Starting chemo February 2020
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Sweettalker52, I didn't have to wear a port bracelet 🤷♀️
And yes, I was given instructions after having the port put in to decrease the risk of it flipping over.
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Wow, SE, glad they didn't tell me it could flip! I would have been worrying about it all the time! As if we don't have anything else to worry about!
Mine came with the rubber bracelet and a wallet card. So I just now put the wallet card in my cloth bag with all of the handouts the doctors and nurses have given me. Shall I wait five years to get rid of it? 😂 Who am I kidding, I'm such a hoarder of paperwork, I'm up to my eyeballs.
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sweettallker - how awesome that you got your port out, what an exciting step! I never got a port bracelet, just a card to put into my wallet. My port feels like it moved during my mastectomy, but it’s hard to imagine it flipping.
SE - I’ve heard of ports flipping I hope yours hasn’t, although, you might be done with chemo/infusions for good, right? With my Her2+, I’m looking at infusions until next summer. As for food, I used to be scared and picky, but now I eat so many vegetables. It would be fun to see if you like them more after chemo. Maybe try new things, but make it from a good restaurant, so you can see how good they can be.
Mmorigan - I haven’t found huge changes in my taste. I did like stronger flavors during chemo, like onion and pickle, more than normal. And I’m still liking them.I’ve been on a sugar kick lately, which I know is the last thing I need! I have heard Kadcyla can cause a decrease in appetite. As for the trip to NJ, that’s a really hard choice. I understand how hard it is to miss out and not feel normal, but it does feel like the risks are growing again. I actually booked us a trip to Wisconsin over Labor Day weekend, to a little cabin on a lake. Away from people, just my family. Then Chicago added Wisconsin to the quarantine list. My hospital screens every entrance and asks if you have been out of state. If I say yes and Wisconsin, they likely won’t let me in for two weeks. So we cancelled the trip, because I don’t want to lie to the hospital, even though I think it will be safe. It’s so hard!!
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Yes, I'm done with chemo so if it flipped it doesn't matter.
Sweettalker52, I have thrown away all the pamphlets, cards, and other insignificant stuff they have given me. All I'm keeping is my folder with my records.
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It's been 16 days since my lumpectomy/bilateral reduction and I'm finally feeling a little better. Hopefully I will get my last drain out soon. My eyebrows and lashes came back over night! My head is still kinda bald but I think it will be filling in pretty soon! I was getting excited and then remembered I will need to have radiation and start on hormone therapy. Seems like it is never ending. I'm so glad that we have this community with people who understand. I feel like my friends and family have no clue just how utterly exhausting all of this is. Especially since with covid I have pretty much gone through this whole experience alone save for phone calls with my friends.
SE, MD Anderson Dr. gave me the bras so I'm not sure where to get t hem. They are nice and come with loops that you can hand your drain from. The hospital sent me home with a compression bra but it did not have loops and was not as comfortable. I would definitely ask your surgeon if they can provide a bra. Mine gave me a couple!
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Fab4mom, I still have one drain. I think the other 2 drains were taken out a bit too early. Since I had reduction, after the 2 drains for the breasts were removed, I started leaking fluid between my sutures for my breasts! So the drains are gone but I have to wear gauze pads due to the leakage. The one drain I still have for my axilla surgery leaks a small amount and it also hurts where it is stitched but nothing that tylenol can't take care of. Normally, I would be wanting to get this drain out ASAP but since I have some experience with removing the drain too early, I'm going to be patient. Still, it's been under 30ml for 3 days now so it will probably be taken out any day now. Sorry you are having a rough time, Drains suck. Sending hugs!
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I have my lumpectomy today at 7:30am Will update everyone once I come to. Please pray for good path results and an easy surgery. Hopefully I don’t have to get a drain. It wasn’t mentioned so I’m hoping not.
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Best of Luck Hray!
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dysonsphere, I'm glad you are feeling better. I'll ask my breast surgeon once I get a surgery date again 🙄
hray1993, good luck
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Sweettalker- congrats on getting your port removed!
Dysonsphere- glad to hear you’re feeling better. I had one drain removed too early and had fluid build up that they had to aspirate out on one side. Yay for eyebrows and eyelashes! And I agree, it feels good to get another thing “checked off” on my stupid cancer list (for me it’s finishing rads), but then there’s just something up next and my family and friends just don’t get that just because that ended doesn’t mean I’m done with treatment and happily moving forward. I’ve still got a decade of hormone therapy ahead of me! I’m happy to have a community here that gets it.
Fab4Mom- bummer to have to cancel plans, especially when you’ve been looking forward to it so much. We went camping in WI back in June and to be honest I had anxiety the whole weekend because no one was wearing masks inside anywhere or attempting to maintain any sort of distance at the (very packed) campground. I agree that you could probably be safe at a cabin, but I get that now the hospital would prob make you wait since WI is now on the “no go” list where you’re at. This is all so hard!
Scattered- I hope you get your surgery date soon!!
Hray- Wishing you all the best on your surgery! Will be praying for clear margins, easy recovery, and a great path report!
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If you look closer, you can see the dark area where my eyelashes seem to be trying to come out. Anyways, I also think I Iook like an angry bird because of the way my eyebrows are growing lol
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I’m out of surgery and feeling great. The only thing that hurts is where I got my port out. But she’s pretty sure she got all the cancer out. Won’t know for sure until path report comes back but they only had to take ONE lymph node! I was so happy about that!!
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Congrats and take it easy
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hray1993, woohoo. Congrats. Hoping for positive results for you.
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That's great news, hray. So happy for you!
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hhray - I’m glad that your surgery went well and just one node! Rest up and recover now
SE - love your angry bird face. I think your eyebrows look fine. Somehow so far I haven’t lost eyebrows or lashes. I’ve heard some people on my chemo lose them after chemo, but I’m holding out hope this is one thing I avoid.
Dysonsphere - drains definitely suck, I’m sorry to hear you had suture leaking, that sounds miserable too.
Ajminn - yes, I’ve heard WI is pretty bad about distancing. We live about 30 minutes from the IL/WI border, and in June it was really bad. Once their numbers started growing, I’ve heard that there are many more masks now.
I got my drain out today. I’m so relieved. It’s so sore, the doctor said it looked really irritated, but hopefully now that it’s out, I’ll feel a lot better.
I also went in for my regular dental cleaning, and everything looked great. No cavities. I was worried because I heard chemo can damage teeth.
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Fab4mom, that's what happened to me. I started losing them at the end of Taxol and they finished disappearing after Taxol.
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Hray - great news and hopefully only more good news to come!
Fab4mom - My eyebrows thinned a little but I can already see some new stubble coming in - and I feel like my eyelashes got stubby but I never lost them. So, I'm with you - I'm thinking we got lucky on that front. I had a dream my armpit hair was growing back in and I was like, "aw... dang".
Scattered - I feel like I would know if my port flipped because the three dots by the entry are very apparent on my skin. I can see them, and I can feel them. I think mine is tied in, no one ever mentioned the possibility of it flipping (just as well - didn't need to worry about that!)
Still 2 more weeks til my surgery... I've gotten a bit used to feeling normal and now I'm not looking forward to needing people to help me again. Plus they moved 1st day of school to the day after my surgery. Gonna be an awkward week.
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Hray- glad you’re feeling well and I’m hoping for great pathology results for you!
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really sore today. My boob hurts and my abs hurt I’m assuming from surgery. Hoping it gets better over the next few days. How long did everyone’s pathology report take to come back?
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Not even a week. My surgery was on a Friday and, my Surgeon called with the results on Tuesday
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hhray - I think you’ll be sore for at least a week,that’s really normal. My pathology took 3-4 days.
I went to OT appt yesterday to measure my arms. Since the Lympha procedure I had done is investigational, I will be monitored and measures for five years to see if I develop lymphedema and how well this procedure works. She also thought I could use some range of motion therapy, so I’m starting twice a week with an OT to keep my chest and shoulders moving.
In the afternoon, I went to my radiation oncologist. She kind of freaked me out with how blunt she was about my cancer. She said I had a large tumor that had attached to my skin and we need radiation to make sure that no cancer is hiding in my third level nodes or skin. She was a warm, wonderful woman, and I appreciate the honesty, but it put me back in that fearful mode. I think I knew it all along that I had such an aggressive tumor, but my other doctors don’t really paint it so honestly anyway, I’ll start rads in about 2-3 weeks. I’ll go next week for my planning.
I feel like everything I need to do is on the long side of the time frame. Surgery was 6 weeks after chemo. Radiation will be 6 weeks after lymph node dissection. Then after that I’ll be starting 10 months of Kadcyla infusions. I have such mixed feelings, I want things to get moving, but once all the treatment is done, I’m sure I’ll be wishing I was doing more of something to keep the cancer from recurring.0 -
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
I guess I'll keep waiting.
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@Fab4Mom - did they say why they didn't want to do Kadcyla and Rads at the same time? It seems a lot of people are doing it (me included)
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SE - sorry you have to wait. I know you are sick of waiting. But happy for you that you are not hospitalized with covid-19. You are strong!
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For sure. I rather be this sick than dying of somehrinc else.
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I finally have my last drain out. It's amazing what a difference having that drain out makes!!! I also had my anchor stitches removed for my reduction so they look a little bit more normal. Has anyone started radiation yet? I see RO next Friday so I'm sure that I will be starting ASAP after that.
SE, sorry about your test. But I'm so glad you are not having any bad symptoms from it.
Hray, my report took a little over a week. They just called and told me over the phone.
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ajminn completed radiation. I start mine next week.
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SE - that's so frustrating. Sorry. Waiting sucks. So much of this is a waiting game. Are they treating you at all for the COVID? Just curious if they give medication (like the Remsdivir or whatever it is) even to people having mild symptoms to help them kick it.
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I completed Radiation (25 + 5 boosters) June 22nd. There are some radiation discussion groups here at Breastcancer.org that are valuable to compare side effects, treatment plans, etc. Very supportive people. (Like all of you!) Best Wishes
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