Wifes Surgery Tomorrow, not sure what to expect
My wife will be having a bi-lateral mastectomy with tissue expanders put in tomorrow. The Surgical Onc briefed us very briefly on the proceedures. I have a few questions that I would rather have answered by someone who has been through this rather than her doctor so here it goes. I realized like chemo, everyone handles things differently, so I would like to hear from personal experiances please as the time lines we have been given by Drs and nurses are very vauge. My wife is 44 years old, very healthy, not overweight, not a smoker or any other health problems. She was diagnosed in Oct 2012 with Stage 2a grade 3 IDC in right breast and in one lymph node showed on ultrasound. Did 4 rounds of A/C then 4 rounds of Taxol. Finished chemo 1 Feb. Tumors showed 50% shrinkage and signs of necrosis as well as the lymph node appeared normal. Thank you all for all the support so far.
1. How long can we expect the surgery to last. I have heard anywhere from 3-6 hours
2. How long will she be in the hospitial, we were told, 1-3 days
3. How long will she be unable to work, we have been told 3-6 weeks
4. How much pain will she be in?
5. How painful is getting hte expanders filled
6. Will she be able to be up and walking around or bed ridden for a few days
7. How long will we have to wait to find out if the cancer was all killed by chemo ?
How can she prepare herseld for the shock of seeing herself without breasts.
Comments
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Hello.
I just read your note, and let you and your wife know that she will be in my thoughts and prayers. I wish I could answer your questions, but I had only my right breast removed, I wanted both, but, I had other issues going on, and my surgeon thought it was best that I just have the one removed, because I also had an extremely enlarged uterus, a tumor the size of a bowling ball. Everyone is different as to how they heal, and how they may react at the first sight of losing one or both breasts.
Hopefully this may help your wife, as far as what I remember from one year ago, I really didn't have to much discomfort from the breast, I did however have 19 lymphnodes removed, 4 of which showed cancer cells. With that being said, I did experience numbness under my armpit area, and in about 3 wks. my doctor had me start doing some exercises with my right arm, and stretch alittle bit at a time, which to me had a tight feeling, but at the sametime, it felt good to be able to start using my right side again.
My biggest problem was my stomach area, cuz I basically was cut like a 1/2 T on my torso area, and I was in the hospital for 10 days, but that mostly was due to the gas pain I had, which was related to my tumor in my uterus.
Basically what I am trying to say, is that if and when the time comes for me to have my left breast removed, I wouldn't be affraid, however your wife will have both removed at once, so hopefully, she will recoop just fine, and I had a somewhat difficult time looking at myself, still do sometimes, but, I just have to keep reminding myself, that my breast was trying to kill me, and thank God, if I choose, I can have reconstruction, which I am seriously considering, but I have to wait at least 1 year from my last raditation treatment, which was Sept. 20, 2012.
As far as the chemo, I was very fortunate, I didn't get sick, I was tired, and I did have the metallic taste in my mouth, I had chemo every 3 wks., and usually the taste would last for about 10 or 12 days, and subside until my next infusion.
Again, I will be thinking of you both tomorrow, I am sure you will be great support for her, and together you both will get thru this.
God Bless,
littleangel65
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Thank you so much for yourlittleangel65 said:Hello.
I just read your note, and let you and your wife know that she will be in my thoughts and prayers. I wish I could answer your questions, but I had only my right breast removed, I wanted both, but, I had other issues going on, and my surgeon thought it was best that I just have the one removed, because I also had an extremely enlarged uterus, a tumor the size of a bowling ball. Everyone is different as to how they heal, and how they may react at the first sight of losing one or both breasts.
Hopefully this may help your wife, as far as what I remember from one year ago, I really didn't have to much discomfort from the breast, I did however have 19 lymphnodes removed, 4 of which showed cancer cells. With that being said, I did experience numbness under my armpit area, and in about 3 wks. my doctor had me start doing some exercises with my right arm, and stretch alittle bit at a time, which to me had a tight feeling, but at the sametime, it felt good to be able to start using my right side again.
My biggest problem was my stomach area, cuz I basically was cut like a 1/2 T on my torso area, and I was in the hospital for 10 days, but that mostly was due to the gas pain I had, which was related to my tumor in my uterus.
Basically what I am trying to say, is that if and when the time comes for me to have my left breast removed, I wouldn't be affraid, however your wife will have both removed at once, so hopefully, she will recoop just fine, and I had a somewhat difficult time looking at myself, still do sometimes, but, I just have to keep reminding myself, that my breast was trying to kill me, and thank God, if I choose, I can have reconstruction, which I am seriously considering, but I have to wait at least 1 year from my last raditation treatment, which was Sept. 20, 2012.
As far as the chemo, I was very fortunate, I didn't get sick, I was tired, and I did have the metallic taste in my mouth, I had chemo every 3 wks., and usually the taste would last for about 10 or 12 days, and subside until my next infusion.
Again, I will be thinking of you both tomorrow, I am sure you will be great support for her, and together you both will get thru this.
God Bless,
littleangel65
Thank you so much for your reply. We are hoping she recovers quickly. You are in my thoughts and prayers also.
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Thank you so much for yourlittleangel65 said:Hello.
I just read your note, and let you and your wife know that she will be in my thoughts and prayers. I wish I could answer your questions, but I had only my right breast removed, I wanted both, but, I had other issues going on, and my surgeon thought it was best that I just have the one removed, because I also had an extremely enlarged uterus, a tumor the size of a bowling ball. Everyone is different as to how they heal, and how they may react at the first sight of losing one or both breasts.
Hopefully this may help your wife, as far as what I remember from one year ago, I really didn't have to much discomfort from the breast, I did however have 19 lymphnodes removed, 4 of which showed cancer cells. With that being said, I did experience numbness under my armpit area, and in about 3 wks. my doctor had me start doing some exercises with my right arm, and stretch alittle bit at a time, which to me had a tight feeling, but at the sametime, it felt good to be able to start using my right side again.
My biggest problem was my stomach area, cuz I basically was cut like a 1/2 T on my torso area, and I was in the hospital for 10 days, but that mostly was due to the gas pain I had, which was related to my tumor in my uterus.
Basically what I am trying to say, is that if and when the time comes for me to have my left breast removed, I wouldn't be affraid, however your wife will have both removed at once, so hopefully, she will recoop just fine, and I had a somewhat difficult time looking at myself, still do sometimes, but, I just have to keep reminding myself, that my breast was trying to kill me, and thank God, if I choose, I can have reconstruction, which I am seriously considering, but I have to wait at least 1 year from my last raditation treatment, which was Sept. 20, 2012.
As far as the chemo, I was very fortunate, I didn't get sick, I was tired, and I did have the metallic taste in my mouth, I had chemo every 3 wks., and usually the taste would last for about 10 or 12 days, and subside until my next infusion.
Again, I will be thinking of you both tomorrow, I am sure you will be great support for her, and together you both will get thru this.
God Bless,
littleangel65
Thank you so much for your reply. We are hoping she recovers quickly. You are in my thoughts and prayers also.
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What to expect
I am sorry your wife has to go through this tomorrow, but I hope answering some of your questions will help. I was 43 yrs old, good health, non smoker, and thin. I had a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expanders and they took the sentinel node on both sides and three nodes on the left. All were clear. So here it goes.
1. My surgery from the time I went in to the time my husband saw me was 5 hours.
2. I was in the hospital for 2 days.
3. I was out of work for 3 months because I worked for super people. They gave me the time, but I could have physically gone back sooner because I had a desk job.
4. As far as pain, I had none. I was very uncomfortable because you can't pull yourself up at first. Also the drains are a pain in the butt and difficult to look at. My husband was fantastic and drained them for me. You or someone else will learn how to do that. After a while it was no problem for him.
5. The expanders getting filled are not painful at all. The feeling in that spot is gone so she won't feel a thing. My husband was freaked out the first time he saw it, but then he was ok. The crazy part is they have to overfill to get the breast size she will have, so towards the end my breasts were huge. It was not painful, just uncomfortable.
6. Walking around is a must. They had me out of bed walking around by the next morning. My operation was at 4 pm the night before.
7. As for this last one, I did not need chemo because I had no node involvement and my oncotype score was low. You can only pray that between surgery and chemo that they will get all the cancer. None of us has any guarantee of that, but I am 4 years out with no evidence of disease. Here we call that NED (no evidence of disease). That is the best anyone could hope for and I pray the same for your wife.
As far as seeing myself without breasts, for me I did good with that. The expanders give you a little breast immediately. I just wanted to be healthy. Having my breasts gone was a relief. I am pretty happy with them now. My mastectomy was in December and I had my permanent implants in by june, but remember I did not have chemo. Everyone is different. This is my experience. I think your wife will do great because obviously she has a loving husband who will see her through this. My husband was my rock. Give her time and be patient and make sure she does her exercises after surgery.
I hope she does great tomorrow. Again, I am so sorry she has to go through this, but make sure she knows about this site. If she or you have any other questions there are a lot of great people on here willing to help.
Good Luck and Hugs to you and your wife.
Ginny
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Hi Ginny,Josie21 said:What to expect
I am sorry your wife has to go through this tomorrow, but I hope answering some of your questions will help. I was 43 yrs old, good health, non smoker, and thin. I had a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expanders and they took the sentinel node on both sides and three nodes on the left. All were clear. So here it goes.
1. My surgery from the time I went in to the time my husband saw me was 5 hours.
2. I was in the hospital for 2 days.
3. I was out of work for 3 months because I worked for super people. They gave me the time, but I could have physically gone back sooner because I had a desk job.
4. As far as pain, I had none. I was very uncomfortable because you can't pull yourself up at first. Also the drains are a pain in the butt and difficult to look at. My husband was fantastic and drained them for me. You or someone else will learn how to do that. After a while it was no problem for him.
5. The expanders getting filled are not painful at all. The feeling in that spot is gone so she won't feel a thing. My husband was freaked out the first time he saw it, but then he was ok. The crazy part is they have to overfill to get the breast size she will have, so towards the end my breasts were huge. It was not painful, just uncomfortable.
6. Walking around is a must. They had me out of bed walking around by the next morning. My operation was at 4 pm the night before.
7. As for this last one, I did not need chemo because I had no node involvement and my oncotype score was low. You can only pray that between surgery and chemo that they will get all the cancer. None of us has any guarantee of that, but I am 4 years out with no evidence of disease. Here we call that NED (no evidence of disease). That is the best anyone could hope for and I pray the same for your wife.
As far as seeing myself without breasts, for me I did good with that. The expanders give you a little breast immediately. I just wanted to be healthy. Having my breasts gone was a relief. I am pretty happy with them now. My mastectomy was in December and I had my permanent implants in by june, but remember I did not have chemo. Everyone is different. This is my experience. I think your wife will do great because obviously she has a loving husband who will see her through this. My husband was my rock. Give her time and be patient and make sure she does her exercises after surgery.
I hope she does great tomorrow. Again, I am so sorry she has to go through this, but make sure she knows about this site. If she or you have any other questions there are a lot of great people on here willing to help.
Good Luck and Hugs to you and your wife.
Ginny
Thank you so muchHi Ginny,
Thank you so much for your very informative reply and answering all of my questions. Congrats on being NED for 4 years, I pray that it stays that way. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers we are both ready to get the surgery over with as it has been weighing heavily on our mind for a long time.
Dennis
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Different
Hi,
There are lots of ladies on here with good advice. I think my surgery was about 5 hours but that was
both the mastecomy and expanders. I was in the hospital for a day. They did surgery on Wed. then out on Thurs. I was out of work about 4-6 weeks. I teach so it was easier for me to work. The pain is very individual. I didn't have much but I did take my pain meds. on a regular schedule for the 1st couple of days home. It will be up to your wife and how she handles pain. The expanders are a breeze. There really wasn't pain from the filling cuz my chest was numb from the surgery. It is a little tight for about a day but no pain. No she shouldn't stay in bed, she should move as she is able. She might prefer the couch for a while. It is easier to get up and down from there as compared to the bed. Chemo is probably the toughest part of this but write back about that closer to her start date for chemo. I had a CAT scan after chemo. Wanted to do a PET scan but insurance refused. Way to expensive otherwise. There is no way to really prepare her for her first look without breasts. It was kinda shocking but then the alternative to not having it was worth. It's not the end of the world for me at least. Let her take things at her pace just do what she need you to do. I was too stubborn to let it get me down for long. I hope this is of some help.
Good Luck and all are in my prayers.
Janie
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Thank you so much for theAMomNETN said:Different
Hi,
There are lots of ladies on here with good advice. I think my surgery was about 5 hours but that was
both the mastecomy and expanders. I was in the hospital for a day. They did surgery on Wed. then out on Thurs. I was out of work about 4-6 weeks. I teach so it was easier for me to work. The pain is very individual. I didn't have much but I did take my pain meds. on a regular schedule for the 1st couple of days home. It will be up to your wife and how she handles pain. The expanders are a breeze. There really wasn't pain from the filling cuz my chest was numb from the surgery. It is a little tight for about a day but no pain. No she shouldn't stay in bed, she should move as she is able. She might prefer the couch for a while. It is easier to get up and down from there as compared to the bed. Chemo is probably the toughest part of this but write back about that closer to her start date for chemo. I had a CAT scan after chemo. Wanted to do a PET scan but insurance refused. Way to expensive otherwise. There is no way to really prepare her for her first look without breasts. It was kinda shocking but then the alternative to not having it was worth. It's not the end of the world for me at least. Let her take things at her pace just do what she need you to do. I was too stubborn to let it get me down for long. I hope this is of some help.
Good Luck and all are in my prayers.
Janie
Thank you so much for the reply.It was very helpful. She is really scared of the surgery as she has never had surgery before. She did great through her chemo and continued to work full time. She only missed a few days when she started the taxol. She had a CT and a MRI after her chemo and all were good so hopefully the surgery and the expanders will be our last major step in this long scarey battle. I know it will never be completely over as there will always be the fear but hopefully we will be able to resume a somewhat normal life again. Thank you again for the reply and you will be in my thoughts and prayers also.
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My Story
Best of luck tomorrow. I will be thinking of both of you!
Here are my answers to your questions. I hope they're helpful.
- My surgery lasted about four to five hours, but I was in the recovery room for quite some time (about two to three hours).
- I was in the hospital one day. Like your wife, I am young and very healthy, so I had a lot of spunk.
- I started chemo after my surgery, so I was out of work for about four months. But, if I had not had chemo post-op, I could have easily gone back to work within four weeks. I was in the gym less than three weeks after surgery riding the recumbent bike. Basically, once those drains came out, I was unstoppable until chemo started.
- My advice on pain is to stay ahead of it. As soon as I felt anything coming on, I would take pain meds. I was on them for less than a week; I went off of them as soon as they started upsetting my stomach more than easing my pain.
- Expander fills were a breeze for me. I was not in pain at all. They numb you up before a fill. I have some friends who needed to use Valium afterward, but I was fine. I had mine filled on New Year's Eve and was out living it up three hours later.
-I was up and around the day after my mastectomy. Because of those icky drains, I was not doing too much. But, I was able to walk around in my house, and within a few days could walk around the block. Really, I only felt constrained by the drains. They're disgusting. Fun piece of advice -- when I got home from the hospital, I found that I was much more comfortable sleeping a little "elevated," like in a hospital bed. My husband went out to the pharmacy and got me a wedge pillow. It made it so much easier to get up, and I found it to be more comfortable for sleeping than multiple pillows or lying flat. It also allowed him to lay next to me without working about rolling over into me.
-I can't answer your question on the chemo. I feel like it is up to a higher power to make sure all of my cancer is gone. Whether it returns is out of my hands -- I did what I could by subjecting myself to that treatment regimen.
- With the expanders, I never felt like I did not have breasts. I was fortunate enough to have a nipple sparing mastectomy, so I have a little bit of my "old girls" there. One of my friends who had her nipples removed said it took a while to get used to, but it ended up not being a big deal. Just be there to support your wife and tell her you love her.
- One piece of unsolicited drain advice: I used a ribbon to hold my drains when I showered. I wove the ribbon through the loops on the drains and tied the ribbon where it was comfortable for me that day. Then I could control the drains when I stepped out of the shower. I would carefully unweave the ribbon from the loop and place the drains on a counter until I was able to position them how I wanted them in my clothing. it was a system that worked for me.
Key takeaway: It was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Megan
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Hi Dennis
I was 44, had mine in Feb, 2002. I will just answer your questions.
My surgery was about 2 1/2 hours and another hour in recovery.
Worst part was the meds, I was given Morphine which made me sick and combative after the surgery, they changed it after about 4 hours in my room when a sister asked if I was given Morphine and that I am allergic, they read my allergy list and took me right off.
The pain was not too bad. They took off the pump the next morning, and I took tylenal/codine, went home about noon and never filled the pain meds, just took tylenal. I was only in the hospital overnight. Insurance refused the 2nd one that the doctor ordered. (drive thru mammo)
The expanders were uncomfortable.
Went back to work 3 1/2 weeks after the surgery. I had a desk job so there was no lifting, and started chemo the Friday b4 going back to work.
Seeing myself without the breast was hard. So I had to think of it as lifesaving, and that made it much easier.
I was walking around the night of the surgery and the surgeon had me walk the walls the next day already so I would not lose mobility, and she said it would help with lymphodema which I have never experienced. But I was very tired and did sleep a lot more, and she may feel it even more as it takes quite some time after chemo to get your strengh back.
The first couple of fills were the sorest, but ibuprofen on the day of took care of the discomfort.
The last question is that you should get the results of the pathology at her next visit with the surgeon. As far as the chemo getting all the cells?? I don't think that can be answered by anyone. About 70 % never have a recurrance, then there are the others who do. Unfortunately, no doctor can tell you for sure who will or will not. I have afriend who was stage 3 grade 3, and never had a recurrance, she had 2 different cancers. There were 5 at my work who had it at the same time, I and one other were stage 1, grade 3. The others were 2 stage 2, and 1 stage 3. I am the only one of the 5 of us with a recurance, so out of the 7 that I knew at the time that had cancer, I am the only one of the 7 with a recurrance. So it is a crap shoot!!
Best of luck to all of you with the surgery and keep us posted on how she does.
Hugs,
Carol
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Carol,camul said:Hi Dennis
I was 44, had mine in Feb, 2002. I will just answer your questions.
My surgery was about 2 1/2 hours and another hour in recovery.
Worst part was the meds, I was given Morphine which made me sick and combative after the surgery, they changed it after about 4 hours in my room when a sister asked if I was given Morphine and that I am allergic, they read my allergy list and took me right off.
The pain was not too bad. They took off the pump the next morning, and I took tylenal/codine, went home about noon and never filled the pain meds, just took tylenal. I was only in the hospital overnight. Insurance refused the 2nd one that the doctor ordered. (drive thru mammo)
The expanders were uncomfortable.
Went back to work 3 1/2 weeks after the surgery. I had a desk job so there was no lifting, and started chemo the Friday b4 going back to work.
Seeing myself without the breast was hard. So I had to think of it as lifesaving, and that made it much easier.
I was walking around the night of the surgery and the surgeon had me walk the walls the next day already so I would not lose mobility, and she said it would help with lymphodema which I have never experienced. But I was very tired and did sleep a lot more, and she may feel it even more as it takes quite some time after chemo to get your strengh back.
The first couple of fills were the sorest, but ibuprofen on the day of took care of the discomfort.
The last question is that you should get the results of the pathology at her next visit with the surgeon. As far as the chemo getting all the cells?? I don't think that can be answered by anyone. About 70 % never have a recurrance, then there are the others who do. Unfortunately, no doctor can tell you for sure who will or will not. I have afriend who was stage 3 grade 3, and never had a recurrance, she had 2 different cancers. There were 5 at my work who had it at the same time, I and one other were stage 1, grade 3. The others were 2 stage 2, and 1 stage 3. I am the only one of the 5 of us with a recurance, so out of the 7 that I knew at the time that had cancer, I am the only one of the 7 with a recurrance. So it is a crap shoot!!
Best of luck to all of you with the surgery and keep us posted on how she does.
Hugs,
Carol
Thank you for theCarol,
Thank you for the reply I am so sorry to hear about your reoccurance, I will be praying that you beat it again like you did in 2002. My wife is currently in surgery as I am writing this, she has been in there for 3 hours. We have been given several updates from the O.R that she is doing great.
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First of all, how great thatdthompson said:Carol,
Thank you for theCarol,
Thank you for the reply I am so sorry to hear about your reoccurance, I will be praying that you beat it again like you did in 2002. My wife is currently in surgery as I am writing this, she has been in there for 3 hours. We have been given several updates from the O.R that she is doing great.
First of all, how great that you are there for her! Here's my experience, I am 45 and had a bilateral mastectomy in Sept 2012, with a total of 16 nodes removed. My surgery and recovery time total was six hours. The pain was bad and they had me so medicated which to me was worse. I actully went home the next morning. I got out of bed and got dressed with the help of my nurse, the post mastectomy tank was the best shirt I ever bought, it held the bulbs at the end of the drains in place very nicely. I begged my surgeon to let me go home:) I am just one of those that do far better here at home. I hate hospitals, and after I ate some soup and spent two hours with my surgeon watching me, and checking the fluid levels in my drains, she let me go home.
The pain was pretty bad that first day and night, the meds worked. I took me four weeks to fully recover but only because of my left side, which is where I had 13 nodes removed. That to me is still the worse part of that whole procedure. My daughter stayed by my side day and night and we got into a routine of taking care of my needs.
Good luck to your wife, to you both:)
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Thanks you for the replyPatti1967 said:First of all, how great that
First of all, how great that you are there for her! Here's my experience, I am 45 and had a bilateral mastectomy in Sept 2012, with a total of 16 nodes removed. My surgery and recovery time total was six hours. The pain was bad and they had me so medicated which to me was worse. I actully went home the next morning. I got out of bed and got dressed with the help of my nurse, the post mastectomy tank was the best shirt I ever bought, it held the bulbs at the end of the drains in place very nicely. I begged my surgeon to let me go home:) I am just one of those that do far better here at home. I hate hospitals, and after I ate some soup and spent two hours with my surgeon watching me, and checking the fluid levels in my drains, she let me go home.
The pain was pretty bad that first day and night, the meds worked. I took me four weeks to fully recover but only because of my left side, which is where I had 13 nodes removed. That to me is still the worse part of that whole procedure. My daughter stayed by my side day and night and we got into a routine of taking care of my needs.
Good luck to your wife, to you both:)
Thanks you for the reply Patti, did you have chemo before or after the surgery and were any of your nodes positive? Thanks again
Dennis
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Answers from another survivor
Hi Dennis,
I had my double mastectomy on Jan 8, 2013. I will share my experience in hopes that it is helpful to you and your wife. I am 55, in good shape and did not need chemo. The mastectomy was my choice as I was told my chance of it coming back would be 30 percent in 10 years and decided I didn't want to go through this twice. I have a friend who has had it twice and wishes she had done the mastectomy the first time.
My surgery was about 4 hours and that was for both the mastectomy and expanders. My plastics surgeon even filled them a little while I was on the table.
I was in the hospital for 3 days but wanted to go home on day 2, I walked the day of my surgery so they would let me go home. Within 6 days of my surgery I took a two mile walk with my husband. It felt great, but I wouldn't recommend it as I was told by my surgeon that it was not a good idea, it caused additional bruising.
I could have gone back to work in 3 to 4 weeks, it depends on whether or not you are cleared to drive and whether or not lifting is required. I was cleared to go back to the gym within 4 weeks but only lower body workouts and cardio. I am now completely unrestricted and have been so for two weeks.
Staying ahead of the pain is important and I was only on the pain meds for about a week. My nurse told me it was not good to worry about the medication, that it was prescribed for a reason. I found the morphine disturbed my sleep, the percocet was much better for sleeping.
The expanders being filled are not a big deal, you feel tight for a few days and there is pain in the morning, I finally figured out that gravity was moving the saline solution around at night, but once I was up for a few minutes it was fine. My expanders are done and I will be having my reconstruction surgery in the Fall.
Seeing myself without breasts is still different. I wouldn't look at them for a few weeks, the plastic surgeon made me look and then I slowly got used to it. My husband's support was critical. He didn't make me feel different. A sense of humor doesn't hurt either. I tried to just be positive and appreciate that this can be fixed. There are a few great pictures that document the reconstruction process on line and seeing that helped us both to see what the doctor will be able to do. My husband found it by googling breast reconstruction.
I will keep you both in my prayers and wish you the best.
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Hi Cathy,CathyACK said:Answers from another survivor
Hi Dennis,
I had my double mastectomy on Jan 8, 2013. I will share my experience in hopes that it is helpful to you and your wife. I am 55, in good shape and did not need chemo. The mastectomy was my choice as I was told my chance of it coming back would be 30 percent in 10 years and decided I didn't want to go through this twice. I have a friend who has had it twice and wishes she had done the mastectomy the first time.
My surgery was about 4 hours and that was for both the mastectomy and expanders. My plastics surgeon even filled them a little while I was on the table.
I was in the hospital for 3 days but wanted to go home on day 2, I walked the day of my surgery so they would let me go home. Within 6 days of my surgery I took a two mile walk with my husband. It felt great, but I wouldn't recommend it as I was told by my surgeon that it was not a good idea, it caused additional bruising.
I could have gone back to work in 3 to 4 weeks, it depends on whether or not you are cleared to drive and whether or not lifting is required. I was cleared to go back to the gym within 4 weeks but only lower body workouts and cardio. I am now completely unrestricted and have been so for two weeks.
Staying ahead of the pain is important and I was only on the pain meds for about a week. My nurse told me it was not good to worry about the medication, that it was prescribed for a reason. I found the morphine disturbed my sleep, the percocet was much better for sleeping.
The expanders being filled are not a big deal, you feel tight for a few days and there is pain in the morning, I finally figured out that gravity was moving the saline solution around at night, but once I was up for a few minutes it was fine. My expanders are done and I will be having my reconstruction surgery in the Fall.
Seeing myself without breasts is still different. I wouldn't look at them for a few weeks, the plastic surgeon made me look and then I slowly got used to it. My husband's support was critical. He didn't make me feel different. A sense of humor doesn't hurt either. I tried to just be positive and appreciate that this can be fixed. There are a few great pictures that document the reconstruction process on line and seeing that helped us both to see what the doctor will be able to do. My husband found it by googling breast reconstruction.
I will keep you both in my prayers and wish you the best.
Thank you so muchHi Cathy,
Thank you so much for the reply, she did great during surgery . She is in a good bit of pain right now so they have her pretty drugged up. He Surgeon said she may be able to go home tomorrow afternoon but to not plan on it as 100% sure thing. I will be staying with her in her room until they discharge her. Thanks again for your reply. God bless.
Dennis
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Dennis,dthompson said:Hi Cathy,
Thank you so muchHi Cathy,
Thank you so much for the reply, she did great during surgery . She is in a good bit of pain right now so they have her pretty drugged up. He Surgeon said she may be able to go home tomorrow afternoon but to not plan on it as 100% sure thing. I will be staying with her in her room until they discharge her. Thanks again for your reply. God bless.
Dennis
I have been thinkingDennis,
I have been thinking of you both and am so happy to hear the surgery is over. I remember the fear that you both faced before surgery. Now that she is out of surgery I am sure you are relieved. My husband stayed with me also, the hospitals are so great about that now. I will continue to check your comments, you are now in our prayers. Having you there with her will be a comforting memory when you have this behind you, which will hopefully be very soon.
God Bless you both,
Cathy
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You are most welcome, I haddthompson said:Thanks you for the reply
Thanks you for the reply Patti, did you have chemo before or after the surgery and were any of your nodes positive? Thanks again
Dennis
You are most welcome, I had chemo after, they found one metastic node during surgery.
Stay Strong:)
Patti
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Thank you Cathy,CathyACK said:Dennis,
I have been thinkingDennis,
I have been thinking of you both and am so happy to hear the surgery is over. I remember the fear that you both faced before surgery. Now that she is out of surgery I am sure you are relieved. My husband stayed with me also, the hospitals are so great about that now. I will continue to check your comments, you are now in our prayers. Having you there with her will be a comforting memory when you have this behind you, which will hopefully be very soon.
God Bless you both,
Cathy
She is doingThank you Cathy,
She is doing OK, still in pain and drowsey but her vitals are all stable and her drains look good. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers. I say several prayers every day for all those suffering with the cancer beast. God Bless
Dennis
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Hi Cathy,CathyACK said:How is it going?
I know how busy you have been this past week but wanted to know how things are going. Hopefully the drains are gone and your wife is feeling better. You are still in our thoughts,
Cathy
Thanks for checkingHi Cathy,
Thanks for checking in. Isabelle is doing well but still has the drains in. Her plastic surgeon wanted to leave the drains in until Tuesday. We also go see the surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully we will have the final Path report then so we will know what is next. She is in good spirits and not having too much pain, we actually went for a short walk today as the weather was beautiful here in VA . God blass and thanks for checking in.
Dennis
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Dennis .. We are here for you, and your beautifuldthompson said:Hi Cathy,
Thanks for checkingHi Cathy,
Thanks for checking in. Isabelle is doing well but still has the drains in. Her plastic surgeon wanted to leave the drains in until Tuesday. We also go see the surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully we will have the final Path report then so we will know what is next. She is in good spirits and not having too much pain, we actually went for a short walk today as the weather was beautiful here in VA . God blass and thanks for checking in.
Dennis
wife .. Good luck tomorrow at the surgeon's office -- keep us posted regarding the path report.
Strength, Courage and HOPE.
Vicki Sam
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