mastectomy

[frustratedrg]

i would like to hear from women who have undergone mastectomies.  i am considering it and would like some input as to the recovery

[frustratedrg]

Hi,  I just read your post on your sore ribs.  My prayers are with you.  Im guessing that it probably is just a soreness as any area of your body can be.  Unfortunately, once weve been through this, every ache and pain can seem like its something.  Probably its not.   Keep me posted and take care.

[frustratedrg]

Hi,  that sounds like the best idea you could have.  go and have a wonderful summer.

take care.  feel good.  have fun.

[HazelLynn]

Hi thanks for your post.  I will check up on how you are getting on in June and let you know how my appointment/checkup goes with the doctor - thats late June, but for now I am going to give the websites a break as I am driving myself nuts with all the WHAT IF THIS AND WHAT IF THATS, I have been on this computer researching since November, and have worn myself out, as I am sure every lady on the sites have done too, so for now take care.
Best wishes
Hazel

[frustratedrg]

hi,  i was just wondering and i know it was 11 years ago, but if you recall, could you have gone back to work earlier than 4 weeks or were you in discomfort. what is your line of work?  is the tissue expander uncomfortable?

[frustratedrg]

hi,  yes my breast surgeon did mention that procedure, but didnt go into details though.  i thought with that procedure you couldnt use an implant. i guess im wrong.  i would only want an implant as taking tissue from my stomach does not appeal to me at all.  its encouraging that youve done well.   does the breast feel natural or does it hurt from time to time?  do  you get any follow up visits any longer or are you totally done?

my dr. wants me to do the BRAC test also.  im a little nervous for that too.     i live in new york and there are a lot of options and experienced drs. here also.

my biospy is scheduled for June 18th.  ill see at that point what the next step is if it isnt b9.

[WorkingThroughIt]

Hi...

yes - my mastectomy and reconstruction were done at the same time.  the entire procedure took 1 hour from being put under general anesthesia to being rolled into recovery.  I woke up with two breasts - my natural breast and my new fully reconstructed breast. that, and a lymph drain which was removed a couple of days later. I spent the night in the hospital - was discharged around 12N the next day.

this procedure - skin sparing mastectomy - is not new, but it isn't widely used.  I don't know why, as the results are amazing. It's been about 15-months since I had my mastectomy and reconstruction, and I'm starting to get sensation back in my reconstructed breast, including the areole/nipple area.  

I don't know where you live or where you are having treatment, but I do know that Cleveland Clinic performs skin sparing mastectomies. I live in San Diego, and this procedure is well-known amongst surgeons and plastic surgeons here.

You deserve to have the very best options available to you... maybe your primary care physician knows of a surgeon who is experienced in this type of surgery and reconstructive surgery.

[frustratedrg]

My appt for the biopsy is June 18th, although I may move it up.  My report was a Birad 3 so the radiologist wasnt tooo concerned, although as having breast cancer in the past, i have to check it ALL out.  Im drained, exhausted and pretty much fed up.  ive been playing this game for almost 7 years with hardly a mamo without a problem.  You begin to wonder, is this how im going to live the rest of my life?  
Have you had genetic testing?  That was another subject my Dr. discussed with me.  
Something else to worry about.
I dont think you ever stop worrying, but in between checkups, i try my best to put it out of my mind.  Unfortunately, it just seems as though my checkups need checkups.
Anyway, glad your feeling better physically.  I think the fact that your mastectomy was successful and your nodes were clean, you should RELAX.
Take Care, keep me posted and I will too.

[HazelLynn]

Hi, Thanks for your posts, I am over the flu now and feel really well.  Most days are good, but some days I think the reality of what I have been through hits me and I go really down and start to question everything and I feel that I want and need reassurance that I am definitely! going to be alright for a long time - I suppose we all feel like that. I keep thinking about all the what ifs????.  I am not due to see the doctor until June, I think I need to see him just to know that I still have his support and monitoring.  I think on one of these posts one of the ladies got me mixed up with someone else - I havent had tram flaps or anything, I am not going to have a reconstruction, I am happy to have the prothesis - I keep saying to everyone, I would rather spend the money and have my crows feet sorted out ha ha!  Just to get back to your making a decision, I cannot advise you either way, all I can say is that I am glad I had the mastectomy.  My mastectomy was clean as were my lymph nodes, they had apparently got everything when they did the lumpectomy, and after that, it was really strange as my nails grew really long and healthy looking, a ganglion I had in my wrist disappeared, a cyst in my leg and a cyst in my left breast, it seemed more than a coincidence - has anyone else experienced this?  

You must have had your appointment by now, how did you get on, please let me know.
Hazel

[frustratedrg]

im glad you are doing well,  as i am in the situation where i am trying to make a decision, please let me know how you are doing?  thanks.  take care.  hope you are feeling well,

[fletch1119]

How are you doing after surgery?  I see you are at the beginning stages but sounds like you are doing so well.  Believe me - it only gets better from here.  Try putting some pillows under your breast when sleeping - it takes some of the pressure off so it doesn't feel quite so hard.  Keep me posted on your progress - I have 1 stage left - tattoo and then I am done.  My plastic surgeon released me this month and I told him I won't know what to do without an appointment with him!  We have been through this together.  He told me he will see me once a year to make sure everything is looking OK.  If you have any questions just let me know.  I am so happy for your peace of mind!

[fletch1119]

Hi - sorry I missed your last post.  My tissue expanders were put in the same time as my mastectomy.  I had both surgeons there at the same time.  The expanders were in from May - Oct.  It all depends on how much they are able to put in at the time of surgery and then the size you choose to be after (I chose to have bigger - it was my prize at the end of my journey!).  HazelLynn is right, it is sometimes a little hard to sleep because they are so firm - but a few pillows more in bed and I was able to adapt.  Let me know how everything goes for you.  

[frustratedrg]

i just posted an e-mail for you, spelled your "name wrong".  dont know if youll get it

[frustratedrg]

the reconstruction that you had was all done at one time? meaning not in the 3 steps i keep hearing about?
thismay be a silly question, but do the new breasts feel heavy as though something is laying on your chest?
also, do you remember how long it took to feel good again?

justa few questions.  hope you are around to answer.  thanx

[frustratedrg]

hi, how nice to hear from you and that you are doing as well as you are.  what a relief it must be for you.  i have an appt. with my breast surgeon tomorrow.  she'll look at my films and decide what to do.  having the ability to communicate with all of the women who've been there really helps.  it has calmed me down quite a bit.  i am realizing there is life after a mastectomy, so therefore, the fear isnt as great as it once was.  I remember how nervous i was when i had the lumpectomy (i also had 3 areas of calcifications and another lump removed all on that same day). it took the surgeon many many hours and added with the wire localization in the morning, I was there from about 9:00 in the morning til about 7:00 at nite.  quite a day.
even though i had breast cancer, i was relieved that it only was in 1 area.  imagine that.
so, anyway,  glad you are doing well and thank you for thinking of me.  i will report back after my appt.  take care  

[HazelLynn]

Hi, I just wanted to check in with you and see if you are doing ok? have you definitely decided what you are going to do and when?  I am now two months on from my surgery and feel fantastic (well I did until this morning and have now come down with the flu), but apart from that I am back to my  normal self - my husband said that as soon as I was told I was cured after the mastectomy I dropped ten years. You said on one of your posts that it must be scary before the surgery - I had been in such a state ever since I had the mammogram showing the microcalcifications - because I have 4 young children, and I was freaking out all the time, so they gave me pills to calm me - all during the stay at the hospital almost to me being discharged- as soon as I saw the doctor a couple of weeks later with my results when he told me I was cured - I clicked back to being the strong, level headed woman that I had always been in an instant - I couldnt believe the change that the good news brought about.  I asked him for my prognosis - asking IS IT TEN YEARS, he laughed at me and said FOREVER ( i know this is a big statement and understood him to mean that its for a long time!, but the relief after the mastectomy was tremendous and I am glad that I told him to take the damn thing off!!.

[Mary0327]

I had a mastectomy 11 years ago.  At the time of the mastectomy, I had a tissue expander inserted in order to prepare for a silicone implant at a later date.  I went home either one or two days after the surgery and was back at work in 4 weeks.  I didn't have much pain, but it was hard to find a comfortable position for sleeping for a few days.  After 6 months of chemotherapy and another month of recovery, I had surgery to replace the tissue expander with the silicone implant.  I was back at work after a few days.

Mary

[frustratedrg]

this week i have an appt. with my surgeon to look at my mammos from april.  she will then decide if i need a biopsy or can wait  6 mos.  im sure she'll opt for the biopsy.

when i read your post again, i realized there is a very long span between surgery and expanders,  is that the way it always is?  

did they have to check any of your lymph nodes as you did it prophylacticaly.
ill let you know how i make out this week.  take care.

[fletch1119]

I believe so

[Juliet2204]

Can reconstruction be done after any mastectomy?

[frustratedrg]

thank you.  its good to talk to people who are sort of in the same situation you are.  i dont have friends who have been through it so they dont always understand.  take care.

[fletch1119]

I was really not afraid until the day of surgery.  I knew that I was doing the right thing for me and I had decided to follow the path - but the day of surgery was really hard.  I didn't know what I was afraid of - I guess the unknown.  The fear left immediately.  I know that a strong family and faith is what got me through this.  The reconstruction has been one surprise after another but I have complete trust in my plastic surgeon and he has done some really nice work.  To be honest, more good has come out of this than I could have ever guessed.  It strengthened by faith and my marriage.  Don't second guess your past decisions - you did what was right for you at the time.  You will find the answers you are looking for within yourself.  Don't let anyone tell you what is best for you - only you know that.  Just keep searching and listening for your whisper and you will hear it.  I will continue to check in - please keep me informed on how you are doing.  Prayers for you...

[frustratedrg]

hi again.  i agree too.  at the time i had the lumptectomy i didnt know too much and was sooo afraid of loosing a breast so lumptectomy seemed like the only way.  its only now that ive been through all of these scares that i wish i had done it from the beginning.  it must be pretty nice to be able to sleep at night and have one less thing to worryabout.  but it has to be really scary right before the surgery.    

[fletch1119]

The drains keep the blood away from the incision so there will be little scarring.  They are in for about 1 week and yes you have to keep them emptied.  They don't hurt - they are just a pain to have.  I agree with HazelLynn about the lumpectomy.  That is what they wanted to do with me and I said no.  Sounds like my surgery was similar to
WorkingThroughIt except I had expanders put in and then implants at a later date.  

[HazelLynn]

Hi, forgot to mention I had 13 lymph nodes removed, the breast and nodes proved clear of any invasion.  The worst part for me after the surgery was the pain down my arm, because they had cut the nerves, it hurt like mad.  I didnt bother with physiotherapy, I just dusted more and that sorted me out very quickly, it was a really good exercise - going higher each time, so now the pain has gone and my arm is back to normal.  The scar on my breast is rather lumpy, but I am not too bothered about that.
Hazel