April 2021 Surgeries
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Juju-Mar, I hope they get rid of it quickly. I'm scared of infection & have been watching my temperature closely.
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Juli-
I'm so sorry; that does sound frustrating, and the last thing you need right now. Hope you feel better soon, and were able to get some rest.
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History Geek - Did he say you're supposed to wear it all the time, even while you're sleeping?
Juli - I hope that infection gets better.
Isn't showering the best?!
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Juli, I'm so sorry about the infection. I hope your surgeon can resolve the issue soon. I'm 3 weeks post-op now (bilateral mastectomy) and the incision is still open. My PS put me back on antibiotics today for 10 days to reduce the chance of infection. He said if it gets lightly infected I need to stay in the hospital for 24-48 hours and get some medicine (I forgot the name!). And if the infection is too bad the TE must be removed. I hope yours can be handled easily.
Pokemom1959, I'm still wearing a compression bra. I need to wear it for 4 weeks. Since my incision is still open (see above!) I might need to wear it for a longer time. That's just my guess, I didn't ask my PS. Also, I believe the time really depends on the type of surgery.
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Julie, I am sorry about the infection! I hope treatment is already having an effect and that you feel better. Hopefully radiation will not be delayed for long.
And April_bc , that must be a source of stress, I am sending you my best wishes. I remember reading in these boards that the daily need of vitamine C increases after surgery. Maybe worth considering supplementing to promote healing?
As for me, I met the PS today at 4 weeks from the fat grafting. I need to have lymphatic drainage in my right leg to treat a hardened area. It's the same thigh where a large hematoma developed after surgery. Ah, I look forward to having at least a couple of months with no medical appointments. Maybe next year?
Take care everyone.
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Uck, Julie, I'm so sorry, and hope the infections clears quickly!
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update: still have little energy. Mastectomy site is still pink and slightly warm. Today I put a cold pack on it to see if that helps. The incision pain is a little less. It is the weirdest feeling! When going from laying down to getting up, my mastectomy side feels like it's a second behind my body. Not fluid filled exactly. I don't know how to describe it. Antibiotics and probiotics for 7 days. I may be able to get radiation mapping done May 13. Radiation will begin 6 days after mapping according to my center. We have planned a quick weekend away for my birthday next Friday. I'm hoping this will all be cleared up by then!
thanks for the kind words.I felt totally fine til about 6 hrs after the second drain came out. Fever started 8 hrs after drain removed. Could be a coincidence.Hang in there everyone!
Julie
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Mountainlover, thanks for your suggestion about vitamin C. My surgeon wanted me to stop taking any supplements 2 weeks before the surgery until 2 weeks after. I guess I can start taking them again. To be safe, I will just start taking vitamins C and D. Btw, I'm eating a lot of fruits these days but obviously the amount of vitamin C in the supplement pills is much higher than what I take these days! Thank you.
Julie, glad to hear that you just need to take antibiotics and probiotics. And happy birthday!
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My plastic surgeon recommended Vitamin C for faster healing and better scar healing.
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ladies,
After the drains have come out, does anyone else still have fluid collecting under the skin? It's hard and a little uncomfortable. Hope everyone is doing well!
Julie
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I do not have that.
Just a lovely allergic reaction to the bandage that was covering my drainage holes and is constantly irritated by my compression bras. I probably should get up off my derriere and go get some more Benadryl...
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While the fever is gone, the site is still warm and red. So I called the on call doc and he recommended warm compresses to see if the fluid will drain out. Ot at least the heat will pool the fluid in the same area and if they need to aspirate it on Monday, they will. It's not painful, but it is uncomfortable.
Saltmarsh, I hope the Benadryl does it's job.
Julie
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Julie, I am glad you're no longer in pain and that fever is gone! I too had fluid accumulating once the second drain was removed after my MX. I could see it and feel it. My experience is a bit different though (besides the fact that I had a TE) as I had no sign of infection at the time although, if my memory serves me right, I was on antibiotics until 2-3 days after drainage removal anyway (that is the antibiotics which were given to me in hospital and for 5-6 days after I was discharged). Like you, I felt discomfort, no pain.
Saltmarsh, I hope the allergic reaction goes away quickly! I have a tendency to that and I know it's not fun.
Best wishes to everyone here. Take care ladies !
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My oncologist called today and moved my appointment up a week to this Thursday. My oncotype test results are in. I'm so scared. I do not want chemo.
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pokeman1959,
praying you won't need chemo! But if you do, I had a very good experience overall. Keep us updated.
Julie
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Pokemom,
Just wanted to let you know I am praying you get positive news. If you don't, you will be fine:)
Nicole
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Thinking of you today, Pokemom. Fingers crossed!
For everyone who's at least 2-3 weeks out from surgery, I'm wondering what everyone is doing about pain management?
On Mothers' Day (basically 3 wks post-op), I stopped taking pain meds of any kind. That was a bit too soon for me and I went back to Tylenol. I'd like to stop taking it, but without it, I do feel painful twinges, especially if I lean too far forward or twist my torso too far in reaching for something.
Are you all taking pain meds still? If you aren't, are you still having any pain?
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Pokemom, I am thinking of you!
Hi Saltmarsh, my surgery was much less involved than yours this time, so the fact I stopped painkillers after 5-6 days won't tell you much, I hope other ladies can share.
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I'm 2 weeks out & still have to take ibuprofen or Tylenol along with muscle relaxers at night. I've had nerve around my expanders but it is a bit better now that 2 out of the 4 drains are out.
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saltmarsh,
I think pain response can be so different for everyone. I have Crohn's disease and when I was in labor, I thought labor pain was very similar to Crohn's pain...As for my right mastectomy, they did a nerve block ahead of surgery and I think that made all the difference. I avoided the heavy narcotics ( hate what they do to my GI system). I was able to keep Motrin and Tylenol for the first 4 days post op, then stopped. I did have some weird twinges of pain during the first week, but no more. You may want to ask your doc. As long as you don't have a fever or some sign of infection, if the pain meds are keeping you comfortably and able to do the arm exercises, then I wouldn't worry. Healing thoughts for us all.
Julie
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Well, back from the oncologist. My oncotype score came back at 25 with the possibility of a distant recurrence at 12% over 9 years without chemo. Benefit of chemo is less than 1%. But then they do the RS analysis (I think that is what she called it - more personalized to my circumstances) and it came back with a possibility of distant recurrence at 16% without chemo and 7% with chemo - so a 9% difference.
The chemo would be Taxotere and Cytoxon 4 treatments - once every 3 weeks for 3 months. She said this is a very well-tolerated chemo, does not damage other organs and has very few side effects are anticipated. there would be hair loss, but I would do the cold caps.
Ugh ... so now it's my decision.
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Pokeman1959 - I just noticed we had the same surgery and the same breast size transition! I hope you are doing well and am praying for good results.
Thank you April ladies for sharing your stories, I followed along and got great tips to prep for my May one.
Jujumar - Hope you are feeling better. It does seem like maybe the fever was a reaction to the drainage?! I've been running a low grade fever after surgery yesterday, but I don't feel like it. Like you say, everyone's body responds differently. I hope your medical team can help you thru this and figure it out.
As for compression, I think my PS said to continue to wear something constantly for like a week until I see him in follow-up. I am loving the compression and will continue to wear it, to me it relieves pain a bit.
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Oh Pokeman1959, I just saw your update...I'm so sorry it was not what you wanted to hear. And that is a tough decision. 9%? I'm sure if you research a bit, you will be able to make a sound decision of what's best for you. Wishing you the best with whatever you decide to do.
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Thanks BtwnStars - It was actually much better than I had hoped. I fully expected the oncotype score to be well over 25. I was also happy to hear that the chemo that would be performed would not be too brutal. The dilemma is, is this chemo worth a 9% change of reduction? So hard to know.
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pokeman1959,
Sorry for the big decision you have to make! You'll know what's the right answer for you. Are you pre or post menopausal? My score was 20 and I did chemo, since it had spread to 2 lymph nodes. I had AC + Taxol. If you decide to do it, you can do it! We are stronger than we realize.
As for me, I am still on antibiotics for an infection. They did drain 8ml of fluid on Tuesday and it made a huge difference. I see the BS again tomorrow and hoping she can drain again. It's filling back up and making my underarm area numb, sore and tight feeling. Radiation on hold for now, til this clears up.
Hang in there strong beautiful ladies!
Julie
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Thanks Julie - I believe that the benefit with chemo is actually 7% not the 9% I previously stated. the RSClin results were 16% and a 7% absolute chemo benefit ... which means the 16% would be reduced by 7% to 9% with chemo. So I think it's 12% to 16% without chemo and 9% to 12% with chemo (including both the oncotype test and the RSClin test). I think I'm overthinking this.
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hello ladies,
How is everyone doing? My infection turned out to be a staph infection and I'm on the 3rd antibiotic to knock it out - they finally did a culture and found the correct med to kill it. Otherwise I feel good. Doing my arm exercises daily. Radiation is still on hold til the infection is gone. I meet with the BS this week for my 5 week post op visit. We had a quick weekend away for my birthday last Friday. It was so nice to do some fun stuff and forget about cancer!
Healing thoughts to us all! We are stronger than we realize.
Julie
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Hi Julie, I hope this antibiotic can take care of the infection once and for all. Glad to hear that you're feeling good though, and that you could have some time away! I am so looking forward to having holidays no matter how short! Fingers crossed that the covid restrictions are lifted soon here.
Pokemom, have you made a decision regarding chemotherapy? I hope you find a path that gives you peace of mind.
As for me I am doing much better. Swelling has gone down, and maybe some of the fat was reabsorbed (cannot really tell) but I confirm that fat grafting has reduced the discomfort of the TE. I can go braless if I want (finally!) and I'm no longer too annoyed when I turn in my sleep. And the TE looks less unnatural. So that's all positive. On the negative side, I am having to go twice per week for treatment to my right leg as there is a hardened area in my thigh. It has slightly improved over the weeks but is not resolved and is painful to the touch, besides the aesthetic impact. It would be nice to look more normal before the summer comes, but it's not disastrous.
Best wishes and take care April ladies!
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Oh, ladies, this all has been so weird, hasn't it?
I just had a followup with my PS. For weeks, I had been wondering if my TE had shifted to one side and kind of curled over on itself, with part of the bottom peeling away and folding on top. I had finally convinced myself that was my imagination and that it was fine. NOPE. The center bit has curled over on itself somehow. My PS now wants me to be fairly assertive and apply more pressure when massaging "the pocket." Supposed to see her again in 3 wks.
I've started Tamoxifen and I love this stuff! I'm having way fewer and less-horrible night sweats -- hardly any at all! -- whereas before it was every night and I was going through multiple pairs of pajamas and my bed kept turning into a swamp. I am thrilled!
I'm still not cleared to exercise beyond walking, but I'm trying to walk as much as I can.
Juju-mar, I hope that staph infection clears up quickly! And Mountainlover, I hope your leg responds well to treatment.
How is everyone else?
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hello ladies,
who has cording under the arm and what did you do for it? I actually felt it for the first time yesterday. I have a call into my surgeons office. My infection seems to be gone and I'm to meet with the radiation oncologist this Friday to set up mapping. I'm already a month behind for radiation....I hope this doesn't make it even further out. Just want to be done with all treatments....hope everyone is well.
julie
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