Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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KB870, Thank you! I need strength and am a nervous wreck now! Can't say I've been in denial, but have been doing things weekly and today is the new surgeon, scared!
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it normal to swell up and gain weight right after a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy? I had mine done yesterday and today my rings are really tight and I am 7 pounds heavier ( despite having fasted almost 24 hours before they finally got around to surgery yesterday. I am scared about lymphedema. Has this happened to anyone else
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RedMoon - I had some fluid retention after my surgeries, and it went away in a day or two once I got back to my normal routine. Hope it goes away quickly for you, too.
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RedMoon, I gained weight throughout the entire experience. Prior to my diagnosis I was a vegan and only plant based person. No sugars or wheat or eggs cheese meat etc. But something was triggered when I heard the word cancer and I ran straight into the arms of my darling, comfort food.
No reason to regret it now. I just got back on the healthy wagon. You will too when the time is right. Go easy on yourself for now. It really doesn't matter how we get through this. Just get through it. And still be kind to yourself. And patient and forgiving with yourself.Everything takes time.
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RedMoon, this soon after surgery it’s definitely water retention—always happens when on an I.V. for awhile. Should go away in a couple of days. Actual weight gain happens as a result of either anti-hormonal therapy or the steroids given with chemo. Didn’t get the latter, and during chemo one needs to keep strength up; but as for anti-hormonals, do as they say, not as I did—watch diet & exercise! Try not to gain before starting—better yet, if you can lose a little, do so. Pity-parties are tempting, but very tough to undo the results (believe me, I know).
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thanks a lot, really good information that no-one else tells you about. Maybe it's the painkillers talking, but I love you all
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My appt. with the nice female Dr. was okay but then went awry. After transferring all of my records and films, she was sweet as my friend described but not many answers, though then hit a wall again. When discussing surgery, most likely a mastectomy and lumpectomy on a cyst that could "turn" on the other side, she began talking reconstruction. As she knows and I told her again, I've been going through this for 2 years, no fault of my own, not fully recovered from treatment when finding they left a "lump" in me, so I'm pretty worn out, even afraid of surgery. She said she works with a plastic surgeon to do reconstruction by her side in the operating room. I told her I NEED to recoup and then will consider it. My body's been through so much, that I want to heal up first, just wanting THIS out of me! She said she is NOT comfortable without reconstruction done on the spot as they work together and is demanding that I see the plastic surgeon. I told her nicely that I'd be wasting his time right now, just wanting the surgery and time to heal, to which she said that she is not comfortable with that. She even suggested that if I didn't want to do it this way to go back to my other surgeon. Not happy about any of this but I came home and called him, getting an appt. for Monday. This thing has been in me too long, doesn't belong and enough time has been wasted that's making my mind race, Praying it didn't move. So that's my deal for now and have also set up a pre op with the cardiologist so that's 1 less test I'll have to do. I'm not a happy camper and don't know why Drs. can be so difficult.
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Red moon, I wouldn't have made it through so far nearly as well without this group explaining things to me. I love them too.
MFPM, I'm so sorry things aren't going smoothly for you. It makes a hard situation even harder, which you don't need right now.
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MFPM, recovery from lumpectomy or mastectomy alone would take as long as from immediate reconstruction. If the BS and PS work as a team, you're likely to get the best results, especially as regards symmetry. Insurance & Medicare both cover it. One recover is easier and faster than two. I'd recommend at least doing the consult with the PS
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Things got so complicated MFPM - it do any hurt to listen to your PS. When my surgeon suggested I might need mastectomy I didn't want to do reconstruction because I'm an older.
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I had my lumpectomy with axiliary node dissection day before yesterday. Surgery went well and doc put one drain .I didn't get either nausea or pain after it , but lots of discomfort.
I have been taking tylenol , avoiding the painkillers as of now. Trying to rest as much as i can , at the same time trying to keep moving.
I wanted to shower Today but when i saw the area of surgery and drain , i kind of became light headed ( vaso vagal syndrome
) .Will try again tomorrow.
Now waiting for the pathology report and getting my arm back in motion before radiation0 -
Hi ladies! I had my lumpectomy and 2 lymph nodes removed on 8-29. I went back to surgeon Tuesday, and all looked good. Today I have swelling under arm above that incision. Is it normal to swell over a week later? I go back to surgeon next Tuesday. Should I call before then
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BC - I didn't shower until they removed my drain. I just do sponge bath, but that's me.
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MFPM, Are you limited as to the surgeons you can see? Are there any others? I don't know NYC but as I recall there are outstanding cancer centers there - wouldn't that be a good place to go if you can? You obviously feel like you are being pushed into a procedure you don't feel is right for you and aren't comfortable with either BS. I would keep hunting. Perhaps others in the NYC area have suggestions. You need to feel confident in your BS, that she understands YOU and your particular situation, and comfortable with her recommendations. It seems that you don't feel that with either. I'll let others chime in with their thoughts.
BCFighter2017, glad your surgery is over and you're doing pretty good! You will likely have 4-6 weeks before radiation. They like for you to be really healed. Do take it easy - remember this is major surgery, don't let the "outpatient" thing fool you into thinking otherwise. Hope you get the path report quickly!
HUGS!
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FINALLY got my drain out today after 3.5 weeks from surgery! My drainage level never did get down to what they wanted, but my surgeon said we were at the point where the risk of infection leaving the tube in outweighed the risks of seroma taking it out. Fingers crossed for all to go well with it this weekend! Intro to chemo training on Monday!
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Hi Peggy, Sandy, Everyone... I saw my MO yesterday and the infection is clear, but they said there are no "markers" to check the cancer status, so guess if it comes back I'll find out someday... I don't see her for four months and the mammo and ultrasound are clear, so no more till next sept.... the radiologist never did another followup so guess this it the end of doctors for this year... Hope everyone has a Great Day
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MFPM. I did not end up with a mastectomy, but knew I absolutely would not any reconstruction. Period. My surgeon was surprised and still told me why I might want it, but then dropped it when I said NO. I don't think a surgeon should ever argue with your decision unless it is a life saving procedure.
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I just got call from my BS office regarding pathology report. I didn't understand what she said initially ,but what i could make out is that out of 30 lymph nodes 6 were effected and Doc was able to get all the cancer out :-D ..so officially i am 'cancer' free.
I am not able to find out what does the number of lymph nodes effected means for future treatments or recurrence?
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Judy, great news! I know of no test for how the AIs are working.
BCFighter2017Great news!!! Where are you located? I have no idea of what 6 positive nodes means in your case. I'm sure others will know. Sounds like you had clean margins and that's good. Make sure you get a copy of your path report - that could tell you more (or not). With that many nodes removed, you are at a much higher risk for lymphedema so make sure your surgeon or MO refers you to an LE specialist and go right away. Better to be proactive. You may never have a problem, seems to be random, but staying ahead of it is wise. Whew!!!
HUGS!!!
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Terri, swelling in the armpit above the incision is par for the course. It’s called a seroma and doesn’t always develop right away. (Mine took 2 weeks). It’s pretty annoying but it will go away over time (mine disappeared after about 3 months). Comfort will be your main concern. Try to avoid anything that will rub on it—some “constructed” (even no-wire) bras have their seams or edges encroach on the seroma—if you have relatively small breasts, a bralette like a Coobie or Genie, a “leisure” front-hook bra like Leading Lady, or even a tank with a built-in “shelf” like Amoena will be more comfy (the fabric is softer) and hold you in enough. If you are larger, you might want to pad the edge that hits the seroma with a hankie, folded piece of clean T-shirt material, or nursing pad. (Maybe even large cotton cleansing pad).
I was greenlighted to go back to my underwires about 3 wks post-op, but several days after that my sentinel node incision opened up and had to be sutured (which did make the seroma a bit smaller). It was the weight of my large breast that pulled it open—glue wasn’t enough. 2 wks after that, the sutures were removed and I went back to my underwires—even during radiation, which was pretty uneventful for me.
In the meantime, you might want to keep a small pillow under your arm while at home. (Or you can attach a strap to a small pillow and hang it over your shoulder for use when out of the house—my BS’ NP actually gave me one that volunteers made). I know Plainfield is way SW, almost to Joliet, but if you are okay driving we have a support group that meets in Evanston the second Wed. of each month—Sep. 13 is the next one. We have patients from several different health systems, not just N.Shore. There is also a thread on BCO for those of us all over IL, started by “lllinoisLady” from downstate.
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bcfighter, pretty much 6 nodes guarantees chemo. I am glad they got all the cancer. Enjoy the victory!
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Molly, BCFighter has done chemo - prior to her surgery.
HUGS!
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Aha, sorry about that. Thanks for the correction, Peggy. It's hard keeping up with this thread.
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Saw my Breast Surgeon on Thursday, my SN incision has a couple spots that are really irritated. She thinks a couple of stitches are trying to work their way out instead of dissolving like they are supposed to. It's been a little over 3 weeks since surgery. If they are still painful in a couple weeks when I return from brachytherapy, she'll open up the skin and take the stitches out.
Has this happened to anyone else?
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Molly, it is difficult.
FridayYet, how annoying. That site does very well being a pain without having stitches acting up.
HUGS!
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I've asked this question elsewhere, but no one responded so I'll try here. Since I was right on the border of needing or not needing chemo (5mm), is there any reason to complete a full 12 weeks of taxol? I'm so afraid of it. I'd like to set my initial goal for getting through maybe 4 weeks or something not so intimidating if that makes sense. My MO said she's not really sure since all the studies were done on a full 12 week protocol, but it seems some would be better than none. On the other hand, how much does it take for the benefits to outweigh the risks? And that's assuming I will actually even benefit from it since maybe I didn't really need it anyway. I will continue to take the herceptin for the full year unless I have issues with it that aren't manageable, but my MO thinks I'll do great on it.
I've never felt so overwhelmed and afraid for such a long duration in my life. The past several months have aged me and the fear and stress are suffocating me, so some wise input would be wonderful... Thank you
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Brightness456 - I would obtain a second opinion on the chemo treatment for your own peace of mind. I fired a doctor because he was an ass. Wishing you the best.
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Goofycat,
I actually had 2 MOs discuss my case with me. The first wouldn't commit to whether I should do chemo or not and I tried several different ways to get her to give her opinion. It really comes down to maybe/maybe not I suppose. My regular MO said she thinks I should do it just because of my personality and the guilt and blame I'd put on myself if I found out later that it had grown to stage 4 with mets. She's right about that. I want this gone from my life forever. What she couldn't tell me though was if some treatments rather than all treatments would increase my odds of success and why 12 as opposed to say 6 or 8 or 10. She said there's really no data that she's aware of that could answer my question. Both MOs seem very qualified and both are lovely people. I'm just surprised there's no research on number of treatments needed.
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I am not sure if i am doing my drain care correctly.
When i came back from hospital , the nurse there showed me how to empty fluid which seems easy and i was able to do it.
She didn't tell me anything about milking the drain , which i came to know while i was watching some other video regarding JP drains . Yesterday i tried milking it but couldn't do it myself. So my husband helped in it and also changed the gauze around it.
Today neither i milked the drain nor changed the gauze ( nurse mentioned same gauze can be used till drains come out ) but i don't have much pain and also fluid is measuring 3.5 ml in 24 hrs. It changed from red , orange , yellow and again red.
Do you have to milk and change gauze daily ? If not , then what could happen?
Can the fluid color change from yellow to red ? does it mean any infection ?
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KB870, my MO said if I had any issues, we could skip a week or stop altogether too and I could continue with just the herceptin. I suppose that's what confuses me so much. If stopping early is okay, why go all 12 weeks? Does it increase risk of recurrence, and if so, why is that okay? And if not, why do 12 and potentially increase your risk of SEs? Does that make sense? Maybe there are no answers. Maybe it's all just a roll of the dice. I'm so tired of all of this and the answers to my questions don't seem to be available. I'm afraid I'm not a very good cancer patient.....
BCFighter, I didn't have drains so I can't offer any input, but someone should be along soon to help. This is a great place to find lots of smart women. Good luck.
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