Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

notdoneliving

KittyL, I'm kind of intrigued by your mention of 12 steps. I went to one meeting once for family of alcoholics and it was way too much for me. But the 12 steps might be interesting in this context.

Thanks!

MaggieCat

KittyL - My 2 cents ..... My incision was same area. BS thought it would be one incision, turned out to be two. Not knowing exactly where it would be, other than in a bad spot for bras... and reading the discussion here about front closing bras, I went to TJ Maxx and purchased several front closing sports bras. Each bra had a slightly different cut with respect to the arm area. Kept the tags on ( 30 day return policy) and went from there. I was glad to have the tightness of the spandex to keep things stationary after surgery.

April - I had a hard lump in the incision area appear about 3 months after surgery. It was imaged and nothing seen and thus "fluid", "seroma" was professional statement. It was noted again by the RO during the course of rads as well. I think it disappeared sometime after rads. Now 10 1/2 months after surgery and 5 1/2 months after rads, there is a softer lump in the exact same spot. ( I didn't realize it was the same spot until the MO drew a circle Tuesday for new imaging and darn, the circle sits right over the inside end of the incision scar!) Again imaging showed nothing, but the lump is there and palpable. The RO and MO are calling the area benign but do want a clinical follow-up. I am seeing my BS next week to determine if she wants to do a biopsy. Seems fat necrosis is fairly common but the devil in the details is that it can be seen in the same area where a new growth might happen. Only way to know 100% is with a biopsy.

Molly - Hitting the LIKE button for this new group you are working with.

It's Saturday!!!!

gypsyjo

Notdoneliving - I see that your cancer is mucinous. You might want to also join us on the thread below. Mucinous is a rare type of cancer and has a different prognosis and different set of treatment recommendations for radiation and for hormonal treatments. I was told to consider AIs, it was not a definitie recommend. I know that depending on the details, radiation may or may not be recommended. I had interoperative radiation so was done before the final tumor diagnosis, but it would have been a discussion otherwise.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/137/topic...

KittyL

Pontiac Paggy Thanks oodles. I'm in Grayling & we don't have a lot of store choices, Gaylord has Kohls Meier Walmart. Houghton Lake ditto. I've got the "mature" ski slope/melting ice cream boobs & barely fill a B cup, only need the 36 because of COPD. I printed out your post for shopping. Great idea to leave the tags on! and allow for swelling. Last time I tried a sports bra, it smooshed uncomfortably, and a leisure bra kept riding up (guess not enough boob weight to keep it down, lol). With the trips to TC & back the last few weeks, love the favorable price point. After the biopsy I needed the support of a bra for 3 nights running (no body fat on my sides at all) & just the pressure of my arm was intolerable, so your wonderful posts are reassuring that I'm thinking in the right direction. Stabilize and splint the ouchie.

queenmomcat

Notdoneliving: in regards radiation--the choice is yours and I will support you in whatever choice you make. Talk to your oncologists, and ask how radiation might improve YOUR odds of NOT having a recurrence.

That said, there is a range of reactions, but not all of us have the horrendous reactions of our nightmares (and we all do have those nightmares, whether awake or asleep) Check the various radiation threads to see how Real Live Women have reacted.

MJS1266

April,

I have a solid spot where the cancer was since not long after surgery. I just had a mammo and radiologist told me all was benign. The BS looked at the x-rays too and said everything looked normal with only changes due to surgery. Even though I had a pathologic complete response to chemo before surgery I was still very anxious for the mammo even though the odds were with me. Bottom line, scaring at cancer bed is pretty normal. Good Luck, MJ

Outrunning

KittyL Thanks for your words. I've been feeling like a breast cancer "poser." Mine is found so early and so small. But it's still cancer. And I still have to deal. I've been amazingly calm through this whole thing. A couple tears right after I found out for sure (I already knew from the way the staff acted at the biopsy that they thought it was malignant.) And a couple tears right before I was put under. But that was mostly because I was so touched one of the pastors I'm friends with from my church had come.

I suppose sooner or later I'll break. Just hope that it isn't any time inappropriate.

Meanwhile, on practical matters. Bras. Yes you'll want something. My left lumpectomy incision is around the outside where an underwire would be. It is pretty close to my SNLB incision. I've been living in sports bras for the past week and a half. Thankfully earlier this summer I got tired of doing pretzel twists to get out of my bras after a workout and stocked up on sports bras that open in back. Unfortunately, because I bought them for running, after a while they became uncomfortable because the bands were tight for 24/7 wear. When I could get my arm up enough to get something over my head, at night I switched to some pull over ones with only a bit of support that I wear for yoga. I finally went and got a couple normal wireless bras for daytime. Wore one all day yesterday and wasn't that happy about it. Not sure if that was the bra or the dress I put on for the funeral I went to in the morning, which had a zipper under the left arm.

Nash54

April...my lx site is still hard. I also had internal rads and had a device stuck in the same area for 8 days which I think contributed to the hardness in that area. If I don't touch it I forget it's even there.

notdoneliving

gypsyjo, thanks for letting me know about the mucinous forum! I know it's a rare form of cancer (go figure), but didn't know there were different treatments for it. What's AI?

notdoneliving

queenmomcat, thanks for your thoughts and extra info! I will look around the radiation boards. You're doing HRT? How has that gone?

notdoneliving

Outrunning, your reaction sounds like mine was. I had some rollercoaster emotions while going through additional testing (breast MRI, etc), but was very calm the day of surgery. How are you feeling now? It all feels so unreal when caught so early and small, doesn't it?

gypsyjo

notdoneliving - AI is aromatose inhibitor (estrogen blocker). Mucinous doesn't have different treatments, but the "gold standard" guidelines for mucinous cancer is different. It's a much less agressive cancer; my MO says the lazy cancer. Glad to have a new member of that thread with so few of us!

PontiacPeggy

NotDoneLiving, We are not doing HRT. That's Hormone Replacement Therapy. AI = Aromatase Inhibitors which stops ALL estrogen in the body after menopause. Our bodies still make estrogen but just in a different way. Tamoxifen for pre-menopausal women works slightly different but the idea is similar - get rid of the estrogen that has fueled our ER+ tumors. HRT is designed to replace the estrogen you lose when you hit menopause and ease the hot flashes etc that accompany menopause. Often women on AIs have hot flashes as that last little bit of estrogen is removed from our systems. Or like me, don't have them at all. There are good articles on both AIs and Tamoxifen here on BCO, you might want to look.

HUGS!

queenmomcat

Notdoneliving: I see Peggy touched on the definition of hormone therapy for cancer treatment--the extremely short definition is that it's the opposite of HRT. A hormone antagonist.

The specific personal answer: no, I haven't started tamoxifen yet--probably in another month. I've got another week of rads left, two regular treatments and three boosts. I'm on the short/Canadian protocol, which is maybe 50-60% of the long form, which is still prevalent in the U.S. I'm doing well enough: no more than pink and annoyed.

bluedog

Is "annoyed" listed as a common SE in the literature?

gypsyjo

bluedog - lol. That is a frequent side effect through I think I had that one prior to BC!

mustlovepoodles

I just wanted to weigh in on the bras--prior to surgery, I was not able to find any bras that I thought would do the trick. I hate sports bras and being a well-endowed chick, sports bras are very difficult to find in the size I need. So I waited until after surgery to see what I REALLY needed. I tried to wear my underwire bras, but that didn't work well (they are built like Fort Knox). So I went back to the mall in search of the right bra and I found exactly ONE. It's a Bali bra, very soft, not extremely structured or supportive, but it works well enough and I can sleep in it. Normally I don't sleep in a bra, but I have found since this surgery that I need that little bit of "containment" at night. And wearing this drain with the bra has been easy and comfortable. Bali bras come in sizes Small-XXL. The band is soft and stretchy, too. I love this bra so much, I had the lady at Sears order 3 more!

Molly50

I wasn't able to wear bras after my Lx until I healed from the alnd. Everything irritated my incision. Now after my mx my PS won't last me wear a bra yet. My poor rightie is getting pretty saggy.

queenmomcat

Bluedog: annoyed is the next step up from irritated on the scale of dermatitis/skin issues. Mentally, it's pretty much a given for Bad Patients like me, any time we have to deal with medical professionals. (I told my husband after my hospitalization last September, that I thought the nurses had pooled their resources and bribed the neurosurgeon to spring me early.)

Outrunning

blue dog. Did you like Pamela Wright? My assistant, who is BRCA1, is considering a prophylactic MX with her

ChicagoReader

I returned to work this week after time off for rads recovery and haven't had a chance to post much, though I've been reading along from time to time to keep up with everyone.

QMC, your comment about the nurses' "arrangement" with the neurosurgeon cracked me up!

All this talk about bras reminds me that I need some new ones. Not only have I lost some weight since the first few days after surgery (silver lining -- yay), I've also lost my taste for underwires.

I'm just waiting for things to settle down. Lefty is definitely higher and smaller than righty since surgery, though on days like today, she swells as the day progresses. This morning, my bra was too loose in the left cup and now it's a little tight there.

The radiologist noticed a smallish seroma when I went for my post-surgical mammogram and US; maybe that's the culprit.

Sloan15

I'm going to weigh in about bras, too. After my lx, what I finally found to be the most comfortable was wearing a soft t-shirt UNDER a genie bra. It just kept everything in place firmly with no rubbing, no digging, and no pinching in the SNLB area. I changed into this "outfit" in the middle of the night, and when I came out the next morning -bra on the outside- my husband stopped mid-sip of coffee and said, "Oh, I see we're trying something new, Madonna." Haha

Tresjoli2

Anyone know what a low estradiol score (5) means when your FSH is still in the normal range (11)? I'm trying to put myself into menopause darnit but my body won't co-operate if I am interpreting properly.

I used genie bras after my LX. I really like them. Unlike most of you my SNB incision has been no problem, but my LX incision is several inches long and was more of an issue when I was healing.

Peggy - thinking of you...

Horsegirl

notdoneliving: High fiving you on "I want my scars"!

Yes, I appreciate my scars, even as small as they are, because they help me see reality. And I don't want to simply move on from this experience. I want it to clarify my life even more. I'm ok with my reality, wherever it goes. It's mine. Making it count

keepwalking

Wow! Everyone has been very busy while I have been gone! I started to post last night, but DS and DIL came over. DIL is about 2 weeks past due date and they were taking a walk to try and get things moving. Drat, hate to be going through all this surgery, etc. at the same time as will be having a new baby around that I want to cuddle! But it is brought home every day to me that we are not in charge of this life, except to choose how to react under pressure

Outrunning - L'shana tova to you too! Yes, I have also been very keen on those New Year's wishes for good health in the coming year. Couldn't come at a better time!

Peggy - Thank you for the kind words and welcome. I don't know how you do it! I moved to Israel 4 years ago and love it here. Just still trying to learn the language, which I find to be more difficult at a more umm... advanced age. I am very familiar with WMU as I taught at the other college in town, Kalamazoo College. Keeping you and your sons in my thoughts and prayers.

KittyL & Pennsygal - Welcome. I might be just a week or so after you two for surgery, but I don't have a firm date yet. Thanks for the info about localization. I am unaware if they put any marker in at the biopsy in my case.

Nash54 - Thanks for the well-wishes. I lived in Madison from an infant to 18 years old. It was a special place to grow up.

Octogirl - Thanks for the info about oncoplasty. Yes, it will be the hardest thing to not pick up grandchildren! We are waiting for the newest grandchild any day now! Sorry that you still have annoying issues with incisions while also dealing with chemo. It is certainly very often the relatively little things that put us over the top when we are trying so hard to keep it together with more major things.

Poodles - So sorry to hear about your DH's medical struggles. And I have read of the terrible time you are having post-surgery. While it is comforting to hear from someone else that the numb feeling is a normal stage in this "journey", I sure wish that you did not have to experience it. Glad you saw the lymphedema specialist and have tools to prevent it, although I am sure it is difficult to realize that you have to make long-term changes in routine. I think that is one of the hardest things for me - that we don't just get it out and move on, but that we will forever be women who had BC, with all the fears and anxieties and other things that entails (Wishing for all of us that the "other things" are minimized!) Hoping for continued and a speedier healing for you.

Thanks for everyone that brought up the issue of us feeling like "cancer posers" when we, thank God, caught it early. It is difficult to be going through the same emotional shock as others that need more radical treatment, facing a suddenly intruding sense of our vulnerability and mortality, and yet to not allow ourselves the same emotional release because we feel like we don't "deserve" it in comparison to others. When first diagnosed I prepared myself for the worst, so when the surgeon recommended lumpectomy and even said there was a chance of not having chemo, both DH and I were feeling very relieved. The problem is that DH did not process the conditions for no chemo (IF no lymph involvement, IF low Oncotype, IF nothing else discovered....) and somehow didn't consider radiation to be worth a mention. He came home and his way of coping was to call family members and tell them - seems like surgery and everything will be fine! I was irked, and felt like now I was just being a baby if I treated myself like I had anything other than a hangnail. It took us a while to sort that out. I guess men and women deal differently with things, and we both have to learn how to support each other and understand their way, too.

HUGS to all!

keepwalking

BJ and horsegirl - Aha, thanks for the heads-up about not being told about the wire locator prior to the surgery day. I have started to suspect that the BS / MO may not give all the gory details at once, not wanting to overwhelm. I can see the logic, but I am someone who needs to be mentally prepared and don't particularly like surprises (at least not-so-pleasant ones).

Molly - Sorry there is so much unanswered as yet and tough decisions to make with no clear cut information. But it is good to hear that you have found doctors that want to help you be as sure as possible. The extended waiting must be agony, but it is well worth it. You are so strong and you will overcome this!

Sloan15 - Your story about the new look cracked me up! The discussion on bras has inspired me to go bra shopping, something I ordinarily hate to do and now even more so. I am hard to fit under the best of circumstances (used to be D, but after menopause and a lower weight am now a C and have the mature, less full thing going on but still generally too much for sports bras). Now, I don't know what to expect as far as how much support I will need after surgery and where my incisions will hit, but I certainly won't be able to get by with my underwires.

horsegirl - love what you wrote about the scars - helping to see reality.

I have enjoyed the stories of cats and other animals (in flesh or otherwise) accompanying precious souls from this world. There is a lot more going on around us in this world than we understand and it is good to know that care and comfort can come from unexpected places.

I am going to the hospital early tomorrow for the pre-op carnival. It seems like a carnival to me because they said to plan on 8 hours! Apparently everyone with upcoming surgeries comes at the same time and then we all queue up for examinations from a nurse and doctor from our surgery department, meeting with an anesthesiologist, arranging with various offices, then I have a another diagnostic mammogram on both sides, and everyone waits while they have group meetings about your case. At the end you get a prize - your surgery date!

HUGS to all!

Keys-Plez

Horsegirl...I chose to own my BC too and put this window sticker on my car. I get a lot of thumbs up in the parking lot. It's also an ice breaker. I found that some people pull away cause they don't know how to approach you. This makes me more approachable.

Outrunning

keys you made me laugh outloud! I've been looking for the perfect BC running shirt. maybe mine should say that.

Back to work tomorrow. No physical reason not to. Should have been working much of this past week. And thanks to the Pope's visit I'll get to telework two days this week because it will be nearly impossible to get to my office. But still I'm tired and overwhelmed. Mostly with the normal life stuff, but BC has made all the non-work stuff seem so much more important. Not looking forward to work at all. And I'm going to have to work long and hard. I design a magazine. And after a week and a half of basically doing nothing I'll have 2 weeks to do 4 weeks of work.

Went to the fabric store to buy material for Halloween costumesyesterday. Every year I want to make costumes for my kids and they've wanted store bought ones. THIS year, of course, they decide they want me to make them. Haven't had the sewing machine out in 4-5 years. Let's hope using one is like riding a bike.

Can I just go back to bed?

Sorry to be whiny today. Must remember my motto: just keep swimming, just keep swimming

octogirl

outrunning: i suspect they want hand sewncostumes because they want lo be an indication that Mom is still the 'Same ole mom'. But i could never sew so i hope it turns out to a fun distraction and not difficult.

I wish i could swim. I love it. But bs has banned any pools, hot tubs lakes or ocean until this damn incision heals. Do you ever go to the Shriver swim center?

Hugs

Octogirl

Nash54

Keys love the sign 👍