Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Congratulations to you, Moondust! Houston, 3 weeks is not something to worry about. I have been on longer breaks.
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Hello all. Have lots to catch up on here! You ladies are BUSY! 😀
Welcome new members.
Dara, I'm happy to hear you tolerated your chemo well. I hope things continue smoothly!
Poodles, hope your mom is doing better. How scary! My mom was hospitalized a few times last year and I had to stay at her bedside too because of confusion. Didn't help the ER nurses goofed and 2 different nurses gave her an ambien each only an hour apart! Didn't read chart or didn't chart it! That kicked off several days of delusions and hallucinations. It was horrible. I'd get comfy at night in a side chair and just start to nod off and she would try climbing out of bed to go explore. They gave her antipsychotics which caused more hallucinations. I felt like i couldn't leave her side. I have three siblings who don't help at all either, It really stinks. She has lived with us for 20 years.
Peggy, nice you will have everyone home for Christmas!
Steele Johnson...lol!!!!! 😂😂😂
I'm leaving lots out but thinking of you all and sending warm thoughts and hugs.
I went for my dry run of radiation today. Start live sessions tomorrow
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Molly glad you are down to one drain! Hope you lose that one soon too and are all healed
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Beebazboob, You'll do fine with your rads I'm sure. I didn't find them scary at all. Just hard to not move for 10 minutes or so. That's awful about your mother. And scary!
HUGS!
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Beez, so sorry about your mom. I will be in your pocket for your first day of rads. You got this!
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I didn't have Neulasta with my first chemo and came down with neutropenic fever. I was given Neupogen for two days, and even though I take Clariten regularly, I had horrible bone pain. I wound up in the hospital anyway for a couple of days, but the next two chemos, I was given Neulasta and had no bone pain. Go figure.
Six months on Monday since PFC. Hair is growing, but oh so slowly - not at Judi Dench length yet. I called my hairdresser today for a "see what you can do with this" appointment. I have chemo curl and the hair is growing in all directions very strongly.
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Brithael, I'm sorry your hair isn't growing very fast. On the bright side, at least it is growing. It must be annoying.
HUGS!
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Brit, I bet you are as beautiful as always even with short chemo curls.
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britheal, I am 7 mo PFC and I am definitely doing the chemo curl. So weird for me, because my hair is straight as a nail. I had to have it trimmed in May because it was coming in all wild, like a baboon! It's about 1-1/2" long now and curly-twirly, wash & go. I wake up with a new style every day.
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Poodles, you liking the curly hair? I can't imagine having curly hair. Mine also is straight as a board. Do you think it will last?
HUGS!
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I'm 8 weeks taxol and my scalp has some straight strands and feels fuzzy on the top. Later I will have three months in between chemo and surgery, how long would my hair grow to? Anyone have ideas? Thanks!
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Brit and Poodles, glad to hear your hair is at least growing back. I keep hearing about the permanent cases with taxotere and hope I'm not in that 3%! My hair normally grows really slowly so imagine that will be the case in the future. Everyone I know says their hair comes in super curly. The nurse giving me the neulasta shot yesterday said she just had a patient she didn't even recognize because her hair came in like an afro. At least it's hair! She said it often goes back after a while. Today's day 3 and so far, not bad at all. Didn't sleep much last night, but only real se is a mild headache that doesn't want to leave.
Moondust, Thinking of you having your last infusion! Congratulations!!
Molly, hope you're healing and beginning to do better. Hope all else are hanging in and enjoying the day. :-)
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Dara, glad you're doing well but dang - sorry about the headache. Hope it goes away.
HUGS!
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Hi Houston - to answer the hair growth question, my experience was that I didn't see much until 8 weeks post-chemo at all. I usually have the fastest growing hair ever and expected to be a hair growth over-achiever but that was not the case. I naively thought that all of my hair would start growing simultaneously, like when a guy needs to shave, though it comes in stages so there's a good half inch difference between the longest and shortest hairs. I'm now 9 months post chemo and have a little over 3".
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Moon- YAY for last infusion!
Dara and others....though my chemo was different- CTPH- lost/took ALL my hair out at day 18- nasal hair was one no one mentioned- had to carry tissue all of the time after about week 3 after 1st of 6 infusions-of course, you lose it EVERYWHERE..arms, legs, ETC.
Pre cancer- had a great full head of thick long- though highlighted hair.
My hair started coming back in very blonde and fuzzy/downy initially- for first few months. I was still doing the Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks....as of 6 months out I had very curly hair about and inch or so long....it's now 9 months out from chemo and 3 months from last Herceptin and hair is very thick, curly and about 2 inches long. Had a trim today that makes it look like a real style..it's good but very curly unless blown out with hair paste added afterward to make it shapely- not like someone's great, great grand ma!
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Moondust, yay for last infusion!
PlanB, are you taking hormone blocker? I started tamox right after rads so wondering if it's contributing to fatigue. Not having any other se from it. I had zero energy at Zumba class today. In fact, was yawning during the songs! I'm so done with this, just wish it was done with me!
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OK, so I'm getting lots of "advice" from family and friends that I should refuse to do rads now that my pathology from the LX showed no positive areas. Have any of you had a lumpectomy with out rads and had a Her2 positive status. I'm inclined to do it just to cut my chances for reoccurrence down as low as possible. How bad can it be? I survived chemo... The warnings have to do with getting lymphedema from rads. I had 2 lymph nodes biopsied but that was it and I'm doing the lymphedema exercises. Also, anybody else have a lot of numbness in their arm post LX? the bottom of my arm (the chicken wing) from armpit to elbow is completely numb. I'm a week post surgery.
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Yay Alice for the end of chemo.
Myra, my RO says doing radiation decreases your risk of occurrence by double digit percentages. While LE is rough, I will still be doing rads, knowing that rads can make LE worse. LE is a funny thing, and you never know if or when it might become a problem.
Healing thoughts to all.
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Myra, I would recommend rads. My thought is I'll do everything I can to make sure BC doesn't come back. You did chemo and got through it. You'll get through rads. I had 5 nodes removed and haven't had an issue with lymphedema - but as 1Step mentioned, you never know who will get it and when. I'd just go ahead and assume you won't have a problem. If you do, you'll deal with it like you've done with everything else BC (we sure do get good at dealing with things, don't we?).
HH, I can't imagine you looking like a great-grandma! You probably look cute as can be with all your curls.
HUGS!
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Myra- other than the fact that your tumor was in your left breast and mint in the right- we are Very similar...I only had one SN checked and it was negative- my chemo/targeted therapies were done prior to surgery. Anyway...all my docs suggested rads after surgery...period. I did it and feel like we have thrown everything at this cancer and any cells hanging out....you have to do what feels best for you but while rads was hard- more so than chemo for me....it is doable as Peggy always says and....you've GOT THIS!
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Myra, most surgeons around here won’t even do lumpectomies for invasive cancer unless patients agree to radiation afterwards!
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Peggy thanks for the pep talk it was much needed and appreciated!
Trish yes I am about 3 weeks on Tamoxifen. 1 week after starting bad UTI then of course the dreaded yeast infection from the antibiotics. Glad this week just on the tam. I have wondered if the fatigue is related but with everything else who knows. Hope we perk up soon!
Myra It is so hard to sift and sort through all the information and then try to figure out where YOU stand on treatment. I initially was not going to do either rads or anti hormonal. After research and soul searching I did rads and am on tamoxifen. Peggy is great for saying make your choice and don't look back. Good luck to you
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this thread moves so, so fast! Can't keep up!
My hair is coming back very curly also...I had curls as a kid, but not like this ever!
Yay for final Chemo Moondust! Hope you get to see a few meteors to celebrate. I was up in the Sierra this weekend: the air up in Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite NP) is MUCH clearer than down here in the valley (fire season). Saw a few meteors, but nothing like I imagine it will be at peak.
Hugs to all
Octogirl
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PlanB, you're welcome. It's so hard. We all have our down-in-the-dumps moments (or hours or days). The gals here are good at making us feel better. Glad I could help. I absolutely believe that once you decide on a course of treatment (or non-treatment), march forward. If you try to second guess yourself you'll go crazy. You will have made your decision based on the best information you had taking into account your doctors' recommendations and, very importantly, what you decide is best for YOU!
HUGS!
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thank you all for your input! I'll do whatever I need to to reduce my risk of ever having to do chemo again so as Peggy said so beautifully, I'll deal with whatever comes up if and when it does. One step at a time..
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hi Myra! I thought I was only getting radiation at first. It was my HER status and grade that made the chemo happen. I was told everyone who has a lumpectomy gets radiation. Shows how little I knew. I had clean margins and SN biopsy which was also clear. I do have a tiny bit still numb in the same area but it has improved greatly over the months. Kick cancers butt with all the tools you have x
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Thank you, Myra. I think we all feel that way.
Karen, amazing what one little "sign" can do to change the course of treatment.
Octogirl, I've been seeing meteors for the past 3 days. Not many yet and last night was a bit cloudy at times. When I lived in Michigan I was in the city and that made it difficult. But here in Spokane, I'm up above the city and the area is half farm and half subdivisions so lots of unlighted space to easily see the sky. I'll be out there tonight watching!
HUGS!
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Myra -- looks like we have similar pathology, except for HER2. My husband asked the RO in our first visit "What if someone refuses to go through with radiation?" The RO's response was that he would then get in touch with the rest of the patient's team to recommend a mastectomy. Data shows that for success, Mastectomy = Lumpectomy + Radiation.
HH - I think I'm going to need hair paste too!
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it's been pouring rain here on the Gulf. Coast for 3 days. No meteor watching for us. Foo!
Mother us getting better. Her kidney function numbers aren't quite what they should be, but they're moving in the right direction. Hopefully she'll be home by tomorrow. She still very weak and a bit tippy but I think she'll do well at home
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I hinted to Mother that is might pursue reconstruction. She is very much against it, as she had a friend who had breast cancer at 45 with immediate reconstruction who then had recurrence and died. No matter how much I try to educate her on the back the breast cancer is different and every person she is convinced the reconstruction will lead to death. She is solidly against it. She is going to lose her mind when she finds out I want to do DIEP and NOLA, most likely a 6 to 8 hour operation.
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