Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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two weeks since surgery and I'm doing great....a little pain in my numb arm but I'm seeing that as good...my nerves are waking up!!! My sub oncologist was impressed with the surgeons work on my breast and armpit
and I'm OK to start exercising yeah I think usually chemo before rads but not sure and I think usually chemo with nodes BUT one thing I learned we are all so different and so is the yucki cancers, all so different !! For now...breathe heal and enjoy the Holiday
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Hi Lisa,
Thinking of you as I went through what you are now back in August. Same issue w/nodes. Usually Chemo is first then radiation. Everyone is different though and your team of Dr. will walk you though this. I agree with the rest of the gals don't dwell on it as you need to enjoy this time and let family/friends take care of you. Stay as positive as you can Lisa. Big {{{Hug }}}.
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Fairy,
So much to go through...How are you holding up? I have not been taking care of my scars so much. I don't like to look at them as I have 3 scars from my lumpo. 2 incisions on breast and one under armpit from nodes.
I just bought coconut oil so I will start putting some on, maybe this will help me heal- inside out
. Best to you and your team of Dr.'s. and what to do going forward. When you have the reex do you wait 4-6 weeks before rads start? What is secondary cancer from rads and the balloon as I am not familiar. Take it easy lady.0 -
Furfriend...Try Kelo-cote scar gel, my underarm scar is almost gone and the breast scar is flat and light pink, looks good and I'm only on the second tube.
It really works.
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Loral,
thank you so much for the info on scar help. I guess I need to look at my deformed boob a little closer and start this healing process.
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wow- lot to respond too. Cindy you are what my mom would call an "instigator" having everyone playing loud music and partying- let it rip its the holidays and as Team Kim says- raising our glasses it "therapy" in more ways than one.
. Red- I am so glad to hear your news- now focus on the healing process. HI Lisa- I am sure you are not feeling like partying very much. First things first- the drain- while somewhat unsightly and even "gross" but its a good thing to drain a lot of the serous fluid from the surgical area- its good prevention against seroma formation so just keep it clean and covered- when the daily amount gets low enough out it will come. Make sure there is no tension/pulling- did they give you something to secure it to your tank top or bra?
They can do an awful lot of "rustling around" through that incision so things need a few days to settle down. Did they say you can take tylenol? helps with the swelling- I was told only tylenol no motrin or NSAIDs.
Fairydog- there are a lot of folks here who had left sided radiation in the heart vicinity including the sternum so do your research and make your best decision.
Heading home from miami tomorrow crossing my toes only- on flying, compression tank ready to go, does not make my outfit look as good but I will add a scarf LOL
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Thanks all. My age (36) is a factor for the heart issues. I'm doing research on it all. The reexision would include the radiation. They put the pell in a balloon and leave it for 15 minutes then take it out. That is all. They usually do this on post-menapausal women. I had no node involvement, but Felix is Ki-67 is high and strong family history. We are going to pull my ovaries, so this might give me the option to do the partial breast radiation.
For the pain after the lumpectomy I found the axillary pillow to help, especially for the scar underarm rubbing issues. If you can try to do the exercises for the arm, those help me not feel so tight. After my lumpectomy bending down felt the like the gate of hell were opening up. I will say my port placement hurt worst than my breast surgery.
I hope all of you heal safely and quickly. Love the nickname.
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Thanks for all of the info. My drainage has almost stopped completely so the drain Will most likely be removed on Monday instead of Wednesday. yay! I will take my silver linings where I can get them. Does anyone work while on chemo? There is just so much I don't know still and that is the most frustrating part of it all!! I have a patience problem. Lol. My plan, should it go the way I want,(HA!) is to go back to work on Jan 8. And work until I start treatment. I don't want to take a family leave because then I have to use all of my vacation and personal time and since cancer is not a vacation, I'm not doing that. If I can help it. Im planning on doing a temporary state disability. I think. Maybe. Possibly, argghhhhh! Lol. Should I be worried about heart involvement with rads? My IDC is in my left breast. RO said she doesn't recommend the one week rads for me because of my age so I will need the longer one. Do they protect the area of the chest that they aren't radiating? Thank you all so much for the support. Nobody really understands how I feel but I know you guys do.
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lisacm - help your family understand how you feel by talking openly with them and letting them know! Let them know when you need a hug or extra physical help. Let them know when you are happy and when you are anxious. It will be good for all of you.
People aren't psychic or mind readers - (especially partners) - so being brutally honest with them is a help for everyone and enables them to really step up and help which is often what they most want to do but don't know how to because women are so complicated!
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I had chemo over 5 months and worked fulltime only missing 1 1/2 days other than chemo days which were every 2 weeks for 4 treatments and then every week for 12 weeks. I have an office job though and everyone is different so you really have to do what is best for you. PM me if you have other questions. Waiting is really the hardest part.
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Momof3,
Hello, thank you for sharing. How are thing going for you this year?Did you have an easy time with SEs while doing chemo or did you wind up with all the SEs? I too am working an office job. Haven't missed too much time. How many weeks was your radiation? Was this difficult? I see you are on Femara as Hormonal Therapy is this similiar to Tamoxifin? Is this due to the other surgery? Thank you for sharing!
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lisacm -- I worked throughout my chemo. I am a professor, teaching 4 courses. I scheduled my chemo infusions on Thursday late afternoon, then took off Friday and Monday and returned to work on Tuesday each time. It was no picnic, since I had an allergic reaction to the chemo drugs, but I got through it and didn't miss too much. I had just about every side effect they warn you about, except I had no nausea and no mouth sores. It was crucial for my family that I continue to work throughout treatment, so I was very upfront about that with my MO and he assured me it was doable. I found that being at work, while difficult at times, actually distracted me from the SEs I was feeling, and helped get me through that first week. It is very important to remember that everyone is different, every cancer is different, and treatment regimens are designed by your dr team to fit your unique situation. Best of luck, lisacm -- feel free to message me if you have questions! (((Hugs)))
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I work 3 days a week and do cancer stuff Thursday/Friday. Some weeks I work the full week. I run my own business and deal with aggressive and fearful dogs. My MO told me I can't take the risk of getting injured or bitten during chemo. I am still working. I am taking January off since I have two chemos and it is flu season around here. I will be schedule for another surgery. It was hard for me to give up that month, but I'm having some SE or allergic reactions to chemo, so I'm afraid the next two might get me in the ER. Most of my classes and clients will cancel on me if they are sick. Like TeamKim, I find that working keeps me focus on other things then chemo.
A friend of mine is a high school teacher and she would work 3-4 days a week while on chemo. The in-between chemos sometimes she would work a full week. She did tell me towards the end of her chemo she was very fatigue and wished she would have taken some more time off.
Another friend of mine who was a teacher took all the time off during chemo, she didn't want to risk any chance of getting sick. It really depends on the person.
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Furfriend2 - I had quite a few SE from chemo, but my MO was great and we figured out ways to combat them so it was doable. I was also allergic to the taxol chemo so I spent the night in the hospital 4 weeks before I convinced my MO I know all about allergic reactions (my DS is deathly allergic to latex and has been rushed to the hospital 5 times) and would seek help if needed. My radiation lasted 8 weeks since I burned really bad and needed a short break in the middle. Only 1/3 of people burn real bad and I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to work throughout radiation though. I was very tired throughout it, but as others have said it was a good distraction for me to be working. My DH did do most of the kid duty though as I would come home everynight and fall asleep. The worst part of radiation was getting up each morning and driving to the hospital for treatment. I had treatment at 7 am every morning and then would go to work so I did not miss any work time.
I also started tamoxifen during radiation and really had no SE from it other than hot flashes which I was having from chemo anyway. I am BRAC2 positive and that is why I had my hysterectomy and then switched to Femera. I get joint pain, especially in my shoulders, but it is doable. The hot flashes are few and far between now and doable also. I have some trouble sleeping, but it is not every night and I really don't want to take any more meds so I just deal with it.
It had now been one year since active treatment has ended and I am doing great. It took quite a while for the fatigue to go away, but I can say that it got a little better everyday and eventually went away. I also had major abdominal surgery this past summer, not cancer related, so that played a role also. I am proof that it does get better. My MO said that I needed to be very careful for a year after treatment as that is how long it takes for your immune system to recover and I agree with that. I got a cold 2 weeks after chemo ended and in 2 days it was into my lungs and I was minutes away from being admitted to the hospital. I was off work for 2 weeks then, but did not need to go to hospital because I listened to my body and the doctors and stayed down for 2 weeks.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Hugs to everyone!!!!!
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Hi ladies,
I had acupuncture last week for the first time and that band I noticed under my arm completely disappeared after two days! It also helped immensely with the neuropathy not to mention how relaxing it was. If you get the opportunity I highly recommend it!
Merry (early) Christmas to all of you!
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Aeryno,
How awesome is that! I don't know anything about acupuncture but you sure have made me curious. I don't believe insurance covers this , correct? How costly is this and how did you decide upon your acupuncturist?
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Momof3,
Thank you so much for sharing your personal journey and your positive outcome with us. Merry Christmas & big {{{Hug}}}.
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aeryno- I have heard a lot of good things about accupuncture and some forward-thinking health plans will actually cover some sessions
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I was fortunate enough to have alot of sick days so I took off a semester from working at a PK center during treatment. I wen back to work 3 days after the last chemo and worked throughout radiation. I was exhausted and ended up getting walking pneumonia. Trust your body and don't push yourself.
Happy Holidays to all. I am now 11 months past chemo and 9 months past radiation and all is well. Love to all.
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I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!! (((Hugs)))
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Hi Ladies,
Happy Holidays, Hope you all take this time and enjoy and relax until your next treatment! Today was day 2 of my radiation.. Not so bad, but both days they had a hard time finding one of my tats, that was a little annoying to me because that takes up more time then the actual treatment.
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Hi all Merry Christmas to those celebrating!
sloyd- I had a problem with my sternum (midline) tat- it was weird because I have a dark freckle right next to it but several times they re-marked it before a treatment or during my weekly x-rays.
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Hi wyo.. Merry Christmas All!
Yea I have darker skin also and have dark freckles as well. And I asked them the day they first tat me will they be able to tell the difference... well looks like they really can't. They do mark me with the marker, after they find my tats, but of course the marker is washed off, and we start all over again the next day looking and searching.
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My one tattoo was so small I could hardly see it - so the techs used to draw a circle around it with a marker which took at least 4 washes to fade! By then they just went over it again.
It made me really nervous that they would align me incorrectly but as far as I can tell they did fine!
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Merry Christmas to you all and your families. Have a great day! Hope Santa was good to you.
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Merry Christmas Lumpies!
Ah, the quite after all the fun...food...family...friends!
Sending giggles&jingles for a bright new year:)
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Am new here, but appreciate a place to learn. Had a lumpectomy Dec 20th with sentinel lymph node dissection, so still recovering. Reading about numbness has already helped. Follow-up treatment not planned yet. Holiday schedules and funeral of surgeon's father makes a brief delay. But she was so considerate as to travel back from visiting her very sick dad to schedule surgery for me quickly and so I could be with my grown children for Christmas. Looks like this will be my favorite strand for now. And yes, I thought that radioactive dye procedure was the worst!
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Miminiemi - welcome to the Lumpies! Congrats on lx&snd...whew a relief going into the holidays and New Year! Breathe, we will be in your picket {{{squeeze}}} waiting with fingers&toes crossed for path results, clear nodes & margins! Speedy healing...watch the arm...and focus on enjoying the moments:) waiting is the hardest...you've crossed over into active attack mode...you've got this brave warrior...:)
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RMlulu
Cindy, so glad you're here to welcome all the new lumpies. I'm a year past my first (failed) surgery and will always be grateful to this and other boards that welcomed me and got me through the trials of the past year.
To all our new member as hard as it was to imagine a year ago things will get better and you will prove to yourself just how strong you can be, even if you are a giant wimp like I thought I was. Best of luck to all of your as you begin, continue and reflect on your journey.
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Furfriend2 - my chiropractor recommended the acupuncturist as it was someone with whom he used to work. I went to my chiropractor every week during Taxol incidentally and that helped as well. My insurance does cover (at 80%) 40 visits per year so you may want to ask.
It's been one week since I went and while the neuropathy isn't completely gone it's definitely much better than last week. Two fingers on my left hand are still tight/hard to bend but again, with a much more noticeable improvement. Good luck!
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