September 2021 Surgeries
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Waves2stars - I forgot to ask your doctor for a walker to go home with. I think it will be helpful to you for things like going to the bathroom!
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Waves2stars - I forgot to mention that maybe you should ask your doctor to send you home with a walker. That will help you get up and down for things like going to the bathroom! I'm getting sent home with one.
Saltmarsh - How are you? You're just a couple days out from your surgery now. I hope you have all the answers you need right now and are prepared for it. I'll be thinking of you!
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Hi all,
Yes, I'm Covid negative, so surgery is ON for Wednesday. Woo-hooooo! I am so excited!
Waves2Stars, are you psyched? I am excited for you...
Faith-over-fear, I realized I never answered your question about pulling away from people. I'm probably the wrong person to ask about that, as I am a screaming introvert normally. My natural instinct is to stay at home. I cannot abide small-talk. I purposely did not tell anyone what I was going through except (a) my husband, child, dad and step-mom, (b) my closest friend, and (c) one friend who has done the cancer dance before. That's it. No one else in my life knew I had cancer until after my first surgery (except my son's best friend; they share everything). I definitely, definitely didn't want to tell everyone, and have every conversation start with someone looking at me sympathetically (or not) and saying, "How ARE you?" I didn't want my life to become all about cancer. I didn't want to hear peoples' well-intentioned advice, stories, etc. I knew it would be too much for me. It was a very conscious choice.
As far as the Hibicleanse, they didn't tell me not to shave last time or this time, so I'll still be doing that. And the Hibicleanse is just for the body, and they said to make sure not to put it near your face or genitals. Fine by me. I had forgotten how brightly pink it is and was surprised all over again when I used it in the shower today!
macdebbie, I'm sorry you've needed to join the club, and I'm sorry it sounds like medical stuff is hard for you in general. I hope you can find a way to tap into a measure of calm. Whether that's music or reading or a spiritual practice, or breathing exercises, or visualizing something or someplace calming, or aromatherapy, or what-have-you.
Elle2, curious how your appointments went and if anything changed for you, if you feel like sharing.
I'm not much of a drinker, but I did order groceries for curbside pickup today (since I'm in quarantine until surgery), and with those, I ordered the alcohol necessary to make a post-op "Slippery Nipple" -- a drink I learned about in my ASL interpreting days, but have never tried. It seemed like it might be an appropriate way to mark the occasion! (No nipple reconstruction for me, so it's like that nipple just slipped away, never to return...). Don't worry, I won't mix alcohol with any post-op meds; I'll wait until it's safe!.
Anyone else have something they've planned for post-op times as something nice for yourself?
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Yes my MO said please no supplements during chemo...could interact.
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macdebbie i dont know if this will help you but my sister had a lumpectomy a few months ago and was back at work almost the next day. I myself am undergoing TCHP round 4 of 6 coming up this week, and lumpectomy to follow. Really it will be fine! Interesting note, my younger sister was diagnosed with DCIS a few months later me with IDC and both of our genetic testing was negative. Fluke?
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Saltmarsh - Thanks for asking about my day. It was a loooooong one. At 7 am, I went in for the pre-op blood work. I have tiny veins and it is always a crapshoot. Today, they actually used a 23 gauge butterfly catheter, which I always ask for, and she got it first try! That was the beginning of a really good day.
At 8:15, I was in to see my mastectomy surgeon and she was in a great mood. We actually laughed at a lot of things - all appropriate of course. She explained to me that she was going to perform the sentinel lymph node biopsy and lymphoscintigraphy, which is a special type of nuclear medicine imaging. About 2-3 hours before surgery, I have to use Emla cream, a local pain-killer around the nipple area. Then she injects a radioactive material called a radiotracer around the tumor site. I go under a special camera that detects the radiotracer and takes pictures of the drainage pattern of the lymph nodes. Once I am under anesthesia, that blue dye is injected which drains to the lymph nodes. These two procedures allow the surgeon to see which lymph nodes have the radiotracer (to remove them) and which lymph nodes are stained blue (sentinel lymph nodes.) All of these will be tested before the surgery begins. It was all pretty fascinating to me!Next up was my reconstruction surgeon at 9:30. He's a really nice guy and wanted to confirm with me that I was only having a single mastectomy and not a double as I had originally planned. I think I was pretty emotional when I first discussed the double mastectomy because I didn't want cancer returning yet again in the other breast. But I've been reassured that if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it and I think that applies here. He also reiterated that I would not have nipple-sparing surgery because trying to do reconstruction on radiated skin has historically not been successful. We talked about the most important issue of remaining at a 90% angle for up to 2 weeks after surgery to avoid pulling any sutures out. They are placing waterproof suture tape on my abdomen and drain sites for showering. I will be in the hospital for 3 days and on day 2, they expect me to be able to take a shower before they will release me. He is sending me home with a walker, compression garments, and drainage logs for each of the four drains (2 in the abdomen, 2 in the breast). He also gave me a little care package with a hand-made drain apron, two little pillows, a shower ribbon and a face mask for sleeping!
Next, I heard from the genetics counselor who gave me the best news of the day - all my cancer genes were negative except one. The CDH1 was inconclusive and she told me that after further testing, 80% of inconclusive results ended up being negative. I KNOW I CANNOT pass any BC genes on to my kids! Woo-hoo! Best news ever!
The final appointment was at 11:30 with my medical oncologist. She has been my medical oncologist for 13 years, helping me on this cancer journey and she is amazing. She has this zen-like quality about her aura, the way she speaks, her positive energy. It feels like her very being exudes comfort and calm. She is also a breast cancer survivor and understands unequivocally what her patients are feeling and experiencing. She was very reassuring that if the lymph nodes are clear, I can expect hormonal therapy using aromatize inhibitors. No chemo and no Tamoxifen!!! and I have options if one has unwanted side effects, unlike 13 years ago when I had no options.
We finally arrived home, exhausted at 1 pm. Today was an amazing day. I felt such confidence, calm and caring from my team. I know I am in such experienced, good hands and it makes me so incredibly grateful and thankful that I can go into my surgery prepared and ready to become cancer free again!
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Hi saltmarsh, thank you for creating September surgery thread. All the best to your reconstruction surgery!
Hi everyone, my wife Nicole has her double mastectomy and right auxiliary lymph node dissection scheduled for September 1st, along with lymphatic bypass. She had neo-adjuvant chemo already. Nicole is terrified of her surgery, even though she has been through back surgery 20 years ago.
Hope successful surgery to everyone here!
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Thank you pchyen.
Some folks would say your wife has already done the hard part. I hope Nicole's surgery goes smoothly from start to finish, and that it's such a good experience it makes her feel differently about any future surgeries! I'll be thinking of her.
Elle2, I'm so glad to hear everything went well! You got this!
Waves2Stars, I'll be thinking of you, too, tomorrow.
Sending love and light to all of you!
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Waves2Stars, Sending lots of love and good thoughts your way and wishing you all the best for tomorrow!
Pchyen, I will be thinking of Nicole and hope everything will go smoothly tomorrow.
Saltmarsh, I have never heard of slippery nipple but what a great choice! I will be thinking of you tomorrow and sending lots of love and positive thoughts your way. Thanks for the tip with the Hibiclens. When the nurse called to go over the pre-op prep she mentioned it but somehow I heard hibiscus and thought that's awkward how is this going to help but of course wanted to follow instructions so I was searching for a shower gel with hibiscus. I blame the anxiety brain 🙂
Elle2, So great to hear that you have such an amazing care team!!
Macdebbie, I'm also second guessing my lumpectomy decision a lot but as others have stated there is a good chance that we will have a great outcome with lumpectomy and radiation and if desired or needed we have the option of having a mastectomy at a later time. For me one of the deciding factors was that I wanted to get the cancer out as quickly as possible and a mastectomy would have pushed out my surgery date. Of course now three days before surgery I am all anxious and scared. Still waiting for the hospital to call to schedule the Covid test.
Sending love and positive thoughts to all.
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Salt, I wish I had scheduled my covid test for yesterday like you! They said if I don’t hear from them by 10 tonight I am good to go. It will be so late to find out!!! I’ve been extra careful so I’m hoping for no surprises! I can’t imagine what the signs would look like for “slippery nipple” but I’m going right to YouTube to find out. I’m scared of tomorrow, but ready to get this show on the road!!!
Peter and Nicole, I will be thinking of y’all tomorrow, at least until I go under myself. I’m scared, too, and haven’t experienced what Nicole has already gone through. She doesn’t know it, but she must be a strong woman. And you must be a thoughtful husband to support her through all of this
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Faith and Marvie, may we get though this and find some relief! Hoping and praying for clean margins and pretty stitches for us all!
Elle, your team sound top notch! I like they review all this with you so close to surgery.
McDeb, I am second guessing my decision right now. Maybe it’s natural to do so. But either choice is good because you will have the cancer lump out. You always have the option to get a mx later. There are no perfect decisions with this stuff anyway.
My post surgery/recovery celebration of sorts will be joining my extended family for a salt water fishing trip at the end of October. I’m concerned I won’t be able to cast well because I will still be tight, but I usually only catch atrocious fish anyway. I will still be able to eat seafood and laugh, and I won’t be asked to carry the bait bucket!
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Hello Ladies!
My DIEP reconstruction surgery is scheduled for September 22nd. I had my bilateral mastectomy in April.
Anxiety - I read posts about being nervous or anxious for your upcoming surgeries. That's totally normal. Don't worry, you'll be fine. I was extremely nervous about my mastectomy. Saltmarsh might remember me from the April 2021 group, I was losing it at that time! (Btw, isn't she amazing?) I had a mental breakdown a few weeks before the mastectomy. I was crying going into the OR. The nurse who was pushing my bed to the OR was trying to calm me down until he lost it and said oh, you're so young! (I'm 34) And that made my cry even harder! The scene was so sad and funny at the same time.
But this time, even though it's a much harder surgery, I'm chill about it! I know it's going to be a painful and uncomfortable procedure, but I made it last time and I'm going to make it this time. Also, if it helps anybody, for me the mastectomy was much easier than I thought it would be.
Supplements - I was asked to stop taking any supplements two weeks before my mastectomy. My oncologist also wanted me to stop taking any supplements during chemo, but recommended some supplements for hot flashes and neuropathy. I guess it all depends of your specific chemo. Also, if you're taking birth control pills make sure to stop or ask your oncologist about them. I was taking birth control pills for irregular periods and I had to stop 2 weeks before the chemo. I wasn't expecting any periods during the chemo anyways!
Shaving hair - I was asked not to shave any hair, including the underarms, 48 hours before the mastectomy. I didn't have any hair anyways because I had just finished chemotherapy. I'm guessing the instructions will be the same for my reconstruction as well. I haven't had my pre-op yet, but I'll ask.
Newly diagnosed - Going through cancer treatment is not easy, it has so many ups and downs. But I promise you the first few weeks are the hardest. Waiting for the results of ultrasound/mammogram/MRI/biopsy, having the first conversations with your oncologists/surgeons, hearing the treatment plan, having to deal with the unknown, getting used to the new you... These are too much to handle. The treatment itself is much easier.
Questions - No questions are dumb! If you have any questions about any process ask people who have already gone through that process. I wish that I had asked about the chemo port and that someone had told me accessing the chemo port, i.e. inserting the needle in the port, was absolutely painless. It took me 5 sessions to learn to stay still, take a deep breath, and feel nothing!
Best of luck to all of you!
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Pchyen - Best wishes to Nicole on an easy surgery tomorrow and a quick recovery.
Waves2stars - I wish you all the best tomorrow as well. I hope you will come back in a couple of days and let me know how everything went; if there was any change after node biopsy and how you feel about the reconstruction and recovery. I am following you closely since we share the same type of cancer and the same decisions for surgery and reconstruction. You've got a great October trip to look forward to and I think that will make a big difference for your healing.
April_bc - Welcome! I am sorry that you've ended up here but happy that you are joining in the conversation. My doctor said the only supplement I needed to quit was Turmeric and anything else that might cause the blood to thin (Ibuprofen, aspirin, etc).
MarvieS and macdebbie - I also had a lumpectomy and radiation in 2008. I barely remember the surgery because it was so easy and the recovery was a non-issue for me. Radiation treatments are not painful, but the side effects can be if you end up with sunburnt-like skin. But you can do a lot to mitigate those side effects. My biggest concern was the accumulation of fatigue over the 21/2 months of my radiation. I was just plain tired and took a week off work to catch up on much-needed sleep!
Amybirnbaum - Welcome to you! I hope you find some of the answers your looking for here.
Saltmarsh - The day has finally come for your surgery! I hope you are still upbeat and positive. I think it will be a good day for you and I will be thinking about you tomorrow!
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Hi Waves2Stars, best wishes for your surgery tomorrow send speedy recovery!
Hi MarvieS, thank you. Best wishes for your surgery and speedy recovery!
Hi Elle2, thank you!
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Good morning, everyone!
Waves2Stars, I hope you got the all-clear and are good to go!
pchyen, I am thinking of you and your wife.
april_bc, it’s nice to see you over here! Tx_Lorelei put in a surprise appearance in-thread the other day and I realized I miss my April buddies.
I am up and about to head to the hospital. Wishing all of you an awesome day!
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Sending out positive thoughts and virtual hugs to Saltmarsh, pchyen, Waves2stars, and MarvieS today. We are all looking at you as leaders for our group, bringing us all along with your surgeries and hopeing to learn better ways of coping becasue of you all.
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Thank you Elle2. Nicole’s BMX w/ right ALND surgery went well, surgeon said no surprises and another surgeon was able to successfully perform lympha bypass. Nicole has to stay overnight due to one of the three drain site was a bleeder. The nurses applied pressure and wrapped Nicole in compression bandages to get it under control. The overnight stay is just to monitor the drain.
Nicole said to me this afternoon she’s not sure why she was so terrified. She admit it was not as bad as she thought. So, lots of encouragement for the rest of you that have surgery coming up!
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pchyen, happy to hear Nicole’s surgery went well! She got the bypass too! My surgeon said insurance won’t cover bypass here since still “experimental” ugh. Hope Nicole can rest comfortably at home tomorrow. Cheers
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Hey, all! Thank you for the well-wishes! Everything seems to have gone fine. I know it's early days yet, but I'm home and resting, my bandages are clean and dry, and because I didn't do any fancy stacking or tummy tucks or anything, this should be a pretty short and relatively easy recovery. Not gonna lie, part of me is jealous of those of you who are doing that! But as much as I'd love less around my middle, it didn't seem like the right choice for me, so I'll just have to keep trying with diet and exercise!
This is already far less painful and challenging than the mastectomy. I have way less movement restriction, no drains to deal with, and although I am still reeling from the meds and not thinking totally clearly, I don't need the dilaudid they gave me, and I'm only taking half the amount of Tylenol they said I could take., and I'm not in pain, just a little sore. I love, love, love not having the port in anymore, and I don't miss the edges of the TE, either! Also, this time around I only have to wait two days to shower!
pchyen - So glad to hear Nicole's surgery went well! I hope she got some good rest overnight.
Waves2Stars, I hope your Covid test came back negative, you got your surgery, and that all is well and you are getting good R&R as well! Also, I want to know what qualifies as "atrocious fish". I'm just picturing you hauling up the ugliest fish ever, like gar or catfish.
How is everyone else doing?
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Saltmarsh - So happy to hear from you and know that you are doing well! It is good to hear that you consider this far less painful and challenging than the mastectomy. Enjoy your shower tomorrow!
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Had a successful surgery. They only took two nodes. They appeared fine in OR, but of course are sent away the pathology. They are actually wanting me to go home today. I only have three drains. The breast hurts a little, but the stomach is pretty sore, like I got run over by a mac truck. I can’t imagine how painful a real tummy tuck, that also tightens muscles, would feel like.Even though I’m in pain, I feel like a weight was lifted because the cancer was removed. I’m glad this part is over.
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Congrats saltmarsh & Wave2Stars! Wish you speedy recovery
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Yay, Waves2Stars! I'm so glad things are looking good and that you're feeling a weight lifted.
Wondering how Nicole's doing, if she's okay for an update.
Who's up next? I'm afraid I've lost track.
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Hi saltmarsh & mamacure, Nicole was discharged yesterday and doing fairly well, has some pain but managing with pain meds.
Hope everyone’sdoing well!
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Happy Saturday everyone! I had my lumpectomy and SLN yesterday and it went well. We went in at 7am and left at 3pm. They took three lymph nodes, now waiting for the pathology report. Pain is manageable and I didn't need any pain meds so far. Was told not to shower for 48 hours so looking forward to a nice warm shower tomorrow.
Saltmarsh and Waves2Stars - wonderful to read that your surgeries went well too! Hope the pain is manageable and you get plenty of rest.
Pchyen - Great to hear that Nicole is doing well. I hope the pain will get much less over the next days.
Elle2 - thank you for your positive thoughts, only a couple more days for you!Hoping you have a relaxing long weekend before your surgery.
Wishing everyone a good recovery and best of luck for everyone who is coming up for surgery next.
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Yay, MarvieS, that's great! Elle2, I'm thinking of you as yours gets closer!
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had surgery 9/1. Was supposed to be mx on right and lumpectomy on left. Went to imaging center at 7 that morning and doctor was unable to get lead wire to meet with marker. Did several, painful attempts. So, no lumpectomy. Had mx and am home. Still uncertain as to how that could happen. The lumpectomy was for adh - non cancerous cells. Wondering if I should watch and wait. Can't imagine going through this again soon. Anyone else ever experience this?
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Faith-over-fear - So sorry to hear that they could not do the lumpectomy on your left side and that you had to endure several painful attempts. That's the last thing anyone needs on the day of their surgery. I hope your doctor will follow up soon to discuss what to do. I had two savi scouts placed the day before my lumpectomy and while they were not entirely pain free they were manageable. Has your doctor mentioned this option? I hope your right side mastectomy went well and wish you all the best for your recovery.
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Thank you MarvieS. I meet with doctor this Thursday and I will ask about that. I hope your surgery went well and you are recovering nicely. The mx did go well. And I'm resting and wrapping my head around the whole thing still. Remains a little surreal. One day at a time. Stay well:)
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Faith, that sounds very disappointing! I’m sorry you had to go through that. I hope your doctor will have solutions for you on Thursday!
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