Surgery August 2018
Comments
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WW,
I am sending out prayers that you get some good news. As for the Lymphedema, by OT has done wonderful things for me! Hang in there! NCGirl1
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Negative on the x-ray and the ultrasound. BUT, my arm is still so painful so I will have a vascular study to see how the veins are working. I start OT on Wednesday.
Thanks for all the well wishes!
WW
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WonderWoman75. Great news on the X ray and Ultrasound results. Hope you get some answers from the vascular study to help relieve the pain your are experiencing . Best wishes
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Hello everyone!
Just checking in to see how everybody is doing. I finished rads in December and my poor tortured right boob (or should I say the skin sac full of cohesive gel) is sore and somewhat hard. I have decided to have my implants swapped out for wider, lower profile implants. These are the implants that should have been put in the first time, but they are special order and I don't know if my PS was caught by surprise to find that my flat chest wouldn't accommodate higher profile implants or if she just didn't realize the hospital didn't stock anything flat enough for me. But my recon looks pretty terrible (to me, my husband and the two coworkers I showed them to seem to think they look fine) so I've opted to have it redone when I get my port removed. All that is scheduled for May 22. Hopefully it is as uneventful as it was the first time!
In other news, I have two Herceptins left. After that, my trips to the clinic should be down to 4x per year to get my zoladex shots. It's going to feel weird not marching in there all the freaking time. Even now, when I'm only going every three weeks seems kind of weird after having some sort of appointment, treatment, consultation, or test almost every week for a year. I'm both excited and a little anxious, as there's nothing to do except wait and hope for the best (and maybe do some fat grafting)!
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Hi Ladies,
I have been struggling with unending depression from this. I still have my tissue expanders in, but I get them removed on March 26th. I hope that my new foobs will give me some relief.
The lymphedema in my left arm from the surgery persists. It is still very painful. I am on my 4th week of OT, but the swelling does not seem to want to leave my lower arm. I wrap it each day with two ace bandages and a special pad, but it is painful and weak. I am getting a compression and massage machine to hook myself up to once a day to promote circulation and to help break up the lymph fluid that has nowhere else to go.
I have not had very good news to share. My performance at work has been struggling and they have decided, less than three months since my return, that they will not be renewing my contract for next year. I found this out on February 2nd. So, I will be looking for a new job this summer as well. Thankfully they are keeping me until the end of the year so my insurance will cover me until mid August. I guess that I should be grateful for that.
On February 14th, my older brother passed away from a heart attack. I feel like I am falling apart. I am so depressed. I am now trying a new antidepressant because so many of them cannot be taken with the Tamoxifen. I feel like I am hitting one roadblock after another. I loved my brother very much and he was always checking in on me since my diagnosis. I missed both of my OT appointments this week so I again, have a "ten pound arm" to deal with.
I feel very lost and alone. I have been seeing a counselor, and I have attended a support group, but I am still having a hard time with this evil cancer. I struggle even more with doctors telling me that I will really never be "cancer free". The terminology frustrates me. Unless you have heard "You have cancer" I do not believe that anyone can truly understand what we are going through.
As strong and tough as I am, this has shattered me and my belief in doctors and the administrators at the public school I work at. Based on two observations, they tell me that I am an unsatisfactory teacher after 13 years of teaching and surviving cancer. Some people are so heartless in this cruel world we live in, yet some are so caring. I wish more people could be like my brother was, a gentle and caring giant. He was only 60 years old. I miss him very much. This is the third child my parents have had to see in a casket. How fair is that? No mother or father should have to bury their child.
I am venting to all of you. You have supported me as much as you can and I am thankful for that. I have tried to not let this cancer thing bring me down, but it is hard to keep fighting. I hope all of you are finding some semblance of normal in your own lives. I am trying to take it one day at a time. It is hard, but I am not a quitter.
Thanks for reading and live on sisters!
WW
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Oh, WW, I'm so so so sorry! There are just no words! I too have been struggling at work but luckily we are stretched too thin for them to even consider letting me go right now. I'm so sorry about your brother. I know a young woman who was struggling with lymphedema and she seemed to get good relief from the arm pump so I hope it also works for you. I wish I could offer you more support. Just know that we are here and whatever your issue, there is someone on this board who has also faced it and is managing to chug along. This cancer stuff is hard by itself, and you just seem to keep getting things thrown on the pile to deal with, it's so unfair!
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WW, I too am very sorry for all you are going through!! It does seem so unfair that you are having to deal with one thing on top of another. It's so sad about losing your brother and so hard to cope with. I hope that the lymphedema settles down and seeing a counsellor and trying a new antidepressant really help you. Considering all that you are going through, what you are feeling is normal!
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WW... I'm very sorry that you are dealing with so many issues and especially that your employer would be so cruel. How insensitive of your employer. Stay strong and I hope things get better soon
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WonderWoman, I don't know if you've looked into this already, but is there any way you could be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act?
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Wonder Woman I would check with your HR department and ask if you are protected by FMLA. Good luck
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Hi Ladies,
Thanks for all the well wishes and support. I checked with the teacher's union lawyer and he said that they cannot do anything as all of the procedures required to not renew my contract have been properly reported. I an not tenured, so they really do not even have to have a reason to not renew my contract. Although I feel that I could have a possible discrimination lawsuit against District 204 in Naperville, IL, I have no way to prove that I was targeted and treated unfairly. My aides will say that I am a good teacher, but based on the two observations, I have no ground to stand on.
A lawyer from a private firm has contacted me and he would like to hear my side of the story, but I am not sure that I want to hire a lawyer and go through all of that on top of trying to recover and trying to find another job. I am not the type of person that wants or needs attention called to any of this.
FMLA only protects my job while I am on leave. I will look into the Americans with Disabilities Act, but since I am physically able to work, I am not sure if that applies either.
Thanks for all the ideas and replies. I will keep all of you updated. Love, live and laugh!
WW
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Hi ladies...looks like we haven’t been very active here. Hopefully that’s because we’re all healing well! I do have a question to my fellow mastectomy heroes. I’ve recovered really well after the surgery (still with an expander waiting for reconstruction) but one thing that’s bothering me is the fact that my sweat glands no longer work so my underarm is chafing all the time. My oncologist was surprised to hear that so I was wondering if anyone else is experiencing this
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Kiso - I wouldn't say mine have stopped working completely, but I am much less sweaty now. I switched to crystal deodorant during rads because Aluminum containing anti-perspiring wasn't allowed. If you're still using anti-perspiratant or deodorant, switch to something natural like the salt/crystal based stuff. I also put some shea butter and jojoba oil on every day due to radiation damage of my sebaceous glands. No chafing and I live in the desert.
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Thanks hapa. I wasn’t aware that aluminum based deodorants are not allowed. Will certainly switch. And I’ll try your suggestions. Summer is around the corner and I’d like to be prepared
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