Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
Comments
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Poodles- safe travels and sending prayers your way!
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~PontiacPeggy~
I hear you regarding the snap/pinch, but I still can't do it! I have tried not looking, but that doesn't work either. I will pass out just thinking about having to have a shot, blood drawn, etc. I went into shock during my first biopsy! My BS prescribed Xanax to get me through the second biopsy and the wire guides. I have always had this issue. I tried therapy, but it didn't help. I am better if I have some control. All of my doctors know to order my labs through my PCP and I have one plebotomist I always use. She knows how to keep me calm while drawing. I always thought myself a coward because for others it's routine but for me it's a nightmare! Fortunately, the anxiety only rears its ugly head once in a while, but the days leading up to and the day of my surgery were anxiety-ridden and I was a wreck.
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~ILSunrise~
I didn't have chemo, but I did have radiation. My ALT & AST levels were elevated after I finished. The MO wouldn't start the meds until they came down. It only took about 6 weeks.
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Velvet, my husband was the same way. He always laid down to get shots, blood draws. He did have some skeptical providers but after picking him up off the floor that went away. His brothers are the same. You are not a coward. We are all put together differently. Just accept this is who you are and do what you can to mitigate your reactions so you can cope and so can the medical personnel. It certainly does make it difficult for you. After DH had his heart attack and was in the hospital for some time, he got so he wasn't quite as "bad." Wishing you peace.
HUGS!
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Dear Poodles: I am so sorry that your mom is going through so much. I wish your family well. Your job situation is awful. I feel for you. You have been through so much yet you have such a great attitude. You are an inspiration.
Dear Lexicoe (I think): I live in Florida but I was treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. I flew immediately after my last radiation treatment (the same day). I had to change planes - one layover. I had no problem flying at all. I had no problems with radiation. I also flew home from TX 1 week after my surgery (double lx plus bilateral breast reduction and lift). I had to wait the week to finish meeting with all doctors and to get my pathology report. I had no problem flying then either.
However, no one told me about the importance of wearing a lymphedema sleeve while flying (I only had 2 lymph nodes removed so, I guess no one felt that this might be an issue???) so I flew 3 times without a lymphedema sleeve. I found out about the importance of wearing a lymphedema sleeve while flying from my bc support group.
The only problem that I had with flying was when I was flying back to TX, 7 weeks post surgery, to start my radiation treatments. I was wearing a medical bra which has a zipper and lots of hooks in the front. A medical bra is a "heavy duty" bra. I am large busted so even with the reduction, I am still a D cup. Imagine how big my medical bra was! I think that the entire SWAT team had to pat me down and search me. Airport security has no idea about medical bras. They were NOT HAPPY. Sirens and bells were going off!! However, the guy with the boomerang got through airport security without any issues. I am actually serious about the boomerang. LOL. Other than that, no issues for me with flying! Good luck.
Dear VelvetPoppy: I am sorry that blood draws, etc. are so difficult for you. Unfortunately, you will be having many doctors visits now. Good luck. Don't feel bad that this is difficult for you. Things happen. We all have to go through what we have to go through. You need to find compassionate, caring, and competent phlebotomists.
Dear Sandy: Thanks for your insight and explanations. You are invaluable to all of us.
Dear Nessy: Welcome and good luck. I am sorry that you had such a bad experience with the wire localization. I hope that you heal quickly.
Dear KDTheatre: Good luck with rads.
Hello and hugs to everyone else that I did not respond to.
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Poodles, hugs, thinking about you.
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The wire localization procedure was one of the worst things I experienced in this BC journey. I wonder why/how some had no pain, yet others (like me) found it excruciating. If I ever have to do again, I will make sure to get the pain-free one!
ILSunrise-my liver enzymes were also elevated on last chemo & several weeks after. I seemed to be more worried about than my 'then-onc." By the time I switched to my new onc & got a blood test, they were back down
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I'm going to be flying from Reno to Cleveland on Apr 6 and home on Apr 11. What with the discussion about lymphedema, I've started wondering whether I should wear a sleeve for those flights. I do see the clinic on Apr 5, so I guess I should ask them about it. If they think I should, then O hope they supply them!
The seroma is back, but so far, smaller than the original. Hoping it stays that way!
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Lexicoe, I reacted pretty strongly to my rads (I had 36) and was miserable for a week afterwards. But almost overnight, two weeks post rads everything was back to normal. Still felt a bit tired, but you most likely would be fine 6 weeks post rads.
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Natsera, Nearly a year after my LX I flew from Detroit to San Diego, then to Spokane, and back to Detroit. I didn't wear a sleeve. Frankly, I didn't know there was a possibility of LE. And a year ago I flew to Spokane and back without a sleeve. I had no issues. Maybe I was lucky. I don't know. My experience may not be yours.
Poodles, thinking of you.
HUGS!
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~Peggy~
I don't apologize for my anxiety/fear. As I said, I have always been this way. I always ask to be flat, but with my knees bent. It seems to help. I was in my late teens when I had a terrible experience that has never left me. I was having a blood draw at a clinic I had never been to before and asked to lay down. The tech laughed at me & started to inject the needle. I passed out, hit the floor & bent my arm with the needle still in. Fortunately, the needle wasn't pushed completely into my arm and it was able to be removed, but I never went back to that clinic again! Never completed that blood draw either.
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Velvet, you do sound like my DH. That experience must have been awful for you. And it really p*sses me off when medical personnel think they know you and how you will react better than you know yourself. Especially when they've never seen you before. What arrogance. I get riled just thinking about it.
HUGS!
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I had a Xanax to get me through the wire localization, so I was pretty calm and felt no pain. The nurse & techs that did it were the same staff I see for my mammograms and I had them for both of my biopsies, so they know me fairly well. The four injections of the radioactive dye that was injected into the nipple area of my breast was excruciating!
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Poodles ....so sorry about your mom. Hugs & prayers!
I sure could of used a Xanax during my wire localization. As a matter of fact lately now that all my treatment is over and life is supposedly back to normal and I'm working full time I could use a couple Xanax a week. Did anyone else have trouble getting back to "normal" life?
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Caligirl, yes I did. I was more fatigued after tx was over. I was more emotional and reacted to stress quicker than before, often snapping at others which wasn't like me. I'm just now starting to feel like my old self. Still don't have my old energy level back, but at least I'm not snapping at others all the time. Trying to work on my diet to see if that helps with energy.
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Thanks everyone for the input about flying right after rads!
The new RO, after consulting with another BS, has decided to delay my MRI another week and recommends I get a second opinion from this surgeon. So there is no way rads will be done in time--the only chance I have now for being able to attend the Kansas meeting is if they do end up doing another surgery.
I'm glad the docs are trying to determine the right course and not rush into anything, but now it looks like I'll have at least 2 weeks more of waiting and wondering about what will come next. :
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I was tired during rads, but when I went back to work when it was all over, it was worse. I got so tired during the day, I could barely function. I didn't have an option to work part-time, so I had to tough it out. Fortunately, I had a wonderfully compassionate manager. She had me scheduled to work a reference desk most of the time and early in the day when patrons were few. The rest of the day, I spent in the workroom working on projects or processing. She also gave me an early lunch, knowing I only used 30 minutes to actually eat, and I was able to take a quick nap. The building supervisor knew what I was going through (she'd been there,too), so when she saw me sleeping in the lounge, she "looked away".
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Poodles, Praying for you and your family... We're all here for you..
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I thank you all for prayers and good wishes. Mother is very weak, barely eating and drinking. She can no longer stand and cannot sit upright unassisted. Bless her heart, she has had several episodes of fecal incontinence. She is often confused. Today she told my sister that "sometimes I'm here and sometimes I'm other." She sees to be "other" quite a lot.
Three of us girls are here for at least the week. We are about ready to kill our brother. He calls mother and gets her all upset. Tonight he called her and told her he was going to come down and take her to the gun range. When she told him no, he said he would bring the guns to the hospital and they could just shoot the windows out! I know he was kidding, but mother took him seriously--she now has the thinking and problem solving ability of a 5-6 year old, sometimes younger. Very concrete thinking, almost no spontaneous conversation, lots of repeating and echolalia.
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Poodles, I've been thinking about you all weekend and wondering how things were. Obviously not good. It is so hard to see a loved one decline and no real hope of recovery. It seems rather surprising to me that your mother realizes she is "other" a lot. I'd also want to murder your brother. Hopefully you can get through to him that your mother is very literal now and just not able to grasp humor as she once did. I wish you peace as it appears your mother is traveling her final journey.
HUGS!
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Oh, i lowered the boom on him tonight, Peggy. Told him flat out that he needs to get down here ASAP. He says he has some jobs to finish, but he can be here in a week or two. Fine. Be an ass, I don't care. She's not going to be here in 2 weeks. She has declined before my eyes in the last three days. Don't call me crying in your beer because you didn't make it in time. Asshole.
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Poodles, I'd be pissed too. He is behaving badly. Is he in denial and avoiding coming face to face with the fact that your mother is not going to last very long? Tolerance goes out the window when time is short, doesn't it? Glad your sisters are there. Give your mom a hug for me. Love to you all, even your jerk of a brother.
HUGS!
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sending love and hugs across the miles to get you, Poodles. Your brother will have to live with his own regret.
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Velvet...do you work at a library
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poodles, yes he is an asshole. Thinking about you, no words can say enough for what you are going through.
Hugs.
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Poodles... Prayers for you all ...your brother will be the one to live with his choices. Hugs
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Poodles, my thoughts and prayers are with you
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Hi Ladies - I am now officially a member of the lumpectomy team. Had mine on Friday. They only needed to take out the sentinel nodes which were clear. I am working through the stiffness and soreness. I have major pain in the tricep area of my arm from nerve damage I guess - it was explained to me that I might experience that. It is only bad if I over exert for now - like taking off a shirt over my head. I have my follow up next week and then on to radiation. I have been reading the posts and I am not familiar with the oncodx report or number. I did chemo first then lumpectomy. I'll ask my doctor about it.
thanks all - K
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KLNiss, Glad your surgery is behind you. Do be careful to not over-do on your surgery side. Be gentle. No heavy lifting! You just had major surgery and your body needs for you to give it a break so it can heal. You don't need an Oncotype test - you already had chemo and that is what the test is for: determining the need for chemo. BTW, you will most likely find that the node removal is the most annoying part of your surgery
HUGS!
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~Poodles~
I am so sorry about your mother. I lost my mother to a stroke in September. I had not been able to see her while I was recovering from surgery & during radiation. She lived in Michigan, but I talked to her every week. I did finally get to see her last August and we had two wonderful weeks together. She died seven weeks later. My point here is my siblings: my brother & his wife took care of Mother and were with her when she passed; my sister didn't have the time! She actually put her friend's needs before our mother and told her that in a letter-that her friend needed her more right now & would see her when she found the time! She never found the time and now moans and cries about how much she misses HER mother. I have no sympathy for people like that.
~kd~
Yes,I did work in a public library for 13 years. I loved the first 10 years, the last 3 not so much. I retired last August after being in the "work world" for 34 years.
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