Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Sandy- in your pocket!
Peggy- hoping the move is going well!
I could bore you all with a whole lot of deets about a job I was offerred- very over qualified for but was glad because it would take some pressure off of DH- well...BECAUSE I am over qualified and someone came into last interview phase with less exp blah, blah, blah...I did not get the job....so sad as it was part time and just what I am good at...but...I get that they hire someone with many less yrs exp- less money out...just am sad for my fam.
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Sandy - Great! How about the 11th? Think about if that works for you two. Our son has the weekend off and we want to be with him one night then babysit so he can go out with his wife one night. Remember those days? (In your pocket for all your tests).
Octogirl - Figures on the plums! Made ya pucker, huh?
I spent the day with my dad sorting his house. My mom died of cancer right before I was diagnosed, and my dad just hasn't been ready to make the house his own until now. Sorting through her cookbooks and pans and serving dishes and spices and cookie cutters and cake decorating paraphernalia took all day and my arm started to swell. But, it's so nice to see him excited about having a useful kitchen and turning the dining area into a sun room for his plants. My sister didn't want to get rid of the dining table and formal ware, but my dad will never ever use it. But she finally realizes he needs to be happy, and it was time. Tomorrow we'll take a break from sorting and do some hiking in these beautiful mountains. Any suggestions for dealing with my mom's room and clothes? Does anything name it easier for my dad? *Sigh.
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Sloan- "in your pocket" as you help your dad make those emotional decisions. A hike sounds like great therapy, too!
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Thank you, 614!. LG, it will take a while but once you get feeling back you may find extreme sensitivity in the incision area. I hope you are pampering yourself.
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Sloan15: this is what my mom did after my dad died. She offered some of my dad's clothes to my husband and other relatives, if they could fit into them and would use them. The rest she donated to a homeless shelter /halfway house that has clothes for people to get when they need new clothes for a job. She knew that my dad would like that. maybe if there are some specific items of your mom's that were special to your dad. you could put them in a pretty box so he could look at them if he wanted.
It is such a hard thing to say goodbye. don't know if it helps, but a small suggestion. I will be praying for your processing grief and healing through all of this. Blessings, A
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Sloan, if you come to my next infusion, it will almost be fun!! Gosh, hard to choose on the sandwiches. I'll take turkey, and thanks!! I hope you have a great time hiking tomorrow. Your poor dad - so many memories going through all your mom's stuff. One tip I often see is to take photos of precious items, then give the items away or sell them. Put the photos in a scrapbook or album, so that the memories will be at hand without the clutter of the actual stuff. It's great that you and Sandy will be able to get together in Chicago.
Sandy, I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. I don't know when you'll have the results, but hopefully soon and hopefully good.
HH, sorry you did not get the job. Their loss. I hope you find a better one soon.
Speaking of jobs, tomorrow is my last day at work! Yippee! Hooray! Doing a big happy dance! Bring on the Endless Weekend. Now for a new vehicle. My 2009 Toyota Corolla with 236,000 miles has faithfully transported me to and from work, but it's time to replace it. For months I have been thinking about a Subaru Outback because it is a good hiking car. But now I have realized that since I won't be doing my 100 mile a day commute any longer, I don't have to worry so much about mileage, and I am leaning toward a 4x4 Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell so I can comfortably sleep in it and never have to worry about clearance.
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I have a 2014 Outback. The rear seats fold down and the front seats recline 180 degrees. I have pretty decent road clearance, as high as any AWD SUV.
HH, bummer about the job--oh, how many times have I heard the word “overqualified!” Codespeak for “we can’t afford you.” (But of course, they never ask whether you’d be willing to work for what they can afford).
Sloan, penciling in July 11!
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I had my lumpectomy May 18. Everything healed well but I still have quite a lump where they took the tissue. I am very large breasted and I kind of expected an indentation given what others told me but this is a hard lump. I showed it to my BS at the post-op on June 2 and he said I was till healing but we are over a month now and it is still pretty big and hard. Anyone else have this?
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Yup, ej. I too have very large breasts and even though my R breast had been the smaller one, the very large seroma that formed in the tumor cavity made it swell an entire cup size, with a large blob instead of an indentation. And radiation caused fibrosis (hardness) over the seroma. Took months of wearing a Swell Spot in a sleep bra, plus triamcinolone ointment from my dermatologist, to finally bring it down to where it’s reasonably soft again (but it’s still bigger--and “perkier”--than the left one). I’m slowly being able to get back into my 38 I & J bras again--had to wear 40 I for awhile (and 42 F/G/H in the sleep bras). Will find out tomorrow if it’s going to stay this way or “deflate.” I think we over-endowed women seem to have the least “shrinkage.”
The reason for the seroma is that nature abhors a vacuum (so do my cats). Where tissue is removed, fluid usually fills it in. Eventually, it resorbs. My husband had a huge seroma after his hernia repair, but it resolved fully in a couple of months. If you tend to easily form blisters, you will also be more prone to seromas.
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Happyhammer, it sucks not to get a job because of being over qualified. You would think they would be happy to get someone like that, but they are afraid you will leave due to low pay eventually. I would easily take a much lower pay at a wonderful medical office when hubby retires, even though I would be over qualified, but they probably wouldn't hire me. It sucks! I could use less stress!
Sloan, it's hard to clean out stuff. Took years for me and mom to finally get my dad's stuff done. Only finished everything when moms house was torn up by hurricane and developed mold and she had to move into new house. Hugs!
Molly, my mom is pampering me by her wonderful cooking and not letting me do anything. She is the best cook in the world!!! Zucchini bread and fried egg, tomato, bacon toast sandwiches for breakfast ! Yum!
Moondust, so happy for your last day!
Ejmann, I have hardness to my 2 surgery sites where the scars are, more after radiation.
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This thread indeed moves really fast!
Thinking of you today, Sandy. Hang in there.
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HH, sorry about the job. ((((Sloan))) What if you have one last family dinner at your mom's dining room table before getting rid of everything? Would your dad be okay with that? You could take pictures and then clean out the room for your dad to make it his own. My BIL sent me a box of my sister's clothing and I gave my other sister and my daughter first go at them. Since she was very thin at the end of her life I only kept a few things. I have a tshirt of hers that is very comforting to wear. The rest I donated. I am sorry about your loss.
LG, glad your mom is pampering you!
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Mary Mallette, I'm sorry you didn't get the job. I had that experience once, during a time whenn i was burnt out on nursing, and it really hurt my confidence. In my case, people took one look at my nursing degree and dcided that I would ditch as soon as a good nursing job opened up.
Sloan, I'm envious of your success with your dad. My mother has been able to give almost nothing away in the past 14 years since my dad died. She has dragged out her move for 9 months now and she is still nowhere near ready to sell the house. I am so frustrated with her.
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Sloan- my DH, BIL and the 4 grandsons went through my dad's clothes and took what fit and/or worked for them. My mom kept a favorite shirt and jacket and we donated the rest.
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Our Fathers day trip to the mountains was lovely. All he kids were there for at least part of the time. Unfortunately, they all left on Mon, which meant we had to manage Christian by ourselves. And by that i meam Myself. He is a full care man, 6'3" with the mind of a 1yo. I was just over it by dinnertime. We are on our way back to his house now and much as I adore him, I will be happy to hand off to his younger, stronger caregivers. That sounds harsh, but it's the way it is.
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Hi..Just had my R Lumpectomy and sentinel node x2 removal yesterday 6/20/16. Final path results will be back on Friday when I meet with MD and oncologist. Reading some stories about more disease found in final path reports gives me concern. My fingers and toes are crossed!!! I am actually pretty comfortable on my second day post op. Not needing pain meds. But ice has become my best friend.!!!
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Welcome Dennyse and in your pocket for Friday when you get your path report. Sue, did you show the red spots to your RO? When I developed red spots my RO gave me an rx for a cream to use.
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ChiSandy, I may have missed a post. How did Tuesday go? I read that you were having pangs and worried about a recurrence. Also, belated Happy 45th!
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Molly, good point. I will point out the spots today. He has generally told me to use hydrocortisone cream, but will verify
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Dear LG: I am glad that the pathology came out fine. Please don't second guess or regret your decision to have the radical hysterectomy. It is a done deal. You cannot go back and change your decision. Now, you won't have to worry about uterine, cervical, or ovarian cancer. I am sending prayers for speedy healing.
Hugs to everyone else.
How did things go today Sandy?
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Dennyse, congrats on the first step! Mine was last week and I'm amazed at how good I feel. Other than a little discomfort under the arm from the nodes, I feel good. I understand about the ice... I've bought out my supermarket's section of small bags of frozen peas! But as others keep reminding me, just because you feel good, still take it easy. Good luck on Friday. Dara
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ej....I have 2 hard lump areas in my LX breast (I'm small breasted). Was told at my recent checkup it was scar tissue (more than what they normally saw in LX patients) and probably would not go away. It's fine if I don't press on it but hurts if I do.
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Thanks everyone that chimed in. I feel better knowing it is normal. I found a thread on this just after posting here.
Still waiting for my BRCA results. My BS's office dropped the ball and didn't get that going when they first recommended it. My insurance requires genetic counseling first. They were supposed to get the rolling and didn't. So I'm all healed up, ready to do radiation and can't because my family history suggests I should consider a mastectomy if the BRCA is positive. I'm losing my mind spinning my wheels just waiting for the results. They said by June 30.
Sandy, did you hear anything? I know people are worried for you.
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ejmann, I sympathize with you. The waiting is brutal. I soooo hope your genetic testing is negative. I had it because my family history is just rife with cancers of all kinds, including several pre-menopausal BCs. My BRCAs were fine, but they found mutations on two other genes that cause BC and other cancers, so the breasts had to go. The thing is, I don't really have a sense of relief. This cancer, and other cancers, could easily raise their ugly heads in another area. I try not to go there because there is nothing more I can do about it. I've had surgery, I'll have more surgery, I'm taking the AI and done chemo. I gave up my hair for this stupid cancer and my blood count is all sideways. Grrrr. Pardon my little rant. Off my soapbox now...
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Dennyse, glad you're doing well after surgery. I know it's worrisome, but at least you're aware of possibilities. I wasn't and and it was a shock to hear that they found more. Luckily was very small spot and it hadn't spread. Will be praying for positive results on Friday.
DaraB, glad you are doing well after surgery.
Elaine, sorry you're having to wait so long. Very frustrating.
Sandy, hope everything went well today. Thinking of you.
Day 7/21 rads for me today. 1/3 way through. Definatetly getting pink. Hoping it doesn't get a lot worse.
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Sandy? You okay? Thinking of you.
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Well, having a huge pocket with all of you in it did the trick today. Mammo was all clear bilaterally. The only finding was the R mammary seroma: oval now rather than round, and smaller than in the rads-planning CT scan. R pangs due to nerves regenerating (including in the nipple after the SNB tracer injections), which the NP told me I can expect for up to 2 years. L most likely gas--(they did begin a few hrs. after starting the doxycycline) or sensitivity to where the underwire hits me (I notice I don’t get them when naked or wearing a soft bra). The creepy-crawlies are common, the NP said, in women who have had bc because most of us never had reason to notice them before our journey began. I am scheduled for a “short-interval followup” with the BS herself in 6 mos, only because they want to see how well the seroma has resolved--and whether I want to discuss bilateral reduction. Otherwise, I’d have been handed back off to my MO for a whole year. I’m pretty confident with their opinion, since the radiologist who read today’s mammo and gave the “all-clear” was the same one who read my screening and diagnostic ones, plus performed the ultrasound, last August.
Interestingly, the thing I’d feared second most--the purported pain of a post-op squashing--never materialized. Felt just like a normal mammo, with the only “pain” coming from the hard edges and corners of the bottom plate jabbing me in my ribs.
So all plans for this fall--from the Bar Show to music conferences--are a “go."
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That's great news Sandy! Time to have some fun, right? You earned it!
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Such good news, Sandy! Getting back to normal is everyone's goal!
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Yay, Sandy! So happy for you! !
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