January 2019 Surgery Support Group
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UWMOM, maybe you should post this as a question on the main boards, since most of us reading this thread are newbies to surgery? Sounds no fun!.... I hope you get an answer soon.
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HI UWMOM, If you're 24 hours out from having it drained I would check with the doctor if you have additional swelling. May be normal post op but best to make sure with an on going problem. Also, notice if you're taking anything that is thinning your blood, many NSAIDs do (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Naproxen) so does fish oil and maybe other things as well. Tylenol (acetaminophen) does not. Completely understand losing your mind laying around. I had surgery Jan 8, developed a large seroma, not hematoma,, and was told if it got bigger would need to be drained. Was told rest, ice and very slow gentle stretching, range of motion arm movement. It did eventually diminish but delayed my return to work since I have a physical job. Best of luck. As I always say...... "patience" should be a "four letter" word. >(
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UWMOM, I'm so sorry you are going through this. I developed a hematoma right after my operation too. I had a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expander placement on Jan. 21st. The hematoma is large, almost as my breast was (well, I had small breasts). It's colourful still and sometimes a bit itchy. I had it checked and they don't want to mess with it, I was told that I should let time do its work. I have bought a creme that is used for sports injuries with swelling and I am putting it on the hematoma twice a day. I think it is a tiny bit better. But still there, almost 4 weeks post op. The drain on this side had very low output and was removed a week post op. I am sorry I am of no help.... just a bit similar experience.
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hello, sweet January sisters-
Sending gentle hugs to all and well wishes to those who are starting or continuing chemo.
My thigh drains are out and I feel better. The thigh incisions are losing some of the glue that was put on top and the scars are looking quite good .
My breasts are another story. The right one has given us much trouble because after blistering, a big black scab formed. I've been to the PS twice a week to monitor and to ensure it's not getting infected. That breast looks very deformed, it's much smaller than the left and has a big indent as well. The aereola was made from thigh skin but is too big and very puffy. The PS says he'll correct it all in stage 2, and I'm not too worried but it looks pretty scary when you first see it.
I've discontinued rx painkillers a few days ago and am getting by on Tylenol. Never pain free but it takes the edge off.
The nights are horrible- is anybody else having trouble sleeping at night ? Perhaps it's from the anesthesia still? Would love to know tips of you have any.
Sending warm hugs to all with aching hearts or aching bodies.
Xo
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Jan 31 lumpectomy rt started Tamoxifen Jan 11 (estrogen+) pathology all no atypia or malignancy, all margins clear. asked for DX. DCIS Stage 0, high grade. Hoping for help with deciding on radiation. Apologies in advance for not knowing how to post.
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I have a question I need the answer to. For those of you who who had chemo first then surgery how long was the wait before surgery? Is around six weeks the usual wait time?
Thanks in advance.
Doris
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Chemo ended January 31, surgery February 19. Normal?, is anything normal? First of all we had chemo first
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Pommom1809, my chemo ended Dec 13 and surgery was January 28. My understanding is 4 to 6 weeks is typical but some have gone longer due to complications. I was nervous about six weeks, but my OC said since I was still getting Herceptin and Perjeta I was protected. Hope this helps. Good luck
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Mamihen, you've been through a lot in just a couple of weeks. I hope you continue to get better, keeping you in my thoughts.
I had a UMX with tissue expander, so a very different surgery, but it was tough getting in bed and sleeping. Is sleep your issue? I was prescribed Ativan during chemo which helps with pain and anxiety, but put me sleep most of the night. I had to sleep on my back, slightly raised. I also use an over the counter sleep aid to help get to sleep, I have always been a non-sleeper. Sending you good vibes.
Seventyplus, first, congrats on the good results for your pathology report. I'm not sure if you have a question about going forward with radiation or not, but I do know that is standard practice for DCIS but I'm not familiar enough to know if others forego radiation. You might check out some other topics specifically related to DCIS that would give you better insight. Wish you the best.
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For sleep: My naturopathic physician has me on 20mg melatonin per night. That's a high dose you need to gradually work up to. Even though I have not had any trouble sleeping, because Melatonin has very good anti-cancer properties. The Integrative Oncologist I consulted with also favors it. He further recommeded pitch black room and 68 degrees or less in the BR. Circadian rhythm disruption is not good re cancer. They know shift workers who work at night have higher rates of C. Melatonin at the same time every night/pitch black does a lot to establish a strong circadian rhythm.
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SB, your suggestions sound like better option to me
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Almost 4 weeks post quadruple mastectomy. Went to see surgeon this morning. Expected needle drain of many seromas and hematomas. Instead surgeon felt everything and said it is healing well and those blobs and lumps are fat and tissue. Looks like earthquake volcano landscape. Start Physical Therapy tomorrow and am losing weight so hope to exercise off the left over fat and through exercise sculpt body back to looking somewhat human. Surgeon did say she can go back in and take out the many lumps / ridges / balloons. She gave me 4 injections of steroids in the ribs to lessen the pain and incredibly painful itchy unbearably tight corset of thorns (stitch line) that intersects upper torso from lower.
Then went to chemo and had long meeting with MedOnc. Both surgeon and MedOnc are amazing, beautiful, soulful, extremely intelligent compassionate professionals. 1.8cm tumor shrunk to just a speck, .2mm. All 4 breasts removed completely. 1 sentinel lymph node had .6mm micromet with zero vascular or lymph vessel involvement, contained. I think those are good results. MedOnc wanted to do radiation, Carboplatin, Kadcyla and Femara. No to Carboplatin and radiation! Will start Kadcyla probably in 3 weeks and Femara tomorrow night. Have not been a happy camper lately and frankly just want it all to end and go to heaven but at least today path forward is clear and will do it.
So soon the steri strips will fall off and I'll be applying T-Relief Extra Strength Pain Relief Cream - Homeopathic Formula with Arnica and other creams, Vitamin E, Yew oil, and techniques to loosen the scar and gently encourage it not to adhere to the rib cage. Plus lots of exercises to regain mobility and function and range of motion.
The entire area above the stitches where breasts used to be now gets cold and the muscles there spasm convulse and quiver which hurts so wearing fleece and taking Valium as muscle relaxer. Cannot imagine ever wearing a bra again, only very soft fleece T shirts. Wondering if there's warmth fake boobs to wear in camisole so those muscles not so cold. Weird problem, used to always be hot.
Reading all your updates, praying for all of you and hoping we all recover quickly and completely from this point forward. I know the general public has NO idea how devastating and complicated breast cancer can be yet all of you going through your unique experiences realize how life changing this really is. Love, prayers, and best wishes to all of you.
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Cascadians, thanks for the update, was thinking about you yesterday wondering how you were. So happy that the path results were good, we all need some good newas once in a while. Curious why they have you going on Femara versus one of the other AI drugs? I meet with my OC and he is starting me on Anastrozole.
Thinking of you.
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Cascadians, you could try knitted knockers. I just sewed some little oval-shaped pillows out of flannel material, leaving a 2-3 inch area to stuff them with poly-fil from the fabric store. I tuck them into the Amoena pocketed camisole. I agree that non-snug is the way to go - you can wear camisoles in a much less binding size than a bra would be. And the sensitivity might go down in the next few weeks - mine did - so just plan for a week or two at a time when it comes to clothing, to see how your body adjusts.
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Thanks for any and all advice. Physical Therapy yesterday was good. Have cording from left armpit to fingertips due to those 2 excised sentinel lymph nodes. Will be doing gentle stretching exercises many times per day. Think sewing soft warm shapes is also in my future. Today is 4 weeks post surgery and they say 4-6 weeks recovery time. Feels like a very long time. Have a friend who got DMX 2 months before me who is going in now for the steroid injections in the ribs because the tightness is unbearable. Those injections did help me, can breathe. PT also explained how they use soft cloth then various other types of materials to massage area to get nerves slowly desensitized so everything touching doesn't feel irritating. One step at a time, lots to do.
Bottle of Letrozole is sitting in medicine cabinet, read the side effects and almost keeled over. Have to do some research on how it collides with some other drugs I'm supposed to be taking. Broken bones one of the side effects? Will be having another discussion with MedOnc. My BS explained how she chose her hormone lessening pill and it wasn't the recommended one but rather one that didn't have joint pain as a side effect because she of course wants to keep being able to do surgery. So we have choices of what we're willing to endure. I'm already making quality vs quantity of life choices, quite a learning journey through all this.
Hope you all are healing fast now and getting back to a more normal life.
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You might want to find someone to sew those oval shapes for you! With your arms as irritated as they are, sewing or potentially poking yourself with a needle won't be great for your arms (don't ask me how I know...).
TLCdirect.org sells soft forms for $22 a pair, and Knitted Knockers (an organization out of WA state) ships them totally free of charge in the US. They are surprisingly cute and perky.
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Hello ladies, I am 5 weeks post BMX with Diep and recovery has been fine. Couldn't get any time slot for physical therapy yet. Got the appt for next week. I have been doing some exercises watching those on YouTube and some basic ones that PS suggested. Still feel stretch under the arms while moving hands straight upwards. Maybe PT will suggest some massage too.
Good to know that everyone is healing and moving ahead in the path of recovery. Strength and best wishes to all.
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Maybe they already do this in the videos, but one helpful tip my PT gave me was to "hold" the stretch for a few seconds. I was doing them at a fairly even pace, and he told me to slow down, and hold at the top in a comfortable stretch, then return to start. I started taking a few relaxed breaths at the top, too, to make sure I was relaxing the muscle, not just holding it stretched and taut. My booklet says to do the exercises every day for 4-6 months, so I think it's a slow-and-steady process.
Glad to hear you are doing good!
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Thanks alto, it is amazing to me how immobile your arm is after the surgery. I haven't gone to a PT but I am checking how my good arm moves and then use that as a guide for what stretches I need to do. You don't realize until you pay attention to all the different angles your arm makes. I do hold the stretch for about 30 seconds. Not sure that is good but does seem to have loosened up my arm.
Cascadians glad you are on the mend. I know what you mean about material irrating your skin, on the top part of my chest where I assume the nerves were cut it constantly feels like a road rash. Im going to try to desensitize the area with cloth as you noted. Thanks for the hint
I'm now a little over 3 weeks post surgery and have had 3 expansions for a total of 300cc saline. The last one on Wednesday was tough and I'm still taking Tylenol to help. I can't believe how hard the TE feels, like a rock inside of my skin. I go again next Wednesday and plan on asking if we can stop soon. I don't want to be as large as my native breast, I can handle having it be a little smaller. I suspect my implant and lift surgery will be sometime end of March or early April. I'm ready for this phase to be over
Other than that, I'm feeling good, my Herceptin and Perjeta infusions are going well, and I will start taking anastrozole early next week.
All take care, and let us know how you are doing.
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Thanks Alto. That's a great tip. Yeah one of the videos mentioned to breath in the position that is comfortable, but I didn't try that. Will try to hold it for few seconds at the highest possible position.
Mactaz, good to know that you are healing well. Best wishes to start anthrazole
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alto, I believe in breathing in the highest painless position too... it's like in yoga...
Mactaz, I was thinking the same just this week too. I got OK from my BS to stretch my arms in any position - well, but I can't manage any position, not even a half!! It's really amazing, as you wrote, how immobile the arm can get after such a short time! I had bilateral operation, so I have the problem that I really don't know what positions are natural for the arms! I had to ask my DH the other day to show me how his arms move, so that I know what to try. But all in all it's not that bad, after a few days of stretching I can see a big progress. Most important for me is putting my arms behind and stretching the whole chest and relieving the back. I am also doing some light exercises on a rug, yoga-like. And I resumed my walking, just a bit shorter distances and lighter weight (I am carrying weights when I walk to give some more on my bones, esp. the spine).
We have a family trip/vacation coming on, to a ski resort. And I have a fundamental question - what do you all think about SKIING with tissue expanders?? I will be exactly 5 weeks out from surgery.... My BS was not very helpfull (irony now), because he said he doesn't see any reason why not and he even asked about my ski equipment etc. Well, and I thought I should leave my skis at home, but now I don't really know 😀 What would you do? I think the skiing in itsellf is not a problem, but I need to use the poles/arms sometimes heavily, and I need to carry my skiis, as heavy as they are.... well I would appreciate any input.
Oh and my hematoma is really resolving now. I think the BS really knew what he was doing when he left it alone, he said "let the time do its work". I didn't have any expansion yet. He wanted to do it this week, but when I said about the trip, he said we would do it after I return.
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Jaboo, first I’m glad your hematoma is resolving-great news. I can’t imagine what it would be like to move around after a BMX. I had a hard enough time with one.
Skiing ? My PS wasn’t excited about me on a treadmill. He was concerned I could fall and if I used my arm to catch myself could cause some damage to the surgical site. Maybe it is because I am already getting expansions done, don’t know but please be careful but does sound like fun. (I am using the treadmill anyway, being cautious but needed to get moving.)
Hope all my January sisters are doing well
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I know a couple of you are TNBC and I saw where there was a new drug that have finished two trials and are starting a third - sacituzumab govitecan. You are probably aware of this since I know you keep up on the news but just wanted to put it out there in case you hadn't seen it.
Trial 1,2 summary. http://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/jco.2015.33.15_suppl.1016
Take care all.
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Well, so I went skiing today ⛷️💙⛷️💙 I really couldn't resist. It was sunny, warm, beautifull day. I took it easy, of course. I am exactly 5 weeks from surgery today. I could dance from the snowy happiness 💃
I have some tightness around the expanders, not always, for like 10 minutes one side, an hour nothing, 10 minutes the other side.
And there is a short spot on my scar that is lose 🙄 It's like 6-8mm in lenght. There was a crust that I couldn't resist to scratch away about 2 days ago. dumb me. now there's this hole. 🙄 I put a plaster on it bringing it together and I hope this will keep it closed. I am away on vacation and my checkup with the BS is on March 6th. Maybe I will call him and ask.
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I would call if there's a hole. Maybe that crust was glue.
I am approaching six weeks from surgery this week and happy to restart my exercise routine soon.
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Sorry if this is the wrong board - please let me know. I have had an antibiotic resistant infection on my left breast where my surgeon added fat. I'm going on Week 3, Week 1 with Keflex pills, Weeks 2 and 3 with IV antibiotics daily at the hospital.
It seems to be cellulitis since an ultrasound showed no fluid under the red skin. I also don't have a fever.
My plastic surgeon may want to take my implant out, "clean it up" and stich me back up. Has anyone had complications like this from reconstructive surgery (TE to Implants).
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JaBoo I just saw the PS today for the first time adding 50 cc to the expanders, 3 weeks and 4 days from surgery. I asked him what restrictions i have and he said i can start stretching, do activities, the only restriction, for real, no heavy lifting, no strenuous push or pull. I have no pain, only rarely muscles contractions and planning to go skiing next weekend if everything will be ok. I am convincing my hubs who is much more reserved.
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Paula this may be the wrong place to ask as most of us have just had lumpectomies or mastectomies. Not too many of us already have implants. Maybe post the question as it's own thread?
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alto, yes, I needed advice from my BS, so I wrote an e-mail with a picture of my hole. He replied very quickly saying I am basically doing things right (bringing the edges of the opening together), he adviced what to put on it and that I should be on the lookout for infection signs.
applejuice, enjoy your skiing. Just keep it a bit easier. I went again today. It felt wonderfull. I sometimes got muscle contraction on the right, in the harder passages. Nothing too painfull, just noticeable. The contraction happens also at home, when I am just lying around or tending to my kids. So I think the skiing is not bringing something different.
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Jaboo, glad to hear the doctor wasn’t concerned about the opening.
You and alto are rock stars, first, I hate the cold so can’t imagine skiing. Went when I was much younger and froze my hinie off. I grew up in the cold Midwest and now live in the south.
I will go tomorrow for my 3rd expansion. The last one was the worst one so far, the TE felt hard as a rock and very tight. I think I’m at 300 cc now. Not sure how much more I can take. I was a 34DD and just don’t want to be that big but reduction of normal breast is scary. I might decide to go a bit lopsided.
Take care all, hope everyone is healing and feeling good
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