reading others' stories. It is so inspiring to see the support.
I cannot get over how much better I felt week by week. Week one post surgery was so hard. I highly recommend finding a friend to take you somewhere to get your hair washed and dried. It felt so awesome!!! I hit a big time low on the one week mark. I was waiting on pathology and feeling horrible and hurting.
Week 2 was so much better. By the end of week 2 I was so tired of the drains, but overall I felt great.
Week 3, once drains were out, I felt like a million bucks!
Week 4--still a little wincing pain here and there, but there have been times I have actually forgotten that these are not my "real" breasts. :-)
Hang in there!
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Marena, we are with you!! You will do great and it will be done
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I am about one month post BMX. I had 2 lymph nodes removed (one on each side). I have noticed that I am sweating more than ever before. anyone else noticing this? Before surgery, I could run a mile and barely break a sweat (not because of the shape I am in but rather because I didn't sweat!). Now I find myself sweating for no reason at all! In the grand scheme of things, I am not letting this bother me. I am just curious if anyone else is experiencing this.
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Re: Sweating
I've always noticed that when I'm on antibiotics I'm sweaty and feel as though the furnace is turned up. I'm on Keflex for 10 days post surgery---prophylactic, and standard care from my SO and PS. If you're on antibiotics, too, maybe this is an explanation? Be sure to take your temperature, too, because feeling hot can go along with a fever, which can be a sign of infection.
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SueSue; Glad to hear your report! I am really happy to hear how well you are doing. How long did it take for you to finally get your "staging?"
I am one week out today from my surgery and I would say the first week, I've done surprising well!! I've kept up with the meds and am getting tired of every 2 hours the alarm going off to take something and the disrupted sleep due to med schedule and general discomfort. Even so, overall, I am feeling well. Some days I am VERY tired and sleep most of the day, well between the 2 hour alarms anyway.
Your story is inspiring and makes me look forward to the coming weeks.
I had one drain removed and will have the second one removed this coming Tuesday.
My cancer is of course, an anomaly. Because I'm multifocal and EACH tumor has it's own cancer type, this is making my staging process and treatment tricky. I was diagnosed March 30 and still do NOT know the stage of my cancer. I'm starting to let the notion of even caring about the stage go for now, because with each visit, I come back with more questions and still unanswered questions. Just going to take it one day at a time.
As I said, the first week I did pretty well.
This being the first day, going on week 2, I am getting tired of the med schedule, tired of trying to be active but realizing after just a few minutes of anything, I am in pain and tired and needing to rest and take pain meds. Tired of the affects of the pain meds. Tired of dealing with the bowel issues associated with pain meds, tired of having to pee every other hour, or change a drain, or take a med, or try to slip in a bit of sleep. So, that's my story for the start of week two. Tired of it all. Week one, optimistic. Week two. Tired. That's all.
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Anyone have issues with their drains? I only have one on my right side and it drains stuff but my surgeon noticed there is still fluid under my skin, over the TE. Not sure if the tube is blocked or if it’s not in the right spot to drain anything, she did try to unblock it She didn’t seem to concerned and just said keep taking the antibiotic. I’ll see both my surgeons on Tuesday.
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I find I actually sweat less one the side where 18 nodes were taken out.
SLL, don’t worry about the drains if the surgeon isn’t concerned. My plastic surgeon said that when people get seromas (fluid under the skin) they just expirate them with a needle and it’s a painless procedure. My 3 drains came out after week 1, but the last one was still draining more than 30 ml when they pulled it out a week later. I guess my body just reabsorbed the fluid. Hope everything goes well for you!
FaithsMama, are you taking the stool softeners? They made a huge difference for me.
Stay strong, ladies
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hello all May surgery warriors!
Just wanted to send love and healing vibes to you all.
I had my bilateral lumpectomy and 1 lymph node removal on May 22nd. Just call me 3 scars or scar cubed!
After a rough go after the anesthesia wore off, I ended up going to immediate care the next day for fluids and I feel sooo much better now! I learned I do have bad reactions to anesthesia now and hoping I wont have to go thru any more surgeries! Crossing Fingers!
Take care!
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KCA2018 - glad to hear that you are feeling better now. Anesthesia seems to be a tricky thing.
SueSue3 - that is amazing and encouraging progress. Way to go!
Marena - Thoughts and prayer going your way!
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FasterPussycat - Wow! That was so fast! Congrats!!!
Michi - I am on day 11 and still in the recliner. Drains are out and I asked nurse if I could go back to side sleeping and she said nope. Honestly I am not sure I could climb up into our high bed anyway. Thankfully I am doing pretty well during the night if I get enough pillows, blankets, And towels all snuggled around me and it sure doesn't hurt if the cat comes and purrs for awhile.
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24 hours post-op. This is definitely more painful than the hysterectomy, but manageable with half a Norco every 8 hours. Not much drainage today. Community dinner tonight which I'm looking forward to.
Tomorrow I can take off the binder and have a shower.
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11 days post BMX and am curious about a few things:
*Have any of you been given "Pain bulbs" instead of high pain meds? It was protocol with my surgeon and I assumed it must be universal for BMX, but I haven't seen a lot of mention of them on the boards. They were super effective for me and were in for 1 week.
*How is the chest tightness or pressure for everyone? I feel like I have super thick rubber bands wrapped several times around my chest starting clear up under my arm pits and ending around my incision. I have felt this since day 1 but I attributed it to all the tape, dressings, and bandages, but the feeling did not go away when all the extras were removed on Day 7 and it hasn't eased up at all. As wimpy as it sounds, I find it unbearable and have become less functional in Week 2.
*Have you been given much instruction on facilitating recovery? Nurse told me no repetitive hand or arm movements and too early for any stretching or therapeutic exercises. She said trying to keep muscles relaxed would be good, But mine are more clenched than ever!
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SueSue - on the sweating call the Dr, After my biopsy I felt fine, never had a fever etc but was sweating like crazy for a couple of days. Turns out that was an infection in the incision area that they cleaned up during my actual surgery. I thought I was having hot flashes, never even thought about an infection.
For those dealing with the drains and a lot pf pain, I hope your recovery is fast and things start feeling better soon! I'm a side sleeper and with the incision under my arm I just can't bring myself to lay on it yet!
Just had my two week post op check up. All looks good! Pathology showed small amounts of DCIS directly under the nipple, my margins were 2cm or more all the way around and ER-. She said they don't test for PR/HER2 with DCIS, just ER. Anyone else not tested? It feels weird not having that information since it seems that everyone else does. I'm in a higher risk category because it was at grade 3. She also said the squared off look to it should start to round out as I wear a normal bra that will shape it more. Appts with the MO and RO next Thursday so moving right on into the next steps!
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Michi- I ordered a wedge pillow on Amazon and I put my usual pillow on that and have slept well. I am usually a side sleeper so I've been pleasantly surprised by how well I've slept on my back, but I definitely need the wedge.
SPDGirl: I think pain bulbs are used in more progressive hospitals, at least that's my theory. I was given Percocet and a pat on the back for pain. I did get two kinds of exercises and I've been fairly faithful about doing them. It's weird though, because one involves raising my hands/arms slowly and there's a distinct clicking feeling that I think is the tissue expander clicking against cartilage. It's gross. I've had friends who were told to do no exercises and friends who practically needed a gym membership to do what their dr wanted, so each dr. is different.
Also, FWIW, I'm on day 9 post bmx/snb and I only took one Percocet at 8 a.m. this morning and have taken Ibuprofen since then. The past two days have been exponentially better in terms of pain and my ability to see some shafts of light come through. I don't think I would relive week 1 for all the money in the world.
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ReadyAbout - that's so interesting on how different each doctor can be with the exercises, etc and I agree with you - I am not a fan of hearing anything click in my body let alone after surgery! So glad that the pain is starting to lessen for you!
FaithsMama - thinking of you! I am also in the Week 2 frustration club
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Ladies who are suffering in week 2...it gets better. Hang in there! The pain and the tightness will lessen. Stay strong! The hardest part is behind you
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Thanks all - even though I haven't posted until today I have gotten a lot of good advice by reading these boards. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. My surgery was yesterday, May 24th and I now consider myself pretty lucky in that it was a lumpectomy and 2 lymph node removals. First diagnosis for me and the navigation and waiting is something nobody could tell you until you experience yourself. Going into surgery I knew it was 1.2CM, Stage 1 and that nobody could feel it - so the mammogram did what it's suppose to do - find early stage cancer. The surgeon did the sentinel node dissection and took 2 lymph nodes. She also told my husband that she took out the cancer with clean margins and that lymph nodes also looked cancer free but would wait for the pathology report to confirm.
Both the recommendation for a book to track everything and the pillow for the ride home were very helpful. What I'm not seeing a lot of is talk around how tender the area is where the lymph nodes were removed. Right now it hurts to raise my right hand to try to tie my hair into a ponytail so just trying to take baby steps. For me it worked best to take this in stages and am very thankful surgery is done. The next phase will be deciding the radiation course along with what hormonal therapy I'll take for the next 5 years. I'm going to take the time to heal over Memorial Day so will be quiet long weekend for us. If there is somewhere I can get more info around healing process - or it might just be best to take it slow and it will heal but I don't know if I'll ever be able to wear deodorant again that area is so tender.
Again, thanks for all the kindness you provide everyone and don't judge. This process can be so different for everyone. While in preop yesterday, the lady on the other side of the curtain was crying hysterically before she went in. I just turned around and said to my husband "that is exactly how I feel but not showing it now because I just want this done..." and done it got...
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Tampa59 - the node biopsy area is the worst, more pain and soreness than the breast. I felt like rug burn from my elbow up to my shoulder - nerves get cut; but that goes away after time. There are exercises to stretch your arm - facing the wall, climbing your fingers up overhead - ask your BS.
I can tell you 6 months out: my node scar is smooth as could be, I had radiation so no deodorant until I healed from that - but I'm unsure with 5 nodes gone just how much I sweat there. I work out like before but less heavy weights lifting with my left arm. I'll get back to what I used to lift, it will just take time. You too will get back to normal, it will just take time. HUGS to you.
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hi all! I’m loving all the advice and feedback from people further into the process, I am finishing week one and it’s been a bit more pain than I expected. Managed to make it nine hours in between pain pills overnight then took one this morning and went on a nice walk outside to get a juice with my girls and hubby. I’ve been having some pain in my ribs on one side, I assume that’s from the drain? Anyone else having this? Cannot wait to get these stupid things out.
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Tampa59: Congratulations on getting this step over with! I am on day 12 after BMX and the arm where I had lymph nodes removed is much more tender than the other side. My pony tails are a mess!!!!
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Tampa59: SNB is the pits! (thank you ladies and gentlemen, remember to tip your waitress....) I had SNB on my left side and that side is much more tender, achy, sunburn-ish, etc. than the right. I also have far less range of motion on the left side than the right - I really notice it when I'm reaching for something or doing the exercises I was given. To top it off, I have a hematoma at the site of the SNB incision and it is uncomfortable. My surgeon discussed doing SNB on my good side since I was having a bmx. She said that if they happened to find cancer in my "good" breast after it was removed, it would be good to have already done SNB on that side and have the pathology. At first I said ok, but then I read about what SNB entails and possible side effects, and I changed my mind. I am SO GLAD I did not consent to doing SNB on the good side! The pathology on the good side came out clean and I was spared the discomfort of SNB on both sides. I could tell that the surgeon thought it would be better to do SNB on both sides, but I was resolute in my decision and this time, it paid off.
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SNB area has definitely been the most sore! I had my surgery on Monday and I have been on Tylenol only since yesterday morning, and if that spot didn’t bother me I probably wouldn’t be taking it at all. I’m shocked at how good I’m feeling, and once these drains are out I’ll feel even better! I felt well enough yesterday to go get my hair washed and we went to breakfast this morning. Getting out of the house for a bit helps brighten spirits too. Just wish I could shake the dizziness, I was out for almost 9 hours so my surgeon thinks I have a bit of a hangover from the anesthesia. Trying to drink lots of fluids and eat protein at every meal.
How do the drains feel coming out? Painful or just odd??
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SLL101984: I was really worried about the drains coming out. Overall, I would say it was un-nerving as opposed to painful and the process was pretty quick. The nurse had me take a deep breath before each one which surprisingly helped.
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SL101984: I had one drain out. I felt a mild tug under the skin. No big deal at all. It is quick. I will have another out this Tuesday. Hoping for the same result.
That’s great that you are only on Tylenol already!! Fantastic!!
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Good Morning from Massachusetts! Had my BMX & SNB on Friday and home already. Thank you May friends for all your thoughts & words that have kept me going through what seemed like an endless waiting period! ...I did pretty well & kinda proud of my self for making it through the scary procedure without a freak out or major pain issue! Believe me Im still taking pain meds as Im achy all over my chest area with a dose of shooting pains or tingling that ebbs & flows...
I wanted to share as well that my BS emerged as a "Shero" throughout the day; more connected, compassionate, & caring than during our brief office visits. Speculating that she is more in her element in the OR, preparing for & engaging in the actual ”work.”
I’m so relieved and my anxiety has subsided even as I await the pathology report that may not hear a word on til late next week at the earliest due to the Holiday weekend.
I’m so grateful to have found this group! Being able to learn from others in the know, express our fears, challenges, and both positive as well as disappointing results. Hard to find real honest & authentic communication, but I found it here
Nodding off now from the meds, but will you in the loop as I am less loopy!
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Marena, welcome back! So happy to hear that your surgery went well and you found a Shero in your surgeon. Stay ahead of the pain and the constipation that can be a SE of the pain meds and you will do well.
Keep us posted
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Marena; So glad it's over!! You did super!! It's it amazing what a relieve from the anxiety it is, POST surgery. I suppose, just like anything in life, the waiting IS the hardest part! The anticipation of the unknown.
Bella is right, stay ahead of the pain, don't try to be superwoman and go off meds too soon. The worst is over. Keep up with the stool softeners too. They've been a pain for me, as I'm either gassy, constipated, or flowing, no inbetween. But, keeping up with everything helps!!
Feel well, rest up!
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Good morning all. Surgery 5/3 R NSM, all is going well, I think
Emotionally I'm getting a bit concerned. From the information I have been able to gather most people have immediate reconstruction with nipple sparing mastectomy, I'm still waiting to progress through the reconstruction phase. Am I going to encounter a set back/roadblock with a NSM and no spacers/expanders? Is there a ticking clock/urgency for me to get to the reconstruction phase? I was given an appointment with a plastic surgeon for 5/24 and after talking with him, I'd like to pursue the DIEP option, but unfortunately that Dr. only does TRAM. After researching TRAM, it would seem that DIEP makes better sense, so that means another wait for a consultation, set for 6/8. 1st PS said to not drain seroma since it was keeping 'space'. I feel like I'm being cornered into doing implants, since I don't want the TRAMP and it will be another 2 wks before I can obtain a second PS opinion, then the added time for surgery scheduling. What if I wait for a DIEP consult only to find out I'm not a candidate and then start over again with the implant option? Ugh the stress of it allAny input? Any others out there with NSM and delayed reconstruction? Thanks in advance
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Marena - You did it! Congratulations, prayers for a peaceful recovery!
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