April 2021 Surgeries
I'm going out on a limb here and starting a new thread because I did not see an April 2021 Surgery thread - hopefully I'm not just blind! 
So, my surgery is scheduled for 4/16/21 - I'm having a lumpectomy and bilateral reduction (which I am actually kind of weirdly excited about). For some reason, I'm pretty calm about all this - maybe it's just that going through it a second time I know more what to expect, although with the reduction it will be different. The worst part lately has been the waiting - I was diagnosed in mid-February and this was the earliest they could get the surgery scheduled.
Has anyone else had a bilateral reduction during a lumpectomy? Any hints on what to expect right after surgery and during recovery? How long before you were out and about again?
Who else is scheduled for surgery next month? I'm sending good vibes and prayers to all you April surgery ladies.
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We can be April surgery buddies. I was literally just wishing I had a "cohort" to go through this with. This is my first time and I just got my surgical date today -- 4/19. I also found out that things look worse than they originally thought so it's gonna be a full mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy. Which means I need to figure out if I want to reconstruct or not.
(Also, if you're on PoGo, my trainer code is 0013 0856 2263, feel free to add me!)
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hello ladies,
my right side mastectomy is scheduled April 12. Had a lumpectomy back in October when they thought the tumor was 3cm, but turned out to be closer to 6cm. I wish that she would have done a mastectomy then....oh well. I like my new surgeon 😊 Chemo was Oct to March. Radiation to follow. What a long 10 month journey when it's all said and done!
jujuscancerjourney.Wordpress.com
Julie
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Hi Ladies,
Looks like I will be first to go, my surgery is tomorrow, April 1st. I was diagnosed Feb. 22, I am having a lumpectomy and a reduction/lift. Right now I am a G cup so it seems like a good idea. I am excited to finally have the surgery though also nervous at the same time. I am due to be at the surgical center tomorrow morning at 9am, it's going to be a long day. I wish all of us luck
Nicole
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Good luck Nicole! We'll be thinking of you tomorrow!
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best of luck to you tomorrow Nicole!
Julie
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Thanks ladies!! Can't wait till this time tomorrow!
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Nicole - Best of luck tomorrow. Since we are having identical surgeries, I’m very interested to know how your surgery and recovery go. Will you have to have eternal radiation after? Please update us when you get a chance and try not to be nervous - you’ll go to sleep and when you wake up it will be all over!
Saltmarsh - we can definitely be surgery buddies!
Julie - Good luck!
I will keep all of you ladies in my prayers!
Debbie
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Nicole, hoping everything went smoothly and to plan!
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Hi, I'm Kim and this is my first post. I am having a bilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction on April 8th. (invasive lobular carcinoma & DCIS grade 2) After a year of being a COVID long hauler with lingering lung issues, I am not at all interested in more surgeries/anesthesia/intubation. I just want to be able to go braless or throw on some prosthetic party boobs and do my thing once I am healed. I'm a nurse of 27 years and have a strong circle of supportive friends around me. My husband and our 2 kids have been my rocks through this. Our oldest is getting married in 2022 and it helps me to have something to work toward. I'm very nervous about the oncoscore and what happens next, but I am trying to stay positive. I send those of you having surgery this month all the light and love imaginable.
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Hi Kimvee, Saltmarsh and OC...and other April Success stories! I’m joining you, having watch the March group posts before this. I’m having a left breast mastectomy on Wednesday, Ap 7th. IDC 1– surgery after a February confirmation. My surgeon is doing an aesthetic flat closure. She’s confident of her plan! Prayers appreciated for no cells in lymph nodes! Is it too much to hope for no tamoxifen? I’ll check in next weekend. I’ll be praying for you all too. We will be beautiful because we are alive! Happy Easter
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Hi Ladies,
I wanted to let you know everything went well. Surgery day was a long say, I didn't make it home until 9pm. My plastic surgeon offered to a little bit of liposuction on the sides, I agreed. She did the lift and took care of the minor reduction I had. My cancer surgeon said I had two sentinel lymph nodes, both were tested and neither contained any cancer, we are so relieved about that. About the pain, it has been bad, I will say it has gotten somewhat better today. The first night was really bad pain wise. I am so thankful to have the surgery behind me, and thank you guys for being supportive.
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Hi Nicole! I’m glad you are on the other side of your surgery and that it went well. That gives me hope! Sounds like the lipo was a little added bonus! I hope your pain is gone soon. Did you end up with drains
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Hi Pokemom,
No, my plastic surgeon does not do drains. I asked her about them during my initial consultation and she said no. Even though my name is Dallas115, I am not from Dallas, my son loves the Cowboys! I had my surgery done in Gainesville, Florida at Shands. From what I can tell so far things look good. My doctor told me up front, breasts are sisters not twins....I really like her and my surgeon. My plastic surgeon is "relatively" new, which worried me, I talked to my mother in law and she said nooooo, that just means she is up to date with all the latest technologies. Waking up this morning I can tell the pain is getting better! Thinking of you as your surgery approaches, and all the ladies here, it will be here before you know it!
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"They're sisters not twins ..." LOL, that must be something they learn in plastic surgeon school because mine said the same thing to me! Mine is young too - I swear she looks like she is 12, but she has excellent reviews and I like the before/after photos she has posted on her website. I really hope that she offers a little lipo for me .. on the sides and maybe the stomach area just below .. oh hell, as long as she's at it, she might as well do the whole body! I'm counting down the days to my surgery - 12 more sleeps.
The only thing I'm concerned about at this point is my breast surgeon has not yet put in the authorization request to my insurance - it is really making me anxious and now we're less than 2 weeks from surgery. I've asked about it repeatedly and they keep saying that they will put it in "shortly." It's like, get on with it already! I really don't want that to delay my surgery - I will be so upset and disappointed if it does, especially since I have been bugging them about it for weeks. I go in for my pre-op on Thursday and if they haven't submitted it by then, I'm going to raise hell.
I hope you're feeling even better now - let me know how you are doing - happy Easter!
Debbie
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The Tamoxfin isn't horrible. I actually tolerated it pretty well for nearly 3 years. Good luck with your surgery Beekc! Only 3 more days to go!!
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yes. Thank you for the enthusiasm. It’s encouraging. It’s difficult to just wait and prepare. Beekc
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Hi all!
Dallas115, thanks for sharing your story. I hope you're feeling much better by now.
Everybody else (myself included!), good luck with your surgeries.
My bilateral mastectomy is scheduled for the 14th. I have IDC, stage 2, TN, grade 3, 1 cm, in my right breast. I'm opting for bilateral mastectomy to have more peace of mind in the future. Since my oncologist needs the pathology results to decide if I need radiation after the surgery I'm putting in tissue expanders for now until the reconstruction surgery in 2-3 months.
I'm 34, was diagnosed in late 2020. My chemotherapy finished in early March. And now, as the surgery date is approaching I'm getting more and more nervous!
We have each other and I'm sure we'll all be fine in few weeks/months
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Hey Debbie, I am sure everything will go through fine with your insurance, every time something was offered that was "extra" my husband would ask, does insurance pay for that?? So I understand, but if I were you I wouldn't worry, you have BC and my doctors told us that insurance pays. Definitely ask for the lipo around the underarm area, I would! About the pain, yes, I feel a lot better than I did right after the surgery, now I am just Itchy, between the healing and the medication I have to say the itchiness at times is crazy. Like you I counted down the days to my surgery date, it was hard sometimes.
Beekc....Like you I am not looking forward to taking tamoxifen, I will be seeing my BC oncologist in the next few weeks, I know that is part of the plan. I am wondering if the benefit will be worth it. Good luck with your surgery, its so close now
april_bc...good luck with your surgery, I am sorry this happened to you so young. Try not to be nervous, I know it is easier said than done...I was crying as they were taking me back, I was so emotional....so I completely understand. You and all the ladies on here will get through surgery and on to recovery!
saltmarsh.....hope you are hanging in there, having to go from a lumpectomy to a mastectomy....I can't imagine. Everything about this journey is horrible but I am thankful for this thread and you guys. I have a friend who has recently had a complete mastectomy, when I got my diagnosis I reached out to her, she was great, she told me that she has been able to find little ways to make "living with it" easier, one way is that she gets to choose her size, she has her "going to church" size and she has her "night on the town" size....that actually made me laugh through my crying.
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Nicole
Glad you are on the other side of surgery! I too cried when they took me back for the lumpectomy. Not sure I will for the mastectomy....my sister in law made me laugh and said view this "bad" boob as a bad boyfriend. Things were good in the beginning, but then things turned. I've had the last 6 months to prepare for this, so I am ready. The RN called and I need to be at the hospital at 5:45am Monday. Due to Covid restrictions, my husband won't be allowed in....he can see me after surgery when I am in my room for the one night stay. Best wishes to us all!
Julie
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Jumping in as I prepare for my next surgery. Had a lumpectomy/reduction in January with my pathology coming back as both DCIS and a very small amount of IDC triple negative tumor, sentinel lymph biopsy in March (all negative, yay!), and now a bilateral mastectomy with implants on April 19. I'm excited to get the last of these surgeries over with, or at least fingers crossed this will be the last for awhile. I am a little concerned by the spike in Covid cases here in Michigan since I will likely be staying the night, but I was able to secure a J&J vaccine last week so hoping that will give me some extra protection. Yay for jumping ahead in line with a pre-existing condition or whatever.
Julie -- I love your attitude! I'm thinking of this in a similar way. My boobs are trying to murder me so we have to break up.
Nicole -- Glad you're doing well. I also was a G cup before my lump/reduction and it took about two weeks before I started to feel better and three weeks before I could sort of sleep on my side, although I did drop my pain meds after the first week. You got this and will be happy as you put more distance between you and the surgery. And I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to wearing cute outfits that don't always look good on big-boobed gals.
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Hi Beauties!
Just joining in. I'm scheduled for surgery on the 15th. Right side Lumpectomy central region...bye bye sweet nipple. I am both excited and dreading this...how many emotions must we all go through? Sending you all well wishes and quick recoveries. Looking forward to checking back in to see how we are all doing.
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Nicole - As this is my second time around with breast cancer, I would definitely recommend doing whatever treatment they recommend - anything to avoid this stupid cancer coming back. The first time around, I was on Tamoxifen for about 2.5 years. I decided that since it was making my joints hurt and making me tired and my risk for re-occurrence was so low, I'd just stop taking it. I wonder every day now if I had stayed on it for the full 5 years, if I could have avoided this second round (although I was very fortunate that they once again caught it very early). I also opted for intra-operative radiation the first time around because it was so much easier - it was all done at the time of surgery and I did not have to spend 40 days going for external radiation. They now tell me that the intraoperative radiation "failed" and that I might not have had this second round of cancer if I had gone with the external radiation. Having gone through this twice now, I say hit it with every bullet in your magazine and do the most you can to avoid any future problems and any "what if" feelings.
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Nicole, I'm pretty sure I too am going to cry when they take me to the OR. I cried today during my pre-op appointment, it all felt too real all of a sudden! And thanks for your support.
MidwestSmiles, I have the option to go for nipple sparing mastectomy as my tumor is far from the nipple. Since I'm planning to do DIEP flap for reconstruction, my breast size will go down from DD to B or C. Because of the size reduction, if I keep the nipple it will be placed on the lower side of my breast which is not gonna be great! To lift the nipple my plastic surgeon has to cut and remove part of the skin which leaves more scars. I spoke with 4 plastic surgeons and 3 of them said that their patients in similar situations are usually happier with removing and reconstructing the nipple. I might be making a big mistake but I decided to remove the nipple. Hopefully, we will both be happy (or at least okay) with the final results! And good luck with your surgery
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hello everyone, just joining. I am scheduled for fat grafting in 2 days (9 april) as an intermediate step prior to implant exchange in summer (hopefully - covid has delayed all surgeries here). I am so exhausted by the TE, which bothers me quite a bit especially at night but am glad I went for skin and nipple sparing MX + TE at the time. It is very personal of course, but it was the right choice for me. Like others here I too went from initial lumpectomy plans to MX as they found more masses in pre-surgery scans, and there were a lot of tears, before and after surgery! But it did get better!
I have been on Femara since end July 2020 and so far it is feasible . I touched my lowest point with its SE in December, but things improved afterwards.
I know fat grafting is nothing compared to what many of you ladies are facing now, but I am now struggling with significant pre-op anxiety. It's a bit like going back in time to those days which preceded, and followed, my MX last year. But this has to be done, so... one step at the time
I wish you (us!) all complications-free surgeries and smooth recoveries . Take care! Hugs to all !
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Beekc - Hope all went well today!
kimvee - Thinking good thoughts for your surgery!
All of you - I'm glad to have you in internet-land. I definitely have felt very alone in this in my day-to-day life.
I have recently been wondering if I'll have any pre-op anxiety. I never have before, and I've had four fairly significant surgeries. But it's the first time I've even wondered about that, so who knows?
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Mountainlover- I am going for fat grafting this month as well. Definitely having pre-op anxiety! I am also having some skin removal on my prophylactic side to hopefully get better symmetry.
I had an UMX in 2018 with direct to implant, then ended up needing rads. I went back and had my other breast removed after having two biopsies. I couldn’t deal with the anxiety of every 6 month imaging! So here I am with a radiated foob that just doesn’t move and the other one does. I am hoping to get skin improvement with the fat grafting.
I wish everyone the best with their upcoming procedure and healing. Lean on those that want to help. It helped me to make one person the “spoke person” for passing oninfo and giving people specific tasks when they asked how they can help.
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Hello all,
I met PS today to discuss lympho-venous bypass on Monday along with right mastectomy. The idea is to further reduce the risk of developing lymphodema down the road. Anyone else having this done? Only 72 hrs til surgery....it's getting real now! Healing thoughts for us all.
Julie
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Hi all, I’ve had a great experience so far after unilateral in April 7th surgery. Not sad, as breast was no longer my friend! The recovery over three days has been easy. Tylenol seems to control the pain. Early this 3rd full day/morning I released myself from some of the tightest compression wrap and that feels good. Compression bra feels secure. Dealing with the drains is easy. Care to avoid infection. Stretching. I’m quite a wimp, but many are praying for my healing. Lymph nodes deemed clear, a great concern. Went out to lunch yesterday. Beautiful day for a car ride. Got to wash my hair and dry it on day 2, and put my own shirt on this morning over my head! What more can a girl want? I guess I’ll be told more about preventative additional treatment. Wish none was required. Just want to resume some normalcy as I’ve had chemo and radiation for an unrelated cancer long before. Tired of those exhausting, lingering side effects! Anyway, progressing well now...and thankful!
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Juju-mar, how are you doing today
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Thank you. Results so far are above.
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