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09-05-2008, 12:42 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 19
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Double Tram Flap - Back to Work?
Hi!
I have read several posts regarding the tram flap complications, etc.
I was just wonderng, am I dreaming to think that if I have the Tram Flap done 12/15/08 that I could possibly start an internship on 1/19/09 as a NICU nurse. I of course will not be lifting heavy items as quite a few nurses do as I will be working with very little ones.
If I were to have no complications, would it be possible?
Just like everyone else, I am ready to move on. I was diagnosed during my 2nd. semester of Nursing school, had to withdraw and went back after chemo. I will be graduating in December and I really want to get started in my new career...
Thanks,
Cheryl
__________________
Cheryl Hamilton
DX 2/6/07
LB Mastectomy 2/12/07
3 out of 9 Lymph nodes +
4 AC DD completed
12 Weekly Taxol/Herceptin completed 7/07
Herceptin completed 5/08
33 radiations completed 9/07
Tissue expander placed 7/08
Tram Flap scheduled 12/15/08
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09-05-2008, 01:01 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 503
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Hello Cheryl-
If you go to "search" in the green/yellow (gosh, what color IS that ?) on the top of the page and type in tram flap you will get some very informative posts from members that have had tram flaps.
I beleive swimangel and madubouis have had them and regularly post.
Welcome to the board ! and congrats on your upcoming graduation !
__________________
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Dx'd 8/04 at 41
Stage 1 for some onc's; Stage II for others (if you add up the sizes of all tumors).
Infiltrating DCIS
HER2+, ER+10% & PR-
.9cm tumor not visible on mammo, but palpable; visible on ultrasound
Lumpectomy/ clear margins, no nodes
Had Breast MRI after lumpectomy that revealed two more tumors in same quadrant(.4cm and 1.6cm) that were not visible on either mammo or ultrasound.
Re-excision
DD AC+T; Herceptin one year
Rads
NED/Taking Tamoxifen reluctantly
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09-09-2008, 08:16 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: LA LA Land
Posts: 1,607
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Bumping This Up
Hi Cheryl-
Assuming that you are in strong health when you start your surgery and assuming that you are relatively young - I think it is possible and very likely that you will be able to work at the four week mark.
It is cutting it a little close - your energy level takes awhile to "heal" once your body finishes all the healing of scars and drains out etc. It takes the body time to rebuild stamina after major surgery.
I was always up and about pretty fast and even after the worse surgery with complications I had to at least start to walk again and function. If there is a way to go back part time for a couple of weeks that would be ideal I bet.
Good luck!
__________________
1996 cancer WTF?! 1.3 cm lumpectomy Er/Pr neg. Her2+ (20nodes NEGATIVE) did CMF + rads. NED.
2002 recurrence. Bilateral mastectomy w/TFL autologous recon. Then ACx2. Skin lymphatic rash. Taxotere w/Herceptin x4. Herceptin/Xeloda. Finally stops spreading.
2003 - Back to surgery, remove skin mets, and will have surgery one week later when pathology can confirm margins.
‘03 latisimus dorsi flap to remove skin mets. CLEAN MARGINS. Continue single agent Herceptin thru 4/04. NED.
‘04 '05 & 06 tiny recurrences - scar line. surgery to cut out. NED each time.
1/2006 Rads again, to scar line. NED.
3/07 Heartbreaking news - mets! lungs.sternum. Try Tykerb/Xeloda. Tykerb/Carbo/Gemzar. Switch Oncs.
12/07 Herceptin.Tykerb. Markers go stable.
2/8/08 gamma knife 13mm stupid brain met.
3/08 Herceptin/tykerb/avastin/zometa.
3/09 brain NED. Lungs STABLE.
4/09 attack sternum (10 daysPHOTONS.5 days ELECTRONS)
9/09 MARKERS normal!
3/10 PET/CT=manubrium intensely metabolically active but stable. NEDhead.
Wash out 5/10 for tdm1 but 6/10 CT STABLE, PET improving. Markers normal. Brain NED. Resume just Herceptin plus ZOMETA
Dec 2010 Brain NED, lungs/sternum stable. markers normal.
MAR 2011 stop Herceptin/allergy! Go back on Tykerb and switch to Xgeva.
May-Aug 2011 Tykerb Herceptin Xgeva.
Sept 2011 Tykerb, Herceptin, Zometa, Avastin.
April 2012 sketchy drug trial in NYC. 6 weeks later I’m NED!
OCT 2012 PET/CT shows a bunch of freakin’ progression. Back to LA and Herceptin.avastin.zometa.
12/20/12 add in PERJETA!
March 2013 – 5 YEARS POST continue HAPZ
APRIL 2013 - 6 yrs stage 4. "FAILED" PETscan on 4/2/13
May 2013: rePetted - improvement in lungs, left adrenal stable, right 6th rib inactive, (must be PERJETA avastin) sternum and L1 fruckin'worsen. Drop zometa. ADD Xgeva. Doc says get rads consultant for L1 and possible biopsy of L1. I say, no thanks, doc. Lets see what xgeva brings to the table first. It's summer.
June-August 2013HAPX Herceptin Avastin Perjeta xgeva.
Sept - now - on chemo hold for calming tummy we hope. Markers stable for 2 months.
Nov 2013 - Herceptin-Perjeta-Avastin-Xgeva (collageneous colitis, which explains tummy probs, added Entocort)
December '13 BRAIN MRI ned in da head.
Jan 2014: CONTINUING on HAPX…
FEB 2014 PetCT clinical “impression”: 1. newbie nodule - SUV 1.5 right apical nodule, mildly hypermetabolic “suggestive” of worsening neoplastic lesion. 2. moderate worsening of the sternum – SUV 5.6 from 3.8
3. increasing sclerosis & decreasing activity of L1 met “suggests” mild healing. (SUV 9.4 v 12.1 in May ‘13)
4. scattered lung nodules, up to 5mm in size = stable, no increased activity
5. other small scattered sclerotic lesions, one in right iliac and one in thoracic vertebral body similar in appearance to L1 without PET activity and not clearly pathologic
APRIL 2014 - 6 YRS POST GAMMA ZAP, 7 YRS MBC & 18 YEARS FROM ORIGINAL DX!
October 2014: hold avastin, continue HPX
Feb 2015 Cancer you lost. NEDHEAD 7 years post gamma zap miracle, 8 years ST4, +19 yrs original diagnosis.
Continue HPX. Adding back Avastin
Nov 2015 pet/ct is mixed result. L1 SUV is worse. Continue Herceptin/avastin/xgeva. Might revisit Perjeta for L1. Meantime going for rads consult for L1
December 2015 - brain stable. Continue Herceptin, Perjeta, Avastin and xgeva.
Jan 2016: 5 days, 20 grays, Rads to L1 and continue on HAPX. I’m trying to "save" TDM1 for next line. Hope the rads work to quiet L1. Sciatic pain extraordinaire :((
Markers drop post rads.
2/24/16 HAP plus X - markers are down
SCIATIC PAIN DEAL BREAKER.
3/23/16 Laminectomy w/coflex implant L4/5. NO MORE SCIATIC PAIN!!! Healing.
APRIL 2016 - 9 YRS MBC
July 2016 - continue HAP plus Xgeva.
DEC 2016 - PETCT: mets to sternum, lungs, L1 still about the same in size and PET activity. Markers not bad. Not making changes if I don't need to. Herceptin/Perjeta/Avastin/Xgeva
APRIL 2017 10 YEARS MBC
December 2017 - Progression - gonna switch it up
FEB 2018 - Kadcyla 3 cycles ---->progression :(
MAY30th - bronchoscopy, w/foundation1 - her2 enriched
Aug 27, 2018 - start clinical trial ZW25
JAN 2019 - ZW25 seems to be keeping me stable
APRIL 2019 - ONE DOZEN YEARS LIVING METASTATIC
MAY 2019 - progression back on herceptin add xeloda
JUNE 2019 - "6 mos average survival" LMD & CNS new single brain met - one zap during 5 days true beam SBRT to cord met
10/30/19 - stable brain and cord. progression lungs and bones. washing out. applying for ds8201a w nivolumab. hope they take me.
12/27/19 - begin ds8401a w nivolumab. after 2nd cycle nodes melt away. after 3rd cycle chest scan shows Improvement, brain MRI shows improvement, resolved areas & nothing new. switch to plain ENHERTU. after 4th cycle, PETscan shows mostly resolved or improved results. Markers near normal. I'm stunned but grateful.
10/26/20 - June 2021 Tucatinib/xeloda/herceptin - stable ish.
Last edited by SoCalGal; 09-09-2008 at 08:19 AM..
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09-09-2008, 10:08 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 19
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Thanks Ladies, I appreciate the information.
Cheryl
__________________
Cheryl Hamilton
DX 2/6/07
LB Mastectomy 2/12/07
3 out of 9 Lymph nodes +
4 AC DD completed
12 Weekly Taxol/Herceptin completed 7/07
Herceptin completed 5/08
33 radiations completed 9/07
Tissue expander placed 7/08
Tram Flap scheduled 12/15/08
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09-10-2008, 02:17 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: LI, NY
Posts: 660
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Cheryl - If I remember correctly, they said I couldn't drive for 4 to 6 weeks, but I wanted to drive after 2 weeks. I won't lie to you, this is a painful surgery because they are opening you up in your mid section. Take the morphine!! I had a drip for 6 days (I also had the mastectomy at the same time, and the surgery was 14 hours long - yours should be quicker and easier). If nothing else, consider it a vacation and the morphine is your fancy umbrella drinks. Once I was out of the hospital, the pain definitely diminished. If all goes well, you should be able to go back to work, but PLEASE do not lift anything heavier than 3 - 5 pounds. I had a single tram and thought myself to be superwoman. I herniated the area within the first year of surgery. I will not admit that I may have been pulling a stump out of the backyard and carrying a little too much. I kind of just went back in to my old life without thinking. You really need to take care of yourself. I LOVE the results, so I think it was well worth it. Good luck. If you have intimate questions, please ask. I am not shy (at least not anymore).
__________________
Maryann
Stage IV Inflammatory BC 1/00
Mod Rad Mastectomy 24nod/5+
Adriomycin Cytoxin Taxol
Tamoxifen 4 1/2 yrs
Radiation - 32 x
Metastatic BC lung/liver 10/04
thorocentesis 2x - pleurodesis
Herceptin Taxatiere Carbo
Femera/Lupron
BC NED 4/05
chemo induced Acute Myeloid Leukemia 5/06
Induction/consolidation chemo
bone marrow transplant - 11/3/06
Severe Host vs Graft Disease of liver
BC mets to lung 11/07
Fasoladex Herceptin Zometa Xeloda
GVHD/Iron overload to liver
Avascular Necrosis/morphine pump 10/10
metastatic brain tumor
steriotactic radiosurgery
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09-10-2008, 06:16 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: "Love never fails."
Posts: 5,808
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I believe you can do it. Just make sure you have plenty of support.
__________________
Jackie07
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/06/doctors-letter-patient-newly-diagnosed-cancer.html
http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/MultiMedi...=114&trackID=2
NICU 4.4 LB
Erythema Nodosum 85
Life-long Central Neurocytoma 4x5x6.5 cm 23 hrs 62090 semi-coma 10 d PT OT ST 30 d
3 Infertility tmts 99 > 3 u. fibroids > Pills
CN 3 GKRS 52301
IDC 1.2 cm Her2 +++ ER 5% R. Lmptmy SLNB+1 71703 6 FEC 33 R Tamoxifen
Recc IIB 2.5 cm Bi-L Mast 61407 2/9 nds PET
6 TCH Cellulitis - Lymphedema - compression sleeve & glove
H w x 4 MUGA 51 D, J 49 M
Diastasis recti
Tamoxifen B. scan
Irrtbl bowel 1'09
Colonoscopy 313
BRCA1 V1247I
hptc hemangioma
Vertigo
GI - > yogurt
hysterectomy/oophorectomy 011410
Exemestane 25 mg tab 102912 ~ 101016 stopped due to r. hip/l.thigh pain after long walk
DEXA 1/13
1-2016 lesions in liver largest 9mm & 1.3 cm onco. says not cancer.
3-11 Appendectomy - visually O.K., a lot of puss. Final path result - not cancer.
Start Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplement （600mg x2)
10-10 Stopped Exemestane due to r. hip/l.thigh pain OKed by Onco 11-08-2016
7-23-2018 9 mm groundglass nodule within the right lower lobe with indolent behavior. Due to possible adenocarcinoma, Recommend annual surveilence.
7-10-2019 CT to check lung nodule.
1-10-2020 8mm stable nodule on R Lung, two 6mm new ones on L Lung, a possible lymph node involvement in inter fissule.
"I WANT TO BE AN OUTRAGEOUS OLD WOMAN WHO NEVER GETS CALLED AN OLD LADY. I WANT TO GET SHARP EDGED & EARTH COLORED, TILL I FADE AWAY FROM PURE JOY." Irene from Tampa
Advocacy is a passion .. not a pastime - Joe
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09-10-2008, 08:31 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,210
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Cheryl, I cannot answer your question but I wanted to compliment you on your resolve to proceed with your career plans. Nursing is a very rewarding experience and will bring you much joy.
Keep the faith.
__________________
Bonnie
Post menopause
May 2007 Core biopsy, Rt breast
ER+, Pr-, HER2 +++, Grade 3
Ki-67: 90%
"suspicious area" left breast
Bilateral mastectomy, (NED on left) May 2007
Sentinel Node Neg
Stage 1, DCIS with microinvasion, 3 mm, mostly removed during the biopsy....
Femara (discontinued 7/07) Resumed 10/07
OncoType score 36 (July 07)
Began THC 7/26/07 (d/c taxol and carboplatin 10/07)
Began Herceptin alone 10/07
Finished Herceptin July /08
D/C Femara 4/10 (joint pain/trigger thumb!)
5/10 mistakenly dx with lung cancer. Middle rt lobe removed!
Aromasin started 5/10
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09-10-2008, 03:40 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 59
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Cheryl,
Hi !
I had DIEP so I really cant help but if you go to this site...
http://members.boardhost.com/plastic...170734234.html
and type in your query Dr Frank DellaCroce ,a Board certified microsurgeon who does breast recon,will answer.
Best wishes on a smooth surgery and swift recovery!
marcia |
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09-10-2008, 07:07 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 2,582
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Hi Cheryl,
I, too, had bilateral DIEP but speaking on my experience with that extensive of a surgery...I would have been able to go back to work (without a lot of heavy lifting) by the 4 week mark. I had no complications and healed very quickly. Was walking a few miles a day within a couple weeks of the surgery and pretty much doing everything at that point. However, as Mary Ann said, pay attention to what you are doing EVEN IF YOU FEEL FINE. Heavy lifting is a no no with this type of surgery.
Good luck to you.........
Mary Jo
__________________
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Dx. 6/24/05 age 45 Right Breast IDC ER/PR. Neg., - Her2+++ RB Mast. - 7/28/05 - 4 cm. tumor Margins clear - 1 microscopic cell 1 sent. node No Vasucular Invasion 4 DD A/C - 4 DD Taxol & Herceptin 1 full year of Herceptin received every 3 weeks 28 rads prophylactic Mast. 3/2/06
17 Years NED
<>< Romans 8:28
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09-12-2008, 12:34 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Hilo, Hawaii
Posts: 1,867
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Cheryl, I had a double mastectomy with DIEP and was able to go back to work by 4 wks with absolutely no heavy (or even moderate) lifting.
__________________
*** MARYANNE *** aka HARRIECANARIE
1993: right side DCIS, lumpectomy, rads
1999: left side DCIS, lumpectomy, rads, tamoxifen
2006:
BRCA 2 positive
Stage I, invasive DCIS (6mm x 5mm)
Grade: intermediate
sentinal node biopsy: neg
HER2/neu amplified 4.7
ER+/PR+
TOPO II neg
Oncotype dx 20
Bilat mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction
oophorectomy
2007:
6 cycles TCH (taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin)
finished 1 yr herceptin 05/07
Arimidex, stopped after almost 1 yr
Femara
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