A Happy Heart

[Jami Johnson]

About a month ago I noticed a dear friend of mine, whom I shall call StitchinGrandma ;) ,wasn’t being her normal chatty self. I sent her a PM questioning why this was so and I got back an answer that made my heart sink. The new year didn’t start off so great for her. She found a large lump in her left breast and when she went to have it checked out they found another one in her right. Oh, no! The dr. was pretty sure the one in the left was caused from an infection, but wanted to be sure and also look more closely at the right one. So after days and days of uncertainty and worry, StitchinGrandma went in for surgery and then waited some more for the results. Happy News finally came last week and she was given the all clear, but my, oh, my, she had me worried. Being the modest person she is, she didn’t want to say too much about it here. I can totally understand. However, now that we have such good news, she gave me the okay to let you all know. After all, I know how much we all love and adore Vicki so I thought you’d like to join me in having a Happy Heart! :love: It’s nice to have you “back”!!!

[kidzbizz]

Vicki, so Happy everything turned out to be ok. That is the scariest things to go through. The waiting and waiting to find out the news is nerve wracking.

:elefant: doing the Happy Dance for you.

Judie

[craftmama]

Jamie,
I also noticed that Vicki wasn't around as much and sent her a PM. Isn't it funny how we don't even know eachother, but we notice when someone isn't themselves. It is like we are a special little family that has never met. Sometimes I feel closer to my "emboidables family" than my coworkers. Glad to hear everything is ok with Vicki.
Diana

[fun2sew]

I am SEW glad Vicki is doing better too! I knew a little what was going on and I just wanted to email everyone here to let you know what was going on and pray for her!!!! (but I knew she did not want that yet).
I know Vicki has all of our support and even A GREAT Husband Curt who I know was and IS taking good care of her!
Vicki... We MISSED YOU!!!! How are you today?

[fun2sew]

Jamie,
I also noticed that Vicki wasn't around as much and sent her a PM. Isn't it funny how we don't even know eachother, but we notice when someone isn't themselves. It is like we are a special little family that has never met. Sometimes I feel closer to my "emboidables family" than my coworkers. Glad to hear everything is ok with Vicki.
Diana

Diana... This is SEW true! I am SEW HAPPY for my Embroidables friends!

[Granny313]

:party: Vicki - I knew SOMETHING was wrong!!!! Usually you are on here more than I am and that is alot!! Am so glad and thankful that everything turned out good. Take care of yourself so you can hurry back!
Love ya,
Debbie
:elefant: :dancing: :dancing2: :five:

[StitchinGrandma]

Thank you everyone for such nice things you said. It honestly brought tears to my eyes. It's been a very long year for me already. I could write a small novel telling you all that I've gone through with this mess. Poor Jami could verify that since she got many of those type of emails as I went through this mess. Trust me, this has been a road which I do not want to travel again. IF I ever have to do this again there will be some things, many of them, which WILL be done differently starting with the choice of a different surgeon!

I'm doing ok and think I'm starting to heal better than a week ago finally. The surgery was done on Feb 4th almost a month after I woke up and had this huge lump that came out of nowhere which encompassed almost half of my left breast. You wanna talk about scary! The day of surgery was a complete nightmare but it would take half the day to tell you all the things I had to deal with and what made that day such a nightmare, all of which will be solved next time by having a different surgeon who is consitent in what he says and does!

The surgeon told me there would be a small, one inch incision on both breasts and a simple removal making it sound like a piece of cake. NOT! I am now sporting a 2 inch incision on the right side and a 2 1/2 inch incision on the left which is giving me some problems. The left side is infected and draining a lot and EXTREMELY painful. Yesterday it was at the point it was when I first noticed the huge lump in that I wasn't able to put my arm to my side as it pushed on that area and hurt. Because of that I was trying not to type much yesterday at all. I've been on antibiotics again (the reg doc put me on those immed. when I saw her way back in Jan) to help this infection and they seem to be working. I'm a lot concerned that there is still about a marble sized lump on the left side exactly where that was at the time I went into surgery so now I don't know if he missed something or if that will reduce in size as it's part of the areas that were affected during the surgery.

I had a good news report from the right side within two days of surgery but had to wait an entire WEEK for news of the left side. That was THE longest week I'd had in a very long time. The reason it took longer is that the pathologists in my hospital couldn't agree on whether it was or wasn't cancer so they had to send the tissue sample to the Mayo Clinic for a 2nd opinion. I finally got that last Thrs and it came back as an all clear. Sooooooooo now this infection needs to clear up and I can get back to normal, whatever that is. LOL

It was very scary for me because we've watched all my husband's mom has gone through for the past two years with her breast cancer, two mastectomies (each almost a year to the day from the last), chemo, radiation and all her horrible days she had. I wasn't sure I could have gone through all that myself. I'm a very strong woman but that scared me I have to say. My poor husband too. I felt horrible for him because he couldn't make this pain and fear go away no matter how much he wanted to and I know he had to be just as afraid but refused to show that to me because it would make it even harder for me to deal with.

[sewingfor3]

I am so happy things turned out ok for you VICKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so truely talented and a wonderful addition to this site!

[artsiegirl]

I'm so very glad to hear that everything turned out to be okay for you! I can only imagine the fear you must have felt.

[ShirleyC]

I'm sorry you have been through such turmoil. Having good doctors helped me to make it through my ordeal last May.

You will be in my prayers.

[Sewfaithfully]

Vicki, I am so glad that your long awaited news was "good" news. 1st I hope you don't have to go through this again, but 2nd, if you do, I really hope you get a better surgeon. Hope you heal quickly and that this will all be behind you soon.

[Sew So Happy]

I am soooo glad to hear you are coming out of the woods! It will be good to have you back on the boards again. You are so in our prayers and I hope you have a blessed week. It is awesome you have such a caring and sweet husband. :)

[NJMo]

I'm sincerely pleased to hear you're on the right track... finally! Good luck and keep downing medications and raising your spirits. You have many more people pulling for you than you even knew.

Nancy

[ElaineR]

Vicki, I am so sorry to hear about your ordeal. I pray with all the other people here that you recover quickly and can put this behind you. May God Bless You!
Elaine

[susank]

Vicki - I have not been on the board much over the past couple of months myself and checked today and saw this. Your ordeal is definitely regrettable but I am happy to hear you are on the mend and all is well. Sometimes life's little scares make us stronger and appreciate things more - I hope that this is the one positive thing to come out of all of this.

Take care of yourself.

Susan

[StitchinGrandma]

Thank you again everyone. Your very nice words mean a lot to me. And to answer that one comment ........ there's NO question that I will not use this surgeon ever again. NO worries there. :D

Today has been a horrible day. I've been waking up about 2:45am and not able to get back to sleep. Then I fall asleep later in my chair at my desk and hurt when I wake up. The past two days this incision has been draining something fierce and it's REALLY been depressing me. Then my kids dogs are like they are attached to my legs. I can't get up and go to the bathroom even without feeling like the pied piper. Then, of course, my cat has to see where the parade is going and he joins in. I just wanted to run away out of frustration and I know it's just because I'm so stressed because the poor little things are just showing me how much they love me and want to be near me but today I broke into tears because they wouldn't leave me alone. I feel like I've totally lost it. OH and then I made supper and used a new recipe and totally hated it. I'm very picky and like hubby says, way too hard on myself but even he wouldn't eat this stuff so I KNOW it was bad. Of course, that made me lose it all over again. LOL I told someone else that I feel like a new mom who is breastfeeding her baby and has one of those times where you just start leaking without any warning at all and it starts running down your belly. LOL Just typing has been enough to start that mess so I've been trying not to do much.

I go back to the doc tomorrow and have no idea what he's going to say. There is still quite a bit of pain on the left side and it's still quite red but not as bad as it was a week ago. I just wish the incision would seal shut so I can maybe start using Vitamin E caplets on them to lesson the scarring from these monster type incisions. :(

[Lisaa]

Vicki! You poor thing! I'm so sorry to hear of all of your troubles but I am happy that your tests were negative. I hope this clears up for you soon, my dear friend. :flowers:

[idesign]

Vicki, I haven't been on the board much either, and just saw this post. It was so good to read that you are on the mend, and that it was negative except for the infection. Hope that resolves very quickly for you, and you get back to normal quickly!

Carol

[Jennifer]

Vicki I am really glad you are better from your scare. I is scary to see someone suffer as you have with your mother-n-law only to go thru it yourself. I will keep in you in my prayers for a rapid recovery. Jen

[susank]

Vicki - I know how worrying it is to have a post op infection and I wonder if something is available in your area that I had when I had one. I had a post op infection after my C-section when my first child was born. All but about 1 inch of the 9 inch incision opened up and rather than be hospitalized to deal with it the hospital arranged for a nurse to come and drain and pack the infection in the wound. At first they came 3 times a day (first couple of weeks) and then for the next few months they came twice a day. Finally it tapered off to once a day. The infection took 5 months to heal (almost all of my maternity leave!) and during that time having the nurse check on it every day was a big help and made me feel better.

As I am in Canada and our health care system is different I am not sure if you have this sort of thing in the U.S. Your infection will not likely take this long to deal with but if anything like this is available, it certainly made a difference to me.

[StitchinGrandma]

Thank you again for your kind words everyone. I'm not sure you want to know what the doc did at my 2nd follow up appt. yesterday because it totally freaked me out. My husband was there and watched and when I turned my head and looked I thought I was going to faint. LOL

**Warning ~ stop reading here if you don't wanna know what the doctor was nice enough to do to me **

Because of the faucet like draining the infected side was doing the surgeon says, "well, I can open it up and take a look and see what's going on and possibly drain that more if you want me to" Of course, I was thinking hmmmm is this an optional statement to which I can answer NO? LOL Evidentially NOT!

He gets out one of those long wooden sticks with the qtip type end and was rubbing that along the incision. Hubby and I both thought that possibly he was taking a swab to have the fluid tested or something and I was looking away cringing because it hurt. Hubby said to me later when I was commenting on this ordeal after the doctor left "yea, I thought he was sliding that across the incision to take a sample and then all of a sudden the end disappeared as he stuck it inside" ! The doc made a comment about how much fluid there was and that it appears to look pretty good with minimal infected like fluid soooooo at that point I turn to look at him while he's talking and look down and his hands were not touching that qtip stick BUT, it was sticking out of the incision. Yea, I immediately looked away after shooting the look of WTF at my husband because I thought I'd faint. :eek:

Anyway, other than the revived intense pain I had once again after seeing him yesterday, it's not draining anywhere near like it was before so I'm sure that what he did was get in there to release the ick and allow it to drain while there because A LOT came out according to hubby.

Then he removed the steri-strips from the other side since I was afraid doing so would cause that side to begin draining too. Now that side hurts too but nothing like the left side after he was poking inside the incision.

It feels a lot better today than it did yesterday thankfully. Yesterday and last night were horrible because ANY pressure or even moving my arm forward to type even hurt very badly. Sleeping last night was no fun at all. There is still quite a bit of pain but thankfully not like I had yesterday.

Susan I had an infection after my section just like you had. That isn't fun at all. Because of the bad infection after my 1st csection the doctor decided at my 2nd csection that he'd just do the stitches inside like they do but he didn't do anything to the outside like the staples or anything else hoping it would heal better. I KNOW what you went through with the nurses coming in and doing all that but unless no one told me of that type of thing, we didn't have the capability of accessing that type of nursing care under insurance coverage so unless we paid ourselves that wasn't possible. My husband at that time had to clean and repack the incision 2-3 times a day for me back then.

[susank]

Vicki - it's too bad you don't have this - it was actually covered under our provincial health care system. You must have the worst luck because I have never heard of anyone other than me have this C-section fiasco happen. I had a second c-section too and was terrified it would happen again but what my doctor did was give me IV antibiotics for 24 hours right after the birth and this time the section was planned and not an emergency. I was OK thank God.

You are lucky to have such a strong husband - not many guys would be able to do all this. Take care of yourself.

[StitchinGrandma]

HA! Susan IF anything happens in my life, it's ALWAYS soap opera worthy, trust me. Friends have told me for years that I should write a book. LOL

I have a VERY good guy this time around. I'm extremely lucky and I know that. :D

[Granny313]

Vicki - I hope and pray that you are on the mend now. Maybe once he drained the ick - it will heal more rapidly. I had a biopsy done several years ago and where I was supposed to have a 1-1/2 inch incision - it is about 4 inches!. If I wear a shirt with a lower than normal neckline, you can see some of the scar. My husband tells me it's my "battle scar" and just give me character! (LOL) That scar sure looks better than the alternative tho. Hope you will be feeling like dancing before long.

Love, Debbie

[StitchinGrandma]

Thanks Debbie! I'm glad to know that my surgeon isn't the only one that embellishes the size thing ..............oh wait........(David and Curt(if you are wandering) turn your heads away :p) ......maybe it's just 'cause they are guys? HA

I can tell you based on what you said though that your scars are much higher than mine. If anyone other than the doctor sees mine my husband will be asking LOTS of questions. ;) And yes, the scar is going to be better than that alternative. I'm feeling a little better than yesterday and even this morning. Even though what he did yesterday hurt really badly afterward it must've helped. I've had barely any draining today at all. yay.

[Granny313]

Vicki - I do hope and pray that each day you will feel better and better. I know that what he did HAD to be very painful but if it helped afterward then I guess it was worth it to you. Just grit your teeth if he does it again and know that it will help. And yes the scar that I have is very high. In fact it starts where the top button of a shirt would be and goes southeastward. I am very thin and believe me since it was that high, they had to turn me every which way but loose to do the mammogram. Then when I had surgery, they had to stick a wire around where the lump was and I had to be perfectly still. Since it was so high up there wasn't much "boob" to include and it was very uncomfortable. It was really hard for the girl to get everything in place. In fact a year later when I had another mammogram, she and her assistant remembered me. As soon as I walked in, she said "I remember you, You were the hardest mammogram that I have ever done". Isn't it nice for them to remember me like that? (LOL)

So glad you are improving. I have really worried about you. Tell Curt he is an angel for watching over you. Take care and I've missed you girl -

Debbie

[StitchinGrandma]

Ouch. I can imagine that mammo for you. I didn't have that problem at all. I know all about the hooked needle you described. They had to do that on my right. It's called a needle localization and they do a local numbing shot before they do it and then they need to check the spot for perfection with another mammo shot. Once it's perfect that needle cannot be moved again before the surgery. Sadly for me they did that by 11am and my surgery wasn't until 2:30pm for multiple reasons so ALL remnents of that local numbing shot was long gone and any movement gave me pain if that was moved at all.

He's still taking care of me. He left when there was a break in the snowstorm we got overnight to do some errands and when he came home he brought me a Frappuccino from Starbucks AND a roast beef, sourdough bread, gravy, mashed potato and more gravy and green bean dinner home from Culvers. YUM :D

[Granny313]

Yum Yum!! He sounds so much like my DH! DH likes to eat too ! It must be a military thing - they must teach them to be good to their wives, especially when we are sick. Mine dotes on me all the time but especially when I am sick or hurting. There's not many of those left you know!! A nurse told me that one time and she said that there were very few "good ones" left, especially alive!!(LOL) Take care and sleep good tonight!:flowers: :five:

[StitchinGrandma]

Could have been. Of course, I'm very good to him too and he appreciates that too and there aren't a lot of them that do so yea, we're lucky.

Thanks.

[The Hen]

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to respond. It has been kind of hectic my way, but that is no excuse. I am so glad to hear that everything was ok. I had a scare like that about 5 years ago. the waiting is awful, you can imagine everything. It is wonderful having you back with us . You were one of the first ladies I remember meeting on the board. You are alway to helpful and encouraging.

[StitchinGrandma]

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to respond. It has been kind of hectic my way, but that is no excuse. I am so glad to hear that everything was ok. I had a scare like that about 5 years ago. the waiting is awful, you can imagine everything. It is wonderful having you back with us . You were one of the first ladies I remember meeting on the board. You are alway to helpful and encouraging.

No apologies necessary from anyone. Thank you for the post no matter when you got back here. We're all busy. ;) Yes, that waiting was horrible for the one side mostly since I knew there was at least one thinking it was cancer possibly. I go back again tomorrow for a 3rd post-op visit. I'm not sure what he's going to do but hopefully nothing like last week since I still have pain from that fun time. :rolleyes: The incision still isn't closed up on the left side so that really is starting to bother me. Thankfully though the worst pain is behind me I'm sure.........unless he does a repeat of last week but I doubt he will.

I try to help anyone that comes if I can. I surely don't have all the answers, that's for sure and I'll be the first to tell you if I don't know rather than to possibly steer you in the wrong direction. I figure if I can help then great and if I can't, someone else will probably have the answers around here.

[fun2sew]

Hey Vicki,
We will be thinking of you today!
Hope everything goes well at your appt.

Hang in there girl!

Dawn

[StitchinGrandma]

Thank you Dawn. Well the report from my appointment today is that I do not have to go back to see him again unless I feel it's necessary. He's not too impressed/pleased at how the left side is healing as it's still not completely closed up BUT, he doesn't feel as if there is any infection there. If I have any concerns in the next few weeks then he said I should call and come back in to see him. I got the ok to start using creams and vitamin E caplets to start softening the area and moisturizing it in the areas which is it closed up. My skin is horribly dry and peeling all around both incisions and the vitamin E will help lesson the scaring hopefully as well. I've read that it's supposed to and many swear by it so I guess it certainly can't hurt although it's not like too many are going to see the scar in the first place. :D It just really bothers me.

I actually was quite happy with the appointment today because I asked a lot of the questions I had forgotten on the other appointments and he very patiently answered every single one AND was quite personable today as well so that made me feel a little better. I'm concerned about the right side being oddly shaped now below the incision area and he assures me it should fill back in eventually. I hope so because that REALLY bothers me that I now have a strange indentation area. :( And again, not like anyone will notice other than hubby and myself but it still bothers me ya know.

Soooooooooo now I can just get this healing done and get past this mess and back to my life again. This entire ordeal has been something I never thought I'd have to deal with and I'm VERY thankful it was not cancer. I'm very lucky, I know that and will make sure to have a mammogram every year now.

I had put that off for 10 years from the first time my regular doc had told me to get one when I turned 40 yrs old. PLEASE, all of you, do NOT listen to all those women that tell you how horrible they are and how painful they are and any of the other things you hear because they are NOT TRUE! I had very minimal pain during mine and then it was only one of many shots they took and even then, it was discomfort, not any pain.

GO GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM! NO excuses!

Had I not had this very large growth that appeared overnight the way it had, I still wouldn't have had a mammogram. The very small growth they found on the other side during the mammogram which was being done because of that large one that just appeared the way it had could have grown much larger until it was something that could be felt from the outside. Who knows how long that might have taken and what my outcome would have been by that time. It could have been much different. This wasn't something I'd wish on anyone else because I have had a lot of pain, the infection, the draining etc and all that BUT, the alternative is still much, much worse.

Soooo my last words are these:

MAMMOGRAM ~ GO GET YOU ONE! :D

[fun2sew]

I had mine in Sept and got called back 1 week later for a do -over.. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I had 2 this past Sept... till next Sept.

[Granny313]

Have one scheduled for March 26th!! I have kept mine up every year since my problem also. Breast cancer runs in my family - grandmother and aunts (3) and cervical cancer (mom) sooooooo I am kinda scared NOT to have one. The place that they removed my lump - 4 yrs ago - still has not filled in right above my incision. I think that it is because (like I said to you before) mine was so high up and I am so bony there. Boobs are big but up higher is bony! (LOL) It's like a sunk in place. DEFINITELY put the vitamin E on your scar. It does help. My only advise to you would be not to let that scar be bare in the sun when you wear your bikini!!!(LOL) It will sunburn very easily. PLUS - Mama Vicki - I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!:five: :party:

[StitchinGrandma]

I had mine in Sept and got called back 1 week later for a do -over.. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I had 2 this past Sept... till next Sept.
I remember that. I know you'll get yours. ;)

Have one scheduled for March 26th!! I have kept mine up every year since my problem also. Breast cancer runs in my family - grandmother and aunts (3) and cervical cancer (mom) sooooooo I am kinda scared NOT to have one. The place that they removed my lump - 4 yrs ago - still has not filled in right above my incision. I think that it is because (like I said to you before) mine was so high up and I am so bony there. Boobs are big but up higher is bony! (LOL) It's like a sunk in place. DEFINITELY put the vitamin E on your scar. It does help. My only advise to you would be not to let that scar be bare in the sun when you wear your bikini!!!(LOL) It will sunburn very easily. PLUS - Mama Vicki - I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!:five:

Oh great. :rolleyes: I was afraid someone would tell me that. :( I had that feeling this area more than likely isn't going to fill in the way I'd like it to. My Grandfather had breast cancer years ago and had a very large growth removed and his was never the same either. YES, many don't realize it but this does affect men as well. Because they are not as informed and aware though, it can be sometimes worse for them because they don't think it would be cancer.

Ummmm yea, we're not overly concerned with the sun seeing this area even IF I were to wear a bikini. HA!! I think I'd be arrested if it did. :p
Awwwwwww how sweet that you missed me. You're gonna make my head swell up. :D

[Granny313]

Don't let it swell too big ~ you might have to havie it removed!(LOL)

[Juli]

I'm very new here, but I have seen MANY of your helpful posts all over the boards. I'm SO glad to hear that you had a good report and you are recovering well!

[StitchinGrandma]

Don't let it swell too big ~ you might have to havie it removed!(LOL)
Well we don't want that removed now do we?! :p

I'm very new here, but I have seen MANY of your helpful posts all over the boards. I'm SO glad to hear that you had a good report and you are recovering well!
Aww aren't you sweet! Thank you very much. Welcome to the board. I'm sure you'll like it here. We really do have a fantastic bunch of members here and each one has their own knowledge to give all of us new ideas.