April 2021 Surgeries
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Good morning everyone, I hope the BC rollercoaster is driving you in the right direction today! Being on these boards is a very new experience for me. It saddens me to read of the struggles, but then I rejoyce in reading of progress towards recovery. And sharing makes everything much more bearable, thank you so much ladies.
I am better, have been focusing on things which recharge me despite all the covid restrictions, and it helps that bruising and swelling have decreased.
TXLorelei, I also had that numb swollen area close to the sentinel node incision. The swelling gradually subsided and I regained some sensation in the area. Not as much as before but it no longer feels weird or unpleasant. I had some PT sessions at the cancer centre starting 6 weeks after surgery in order to tackle both mobility and skin hypersensitivity and that helped me to re-appropriate of the sensations coming from my changed body.
Dani, Dallas and everyone - I am sorry for the rough moments. Time is our friend
Dani, the swelling may just be a normal post-op reaction. It takes a long time for tissues to settle. I keep my fingers crossed for a smooth recovery for you and everyone here. But I wanted to share , for what it's worth, my own reassuring experience with seroma. I developed it after surgery last year, and it was drained twice. I was anxious but the PS team were totally unfazed. They considered it an unsurprising effect of surgery and after the second drainage they decided to let it reabsorbe on its own. It went away quite rapidly and with no consequences.
Pokemom, I've had pinkie (mild) numbness/tingling for years, on and off, cancer side, but it started long before the BC dx. I had a number of evaluations and tests, it turned out I have cervical hernia but they also considered nerve trapping at the elbow (can't recall the specialised term). I tried different approaches but the best results seem to derive from postural training and PT (methods focusing on muscle chains, such as the Mézière method).
Best wishes for a good week to all.
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Thinking of you all this morning.
It's incredible to me how many women are going through this process every day -- probably enough that we could each have geographical message boards for just our own region if everyone participated in them. But there are women out there going through this alone...whether they are without family, don't want to upset their loved ones, without access to technology, without being able to discuss it in their native language, possibly being too ashamed to talk about it, working multiple jobs just to make ends meet and ain't nobody got time for message boards, etc. And that must be so hard. I am grateful for the access I have to this board and to you all for sharing.
It's been one week since my right mastectomy. And I feel so much better than I thought I would! And I also am really, really hoping my doctor's office can take at least one of these drainage tubes out today or tomorrow, because my output has been under 20ml cumulatively for two days, and it's starting to feel like maybe it's trying to suction stuff it shouldn't/like it's pulling on me now. The three areas that are reliably uncomfortable are:
1. where the tubes are (they look okay, but definitely feel like a blister on the heel in a shoe that's too stiff), and
2. roughly the area where my nipple was -- which has shooting pains randomly, and
3. on the "inner" edge of my right breast, in the center of my chest
I have also been wondering about ointments/creams to rub in when the stitches come out, and plan to ask my PS when I go in next. I figure she will have opinions.
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Pokemom1959- My PS had me start using aquaphor a couple weeks after each surgery. During rads she advised to use it heavily at night. I ended up buying a pack of oversized men’s t shirts to sleep in because of the greasiness. After each treatment I used a cream called “my girls” that contained calendula. I would apply that a few times a day until bedtime and then load up on the aquaphor.
Mountainlover- Good to hear the seroma was just a small glitch to get past. I appreciate you sharing that. The area of concern is not any larger today so I that is encouraging. I got the ok to ditch my post op bra so I am feeling free in that regard 😀.
Salt marsh- I am glad to hear you are feeling well as you heal. I am hoping you got to have your drain removed! Take care everyone.
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Drain one is out and I'm so happy about that! Drain 2 comes out Friday!
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Hi everyone!
I am new to this thread, new to this site, and this is my first post. I was diagnosed on March 18. I had a partial mastectomy and lymph node biopsy on April 14th. I really wish I had found you all sooner! This has all been so scary, and the posts here are really informative and comforting. My surgery went well, I am healing - although still a little sore. I will definitely have radiation (still waiting on that schedule), and I am now waiting on the MammaPrint testing to rule out chemo and some genetic testing for more information.
Love and healing to all!
Dawn
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Welcome, Dawn! We're glad you're here now, and hope this place can be a source of support for you in the coming days, weeks, and months. We're so happy to hear your surgery went well, and we wish you continued healing!
The Mods
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Hi All!
I'm on day 12 post op (bilateral mastectomy). Feeling much better now. Both my drains are still there although I have less than 10 ml (and most often less than 5 ml) daily on each side. My second appointment with my PS is on Friday. I can't wait to have the drains out! I'm a little scared since I'll have my first TE fill on Friday. I'm not sure what to expect. Plus, my PS said the left drain is not doing a great job and there's an edema on the left side caused by some excess fluid. Most probably he will remove the fluid using a needle. So, I will be poked a few times on Friday!
The pathology report came back few days ago, everything is negative! I've already done chemotherapy, so this means that I won't need radiation or additional chemo. At least that's what I think! I have an appointment with my oncologist to discuss the report on Friday, will see what she says.
Dogmom1971, I'm glad you found this page! I'm happy that your surgery went well. I hope the rest goes well too.
April
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Welcome Dawn!
April_bc, YAY on that path report, and I hope all goes well on Friday! Did they show you how they fill the TE? My PA showed me yesterday because I was wondering about it, and with mine (maybe with all?) there's a magnetic thingamajig they use to locate the port on the TE -- they just hold it over your breast until the two line up and then they know exactly where the needle (which isn't large) goes in. Kinda cool, really.
I was surprised how very little I felt when they removed my first drain. I had been kinda nervous because all the other things I can remember having removed over the years felt pretty awful, but I barely felt anything and it certainly didn't feel painful or gross like with other stuff.
Dani, it must feel so good to ditch the post-op bra! While I appreciate what mine has been doing for me, I am also looking forward to not needing it anymore!
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I'm scheduled for a skin sparing SMX and TE placement on Thursday with sentinel node dissection. I'm wondering if I should start a May surgery thread since mine is so close to May. So glad that this community is here and that y'all have posted your experiences. I am terrified of such a long surgery.
If you have had expanders placed, are they very hard?
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Hello everyone, hope this is a good day for you. Saltmarsh, April, Dani, so good to read of your progress! And welcome Dawn and hystorygeek.
Saltmarsh, such a good description of the TE filling process. A part of me has always been amused by the trick :- ) I actually saw some party tricks on the web revolving around fridge magnets and TEs which I tried to replicate for my own entertainment, but didn't quite manage!
Fills were not really uncomfortable for me. April, I had that a couple of times (the drainage of excess fluid first, then injection of water into the TE). Taking an ibuprofen tablet prior to the appointment (I saw the advice in these boards) and taking it easy for a few hours afterwards worked well for me. And the next day I was back to "normal".
Hystorygeek, I had unilateral nipple sparing MX and pre-pec TE placement in July 2020. The TE is hard but then I have very thin skin and am probably more sensitive than most (and I was diagnosed with fybromyalgia years ago). I won't deny that I have found the TE uncomfortable though sensations have improved with time, and the fat grafting seems to have helped a lot. Doctors and ladies in these boards confirm that the final implants should be softer / more comfortable than TEs and I am looking forward to that step. It's just a matter of months in most cases, I had to wait longer due to surgeries being delayed by Covid. Having said this, I am very glad this option has been available to me. Best wishes for your surgery !
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I got my pathology results from the excisional biopsy. No malignancy. I'm incredibly thankful.
I'll be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. That's not lip service. I know many people touched by cancer, and I witnessed my mother's battle (not breast, she had a very rare cancer). My heart breaks over your physical and mental anguish. Hugs and best wishes to all of you.
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congratulations RubyA! That is wonderful news. Best wishes to you.
Julie
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RubyA- Such fantastic news! So very happy for you.
Historygeek- Thinking of you today as you have your procedure. Hoping you do well and have little discomfort.
April_bc- great news on the path report! Hopefully you get the drains out and they can resolve the extra fluid easily. You will feel so free without those drains!
Dogmom1971- Welcome, hope you are doing well. Have you heard back with your mammaprint results? The waiting is such a pain.
All the best to those navigating recovery!
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Hi Everybody!
Day 16 post-op. My drains are finally out, yay! My PS did not fill the TEs today, he said the stitches looked good but he wants the skin to heal a little more before he fills the TEs. He did not drain the excess fluid either. He said it looked better compared to last week.
saltmarsh, thanks for the description of the TE filling process. It's fascinating! It doesn't sound scary, I'll see how it goes next week.
historygeek, I have TEs but honestly there's too much pressure from the surgical bra that I can't tell how they feel. I hope your surgery went well yesterday.
Mountainlover, thanks for sharing your experience. I took your advice and took an ibuprofen before my appointment today. My PS did not fill the TEs but the pill helped when he removed the drains!
RubyA, wonderful news! Congratulations!
Dani444, thank you! I do feel much better without the drains.
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I am home. So much pain. Trying to stay on top of it. We ended up doing bilateral. I already hate drains. But hopefully the cancer is all gone.
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oh hystorygeek, I am so sorry about the pain. Even if I "only" had a unilateral I was in a lot of pain at first too. And drains are tough. But every day will get better. And it won't take long for the drains to be removed.
I found it was best not to wait for the pain to increase but to take all the analgesics I was allowed at regular intervals. Which ones have you been given? I timed them so as to have one opioid in the evening , It helped with falling asleep. And for some reason I felt better either on a recliner or being totally flat in bed with no pillow.
I will be thinking of you and sending healing thoughts. Just take it a day, an hour at the time, and congratulate you for what you have already faced and overcome! Lots of hugs to you.
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April_bc , congratulation for getting rid of the drains! And Ruby, that's such a great news, thank you for sharing with us!
To all the April ladies: best wishes for your recovery. Have a good weekend and take care.
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I'm still on opioids so I plan on staying with those at least these next couple of days. But I'm definitely taking everything when I'm allowed to.
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Oof. Historygeek, I'm sorry you're in so much pain and hope that lets up soon.
RubyA, that is wonderful news!
I had my second drain taken out yesterday and it's a relief, for sure. I also had my first TE fill, and that was a little uncomfortable, which surprised me, but it wasn't that bad and it was over quick and I guess when I think about squeezing skin between two magnets, that makes sense.
I hope everyone is able to get whatever rest or relaxation they need this weekend!
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Hello everyone, and happy Saturday! Here is a quick update from me.
Monday will be two weeks out from left side mastectomy. I'm doing ok, but still have a weird rash around the incision area, and some swelling. I saw the physician's assistant on Wednesday to have the drain removed (ok, that was weird!), and we're just keeping an eye on the rash (which is slowly getting better), and the swelling. Incision looks good, and I will definitely try the Aquaphor (thank you for the recommendation, Dani!) I've had many previous surgeries for my rheumatoid, and when sent to physical therapy, they would do a lot of massage around the incision to loosen scar tissue. I also read another thread here that doing that can help seromas, so I'm going to try that when the area is a little less tender.
I feel very fortunate that the pathology report was clear for the margins and five lymph nodes. Still waiting for oncotype, then referral to oncologist. That feels very scary, and I'm absolutely terrified of doing chemo. Instead of focusing on that, I'm starting to try to figure out what to do about my lopsided-ness. So far I've used gauze that I got from the hospital to stuff my bra. It wasn't bad! I also ordered a free Knitted Knocker; what a great thing!
Thank you all for the tips and stories you've shared. They help a lot!
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PebblesMom,
I love my knitted knockers - better than the Athleta foobs I bought. I too am trying to get used to my new lopsidedness. My second drain should come out on May 4. Continued healing thoughts for us all!
Julie
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historygeek- ugg sorry about the pain. I hope the meds are giving some relief. Don’t forget stool softeners😀 opioids can be constipating.
I had my follow up yesterday. She said the swelling is normal and does not look or feel like a seroma. I was relieved to hear that. I am so far happy with the revision, at this point I am pretty even. She said we will see in 4-6 weeks how much of the fat transfer I retain. As long as the unradiated side stays where it is now I will be “content”. I would need some serious convincing to ever do fat grafting again! Wishing all the best to you all!
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historygeek, I agree with Mountainlover. It's easier to control pain before it gets too bad. I had a bilateral mastectomy as well. I was allowed to take 4 opioids (oxycodone 5mg) every day! In the first few days I did take all four, and gradually I stopped taking it in 14 days. I was also taking pregabalin twice daily for a week. The pain does get better with time.
PebblesMom, congratulations on the pathology report!
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Thank you guys for your experiences. Pain is getting a tiny bit better. I'm staying on top of my meds. I think I'll call the surgeon about getting a muscle relaxer. I think part of the pain is that.
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hello all,
22 days out from single right side mastectomy and second drain was removed today. She really had to pull hard to get it out! May have started to have some scar tissue form around it. Glad it's out. She gave me some arm stretches and exercises to do. Otherwise I feel good. I have my radiation mapping this Friday. I'm ready to keep moving forward.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Julie
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Julie, I'm glad to hear you got your second drain out! (Sounds like an ordeal -- I wonder what determines how easy/hard it is to get them out.)
historygeek, hope you have found a good balance to avoid pain.
I have been super-thrilled to finally be able to shower with no shower-shirt, no drains, no nothing hanging off of me or on me. I'm still sore where the drains were, and the visiting nurse said to keep the bandage on for another couple of days, but that things are looking good, and she discharged me.
I have my appointment with my MO on Friday to find out what my course of treatment will be moving forward. I'm nervous. Why can't they just tell us in a phone call or an email? Getting in to see him is kind of a production, and since we're not allowed to bring anyone in with us, I'll be alone... *sigh* But I'll be glad to know what the plan is, whatever it is. The not-knowing is the scary part, and the part that makes planning anything impossible.
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I'm 2.5 weeks post-lumpectomy and bilateral reduction/lift. I saw my plastic surgeon today and asked how long I would need to wear the compression/post-surgical bra. She told me I no longer needed to wear it at all - and could go braless if I so chose (she reduced me to a full C from an F). I'm happy not to have to wear it since the bottom was always rubbing on my surgical incision/scar, but it seems a little soon to me. Has anyone else addressed this issue with their surgeon?
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I am also curious to hear what others were told about wearing their compression bras. I was told when they took my second drain out (11 days post-op) that I should keep wearing the compression bra for now, or that if I had tight sportsbras, I could switch to those. Well, my sports bras are all kind of old and when I tried wearing one, it didn't feel as secure/compress-y, so I put the hated pink compression bra back on and got online and ordered a couple of compression bras that actually look less annoying and like I might want to wear them normally. I figure that I'll wear those until my doc says I don't have to/until I feel the time is right, and that I will need them again when my TE is swapped for an implant.
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I just saw my plastic surgeon for the first followup. He said a sports bra or front hook soft bra was fine. He never put me in a compression bra.
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darn, I have some infection that needs treatment. Yesterday I woke up fine, but by afternoon was feeling punky. By 5:30pm had chills and a fever. Today my mastectomy site is pink and warm. We have to treat it before radiation can start. I had been scheduled for my radiation mapping this Friday. I hate having things pushed out, but I feel crappy. Hope everyone else is doing ok.
Juli
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