Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Jill - Sorry you're feeling so poorly still!!! It seems to be all the Chemo unfortunately, all the symptoms you described, hang in there. I was lucky in the sense 4.5 months of Chemo, no fevers, just a chest infection at 1st infusion, then good health all the way, though I felt like I was getting the flu or had it alot. Was all the side effects from Chemo. Feel better
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Jill, I hope you are feeling better today!
I think many oncology group practices are leaning towards 24/7 coverage so that patients don't end up in ER. I don't think mine has 24/7 though. I listened to some "Quality Care Roundtable" podcasts in Dr. Neil Love's breast cancer podcast series, and they were discussing the pros and cons of providing someone on call all the time. There is some terrific information to be found in all the episodes of this podcast. I especially like listening to the interviews with oncologists discussing specific breast cancer cases.
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weekends seem weird! I know it's crazy to say (and I love my weekends!) but it is so quiet on the weekends, no phone calls to doctors, no appointments, no tracking down medical reports! I'm just sitting here in the Michigan sun (inside of course because the temp is only in the 40's) relaxing. Just seems weird but I am not knocking it! I'm going to keep sitting in the sun with a cat on my lap, enjoying this time!
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i wanted to say in regards to the 24/7 oncology care, we are told too to go to ER in an emergency, however, we also have the number of the oncology ward 24/7 which is staffed, so you can ring anytime day or night to speak with a nurse, if it is a weekend and during the day, you could speak with the Oncologist who was doing the rounds of the wards. Not sure you guys have this over there??? I found it helpful, I never had fever, though I had some worrying side effects from Chemo that I needed to speak to Staff on a weekend.
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Wouldn’t it be great if all cancer centers (not just CTCA) had their own dedicated ER or Urgent Care depts. so immunocompromised patients didn’t have to mingle with sick patients in hospital ERs, and every staffer was aware of lymphedema precautions?
From "the other side of the weekend” perspective, some specialists have regularly scheduled emergency-on-call rotations, and others make themselves available even when it’s their weekend off. Bob theoretically has every other weekend off, but except when we’re out of town he still has Sat. office hours; and responds to pages and cellphone calls 24/7/365 so long as he is in cellphone range. (He’s had his pager beep as far as 150 miles away, and has an app that routes pagers to his cellphone). He is a cardiologist & Critical Care subspecialist, as well as a primary care doc for many of his patients who’d rather not have to go to a general internist.
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Sandy, Bob is the kind of doctor we all wish we had. He cares! I can understand why many of his patients use him as their PCP. I'm sure I would.
HUGS!
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hi there. I haven't posted in a looong time. My surgery was last July. Anyone else still feel sore this far out sometimes under their arms where the sentinel node biopsy was done? Thanks beforehand
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Jabe, yup. That underarm site is really annoying. I find I still can wear clothes that bother it (armholes aren't loose enough). I finally got complete feeling back after a year. Who'd have thought that the SLN site would be more annoying that the lumpie site? Hope you're doing well!
HUGS!
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614- happy to hear that they finally have a diagnosis for your son. How unfortunate to have 3 illnesses... Poor kid!
1step- I hope you're feeling better.
Ltf- I'm sorry that you had such a hard time at the hospital. Amazing that they couldn't isolate you. But great news that you're feeling better... I've been pulling for you;)
Njnancy- I had the very same procedure done in January and my bs got clear margins the first time. The seed implant was a bit nerve racking as you need to stay very still. I wished they explained it more to me but I did fine. Just let them do their thing and don't liook down! You don't want to get poked in the eye;) I'll be in your pocket tomorrow and on Wednesday! Everyone gave you great advice. You'll do just fine. Be sure to check back with us.
Moondust- I need a new crown too! Should I schedule it in between chemo and rads? But my immune system will drop then. Good for you taking the big rig into town! I grew up driving a standard... I actually miss it sometimes... Except egen I'm driving and drinking coffee;)
Heathet- we all learned that we need to be proactive. If I wasn't when I insisted on the follow up ultrasound to a "perfectly normal" mammogram... Who knows where I'd be right now. Keep up the good work!
Sooo.... I went skiing yesterday and it felt so unbelievably great! Completely forgot I had cancer! Felt on top of the world. Got cancer? Got chemo? Go skiing!
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MLP3, Yeah for the skiing. Wasn't it nice to feel normal???
HUGS!
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it was Peggy! I was a bit nervous at first because it was icy in some spots and my lowest point in my immune system was Saturday... Thinking if I got hurt, I could be in trouble. But it just felt too good not to just let itall go and enjoy myself;
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MLP3, that's exactly what you needed. Good for you for going for it!
HUGS!
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agreed, MLP3:) When the wind is in your face, your turns are popping, and you are hooting with joy, cancer is very far away….
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thanks so much Peggy. I was getting paranoid....that seems to be happening a lot more
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Jabe - Yep! I was just thinking yesterday how my underarm area is more annoying now than 3 months ago!
Chisandy - Bob sound like a great doc! Plus, you have your own in-house PCP! My PCP is changing to a business model like a concierge doc: For $1200/year per person plus medical ins payments for visits, you get his phone number for 24/7 service. I just have to decide if it's worth it for DH and myself. The MO I just changed to is not a PCP.
MLP - Love, love, love the pic! I grew up in Mammoth, a ski resort in CA, and I miss skiing sometimes. I changed to snowboarding while my boys were young, but then I went back to skiing. But, I have to admit I haven't been skiing in 5 years!
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Jabe, glad I could reassure you. You absolutely are not nuts. Most gals don't believe you beforehand that the underarm will be much more annoying for most of us than the BC incision, but soon realize that it is a fact.
Sloan, my previous PCP went to a concierge model 2 years ago. I was not happy. I went out and found another PCP with whom I am very happy. I liked my previous doc, too, but I couldn't see paying $600 a piece for us. Your cost of $1200/each would have made it an instant no-brainer.
HUGS!
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I love the pics! I haven't even seen snow this year so I kind of jealous!
My aunt just told me that her underarm still bothers her 16 years out! I hope that's not the case with any of us.
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Iammags, well, that's not encouraging
HUGS!
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Great pic Zinny! such an amazing feeling when we can power past it;)
Sloan- love your new profile picture! If there's any snow left out there... Go get it
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Thank you both for the skiing pictures. Took me right up and away to the slopes myself.
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Jabe - YES Im 9 months post lx and node removal. Last few weeks have had alot of trouble with my incision in the armpit. What I realized is the feeling is really coming back now, taken along time and honestly I havent even worried about it. The armpit has resettled again now.
MLP - Great pic! and I agree just LIVE, as much as you can through this, dont stop doing what brings you joy and if you are physically able, they are the things that will pull you through. Helps the spirit soar.
Zinny - great pic too!! So bizarre seeing all you skiing!!! We're just coming out of Summer LOL
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Great ski pictures! I love seeing you ladies living life so fully. Jabe, I had Alnd around the same time as you snb and mine is still sensitive to the touch and lately very sore.
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Thanks Mel! We got 4-6 inches of snow last night here at home... And now the sun is out and it's all melting.
I'm starting to get some little twangs back in my lx site after not feeling a thing for the past two months. Post 6 months has to be nerve damage pain... No? Yes?
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MLP - yes its just the nerves, twangs, stings, or sharp pains are just the nerves healing reconnecting, it does settle down, sort of flares up settles.
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I'm gearing up for my MO appointment next week, been doing LOADS of research, something I saw has confused me a little..it was said that BC is one of the slowest growing forms of cancer, this guy said that it would generally grow at a rate of about 5mm a year. How is then, that in between my extensive yearly checkup/scans etc., mine was 2.5cm?? makes zero sense if that were true. The other thing I found interesting was, they said statistics show that mx is not better than a lx, obviously depending on the case and extent of the breast affected. But they said its not the surgery that makes a difference, in thelong term survival, its the treatment. There are 4 things they go by, size, grade,stage and hormone status. Just have to discuss all these things with the MO. These are high profile studies. Never ends uuugh!!!
On a good note, Im back into my spiritual work again YAY!! Im now meditating every morning before I hit work LOL. Feeling really good!!!
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Mel, that is really confusing because some BC is fast growing like IBC. I really hate generalizations. Breast Cancer comes in so many type, sub types etc that it is harder to treat than many cancers.
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MLP3 and Zinny - For sure!! Wheeeee! Mount Baker March 16
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Molly I agree, its so much more complex than how this doctor put it!!!
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Mel, if anyone doubts that breast cancer is more complex than that study showed, they should read the posts here. I think the truth is they just don't know. They are guessing. Breast cancer is definitely more art than science at times. Very frustrating. Good luck with your appointment!
HUGS!
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Hooray Stellamaris:)
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