Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Well, I went on this rant while ago about the infection I now have above my incision site from a left in suture, but think i accidentally deleted it. It's probably for the best, because I was long winded lol! Needless to say, I'm not going back to work Friday like I planned, total bummer! All this time off leaves me too much time to think!!! I keep telling myself that one day in the future I will be glad I had a total hysterectomy, it just AINT today!!!!!! 😢
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LG - so sorry about your infection. Yikes, hope it clears up quickly, sounds painful. Feel better soon!
Amanda, welcome! The SLNB site does take a long time to heal - I'm five months out from surgery and even now I get a bit of discomfort in that particular spot (about the size of a quarter). I can't wear an underwire bra any longer because the top of the wire (on the side) hits exactly where that spot is and digs in. I also had jabbing pain off and on for ages after my lumpectomy. You did have rads very close to your surgery so that may be part of your discomfort too, I don't know...
I've just noticed in the last week that my scar is fading away almost entirely now, finally! (I had one incision about 2.5" long for the lumpectomy and SLNB) Honestly, I didn't think it was ever going to go away. I also had the blue dye injected in addition to the radioactive tracer on surgery day, and the blue has almost faded away completely now as well. I'm starting to look almost "normal" again.
Loved the pic of Moondust and Sloan - so nice you could be together.
I'm hiding out in a/c as well now -- we're getting a big heat wave coming through again starting tomorrow. I'm wilting.
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Have a great time, Sandy. Rome was on our bucket list, until DH got sick. Sadly, I don't think we will ever be able to go back to Europe. I don't think DH has the stamina for the flight, nor the touring.
Peggy, don't even get me started on nursing! I've been a registered nurse for 39 years. I started out as a CNA, working nightshift on a cancer ward. Death and dying all around me, and I was only 18. But I loved the patient care. When I was in school, we went to the hospital 3 days a week. We had classes 2 full days a week, plus we had a class late in the afternoon on clinical days. Halfway through our final year, they had us student nurses running one half of a nursing floor. By the time we graduated we were ready to hit the ground running. I think my initial orientation was about 2 weeks--now days they orient grad nurses for about 12 weeks!
I have seen a lot of new grads in my time, who graduate and had no idea what real nursing is like. They don't want to touch a bedpan or give a bath, they get overwhelmed with having 5 patients, and they can't manage their time. When they were in school they only had 1-2 patients once or twice a week and they spent most of their time doing research. Nurses who love the learning process love doing the research because it is very interesting. But its not like that when you're working the floor and a lot of BSNs are just gobsmacked when they realize that the job is NOT what they thought they were signing up for. The average graduate RN lasts less than 5 years now. Last I heard, the average age of an RN in the U.S. is over 50 now. That is not good! As Baby Boomers approach 62, experienced nurses are retiring in droves and it's going to be a bad day for healthcare when they realize that you can't just plug a new grad nurse into the hole left by a nurse with 40 years experience.
Off my soapbox now...
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Dara...standing beside you as you make your decision. Summarizing our dear friend Peggy- once you make your decision and start the work...do not look back. Hugs to you and yours!
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Poodles, I wholeheartedly agree with you!!!!!!!
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LG, so sorry you have to deal with additional complications. I hope it heals quickly.
Dara, in your pocket as you make your decision.
Moondust & Sloane, great picture, love the smiles
Amanda, I had lx surgery in April, Re-excision May, rads June/July & tomoxifen July after rads. I remember feeling a little discomfort toward the end of rads at the tumor site & SNB site was always sore, but never painful. I started tomoxifen last Saturday, 4 days after rads. So far no new se (crossing my fingers), tired & have trouble sleeping, but had that during rads.
Hugs to all
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Lovinggrouches, I'm so sorry to hear about your latest issue! I thought they only used dissolving stitches also, but maybe not. Do you think it was building for a while? Hopefully now the antibiotics will get a handle on things quickly.
Poodles, I don't know how nurses do the work they do, especially with most hospitals shorthanded and nurses still caring for so many patients. I so admire and respect the work they do.
Grazy, I had two incisions, with the SNB about 3 1/2 inches. I didn't notice the blue dye in the breast after surgery except for in the toilet! I wasn't prepared to be the Tidy Bowl Man for a couple of days (very BRIGHT blue! LOL).
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Wow! Miss a day and had so much catching up to do!
Welcome Elizabeth and Amanda. Lots of good information and support here.
Poodles so happy to hear DH is doing better.
Dara it was worth all the reading for the car wash story! Too funny and hits close to home about losing it over stupid things. I started crying in the grocery store because they were out of a sale item!
My DH and I are people who typically take lots of time to think things over before making a decision. If overthinking was an Olympic sport I would be a gold medalist! So yesterday we went to see the lake house that DD and I looked at last week. We made an OFFER! It was accepted and we now have a signed purchase agreement! Who are we? We have stunned ourselves! Since BC we have talked about not waiting to do things that we want to do because you just never know what might happen apparently we are serious about this!
Started the Tamoxifen today hope it does its job!
Hi to all.
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OMG planb58.... I'm impressed you acted so quickly! Way to get out there and LIVE!
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
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Plan b, you go !!!!!!!!!!!!
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Congratulations, PlanB!!! Carpe Diem!
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Dara, interesting that the dye didn't stain your skin. I remember reading about it here on BCO, that it could takes months for it to go away, plus my surgeon gave me the head's up, and it definitely is taking months in my case! I drank a ton of water over the first week to flush everything out of my body -- the blue toilet bowl, I remember that well. Here's what I read for anybody new who will be having or had the blue dye injected during their lumpectomy, in addition to the radioactive tracer http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/lymp...
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Way to go PlanB!
Hope everyone has a good day. We have heat warnings in central Illinois so I'll be avoiding outside as much as possible!
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Dara, sounds like you are leaning toward rads... I had my first yesterday... went well... the techs praised me for being good at holding still (guess I'm a natural)... was kind of transporting myself to my happy place, mentally, while being zapped. Two silver linings, for me -- just outside the unit (which is in the basement of a big medical bldg in a hospital complex) there is a row of permit only parking spaces for rad onc patients, and guess who has a permit? Uh-huh, THIS GIRL! Also, rad onc patients can sign up for a 15 min back/neck massage before or after treatment. The masseuse is there just 2 hrs a day but lines up with my being there a couple of days a week, so after treatment today I'll enjoy a mini massage. Oh, and another thing, I'm scheduled for just 20 treatments, 16 regular and 4 boosts. I'm happy I was able to get the shorter course -- they try to offer that but it depends on a number of factors, including anatomy, location of cancer, how the machine lines up, etc.
Had a sobering moment or two or three in the waiting room... I heard an infant crying, not a piercing cry like when they get vaccines, but an "I'm lonely and scared" cry. Later I saw the empty pediatric room, and I saw a dad leaving with the baby in a stroller, and it hit me like a ton of bricks what that family must be going through.
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Waving hello to everyone from Central Virginia. I see many from the Spring 2016 Rads group and thought I'd pop in to say hi.
Here's to making decisions and not looking back. (FWIW I tend to be conservative when it comes to optional treatment. Decided not to have any lymph nodes looked at back during the original surgery. BS said I was kind of mid-range between yes-we-should-take-a-look and no-not-necessary so I said then let's not.)
And hooray for carping the diem! We are all getting older so why the heck not.
And just re: breast pain, yes I had twinges through treatment but now (about a month and a half post-rads) I think I'm just sore from the surgery. I had a big chunk removed--8cm x 6cm x 3.3cm--and I read something the other day that makes me think the whole scar area is going to be sore for several years. Not a big deal but more of a reminder than I really need. ;-)
I'm also not looking forward to the heat wave coming but it's a great excuse to sit on my fanny all weekend. :-)
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Nice to 'see' you, Ingerp
I've been reading a bit lately on what is "normal" discomfort this many months out as well, and I'm glad to see that my occasional twinges are not uncommon. Sometimes I equate this whole experience to having your first baby -- there are so many little things that nobody ever tells you and you're left wondering if other people are experiencing the same things. This particular board is a good place to come 'home' to because of all the gals who've gone before us are still here to let us know what's normal and what's possibly not. I also like that everybody's story is slightly different, many of us make choices that are different from others', but there's great respect and support nevertheless. In other words, I appreciate everyone here for your wisdom, your support and your friendship.All that said, I'm heading out of town today to meet an old friend - hot one here today so I'm going from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car to an air conditioned restaurant. Tough life. Wishing everyone a great day.
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Regarding feeling twinges, I am now a year out from my re-excision and am still getting those "notifications" from my breast every now and then. My MO and surgeon both assured me that this is normal, as nerves are disrupted by surgery.
LG, what a bunch of mess to go through this week! Hope you will be feeling better soon.
Poodles, glad that your husband is doing well and that his cancer is not as aggressive as originally thought.
Grazy, so much of this is like having a baby! Weird things happen to your body that you have no control over, and only half of the awful stuff that people tell you to expect actually happens.
Dara, thinking of you and wishing you clarity for your decision.
LoveMyFamily, great perspective on other patients. You are right, it's sobering to sometimes get a glimpse of how others might be facing greater challenges. I suppose that's how women without breast cancer see us? Hooray for silver linings!
A small "cancer in the media" rant for the day: In case you missed it, yesterday Shannen Doherty's posted photos of shaving her head on Instagram. I hadn't even thought of her in at least a year (she was Brenda on 90210) and she was all over social media. This headline from LA Times makes me crazy: "Shannen Doherty shaves her head as battle with breast cancer rages on"
She is suing her former manager for not paying her health insurance premiums, resulting in her not being able to get medical care in 2014. The lawsuit asserts that "Had she been insured and able to visit her doctor, the cancer could potentially have been stopped." She was diagnosed in March 2015 at 43 with invasive cancer that had spread to at least one lymph node. More on that here: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/inside-shannen...
A wise person posted this on Twitter, and I think we can all agree with this sentiment:
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PlanB, way to go! I have to agree that BC changes your outlook immensely. It doesn't matter how old you are, we still think we are immortal (at 71? Really?) or maybe we just are avoiding reality. So living life, taking chances becomes more important than ever. Would I have made the move to Spokane without that nagging little impetus lurking in my subconscious? Maybe but it made it much more likely. I'm not going to wait around for life to happen, I'm going to pursue it.
HUGS!
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Peachy, I know many here resent the use of words like "battle", "fight", associated with our BC treatment but isn't that what we are doing? We ARE fighting to kill the cancer within us with everything appropriate to our particular diagnosis. We are fighting to live. We are fighting to see our children and grandchildren grow up. We are fighting to spend our old age with our spouses. I will continue to fight my cancer because that is what I feel I am doing.
HUGS!
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Peggy, we are fighters and it is a fight! It's the melodrama of characterizations like "battle" and "war" that I find to be a bit much. A year ago I was telling my co-workers who needed to know that I had "a project for the next six months." Because women without breast cancer read things like this, they become scared. This affects many in how they view and interact with women who have breast cancer, and possibly scares them to the point that they don't get the screenings that they should.
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Peachy, You could be right. I haven't seen that but I didn't have chemo and that may make a big difference on how you view things (duh!) and you would see more "scared" women than I have. I do wonder though if the opposite might be true: yes, it is a battle but women do win it. Not everyone and we all worry forever but it is possible. Our viewpoints are mutually exclusive, just different.
HUGS!
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I was just talking about those breast twinges yesterday with my surgeon! I'm a year out -yay- and I'm still getting twinges and pain. Nothing serious, but if I also on my stomach I can feel it in the morning. The surgeon said the radiation will cause the best to change for years, so gently massaging the area will break up the scar tissue.
BTW, my incision site was made at the areola to conceal the scar, and is completely gone now. I have a slight demple where the tumor was removed, but it's unnoticeable for the most part. You will be able to move beyond this! Hang in there!
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*if I sleep on my stomach (darned autocorrect)
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...and I noticed I typo'd that radiation causes the "best" to change. Haha, breast! Your best will always be with you!
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Sloan, auto-correct does make life interesting and reading things challenging! In your case, knew what you meant. I can't sleep on my tummy anymore (haven't been able to for many years) and I miss it. Glad you can.
HUGS!
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Good tip about massaging the scar tissue, Sloan! I will start doing that today. I'm feeling okay after my 3rd infusion, just a little tired. As long as I keep small amounts of food in my stomach I'm pretty good in that department. Got some steps in before it became too warm this morning. Onward! P.S. I never sleep on my stomach.
Plan B, WTG on the house decision! Good luck!
The words battle, war, fight, etc, don't do a thing for me. Very overdramatic and sensationalized, just like everything media-related today. Do I feel like I'm fighting? I usually don't feel that way, but I guess sticking to a disciplined way of living could be called fighting, since most people take the easy way and leave discipline behind. But it's too bad that discipline, which was just the way everyone lived in my grandparent's and even parent's time, is not the norm any more and it has to be called a fight. When it comes to eating and exercise, I see it this way. We can either float along on the river of life, letting the current take us downstream towards bad health, weak muscles, and decrepitude, or we can swim against the current and maintain our ability to move, create, and be very useful for much longer. Eventually we all go over the waterfall, but the way you want to take the journey down the river makes a difference. This goes for breast cancer patients as well as everyone else!
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Well, I called Genomic Health today and found that they had never received my sample. Then I called my MO and let them know... Here in Canada, the Health Services have to approve the expense of sending a sample, so I don't know yet if it was not approved or they just forgot to send it. Anyway, my husband and I have been doing a lot of research on the subject and today, I decided not to have any Chemo. I will let the doc know when the office calls me back... For the 3% chance that it will do something, I think the side effects are not worth it at my age (67) I will be doing the hormone therapy and the radiation.
Hi Molliefish and Grazy... I'm out Hamilton way..
Hello everyone else and thanks for the wonderful reception...
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Elizabeth, now that you've decided to not do chemo, NEVER look back and second guess yourself. You've made your decision with the best information available and what is right for you. Stick to it. And don't you love doctors' offices that don't do what they are supposed to do? Argh!
HUGS!
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Ahhh, interesting day today. Had an appointment with a new primary care dr as I really didn't care for the one who took over for my retired primary after I had gone there for 25 years. Needless to say, I left the new doc fuming and it made the car wash "incident" look mild by comparison. She was a young attractive FEMALE doctor from Pakistan who had recommended by another friend. She was absolutely furious when I explained about my bc dx and that I was now trying to make the decision if I should do chemo. She first went on and on about why I would ever have not had a full mastectomy (given family history, even though all my genetics are negative) and then said that I need to stop reading and researching studies and let the medical doctors make the recommendation since that's what they went to school for and I did not! I've also taken a sleep aid for years, and she said since I have now turned 65, NO ONE 65 or older is allowed to take any sleep aid and I need to see a psychiatrist! All sorts of 4 letter words were going through my head, one in particular!!! So many other just rude, unprofessional comments I can't even begin to believe it. And she's a woman! I don't pretend to be a doctor, but it IS my body, and I intend to be in charge of it!!! 2 hours later I left the office and will never go back! After that appointment, I REALLY need a psychiatrist!
Meanwhile, my MO called twice while I was in with nutso, and when I called him back, he is really recommending we do a different test called the Prosthigna which is helping make additional info available about those onco scores in the intermediate range. It will take one more week to get these results, but I think it's worth the extra week to hopefully get this right. It may still not be definitive, but any info is welcome.
Thanks for once again letting me vent! I know you all understand. I'm not really crazy and can look back on these things with a chuckle and then put them back in perspective... They are not what's most important in my life! Hugs to all!
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And Elizabeth, my BS and genohealth goofed with me as well. My onco wasn't ordered until I called pestering for my results. Funny, they got it through in 4 days when they said it would be a minimum of 2 weeks.
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