Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Even if I may be going through a challenging experience, I am grateful, for I know that good will come from it. Will I learn of inner strength that I didn't know I had? Will I gain a renewed appreciation for my life and the people in it? I am grateful for my present circumstances, for I know they offer opportunities for growth.
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Kathryn- welcome, glad you found us but wish you didn’t. I had bilateral with axillary dissection 16 years ago on March 1st. So my memory isn’t so accurate. I remember feeling human about a week after surgery and pretty good 2.5 weeks post surgery. But recovery from bilateral is different. My arm pits are still weird. Wishing you an easy recovery with your upcoming surgery.
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Kathryn I'm adding in my welcome to you. Wish none of us, including you, had to have ever had to be here but fortunately for us we have a place to call home here. I'm so far out that I no longer recall having my three under-arm nodes removed. I was told at time of lumpectomy to bring the tightest bra I had as I would wear it 24/7 for a couple weeks. I think the constant pressure helped me NOT notice other sites. I did have some underarm tenderness, but by the time I got that tight bra off I was so thrilled I barely noticed. I think some ice, as mentioned already, maybe some Tylenol if your Dr. agrees might be the way to go.
Cindy I sure hope you are able to resolve your mail issues. Haven't noticed much here as we are so small, but I have received some bills really late -- like on the day they are due, or even a few days past due. Disconcerting, but I can usually call in and pay over the phone to stay within the two week time budget so as not to be considered late. I do hate it though. I became some time back totally dependent on keeping up with life by having bills come on time. Now I'm mixed up trying to decide what 'seems' like it may be late and what is not.
Some early sleet, but I think we are going to be okay starting this afternoon. We didn't get more than slightly above a dusting for snow, but the problem remained the sleet/ice mixture that was in it. Our temps will slowly rise and by Wednesday will reach 60 if weatherman is correct. Just how it see-saws this time of yr. It will be inconsistent just enough to be totally irritating. I'm thinking Spring every day now with my daisies Hurry Spring.
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While nerves can regenerate, there is no guarantee that the sensation will be the same: you can have areas of paresthesia or increased sensation or both. I have that area of paresthesia on my right inner leg that the neurologist felt was related to a compression injury during my surgery which may or may not resolve. It is more annoying than painful but there are days when it is quite sensitive to touch so even clothing sets it off.
Today we had an ice storm and the Japanese maple branches outside the bay window looks like delicate, fine lace as do the wild scrub trees in the woods behind us. The pines look more like crocheted pieces like doilies. It is above freezing so these works of art are shortlived. I just noticed a birds nest in the azalea near the back yard. It is tightly woven small branches/grass and I am eager to explore it when it thaws. It looks too big to be the hummingbird's but its delicacy makes me wonder. I'll share my findings later. Currently it is gray and overcast but it is supposed to get sunny by late afternoon.
Found several more boxes in garage that contain basement materials so I will unpack them, make decisions regarding disposition and hopefully this is the end of unpacking for that area. DH still has so much to sort through and I'd rather not witness that. A reality check for him for sure.
Have a nice day. Welcome to our new contributing member.
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Hi Katherine,. I remember my under arm hurting for quite awhile. Even now I need to keep stretching my arm up to keep full range of motion with it. This is probably all in my head, but that's how it feels.
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KathrynW - Welcome! It has been just over 5 years since my lumpectomy and I still occasionally experience pain with the node incision, especially if I over-exercise. I recollect on my 7 days post op visit that it felt like I had an extreme case of razor burn. Also, used a small pillow to "shield" that tender underarm area. "Exercises" others recommended are helpful as well. Ultimately, I had to insist on the Dr ordering PT to regain improved range of motion in my surgical arm. You may also find yourself feeling what a lot of us have termed "zingers" in your surgical breast, a part of the nerve healing process, I believe.
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Welcome Katherine - we are a small group and sometimes get "chatty" about our lives beyond BC, but are here for each other.
Betrayal - I loved your description of the ice on your yard. Very descriptive.
A "cold" streak for Phoenix - Ken is wearing his leather jacket to walk Mutz in the early morning and no golf for me this week because of the cold and rain.
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Welcome, Katherine. The dirty little secret of lumpectomy is that the SLNB (axillary) incision is peskier than the tumor incision. Mine formed a seroma the size of a small lemon (or clementine tangerine), which ruptured 3 weeks post-op: the day after the steri-strips were removed (they didn't fall off by themselves and my RO removed them at our initial consult). My surgeon's NP wanted it to heal from the inside, and have me pack it with dressings twice a day for 3-6 weeks. Nope. Not gonna happen. Had a folk music conference to attend out in Iowa in a couple of weeks. The NP called in my surgeon's partner, who took one look and said it would have to be sutured:the weight of my very large breast (yeah, even with a chunk removed) pulled it open and it'd never have healed on its own. I could hear it hiss & squish as he expressed as much serous fluid as he could. But it was so numb I didn't even feel the suture needle. (Healed perfectly in two weeks and had the sutures removed the day before I left for Iowa).
An aside is that the seroma was what brought me here. I googled "exploding axillary seroma" and up came a BCO thread titled "M-m-m-My Seroma." After I did a Danny Thomas-worthy spit take with my coffee (I was a Knack fan), I looked it up and joined BCO.
And now the continuing saga of The Dresses. Yesterday the navy one from David's Bridal arrived--good thing I ordered a size 14, because it fit my bust like a glove. (Good thing I own a minimizer bra). But I was able to slip it on over my head without unzipping it, which is promising. Showed the photo to Leslie, and she loves it. Now waiting for the Azazie & the remaining Holy Clothing dresses before I make my decision--but thus far the David's Bridal MOB dress is the front runner for the ceremony, with the burgundy Holy Clothing Ophelia Mini for the rehearsal dinner.
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mistyeyes, I was thinking about you and wondered if you would pop in. Glad to see you.
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Cindy, now you know why we journey to MN for four months of summer. I hate heat and humidity. And hurricanes. The three h's.
Yesterday I googled Wordle and did the first word puzzle after it took me a while to figure out the "rules." I play a wordscape game daily that I have on my phone. Also a sudoku game and a spider solitaire. Each one has a daily challenge. It's very relaxing and I figure that exercising my brain is good.
Mardi Gras is in full force in New Orleans and surrounding towns with frequent parades. DH and I have "done" parades in past years and collected shopping bags of beads and throws. So we're not participants. But the news brings the color and celebration into the house making us a part of it. Mardi Gras is a family tradition for many people.
Betrayal, I love how you enjoy your winter scenery. And you do have a talent for description.
Happy Saturday.
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You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, in pain, experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain and learn to accept it, not as a curse or punishment, but as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose.
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Ah, the sun is out this a.m. so nice and bright. I feel uplifted. I also can relate that my mammogram just done turned out to be negative for issues. I have a My Chart acct. for the hospital so get the results of any test the minute the test is done and read. It saves the pain of waiting to get the letter in the mail. The tech who did the wok was really nice and concerned about being rough since she didn't want to cause any pain from the surgical sites. I really appreciated that. I always tell them to use as much pressure as they can since I don't want to have to have anything extra done. This time I didn't. Still sounded okay.
Still haven't gotten back to the lab for the special urine test I have to do over. Partly waiting for the roads to clear. I don't drive daily -- in fact, driving is a rare occurrence for me since this just past Oct./Nov when all my med issues bubbled up -- so I wasn't anxious to get on the road while there was ice predicted to be there. I once didn't think all that much about it, but much more aware that I'm out of practice. I do have clearance to drive now, but daughter still is using my car while we await her hubby's return. We expect this to happen fairly soon, but then he will have to work on one of their cars before I get mine back.
A few things to do today. We celebrated last night, and I ate two pieces of pizza as Kate was promoted to manager where she works. Anyway, I've been careful as of late with my salt intake, so the pizza didn't cause any adversities. I always worry but I've done pretty well. Only had to use my Lasix and potassium twice since it was dc' ed from daily use to as needed.
Hope you all have a great day with good weather.
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Illinoislady, what sodium restriction are you on? Did your doc give you a milligram max? You do need some sodium in your diet to maintain homeostasis. There are foods that conatin ridiculous amounts of sodium and fat such as Ramen noodles that taste marvelous but contain a day's worth of salt/fat requirements. You can eat them when you are a teen but they are not on the diet of most older folks. If you think a food will contain too much salt you can always throw a raw potato into it while it is cooking, the potato will absorb the sodium and then you just toss it.
Glad your mammo was fine. When I worked I was driving daily and now that I am retired, I have to remember to check the gas gauge because I am not doing a gas fillup every other week. I do need gas now and while my car is not a gas guzzler, it needs premium gas which is expensive. So my next foray will be to the gas station before I go elsewhere.
Congratulations to Kate on her promotion!
Sandy, the dress for my DD wedding was from David's and when I tried it on a mother and daughter who were prom shopping told me this was the dress. I had commented on the daughter's selection of prom dresses since I know that whatever mom says usually gets rejected and while her daughter was changing she asked if I would continue to critique her choices. I said yes and she offered to do the same for me. Daughter also chimed in on my choices when I got it down to just two. I ended up with a royal blue and loved it. The girl ended up with an absolutely beautiful dress that was so flattering. Both daughter and mom loved the dress so we all ended up in win-win situations. So glad the dress fit so well.
Thanks ladies for the comments on my descriptions. I am glad you were able to visualize what I was seeing.
It is sunny but only high 30's today with a breeze that makes it feel colder. Will focus on laundry and basement today. Have a good weekend.
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Hi Petite - I read often, but don't always post. I had ankle stabilization surgery with titanium anchors, so I am recovering from that, but it is getting better.
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Betrayal, I can have as much as 1800 mgs. of salt a day but I try to keep it around 1500 to 1600 -- not because I like too, but to be able to do things like have something like a couple piece of pizza that I normally avoid. Also, sometimes Kate isn't thinking about it and tosses some of the packaging for things she cooks -- then we don't know what I'm getting. So far I've done fairly well, but I have by-passed a lot of things I really like. At the same time (thinking biscuits and gravy here) those foods are fattening as well so better that I keep those highly minimum.
ETA: mistyeyes -- hoping th rest of recovering goes very smooth for you.
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I try to keep my salt around 1500 mg also. I've learned to make sure to read the numbers for Indian Foods. Many Indian dinners have very high salt content. I've wondered if it's because of the heat and humidity there that makes high salt content necessary. After a while eating low salt, some things are too salty tasting for me to enjoy.
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I'm very sensitive to salty tastes too. I find myself diluting soups quite often. Haven't checked the sodium content of my favorite Tasty Bite palak paneer (all their other foods are too carby); now I dread it. My ankles or rings tell me if I've been overdoing it--much less often now.
Bit the bullet and swapped my 4-yr-old Apple Watch 4 for a 7. (Got $150 for the trade-in). Bigger face, compass, better heart sensor and built-in pulse-ox. Nice not to have to put the clip on my fingertip; and I can use more opaque nail polish too. Also, its fall-detector emergency calling can give map coordinates, in case I get K.O.'ed. (You never know). On the way back to the car I cut through Nordstrom's looking for either dressy navy or gold flats or sandals (the kids' wedding recessional will be a 4-block "second line" jazz parade over cobblestoned Chartres St.--there will be a pedicab for the mobility-impaired or those clueless enough to have worn high heels). But I saw nothing lower than a higher version of kitten heels (my gold Stuart Weitzman strappy sandals are too high-heeled to handle cobblestones); and the only gold flats I saw were impossibly narrow & pointy-toed Jimmy Choos, Badgley Mishkas and Tory Burches (which cost more than all the clothes I'll be bringing put together). The only navy ones were Dansko leather slingbacks with a slight wedge--but a very comfortable-looking round toe. Leslie mentioned her mom would be wearing Danskos, so maybe those were the ones I saw. I ordered a bunch of shoes from Zappos (gold flat pumps in 3 different sizes, navy slingback flats and navy low not-quite-flat block heels). My goal is to keep one pair each in navy & gold and ship the rest back. Wish me luck.
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Petite1, I will definitely talk to my surgeon and PT after the second surgery. I was given some exercises and one sounds like the itsy bitsy spider.
Thanks for the advice
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Cindy NY, icing is a great idea. It’s helping a lot!
Thanks
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ChiSandy, that exploding seroma does not sound fun! I don't think I have one. I'm starting to see a dent in my armpit where it was more swollen last week. I'm starting to think the drain is part of my pain and maybe a seroma at my elbow. I Hopi to find out Tuesday.
Dresses huh? I ordered several from Azazie for my niece's wedding. I loved most of them and ended up buying one that was on deep discount. They have that program to buy the retired samples. I got a $500 dress for $79. Of course it cost $100 to hem three layers of skirt, but it was beautiful.
Thanks to all who have welcomed me! I look forward to chatting and sharing.
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Kathryn, I did the "itsy-bitsy spider" even though my surgeon's original NP told me not to do any exercises. Her successor, however, thought it was a fine idea. Interestingly, when a year and a half later I started with a personal trainer at the gym, that was one of the post-workout stretches he had me do!
The ready-to-ship Azazie I ordered is the Francine in Plum (Leslie's mom is wearing the Julia, same color).
The exploding seroma was a total surprise. When my RO removed my Steri-Strips, he said I could go back to wearing my underwire bras if I wanted to. The wires & sides didn't touch either of my incisions. But the next day, as I was leaning over the sink to get close to the mirror to floss, I heard a hissing sound. At first (for a nanosecond) I thought it was one of my cats--a male that was neutered late and liked to spray. But then I remembered he'd died months before, neither of my current ones were urine-markers, and there was no cat in the bathroom with me. I looked down and saw and felt a spreading wetness on my sweater...and blood-tinged fluid dripping on the edge of the sink. (Same orange color as my sweater, in fact). I grabbed a bunch of towels and pressed them to my chest while I called the hospital--which put me on hold only to tell me there was no nurse available! In desperation I called the surgeon's office--hadn't thought to earlier because she was operating that day and I assumed her NP would be in the OR with her (as my ortho surgeon's PA had been for both my knee replacements). When the NP picked up, she said to come in to the Breast Center STAT. Fortunately, my housekeeper hadn't left yet, so she drove me up there--seemed like the longest half-hour of my life.
After my surgeon's partner drained & sutured it, the axillary seroma began to shrink almost immediately. By the end of the 3 weeks of radiation. it was smaller than a walnut; and a month later, by Christmas, the size of a grape.
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BTW, when I had my wedding I chose the bridesmaids' and flower girls' dresses--but my family paid for them. I wasn't about to stick them with the cost of buying something they'd never wear again. Leslie's letting her bridesmaids (her two sisters) pick their own dresses as long as they fit the color scheme.
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As I experience it, appreciation of beauty is access to the soul. With beauty in our lives, we walk and carry ourselves more lightly and with a different look in our eyes. To look into the eyes of someone beholding beauty is to look through the windows of the soul. Anytime we catch a glimpse of soul, beauty is there; anytime we catch our breath and feel "How beautiful!," the soul is present. -Jean Shinoda Bolen
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ChiSandy,
Did the seroma not cause pain? I just assumed they would hurt
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Our greatest experiences are our quietest moments. -Friedrich Nietzsche
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The results from my labs came in from the cancer center - all normal. My bone scan was today. The left hip is the only problem.
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Yay petite on you labs from cancer center. Hope the bone scan is good too.
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My mother was an accomplished seamstress so when I married she made her gown and coat, my wedding gown, and the wedding gowns for my 3 bridesmaids. My MIL was a milliner so she made my headpiece and veil and the hats worn by the bridesmaids. My gown was a combination of two different patterns since I liked the top of one and the bottom of another. We paid for the bridesmaids dress material and the hats so they had no wedding related expenses other than their shoes. The florist had gone to HS with my DF and he made all the bouquets, the boutonniere's, the corsages for the mothers and the flowers for the church. I wanted Calla Lilies for my bouquet and because I married the day before Mother's Day, he had to force grow the Calla Lilies since they were out of season. When I got the bill, I was so surprised that it was far less expensive than I anticipated since it was Mother's Day weekend and the flowers were so luxurious. She had leftover material from my wedding gown so when it came time to christen my DD, she made a christening gown and hat from this material. It was a long gown with hand embroidery on it and the hat. I also used it for my DS. I did not inherit this gene for sewing, alas. I merely dabble.
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What a wonderful story, Betrayal. My Mom and I made my wedding dress, going away outfit and two bridesmaids dresses. The other two made their own although I don't remember if I paid for the material or not. Suspect I did and sent it and patterns to them. My sister wore the bridal gown with a different veil. When it became clear that neither of our daughters would wear the dress, we let my niece wear it for her lead in "The Pirates of Pinzanne." Ken and I traveled from Maine to Boston to see her in it. Janet has it saved but I don't see any of the next generation wanting it either. My great nieces are much taller than either of us and I have no grandchildren. One of my cousins has my grandmother's lace handkerchief. I can't even guess how many have carried that as "something old." I should remind my sister to track it down as her 6 granddaughters are probably the next brides.
Warmer weather this week. I'll be glad to get back to the golf course.
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Taco's post keeps showing as unread, so I am posting to test, since there have apparently been no posts for 20 hours.
Well, that works.
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