February 2010 Mastectomy

LauraM

dickisonmomma - I am sorry to hear about your fall, I did the same type of thing in the bathroom 1 week and 3 days after surgery and couldn't believe the pain.   No permanent damage thought.

Regina - I am so sorry to hear about your infection and hospital stay.  I am praying really hard that you get better quicker.

Jen112263 - What they found on you seems something like what they found on me, except mine might be a little lower.  They found two new cancer tumors below my underarm.   I go  back in on Monday for surgery and they will be removing all of my breast fatty tissue that sits under the underarm  and all the nodes under my left arm.  I hope you don't have to wait to long on a direction.  I was pretty stunned with this news, so it took me a few days of freaking out before I started to get the positive vibe again about beating this thing.  So give yourself plenty of time and space to go through all the emotions you need to in order to get your arms around this.   Also know that we will all be here to support you.

All of you with drains.. be patient about getting them out, even though they are a big pain.  I think my PS took mine out too early and yesterday, part of my stomach scar ( I had the Tram recon) opened back up and started draining again.  Went to PS both yesterday and today and they said it wasn't a big deal but just had to put absorbent pads over it until it stopped.    Other than that, my tram surgery results have been great.  Being 2 3/4 weeks out I am standing up pretty straight and the only real pain is my back muscles that are cramping from me not standing up normally. 

Prayers again for Regina!

LauraM

dickisonmomma - I am sorry to hear about your fall, I did the same type of thing in the bathroom 1 week and 3 days after surgery and couldn't believe the pain.   No permanent damage thought.

Regina - I am so sorry to hear about your infection and hospital stay.  I am praying really hard that you get better quicker.

Jen112263 - What they found on you seems something like what they found on me, except mine might be a little lower.  They found two new cancer tumors below my underarm.   I go  back in on Monday for surgery and they will be removing all of my breast fatty tissue that sits under the underarm  and all the nodes under my left arm.  I hope you don't have to wait to long on a direction.  I was pretty stunned with this news, so it took me a few days of freaking out before I started to get the positive vibe again about beating this thing.  So give yourself plenty of time and space to go through all the emotions you need to in order to get your arms around this.   Also know that we will all be here to support you.

All of you with drains.. be patient about getting them out, even though they are a big pain.  I think my PS took mine out too early and yesterday, part of my stomach scar ( I had the Tram recon) opened back up and started draining again.  Went to PS both yesterday and today and they said it wasn't a big deal but just had to put absorbent pads over it until it stopped.    Other than that, my tram surgery results have been great.  Being 2 3/4 weeks out I am standing up pretty straight and the only real pain is my back muscles that are cramping from me not standing up normally. 

Prayers again for Regina!

guardienangel

wow!!!! to all you ladies are who are going thru so much!!!! I feel like i am just a whinny thing!!!! smile... my hearts and thoughts go to all of you!!!! i am hoping to find out next week! on my pathology report! they couldnt find it on friday! how can a lab loose a report! ok,, enough  of my complaining! its only a few more days.. i can do it...

I feel like i have had a little set back.. if that makes sense... i am assuming this is all in the help of healing,, and somethning i have to go thru... smile...

big hugs to all of you!!!!!! xoxoxoxox

chalex

Hi Ladies,

Sounds like the last day has been tough on many of you. Hugs and happy thoughts to you all.

Regina- So sorry, that you had to go back to the hospital and had an infection. I can understand why you are so down. It is hard for us to have our breasts not looking the same as before. I had one breast removed and I look very lopsided. I know what you mean about how hard it is to look at. Feel better and thinking of you. Take care and hugs to you.

Karen- I had all my nodes removed and your right it is very sore. Did they remove everything for you? Take it easy and if you have small pillow you can put that under your arm for support and as a buffer too.

Olivia- I can understand why you are questioning why the Dr's want to take the right breast now. Did they give you any feedback regarding it? Sorry, you maybe faced with furthur surgery.

Jenn- Sorry to hear about your news. Besides, surgery, what is the plan for you? Thinking of you.

hereandnow- I was on FEC and taxatere chemo. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns I can answer for you.

cake- Glad to hear from you. I hope you are doing well and starting to recover. Glad to hear the good results on the path report too.

Everyone hang in there. This BC ride is so bumpy and rough many days.... Luckily, we can come here and get support from one another.

Hugs to you all.

Chalex

cakeisgreat

Hi, Guys!  Checking in...I have dramatically improved in just one day!  I got a full night's sleep, with just occasional wakeups instead of hours watching tv.  And I havent had to take pain meds yet today.  Still sore and in pain, but nothing compared to before!

Hugs to Jenn--This whole thing sucks!  But we're here to hold you up with hugs and prayers.

LauraM--Glad to here youre standing up straighter after 2 3/4 weeks.  There's hope for me!

mommalu

I'd like to register my self as one of u guys I had a dbl mx on the 9th of feb with sentinel node biopsy. My mx was called skin saving or sparing for delayed reconstruction. healing up very nicely but Still very sore w/ fanthom pain! On Monday get rest of tests back from oncologist and decide final treatment. All prayers are welcome. Hope im not too late to join the feb crew

Faith316

Hey Mommalu!  You are certainly not too late to join the Feb. crew!  I'll add you to our list and welcome!

cornellalum

Hi mommalu - Welcome!  I had my bilateral mx the day before you. I am with you on the soreness. I have heard of phantom pain, but I haven't had any.  I did not have skin sparing surgery, because I am not going to have reconstruction.  I wonder if that makes any difference with the phantom pain.  I have also read some posts by ladies who say that touching your incision, especially while looking in the mirror, can help with phantom pain, so I have been doing that. So far, no phantom pain, so maybe they are on to something.  In any case, it can't hurt, right?

Please let us know what the results of your tests are, and what your oncologist says. We are here for you!

ReginaR

Thnak you all so much! You have no Ideal what reading your post has done to cheer me up. All thou I am crying while I am typing this! But knowing you are there is so comforting.

I am very emotional now & hope this  will past, I am not sure if it because I am now back to square one & have to heal for 3-6 months before reconstruction can start again Or if that fact of looking at this  ugly deformed breast or if it The Tamoxifen. I see my Plastic Surgeon on Monday & onocolgist on tues. so maybe I 'll get some answer, but I think  you all can help me more than the Doctors can & have! You all are so great!

 Hugs to all my sweet pink pals!  Thank you again xoxox

Gina

chalex

Hi Regina,

Glad to hear from you. Sorry you are having a rough time. I can understand why you are so disappointed about having to heal and wait to be reconstructed again. I hope your  PS can give you some advise or answers to help you out too. PLs keep us posted on how you make out at your appointment.

How are you finding the tamoxifen? I have it at home but I have not started it yet. I am really anxious about starting it b/c I have had some many chemicals in my system. I just want a break.

Hang in there Regina, we are there for you.

mommalu- Welcome to the group. We are here to help you out with support we can give you.

Chalex

Faith316

Regina --- We ARE here for you.  Please know that.  Any time you are feeling down or discouraged or whatever, pop on here and talk to us (or PM any of us).  We are all in this journey together.  We all take some different turns and paths along the way but all the paths lead back to the same destination --- getting through and defeating this disease.  Sisters are there for each other.  Through the coming days, weeks, months, at various times some of us will be strong and others having tough times.  Other days, the roles will reverse.  Lean on us when you need to and I know there will be other days when you are feeling strong and will let someone else lean on you.  That is what life is all about.  Being there and helping each other face whatever life brings.  I really hope you will feel better soon.  Tears can be therapeutic.  Let them out and then move along.  You're gonna get through this!  We ALL will!

Hi everybody!  Thinking about all my Feb. sisters and saying a prayer that God will be with each of you tonight and in the coming days.  Isn't it great to know that we are never alone?

guardienangel

hey everyone!

 Mommalu .. its  never to late join,, and glad you are here with us! hope you enjoy sharing and hearing that you are not alone in this venture.. in your life... i joined a month ago, and its made a huge huge difference in my life! thank goodness!

|Regina - awe we are all here for you!!!! my heart broke reading your post! and know exactly what you are feeling! its hard!!! but rest assured! we are here for you ..

Cake - i so know, how nice it was to finally sleep!!!!!! makes everything seem so much brighter,, even in the midst of pain.... i took my oxycodone for a week faithfully, now I am just on tylenol.. and the occassional oxycodone... i am getting the phantom pains, and healing pains,, i guess... so sleeplessness is attacking me right now! But all in all. its been two weeks for me, and I am able to go for nice walks, with my dogs.. (well my girlfriend - walks them ) and i walk along side.. its feels good to be outside in the fresh air,, not quite at the pace i am used to .. but you know what that is ok... i am out... smile

I can sorta sleep on my side,, note, sorta... lots of pillows.. and only for very short periods of time... but.. it feels nice... in a wierd sort of way!!!!! My husband is out of camp for a few days, so he has been helping me out.... sleeping in the same bed with me.. but i got strict strict rules!!! lol.. no hugging no touching, and NO moving! heheheheheeh poor fella.. I had to drive to pick him up the other night and omg!!!!!! ok,, driving is not in my must do's for a whle!!!!

Anyhow... hope you all are doing ok .. big hugs coming to everyone.. deb

cakeisgreat

Hiya guardienangel and all!  Well, one good night sleep I am thankful for.  Now tonight for some reason I'm totally awake and up with you guardienangel.  It's about 1:30 am and not even tired.  I wonder if it's cuz I'm just sitting around, and uncomfortable in the upright chair.

This whole bc ride is wild!  Hope you all are snoozing!

hereandnow

Hi mommalu,        I had a skin sparing mastectomy too, and there's this kind of purse string suture around where my nipple was- although I've only seen it once, it's under a mefix dressing - last night I got sharp pain in that spot, it was a bit weird, but it's gone today -so I don't know if maybe it is a "phantom nipple pain" - spooky.

I've tried twice lying on my right side, but 1. the tissue expander is still pretty uncomfortable, and 2.I'm still really numb under my arm and half my upper arm, and I'm worried I could do some damage and not know it -so I continue to have weird sleeps with my little underarm pillow -it's like a security blanket.  

Chalex - did you do anything special for the taxotere Rx ? I've read elswhere that wearing icepack mittens and slippers can help protect your nails.

It's all such a strange journey, made much less strange by sharing it together, thank you.

badger

Good morning all, I turned the clocks ahead an hour, happy daylight saving time lol.

I seem to be tolerating chemo so far, first tx Tues, some nausea epi-centered around Thurs but doing OK now.  Haven't taken a compazine since Friday night.  Appetite is greatly diminished but am trying to eat something small every two hours, it helps me feel better.  Next tx in 2 weeks.

Noticed the other day a real chest sensitivity, was wearing something stretchy so fabric was partially synthetic.  I seem to have less discomfort if I have 100% cotton or silk against my skin.  Has anyone noticed increased sensitivity to certain fabrics? 

I hope this weekend is a good one for you all, sending prayers and healthy healing vibes your way.  {{hugs}}

ReginaR

Good Morning My Feb sisters! Thinking about all of you & hope you all are recovery well, I wish we could all get together for a huge group hug.I really need it!

I am so weak after this last surgery Tues( Infection & had to remove my TE)I feel like a mack truck hit me.I can not get  my energy back.

My main concern is my legs, back of my calks or so sore. I hope I didn't devlope a blood clot while in hospital bed 1 week, Or could it just be The Tamoxifen causing  my back Calf pain? I see my surgeon  mon & oncocogist Tues.But wanted your opioin!

Have any of you on "T" having back calf pain! I been on T since feb 12th.

I hope you all are having a good weekend!  Hugs to my pink pals!  Gina

PS Did you get to eat cake & raise your milk glass for a toast,March 9th. I thought of you all ,I was npo from March 8 midnight & they didn't do my Surgery until 3:30 pm March 9th, so I slept thur the cake thing, maybe we can do it again!  xoxox

cakeisgreat

I think once Regina is better and we're all healed up, we should have cake again!  Maybe March 31 or something easy to remember.

LauraM

Regina - Hope you continue to feel better and that the calf issues are nothing major.  You continue to be in my prayers.

Chalex - How are you doing from your latest surgery?

Cake - How are you feeling?  Are you getting up and moving around a little more?

My follow up procedure is tomorrow - should be back home early Tuesday.  

I agree we should make March 31 another Chocolate Cake day!

caltex_catlady

This thread is so brilliant. I know that everybody here is going through some of the same things at the same time. In talking about paines, etc., I trust y'all more than somebody who remembers pain or whatever from a couple of years ago. Not that that doesn't help, but everything changes after a while. But when you've just had a bunch of sleepless nights, you're getting those weird stabbing needle pains in the nipples that aren't there any more, and you're going through the experience of seeing your scars for the first time, it's nice to know that this particular group of friends really is right there with you. Thanks, ladies!

I had to go to the emergency room last night because my drain (left after lymph node removal) didn't seem to be draining. I was getting really swollen under the arm and having a lot of discomfort. The doctor cleared some clots out of my drain, so I'm supposed to keep an eye on it today. It was clogged after just two days. When I had my mx drains, at least those took about a week before they got blocked. They said I could use heat compresses to keep things flowing, but all along I've been told to use cold compresses for pain rather than warmth to keep bleeding down. I think I'd like to just sleep through the next few days.

mommalu, welcome to the group. It sounds like you and I are in similar spots.My bilateral mx with skin sparing was on 2/23. I've been having phantom pains, too, but it's hard to tell exactly where I think the feeling is coming from. It ranges from pins and needles to feeling like the fresh raw skin under a blister has been rubbed raw. I'm still not used to all the folds of skin, but I'm sure I'll appreciate not having to have my skin stretched as much when I'm able to do reconstruction. That won't be until after chemo, so I'll be living with the shar-pei look for months.

groundhog, I think I have been noticing a greater sensitivity to synthetic fabrics, too. I got a new Softee 2 camisole which is really comfortable against my skin. Of course, on day 1 of wearing it I had a leak, so there's a little stain already. Aargh. I just can't keep anything nice.

For everyone who is waiting for pathology reports (along with me) this week, I'm sending my best thoughts. The waiting is so hard, especially when you know it's to determine what the next several months of your life will be like.

Karen (caltex_catlady)

badger

Hey all - just a thought re: celebratory cake, you know I'm on board for whenever   but maybe we should wait until after Easter & Passover - what about Easter Monday April 5th?

chalex

Hi Ladies,

I hope you are all doing OK.

Regina- Nice to hear from you again.I hope you start to get your energy back soon. Keep in mind you have us gals to lean on. I know you have a rough time. Thinking about you.

hereandnow- Yes, when I was on taxatere I did have to wear oven mits and booties that had ice packs in them. It is to protect you finger and toe nails. One of the side effects of T is that your nails can crack or fall off. You also will be given a steroid drug,Dexamethasone, this helps so that you don't have an allergic reaction and for urinary retention.

Gals on chemo- Pls feel free to ask me about it b/c I have already had FEC and taxatere b/f surgery. I also done rads too. So ask away.....

Laura- I am done my surgery for now. I had problems with the drain incision but it is clearing up. Slowly but surely. I will be thinking of tomorrow with your procedure. Keep us posted on how you made out.

Karen- That blasted drain. I am sorry you had such a problem with it. I also had leakage problems with my mine and they decided to take mine out. In my opinion, it was too early b/c it has been one thing after another with the drian incision site.

Cake- Hope you are hanging in there too.

I also agree with you guys that the sleeping on the back is difficult. I tried to go on my side and propped up pillows but I was still sore so I had to flip back to my back....

Whenever, the next cake day is let me know... I'm in!

Take care and I send you all happy thoughts to recovery with.

Chalex

olivia218

Anyone having any pain on the actual incision sites? Today, they seemed to burn and I am not sure if that is nerve endings?

Hope everyone can rest a little this evening - the extra daylight had me confused tonight.

Olivia 

LauraM

Olivia219 - I have had burning at my stomach incision site, not sure if that is what you are talking about.  It was pretty bad for a few days but my ps gave me a cortisone shot on Friday and that helped so much. 

Chalex - I hope you drainage issue stays clear, they are he worst.

I will check in when I get out of the hospital on Tuesday.   Keep safe and healthy while I am gone!   We have lots of flooding here in Northern NJ so we have to leave really early for the hospital in order to make it by 7:30.   Lots of roads closed.

Sweet dreams!

cakeisgreat

Hey, Chalex!  I wonder when we can sleep on our sides again and really feel super normal.  I have to ask the ps this Tuesday also how long it'll take my stomach to not feel super stretched and I can walk upright. 

Here's to a good night's sleep tonight...on our back again, LOL!

Hi, Olivia!  I have no pains yet, so I dont have any answers, but I'm sure I'll be in the same boat soon so I'm curious what others will say.

Caltex --praying for excellent pathology for you and anyone else that is waiting!

'Night gals, unless I'm awake again tonight!  See ya in the morning.

lovemygarden

Hi everyone, just checking in at the 6-week mark (as of tomorrow) from my Feb 1st BMX. I'm happy to report that the awful "my chest and underarms feel super-sunburned sensitive" feeling pretty much disappeared in Week 5. It didn't kick in until Week 2 and so I went a little crazy from it for about 2 weeks but in Week 5 it was like someone flipped a switch to "Ultra Low" for the discomfort level. What a relief!!



I also haven't had any of those surprise "zaps" of pain since the start of Week 4 either. Also a great relief.



My skin is still sensitive enough that I prefer to wear only cotton next to it and probably will continue that until I feel comfortable (literally) with synthetic fabrics. I do find that the skin feels more sensitive in the late afternoon and evening than it does in the morning, probably because by 5 pm it's had ten hours of being "brushed against" by fabric as I move... unlike when I wake up from an almost-motionless 7 hours sleeping on my back.



Another thing that dramatically improved by the start of Week 5 was the "stiff skin" feeling when I first got up in the morning. Until then, when I first got out of bed I felt like the skin just didn't want to stretch/move normally for the first few minutes. But by Week 5 that sensation went away completely. The "chest band" tightness disappeared completely during that week as well... totally!



So for all you gals who are feeling like your chest will never feel normal again: There is a light not all that far down the tunnel! :-)

Faith316

Good luck tomorrow, Laura!

hereandnow

thanks lovemygarden, they are exactly the words I needed to hear right now. Something to look forward to.

guardienangel

Yes,, thank you ... lovemygarden,,, what hereandnow just said???????? i am a little over two weeks in healing and reading what you said truly helped me!!! thank you.. hugs

TaminMo

hi ladies, I am very new to the internet.  I am recovering from a BILATERAL MX, SNB W/TE .  My surgery was on feb 23, 2010.  I still have one drain, but am doing well.  A friend told me of this website a few weeks before my surgery.  This is the first time that I have signed in.  I love the inspiration that you ladies give to ALL.   My prayers go to all of you on this journey,

Faith316

Welcome to our newest February sister, TaminMo.  I'll add you to our group list.   Glad your friend told you about us.  We are all leaning on each other as we muddle through this breast cancer journey.  Alot of support on this forum.  Hope we can help you, too!