December 2024 Surgery Support Thread
Please gather here to get and give support. Feel free to share your type of surgery, date, and let us know how you're preparing and how you're doing post-surgery. We're all here for you!
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Hi, I am scheduled on 12/6 for my lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy. I'm supposed to get an envizio locator(?) on 11/25 which helps the surgeon locate the tissue he needs to remove. I am told my tumor is small (1cm) and that including the margin it may be around 2cm of tissue he will remove. Also I'm thankful to have what my doctors say are favorable features (hormone positive, her2 negative, grade 2). The MRI showed something in the lymph nodes but the doctors say it is most likely negative but they will confirm it with the sentinel node biopsy. I go between scared, anxious, and then completely fine and optimistic in one day. Can anyone share their experience on whether it is normal to swing emotionally and mentally from dread to not worried at all in one day? Also, does anyone with stage 1 ever feel like 'is this even real cancer' and am I or others making a big deal about it but it's not because it's 'just stage 1'? In the beginning, I even wondered if this is real because I feel normal? I even considered whether I even needed to get it treated because it is just stage 1? It did dawn on me a week last week that I do need to go ahead with the surgery and treatment as metastasis is a real risk (right?). I also have reactions from friends that leave me feeling like they think I should not even refer to it as cancer with comments like 'oh it's very treatable' and 'oh you'll be fine'? Thank you in advance for sharing your experience.
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@mamasloth all of these feelings are valid and normal, shifting between scared, anxious, and optimistic. This can be an overwhelming time. We are glad you found our community and you will find many of our members have walked smiliar paths. Here are some articles you may find helpful:
We also welcome you to join our virtual community meetups to connect with our members and listen/share experiences, the group you would register for is "Going Through Treatment" these are newly diagnosed members and may be going through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy. We meet twice a week.
Keep us posted, we are here for you and we'll be thinking of you ♥️
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@mamasloth I have a similar diagnosis and have been pretty laid back about the whole thing. I'm telling people I have "a little bit of breast cancer" but I think the anxiety is totally normal too.
I know people who have been through worse, so I'm cognizant of not making light of it around them (but also not taking it too seriously) because it is very treatable. But it IS cancer.
I just had my surgery a week ago (lumpectomy and lymph node removal) and it was no big deal. I'm sore but have barely taken any pain meds. But it IS cancer. So I have to do radiation and go on hormone blockers, at a minimum.
Point being, it is simultaneously minor and major, so it makes total sense that your feelings would swing around depending on which way you're looking at it in a given moment.
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Welcome, @bonkster! Although we're sorry you have to be here for this, it’s wonderful to hear that you’ve had a smooth recovery from your surgery so far, and we hope your experience with radiation and hormone blockers goes just as well.
Let us know how we can help and please, we'd like to hear how you are doing. 😊
The Mods
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@bonkster thank you. I think after a couple of weeks I have finally come to terms with my feelings and the reality of things which has really helped a lot. Also being around supportive people really helps. I hope your recovery from lumpectomy and node removal has continued to go well. I wish you the best and for a smooth treatment.
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@mamasloth I hope your surgery and recovery went well!
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Hi All, Thank you for this forum. I had a unilateral mastectomy two weeks ago and my surgeon removed 9 lymph nodes. He didn't put in drains b/c I have small breasts and he said he's done larger lumpectomies with no drains that were successful. I have experienced a large hematoma and have been aspirated 3 times since. Again, the fluid and blood has built up again to same levels as before and to the point of discomfort (although not as bad as the first few days post surgery).
Any idea of how long this can last? Am I moving around too much and preventing my body to heal? Another surgery is an option, but i worry that after going through another surgery, the blood and fluid will just come back again.
As a side note, I'm near the LA fires and need to be ready to evacuate with my family at anytime. Doing this with the immobility of my one side, the pressure of the seroma/hematoma, and my resulting anemia does not sound fun at all.
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hi all, I was diagnosed with DCIS on 20th Nov after a routine mammogram. Had never used the word cancer before, let alone be told you have it, but it's pre-precancerous.
fast forward a lumpectomy on 13 Dec (post a traumatic hookwire guided ultrasound) with an overnight stay in hospital. Recovering well. At surgeons checkup (on 30 Dec) I learned the pathology report was not clear for one of the tissue samples as there was not enough clear margin, so I have the same operation scheduled again for 22nd January to take some more tissue which hopefully results In a clear margin. I'm a bit upset as I have been recovering well and now need to go back to day 1 - and all that anxiety that goes with it. Also, what does it mean if they still can't find clear margins this time..
Next I believe there will be a radiation discussion and a hormone therapy discussion. I am 55 and still on HRT and a bit reluctant (in denial) of needing to change this as I had terrible perimenopausal symptoms prior. But, I want this to be the end of my cancer journey - see it as a blip in the road and return to normality. So not knowing what to do or think here.
I'm pleased I found this thread. I'm also reading a book by Kathy Giusti called Fatal to Fearless - 12 steps to beating cancer in a broken medical system. I'm trying to get as informed as I can. At this stage I don't even know what to ask - so the book is helping with that. I also don't have a GP as we moved areas and my GP in our old town retired two weeks before my diagnosis. So, still haven't met with a GP regarding my care yet. I've been working through the Surgeon only up to now.
I'm open to any advice or even just sharing stories as I find them all so interesting in their differences and similarities and journeys.
details: DCIS with low to intermediate grade, ER and PR positive, lumpectomy on 13Dec.
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