Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Aw, Rekidal, I think you need tons of HUGS. That would be a long way to travel without a real benefit. I don't know what to say, except we're here to support you! More HUGS!!!!!
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Thanks Peggy.0 -
Nash, congratulations! Great news.
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Jeanelle, thinking only positive thoughts for you!
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Congrats on the great news Nash!
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Nash, Congrats!!
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Thank you kayfry
I saw you did rad treatments. I'm concerned about having to do them too. The whole not being able to do radiation in the future and possible damage to lungs and heart. I haven't had my post op check yet...
What led you to decide to do rad treatment?
Are you going to take tamoxifen too?
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Funny, I didn't want to do radiation (who does?), but my decision was based both on my own research and on my surgeon's recommendations. Where I'm getting my treatment, it's pretty standard that if you have a lumpectomy, you also have radiation. I also think that's pretty standard at most places, although there are some professionals who believe that if you meet certain criteria—having a small, low-grade lesion, having wide margins, along with age at dx (older being "better," in this case), you MIGHT be able to safely skip radiation, but there isn't wide agreement on this. The statistics, too, show that having rads after lx reduces the local recurrence rate by at least 50%, though not the survival rate. That's because a recurrence will likely be treatable, but it's also true that half of all recurrences of DCIS are invasive when they're found. So then "treatable" might involve more than just another lx, it might also involve, for example, chemo. And yes, it's also true that you can't do radiation twice on the same breast, so if it does come back, or a new tumor/DCIS is diagnosed, then a mastectomy would be necessary to treat. BUT, with lx and rads, the recurrence rate is pretty low. I did consider, briefly, having a mx instead of lx in order to avoid rads. But I opted for the less invasive surgery, quicker recovery, and keeping most of the breast. I recovered easily and well, and now I'm 8 treatments into a 19-treatment rads course. So far I have zero side effects from the rads, and the travel time to treatment has been the worst of it. I may have some SEs before I'm done, probably will, but I hope they'll be minimal. My DCIS was at 6 o'clock; my RO showed me my treatment plan on the computer and it was a great relief to see that my heart is not even getting any radiation even though I'm a lefty, and my lung is getting such a small dose that the RO assures me it will have no detrimental effects, so it's not always a given that you'll have any damage at all to heart & lungs. I would rather not be doing it at all, but I feel that would be taking a bigger chance than I'm willing to take. It really hasn't been bad. I'm not taking tamoxifen because I'm ER/PR negative. If I'd been positive, my BS would have strongly urged me to take it, but I might have refused anyway. As it turned out, there's no reason for me to take it. These are all hard decisions, but with a lx and grade 2 DCIS, rads is pretty strongly recommended.
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My BS didn't even give me the chance to decide what I wanted. I was dx on Dec 1st and my lx was on the 8th. There seemed to be a rush on their part to get it done before the holidays. There is so little "choice" in all this so it really bites when your choices are removed. I could still do a umx but I found out that I can't do nipple sparing and that even with TE's I would need to be a lot smaller. Sometimes it feels like the choices I have are bad vs bad. I really hope that I will start feeling more.positive! I am also trying to quit smoking (I am a closet smoker...). I just feel that it is another thing being taken away...which is totally not logical... I know.
I have my set up appt for rads on Monday (33). We also just moved so I'm not looking forward to 2.5 hrs in the car everyday!!! DH is committed to coming with me but I think his enthusiasm will wear off quickly.
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Oh my, JJOntario. You certainly were hurried right along. Hopefully, you will feel more positive about having breast conserving surgery down the road. I know that you probably should quit smoking but concentrate on completing your treatment and getting your life settled a bit and then tackle it. It is very stressful to try and cope with BC and quitting smoking at the same time. One thing at a time! That's a bummer that you have to travel so far for your rads. I assume there isn't a facility closer. UGH. You may find that you enjoy the quiet time commuting to your rads. If DH goes with you, that will be very nice. The actual time spent at the radiation facility is usually less than 15 minutes (at least mine was). But you will get through it. You've been dealt a dirty deal. We can't change that. But we can offer support for you and help you see that the world really hasn't ended - it's just different than it was 6 months ago. Many HUGS!!!!
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JJ: Know what you mean about being rushed. Appointments with my BS have been like speed dating.
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JJ and Surprised, it must be awful to be rushed through your appointments without a chance to even think about what's been presented. I'm so sorry. I'm really lucky that none of my oncs do that to me. Hope you're able to slow them down with your next appointments. HUGS!
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Peggy—I'm happy to say that both the MO and the RO gave me plenty of time. I see the BS for what I assume will be the final time this week.
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Suprised, glad to hear that. When you have good docs, the bad ones (or insensitive ones) really stand out. HUGS!!
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Hi everyone, not sure I have posted lately- LOL was taking some oxi after surgery and doing some really ummm interesting thing. But I did have surgery March 3 where I had both ovaries removed and many hernias- he called them swiss cheese hernias fixed on my old incision. But the best news of all the ovaries were cancer free!!
Sorry if I posted this before, but I sure do not do well on drugs- happy to say I am not needing them anymore just healing from a big incision from my belly button to my pubic bones but all is well
well other than hot flashes- ick!! 0 -
NDGrrl, So glad you are past the removal of your ovaries and that they were CLEAR!! Nice to get all those hernias fixed at the same time too. At least you're off the happy drugs. You'll get through the hot flashes even if they are annoying. Just glad you're on the road to recovery! HUGS!!!
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NDGrrl, you have been through a lot! I'm so glad you got great news, and that you are now on the mend. Glad you at least were able to get lots of things taken care of in your surgery, since you had to go through it. And glad you're off the happy pills, which many of us find don't make us happy at all.
I got past the halfway mark in rads today, 9 of 19. Thought I'd zip through without a care in the world, but I've started seeing some skin reaction, not too bad. Trying to keep it under control so it doesn't get worse, though I realize I there's only so much I can do. Yesterday afternoon I started to feel a bit tired, but dismissed it as just being, you know, tired. Today it's kind of sat on my shoulders most of the day, this strange fatigue, so I guess it's really a thing. I exercised anyway, tried to do my work, walked the dogs. Early to bed and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Can't wait to finish this.
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Kay, make sure to slather on the Aquaphor or whatever you are using to protect your skin. I found it very hard to tell what was radiation fatigue and the total exhaustion I felt from caring for DH. Keep doing what you can but don't overdo. I think your body needs a bit of extra rest while going through rads. Almost halfway through! HUGS!!!
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Thanks, Peggy. I'm using the Miaderm instead of Aquaphor, since that's what my hospital recommends, but last night I also used a bit of 1% hydrocortisone cream on the itchy red spots, and that helped. Also went back to the comfy, stretchy, soft Coobie bra for now, which also is helping. I, a night owl (normally) am going to bed very shortly, too. Trying to eat lots of protein plus fruits and veggies, drink lots of water, keep exercising. The tiredness seemed to come over me so suddenly, it was a surprise. Hoping I adjust and it won't be too bad. Tomorrow is number 10, so it will go quickly.
I've been pushing to make a deadline for a book that was becoming increasingly impossible to imagine actually making. So today my lovely editor let me know that it's totally fine and I should put getting healthy first and not worry about the deadline, that we will make whatever adjustments are necessary. Realistically, if I don't make the deadline, the publication date of this book will have to be delayed by a few months or half a year, which I don't want. But hearing her say that (even though I knew she would, because she's great and she knows all about what's going on with my own current health issue and my family, as well)—hearing her say it took a weight off of me. I hadn't wanted to admit to myself that I might not be able to pull it off, but now I feel as if it'll be okay, and I kind of have permission to take however long it takes to get through treatment and finish the job when I can. Given that I feel ridiculously exhausted right now, this is a good thing!
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Hi had my lumpectormy exactly two weeks ago, pleased that lymph nodes had no cancer and that it caught very early. I so far am anticipating having radiation. Fearful of taking the hormones like Tamoxifen etc, because of some of the adverse reacitions I have read about, including possibly causing cancer in other parts of the body.
Questions. After two weeks is it normal to have hard scar tissue? Also is it okay to do the weight training arm machines at the gym?
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Kay, you DO have a wonderful editor. I can understand you wanting to hit your deadline but I also know that it's hard to fight through the fatigue and exhaustion that comes with everything. Do what you can and try not to sweat what you can't! Whatever works for your radiation irritation is good!
Florida2015, would you mind making your profile public? It really helps us know what you've gone through and then those of us with similar experiences can better answer your questions. When taking the anti-hormonal drugs, remember not everyone has SEs. A lot of us don't. I can't speak to tamoxifen since I'm post-menopausal and on Arimidex (generic).
I would think two weeks is quite soon to have hard scar tissue. Maybe a hematoma? Ask your surgeon. I was told not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for 3 weeks after my lumpy. That seems to be pretty much the general advice most of us have received. Give your body a chance to heal and recover. The surgery is major and is quite a shock to the body. Anyway, I would wait awhile longer before using the weights. Some of the ladies here may be able to speak to it more specifically than I can since I don't do weights. HUGS!!!
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Thank you kayfry I appreciate your response. Post op is this Thursday. Right now things are going pretty well. I just keep having a tendency to do too much and then I get tired and lumpectomy site gets sore. Still have steri strips in place.
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Peggy, it was really the mental stress that my editor helped alleviate for me yesterday. I'm still planning to keep working away at the book, as best I can, but now I'm not beating myself up as much if I get little or nothing done on a given day. I know I need to take time to heal, both mentally and physically. So, earlier to bed, lots of walks with my pups, and riding my horse as much as I can, including this afternoon. I'm guessing not much work will get done today
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Funny, my steri strips were also very tenacious. I removed them, I think, only the night before my post-op, just because I figured if I didn't, someone else would. My husband, a retired ER doc, gave me a tip about how to do it gently without causing any skin damage: massage in some kind of greasy ointment (I used Bacitracin), right over the strips, very gently. That will loosen the adhesive and they'll come off easily. But if you leave them on for your appointment, I'm sure that's no problem either. Hope the post-op goes well, and that all of your questions are answered.
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Kay, that's what I thought. Just being given breathing room can help immensely. 10 down; 9 to go! Over halfway!!
My steri-strips also hung on forever. My BS said to just leave them till they fall off. It was 4 or 5 weeks. By then I was sure that everything was healed. They came off easily (the ones on my SLNB incision came off much sooner).
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I love my work, as a rule, which is a good thing since the pay isn't that great. But since my dx and especially now, with rads, I have often said to myself that if I just didn't have the job to do, I could manage all of this pretty well. A good friend has often said, over the years, that one can manage to keep 2 or even 3 balls in the air, but if you get tossed that 4th ball, sometimes that's the one that you can't quite keep up there. Or one of the other ones will get dropped, something has to give. With my BC, and our son-in-law's serious health setback that happened right before my dx, and all the issues he and our daughter face, and my dogs and my horse and my husband's retirement and then un-retirement, and my elderly mother who needs watching over even though she's half a country away, I guess I have more than the requisite number of balls in the air. As it is, since starting rads I have felt time-stressed constantly, and that's probably not good at a time that's already stressful enough in every way. So I'm going to try to become more Zen, if that's possible. Metaphorically-speaking.
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It is really hard when you have far too much going on, Kay. I totally understand. I had been caring for DH for 4 years without help and was beyond stressed when I got my dx. In my mind, I think the stress was a contributing factor to getting BC. No way to actually prove it, of course. So if you can reduce your stress level by at least one "ball", Kay, that would be a great thing. Don't knock your head against the wall for things you can't change or influence! HUGS!!
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KayFry -- Love the balls analogy. That's what we said about going to night law school -- could do three things well -- work, family, marriage or school, but four was just too many. Sounds like you've got 5 or 6 balls up there. Please take care of yourself. Maybe more time with the pups? Mine are so excited when Mom comes home and after they get a short walk and dinner are very content to curl up with me and let me talk to them they way I cannot talk to anyone else, even the DH (who has been really supportive, but is very scared by all this).
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Peggy, that must have been unimaginably rough to keep up the care for your husband, all alone, for 4 years. That's stress. I'm so glad things are more settled down for you now, and I aim to get there myself ASAP.
Scubawoman, today (after rads) was mostly all about my pups and my horse. Is it a coincidence that I also felt far less fatigued than I did yesterday, despite being busy all day, taking a brisk walk up and down hills with the dogs, and then having a very physically demanding (but mentally satisfying) riding lesson with one of my best friends, and then letting our two young dogs have a brief play date? No work on my book whatsoever, and I'm not worried about it. Yay. Dogs are the best, aren't they?
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Kay, it WAS rough. However, I didn't realize how bad it was until the boys came while I recovered from my surgery and didn't have any of DH's care to do. Then I realized that I couldn't cope anymore. It has been a relief to have him in a nursing home. (now if only Medicaid would come through). You'll get there, too. Sometimes it is hard but you're determined.
Dogs and cats are the best. They listen and love you no matter what. Couldn't live without them. Glad you're feeling better today.
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