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Surgeries in November 2019 support group

dvhmouse
dvhmouse Member Posts: 130

Anyone scheduled for surgery in November? Mine is set for November 13th. Left mastectomy, DIEP flap reconstruction simultaneously - ouch!
Diane

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Comments

  • JamieGillham
    JamieGillham Member Posts: 1

    I have reconstruction surgery on November 13. Finally getting these rock hard spacers out!!!

    Hope everything goes well for you :)

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    I am scheduled for nipple sparing bilateral mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction. Of course things may not go as planned, and I just may wake up without nipples, but November 15th is the big day.

  • OnTarget
    OnTarget Member Posts: 124

    Exchange surgery Nov 6th! I'm very excited!

  • texasmama
    texasmama Member Posts: 129

    I am not scheduled yet, but I expect to have my surgery in November. I need to meet with the reconstruction surgeon and then we'll schedule. I'm eager to get moving with this

  • Gastrolith
    Gastrolith Member Posts: 1

    My lumpectomy is schedule for November 12 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I'm starting to get a little anxious. Not because of the surgery itself but because I'm worried about what the doctor's will find. Best of luck to everyone having surgery in November.

  • texasmama
    texasmama Member Posts: 129

    I guess I need to drop out of this group. I’m now scheduled to have surgery in December.

  • Nomader
    Nomader Member Posts: 9

    I’m due for therapeutic mammoplasty (you may call this oncoplasty in US?)12th Nov. As time gets closer it’s harder to ignore the anxieties.

    Don’t know if others have felt the same - but I’m more afraid of a return to the fear of the pathology results!

  • dvhmouse
    dvhmouse Member Posts: 130

    Good luck to those that have surgery tomorrow. I’m getting twitchy about mine on Wednesday. I’m both nervous about the surgery and recovery, and concerned about the pathology results. It will be the first time I’ve had the lymph nodes checked and while the BS doesn’t expect anything, I’m not so sanguine. Anyway, my best wishes for a straight-forward surgery and recovery for everyone and good news on your path results!

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    dvhmouse... best of luck tomorrow. Hope surgery goes smoothly and recovery is tolerable.

  • Nomader
    Nomader Member Posts: 9

    Hope everyone’s surgery went well today. I’m home now, after right sided wire guided mammoplasty this morning. Just glad the day is over. Everyday and every event is moving closer to the end of this traumatic period in our lives, which none of us could have predicted.

  • fac03
    fac03 Member Posts: 40

    I had a lumpectomy, lymph nodes dissection and the port taken out on Monday.

    It took 3 1/2 hours. I stayed in the hospital overnight.

  • dvhmouse
    dvhmouse Member Posts: 130

    Fac03 and Nomader - Hope you are both recovering well and that you heal quickly

  • Slg1324
    Slg1324 Member Posts: 106

    I hope everyone who’s had surgery this month is recovering well and everyone that has surgery coming up are able to be calm and okay .❤️

    I’m scheduled for a lumpectomy first thing on November 19th but just found out they want me back for another biopsy on November 18th so now I don’t know what’s going to happen.😔

  • Nomader
    Nomader Member Posts: 9

    dvhmouse thanks for your thoughts. Hope today goes well. One step at a time - if the consultant’s positive then you’re in the best place you can be

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    Keeping all you surgery gals in my prayers.

    Mine is getting closer, Friday... I'm working a ton extra and trying to get my Christmas lights up (not turned on, just hung) so it's one less thing to worry about. I really enjoy doing it, and love having the house all lit up. Hoping to do it tomorrow afternoon. I have set up a few "pre-op" appointments for Thursday, Eyebrow tinting, pedicure, facial and massage :) not sure I'll feel like hanging lights!

    Hang in there everyone, one more big step in this journey is about to be behind us.

  • Nomader
    Nomader Member Posts: 9

    How are people getting on after surgery? I had surgery 2 days ago. The incision pain is manageable if I’m still and keep up with the pain killers, but now really uncomfortable sleeping on my back all night. This seems muscular pain. I don’t know how much they move you around on the operating table, but it’s like there are achey pressure areas, maybe from lying in one position for the 2 hour operation?
    My breast care nurse said just to sleep in whatever way was comfortable - but I daren’t sleep on my side - surgery was on right side. Is everyone else sleeping on their back/semi-upright?

  • Mouse57
    Mouse57 Member Posts: 32

    I had the lumpectomy/sentinel lymph node biopsy Oct 24 but now I'm scheduled for surgery later today because I developed a giant hematoma/seroma and the surgeon thought it was better to open it up and clean it out rather than just try to drain it because in the long run it will heal up faster. The swelling never went down and last Tuesday I went in to my GP because of redness. They prescribed an antibiotic but I went in again Friday when there was no change. Blood test showed white blood count was normal and only barely anemic so they scheduled me for an ultrasound at the local hospital which had to wait til this Tuesday due to Veterans Day. Besides seeing the giant hematoma/seroma the gel from the ultrasound dissolved what was left of the surgical glue in one small spot and I started leaking watery brown fluid. They decided it was too complex to drain as an office procedure and it better to go back to my original surgeon so I flew to Seattle again (getting through TSA while my bra was packed with gauze was a trip but they were nice about it and I got to visit the private screening room). No real pain beyond soreness (and occasional twinge that passes quickly) and no signs of infection though.

    After the last surgery I developed Meralgia Parasthetica which is numbness and burning pain in the outer thigh due to compression of the lateral cutaneous femeral nerve which runs through your pelvis to you outer thigh. It was numb there right after surgery and sleeping on my back made it worse although elevating my legs helped It only started getting better after I could sleep on my side again after I figured out the combination of pillows that would let me lie on the unaffected side but support my swollen boob and right arm. It took a week before I could do that

    On the great news side my Oncotype score came back and it was 4 (four). I can't believe it was that low! Absolutely no chemo!! Now I just have to heal up before radiation which can be done back home rather than in Seattle.

    TheY are fitting me into the surgery schedule at the last minute at the end of the day but I still can't eat after midnight! That wasn't a big deal the first time when surgery was at 8 am but now all I can think of is not eating and my check in time is 3pm. They said it's midnight the day before for everyone because they might reschedule me earlier if there is a cancelation so basically I'm on hold all day.

  • Slg1324
    Slg1324 Member Posts: 106

    I’m in the December club now. My surgery has been rescheduled for December 5 .

    Wishing you all very well smooth surgeries and recovery in November 💜💜

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    I'm scheduled for 1230 today. Woke up at 3am to drink my last bit of water. A little normal nervous about the surgery but ready to have this behind me.

    Hope everyone is doing well.

  • Keyqui
    Keyqui Member Posts: 2

    April0315,

    What’s your oncotype dx score? I’m scheduled for bilateral mastectomy next week, but my score just came and breast surgeon is concerned. She highly recommends chemo first, then surgery. Onco knows of surgery date but hasn’t said anything about higher risk of doing one before the other. He has told me even before my first surgery (lumpectomy) 3 weeks ago that no matter what genome test result is, I’ll have chemo anyway because of size of tumor and ki 67 score.

    It’s so last minute decision making for me. So scared of how surgeon explained the risk of delaying chemo for 6 weeks

  • Nomader
    Nomader Member Posts: 9

    April0315 Hope all went well today. Try to keep the determination you’ve demonstrated by your posts.

    My surgery was 3 days ago, when the pain is under control, it is possible to have the odd positive thought - in amongst all this trauma!


    My advice is you really must rest as the tiredness can come from nowhere and exhaust you emotionally and physically.



  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    good morning. My DMX went well,PS was able to place implants immediately. I spent one night in the hospital. Feeling pretty good, just Tylenol for pain, no appetite and feeling bloated but otherwise all is well. Path results should be in alter this week, then I can check with RO to determine if that needs to be part of my treatment plan.

    Hope everyone is healing nicely. I don’t sleep long but often :)

  • dvhmouse
    dvhmouse Member Posts: 130

    Hi everyone - checking in six days after UMX and DIEP. I must say my chemo experience didn’t seem as brutal as this has been, but I think everyone is different. I had on a truly medieval abdominal binder, but because wearing it was causing spastic colitis as well as vomiting, I switched to a pair of heavyweight spanx until my recheck. I’ve had very little drainage from just the one drain, but I’m not sure if that’s good or bad? The reconstructed breast is very firm and swollen but has good color and temperature. I hope others that had surgery last week/early this week are hanging in okay.

    Diane


  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    Diane I hope the change in garment helps with the pain level. When do you go back? I was told the drains can be removed once they are putting out less than 30ccs a day. That DIEP surgery is really quite impressive! Glad the breast is perfusing well!

    I got my dressings off and got to see my nipple-less boobs for the first time. Not nearly as traumatic as I thought.

  • geneseo
    geneseo Member Posts: 18

    Finally got my surgery scheduled for next Monday, the 25th. I'm doing a bilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction. Both the surgeon and the oncologist wanted to make sure I was totally ok with no reconstruction. They think I'm too "young" (I'm 53) to not have boobs. I'm done with my boobs. I'm married, but we don't have sex (going on 10 years now), and I've always hated my breasts - they are very large and noticeably lopsided. I'm also overweight, and I've read that reconstruction can cause all kinds of complications. I also don't like "fake" things in my body (I can't even wear contacts!) - so implants would be out.

    I'm doing a day surgery at 1pm - so hopefully I'll be in my own bed for the night instead of the hospital, but they can keep me for 23 hours - and it is part of a hospital, so it's right there if I need to be transfered.

    I'm not anticipating chemo - the surgeon said they would send the tumor out for the oncotype dx - but the oncologist said they would only do it if it was less than 2cm (it's supposedly less than 1cm) and she said chemo would not be necessary.

    I'm feeling pretty good about this decision - hopefully with the mastectomy and hormone therapy I'll be all done and can get on with my life.

  • mograndma6
    mograndma6 Member Posts: 1

    I had my Lumpectomy surgery for DCIS on the 5th of November then had to return a week later for a reexcision. One margin was too close. Waiting to hear an all clear from path report. Radiation Therapy recommended next. Afraid of long term side effects on the heart and lungs. Anyone feel the same way?

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    geneseo, good for you for knowing what you want and sticking to it. A lot of women opt out of reconstruction and have wonderful fulfilling lives. Best of luck with your surgery. I hope you won’t need chemo. It was for sure the hardest part of my journey.

  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    mograndma6, I think it’s very reasonable and normal to be concerned about long term side effects of radiation. I’m hoping I won’t have to do it but it’s all based on my path results. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up needing it. I just keep taking things one step at a time and know that my lifespan is worth it! Hoping you have clear margins this time around.

  • dvhmouse
    dvhmouse Member Posts: 130

    Hi all,

    I got my pathology results today at my follow up appointment: complete pathological response! No micromets or isolated cells in the three lymph nodes taken at surgery and lymph nodes were perfectly normal as well. Nice clean wide margins and no remaining cancer tissue to test. I’m truly yp0 N0 M0!

    Thank you to everyone that wished me well or checked in to see how I was doing. I wish equally good results to everyone waiting to receive theirs!

    Diane


  • April0315
    April0315 Member Posts: 167

    Dvhmouse! So happy for you!! How are you feeling these days?