MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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I went to a PS for a consult, just to see. He said he could do a "lunch time" implant on me in 45 minutes and I could walk out with breasts! I STILL didn't do it..... After all I've read, I just don't see how that could work.
Diana, it sounds like the PS WANTS you to come back again, then. She doesn't like not getting that 50% that never come back because they're happy. That's sad.
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Sometimes you feel like a money maker. She said that the implant would go behind my muscle and then she would use donor tissue as well. I am getting a second opinion on 3/1. The stress of this is really starting to effect my whole day. It is hard to get it out of my head.
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Hi ladies , I am 43 and single . I recently was diagnosed with LCIS and I have the worst BS ever . my stereotactic biopsy was the worst for me , then waiting for the results were worse .. then she says LCIS is "NOT CANCER" we just take it out and thats all .. well thats nice so Feb 7th I had a wire placed and was taken to OR for excisional biopsy .. when I awoke she said and all is good and walked away. I was then told a while later I can get dressed .. oh devistated and my poor already small boob was now deflated .. noone told me that ..
then I had to argue to get a rx for zofran an anti nausea med as the pain pills make me sick ... what a circus .. next day I see redness and circles and swelling and its warm ..my daughter called surgeon and she couldnt be botherd. my daughter takes me to ER and post op infection ...wbc increased .. IV antibiotics and more pain meds and sent home with oral antibiotics for 10 days ...so now today is my post op appt and guessing path results .. I have an intraductal pappilomotosis as well ... wondering if this biopsy will bring me more bad news and what are the chances they found something else ..I have posted on LCIS and microcalcifications and find noone really talks much to me .. so i figured I would try to post here with ladies my age and maybe find some comfort and support somewhere .. I am full of anxiety and fear ... thank you for your time 0 -
Hi Lisamarie, that sounds horrible. Sounds like you need a new surgeon. I had to find a new one recently as mine wanted to do a mastectomy but never told me about skin sparing and his reasoning was that he didn't do them. I had DCIS and LCIS over 7 yrs ago. I am not sure if it were just the LCIS alone if my doctor would have had the same responce as yours. You can ask for a copy of all you lab results and go to another doctor. I hope things get better for you.
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Thanks dianaose , I also found a lump in my armpit on same side as biospsy site . My daughter and I found another surgeon .. I have an appt in a couple weeks . the ER doc ssays i needed to keep this post op appt because no other surgeon will touch anothers work UGH !!!! I am really worried they will find something more than LCIS and how common is that ?? I bought Dr Susan Loves breast book and recent studies show that LCIS can turn into ICS .. oh boy this waiting is really making me CRAZY ..thank u for responding
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Welcome, lisamarie68! Let us know how your appt. goes and what the final pathology is. If you are unhappy with the BS, I would really encourage you to find another before you get your additional biopsy. It is a pain switching doctors, but very worth it in the long run. Is your upcoming biopsy going to be excisional or done with the core needle? I ask because I have heard that if you have more than one papilloma, they usually like to take them out anyway. With multiple papillomas there may be a very slight increase for B/C in the breast. Check into that with the doctor and your own online research.
LCIS is no picnic, but at least it was not trying to spread. While the LCIS has no business being there, unlike ILC, it is not trying to conquer other territories in your body. Sorry you had to deal with infection on top of everything. Give your "small boob" a little more time to heal and fill in. It may not end up as deflated as it seems now.
Happy to support you here. Are you Elvis' daughter?
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thanks Elimar ... Id like to say yes im Elvis daughter but im not ...lol .. I already had stereotactic doe thats how they found LCIS and then Feb 7th I had a wire inserted and had excisional biopsy .. upon this I have no further information..I dont know what she removed and I am just frustrated ... today is my post op appt ... I hate to see her as I really dont like her at all... Im glad u ladies are talking to me ... I am just trying to get through the day until my appointment .. I appreciate all of this so much
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Welcome Dianarose and lisamarie. Sorry you are in the club, but you will find lots of support and information here. I just got back from my 1 year mammogram and 3 month radiation appointment. All is well. He says I look great! I was asking him about the reconstruction. I had immediate reconstruction and then had radiation after. I had flap reconstruction. PS told me the chances of not failing were much better with flap surgery and then radiation rather than implants. I know a lot of women on the boards have had implants after radiation though. Sherry is doing it soon. Not sure if anyone ever had implants before radiation. It was nice to always have two breasts, but flap is a more difficult, longer surgery than implants. But then you don't have to do the fills you do with implants, so it is less surgeries. Something to look into. I am very happy with my results.
Waiting to hear from madpeacock. I'm sure you'll be getting good news too. Will check back later.
Thanks for bringing the treats Claire! Chocolate covered strawberries are one of my favorites!
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Okay, I'm back from my mamo and all I can say is OUCH! That really hurt to get squished on the surgery site. Well it's over now and the first report was all clear and good but I will wait to hear from the RO before celebrating. Thanks for the support, I really helps! Welcome Dianarose and lisamarie but sorry you have to be here because of BC. You will find lots of support and good experience information here that you won't find in your research. BCO is a great place though for straight forward factual information also. Okay, now I'm tired from my stress so I think I'll just take a nap and come back to visit later. Kitty
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lisamarie, I'm sorry you had such a difficult start with treatment. I would also encourage you to find a doctor you trust, who will spend the time explaining things to you. It makes a huge difference. Was there a post-surgical report or path report you can ask for?
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kittygirl- it is nice to see good news posted here. I never went on any sites before because I was afraid it was going to be all doom and gloom. I had a major melt down yesterday, but I am feeling stronger as I keep reading everyone's stories. Thanks to all of you. I have a major fear of anesthesia and I think that swayed my decision the first round because my surgeon did my lumpectomy while I was awake. I think that is effecting my decision again now that it is back on the other side. I am going to try to concentrate on making a decision keeping that out of the picture for now. Am I the only one with this fear??? I feel like a baby about it.
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Lisa Marie welcome to the middies. sorry you had to make it here but it is a great bunch of ladies. Sounds like your BS is a nightmare. I would get another BS after this post op appointment but I don't think it is true that another BS would not touch another ones work. Through this journey I have switched BS's and MO's and am much happier with my team now than before.
Dianarose-the fat grafting is basically lipo from a harvest area to your breast. From what I have heard and read not 100% of it remains so they usually overfill it when they do it. As for the TE's. I have been under the impression that if you go smaller you can skip the TE, but I don't know of anyone that has stayed the same size or larger and be able to skip the TE. I may be wrong about that and there is a thread on here regarding immediate implants. I'll try to find it and post it in a bit for you. My first BS did not give me all my options either. Not that she did not do all of it she is just very opinionated and only told me what she thought I should do instead of me making the decision. So after another scare in the other breast I am now moving forward with the BMX, but the PS made me wait one year for healing of the rads side. If you decide to do MX and recon on your radiated side you should do pretty well since it has been so long ago for the radiation. They say the longer out you are the better for healing with recon.
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Here are my twin granddaughters that I went to see last weekend.
Faryn
Bella
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Sorry those were so big I tried to make them smaller and it did not work
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Welcome Lisamarie - Sorry you are here with us but as you can already see this is a great bunch of very supportive ladies with lots of stories to share. I am sooo sorry this experience has been so bad for you. A cancer diagnosis is bad enough and then to have this happen - unacceptable in my book. I would definitely look for a new BS. The one you have now sounds like he has the bedside manner of a piss ant.
Sherry - They are sooooo cute!!!
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Diana Rose here is the other thread I was talking about, I hope the link works
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Dianarose, I don't care for general anesthesia either. I never had a bad reaction, so I know I can do fine with it, but I guess it is just my inner control-freak that doesn't like it. I was groggy for a whole day after my lumpectony (although otherwise I felt o.k., no pain.) No, it's not being a baby. Remember, when you are in pre-op they can give you oral drugs for anxiety if you want them. They offered me Versed. I didn't take it, because I wasn't that nervous THEN, and once I was out it would not matter...they just had to make sure they did not screw something up.
Well, kay and kitty, once madp gets back with GOOD news, we can have a regular cotillion ball of HAPPY DANCING.
p.s. Sherryc, Are they identical...looks like they might be fraternal twins?
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Sherry, the BIGGER the better!!! What a couple of DOLLS!!!!!
Lisamarie, I had a doctor not want to help me with a seroma because "it was another doctor's work". I also had a bleed out from a revision and a walk-in clinic doc didn't want to help me. I "assured" her I wouldn't tell, would she just please stop the bleeding!!! Sheesh!!
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Those are the sweetest wee babes I've seen. They make my heart melt.
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cute babies ... I have a 17month old granddaughter and I love her so much .. bless you and the babies .. today I was told that excision confirmed the LCIS and she said there is a chance it can be in the other one as well... and she said its a high risk .. she gave me a choice of tamoxifen and monitoring or PBMX with immediate recon as she said I will be an excellent candidate .. for some reason she was a lot more compassionate and helpful today , she said to take my time making the decision and let her know .. I ask if i do PBMX then im 100 % okay and she said nothing is 100 % but its leaning towards a 0 chance .. I told her I am full of anxiety and stress and cannot keep getting biopsies and tests and keep waiting .. so I am going to Vegas on the 18th to see my mom and I think I am going with the PBMX because I cannot take the stress of this and I will know I did everything I can do and I will feel better about it .. I just want to say thank you all so much for talking with me
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Let the cotillion commence!!
Saw a different PA at the BS office today who went over every detail of both my old, preop mammo and the new one from last week. There was a big, bright mass right behind the tumor location on the new one which was the area of concern.
This is a very dense seroma or fluid pocket left over from my Mammosite radiation. I had terrific problems with drainage after the rads and this pocket still remains. She did a side by side with new & old and even compared the tissue patterns - which had not changed.
All in all, nothing to worry about! Yay!
I do have some swelling and tightness and she recommended a baseline visit with their BC physical therapist. This can rule out any lymphedema, muscle problems, etc., so I thought, why not! I will do this next week. I was teaching aerobics before all the BC mess started, so I was in good shape - and still am - but this tightness and swelling bugs me. I feel it when I reach up high to get something out of the top of the cabinet.
Thanks for being in my pocket today! I just knew with everyone there it was all going to be fine. I will have bilateral diagnostic mammo in July, so hopefully this fluid will be resolving by then.
Oh - and I just want to hug those sweet babies. Mine just turned 13, but she is still just as snuggly.
Party time!!
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GREAT news peacock!! A MUCH better visit.
lisamarie, I had both breasts taken off. It doesn't change the mortality factor, but I was sick of biopsies and lumpectomies (I'd had 5!!), so I was SO done with my breasts. I didn't do recon.
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Woo Hoo! Love all the good news!
Sherry, your granddaughters are just too precious! Are they identical? I have an identical twin, very few people could tell us apart back in the day. Enjoy every minute you spend with them.0 -
madp, I still stretch at home with my hand over head on a door frame; and then again with my hands in the 10:00-2:00 position (fly like an eagle!) and do both stretches leaning slightly forward. The radiation side always feels a little tighter, but I have full range of motion
WE NEED SOME CRAZY WIG-DADDIES FOR THE HAPPY DANCE COTILLION! WOOT WOOT!!!
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madp - Great news! That is what we all like to hear.
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I gotta say that you ladies are WONDERFUL !!!!
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madpecock that is great news. Use the PT it sure helped me after rads. I was so tight and it ended up very painful once in PT they did wonders. Just wished I had done it 5 months earlier.
Lisamarie. I have had 3 lumpectomies and numerous biopsies. I am now having both breast removed with reconstruction the end of March. The last lumpectomy did me in emotionally and I said I'm done. I have felt so much more at peace with this decision. I never felt good about the whole lumpectomy/radiation. Just me but I know what I am doing is the best thing for me. It is a personal decision and you just have to do what feels right for you.
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Kay no they are fraternal twins. One has light hair and the other dark hair so if it stays that way they will be easy to tell apart. So far though Bella looks like her big sisiter Berkley. We have not figured Faryn out yet.
Thanks for all the well wishes on my new granddaughters, I just wished I lived closer to help take care of them. I was lucky when Berkley was born I was not working and the kids lived here. My DIL was in law school so I had Berkley full time and loved it, and we have a very special bond.
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DianaRose--get out of Maine for your consultations. Lumpectomies do not need general anethsesia like they do in Maine. You cannot get a DIEP reconstruction in Maine, you can't even get correct info about that option. Very few surgeons in Maine offer skin or nipple sparing surgeries. The entire bc care system is about 10 years behind everywhere else. I can tell you from experience it's easy to get insurance to cover out of state consults, and my reconstruction was handled as if it were in-network, becuase the procedure isn't available in Maine. Get a referral to one of the Boston hospitals, and start from the beginning with them, you'll do a lot better, trust me.
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Hi Ladies - Just found this thread. I'm 51 years old and was first diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 43. I had a R mx, reconstruction with TE and CMF chemo, 5 years of tamoxifen and then Femara for a year. This past summer I found a lump on the side of my mastectomy and was diagnosed with a recurrence. I had a lumpectomy and axillary node dissection (16 nodes) because they couldn't do another sentinal node due to my previous surgery. My nodes were negative, yeah! I've gone through 4 rounds of AC (yuk) and now am going in today for my 4th Taxol/Herceptin. Thankfully, so far, T/H is much, much better than AC. I'll be doing rads at some point also. I'm taking B-complex and L-glutamine and no neuropathy so far, just a bunch of constipation. Anyway, nice to meet you all! Have a great day!!
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