Hello Everyone..
My name is Patty, I live in Alabama. I am 14 yrs cancer free ( I guess I can say that I won!!) I was diagnosed when I was 32 yrs old. My cancer was found by accident you could say. It was found in the tissue removed from my left breast from breast reduction surgery. I had lymph node involvement (only one was infected out of 14 that were removed). I had a lumpectomy and the surgeon couldn't get a clear margin so I opted for a radical mastectomy of my left breast. That followed with 6 months of chemo.. Since I had the breast removed, I only did the 3 drug combo chemo and got to keep my hair as a parting gift. But I got pretty sick from it. At that time, my doctors thought that I should wait for reconstruction, my type of cancer was the very aggressive type. It made no sense to build a new one just to take it off again. My kids were small at the time and it seemed like a hard surgery to go through with limited help, so I continued to wait.
As the years went by, I raised my kids, built a new home, started a career. It's "me" time now. My tram flap surgery is scheduled for October 8th. I am scared, I am excited and I am ready.My insurance is ready, my FMLA leave from work is in place. I am here for some real advice on how to be as well prepared as possible mentally and physically. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Are there special bras or anything that I need to buy and bring to the hospital with me? I am almost OCD as far as organization goes, I like to be well prepared. I'm trying to cook extra meals to put in the freezer for when I'm in the hospital, heavy duty house cleaning out of the way ect... any other suggestions that helped some of you that may help me? Thank you...
Patty

Hello Administrator...
Thanks so much for your reply..that link was very helpful ,thank you so much..I'm scared of going into this not being totally prepared as I can be. I'm trying to make a to do list of everything that has to be taken care of beforehand..like refilling son's ADHD meds ect..LOL, I told you that I'm OCD..Thank you again!
Patty

[color=#4000FF]Hi Patty,
Best of luck as you enter your final phase of reconstruction. I had a free flap tram surgery immediately following my July 1st double masectomy. Ok--Real advice...it will not be easy. I was in the hospital for 5 full nights. I was in a lot of pain. I started on a morphine self drip, but it made me very nauseus. I moved to percocet and tried not to be on pain meds after I got home. The hospital stay was a little rough b/c I am very independent and had a hard time allowing others to help. Let them all help you! Take your time with everything!! It took me 2 days to get into a chair and one more day to start walking and have the cathether removed. I did everything on my time.
As for the hospital, bring a body wash, facial soap (dove is nice and it also smell good) as well as sock, and moisturizer, toothpaste and toothbrush. You will not be allowed to shower until after go home. With the drains, you will want to stay in a double guarded hospital gown. My surgeon did not bandage my wounds, breasts or abdominal. I had a family member come in each morning to help me wash up and moisturize. It made me feel good!
When I went home...I wore zipped up sweatshirts with pajama pants or lounge pants. You will not be allowed to wear a real bra for some time so don't bother. After my drains were removed (8 days post-op), I was given a surgical bra to wear until the MD said it was OK to remove. I even had to wear it at night. As time went on, I wore a very thin nothing bra made by Barely There. It was like a thin sports bra. These were great!

Having meals in the freezer will be great especially with the kids. Let as many family members as possible help with your home and the children. You will need your family and friends. One good thing is...NO VACUMNING FOR WEEKS! [/color]

I hope this helps--email me back with any other questions. Best of luck and i will be praying for you!

Kris

Hi Kris,

Thanks so much for writing back to me and sharing..you sound sooooo much like me! I'm very independant and put a lot on myself..it's like I'm the only one that can get it done the right way! I've already told my surgeon that I can't have Morphine..I get very ill from it, so they have to use something else. I hate pain meds because they make me feel like I'm not in control (there's the control freak thing again!) I'm not really expecting a lot of pain from the breast area (my mastectomy didn't hurt at all) but I know the abdomen is going to be really bad. That's a huge wound not only on the outside but on the inside too! I'm the type of person that does research. I wanted to know exactly what they are going to do to me and what all is involved in this surgery. I looked up Tram Flap Surgery on YouTube.com and they have one and I watched it. It's actually pretty amazing to watch.
You are so lucky to have been able to be reconstructed right after your mastectomy. You were able to wake up and have something there to replace what was taken. I had mine 14 years ago and they wouldn't let me do it..my doctors were very worried of a reoccurance. It was very traumatic to wake up and realize that it's gone, especially at the age that I was at the time. I have lived 14 years without it, now I'm going to wake up and have something there. I'm finding myself to be very emotional since I've started this process. I'm usually not like this..is this normal?
I'm trying to get everything together that my doctor told me to get..I'm going to need huge bandages for when I get home..unfortunately these are hard to find..Walmart can order them but they are going to be $97.00 for a box of 18. That's so crazy! They are Kendall Tendersorb Wet Pruf Abdominal Pads and they are 8x10 in size. Has anyone else heard of this or have any ideas where to get them?
I'm going to take your advice on what to bring to the hospital..I can't stand to feel nasty and there is something about being operated on that makes you feel that way. As far as the catheter goes..as soon as I can get out of bed, it's gotta go. They've always been painful to me in itself, I always feel like I have a UTI when I've had one.
I appreciate the ideas on what to wear when I get home..I didn't know if I was going to need to go out and buy stuff or what..I have tons of lounge pants but I don't have any zipper or button up shirts..so I have to get some of those.
I hope that your recovery is going well Kris..are you still undergoing treatment or were they satisfied that the mastectomy got everything? Is there anything that you regret about the tram flap surgery? Are you happy with the results? How long did it take for you to get back into your life, such as work, exercise, and the normal things that we enjoy everday?I actually wanted to go with the implant but my original surgeon left me with a thin layer of skin and my chest wall and that's it. There wasn't enough left to hold an implant so I didn't have much of a choice. I would love to talk to you some more Kris..my email is bsutphin287@charter.net
Thanks again!
Patty

I am also scheduled to have another mastectomy (after 9 years of being a survivor), combined with a hysterectomy and bi-lateral DIEP flap. I am scheduled for June 17th. Like you, I like to be prepared ahead of time and I have done a lot of research. I spoke to one of the Sisterhoods through the surgeon's patient outreach and she said I would need a recliner for my bed for a while. I just got a lift/recliner with zero gravity to use as my "temporary" bed after surgery. I use a step stool now to get in and out of my bed. I had no idea it was going to be so high when I brought it with a pillowtop mattress:) I love my bed, but the abdominal surgery is definitely going to keep from getting in and out my bed until I loosen up again. Just a thought for you to look into.

Good Luck!
Rose

Hi Rose,
Seems that you really have given much thought to easing your recovery. Many women who have experienced the DIEP reconstruction have recommended buying inexpensive maternity pants/shorts, oversized front button shirts, and jackets/camisoles that are equipped with inside pockets for drains. Placing objects you use daily at waist height is also a regular suggestion.
Wishing you a smooth recovery.
Mollie

Hi Newbie:

Thanks for the tip on camisoles with inside pockets for the drains. Didn't know they existed. Where would I find them to purchase. I have cheap button down "big" men shirts, zip/button down duster robes-oversized, and oversized elastic pedal pushers pants, since the weather is going to get a lot warmer. Need to be as comfortable and we can be. I also ordered chuxs in case the drains open while sleeping to preserve my sheets, and a case of hospital disposable washclothes to cut down on the laundry and trying to be careful not to get any infections.

Also, thanks for the tip of moving things down to waist high. Hadn't thought of that one either. I did tell my son to come food shopping to clear my kitchen cabinets of foods I won't be able to eat for while, to make room for the broth soups, puddings, jellos, applesauce, etc. I'm looking forward to shedding a few pounds while recouperating.

Have a Blessed Week,
Rose

The Newbie reply should be addressed to Mollie. I was reading the addressees wrong. Sorry. I am the "newbie."

Patty:

Try checking out SpecialtyMedical. Email address: sales@specialtymedicalsupply.com for your Kendrall bandages.

website is: www.specialtymedicalsupply.com

They have pretty decent prices for medical supplies.

Rose