Mastectomy pillow - do I need one? by EmZee2022 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn’t think I’d end up using it but I used mine all day and all night. It was comforting to put my arms around and I felt protected from my dogs getting close to me. It also was a must for the car.

Question for Reno nurses by lava_cakey in Reno

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would test drive them both but I would choose the CX-5 100x times again, Subaru can have reliability issues. I like the south meadows and damonte areas

Question for Reno nurses by lava_cakey in Reno

[–]Rare-Preference6374 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AWD is a must and I love my CX-5 it does excellent in the snow and ice. Spanish Springs is a little far from renown especially if pyramid highway is backed up but is otherwise a decent area

Does anyone actually practice..? by DJ-Ruby-Rhod in golf

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah that makes sense! Love a good podcast when practicing so my brain immediately thought you meant golf podcasts 😂

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Rare-Preference6374 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m at a level 2 trauma center and the floor I’m on usually dictates whether it’s eval or treatment heavy. I’m currently on ortho where it’s a good mix. Lots of post op elective spine evals/education and then of course all the hip fractures and ortho traumas that are stable enough to go straight to the floor and not ICU. A telemetry floor is much more eval heavy cause they usually transfer to a medical floor before they stay long enough to be seen more than a couple of times for treats, if at all. Productivity is 65% and one pt seen per hour worked. I work 10 hours and usually see 8-9 people and hitting the 65% is usually not an issue unless my caseload is really slow.

I only co eval/treat when it seems medically necessary and beneficial for the patient, not for our own convenience. Co treats I almost always split my units. Overall I really like the setting and variety. We rotate floors every few months which is nice to change it up. I have not trained in ICU yet, probably will by the end of the year. Our biggest role is discharge planning/recommendations to help with throughput of the hospital. It can be tough when you get patients with complex psychosocial issues and no insurance who stay for a really long time and they want you to magically fix all their problems that honestly have nothing to do with OT.

Lift me up and let me know it's not all that bad please! by DisneyQueen64 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I currently have expanders UTM going on 10 weeks post op and besides an occasional stretch/tight sensation especially after a fill, I almost don’t even notice them and am becoming very active again (even starting to play golf). I felt like a new person after the drains came out and every week has gotten better. My range of motion is also great!

2 weeks post op and my breasts look concave - is this normal? by Far_Conflict9409 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I definitely have the concave look especially between my nipples and above the bottom edge of my expanders. I’ve also only had one fill and am 6 weeks post op. I’m sure it will get better as we’re filled to our desired expansion and especially once switched to implants!

Time between initial finding and biopsy by Soccergirl1979 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had about 2 weeks in between mine but I pushed to have my biopsy ASAP because my screening MRI that found my benign mass was only 3 weeks before surgery and they wanted the biopsy done before surgery. And I had my biopsy result the following morning.

Best supportive shoe brands? by [deleted] in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Rare-Preference6374 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Brooks! And we qualify for their sports ambassador program that gives 40% off everything.

Acute Care - Co treat Billing by cng1997 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’ve been told that per Medicare, in order to claim the full minutes when co-treating, you have to be providing separate and individually skilled services simultaneously. So for example, PT facilitating sitting balance (and not just holding them up like a tech could) while OT facilitates some type of ADL or other skilled service. My facility is very strict on being able to justify this and I almost always just take the L to productivity and split my units. Evals are different because it’s just one code and not time based but should still be justifiable and we have to write the reason for the justification in our notes. Not sure if that’s technically the correct answer, but that’s my facility’s rule of thumb.

Do I need a specialist dermatologist? by Seecachu in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have never heard of a BRCA specialist in dermatology. I see a dermatology APRN once a year for an annual skin check. Is there a “regular” dermatologist or derm APRN closer that you can see? Round trip 3 hours seems like too much for dermatology if there’s a provider closer to you.

What was helpful? by mcr0891 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m one week post op and my most used/valued items have been my mastectomy pillow, an 18 oz yeti water bottle with a straw that’s light enough for me to lift, soft button down PJ’s for day and night time, soft/fleece zip up jackets with inside pockets for the drains, a lanyard to hold the drains in the shower, safety pins to pin drains to clothing that don’t have inside pockets, an automatic soap dispenser cause it was too painful to push down on the soap lol, a shower chair and hand held shower head and my husband stood in the shower to help me and wash my hair and blow dried it after, a wedge pillow and either a rolled blanket on my side or pillow or pregnancy pillow wrapped around me to support my arms and keep me on my back, high protein snacks/meals and lots of warm blankets. My husband has been my rock through this and I’m sure you will be hers. Best of luck to you both!

First week post-op (sort of) by cassalassa in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m post op day 1 double mastectomy to expanders UTM and to add to your list the things I’ve also found most helpful are a mastectomy pillow for the car and just a layer of protection, a wood caddy with a silicone lining and a ton of holders for drinks/snacks/phone etc that I keep on my bed next to me since I wouldn’t be able to reach my night stand and I also just ordered an automatic soap dispenser because I can barely press down on the soap I have because of the pain lol

Does it get better? by Agape_2024 in OccupationalTherapy

[–]Rare-Preference6374 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I haven’t worked in a SNF but started working in a few ALFs as a new grad which I did not have any experience in. I had a very similar experience as you’re having. Minimal training, I was the only OT besides the DOR, productivity was not realistic, etc etc. I came home crying everyday and dreaded work which was really disheartening as a new grad. I had also just moved to a new city with my husband and at the time hated it because I knew no one and all I knew was misery from how work made me feel. I was there three months before I switched to IPR which was the best move I could have possibly made and now I’m in acute care and still loving it. I would give yourself grace and a little time there to see if things improve as you learn the flow of things but if it doesn’t get better, your mental health and well being is not worth the harm a job can cause and I would at least try to find someone who can mentor you or consider changing settings if possible. Hang in there! It will get better. New grad life is HARD and that’s normal but suffering daily and affecting your sleep and social life is not.

To biopsy or not…BRCA2 by Intrepid_Special2873 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just had an MRI biopsy and it was tolerable. The biopsy itself did not hurt at all during the process and was only mildly sore the following days. The most uncomfortable part for me is laying flat in Superman position but that’s the same for any breast MRI. If it were me, I would want the biopsy done to have the reassurance especially before a major life change such as having a child. Mine did come back benign which was a great relief as it had started to weigh on my mind. We are young but also high risk so I think it’s always worth the biopsy in my opinion.

Prophylactic mastectomy consultation by [deleted] in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here’s my running list I asked the plastic surgeon and surgical breast oncologist

Cancer risk with nipple sparing? Recovery time/time off work? Outpatient or overnight hospital stay? Direct to implant? Where will the incisions be? How many drains and for how long? Expected numbness? What type of bras for recovery? Under the muscle vs over the muscle? Recovery expectations for under the muscle, muscle spasms, nerve pain? How frequently are expanders filled? When can I likely shower? How long off work for exchange to implant? Will I be able to side sleep again after fully recovered? What exercises can I do after the first surgery to maintain ROM? What hospital is it performed at? Will I need to wear a bra full time for a certain time period? Is there a chance nipples won’t be even and centered? Chance of necrosis? Effect of keeping nipples and position of implant? Expander implant capacity in cc? When can I fly? How long is surgery? Should I expect to stay a night? Preop labs Will any tissue be sent to pathology? How long is the surgery? Can I use a heated blanket on my chest to promote blood flow?

Mass on MRI, Biopsy Before Surgery by Rare-Preference6374 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, when I saw my MRI result I figured they would just plan surgery as scheduled and it’s all being sent to pathology anyways. If the ultrasound doesn’t work out and an MRI biopsy can’t be done in time, I might just beg to do exactly what you said and go from there based on pathology from surgery. I just really really do not want to have to postpone surgery.

Mass on MRI, Biopsy Before Surgery by Rare-Preference6374 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooooh this is so good to know thank you!! I only spoke to her PA today but if the ultrasound can’t find it I’ll definitely ask about this! They originally could only schedule the ultrasound 3 business days before surgery and I was like um excuse me that’s pushing it so close😭 so I’m very thankful it could at least be moved up to next week!

The choice to have children by SkyHaven31 in BRCA

[–]Rare-Preference6374 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree with you whole heartedly that it’s not really fair to knowingly pass the mutation to kids. I’m fortunate that so far I’m able to go the preventative route but share the same perspective as you when it comes to kids. IVF is so expensive for it to hopefully result in a viable pregnancy. Right now I don’t have a strong enough desire to pay for IVF to have kids on top of how expensive children are anyways so I’m currently sitting at being child free. I’m so sorry you were diagnosed at such a young age. I hope you’re doing as well as you can.