August 2021 Surgeries
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Easymac and AKLynna--I think all of these weird sensitivities, swelling, bruising, etc. are normal. Most of us have some or all of them, depending on the type of surgery we had. I've been quite miserable with the swollen armpit, "sticky" skin under my arm, skin hypersensitivity and numbness of the mastectomy scar. I get a bit of relief from manual massage and a warm shower, and I'm trying to keep up with my range-of-motion exercises. Hopefully all this unpleasantness will be short-lived for all of us. It does get discouraging, though.
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I am 5 weeks out from my lumpectomy with SLNB. My lower breast was initially lightly bruised and then more dark purple bruised starting about 2 weeks ago. This may be due to the surgery location because the same thing happened after my excisional biopsy. I still experience some breast soreness but am able to sleep on either side and go braless at night, which is a nice break from constant sports bras. My SLNB incision site is healing cleanly and while it was initially very sensitive and had some cording, the underarm discomfort is finally going away and I have full range of motion. I was very careful with my right SLNB arm for three weeks and then, reading that arm exercise is necessary, returned to easy yoga two weeks ago and starting full yoga practice tomorrow. I also did some massage of the area above, adjacent, and below the breast to try to relieve lymph fluid swelling and pain, as recommended online for lymph node surgery.
This August 2021 Surgeries discussion has been very beneficial. Thank you all! Actually, this entire community has been instructive as all get-out. Most of us aren't out of the woods for treatment, so onward and upward from surgery. Everyone take care and good luck!
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Hi Pam. Your progression gives me hope that my surgical SEs will soon begin to resolve. I'm three weeks out as of today. I won't miss the tightness or the swollen feeling under my arm!!
I hope all the August '21 group are healing well.
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Had a great PT session this morning. I saw a different therapist who used some different techniques. She actually got a few of the cords to pop and it was instant relief! I would have stayed there all day if I could have. I'm pretty sure she could've had me back to 100% inanother hour or so.
Pam- thanks for sharing. It sounds like my bruising is doing the same thing. When I asked the dr about it they said the bruising will naturally shift downward with gravity.
Definitely keep the arm moving and stretching as much as possible.
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After my MX, my range of motion started improving greatly around the 4-5 week mark. My theory is that some internal stitches finally dissolved.
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I had nipple-sparing mastectomy surgery on 08/18. I am not heeled. I just finished the third round of antibiotics today. I will say the recovery for the last three weeks has been a challenge. I still have swelling, bruising, and drainage coming out of the incision (a lot of drainage). Saw my surgeon today. He said the open part of the incision would heal. He took me off all antibiotics. My radiation is postponed for a few weeks to allow more time to heal. I didn't think it would take this long. The underside of my breast is bruised, red, and shiny like a new penny. Honestly, I am glad to have the radiation postponed. I don't mind missing it a bit longer to spend the fall season doing things I want in some excellent weather rather than spending those days tired.
If you are concerned, call your surgeon to reassure you that you are okay or get a check-up to get peace of mind. It is okay to call and ask for reassurance. Doctors do this stuff every day. We are getting educated daily on each step of the process. It is 100% their job to educate until we have peace of mind or are experts on our healthcare.
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Thank you! I called and spoke to the nurse last week when I 1st noticed the bruising on the bottom. She asked if I was comfortable sending her a pic. (She is a family friend that I’ve known most of my life). I took a carefully cropped pic and sent it to her. She reassured me that it was part of the normal healing process, but if I wanted I could go in. I’m just keeping an eye on it for now. I really didn’t expect still be so sore and swollen at almost 3 weeks post op. Stupid tumor was only 5mm for Pete’s sake!
Wishing you continued healing and glad you’re able to postpone radiation a bit
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I saw the plastic surgeon's partner today about my unhealed reduction incision. (Six weeks old, wide open, yuck.) He says that while he could try to intervene with further surgery, that would probably do more harm than good, and it's better just to proceed with careful dressing changes while it heals on its own by granulation. Probably another two to three months.
Sigh. I really wish I'd just gone with double mastectomy to start with.
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TXLorelei--thanks, that gives me hope that this tightness will be improving soon.
JaneWhite--sorry you are having issues with healing. I think we all are having different degrees of misery after our surgeries. I don't know what I expected but certainly not this tightness and extreme sensitivity that I've been experiencing. Ugh.
AKLynna--glad to hear that the PT was helpful to you. I might have to give it another try if things don't improve soon.
Wondering44--I wish I could have radiation postponed (or done away with altogether!!) I am filled with dread after reading several radiation threads. Sometimes it seems like this horror will never end.
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LW - I'm trying not to read too many of the radiation threads. I'm terrified about starting that phase. I have my radiation consult as well as oncology consult in 9/29 so we’ll see what the plan is. I agree “sometimes it seems like this horror will never end
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AKLynna--sounds like we might be in rads around the same time. I have my consult on Sept. 23 and I can feel the anxiety building up. We'll have to commiserate when we get started.
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I'm kinda late to this party as I had a lumpectomy on 8/27 and dxed the following week when the path report came in - then joined the forum earlier this month. Anyway, I am waiting for CT scan results (everything is backwards for me due to a false negative biopsy ugh).
I'm healing well from this first surgery, but will have another one pretty quick. If the scan is clear, a SLNB is my next step. If not clear, probably BMX or deal with what else could be wrong. If lymph isn't clear, BMX. If clear, rads. I could do a flow chart lol.
I've read a lot of what you guys have gone through, and all I can do is offer lots of hugs.
****hugs****
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Hello BCInfoSeeker. Sorry you have to join this 'club' but it's nice to meet you. Here's hoping your next surgery goes well and you get good news. Be sure to report back as things progress and my very best wishes to you.
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Hello everyone. Today is 4 weeks since my mastectomy; my how time flies. I seem to be feeling slightly better but things are still tight and sensitive. The back of my upper arm still gives me fits so I'll be glad when this stuff finally resolves and I can feel "normal" again.
I'm dreading radiation and I guess I'll find out this week when that begins. I only hope that the rads don't make my surgical wound feel worse.
I hope all of you are healing well and feeling much better these days.
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Hi LW422. That numbness behind the arm is weird given its distance from the incision and it seems to stick around. I am a bit ahead of you and am close to fully functional again. My MO appointment is next week. I anticipate radiation to go along with my lumpectomy. Thankfully I am pretty healed up and am ready for the next stage. I would think that radiation would be a bit delayed if your surgical wound is still bothering you. I read somewhere that the effective window for radiation is up to 20 weeks after surgery.
I have been reading Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, which is very good and detailed, to get ready for my MO/RO meetings. She maintains that cancer staging is not nearly as important as the biology of the tumor for prognosis and best treatment. She also states that adjuvant therapy is important to kill or change the environment of stray breast cancer cells regardless of lymph node negative results. I will request that the MO order up the Oncotype DX test and hope for a low score.
All scary stuff as we move away from surgery.
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Hey Pam. I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. Since I have IBC I'm having the trimodal "standard of care" which is chemo, mastectomy, radiation. I'm so glad to have chemo and surgery in my rear view mirror but really dreading rads.
I just got a notification on MyChart that they added "simulation" to my radiologist appointment on Thursday so apparently things are moving right along. Eeeeeek. I hope I have enough ROM in my surgical side to handle what's coming!
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LW422: Yes, our diagnoses are quite different so we are on varied treatment paths. It seems like you have had to go through a whole lot of unpleasantness already. The removal of 32 nodes sounds painful, not to mention the mastectomy itself.
Good luck with your radiation! The RO will have to take your physical condition into account, certainly, right? The ROM for the positioning seems like a common issue.
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Pam--yes, it seems like there are many treatment options and all of them suck, haha. I'll know more about my radiation after my appointments on Thursday. I'm sure they'll postpone if they don't feel I'm ready.
I hope your MO appointment goes well next week. Take care.
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Hey everyone. I'm 4 1/2 weeks out now and things are finally feeling a bit better. I've kicked up the ROM exercises and that has helped, but I've still got that "wad of something" feeling under my arm!!
I saw my MO yesterday and he said I can have my port taken out... woohoo!! I can't wait to get rid of that thing. Tomorrow I have my radiation simulation which is making me nervous. I wish my surgical recovery was farther along before rads but it is what it is.
Hope all of you are healing well and feeling better. Take care.
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LW- I’ve been thinking about you. I knew you had something with radiation coming up today but couldn’t remember if it was just the initial consult. Will you also find out how many sessions you need?
I am 4 weeks post op today. I felt great Sunday-Tuesday this week and thought I had finally turned the corner. PT must have kicked my ass yesterday and now I’m super sore again from my elbow to my chest. Keep on stretching is what they always tell me! She did warn me that the tightness will get worse during radiation.
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Hey AKLynna. Glad you're feeling somewhat better. I had my radiation consult and simulation earlier today. They made the "mold" thing for my body position which was interesting, and thankfully I had plenty of ROM on my surgical side to handle it. My torso looks like a map of a major city with all the markings. I'm not getting tatooed, and my 6 weeks of rads will begin on October 4. I think the RO downplayed "possible" SEs but we'll see how it goes.
I just got notified that my port removal is scheduled for tomorrow! They will do it as outpatient with local anesthetic, though they gave me the option of "twilight" anesthesia. I hope I don't regret my choice.
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LW422--SOOOOOO jealous you get to have the port out! I absolutely hate it, so tight and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I still have 16 weeks of chemo left so mine is there for a long while. Happy to hear your surgical recovery has moved on and you're entering the last stage of treatment soon! God bless as you finish the journey!!
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Hey Hummingbird! It's nice to hear from you. I totally get it about the port and chemo; I hope I never have to experience either of those tortures again. I think I still have PTSD from chemo; if I see an IV stand or smell any of those "chemo smells", I get queasy still. My best wishes to you as you go through chemo; I know it can be a struggle.
My port was successfully removed this morning. It was uncomfortable with a lot of pulling and tugging, plus the doctor had to trim some scar tissue that had formed around the device. Ick. Then the wound was sutured closed and bandaged.
So it's DONE and I'm glad to see the last of that torture device. Now that I'm home and the anesthetic is wearing off the wound is beginning to hurt, so that gives me a good reason to lay around and be a slug.
I got home and immediately put my PJs back on.0 -
Thank you LW22 I appreciate the kind words. I am happy to see that you are progressing and you've gotten your port out and will be starting radiation soon. Time in your PJs is never misspent! To the Aug2021 surgery graduating class, I'm glad to see that many of you are recovering well, getting out ports and such, and moving to the next steps.
Compared to you and some of the other ladies, I feel like I have "breast cancer light-ish" with my DX of stage 1A/grade 1 IDC though I still don't know my lymph status. CT scan I believe is clear - though I haven't had a physician confirm it yet *sigh*. With appointments with the RO and BS this week, more of the puzzle will be revealed. The waiting is the hardest part.
More healing <<<vibes>>> to everyone xo
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"breast cancer light-ish" I hope you coin that phrase. It made me smile and chuckle. :-)
Your concerns or fears are no less. We are all here for the same reason.
FYI- Glad to have graduated from surgery. It was tough. May I never have to walk across the mastectomy stage again.
Lots of healthy thoughts your way while you wait for more answers from your doctors. Crossing fingers for you.
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I met with MO last week to discuss hormone therapy. When she showed me the chart, for my status (Stage 1a, grade 1) it said that hormone therapy “should be considered”. I am not 100% on board with it quite yet.We talked about the different types of medication, pre-menopausal vs post, etc.
I am 43 and to my knowledge have not gone thru menopause. I have been on progesterone only birth control since Aug 2020 due to some irregular periods. MO ordered blood tests just to check my hormone levels and determine menopause status. The results are trickling in and it look as though I am post menopausal??
Estradiol: <15
LH: 51.7
FSH: 135.2
I know nothing about any of those, so doing some reading today. Hoping to hear from the dr tmw.
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Aklynna: I'm 40, I just started on Tamoxifen a few weeks ago and I'm happy with it so far. No side effects, except I've lost a little weight, which I needed to! It doesn't cause bone loss, which is (imho) the worst thing about menopause. We'll see whether it stops my periods, which have gotten quite heavy and painful the past few years.
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Hi everyone; I hope you're all recovering and feeling better these days. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks from my single MX and I'm still having good days and bad days. Yesterday was horrible; a lot of tightness and armpit pain but today it's better. I still have some swelling under the arm; it's not bad but it feels like a pine cone lodged under there.
Wandering44--oh how I agree with you about "never walking across the mastectomy stage again." At the beginning of this I thought I wanted a double mastectomy but I've been so glad to only have to deal with this crap on one side. I will be a "one-boob wonder" and not complain about it!! (Well, I probably will complain, lol.)
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Janewhite: I will be giving Tamoxifen a try after my Oncotype test score comes in. Even though I am post-menopausal and going against the grain, I am choosing the well-tested SERM over an AI for its good affect on bones and blood pressure/cholesterol over the toxic side effects of the AI's that include cardiovascular and osteoporosis risks, not to mention musculoskeletal pain. I know that Tamoxifen has its own problems, but doesn't everything in this BC scheme of things. I hope it has minimal everyday SE's for me like it has for you.
LW422: Radiation is also in my future. My stroll down the standard of care path is a wee bit slow, but it has given me time to feel myself again. Hope that pine cone falls to the ground.
To all of us, August surgery grads (LOL), aren't we happy that date with general surgery is in the rear view! See you on the next discussion threads.
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So…MO office finally called to discuss my blood work today. “Results are conclusive with post-menopausal status”. I’m sorry, what?!?!? I just turned 43 a month ago, never really had any menopausal symptoms and now all of the sudden I’m just post-menopausal? She didn’t seem to understand why I was a bit concerned either. I told her just not something I was expecting to hear. So I guess that’s that
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