Re: I am home from the hospital!!!

[Guest guest]

Hi is and welcome to the group. I had a mastectomy in 1990 and had 23

nodes removed and one cancerous one. So far I am doing good.

Did your dr tell you not to lift the children etc? You can get lymphedema

and you sure don't want that. I still have numbness in the back of my arm

and in part of my back. It has gotten better over the years but still isn't

right. I will keep you in my prayers.

Hugs

nne

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I am home from the hospital!!!

> Hi!

> I had my mastectomy, lymph node disection, free-TRAM reconstruction

> and hernia surgeries last Tuesday and got back home from GWU hospital

> saturday evening... I negotiated with, or nagged my doctors until

> they released me a day earlier then they had planned. I had DCIS of

> L-breast and at least one positive lymph node they think. I guess I

> will be starting to get som path results this week but I haven't even

> cared to know yet because I was so focused on trying to regain my

> strength and get home.

>

> It was a rough 4 days there at the hospital after my surgery but I am

> glad to be home now and improving every day! My surgery ended up

> taking 15 hours and there were some complications with a bleeding

> artery and a cancerous lymph node they found at the last minute

> during reconstruction. It seemed like half the residents I met later

> during my stay at the hospital had observed or participated in some

> part of my surgery. (so glad I could be so useful as a teaching

> tool :-)

>

> But after 2 nights in ICU and a couple of units of blood over the

> course of those two days I perked back up and climbed out of bed

> demanding that they move me to a regular room and unhook all the IVs

> and monitors. After my doctor gave the ok for me to move to a regular

> room my nurse left for lunch and the other nurses were ignoring me so

> I unhooked the monitors and had my husband help me out of bed to sit

> in a chair and eat my lunch to show them I was ready to leave the

> ICU. Someone came pretty quick then but I told them I would be

> leaving in the next hour anyway so they just shrugged their

> shoulders, shut off the alarms and went back on their way.

>

> I had some wonderful nurses and some not so great ones but the nurse

> yesterday was so sweet and helped me shower before I came home so I

> felt almost human again. My doctors were wonderful and even most of

> the residents there were very nice and compassionate. I had at least

> 2 of my 3 main doctors visit me every day and sometimes twice a day

> to check on my progress and ask me how I was doing so that was very

> reassuring to keep hearing how I was improving. I feel like the bride

> of frankenstein now with incisions all over and 5 drains. I sure more

> people have seen me naked now then if I would have posed for playboy!

> I didn't like the morphine at all, it caused me to halucinate and

> didn't even help my head ache. They gave me Torridol (sp?) which is

> an IV mortin type thing from what I understand and that worked well

> for a few hours at a time. Mostly my head and back hurt from laying

> in bed and other than discomfort with drains etc, I didn't really

> have much pain from my surgical sites and just took tylenol much of

> the time.

>

> I go back to see my PS next Thursday and should get some of these

> drains out then. My biggest frustration at the moment is the head

> aches from tension in my neck and back. I can only lay down or sleep

> a few hours at a time (and only on my back) and then the head ache

> comes back so I have to get up and move around but I am usually

> exhausted after an hour or so and need to lay down again. The

> coughing has lessened so that is a big help but I think I strained

> something last night either washing my hair in the shower or just

> getting in and out of bed. I am having an intermittent intense

> burning pain on the front of my right hip area.

>

> My kids (2 & 4 years old) are really glad to have mommy home but I am

> having a hard time dealing with them during the fussy hours of the

> day.

>

> I feel like my reconstructed breast is more swollen now then it was

> when I came home, is this normal or did I overdo it???? I also feel

> like my belly button is about 2 inches higher than where it was

> before in relation to everything else. My left armpit is really numb

> but I hope some of that feeling will come back.

>

> -is

>

> is

> millera04@...

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi is

I had mastectomy and tram flap reconstruction in Feb 2003 so I know

how you are feeling right now. I also had a 3 three old at the time.

I slept in a recliner chair for about 3 weeks after I got home from

the hospital. I couldn't lie down because everything was so tight.

Do you have anyone to help you? It wasn't until two weeks after my

surgery that I felt like I could start doing things around the house

and even then it was limited. My three year old and I spent a lot of

time watching cartoons and reading books during my recovery.

My armpit is still numb but I have some feeling starting to come

back. The area is still tight also. It seems that stretching helps

but it still tightens up again. If you have any questions feel free

to email me privately or just post them.

Take care

Judy

> Hi!

> I had my mastectomy, lymph node disection, free-TRAM reconstruction

> and hernia surgeries last Tuesday and got back home from GWU

hospital

> saturday evening... I negotiated with, or nagged my doctors until

> they released me a day earlier then they had planned. I had DCIS

of

> L-breast and at least one positive lymph node they think. I guess

I

> will be starting to get som path results this week but I haven't

even

> cared to know yet because I was so focused on trying to regain my

> strength and get home.

>

> It was a rough 4 days there at the hospital after my surgery but I

am

> glad to be home now and improving every day! My surgery ended up

> taking 15 hours and there were some complications with a bleeding

> artery and a cancerous lymph node they found at the last minute

> during reconstruction. It seemed like half the residents I met

later

> during my stay at the hospital had observed or participated in some

> part of my surgery. (so glad I could be so useful as a teaching

> tool :-)

>

> But after 2 nights in ICU and a couple of units of blood over the

> course of those two days I perked back up and climbed out of bed

> demanding that they move me to a regular room and unhook all the

IVs

> and monitors. After my doctor gave the ok for me to move to a

regular

> room my nurse left for lunch and the other nurses were ignoring me

so

> I unhooked the monitors and had my husband help me out of bed to

sit

> in a chair and eat my lunch to show them I was ready to leave the

> ICU. Someone came pretty quick then but I told them I would be

> leaving in the next hour anyway so they just shrugged their

> shoulders, shut off the alarms and went back on their way.

>

> I had some wonderful nurses and some not so great ones but the

nurse

> yesterday was so sweet and helped me shower before I came home so I

> felt almost human again. My doctors were wonderful and even most of

> the residents there were very nice and compassionate. I had at

least

> 2 of my 3 main doctors visit me every day and sometimes twice a day

> to check on my progress and ask me how I was doing so that was very

> reassuring to keep hearing how I was improving. I feel like the

bride

> of frankenstein now with incisions all over and 5 drains. I sure

more

> people have seen me naked now then if I would have posed for

playboy!

> I didn't like the morphine at all, it caused me to halucinate and

> didn't even help my head ache. They gave me Torridol (sp?) which

is

> an IV mortin type thing from what I understand and that worked well

> for a few hours at a time. Mostly my head and back hurt from

laying

> in bed and other than discomfort with drains etc, I didn't really

> have much pain from my surgical sites and just took tylenol much of

> the time.

>

> I go back to see my PS next Thursday and should get some of these

> drains out then. My biggest frustration at the moment is the head

> aches from tension in my neck and back. I can only lay down or

sleep

> a few hours at a time (and only on my back) and then the head ache

> comes back so I have to get up and move around but I am usually

> exhausted after an hour or so and need to lay down again. The

> coughing has lessened so that is a big help but I think I strained

> something last night either washing my hair in the shower or just

> getting in and out of bed. I am having an intermittent intense

> burning pain on the front of my right hip area.

>

> My kids (2 & 4 years old) are really glad to have mommy home but I

am

> having a hard time dealing with them during the fussy hours of the

> day.

>

> I feel like my reconstructed breast is more swollen now then it was

> when I came home, is this normal or did I overdo it???? I also

feel

> like my belly button is about 2 inches higher than where it was

> before in relation to everything else. My left armpit is really

numb

> but I hope some of that feeling will come back.

>

> -is

>

> is

> millera04@c...

[Guest guest]

Hi is

I had mastectomy and tram flap reconstruction in Feb 2003 so I know

how you are feeling right now. I also had a 3 three old at the time.

I slept in a recliner chair for about 3 weeks after I got home from

the hospital. I couldn't lie down because everything was so tight.

Do you have anyone to help you? It wasn't until two weeks after my

surgery that I felt like I could start doing things around the house

and even then it was limited. My three year old and I spent a lot of

time watching cartoons and reading books during my recovery.

My armpit is still numb but I have some feeling starting to come

back. The area is still tight also. It seems that stretching helps

but it still tightens up again. If you have any questions feel free

to email me privately or just post them.

Take care

Judy

> Hi!

> I had my mastectomy, lymph node disection, free-TRAM reconstruction

> and hernia surgeries last Tuesday and got back home from GWU

hospital

> saturday evening... I negotiated with, or nagged my doctors until

> they released me a day earlier then they had planned. I had DCIS

of

> L-breast and at least one positive lymph node they think. I guess

I

> will be starting to get som path results this week but I haven't

even

> cared to know yet because I was so focused on trying to regain my

> strength and get home.

>

> It was a rough 4 days there at the hospital after my surgery but I

am

> glad to be home now and improving every day! My surgery ended up

> taking 15 hours and there were some complications with a bleeding

> artery and a cancerous lymph node they found at the last minute

> during reconstruction. It seemed like half the residents I met

later

> during my stay at the hospital had observed or participated in some

> part of my surgery. (so glad I could be so useful as a teaching

> tool :-)

>

> But after 2 nights in ICU and a couple of units of blood over the

> course of those two days I perked back up and climbed out of bed

> demanding that they move me to a regular room and unhook all the

IVs

> and monitors. After my doctor gave the ok for me to move to a

regular

> room my nurse left for lunch and the other nurses were ignoring me

so

> I unhooked the monitors and had my husband help me out of bed to

sit

> in a chair and eat my lunch to show them I was ready to leave the

> ICU. Someone came pretty quick then but I told them I would be

> leaving in the next hour anyway so they just shrugged their

> shoulders, shut off the alarms and went back on their way.

>

> I had some wonderful nurses and some not so great ones but the

nurse

> yesterday was so sweet and helped me shower before I came home so I

> felt almost human again. My doctors were wonderful and even most of

> the residents there were very nice and compassionate. I had at

least

> 2 of my 3 main doctors visit me every day and sometimes twice a day

> to check on my progress and ask me how I was doing so that was very

> reassuring to keep hearing how I was improving. I feel like the

bride

> of frankenstein now with incisions all over and 5 drains. I sure

more

> people have seen me naked now then if I would have posed for

playboy!

> I didn't like the morphine at all, it caused me to halucinate and

> didn't even help my head ache. They gave me Torridol (sp?) which

is

> an IV mortin type thing from what I understand and that worked well

> for a few hours at a time. Mostly my head and back hurt from

laying

> in bed and other than discomfort with drains etc, I didn't really

> have much pain from my surgical sites and just took tylenol much of

> the time.

>

> I go back to see my PS next Thursday and should get some of these

> drains out then. My biggest frustration at the moment is the head

> aches from tension in my neck and back. I can only lay down or

sleep

> a few hours at a time (and only on my back) and then the head ache

> comes back so I have to get up and move around but I am usually

> exhausted after an hour or so and need to lay down again. The

> coughing has lessened so that is a big help but I think I strained

> something last night either washing my hair in the shower or just

> getting in and out of bed. I am having an intermittent intense

> burning pain on the front of my right hip area.

>

> My kids (2 & 4 years old) are really glad to have mommy home but I

am

> having a hard time dealing with them during the fussy hours of the

> day.

>

> I feel like my reconstructed breast is more swollen now then it was

> when I came home, is this normal or did I overdo it???? I also

feel

> like my belly button is about 2 inches higher than where it was

> before in relation to everything else. My left armpit is really

numb

> but I hope some of that feeling will come back.

>

> -is

>

> is

> millera04@c...

[Guest guest]

Dear is,

Welcome Home!

I had a double mastectomy on June 2nd, currently undergoing chemo

(AC - last one tomorrow !!) which will be followed by radiation for 6

weeks. No reconstruction until next year after treatment is

completed.

It sounds like you are doing remarkably well, considering all you

have been through. Please be careful when using your arm to lift,

especially the kids.

Please take it as easy as you can for the first couple of weeks. You

will regain your strength, but only by resting during this period. I

know it's harder than it sounds, especially with 2 little ones.

Wish I lived closer to help.

Hugs,