Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Thank you Doxie for the advice. I work at Target on the presentation team, we are responsible for changing all the aisles for new products/seasons/holidays. So I do a lot of heavy lifting and go up and down ladders...hoping my BS will give the ok to stay out a bit to longer to heal as much as possible...even on light duty I will get stuck cashiering which still requires moving your arms quite a bit.
Thank you again. You lumpies ROCK!!
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Yes, that's a pretty stenuous job to do in a full shift. If you had to wrestle a couple of boxes that would be different. I only had to lift my doxie a few times a day. Go grocery shopping. That was the most.
I'd say you absolutely need two weeks off and should go to a physical therapist who knows about lymphodema. Maybe Target could then put you behind the returns counter, or the one that restocks shelves from stock left at the cashiers. Those seem jobs that you could manage for a couple of weeks into recovery. I believe your employer is required to find accommodations for you and Target is certainly large enough it shouldn't be a problem for them. They had better not disappoint because I'm a customer.
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Good Morning All!
So my surgery went well (July 11th), healing nicely, one lymph node taken and is negative. All positive right? Our follow up appointment was yesterday and we are so confused and shell shocked again! Our Dr kept saying how positive everything was, but I could tell by his body language that it might not have been. My pathology report shows more aggressive than first diagnosed by the biopsy, he really didnt say it but I saw it in his face. He is the type of Dr that kind of throws everything at you and that can be a little overwhelming, especially when I just want to hear what involves me! Dont get me wrong, he is GREAT! But! Having to filter out all his terms, stats, etc. and make the decision of chemo or no chemo is exhausting and so frustrating! We thought that the meeting yesterday was the planning meeting....so not the case.
So, I didnt realize that I will have to take all the stats (which I cannot find) and make the decision of having chemo or not. This is so hard to explain how I feel....I guess I was just hoping that we would get a diagnosis and the Dr would tell us what we needed to do. Isnt that the way we usually work with Dr's? lolol How am I supposed to make this kind of decision? I am not anauthority on BC, but I guess I need to be... And where do I get the statistics on my cancer? He is recommending the Oncotype test to determine if I fall within the range of people who benefit with the chemo. Ugh! Another test and waiting! My poor husband has even broken down, this sucks.
Thanks for letting me rant!
Gigi
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GigiS66,
I think one of the hardest things with BC is that the patient is constantly asked to make the decisions. There are so many and all seriously impact our outcomes.
The Oncotype test is a good one to follow through with. It's painless for you, tissue has already be removed. With Grade 2 it's sometimes hard for them to advise you on whether or not to have chemo. Hopefully the results will give you the direction to go. It's not always clear what to do if your recurrence score lands in the mid intermediate zone.
So glad the surgery went well.
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GIGI
I agree with Doxie. The onco test is a study done on the existing tissue and gives a basic idea of percentage of recurrence. I suggest you have them do it. It takes a couple of weeks to get the results from it. My tumor was grade 3 but because the study showed a fairly low possibility, my MO said that with that an given my age (70 now) that Chemo probably would not be of much benefit for me. I did have Bracheytherapy radiation (that is where a 'balloon' is inserted into the area where the tumor was removed and the zaps were directed right into there. Only took 2 times a day for 5 day other than the 5-6 weeks that external rad. takes. Now I am on Letrozole for 5 years (20 months down, but who's counting..LOL).
Good luck with making your decisions. Feel free to keep posting your questions here, our sisters have some pretty good advice for us...
Vickie
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yes, the hardest part is making all those decisions. And having ALL the info is the best way to start. doctors are there to give their opinions as well. Ask the hard questions, have someone with you for a 2nd set of ears and to right things down. The final pathology report will give you lots of info. Good luck to you!
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Gigi, I'll echo what others are saying about the Oncotype test. Well worth it and the tissue has already been taken so really nothing to do on your part (but wait.....again). I'd also urge you to get a copy of your pathology report so you know exactly what you're dealing with given that you need to make some decisions. Good luck and it's great that surgery went well! Congratulations on being done with that part of the journey!
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GM Gigi - Congrats on lx and speedy healing:)
Yeah, that onco test is offered...gives important info to help make decision on which course of treatment will be most be beneficial for you. Once you and your team have those results you will be better able to determine your next step. Ugh decisions...but informed and armed is vital!
Breathe, give yourself and hubby a hug...use these next weeks to heal
Make it a no c time zone...:)
I took 6 wk break from lx before post op MRI and discussions on next active tx. Felt great...mind spirit and body got a break to regroup, renew, and restore. Maybe you will be able to do the same as you wait for onco test results.
You may also wish to schedule an appointment with another MO after you get results for 2nd opinion...that way you have 2 MOs reviewing & providing game plan. Write your questions down, make 3 copies...MO, hubby, you.
Then set aside and go enjoy today! Go LOL
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(((Hugs)))
Cindy0 -
Oh Gigi!
Make sure you ask for your records...path results from BS and MO!
Keep with all your BC records so you have your history and are able to share for 2nd opinion.
Blow some bubbles...dance, laugh, it's TGIF ! And c is gone !0 -
Gigi, my stats are fairly close to yours (not sure of your age tho). I was 45 and pre-menopausal at the time of diagnosis and when the onco score came back in the mid-range it just backed up what my Dr's had been telling me. I was a good candidate for chemo. I made my mind up before the score came that if it was anything but low, I was going to accept it and get thru it. It's been 10 1/2 months since my last chemo and everything is pretty much back to normal (that means my hair is back now lol). It wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world to go thru but it was very doable. I can honestly say if I had to do it over again, I would. I wanted to throw everything at this damn cancer that I could because I want to live to be an old old woman so I can nag my husband for as long as possible
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You wonderful angels are all so amazing! Thank heavens I found you! Thank you for your words of encouragement and information, I will share them with my husband! Thank you thank you thank you!!
- I have my pathology report, and will make three copies - Check!
- I will wait for the Onco test - Check!
- Will blow some bubbles this weekend!! - Check check! Good advice RMlulu!
- Oh and Chell45, I am 47yo and was just entering menopause
Much love and hugs from Vermont!
Gigi
0 - I have my pathology report, and will make three copies
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Gigi, I agree with everyone on the onctype test. They already have the tumor, so no pain!! My plan was to have lumpectomy, radiation then hormone therapy. But when the onc test came back at a score of 32(high side) then chemo came into the picture. I agree with Chell45, the idea of chemo is blah but to know its going to kick any cancer germs I have any part of my bodys butt, makes it worth it.
Like RMlulu said make it a no c time zone, breath relax enjoy...
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Hi Lumpies-
I am a newbie and have been an frequent reader for the past three weeks as I worked through the pre surgery testing -- you angels have already helped more than you could ever know! My annual mammo showed microcalcifications, so went back for focused mammo. Stereotactic biopsy of the spot was traumatic -- I nearly passed out on the table. The biopsy site bled and bled despite pressure, ice, etc. I had to return several hours later for new bandage.... But I digress..... Dx was DCIS, about 2cm at 3:00 position. I saw my BS, she explained my options, I settled on Lx and rads, tentatively scheduled surgery date (7/30) and scheduled MRI to check for anything else.....MRI showed "suspicious area" same breast, that lit up on contrast..... Next another mammo and US to see what that might be. Suspicious area completely clear on mammo (despite contorted and painful squishing of my bruised girl) so they couldn't find it. So back to imaging for an MRI guided biopsy -- here I was thankful to these boards because no one offered me any help with my obvious anxiety, so I called my GYN who gave me a little Xanax to take beforehand -- made all the difference! Long story short, this biopsy found more DCIS and a small invasive cancer in the same quadrant of the "bad breast."
My BS, who is awesome, says a larger lumpectomy will be fine with the addition of SNB, so I am keeping the July 30 date. She has asked me to meet with a plastic surgeon who will work with her during surgery to reposition some breast tissue to make sure I don't turn out too lopsided, LOL! I keep telling everyone that my first immediate priority is to be well enough to get on a plane Aug. 19 with my DH and DS to take my son to college on the other side of the country. All docs say no problem.... But I am a worrier, so that is tugging me down a bit -- am I being realistic? I already feel like this disease is taking away my last summer with my only kiddo at home!
Second question, given the horrible experience I had with the stereotactic biopsy and the super smooth experience I had with Xanax on board for the MRI biopsy, is there something I can ask for to take the edge off during wire localization and SNB injection? My "bad girl" is still super bruised from the second biopsy -- will that make all this preop stuff more painful? Apparently lidocaine is not sufficient for anxious me, guess I am just a wimp! What has been your experience?
Finally, to all who are going through this with me, I am in your pocket -- having joined this group today, I already feel the support behind me. ((((Hugs))))
PS -- Just read over this post and giggled at the new vocab I have developed in such a short time. Glad I stumbled across a place where you all share this peculiar culture we have been thrust into!0 -
I had the stereotactic and the wire localization - and took a xanax and was fine. I also had my iPod blasting in my ears......but seriously, the xanax took care of any nerves. I didnt have SNB.....
Good luck on the 30th - my surgeon said sometimes it can take as many as 3xs to get clean margins - she waited until right when i was going under to tell me this - which, with the xanax, i didnt freak out until it wore off.0 -
Kim - As far as traveling 2 1/2 weeks after the surgery I would say no problem unless you have some kind of complications. My sister came to stay with me and I was ready for her to go 4-5 days later. If it is the left breast the only issue that persists is the car seat belt when driving. I still use my little heart pillow that I got from the hospital in the car. It helps keep belt pressure off of the port from chemo. For me, the wire localization was no big deal. A little pressure but nothing to speak of. The dye injection for the SNB was another story. I wished I had been given something for that because that burning injection, one right after another, was very painful. Check with the anesthesiologist prior to surgery so he can coordinate what kind of meds you can have. Mine spoke to me prior to the localization and SNB but I guess you need to touch base with your hospital/surgeon. Good luck!
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I'm 5 days out from my lumpectomy and SLB! I was two weeks out of my first biopsy so healed mostly! The prep hurt;) not seriously but your nerves are shot as it is! But after surgery I went home and we had Chinese for dinner;) Take your meds and ice your girl up!! I sleep on couch so I had pillows around me and didn't roll! I feel better today but tired! Tried to go out yesterday and now arm is sore. Follow up in weds, so a week after surgery and I hope to feel better! Don't think I can lift weights or anything but get some cleaning done;( I can't wait for appt so I can figure out where to go from here! Good luck! Hope that helps!
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Shayne, Schoolmom & Tracy -- Thanks so much! I will have a conversation with my BS about taking something before the wires/injection. Tracy, I hope all goes well for you at the post op meeting Wednesday. Have you gotten pathology results yet? Sending good thoughts your way for continued speedy recovery!
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Batcatlady....good luck with surgery tomorrow. I will be thinking of you. Keep us posted. Sending peaceful thoughts your way.
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TeamKim I had some xanax the day of my surgery and it helped a LOT with the Mammo guided wire localization as well as the SNB injection the day before. Wish I had asked for it for my biopsy!
Good luck!
Hugs from Vermont!
Gigi
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Gigi, I agree with all the others' advice. It's tough having to make the final decision, but do what seems right for you. Down the road, you don't want to have any regrets and second-guess yourself.
I had an aggressive grade 3 tumor but my Oncotype score came back LOW, which made my decision harder. I opted for chemo because I wanted to throw everything at the dreaded disease. I'm still glad I did, but I didn't realize that chemo can have some lasting side effects, different for everyone. My eyebrows never returned to their normal thickness, my eyesight got worse and I still have some memory problems.
Everyone has to decide for herself. Arm yourself with knowlege, then go for it.
Best of luck!0 -
Talked to my BS nurse yesterday and will have Xanax on board for the wire localization and SNB injection -- yay! Meet with PS today about the rearranging (oconoplasty -sp?) of tissue during the procedure. Did anyone have this done? What questions should I be asking?
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Glad to hear you can have the Xanax Kim. It was an unpleasant experience for me and I had asked to be allowed to take something before hand and wasn't ok'd
My BS did the 'rearranging' and it turned out pretty nice. She took a large chunk out for a 1cm lump but I told her to be generous because I didn't want to go back for a second one. Somewhere I read a Dr's explanation in layman's terms. It's like taking a round cake and slicing a piece out of it and then pushing the rest of the cake together to close the gap. The gap is gone, but it's not as pretty as the original.
I'm a year out from surgery and looking down at the bad girl I can tell, but no one else can when I'm dressed. It's even difficult to see the scar around my nipple. I had to show the tech when I had my last mammo done.
Also about your travel plans after surgery....I didn't have much pain at all after the surgery and was able to manage it all with plain old Tylenol. I don't tolerate pain meds well so I started small and was happy that was all I needed. My surgery was the Friday before Memorial Day so I took the whole week off. Honestly, I could have come back to work that Tuesday. I'm a secretary so there isn't much weight lifting involved and honestly, I could have come back to work that Tuesday. Enjoy the time spent taking your son to school and take lots of tissues, just don't lift any boxes.0 -
TeamKim - I had a bilateral oncoplasty along with my lumpectomy. I started a thread about it in this forum a while back, but it might be on the second page by now. I'm off to rads now (number 31 of 34 today! Almost there!) but am happy to answer any questions about my experience of it once I get back home. Good luck on your journey through this!
PS - Here is the link to the thread: http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topic/805399?page=1#idx_17
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nyama--YAY for your Rads soon coming to an end!
An Onco score of 0?? WOW!
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chell45 - Thanks for your support and sharing your recovery experience. I have gotten overwhelming feedback that I can step on that plane 3 weeks postoperative, so my anxiety (at least on that front) is easing.
Nyama -- Hooray for the light at the end of the rads tunnel!! I hope it went well with few SEs. I appreciate the pointer to previous posts.....Went back and read the thread about lump/onc and that was helpful.
My BS said that a small reduction of the good girl might be necessary to get symmetry with the bad girl and that could be done in next week's surgery. Thing is, the bad girl has always been slightly larger anyway, so I don't know how much difference there will ultimately be. I am kind of leaning toward getting the bad girl squared away (including sliding the cake together -- loved that chell45!) and living with any difference until well after rads (or whatever else the next year has in store) then deciding whether to even up the good girl for a matched set if necessary. What do you all think? (In my first month of living with BC I am already realizing that everyday seems to hold another decision to make -- geeez!)0 -
TeamKim -
My "bad" girl has always been slightly larger than the "good girl", too, and I was hoping the lumpectomy would even them out, but so far (7 months out of surgery, 4 months out of rads) the bad girl is still bigger despite them taking a good-sized chunk out! My radiation oncologist told me that there can still be swelling for up to a year post rads, so I think waiting until then to see if anything needs to be done as far as symmetry goes is a good idea.
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TeamKim - I think your plan to wait until after treatment ends to decide on symmetry surgery is the best strategy. My experience: I had an oncoplastic partial mastectomy (like the cake analogy above) which removed a large chunk of tissue from the breast that was slightly smaller to begin with. After surgery, everything looked great and I was amazed that I couldn't even tell there was a difference in size. Then throughout radiation, I began to see the breast getting smaller, partly from a reabsorbing seroma and partly from radiation. I ended up with about a cup size difference between the two breasts. My BS suggested that I wait until a year after radiation before having the other breast reduced and lifted. You don't really know how your body will react to the radiation; some women have swelling that does not go away and some of us have shrinkage. Best wishes.
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Chell45 - Yeah, that "0" oncotype score was a shock (a pleasant one). But I think my MO was almost more excited than I was since she's never had a pt. with that score in all the time they've been doing the test. (She even called them to make sure it was correct.) Of course, the 3% recurrence rate that comes with that score assumes I'll be doing the 5 years of hormone therapy, which starts the week after I finish rads. *sigh* Still, very happy about it.
TeamKim - I've had very few SEs with the rads. A little, intermittant mild fatigue. A little itchiness around week 5-6 but that's now subsided during the boosts and it just looks like I have a very mild rash/tan. No biggie, though. I was more careful about what I put IN my body than what I put ON my body during treatment. I'm not sure if that made a difference or not--no way to tell--but I feel good, anyway.
Re: oncoplasty - I actually elected to do both breasts at the same time and am really happy I did so. But everyone's different, of course. That worked out best for my particular tumor/tumor location. My PS left the side that would be getting rads just slightly bigger, assuming it would shrink up a bit afterwards, but its not that noticeably different, even as-is. If I don't shrink, though, and I decide I want to be totally symmetrical he'll tweak my breast a little bit later. It won't be major, though (at least compared to the original surgery). And if I don't need a slight adjustment later, which at this point seems likely, I've only had to have one surgery to recuperate from.
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Hiya - surgery went well yesterday! Clean margins, no nodes involved, whew. But I'm pretty sore, mostly in the armpit area, & my breast feels huge, can't tell if it's bec. of swelling or all the bandages. My throat is also sore, not sure if they used an oxygen tube or it was just the massively dry mouth I had from no water all night & day. Sleeping last night was ok, not great, did a lot of finagling to get pillows right to keep my arm off my breast/side (plus, sleeping flat on my back hurts my back, so had to balance that issue).
Anyway, it could be a lot worse! My husband & mom & friends have been taking great care of me, they're awesome. Glad I took some time off work tho bec. I'm a contractor & don't have an ergonomic setup there. I can work from home a big this week, followup with projects due but not strain myself.
Followup appointments on Friday w/the surgeon & Monday w/the oncologist. Decided against the oncotyope test bec. the oncologist already has enough info to recommend chemo (low estrogen, high Ki-67, negative everything else). Fine with me, erase every last chance of this thing coming back!0 -
Congratulations on the clean report, Batcatlady19! Sending prayers for a speedy recovery! You sound so upbeat and glad -- I hope I do as well as you have!
Nyama -- appreciate the insights re rads and oncoplasty. I just got back from meeting with the PS. He took measurements and saw my point about the "bad girl" being larger to begin with. Decided on doing just the one and seeing how she turns out after all is said and done. He said if I need to tweak the "good girl" later then it won't be a big deal, just a little lift. He said the incisions will be glued afterward -- wow, really? that is kind of amazing..... Made me feel good that he has worked with my BS for 6 years and he said she has never failed to get it all the first time..... Praying for that.
So I am set for July 30. Going to squeeze in a visit to my 90 year old mom in No Cal to show her I am not turning green or anything (she is freaking out a bit). The trip will take my mind off the waiting....
What should I have around the house to eat after surgery? The DH and DS will be willing to go out and fetch food, but they aren't too handy around the kitchen. Should I expect to be nauseous afterward?0
