|
Re: Surgery Friday...any advice?
Its so different because my PS didn't want me to "disturb" my reconstruction with range of motion for at least 6 weeks, my surgeon wanted some side arm lifting where my nodes were removed but not enough to disturb my chest muscles. You'll also have the diep flaps to baby so you might be given totally different direction. I have no issue with range of motion at all now. My muscle tone in my triceps and biceps is crummy because I haven't been to the gym but that will all come back.
Just listen to your docs - they'll know what's best. And try to not stress - it is really NOT horrible.
One last thing - my surgeon ordered Emend to be taken the day of surgery and I think that really helped with any surgical nausea. And my plastic surgeon ordered 5 mg of Valium along with the Percocet for when I got home because the Percocet occasionally causes some people to get high strung (I'm one of them). I only took a few but it was great knowing I had them just in case.
__________________
11/19/10 Identified swollen lymph node
1/24/11 Mammogram showed microcalcifications - no mass
2/4/11 Diagnosed ER/PR- HER2+++
2/23/11 Began TCH protocol every 21 days 6x
5/23/11 Ultrasound of originally diseased lymph node shows normal
7/25/11 Lymph node dissection - 8 of 14 show disease
7/29/11 Double mastectomy with reconstruction (expanders)
8/29/11 Begin follow up chemo - Adriamycin 4 treatments every 2 weeks and Xeloda. Self inject Nupogen shots
1/6/12 6 weeks of Radiation finished
2/13/12 Last Herceptin/remove port
3/27/12 PET/Brain Scan NED :)
8/15/12 Final reconstruction - hello nipples, good bye expanders
9/14/12 Rejected implant/infection. Implant removed
5/6/13 Latissumis Dorsi surgery left side with expander
PS - my photo was taken 5 days after my double mastectomy surgery and 6 weeks after my TCH was completed
|