Help Stop the Drive Thru Mastectomy

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to
remove cancerous breast cells/tissue.

If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards.

Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an
outpatient procedure.

Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick!

Please send this to everyone in your address book.

If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. Please take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require Insurance Companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a
few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the Web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.
http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/ signpetitionphp


This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women, THANKS.

I had a mastectomy (double radical) and stayed in the hospital about 24 hours- only cause my roomate was an elderly woman who was LOUD, stayed up all night, and snored with the heat up to a million degrees- the nurses would do nothing for me- so I asked the Dr. to go home- no more sweating or noise, I was able to relax and the insurance had a visiting nurse come in everyday- I do understand that this is not an "ideal" thing to happen, but I needed to get out of there- I will send this on in emails!!

I agree some women are more comfortable at home, but you should have that option of staying. Sometimes the care in the hospital is not what it should be.

Thank you, patmichels. This is awful. How can they force women undergoing MAJOR surgery to go home the same day??? For what surgery do they think people are allowed to stay in the hospital then? This is GROSS.

I had a double mastectomy in July. I rolled into my room at 5pm and the next morning at 9am, one of the resident "fellows" came in and told me he was going to discharge me later that day. I told him I was up all night with nausea, vomiting and pain and that I almost passed out when I went into the bathroom. I told him "this is not a drive thru mastectomy and I am staying longer." He discontinued my Morphine after he left the room (less than 24 hours after surgery). It was a very small amount to begin with and I was taking it every 3 hours after surgery (even though it was ordered for 2 hours) I told him I couldn't take pills because of the nausea/vomiting but he said, "we have to get you off of those narcotics!" I was astounded. I am a nurse and know what a "drug seeker" is and that certainly wasn't this case. How can you take a woman who has had both breasts off and take away pain medications? I told the manager, the primary surgeon (who didn't seem to care) and whomever else would listen. Hopefully this resident will never do this to another woman at that hospital.

Katie, I am shocked This sounds so cruel! The primary surgeon didn't care either?? Ohman, ohman... this is really bad. Why do you think they do this? In order to get their patients back home quicker?

Hi Hamsa:
I think the reason why they wanted to discontinue the Morphine was to get me home quicker and the surgeon didn't seem to care when I told him. I might also ad that after my mastectomy he told me that "they found no cancer in the breast". I said, "no way, there was cancer remaining if you look at the stereotactic biopsy report. He told me not to worry. I told him to tell the pathologist to look again. Sure enough I got a phone call a couple of days later telling me they did find an area of invasive cancer (little over 1cm). Can you imagine him telling me not to worry? I would not have had the proper follow up.
Waiting for the OncoDX test to come back to see if I have to go through dreaded chemo. ugh

Hi Katie, Our prays will be with you as you start your journey to get well,Please let Hansa and I know how you are. Senting alot of caring hugs, Debbie

HI Debbie and Hansa:
Thank you for your well wishes. I appreciate it so much.

Well Katie, I have to say I am thoroughly disappointed about that surgeon's reaction. He could have threatened your life. This is absolutely shocking. I wonder how come medics haven't become more careful in the U.S. after reading that they can get sued for millions of dollars (as if that would make up for lost health, but OK) -

One would think they would act more careful.

I hope you will get negative results and won't have to go through that chemo, Katie - but, in case you have to, I wish you strength and an as easy absorption as is realistically possible.

I just got my OncoDx score back and it was 30. ugh Chemo starting late this week or early next. I know alot of you have been down that road. Any bits of advice would be received with open ears. Thank you!

Hi Katie, I will be thinking of you and please let use know. I just got home from having test on my thyriod all the Its been a long day. I am sending you healing thoughts and angel hugs again. Take care, Debbie

Katie, sorry to hear that. Just remember: you went through a traumatic experience (with the surgery) and you can do this. Even in times you might feel very bad (could happen) remember this will pass and it is in order to make you feel very good again.

I wish you strength, girl and keep on believing in yourself

I had my mastectomy in January '08. I was scheduled for the surgery in the morning, so I followed the rules of no food or water after 10pm of the previous night. Since it was winter, I had the heater on that night, and I am sure that the heat dried me out. I was very thirsty the next morning.
I arrived at the hospital for the check-in at 7:30am. The hospital was heated, also, due to the cold. I was taken to get changed, and prepared for the surgery.
After waiting a while, the nurse came in and told me that she needed a paper signed by one of my other doctors, before they could start. It took over 3 hours to get the paper signed.
I was wheeled into the operating room at 11:30am.
I awoke in the recovery room by a nurse calling my name. It was 3:15pm. She said that I was to hurry and get dressed. That my ride home was on their way, and I was discharged.
I told her that I live alone, have no family anymore, and so had no one to care for me at home. I told her that I thought that I would be staying at least a few days after the surgery.
By this time, I was dressed, my friend had arrived to pick me up (was she shocked that I was sent home so soon), and I was checking out. It was 3:30pm - just 4 hours from surgery to discharge. Talk about Drive-thru Mastectomy, is that a record, or what?
I was scared to be by myself so soon after surgery, but I had no choice.
Anyway, I had a small hernia that hadn't given me trouble. I planned to have it repaired when I had my reconstructive surgery.
Due to the lack of water for so many hours, the heating drying me out, the oxygen during the surgery, and the anesthesia, my hernia became blocked and it twisted. Three days later I had to return to the same hospital to have a second surgery (for the hernia, this time).
I believe that if I had been allowed to remain in the hospital for at least 48 hours after my mastectomy, kept on a saline IV, and monitored, I may not have needed emergency surgery for the hernia just 3 days later. It was so hard having two surgeries in just 3 days.
In the end, I stayed in the hospital THREE DAYS after the hernia surgery. I guess that they wanted to make sure that I was OK. Go figure!
Please sign the petition. Thanks.

"I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman." Virginia Woolf

HI everyone:
Thank you so much for your well wishes. I had lost this web site so haven't been on in over a month. The first chemotherapy was rough. The second is gong much better. I'm taking Taxotere/Cytotaxan. I refused the Adriamycin due to the cardiac problems but heard that Taxotere works better on HER2 negative tumors.
I hope that everyone here is doing well. I'm not going to lose this web site again!

Katie

Dear Friend, Welcome back! We have missed you! Hope and pray that it gets easier as you go. It did for me, I still had the aches and all the other, But I think we deal better sometimes as we go. I am so happy you are back. Sending you alot of well wishes and angel hugs. Please keep us up on how you are, We would love to know. Take care, Debbie

Hi Starwish, I live alone too and they wanted to send me home the same day. I told them I lived alone and I talked to the pastor, He told my nurse and I stayed overnight, It was not the most comfortable room but I was not alone. Put your foot down and fight cause I have had 4 surgeries and made sure I fought for my rights. I am feeling the cut backs, But do not let them cut back care, many people donate to these hospitals. So they should be able to help us. Good luck to you, Hugs, Debbie

Starwish, that is just too horrible to be true. How could they do this? It's like they think one goes in for a cosmetic surgery (of which some even stay overnight) instead of a major one.
I am sorry to hear you had to go through your hernia operation because of this dumb policy of releasing one home after only 4 hours

Katie I am so glad you back here. Also that you have the first session behind you luckily. And, it's good to hear this second session is easier on you. I wish you strength and complete recovery and hope to be hearing from you here again soon

I was just coming out of the anesthesia after the surgery, and was half-asleep and groggy. I was in no real condition to fight for my situation. I know better, now. In the future, I will have it clear, and in writing, about discharge policy. The time to do this is BEFORE this surgery. One needs to have this conversation with your doctor, AND the surgeon (who probably will be someone else) before any surgery.

Hi Starwish, I want to know why they did not check with you before surgery, To see if you were alone or what your needs are after surgery. Its like we need to write up a will like, Telling the needs and problems we have. And also how we are alone if we fall where are we. Thanks for helping us to see we need to be ready for the fight when we go in a hospital now. After my last cancer surgery I slept overnight in a roll cart bed, But I was there. God bless you threw your fight, Debbie

Has ANYONE ever had a doctor who is discussing surgery with you, EVER ask what your home situation was like for after the surgery? I think that they just expect us to "deal with it". Perhaps we should have a form made out that you INSIST is to be put into your patient file that CLEARLY states that you live alone, and have no one to care for you. Also, It should state that it would be your wish to remain in the hospital after surgery, for your safety, and peace of mind.
This may make them take notice. You could also give a copy to the doctor during your pre-surgical appointment. (This way, the doctor would become aware of your concerns, and be forced to answer to them.)
This COULD work!

Starwish, That sound like a very good idea. Many people go home along. This way even if the hospital calls to see if your ok. But I still like to feel safe over night after surgery. Take care, Debbie