January 2020 Surgery Group
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mybestfriend.. I am one week out and the bruising is crazy bad. I look like someone took a baseball to my upper body. It is the deepest purple I've ever seen. It has started to turn yellowish so I know it's healing. I go tomorrow to get final results so the anxiety is high. Stay strong my sister..if God brings you to it he'll bring you through it.
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Ladies - sending good thoughts, vibes and prayers to everyone. Today's my last day of work for awhile and it's hitting me. Not everyone knows but some do and I've had cards and candies left in my office when I arrived this morning. I'm trying to get into the right mindset for Mondayand to help get into the zone, I had a Reiki session done yesterday and tonight I'm attending a guided meditation.
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Best of luck today to all of you. My right mastectomy is today, and my DIEP is February 8
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Hope everyone past surgery is doing well and all the best to those still to go.
I had my lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy yesterday. Just a little uncomfortable - so far I’ve only needed Tylenol.
The worst part was headache and vomiting post surgery but I feel better today.
I will find out the results of pathology in 5 days. Glad this part is over.
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Momofboys best wishes to you and good luck with surgery.
Lecoll it certainly is frustrating but you'll get there! Hopefully everything goes well at your appointment today.
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Good luck with surgery NVDiane and Sugar! Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery.
I'm finally feeling good as far as discomfort goes, 2 weeks out from exchange/FG today. Bruising is finally starting to go away
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Thinking of you, Sugarand sending positivity and light to you. Glad you are making time for self-care.
Best wishes and healing vibes to all who are recouping and recovering.
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Hi all, very glad to have found this thread. Had double mastectomy 8 days ago. One side is healing fine, the other side had too much bleeding post surgery and is going to take a while for drains to come out. My question: for those who had lymph node removal, and the drain is still in, how are you cleaning under your arm? I know I can't take a shower, but should it be ok to gently cleanse the armpit with a warm washcloth? It's still quite sore in there.
Thanks!
PS: In case anyone is reading this who hasn't had surgery yet, my top tips for a more comfortable overnight stay at the hospital are:
- noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs
- mask for the eyes
- food that doesn't need refrigeration, like nuts, fruit, chocolate, coconut water or a big water bottle
- bring your own pillow(s) and a couple of soft blankets
- get rid of the incontinence pad if there's one on top of the mattress
I didn't get a private room due to lack of availability, and the hospital had a hard time finding me a pair of ear plugs when my neighbour started making noise. And I ended up staying two nights, even though the plan was just for one. Couldn't believe the difference it made when a friend brought those blankets!
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Hi everyone, two weeks out from lumpectomy & SNB, and wanted to say hello with a positive experience.
I'm still bruised and a little sore, but overall it's been easy. No pain at all on lymph node injections or Savi Scout the week before, and no nausea or dizziness after surgery. SNB incision only stings with a big stretch. No numbness or nerve stuff at all - does that turn up later? I'm lucky to be healthy, right-handed, and a natural back sleeper.
Surgery day was fascinating, from the cool docs in the radiology dungeon to pleasant dreams in the OR. I wasn't even nervous (vital signs to the contrary, lol). Came to en route to recovery... why are there moving lights? Ooohhh, riiiight.
Biggest annoyance is one sub-1mm margin (others were 10+), so I'm back for more in March. Hey, it wasn't that cool! Second is a one-aspirin discomfort level, but only Tylenol (useless for me) or opioids allowed. Feather or sledgehammer, and I just want to swat a fly! Fortunately, icing did the job. Also no dye injection, so no blue pee. Boo hoo.
Thanks everyone for the helpful info here. Best wishes and good margins to all!
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Brooklyn..baby wipes! I hope your other side starts healing and you get those drains out soon.
Cookies glad you had a positive experience and sorry that you have to go back in March.
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Second the baby wipes! They are awesome for everything.
No worries on going back... just a bit annoyed. I could've had far worse news.
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Great idea LiveLaughLove -- will try that!
callmeCookies, glad to hear surgery went smoothly and was refreshingly non-scary. I agree, the staff are generally really nice and upbeat. They really try to keep your spirits up. On the painkiller front, yeah, doctors are really scared of giving out opioids these days. Even with a double mastectomy I was off all painkillers by the end of the first day. They sent me home with a tylenol 3 script, which I didn't bother filling, but even that came with a whole lecture on addiction. Very different from my first cancer surgery 10 years ago, when I was sent home with a big bottle of Percocet and no warnings at all. I have a high tolerance for pain so I was fine, but I hope they are not going overboard in the other direction and that everyone gets the pain control they need! If anyone is in this position, I would definitely suggest speaking up and being very polite but firm in asking for what you need and keeping on them until you get it.
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Brooklyn1234 - glad you found our surgery group. Welcome! I don't know what I'll be given for painkillers when I'm released after my "same-day" double mastectomy with reconstruction on Monday. When I had my two surgeries 10 years ago, I was sent home with Percocet and Tylenol 3s each time. I never used the Percocets. I bet they won't be as liberal with the scripts this go around. Coincidentally, looks like you and I went through this around the same time before. Wonder if we met on here online back then? My lumpectomy was on Sept. 25, 2009 and my SNB was on Oct. 30, 2009.
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Sugar, In the summer after my masectomy and SB, I was prescribed an anti inflammatory, which I took for a few days along with extra strength Tylenol. They gave me script for opioid advising to fill only if I needed it. I was very lucky not to have much pain so it was never filled. Had there been a lot of pain, I wouldnot have hesitated.Good luck!
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You guys are some tough cookies. I used my pain meds lol
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No shame in that, livelovelaugh! If you need ‘em, use ‘em. Maybe a week from today, I’ll be singing a different tune after exchange surgery and mastopexy on the healthy breast. My left side won’t be just along for the ride this time!
We are all strong warriors!
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Anyone else who had lymph nodes removed feel really sore and sticky in their armpit? I'm 8 days out...
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No trouble getting opiods here; guess I was unclear. I was prescribed a few days' worth of generic Norco and took half a pill the first 2 nights to be sure I'd sleep OK. Otherwise they'd be total overkill for me. Just wish I could take a milder painkiller that actually worked! I was maybe 2 out of 10 pain-wise, so easy enough to go without.
Brooklyn, I had 3 nodes removed, but only a little more soreness than the breast (also on the arm side). That area is pretty mellow now (17 days out). Do you have one of those heart-shaped pillows? Mine was helpful for both sitting and sleeping. Is the stickiness from the stuff they smear on you for surgery? I wiped off as much as I could with a washcloth after couple of days, but left the incision areas alone.
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You're right, us women are definitely strong!! Hopefully you won't need much and all goes well.
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Cookies, Not sure what the stickiness is because I can't lift my arm enough to get a good look. I'm supposed to go back to the nursing clinic tomorrow. Guess I will ask them.
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Brooklyn, I had 5 lymph nodes removed during my lumpectomy 11 days ago. The underarm incision was way worse than the boobie one.Every time I moved during the first few days, I felt this super sharp burning pain about an inch above the incision. The stickiness was from the surgical glue over the incision. But it healed quicker than the lumpectomy incision. Hope yours starts feeling better soon
callmeCookies, the little heart-shaped pillows were amazing! I purchased a set from Etsy that had 2 little pillows and a larger pillow that was rectangular with cutouts for your arms so you could tuck it under your armpits. And they were all made out of soft minky fabric. I'm sorry they didn't get clear margins and you have to go back. I have my post-op appt on Tuesday and I'm praying the surgeon got it all.
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Good to know, Kikind, thanks.
So last night I tried sleeping on my side for the first time, and I had some breakthrough bleeding from my mastectomy wounds. I went to the nursing clinic and they cleaned me up and said it's not an emergency but to just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't start bleeding any harder. For the stickiness under my arms she recommended cleaning with a bit of coconut oil to get rid of the tape residue.
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Sorry to hear that, Brooklyn1234. Glad it’s okay.
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Trying to get myself psyched and ready for Monday and then last night my husband had to go to Emergency. They gave him a CT scan and it was determined he has diffuse colitis. He's supposed to be my caregiver next week after my surgery and now he has to go for emergency colonoscopy. My 20-year-old who is recovering from Mono (diagnosed a week ago) is going to be extra busy next week. Ironically, I'm the *healthy* one right now. I have friends who will help too. When it rains it pours.
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Sugar, I hope your hubby and son/daughter start feeling better so they can take care of you next week. Thank god for friends who can help.
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So sorry to hear this, Sugar. A week from now you will be in a much better place. Hang in there!
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I finally have my surgery date which will be Feb 26th. So it looks like I'm moving over to the Feb surgery date page. Before I do, I want to wish everyone here all the very best with their surgeries. Prayers and blessings for the best possible outcomes!
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Aww,Sugar, that is a lot to deal with. Sorry to hear this. Gla you have friends who can help too.
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Oh man, sorry to hear that Sugar. Hope everyone is okay. Definitely right, when it rains it pours!
Thank you Strive, we wish you all the same
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First of my four drains was removed this afternoon! So freaking happy. Nurse said everything is looking really good.
I hope everyone else is doing well too. Best of luck to those who still have their surgery. You got this!
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