Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Hello all,
1st brief meeting with Chair of Surgical Oncology on Wednesday, the 31st, to see what he says and recommends. I'm sure he's going to want to do a lumpectomy to see if anything else is hanging around since I was diagnosed with ADH. I've gathered from many threads on this site that a good sports bra is often required afterwards to support the breast operated on. Any tips on a chain store such as Walmart to pick up one, or order online? I'm rather large, normally wear a 44D or DD depending on brand.
Also thinking about asking him if he would consider doing an MRI on me before surgery to actually see if that area is possibly cleared out from the stereotactic biopsy, and if anything else shows up it can be cleared out at the same time. My thinking is it might save a 2nd visit to the operating room--at least in the near future. Only problem is I have a metal knee and other metal in my body, so hope they have a unit which will accommodate that. Anyone else had an MRI done prior to surgery?
Also wondering about anesthesia--any tips and experiences from anyone? General makes me violently sick, so I'm going to press for local, and ask if I can bring my iPod shuffle to listen to. I actually wouldn't mind watching, though I know they'll drug me up quite a bit. I prefer to be more 'awake' anyway since the recovery time is much quicker.
I won't have anyone with me since I've never married, have no kids, and my siblings all live in other cities quite a distance away. So I'm trying to gather as much info as I can to be able to successfully get everything I need arranged before surgery. Already decided on a taxi to and from the hospital, stay at a hotel and drive home the next day.
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LoverofBooks, Welcome! You've come to the right place to have your questions answered. We're warm, welcoming, informative and funny. I doubt that an MRI will clear things up - it didn't for me but then I had a huge hematoma that interfered. I was given a Dramamine just prior to going to the operating room and I had no post-surgery nausea. Perhaps that could help you. Talk to your surgeon ASAP about this.
Being very small busted I can't suggest a bra for you. But many gals here are nice and busty and I know they can. You will want a bra that closes in front. Maybe even a slightly larger size than usual since you will be swollen.
Check and make sure that a taxi is acceptable. My understanding is they like to have a person actually there with you. It does sound like a good solution. If you are going to a real hotel then would you have room service available? That would be good. And again, check to see if they will allow you to drive the next day.
You might consider posting the city you are in - possible that we have someone nearby who could help out.
HUGS!
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Trish, I am happy to be fitbit friends if you want to I can pm you my information or you can pm me.
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loverofbooks, I am a book lover too. I am sorry you need to be here and I hope your pathology ends up with pure adh. You will need to check the hospital policy, most required you to have someone pick you up. Lumpectomy is pretty easy recovery, you should plan on bringing a button up shirt and easy to pull on pants and slip on shoes. Put things you need daily in easy reach and plan to have lifting restrictions of no more than 10 lbs. Be sure your surgeon is okay with you driving that soon otherwise maybe Uber would be a solution to go home.
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gah. I'm like 10 pages behind after a week away in Mt Tremblant, Quebec!! Hope you are all doing well. I'm good.
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loverofbooks, I am an f-cup. I wore the Walmart fruit of the loom sports bras after surgery and again during radiation. They were very comfortable, enough support for me to not look awful or stretch the incision, and cheap. These ones:
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Welcome back, Jill!!
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Jill, hope your vacation was fantastic!
HUGS!
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thanks all! We had a great time. We went hiking and biking and did Treetop trekking, and we went on family white water rafting for the first time! It was so nice to get away and just feel normal and have fun with my family, I didn't tell anybody that I had recently had cancer (my hair is finally long enough that I don't look like a patient), barely talked about it or thought about it.
I start Zoladex on September 8, I'm starting to freak out. I really wish I didn't have to do this, I'm not ready to go into chemical menopause 10 years before my time, I don't care about my fertility or my period, I just don't want to be menopausal. So worried about how it is going to affect my quality-of-life, in particular joint pain, weight gain, and sexual issues
Everytime I think about it I start crying 0 -
Jill, sounds like a fantastic trip! Very happy for you! I can understand why you are worried about taking Zoladex but try to remember that you may not have much in the way of SEs or they may be manageable. Don't anticipate. Wait and see what happens and anticipate the best. Will you then start taking an AI once they decide you are menopausal?
HUGS!
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Jill, I feel ya. I'm in surgical menopause at 42. I won't say it's fun, but I know it's best for me in the long run, I hope you do much better with it than me!!! Hugs!!
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I'm jealous of all of you in Spokane! Welcome IHGAnne, but sorry we have to meet here. I went nuts waiting, and had a couple of delays that were the hardest thing ever! It always seems like we live in slow motion while waiting for results or to find out our next steps. Staying busy really does help the most, and I agree to stick to only reputable sites for information. I found I only go to BCO or American Cancer Society. And Susan Love's book is excellent, but a bit daunting in size.
I had a knockoff fitbit that I used a couple of times and then lost. I think I need to just get the real thing. I also got a medic alert bracelet. It has a pretty gold and silver thin expandable band and then the plaque with a pink caduceus. Inside I engraved "Left lymphodema" I wear it swimming and in the shower and it's just fine. There are tons of styles available.
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thanks! Yes they want to switch me to an AI. They are also encouraging me to consider an oopherectomy since I should be on zoladex until I'd reach a natural menopause!! (I'd though zoladex max was 2 years but MO says nope, until I'm around 50).
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Jill, nothing like really crappy choices: Zoladex or oopherectomy. I would hate to have to have more surgery but perhaps that's better than being on Zoladex for years and more years. At least you would get to choose a time that's convenient for you to have it. I guess I lean towards the surgical option (easy for me to say since it is you having the surgery, not me).
HUGS!
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Dara, One thing about Spokane is that it is small so we are all fairly close together. Very different than for you SoCal gals. And of course everyone I've met here has been wonderful (every BCO'er is!). I'm meeting with IHGJAnn on Tuesday for coffee. If possible I'll post a photo.
HUGS!
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I know. If I can live with the zoladex I'll likely do the surgery. My question is what what if it's awful? How do I choose between risk of recurrence and quality of life?
I often wish this was 3 years ago...then I'd be just on tamoxifen (which I'm having no issues with at all!)
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Jill, me and you are the same age, but my MO wants me to take tamoxifen despite having had the ovaries out. I know it's better for the bones and heart, but kind of worries me since I've read the AI are better, they weren't even discussing oopherectony with me, I had to be the one to ask gynecologist and MO said "why not". I think they act pooh pooh cause I'm stage one and I have " the best cancer one can have", but others had that too and had recurrence. That's why we have to be our own voices with the docs!!
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i'm having a hard time with this decision, because of the soft study it is felt ovary suppression would be best for me, but it's kind of a low risk of recurrence improvement over tamoxifen at my age. If I was a bit younger, then it would be a bigger change. It's hard to imagine really drastically reducing my quality of living to decrease my risk of recurrence by a couple percent...unless I have a recurrence (or mets).
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I wish I had words of wisdom for you Jill. I don't. There are so many factors that go into making each BC decision and no docs seem to follow the same protocol. I don't get it. Maybe some other gals will share their experiences and that can help clarify things for you.
HUGS!
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I *think* I will try the Zoladex for a few months. If I am OK with it then I will get the surgery, because my understanding is it will be pretty well the same. If I really find it hard to live with, then I will consider doing tamoxifen only at least for a few years.
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Jill, that sounds like a good plan to me. Check with your MO to make sure he/she is on board with it, too.
HUGS!
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Hello to all,
I am new to this site. I am scheduled for a lumpectomy two weeks from now. I went in for my pre-op testing and was told I had "chosen to for go other treatments for my breast cancer diagnosis." ??? I am a little floored because this diagnosis is all news to me. Has anyone else had this happen to them or know anyone it has? If I had cancer would the doctor not have told me?
I will definitely be making a follow up appointment to clarify but I am not taking this diagnosis seriously until the doctor actually tells me directly. Does that make any sense? Soooo sooo confused right now.
Any help would be most appreciated!!
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saedie did they do a needle biopsy? If so they will know if it is cancer (as should you). If not, sometimes instead of a needle biopsy (or if they cannot get a clear exult they will do an excisional biopsy, which is essentially a lumpectomy where they remove it first and then determine what it is.
If you've had mammograms and ultrasound, there will also be a radiology report. With breast lumps radiology reports are rated with a bi-rad level of 1 to 5. 5 is what I had, that meant there was a 95% or higher chance it would be malignant based on imaging. It's possible that you have a higher bi-rad score, and that's why they are assuming it is malignant, even though until you have a biopsy either needle or excisional, it is not confirmed. If that's what they're basing it on, it's not cool though because until there was a biopsy and I could still go either way
Peggy my oncologist is on board, it's actually her suggestion. She said if I was a bit older she would have me do the surgery first, but she wants me to have the option to back out of overy suppression if I really struggle.
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Jill, there have been some studies that shows that 3- 5 years of tamoxifen followed by 5 years of an AI is more effective for some ER positive cancers. Clear as mud, right? Take QOL into consideration. Surgical menopause was hell and I was 50.
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Saedie, Welcome! We're sorry you're here but this is the best place for you. We are warm, comforting, informative and funny. That said, I haven't the foggiest idea of what the hell that statement "you've chosen to go for other treatments for your breast cancer diagnosis" means. The only thing I can think of is that you have not had a biopsy and they want one first. And that's an excellent plan. Where are you located? That helps us interpret your results and treatment paths because they are different everywhere. Plus there might be a BCO member near you. So go to your profile, fill out whatever you know (like your surgery date for example), and make it public.
You will find answers to some of your questions by asking your surgeon. Call him/her and demand answers. When you were first informed of your diagnosis you were probably blind-sided and your brain just quit working. Now you have questions. Write them down. Get in to see your doctor, ask them. Don't have anything done until you get answers. You cannot make informed decisions without knowing exactly what they are basing the diagnosis on. Meantime, find Dr Susan Love's Breast Book and read it. That will give you a lot of the knowledge you need to ask good questions. It's so danged hard to know what you don't know.
Keep asking us and please tell us exactly what you have been told.
HUGS!
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LOL, Elizabeth, you said winkle! I lost hair everything, including my hoo-hah. In fact, 8 months post-chemo, the hair on my legs and underarms is very light. I shave about once a month, if I need to. Cool, right?
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loverofbooks, I also love books. I have books stashed everywhere. It drives my DH crazy that I have 2-3 different books going at the same time.
About the MRI--most of the time, metal in the body is a no-go for MRI. The MRI is a huge magnet and you don't want your metal plates to come ripping out of your body. There are a few metals (very few) that are safe to go into the MRI, but they have only recently been used. The majority of individuals who have metal in their bodies have to suffice with CT scans or ultrasounds.
About your taxi plan--check with the hospital. Most hospitals require an adult be present while you are in surgery and to accompany you home. Our local hospitals will not even begin your prep for surgery until your designated adult arrives and agrees in writing to be your chaperone. Your doctor may or may not know the rules, so call the dept that does pre-op testing--they will know for sure.
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Lovestofly, I have those same sports bras and I love them. I have a pair of Knitted Knockers (soft-knit breast forms) that fit in the cups perfectly. The Knockers are lightweight, so they do tend to ride inward toward each other, but they don't move up and try to peek out of the bra.
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LoverOfBooks, me too. I had 800-1,000 before my move. I rehomed about half since I really didn't have room for all of them in my new home. Of course, I'm gradually buying more paper books. And I never stopped buying eBooks. I'm reading 3 books right now. I could not live without books.
HUGS!!
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So, I have had 8 doctor appts this month, so far and I have two more this week. I am utterly sick of going to the doctor~! I'm actually looking forward to seeing the GI doctor tomorrow, though.
Here's where you get off if you don't want to hear about poop (you know how nurses love to talk about poop!)...
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I have had terrible diarrhea ever since last Oct, when I started chemo. I had it pretty much constantly for those 3 months. Since then, I have had "altered" stools every day, with bad cramps, and once I get started it doesn't let up until I'm completely empty. It can go on for hours and hours, and even during the night, sometimes. Sometimes it comes on so fast that I have had some close calls--thought I would have to pull over and go in the bushes several times! I know every Shell station and McDonald's in north Georgia. Not even kidding. Yesterday I was going out on home visits all day about 100 miles from home and to my horror and embarrassment I had it come over me at a client's house--twice! The caregiver was worried that I was sick or something. Nope. Just pooping my brains out in your house (I didn't tell her that!)
I'm sure the GI doc is going to want to do a colonoscopy, which I actually wouldn't be upset about (weird, right?) I am so afraid that I have developed some Crohn's disease going on in there. I've always had IBS, tending toward diarrhea, but never like this. I'm have thoroughly sick of these loose stools. On the other hand, I am also worried about colon cancer. I have the Chek2 gene mutation which raises my risk for colon and breast cancer x2-3. Both sides of the family have several cases of colon or rectal cancer. Let's just hope there's nothing like that going on. I don't think I could stand it.
All right, I know, TMI. But thanks for listening.
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