Exchange City

Lisa Jayne: Final countdown! I'm so excited for you. You holding it together ok?

Runnermom1956 and TLR: You guys are rounding the final curve too. Pretty soon your days will come and you'll get this one behind you too!

I'm doing pretty well after my surgery Friday. I weaned down off the pain meds over the weekend, and am off everything except tylenol now. The worst is that I have 2 drains, and a very tight surgical bra. That is NOT a comfortable combination! My post-op is tomorrow, so I'm hoping that situation will change - maybe lose the drains (please please), and/or able to go to a more comfortable bra. Not cleared to let the girls see the light of day for any measurable time yet, so haven't been able to check them out much, drat. Oh well, tomorrow!

Lisa Jayne: Sounds like you have an excellent rapport with your PS, as I do with mine too. I know that really reduced my anxiety going into the surgery.

I went in filled to 410cc left/400cc right, and got 440cc. From the brief view I got yesterday during my sponge bath (aahhhhhh) they looked maybe just a hair smaller than the TEs, but maybe not even, because the shape is so different (much nicer). Of course don't know how much swelling I'm looking at too. He did get them placed beautifully I think. The TE's were quite separated, but now I have cute cleavage! Can't wait till I can play with them!

Glad your surgery time is probably early in the day. I like to get in and get HOME!

Rose - so glad you are doing well! Lisa Jayne - best wishes as you near the finish line!



I have a surgical bra also, but have been able to remove it to shower. The new girls look so good! They are black and blue everywhere from the fat grafting, but look so amazing. Now I just hope that during the drop and fluff phase, radiated side behaves itself!



I stopped my pain meds this weekend as well. I am using ibuprofen. Also regularly putting ice packs on my sides, legs. I look like someone beat me with a baseball bat, and am all shades of black, blue and green on fat donor sites. Compression garment is difficult to wear 24/7, but does make things feel better. Post op is scheduled for Thursday.

BayouBabe: Oh I'm so glad you are doing so well. The fat grafting does not sound like a good time. I'm sure full-body compression is pretty difficult too. But sounds like you are totally-tickled with your results.. YAY! And with the amount of pounding your body got, I'm impressed that you are off the pain meds this soon. You rock!

I am laughing at all of you girls "Squeezing the Squishies."



I am laughing WITH you, because nearly 6 months later I'm still doing it. But only occasionally and with great subtlety. Enjoy!!



;-)

S&S, sounds like the chest thumping will stop, but will be replaced with squeezing & poking (in public & elsewhere)!

Rose and Bayou, I am thrilled that you both are doing to well and liking your results!!!

Sweetandspecial, glad you are keeping it together. Almost there... I'm excited for you.

Hi all.....and the countdown begins!  I'll be at the hospital this time tomorrow.  I'm still excited about the exchange but what was supposed to be a happy, happy week is now very bittersweet.  Long story short, I hate politics.  Federal, local, school, office, you name it.  My beloved boss moved away over the weekend with no notice because of corporate politics.  I don't blame him because the last few years have been extremely rough for him and the stress was affecting his health.  But damn it, he's a wonderful man, I love him dearly and I didn't get to say good-bye or hug him or anything.  Happy birthday to me,huh?  Spent last night on the sofa with a tension headache, cryng off and on and realizing every now and then that the headache was because I was clenching my jaw so much, which I find I'm still doing this morning .  I might have to get the Ativan out to get through today if I find I can't get past the weepy emotions.

Sucks big time

Thanks Andrea. I just went home quick and popped an ativan and also called my GP for a new prescription.  He originally prescribed it shortly after the BC diagnosis and I've only used it a few times since BMX.  I just don't do well with emotional stress.  Busy stress I'm fine with and am able to rise to the challenge but emotional stress really knocks me down hard.  I was actually down just over three pounds this morning from yesterday morning.  Anxiety must burn a lot of calories. 

Thanks so much Andrea.  Like I said, with me I've figured out I handle different kinds of stress in different ways.  'Busy' type stress just puts me in organization, can-do mode. I write lists and organize tasks and dig in to 'git-er-done'.   Emotional stuff, though, plays with my head and my heart and apparently my weight. I'll get through this current disappointment and life at the office will go on.   I'll be sad and subdued for a while (totally unlike me) but it'll get better. One way I know my nerves are acting up is that my right leg starts a fast little toe bounce without me even realizing it....that probably helps with the calorie burn too.

I'll try to report in as soon as I get home tomorrow. I don't have a laptop or tablet to bring to the hospital for a blow-by-blow report .  Expect me to be a little loopy from anesthetic.  My DH and I visited with a sister-in-law on Sunday who recently had bunion surgery (OW!!!) and we were reminiscing about their visit to see me at the hospital right after I got back to my room from the BMX.  I barely remember the visit but they both say I was so 'cute' and 'funny' and seemed very alert.  I told my SIL on Sunday they were seeing a different side of me that usually only comes out when I'm drunk!  They've never seen me drunk before so I guess being looped up on anesthetics and post-surgery pain meds is a pretty good substitute for alcohol-induced drunkenness.  I don't drink much in general and didn't really drink at all from the time my kids were born until they were both off to college and I've only really tied one on once since then (company golf outing in 2007).

Love y'all!

Thanks so much TLR!  I was able to email with my old boss a couple of times today.  He was worried that if he had confided in me about his plans that management might take it out on me about his leaving if they knew that I knew what he was planning.  I think once all the dust settles I'll be able to communicate freely with him (using my gmail account, NOT my work email). 

Surgery at 9:30am EST with arrival at 8:30.  No major pocket work and no fat grafting being done so I imagine I'll be home by early afternoon.  I'm hoping I feel up to attending a brief staff meeting Thursday afternoon, though.  The CEO spoke to me and another dept co-worker about my boss's situation today (we're kind of the 'senior' members and worked most closely with the boss) and he's meeting with the entire department Thursday to fill them in.  I really want to be there.

I've downloaded probably a dozen good historical romance books by my favorite author to my kindle and really plan to veg out for two weeks.  I'm not going to push it. My mom will be around once again to take care of laundry and that sort of thing so DH can keep working. 

I'll try to chime in before we leave in the morning but if not, I'll see y'all tomorrow from the squishy side .

Good luck tomorrow Sweet&Special! I'll keep good happy thoughts for you. 

Sweet-good luck and wishes on the new squishies! Yea no more TEs! Will be waiting to hear from you! Many (HUGS!) Will be poking my hard TEs thinking of you feeling all soft and squishy!

ALWAYS late and a dollar short.....



LISA JAYNE...

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear "sweet and special" Lisa Jayne!

Happy bithday to you and your NEW squishy F⊙⊙Bs!!!!



Surgery should be over now....are you okay?



Gentle birthday hugs to you,

Di

Hey girls, I'm home!!!  All went very well and I feel fine.  Not groggy or loopy or anything. Surgery time was actually about 3 hours which was longer than I was thinking it would be. Right now the only obvious discomfort I have is the drain tube sites already doing their tug and pull routine when I breathe deeply.  They won't come out until Monday .  I feel an internal twinge now and then to remind me of the pectoral sutures.  No ace bandage wrap or other mummy-wrap type of bandages. I'm wearing the exact same type of mastectomy bra I came home with back in November. Velcro fasteners at the shoulder straps, 3-hook front with zipper.  Looks like your basic square gauze pads over the incisions.

PS marked me up in four areas. IMF of lefty (non-cancer) because she has consistently been riding just a hair higher than righty, upper pole of both because of a slight 'divot' issue in the outside area upper pole, and cleavage side of righty (cancer side) because she wasn't quite as shapely there as lefty.  He had explained last week that he'd be releasing just a bit more pec to allow the implants to correct the shape problems in those areas.  That work is probably the reason for the longer surgery time.   

They're definitely softer although I haven't felt myself up much for fear of causing pain that will manifest when pain meds start to wear off.  The best news is that they are definitely not flat at all!  YAY!!!  From what I can tell with the bra on, they already have a very nice, natural-looking, what I'll call 'youthful perk' look.  They seem maybe just a tiny bit smaller but nothing I'm concerned about right now.   My TEs were really very 'bulbous' looking in their over-expanded state so I think right now they really just look less artificial than the TEs, YAY!  I have a 3:15 follow up with PS tomorrow.

Thanks for all your wonderful wishes, thoughts and prayers sent my way!  This is such a wonderful community.  I don't know how to explain it and I don't want to negate the value of the same wonderful wishes, thoughts and prayers coming from family and friends.  I just know that you all actually KNOW how much it means because you're all on my team in the same game as I am and they're not.  Different places on the field/court for each of us but we're all busy playing the game right now where they're the spectators in the stands cheering us on, know what I mean?  Anyway, luv y'all!!!

runnermom and TLR: you're in the home stretch......whoo hoo!!!!  My wish for you is to have calm confidence in the up-coming procedure and a procedure day that goes as smoothly as mine has.  Many hugs and kisses to you both .

Mama and Gully: hang in there.......so far I would say it was well worth the wait.  Nine months for me since TE placement.

Whippetmom: No words can express my gratitude for your part in my journey thus far. Your expertise and words of wisdom are so absolutely invaluable to us!  A surgical nurse friend of mine was on the OR team this morning (at my request to make sure someone who loved me was looking out for me ).  She came to my room prior to surgery and mentioned that as they were all 'prepping' things for the procedure (whatever that means) my PS was also in the room.  As I'm sure they typically do, they were chattering back and forth about the procedure and so on, the fact that it's not only my birthday today but one of the other OR nurses too (how cool is that!) and my PS contributed a few comments about me.  It sounds to me like he was impressed with the active role I took in the reconstruction process (at least after I discovered BC.org) and that I had even picked out my own implants without needing any real guidance from him.  THAT'S ALL YOU, WHIPPETMOM!!!  You'll have a special place in my heart to infinity and beyond .

OK, well, I've done it again......This may be my longest post yet.  I just can't write a short story when a 1,500 page novel says it so much better.....lol!