Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[MinnieM3]

Kelly, so sorry about your news. I'll be praying for you to keep going strong and for the news that you're in that special 10%!

Beth

 

[MinnieM3]

Well, it's been two weeks today since I've been home from the hospital after my DIEP! I've been on the boardsin a spotty kinda way, but forgot to post back here! ACK!

The operation itself was 10 hours ( the blink of an eye to me, though!) Had it on a Tues. and went home the following Sunday. Hospital stay was fine. Went home with two JP drains....one of each side of my waist, making it impossible to do just about anything, including wearing underwear! For some reason that really bothered me. Got the drains out at my doc. appt. that Friday (a little over a week ago). Felt HUMAN again! Doc. said everything wsa going along well, although the reconstructed breast has some fluid in it. Will see him again on July 5th and will probably get a good report again!

The right (reconstructed) breast is still a bit swollen and funky looking, but SO much "perkier" than the left (old mother hubbard) breast, which is headed toward my knees. Surgery in Dec. will fix this and they'll match!

The worst part so far has GOT to be only being able to sleep straight on the back with my knees bent the whole time. This is miserable! I'm a solid stomach sleeper who's basically OCD about my sleeping habits. DH could sleep hanging upside down in the pouring rain. As a result, I don't get much sleep and I'm sore when I wake up (read: grumpy).

Overall I"m pleased with the DIEP! I think I'll be more pleased as all the pieces come together and "things" start looking normal!

Thanks for all the P & PD! They sure helped!
Beth

 

[Miss Mickey Mania]

Hi Beth,
I'm so glad your "blink of an eye" surgery went well - good way of putting it! It's tough that you are having trouble sleeping. I know what you mean about being OCD about sleeping. I always sleep on my left side, and hate if anything prevents me from doing so.

I hope for continued recovery for you, and better sleep to aid that recovery.

Louise

 

[laurabelle]

Beth- We've been wondering how you made out! I'm so glad things went well. I hated my drains too, yuck! I hope the sleep problems are improving. I haven't been able to sleep on my stomach anymore. It just feels weird.

MerryPoppins-All doctor's visits take on a new meaning now don't they?!? I try to look on them as confirming the good news that things are going well. I'm praying that for you too...

I'm going to see the Lion King on Broadway here in Baltimore this evening! The tickets were a Christmas surprise to my kids, that I bought last fall! Needless to say, I've been waiting a long time for this!

 

[snappy]

Well, it's been two weeks today since I've been home from the hospital after my DIEP! I've been on the boardsin a spotty kinda way, but forgot to post back here! ACK!

The operation itself was 10 hours ( the blink of an eye to me, though!) Had it on a Tues. and went home the following Sunday. Hospital stay was fine. Went home with two JP drains....one of each side of my waist, making it impossible to do just about anything, including wearing underwear! For some reason that really bothered me. Got the drains out at my doc. appt. that Friday (a little over a week ago). Felt HUMAN again! Doc. said everything wsa going along well, although the reconstructed breast has some fluid in it. Will see him again on July 5th and will probably get a good report again!

The right (reconstructed) breast is still a bit swollen and funky looking, but SO much "perkier" than the left (old mother hubbard) breast, which is headed toward my knees. Surgery in Dec. will fix this and they'll match!

The worst part so far has GOT to be only being able to sleep straight on the back with my knees bent the whole time. This is miserable! I'm a solid stomach sleeper who's basically OCD about my sleeping habits. DH could sleep hanging upside down in the pouring rain. As a result, I don't get much sleep and I'm sore when I wake up (read: grumpy).

Overall I"m pleased with the DIEP! I think I'll be more pleased as all the pieces come together and "things" start looking normal!

Thanks for all the P & PD! They sure helped!
Beth

Beth, I am soo glad to hear from you. we have all been wondering how your surgery went. It sounds like you are doing great!! Glad it was such a success. You have come a long way in two weeks. I thought surgery for the other breast was done at the same time. Glad to hear it isn't.

On the sleep issue, are you using lots of pillows? That was something that helped me after my mastectomy. It really seemed to help to have extra pillows to to prop my arm up. I really like the memory foam ones. And the cooler the temp, the better for me anyway.

 

[NHAnn]

Great to hear from you Beth! As others have said, we have been thinking of you. Wishing you some nights of sleep soon and a speedy recovery!

Laura...my sister and I saw The Lion King when it played in Boston last summer.....amazing show!

 

[MinnieM3]

Beth, I am soo glad to hear from you. we have all been wondering how your surgery went. It sounds like you are doing great!! Glad it was such a success. You have come a long way in two weeks. I thought surgery for the other breast was done at the same time. Glad to hear it isn't.

On the sleep issue, are you using lots of pillows? That was something that helped me after my mastectomy. It really seemed to help to have extra pillows to to prop my arm up. I really like the memory foam ones. And the cooler the temp, the better for me anyway.

Well, I just have one pillow under my head (that has to stare straight up at the ceiling!) and I do use another pillow to rest my arm on my right (the new ****) side. I had pillows under my legs to bend them, but I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. Oh the temp is quite cool! AC bill will be high, high, high!

 

[laurabelle]

Good morning ladies! The Lion King was incredible!!! WOW! 3 hrs with a 15 minute intermission flew by! I highly recommend it!

Beth- I hope you had a better night's sleep last night...

MerryPoppins - How did your appt. go?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Just stopping by to say hello, and also ask if anyone has heard from Tammy (Shugardrawers) lately. Hope everyone is doing well, coming along great.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hi Guys!

Dan, glad you enjoyed yourself in Boston.

Tammy has been out of town but I think she's doing ok.

I had an incredible Relay, I will post more later.

I have a lot to catch up on on this thread but I hope everyone's well.

 

[MerryPoppins]

My appointment went well. The doctor said everything looked good. I don't know why doctor's appointments give me the willies. I really like my doctors. I guess it's just that when I went in at 40 feeling great and not suspecting a thing, they told me I had cancer, so I'm always afraid I'll be blindsided again. He got a kick out of hearing that my son (that he delivered) turned 18 yesterday. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts. Oh, and I practiced imagining sitting on the veranda of the Magic and watching the waves before I got called into the office. It made me feel much better and they didn't say anything about my blood pressure being up. That's been a given at the beginning of every doctor's appointment, but if they take it after they give me the thumbs up it's back to normal. LOL!

Glad to hear you are doing well, Beth. I used to be a tummy sleeper. Can't do it any longer. It's just not as comfortable. Left side has always been my second choice, so that's how I sleep now, but that is different too. I find that if I sleep with two or three pillows under my head and shoulders I can sleep comfortably on my side. I have to admit that I have a lifelong issue with my left arm as well. It's bent a little and won't ever straighten out. Since my surgery it's harder to find the sweet spot where that arm is comfortable while I sleep. The pillows really help me. Hope you find something that works for you soon. I remember sleeping on my back for a while and I hated it too.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Good morning everyone.

Well today is the day that I find out the results of my blood test. Man it sure has been a llllllloooonnnngggg week. My appt is at 12:30 so I am sure it is going to be a long morning.

 

[laurabelle]

Oh, and I practiced imagining sitting on the veranda of the Magic and watching the waves before I got called into the office. It made me feel much better and they didn't say anything about my blood pressure being up. That's been a given at the beginning of every doctor's appointment, but if they take it after they give me the thumbs up it's back to normal. LOL!

QUOTE]

Hooray! Disney saves the day...yet again! I love it!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Hi everyone.

I haven't read all of the posts (there's a lot), however, Pea-N-Me suggested I visit.

I am having a biopsy done tomorrow (hopefully - doc has canceled a few times due to surgery) and I don't know what to expect. I lost my Mom 8 years ago (my best friend) and I'm not usually the type that talks about herself - so, I thought I would talk to the experts..... you all on the boards.

Background- found cyst on right breast 3 mos ago. Gyn had ultrasound and mamogram done. Everything was okay. However, on mamo they found a "grain of salt" like mass. Calcium***** (can't remember). The tech said that I need to see a surgeon to determine if a biopsy is needed. Went for blood work (CA125) and came out 10.

What should I expect from tomorrow?

That's not usually the spot where I think of having needles or knives near....

Thank you in advance.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laurajean, glad you stopped by. I'm sure you'll find lots of information and support here. The really good news is that whatever it is so tiny. Whenever they find anything like that they really have to go the extra mile to investigate it even if they don't think it's really anything. It's totally nerve wracking but your team is doing the right thing. The worst is when that doesn't happen and it really was something. You'll be in our thoughts and prayers tomorrow and until you get your answers.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Mom2Ashli, prayers and good thoughts to you today, too. I hope you get good news.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Thanks. I just find it amazing how much my life could change by what she tells me.

 

[laurabelle]

Laurajean1014- I'm glad Linda sent you! First of all, I'm so sorry you've lost your mom to this beast...I've lost too many friends to it.

Your mammogram probably showed calcifications. It's fairly common, and is basically showing that there are changes going on in your breast tissue. It is a benign condition, but needs to be followed up because even though calfications are not cancer, breast changes may signal cancer starting to grow, though not always. I didn't have them myself, but my sil did and I did some research, asking other bc friends about them. My sil was told she could wait and have another mamm in 6 months, but she was freaking out and I said tell them you want to see a surgeon and have a biopsy. There is one type of biopsy that is best for testing calcifications, I think it was a stereotactic?

The tumor marker you had was probably CA-15 or CA-27, as CA-125 is for ovarian cancer. Ten would be a good number, though tumor markers are known to be unreliable, and often only show high numbers in larger, advanced cancers and are not good at predicting early stage bc.

Since I'm not sure which biopsy you'll have, it's hard to say exactly what it will be like. You'll probably be awake for it, and be in a room where they'll use an ultrasound machine to guide the surgeon to be sure he gets the right area. They give you local anesthesia. It can be painful or not, it really depends on what kind is done, how many samples they take, ect. Afterwards you'll have an ice pack and take Motrin or Tylenol. Recovery time is not long, you may be restricted for a couple of days. In my experience, most medical professionals working in this area are very compassionate and caring, and so helpful in making you feel calm and as comfortable as possible.

You'll be in my prayers today...please let us know how things turn out and if you have any other questions...

 

[laurabelle]

Mom2Ashli - praying for good news for you...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I just find it amazing how much my life could change by what she tells me.

Very true. It still amazes me.

Great info, Laura. There are several people here on this thread who have also lost their Moms to BC and at least one who had breast calcifications - I'm sure she'll respond soon.