who' s had lumpectomy plus bilateral breast reduction? let's talk!
Hi friends, I'm 72 ad live o my ow in Portland OR. I was diagnosed in August with what turned out to be stage 1 grade 1 tubular tumor E/P+ER- approx 1.4 mm at 5 o'clock position in my right breast. I was offered bilateral breast reduction (mammoplasty) as a form of reconstruction and jumped on that like a duck on a junebug, as my BMI wss too great to get one otherwise, and ladies, them jugs was heavy!
My feeling when diagnosed was that it was a wonder I had escaped for so long, after so many 2nd-look mammos and a few ultrasounds. My heast sank when I saw the Kaiser phone number come up a week or so after my routine mammo, I just knew somehow. I've been sad of course but it didn't have the devastating impact that it would have when I was younger.
Lumpectomy and ALND with mammoplasty on 10/9, whic took me down from DDD or E to what looks like is probably a C, halleliujah! And already no more of those awful upper back and shoulder aches. They also found LCIS (which is called "carcinoma" so initially quite frightening ,but is actually pre-cancerous changes) in my left breast in tissue fromthe reduction which they also sent to pathology. On the Right breast they found good clear margins and no lymph node involvement, thank you sweet little baby Jesus!
recovery going reasonably well except for nerve pain. On gabapentin for that which I find is making e troublingly scatterbrained. For a while I thought I might have spitting stiches keeping the incisions inflaed and angry but the RN I saw for an extra check this week says not. (I still thing I feel whiskery things poking out in a few places.)
And the compression bra was initially true torture!!! I have a larger upper abdomen made worse by post-surgical swelling so the band relentlessly rode up and dug into the incision line….Plus I have a latex sensitivity which realized might be contributing to what I feel is slower healing …
I've developed quite a few hacks to make compression more tolerable and would be glad to share them.
Plan is for 5 day whole breast radiation, with simulation on 11/17 and treatment probably starting week of 12/2.
Arimidex was initial recommendation, but I told the Nurse Practiotiner from the medical oncology dept that I really didn't need more muscle pain thank you very much, so since my bones are in pretty good shape so will try tamoxifen starting after radiation.
My understanding is that the estrogen inhibitor is largely for the sake of the precancerous cells on the left and the radiation is more to prevent local recurrence on the right, plus being a bit of insurance in case I can't tolerate any of the estrogen blockers or aromatase inhibitors., It sees a bit of a bild-and-suspenders approach but reasonable enough to give it a try.
I'm still learning more about the LCIS. Plan according to my surgeon is just watchful waiting , mammos every year and some ultrasounds.
I'd love to put my head together with others and at least share our lamentations! Thanks my sisters!
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@cat_guardian This thread might be helpful to you!
Hope this helps!
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