Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Sandy, I know what you mean. My DS and DIL gave me a silver Pandora bead with a pink enamel ribbon on it for the Christmas after I was diagnosed. I don't donate to SGK. I sure do to BCO - wish I could give more. How lovely that you have such a wonderful housekeeper - keep her close. I can tell how much a part of your family she is from all that you have written about her and the huge amount of help she's been.
HUGS!
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That's great that pink looks so good on you, I had red auburn hair and pink doesn't look that good on me, purple works... but I don't get the advertising pink things.. too much commercialization.. I could do the red for heart or the color for leukemia, color for diabetes, color for birth defects... there are so many things out there besides bc that we can all relate to... I like keeping the friendship and support of others going through the same things... I like the memories we make... those will last long after the advertisements go away
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Does anyone know what Bionect is
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Any surgeon can call themselves "oncoplastic," but if you look at their qualifications and education you may see differently. USC heralded as one of the leading research centers on oncoplastic medicine has this description of themselves on their website
About the Program
As a Society of Surgical Oncology accredited program, the USC Breast Fellowship Program is structured to provide each fellow with comprehensive multidisciplinary training.
Our fellowship program is the only Society of Surgical Oncology-certified program that teaches oncoplastic surgery, a specialized surgical approach that combines the principles of cancer surgery with the techniques of plastic surgery to achieve optimal cosmetic and oncologic results. The program also includes exposure to a diverse patient population with access to both insured and un-insured patients.
Since its inception in 2000, the USC Breast Fellowship Program has gained national recognition for its leadership in improving the surgical outcomes of breast cancer therapy. In addition to providing training in oncoplastic surgery, the program is committed to exposing fellows to the leading technologies designed to improve the overall effectiveness and quality of breast care. Among the procedures are intraoperative radiation therapy, intraoperative ultrasounds and axillary reverse lymphatic mapping.
My BS was the 2014 Fellow at USC for this department. She would be horrified at some of the stories on here about breast surgery.
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rocking my egg and new port finally accessed
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Elizabeth, that's great! Still look like Friday to come home? Seems you are feeling pretty good. BTW you look fantastic!!
HUGS!
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Sloan....where did you see those prices??????????? Went to the Spirit website...could fly from ATL on Fir but they have no seats back until after 10/4... When I saw your post was thinking hey...just DO IT! But looking like it isn't that easy this time. ATL is a 4 hour drive from here...do not mind that but need to be able to fly back to ATL and get home.
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Does anyone know how twintwin did on her oncotype? I was reading some past posts and tried to follower her comments.
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Elizabeth, looking great!
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Thank you Sandy for the info. That's helps me tremendously! My flight is about 2 hours long this time. So thankful for this site and all the great information
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Poodles, I guess none of us "need" our breasts except when we breast feed, but they're part of how we feel about ourselves whatever age we are. When I first realised the amount of tissue that was going to be removed from me, I can't describe the shock I felt. They'd spent so much time telling me how lucky I was, only DCIS, but they never explained that 5 cm is a large volume, it was only when I did some digging on the internet that I realised this wasn't some little operation with no consequences, that many women have to go straight to mastectomy to remove that much tissue.. So I cried very embarrassingly all over the radiotherapist when he trotted out the "only" DCIS line. I felt like it could have been my face they were talking about carving up. I know that's not logical, but it was real gut wrenching emotional reaction. And I am 56, and never a person to wear tight clothes or lots of cleavage.
I guess when you get diagnosed, you grieve for lots of things. I've never had a confident relationship with my body, I'm a yo-yo dieter so I'm always dissatisfied with my shape and weight, but I'd just lost 35 pounds and felt better and more confident than I had in years. And then I stood in the surgeon's office while they discussed whether I had enough stomach fat for a flap reconstruction. And suddenly life is just completely different. Now I worry about what else is happening in my body that I can't see and can't feel. And to my husband, and my children, life just suddenly seems a more uncertain thing.
And now I wait to see how my body will continue to change, rads will increase the size difference between my breasts and I will have to work out how best to disguise it until I have the other breast reduced to match, whenever that can happen. I guess I'll have to learn to wear a lot of scarves...
So I feel for you, and for all of us who are in a place we don't want to be. I know I will choose a reconstruction if this re excision still doesn't give clear margins, though it would be nice to have a break before more surgery.
I see you have further surgery in your treatment schedule, are you hoping for reconstruction soon?
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Anyone needs a stomach-fat donor, you know whom to call!
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I have lots to donate too.
I am getting sprung tonight. I am so happy..
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Elizabeth, YEAH!!!! Glad you're getting out. Hope you feel tons better!
Sandy, you're too funny (you, too, Elizabeth). Fat donors. It would be nice.
HUGS!
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I saw my RO today and depending on the oncotype, it could be two or three weeks til I start treatments...
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Four to six weeks between surgery & radiation (or surgery & chemo) is pretty standard. You need to heal, because both treatments can take a lot out of you.
Congrats on getting sprung, Elizabeth! Didn’t even need a file baked into a cake!
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Sadly we came to the conclusion no donor was required! But it was a surreal moment to have a nurse and a surgeon evaluating my belly fat five minutes after giving me the formal diagnosis, when suddenly we're into discussion of reconstruction methods which all sound anatomically impossible. "You take a chunk from here, and you tow it up to there? How can that work?"
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Judy, Sandy's right. You need several weeks between treatments. You have to keep your "bad" arm above your head for 10 minutes or so and it's better after you've healed.
Dizzy, I'm sorry that donors won't be necessary. But I agree that's strange discussing reconstruction when you haven't even processed the need for it.
HUGS!
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Dizzy, you are your own best advocate. Arm yourself with knowledge, even if they don't let you speak first with questions. Have everything written down, 1,2,3, and don't leave until your questions are answered. I am not sure why they even have a DCIS diagnosis, because mostly the treatment is the same as stage one or two invasive ductal carcinoma. Some DCIS patients are oncotyped to see if they could have chemo. When your breast volume adjusts after radiation, it may be similar in size to your other breast. I am going to need a reduction and nipple work on my good breast to now match my new nipple. My new nipple is much better looking that my birth nipple.
Another area of concern for me, is hearing about how many women cannot tolerate tamoxifen or arimidex type medication, and how many women just quit taking it. I am going to be sure to break down all of the variables statistically before I decide on any avenue other than radiation.
IGHJAnn, I am in the same airplane holding pattern as you, circling the airport waiting for oncotype test. ugg.
General question, has anyone noticed alot of coughing going on around them? My coughing started again and not sure if its leaves and corn, or viral. Dry throat and dry cough, sometimes productive. uggg uggggggg
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Michelle, when reading the Arimidex thread, keep in mind that most of the people posting are having real SEs. Most people don't post there because they don't have problems. And sometimes changing the manufacturer or switching to another AI takes care of the SEs. Please do NOT assume you will have problems with either an AI or Tamoxifen. I've been on generic Arimidex for 2 years with no problems. Give them a try. If the SEs are bad, change or quit. But I think you owe it to yourself to do all you can do to prevent your BC from coming back. But that's ME. You have to decide what's best for you.
HUGS!
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I saw the new lymphedema specialist on Tuesday for my breast swelling and I really loved her! She is not a PT or OT so the ins will not pay, but she is only $85 a session and well worth the money! She became a certified lymphedema specialist 5 years ago when her brother-in-law had all lymph nodes in his groin area removed due to bladder cancer. Only certain occupations are eligible to become certified lymphedema specialists and the quickest path for her was to become a massage therapist. She has never actually done any massage therapy though
She crafted me some tubes filled with lumpy foam to wear under my sports bra at night to push the fluid to a place that my body can more easily drain. (They will be replaced by a "Swell Spot" garment which she ordered.) In the morning my breast looks pretty good. By nighttime the seroma is full again, but tomorrow I see her to get foam pads to help during the day, also. She said it will take time to resolve and I need to be patient. She's glad I came in, because although I don't have full-blown truncal lymphedema yet, if I don't take care of the fluid accumulation it could turn into that. Tomorrow she will also teach me and DH how to manually drain the fluid. She also put some kinesio tape on me to help with fluid movement. Now I feel like an Olympic athlete! (NOT)I also was given a tight wrapping after surgery and wore it for almost a week, then wore a compressive bra 24x7 for months. Unfortunately nothing provided compression to the area which developed the seroma. In fact, I think it drove more fluid there. So whether wrapping prevents seromas really does depend on the shape and size of your breast, and where the incision was. I think if my breast had been wrapped individually it would have helped more, rather than being squished against the other one into a uniboob.
I am assuming our Spokane dinner will be on Sunday, Oct 2. My cousin and I have rooms at the Quality Inn Sunday night where Katzpjays is staying. Are we all wearing pink to the dinner? I have plenty of pink clothes but don't wear that color all the time.
I plan to have a coffee/breakfast visit in the morning on Monday with whoever is available and then hit the road for Hood River, OR. One of my hiking friends moved up there a couple of years ago and has a farm there. He's a very interesting character and it will be fun to see him and tour his farm. His wife is very "normal" compared to him.
My empathy for everyone waiting for onco test results. And my best wishes for an MO who will discuss both the chemo and non-chemo options better than mine did! And not say the decision is up to you. We are not experts and should not be forced to make such a tough decision. The MO should have an opinion, and if not, get a second opinion!!
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Slight correction: OncotypeDX is ordered for DCIS, but it’s a totally different test from the one for invasive disease. For one thing, it uses a wider numerical scale; and for another, it determines the need for radiation, not chemo. Chemo is no longer given for pure DCIS.
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Alice, You and Katzpjays are staying close to me. Sloan is staying downtown. I'll definitely join you for breakfast. You have a very busy road trip planned. I am planning dinner for Sunday night. A steak/seafood house. Not inexpensive but definitely not EXPENSIVE. I tried it out last weekend and loved their filet! You know, I hadn't thought about wearing pink but I may just do that. I love pink and wear a lot of it all the time (when I clean up
). We'll play everything by ear!! HUGS!
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Thanks for the correction Sandy. The information that I have was from my nurse navigator. I think I knew that the numbers were a bit different for oncotype test, so I should have mentioned that information. Several people that I know had DCIS and had a mastectomy and took Tamoxifen.
Peggy, I would never rule anything out, but need to see what my numbers are for different avenues. I have some asthma issues in spring and fall, and viral induced asthma. On top of everything I take meds for panic attacks, anxiety, and originally postpartum depression. All of the above runs in my family, uggg. I would like to stay on Zoloft, which I have taken for 18 years successfully. It directly interferes with Tamoxifen and would have to do a cell receptor test to see if that would happen in me. At my age, I would hope for AI and am pretty interested in researching the different brands and manufacturers to see which one has the least amount of side effects.
Most people would say, just give me a prescription. In my mind, I think, what if I have a reaction, will I 1) get depressed, have panic attacks, 2) go to the hospital or need an epi pen. Instead of just thinking I can do everything, I have to think incrementally. One of my professors and later co-worker, always said to class, "this is done on an incremental (encreeeementil) basis." That is how I think of most things, incrementally. Michelle "The Incrementalist', that's me. I just got through a round of doxycycline, which used to mess with my depression, and I did fine. I was not confident the entire way through the 10 days of treatment.
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Michelle, are you post-menopausal? If so, an AI would be the first choice. If not, then Tamoxifen. If Tamoxifen is contra-indicated they might consider putting you into menopause. BTW, the SEs from AIs don't seem to be the EpiPen variety (unlike the drug allergies I have). They are more bone/joint pain. It's not a "reaction" per se. Obviously you don't want to stop the drugs you are taking and actually work for you. I think that there will be an AI or Tamoxifen that will work and not interfere. It gets tricky, doesn't it?
HUGS!
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Very tricky Peggy, I am early 50's and have a regular cycle. I see my ob/gyn at the beginning of Nov. and will have some discussion about the entire situation. Maybe I could offer up my ovaries as a peace sign to the MO? But, I know that ovarian function is important for different areas of the body and that one day, I might wish to have them back. I pray that one day we don't have to remove any organs or tissue and that cryotherapy or some type of ultrasound can be the treatment for damaged cells. Getting rid of our body parts should not have to be a decision. Gallbladder, tonsils, sure, but organs that make us who we are and provide hormones to other bodily systems for functioning, should not be a decision.
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I had 10 cms. removed (yes 10!) from the left outside area of my breast at 2:00, and 1 year and 9 months later, I have a slight indentation on the side of my breast, not really noticeable under clothes. I think the body does eventually fill some of the removed area in. It just takes awhile. I have not done any fat grafting, just waiting to see how things go. I am a DD cup size though, so it might be more noticeable with a smaller breast and depending on area.
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Michelle, ovarian function is very vital for promoting the growth of your ER+ BC. For me (and granted I was post-menopausal) the most important thing is to prevent breast cancer from coming back. I KNOW I have had breast cancer and that it could return. I *don't know* that anything else will happen because I'm taking an AI. And while removing your ovaries is certainly one option, you can be put into menopause artificially. I don't now much about either. Again, what works for you may be entirely different than my choices. We just make the choices and pray they are the right ones.
HUGS!
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Moondust... I'm hoping to meet you guys for breakfast on Monday morning here in Spokane. I get back into town late Sunday night as long as my lymphedema doesn't act up too much from traveling I want to try to see everybody on Monday morning before you leave town if we can. Let me know when you guys plan to have breakfast.
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Traci, I love your signature line. It is soooo you
See you Oct 3rd if not before!HUGS!
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