All the comments have been so positive and helpful, thank you all. I am still scared, BP still high, just of the treadmill as walking seems to be the only thing that takes my mind of it all at the moment.
Had a review with the BC Consultant today and he is really pleased with me - 4 months post mastectomy so that is good, plus nothing else found, again good!! If I could get my BP down I would be a happy (!) bunny!!
Again many thanks to you all for your positivity and support, I know this is the right thing to do to close the door on BC. This time next week I am sure I will be a lot calmer, if tired!
Hi there! Carolyn159, how did the pre-op go and are you feeling better?
Suzan, are you nerves calming down yet? Mine seem to be easing closer it gets. Have taken to playing Wii games with my daughter and walking as much as possible and listening to loads of music!
amdamc, thanks for all the info, has certainly helped! I can’t wait to through my ‘jelly boob’ as my daughter calls it under a train!
All I can say now is ‘bring it on’.
Hi
My pre-op check was cancelled, due to severe weather conditions it is re scheduled for fri. Go into hosp Monday op Tuesday. Hopefully weather and roads will be better in a few days, dont really want op cancelled. I am really nervous wondering if I am doing the right thing. I suppose these feelings are normal. Will let you know on Fri how things go.
Thanks for your concern
Carolyn x
So sorry Carolyn, I can’t imagine how you are feeling…more stress! I will keep fingers crossed for you on Friday and will think of you Tuesday, I should be able to have a conscious thought by then! I am not in night before, just going in for the blood thinning and scan then home to go back at stupid o’clock the next morning! Not as if the hospital is that close either, but never mind. I actually got past thinking about the op yesterday and thought about when I look down to see a cleavage again, and to be able to wear all my old clothes. Sort off looking forward to the op now in a very bizarre way! Hopefully you will too. Could do with not being in work next two days, but with so much time off already this year, I can’t really ask for more. Anyway enough rabbiting on, good luck again and I am sure it will all go well, xx
Hi FLF good luck with your op what day is it and how is your blood pressure,still feel nervous but I suppose its only natural. Anne thanks for all your advice you have made me feel better we just have to keep telling ourselves we are in the best possible hands and let them look after us, how long before you got a nipple and how did they do it.Did you have a new primary the second time or was it a reccurence,it really knocks you after such a long time, how did you find it was it mammogram or did you find lump. Oh well off shopping freezing outside keep warm everyone.OH by the way good luck carolyn hope everything runs smoothly for you keep us up to date with your news love suzan x
Hi Suzan! Op is on Sat - 11th! Two days to go. Not so nervous now and BP coming down. Finally saw past the actual op and pain and realised what I will be gaining…This time next week, even tho prob still in pain I will look down and see what we are all pre-programmed to see! I trust my Consultant and his team, so off to sleep i go.
I hope your nerves are calming down. Try and enjoy Christmas and New Year and look forward to 2011 being the year we can move forward.
Hugs to all
x
Hi all
Hi all snow is really bad here in Scotland. Hopefully it will be a bit better by Fri so I can get to hosp for my pre-op check. Trying to keep calm.
Love Carolyn x
Hi everybody
Carolyn - fingers crossed that snow lets up for your appt on Friday and FLF Saturday’s the day and really the pain is not bad at all after a DIEP - para and ibro was enough for me - only on night two did I ask for something stronger, more to make me sleep more than anything, and that didn’t work, had a very heavy snorer in the same room!!
Suzan, to answer your questions - my nipple was done quite a long time after, due to another problem not related to BC, but it was just a tuck made in the skin. I had this done while he reduced my good side to match me up (bit lop-sided!) then a tattoo around it. My round two was a new primary, same breast which very suddenly reduced in size/shape (husband says I do nothing by halves). It was very scary, but treatment moves on in leaps and bounds and now on another hormone tab and everything crossed.
Wishing everyone the best over the next few weeks and keep in touch.
Cheers
Anne
Good Morning everyone
Thanks Anne for your thoughts. Roads seem a lot better this morning, so I am hoping I can get through no bother. I am feeling very nervous but I know its something I have got to have done.
Take care
Carolyn x
Hi everyone, many thanks for all your support anne it helps when someone else has been through it. FLF and carolyn just wanted to wish you both the best for fri and sat let us know hoew things go best wishes love suzan x
Hello Ladies,
I started this post back in June when I was very nervous too. Now it all seems ages ago! My new breast is not as beautiful as it was intially as a thick band of scar tissue formed and lifted everything up so it doesn’t look exactly like my own breast as it did for the first month … but it is still brilliant and I am thrilled that I had the recon. I have had no unpleasant side effects, apart from an infection in my tummy wound in the 2nd week following surgery which has left a small section of my tummy scar still a little sore and sensitive. I have a great cleavage and that was the main thing that I wanted from my surgery.
I was able to wear underwired bras after my 3 month check up FLF, but found some lovely lacey maximum support, non-wired bras in M&S.
Good luck to you all.
Jacqui
Hi all
Just back from my post op assesment, everything went ok. Well apart from trying to get blood out of my chemofried veins, eventually a skilled phlebotomist managed. All set for Mon now. Just have to pack my things. I feel quite calm at the moment, wont be like that on Tue morning.
Take care all will keep you posted.
Carolyn x
Hello ladies! Well home after 6 days! Friday I was all for cancelling and just not going any further. Thank goodness for the amazing nursing team at Stoke Mandeville who calmed me down! The most amazing and skilled surgical team made Saturday a lot easier. Was in surgery for 8 hrs, recovery for 2 and HDC for 24. Looking down to see a boob was weird! How quickly you get used to the no boob! How hot are you kept! I thought they were trying to part boil me ready for Christmas!! Still every single thing that was done to or for me was explained so I was calm. Out of bed on Sunday and then Monday I had a shower - the bliss. Tuesday more mobile and Wednesday I did everything for myself. So home today!! I am not saying that the op was easy, but to be honest I was asleep so … The constant Obs by the staff and lack of sleep made it hard to keep a smile on my face but I did as I figured that they were doing a very necessary job on my behalf. My tummy is sore, but nothing a couple of paracetamol can’t control. Heat pads for my back which aches with the slight stoop but that is it. Fingers crossed things continue like this.Carolyn I hope yours went well … waiting for your 1st update. Hugs to you!! Suzan easily to say retrospectively, but so far I am so glad I had it done. My cleavage is back and the Jelly Boob has gone! And that for me is such a lovely feeling. Enjoy your Christmas ladies. xxxx
Hi FLF
Well done girl - nice to have you back.
Everybody have a brilliant Christmas.
Cheers
Anne
Hi FLF great to hear from you , so glad it all went well, I will wait till you are recovered more and then I can ask you a few more questions, take care of yourself and have a great xmaslove suzan x
Hi … quick update as I hope this will prove helpful to anyone else who unfortunately has to go down this road. I was always looking for answers to what seemed like silly things when I was waiting for the Diep so if others are then well maybe this will help. I will try to update every couple of days although it has to be said everyone is different. Well this time last week I was in HDU being cooked alive, and pretty much out of it. Although apparently I am the only patient to have read a whole book … it wasn’t very mentally challenging mind you … the same night as surgery, but who the hell can sleep!!! This week I am sat on the sofa with himself, snowed in admittedly, but walking showering sitting reading sewing etc. OK it aches after a while, but not so bad that I have only popped 2 paracetamol today. I am getting bored and crabby at the lack of inactivity…maybe the snow is a good thing…but am being sensible. I can’t believe it has only been a week. That first walk hurt but now I am almost upright. By the end of the day it aches more and it takes longer. I don’t doze during the day, haven’t since Wednesday and am sleeping quite well. Still managing to maintain the sleep in the sitting with knees up position. I would love to have a proper cuddle with himself, but that still is difficult due to his height and absolutely petrified of hurting me!!! Also I am scared of squashing the new Foob! I am maintaining the blood flow by having a little pad attached to my Foob at all times, which makes me look huge but if it does the necessary job…Leggings one size up from normal are brilliant for wear over the corset and any zip up / button tops. Little bikini briefs have been fine as well. Button up night shirts are essential, and I have found that using a hand shower whilst sat in the bath is easier than trying to stand up for the length of time of a shower and hair wash. Hope this helps…
FLF your updates are amazing, so helpful to me, please keep them coming! I’m not sure when I’ll be having my op, they said I will be going in within 16 weeks, but preferably sooner (got to have my ovaries removed first - that’s happening in Jan!)… hope you carry on doing as well as you’re doing! I have one question though… the only thing I am scared about (petrified) is the drains… how many did you have and did they really hurt when they were removed?
Emma xxx
Hi Emma!! I had a full hysterectomy 10 years ago!! I found the waiting the hardest part, that really freaked me out. Had so many ops over the years that surgery doesn’t really faze me anymore!! But they have always been really quick after realising I needed them and the 6 week wait from agreeing to have the Diep to actually going in… well I was a total mess. Totally unnecessary in retrospect. Drains, they are easy - honestly. I had a catheter and didn’t even feel it, and three drains. Two in my stomach and one in the breast. As long as your nurse makes sure you are not lying on one of them - I did and have a lovely red mark on my back - and another trick she did was to tape the tubes to my legs from the stomach ones with a lot of loose tube between the tape and drain site, so no pulling if or when I moved, then you won’t even feel them. I had one from the stomach taken out on the Monday (2 days after the op) and the catheter. Again I didn’t have any pain on taking them out, just a weird feeling from the catheter!! Hint when time comes to take them out, get your nurse to count to 3 and on 3 cough and get her to pull it out. You won’t feel a thing!!! The two that were left in for another day I had in a pillow case so that it was easy to move about - going to the loo chair etc, were easy to carry. Plus doesn’t freak the visitors quite so much!! Hope this helps. Any other questions please just ask. If you want to email me go ahead. Some questions you feel daft asking in a public forum, although I promise you no question is too daft!
Hi FLF thanks for your postings and keeping us up to date. I wondered how your blood pressure was now ?? When you woke up did it feel any worse than when you had your previous op ?I think there are so many things I worry about not being able to look after myself is one of them, I know its for just a short time.Any problems at all with the new breast I had a seroma after my mx and because of the radioherapy that I had 20 years ago, the wound took ages to heal.Did you have radiotherapy and when was it ?? Also what hospital were you in, I am going to east grinstead, which I believe is a very good hospital as it specialises in reconstructive surgery.How do you feel now and are you having many naps during the day. Sorry to bombard you with questions, but should be going in after xmas so I am trying to prepare myself. Once again many thanks and take care of yourself love suzan x
Suzan, no worries, it is nice to be able to help anyone or at least try & calm the nerves! BP slowly coming down, back to GP next week for review to see if I can come off the tablets. Right now that doesn’t concern me as I know a lot of people on BP tablets where I work (common theme maybe) and have been for years that I am accepting that this might just be me! I felt great when I woke up! After the mx I was so worried about the cancer and my daughter and family that I was almost numb to it all. That said I got a nasty infection in the seroma, which showed traces of MRSA! That really scared me. I do have a high pain threshold but it did hurt. The Diep - not so much! I stopped PDA on Sunday morning, don’t like morphine. Only took paracetamol and and occasionally ibro when I first started moving around. I was bed bathed (yuk) on sunday, but Monday (day 2) was able to get to the bathroom to wash myself. I have had no assistance since then with anything like that. I didn’t have radio or chem, I was incredibly lucky. I also ate fish ‘superfoods’ etc for the 6 weeks pre op. Plus loads of water and no alcohol or caffeine. I also continued my walking every day when possible. (Suoerfoods - spinach / watercress / beetroot / oily fish etc) I was in Stoke Mandeville, and can’t praise the care highly enough. I feel really well, although getting bored with inactivity. I was walking up to 4 miles a day pre op and the lack of that is driving me mad. I walk round the house - snow means I can’t get out - but can’t wait to get fresh air. Tummy is tight and gets tighter towards the end of the day, but every day I see an improvement. I haven’t napped during the day since Wednesday. (Day 4). I was told to drink as much water as you can as soon as you can & I did average of 4 jugs a day in hospital!! Still doing about 2 ltrs a day at home. I am not sure if any of this helps, but I feel good so some of it if not all must be doing some good! It is useful to have someone around, just in case, the company is necessary, but each day the reliance I have on himself is less. I am not doing any cooking, although I did prepare a salad yesterday. I think I could cope with doing it if I had to, but as I don’t I am just dishing out the cooking instructions! Please ask anything else you want. Fingers crossed I keep going as planned, and also it will for you. Positive mental attitude my dear friend who was diagnosed 2 years ago with very aggressive BC who now is in remission and who has just emigrated to Crete says is a wonderful drug. Let’s hope so!!!
Hugs to you all
xxxx