Forum Discussion
Get connected day!
Hi all!
Welcome to all our new members, and here's our first Get Connected Day post for 2011.
The purpose of the Get Connected post is to provide a place where you can introduce yourself if you'd like to widen your connections.
What to do...
Comment to this post (use the comment form at the bottom of the page) with a short note about yourself and who you're looking to connect to. Easy!
If you see someone with experience similar to yours, who you'd like to connect to, then just click their username (in their post) and you will end up on their profile page. Then all you need to do is look on the left side of the page under their picture and you'll see an "add contact" link and follow the prompts.
Why connect to others?
One of the good things about connecting to others, is that all of their blog posts will show up on your homepage in a reading list. So if you haven't visited the site in a few days, you'll still see what everyone is up to!
Important note
Remember to check your own privacy settings on your "edit" page. There's no need to reveal anything personal or private, but if you want others to connect to you, you should make some of your My Profile settings "public" so others can find out a bit about you (eg. 'my story', 'about' me' and 'breast cancer experience').
If you're not sure what to do, you might like to read this post on how to change your privacy settings.
Have fun!
Di
(if you want to go back and browse the old 'get connected posts' to find out a bit more about our members, just click on the 'get connected' tag).
49 Replies
We do not have private health cover so that puts me at a disadvantage I guess,my own fault of course for not having it , I am on a small property in the Inverell district and it so far seems that my closest McGrath Nurse will be Armidale. I understand that Tamworth where I have had to travell for previous surgery does not do reconstruction. Do you mind telling me where you had your surgery done as I may have to look around if I go for the recon at the same time. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
lol Jac
Hi Jacqui
Damn those stubborn cells :O( On the other side of the coin? If you have a bi-lateral mastectomy (both breasts), it takes chances of re-occurence down to less than 10%, according to my surgeon. And upside - perky new boobies that won't sag like your peers will :OP
It's goingto be a tough time but one step at a time. Like Colb says, if it is too much at once, step back and look at the big picture and you will find your focus again.
As for the mastectomy and reconstruction, I had mine started in the same operation. I had a bilateral mastectomy. This meant that although she took everything (skin, breast tissue,nipple, areola) I didn't have a muscle flap taken from the back or abdominal area, she has used my chest muscle for the pocket. For this I was incredibly grateful as I had read ans since learnt from people going through thistype that is a much longer recuperation time and can be more painful/uncomfortable. First the surgeon placed tissue expanders in (then regular trips to get them inflated with saline to expand them and stretch the skin), the next step is permanent impants. After that (a couple of months for them to drop) she will do a nipple reconstruction with tattooing to follow. My costs are zero as I have top level private health insurance (thank goddess for hubby's company throwing that into the renumeration package!) and between that and Medicare, I have no out-of-pocket expenses and that includes staying in a private hospital. So I don't know if that helps unless you have private health insurance, make sure you mention that and check your level of cover with the provider.
As for when, I think that is a combination of when you are ready for it and whether your surgeon advises that you could go ahead with it straight away or need to wait after radiotherapy.
I don't know if any of this helps but all my thoughts are with you and your family.
Hugs Ree xxx
OMG, you guys had me in stitches....thank you
OMG, you guys had me in stitches....thank you
Hi girls you all made me laugh, I have posted a website so you can all check out the fuzzy or fury brazilian. I reckon they sound ok. I hope everyone is well, keep smiling :-)
Col
www.breastimplantsaustralia.com/brazilian-breast-implants.doc
Hi girls you all made me laugh, I have posted a website so you can all check out the fuzzy or fury brazilian. I reckon they sound ok. I hope everyone is well, keep smiling :-)
Col
www.breastimplantsaustralia.com/brazilian-breast-implants.doc
Hi girls you all made me laugh, I have posted a website so you can all check out the fuzzy or fury brazilian. I reckon they sound ok. I hope everyone is well, keep smiling :-)
Col
www.breastimplantsaustralia.com/brazilian-breast-implants.doc
boobs and brazillians, you would think this an add for a strip joint not a breast cancer site.......lol love it and great that we can all laugh about it.
I am off to google fuzzy brazillians. :0
What is a fuzzy brazilian???? I am also only familiar with brazilian wax and I am sure that doesn't apply here, Yeah it is a real buggar having to give up my life long ambition to be a topless pole dancer ha!ha!ha! (just my weird sense of humour)
Jacqui
Hi everyone....
Wow, last few days have been hectic! I went back to work for a few days - I work in the floral industry - and the lead up to Valentine's Day was amazing! Really exhausted but so thrilling. I never realised how much I miss working and how much it can help to bump up your spirits! Don't et me wrong, I love the fact that I can stay home with my boys but being out there working for a wage is enlivening!
Jacqi, glad to hear you went well through the op, waiting for the all clear is a hard part of it but I am positive they will have gotten all that they needed to. I'm thrilled you are taking time for yourself, we tend to forget once the ops are over, how much our bodies still need recuperation time. There are still days when I need to curl up in bed and do nothing more strenuous than read a book :O)
Colb, what is a fuzzy brazillian? The only thing I know of that name is SO not what it is, I'm sure :OP Can you maybe let me know what date the episode was on air and I can have a look and talk to my surgeon...thanks... As for what to put on the other side, maybe look at a prosthesis? I know myself that my padding would slip around, even inside the bra pocket, or flatten out so it looked really weird. My youngest son took great delight in squashing it flat or into strange lumps while I was out carrying him and got a few funny looks from people until I realised what he was doing. When I got fitted in the hospital for the support bra, the consultant packed so much stuffing into the pocket, I looked like a junior Dolly Parton in a bad bra...LOL I know I was a DD before the op but come on, what's wrong with a nice C cup? Anyone would think she was thinking with testoserone...
Tanya, according to my surgeon, she is confident that 2 weeks will see me back up and running at my level now, which is to say, I can run the house, drive and look after the kids. I hope she is right as my hubby has now run out of sick leave and his job doesn't come with annual leave - his roster gives us 4 weeks off every 6 weeks so we have scheduled the surgery for the beginnig of this break. But again, I'm lucky thathe has the FIFO roster that allows this. If we were still on 2 on 2 off, it would be a big struggle as we don't have any family near us or able to fly over and stay for a couple of weeks and no-one to help with the kids :O( But, here's to thinking positively...
I'm looking forward to having teardrops again :OP The square, slightly rounded look is hell to carry off in a bikini hahaha
Ree xxx
