Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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BadLuck--I don't know about tamoxifen or Evista as I have only been on anastrozole. Although I do know at least anastrozole can and does impact teeth. I was referred to the DMD (Dental MD) who is the head of the dental program at Case Western Reserve University here for a check when early on with my anastrozole (like one month in) I started having some teeth issues. He said it absolutely impacts your teeth and why is for 2 reasons: because it dries out your mouth which leads to more plaque buildup. He recommends 3 month cleanings for all his patients on anastrozole. The other impact he said is on your gums--the estrogen inhibitor effect weakens and inflames your gums which impacts your teeth. You might want to ask for a referral to a DMD which is what I did--to get the full picture on the impact of the drug I am on for my teeth. You could ask them specifically about the drugs you are on.
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Also wanted to post this here--I put on the bone health topic, but as there was some discussion about bones here I thought I would post here also:
Exercising with downhill walking (vs. uphill) and after a meal better for bone growth:
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curious... my lumpectomy was 4 weeks ago. Did have quite a hematoma after surgery. Still do but it’s getting smaller and not tender anymore. But the area it is at is sort of discolored . Brown/ tan. Is this normal. Has anyone else had discoloration 4 weeks post op
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Sage - Had my lumpectomy 8 months ago & radiation ending 6 months ago & my skin is very dark tanned where I had radiation & my nipple is grossly gray in color. Haven't noticed that the color is getting back to normal. It might stay that way forever
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Badluck, I finished radiation almost one year ago and am finally losing my "tan". Had no major skin problems during radiation but did have some residual tanning. Your color may still fade away and come closer to normal, whatever that is!
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Sage, I had a lumpectomy 4 months ago and developed a large hematoma with significant discolouration. My breasts are back to the same size, but there’s a lump where the hematoma was. Probably scar tissue. My breast turned green, then deep purple and blue and then finally brown. I still have a bit of discolouration left. I expect that will resolve. Not so sure about the scar tissue however. On the positive side, I have no dent
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Sagelady- I'm very light skinned, and my skin held up well thru rads. But if I held my arm up, like I was positioned during rads, I had a perfect rectangle of tan. It seems to have lessened over time, but yes indeed, I have a divot. In time I believe your skin will come back to its normal. Best of luck to you.
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Hi ladies. My lumpectomy is scheduled for April 24 at the moment (providing pet and bone scans come back clear). My MRI showed a weird cord-like lobular 8.6cm elongation emerging from a 1.7cm IDC deep inside and going all the way directly into nipple. Two places I checked said mastectomy just based on a sheer size, but several surgeons in the third place said lumpectomy is an option, so I go for it. Nodes were clear a month ago last time they checked ). Wondering if someone had lumpectomy for a similar formation and how did it go. ++/HER2-, genetics negative.
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Wonder if that long “cord-like” lobular elongation is even malignant—might even be lymphatic. Will they biopsy it? And why PET & bone (unless you mean bone density) scans right out of the box? Were you experiencing other symptoms? They usually don’t do those scans absent any symptoms, such as bone pain, upper-abdominal pain or unrelenting backache.
You can barely find the divot in my breast—just the scar below the armpit. Looks like a normal breast. But after radiation I did get a large seroma that bulged out the side and made that breast the bigger one. The tan has almost completely faded, and the nipple & areola are a normal shade of tan again (albeit hard and less sensitive)
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Hi. I'm Sue from NY. This journey began early March 2019. Completed Screening Mammo; 2nd Mammo with ultra sound; right breast Stereotactic biopsy; dx DCIS with micro invasion of calcification cluster; Bilat Breast MRIs; Left breast MRI guided biopsy of a cluster of calcifications. Result BENIGN!; Radioactive seed placement x 2 right breast yesterday; Tomorrow is a Sentinel Node injection. Thursday surgery, Partial mastectomy (lumpectomy), removal of milk duct and micro-invasion cluster. And node biopsy! F@#king CraZy! Bless you all! Let's do this. I wanna be done. I wanna move on!!!
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Welcome to the sorority nobody wants to pledge, Sue. We've been where you are--you will get through this, one step at a time. We are "in your pocket" to support you for all your scans, surgeries, checkups and procedures.
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Welcome, Sue! You've come to the right place for support, and we're all here for you and with you on this journey!
The Mods
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I'm a newly here and just been reading and listening to others stories. I have a question. I'm waiting on a call back from my surgeon because I am 5 weeks post OP lumpectomy and 3 node removal, 3 weeks post OP reconstruction, start Rads next week.
Question is this... still dont have full motion of affected arm, feels a bit swollen under the arm area and side. Is this time frame normal?
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Hi Mellaniemc,
I think so, or at least within the range of normal. It takes a really long time to feel normal again, or at least that's what they told me. For me, the SNB was much more of an ordeal than the lumpectomy itself. I hope you hear from your doc soon!
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Hello my fellow lumpectomy ladies! I have a question/concern I hope someone can help me with. I had my lumpectomy almost 4 months ago, radiation followed 6 weeks later. Now, I have a hard lump directly underneath the scar, that is tender to the touch. Is this normal? Scar tissue, maybe? Did anyone else experience this? I do sleep on that side sometimes so I'm wondering if that's aggravating it...I'm wondering if I need to put a call into my BS. Thanks everyone!
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Hi kec1972,
I have the same exact situation, same time frame and same lump...I had a visit with the PA at the BS center. She told me that it was scar tissue and that I should get lotion or oil that would really soak the skin and massage the lump as much as possible, otherwise it won't go away. I've been trying to do that to some extent (I don't have a lot of time to sit around and massage my breast), but it is still the same size and hard. It's tender too, but I don't know if that's because I've been massaging it.
I'm interested if anyone else has this, and what you were told about it or what to do.
Thanks everyone for always being so supportive, and informative!
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Hi Carrie, good to know that it's scar tissue. Mine is just very tender too. No one ever told me about massaging it. I think it might be more tender today because I just had my annual GYN checkup on Friday and she did a breast exam on that breast and palpated it. If the tenderness doesn't let up, I am going to put s call into my BS. I would think 4 months would be too soon for a recurrence? Ugh so stressful. Anyone else experience this?
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Kec1972 I am almost 5 months post op and have the same thing. Both my BS and PS assured me it was normal. I saw my BS a couple of weeks ago and she said give it a light massage in the morning and before I go to bed with some lotion. And then occasionally I'll give it a quick rub during the day over my shirt. It is tender and she said don't press too hard, just use a little pressure. I see my PS's nurse this week for a follow up, we will see what she says. I will say one thing, I can't imagine having a mammogram with this lump. Good luck!
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Thank you for chiming in, Mymomsgirl. Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine having a mammogram right now!
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Ladies, I am 2 years out this month and still have my lump. A few months ago I worried that it had changed a bit, so went in and had a mamo and ultrasound which showed it to be scar tissue. Really got worried in my head because I never had a lump with BC and now I have one! Anyway, if you had it checked and had it from the beginning, I would assume it's OK, but of course still bring it up with your doctors.
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Mymomsgirl- you are onto something with the massage. My first mammo 9+ months after dx was painful to say the least. The mammo tech said - didnt they tell you to massage your breast? No, nope, nada info given on massaging the breast- unless I truly skipped over hearing it (a possibility), no one mentioned it. Apparently the massaging of the breast makes it more supple, less like a lump or a rock. Which in turn makes the mammo less painful.
Live and learn. I'd like to add something funny, but I have nothing. ❤ HUGS
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My MO told me to massage the breast; she said it would help break down the scar tissue. I also can't imagine having a mammogram at the moment, the whole area is still too sensitive. My MO also said that I could experience periodic tenderness for a number of years.....
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Thanks Elephant for your reply. I don’t know why no one ever mentioned scar massage to me. It’s good to know that what I’m feeling in my lumpectomied breast is pretty noemal
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Mine was a seroma. Once it popped and was sutured shut, it shrank down to a little knot of scar tissue. Nobody in my care team said squat about massage.
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I also have a large hard lump left over from a hematom/seroma. I had surgery around 6 months ago and just finished Rads today (hurray). I tried massage, but I don’t keep it up. My boob is too fried now away.
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Freebee, is your lump painful/tender?
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Hello Ladies. Recently discovered cancer in my incision (4 years post op) means I will be doing another lumpectomy (not what they recommend) and NEED a post lumpie bra that will compress the C+ lumpie side and have room for the E normal side. Any advice greatly appreciated!!!
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Hello Ladies, I'm seven months post lumpectomy. My PSs NP told me at my 3 month appt. to massage the scars with a non perfume lotion to help reduce the appearance of the scar, to prevent adhesions from forming, to keep it moist as it heals, and wear a bra as many hours as possible. I think the scar is much lighter and smoother so I believe it helps. I also used silicone gel strips which the NP approved, but quit after a few weeks as the junction of my scars became extremely tender when removing them. I'm not using lotion as often, but massaging them a couple times a day. Hope this helps!
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Moving - that’s awful news. I understand that you still want to keep you breast. It’s your decision. I was against rads. With the aftermath, I am thinking I should have not wavered from my decision.
Keg - my lump is not painful, but it’s hard as a rock. It has improved a lot. It went from the size of a lemon to the size of a walnut. I guess the upside it that it helps fill in the gap
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Moving, what a bummer! I found that to keep the "girls" contained despite the size discrepancy, Leading Lady's front-hook knitted leisure bras were a good compromise. Also, ThirdLove makes an unconstructed knitted back-hook knit bra that comes in sizes up to XL--which fits my 40G (average of an H on the left and an E/F on the right). Looks weird, what with the off-kilter keyhole cutout in front, but with a loose shirt or nightie on nobody can tell. For normal wear, I stick with underwire bras.
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