Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

PontiacPeggy

Waterstreet, don't know who you were asking but I did no chemo, only Arimidex, which I've been on for a year. No side effects at all. Glad you're doing better. Brachytherapy was never discussed as a treatment option for me. I had no problems with my rads either (my RO is very pleased with how things look after a year, too). Luckily the center is only 10 minutes from home.

HUGS!

Waterstreet

Nash 54

I can't stand to see needles or scalpels anymore. The guy who did my biopsy botched up and the one who placed the seed botched up. I can't stand that kind of pain anymore. You are braver than I at this point. They both just kept jabbing till they got it right or should I say done.

I have another bit to share I decided to go pay my rent this morning and it is storming and 62 here today; well I got wet then I got cold and now my incisions ache. Want to go soak in a hot tub but can't do that either. Ladies don't do this especially when your bra is your is your bandage. I am allergic to adhesives of all kinds, I got glued instead of stiched. I am drinking hot water with electrolyte pellets in it to get warm, they said to lay off the coffee.

Waterstreet

PontiacPeggy I am sorry I keep forgeting to add names. I am so cold I think my mind is rattled too. I will get better at this. I still can't figure out how to add a picture. Maybe I will get one posted before my one year anniversary. Please have a good day.

PontiacPeggy

Waterstreet, to add a photo: Right above the area where you type your post, there are all sorts of icons. Fifth from the right is one that is a square with a "mountain" in it. That's the "add photo" icon. Click it. Browse to find your photo. Voila! The one to the right of that icon is the "hyperlink" to add a link (you can't copy and paste links - gotta use the icon).

Don't worry about adding names but it does help to know who you are talking to I'm sorry you feel like crap. I get how terrible it is when things aren't done right the first time and keep at it even though you are "dying." Rotten that you can't take a hot bath. Turn up the heat and toast away.

HUGS!

Waterstreet

PontiacPeggy Just so you know you put a smile on my face and made me laugh, I needed that. Thanks for the info. HUGGS to you sweet lady.

PontiacPeggy

Waterstreet, I'm glad. Smiles and laughter are good! If allowed, have some wine and chocolate - that always makes things better! I just hope you warm up. Got your cozy pj's on? A pet or two or three? I have an electric mattress pad on my bed and THAT does the trick when I'm chilled. Worth every penny I paid for it (I've had one most of the time since college and love them - golly that was a long time ago!).

HUGS!

Waterstreet

Have to make adjustment to pic size but here it is.

Yes I do have one and I am going to get it and do as you suggested. I have wine but am supposed to be drinking only something wih electrolytes right now so another hot water with lemon flavor for me. It did feel so good to laugh. I miss my grandchildren. I do have a dog she is a boxer mix I saved from being put to sleep two years ago. She is beautiful and she keeps me warm sometimes. Hugs to you and God bless.

PontiacPeggy

How pretty you are! Go to your profile and you can put your photo there, too

How boring to have only stuff with electrolytes. Ugh.

HUGS!!

Molly50

Shirley, you are very pretty! I didn't have chemo just radiation and hormone suppression therapy.

Sloan15

Great pictures ladies! I hope to meet some of you one of these days.

The cancer center where I get my rads had a pumpkin carving contest for kids. I wish I had taken a picture of the pumpkins for all of you to see. One pumpkin was covered in gauze and steri-strips. It was hilarious!

I'm still having weird feelings in my lumpectomy-side arm in my forearm. I went to a lymphedema Physical Therapist on Wed, and she told me to wear a compression sleeve during radiation even though I don't have swelling. It'll either mellow out with time or get lymphedema, but at least I'm ready now. Like I said before, it's hard to tell where the neuropathy ends and the lymphedema begins. This is one crazy ride, but i'm just glad the tumor is out!

ChiSandy

Got my SNB sutures out today--woo-hoo! Surgical nurse said the seroma beneath is much smaller and softer than it was last week, and the sutures were loose. Just for safety’s sake, though, she did apply a thin layer of Liquid Bandage and then some steri-strips (which I am to remove in 2 wks if they haven’t yet fallen off). Had my RT sim session yesterday--the only bothersome thing about it is the hardness of the table and the achy shoulders once I can put my arms back down afterwards. (Oh, and the stupid open-back johnny gown I have to wear in the waiting room--did I have to choose NOW to get “bacne” for the first time in 3 years)? Monday I go first for my baseline Dexa-Scan and then the first of 16 radiation treatments. Good thing the hospital’s only 20-30 min. (dep. on traffic) away and I can park in the Kellogg Center lot (which always has spaces) rather than in that labyrinth hospital garage that takes me 10 min. to park. So nice to be back in my underwire jiggle-proof bras again, too.

Found out yesterday that Kellogg has a patient lounge with coffee, bagels, and fruit. (No Hoosier Mama pies, alas). Oh, and for those going through chemo, boxes of LemonHeads hard candies to combat the metallic taste.

ChiSandy

Oh, and when DH got home from his Summer Surgical Adventures (hemicolectomy after a botched colonoscopy and then emergency hernia repair), his office nurses and echo tech gave him a gag gift of a 3-D anatomically correct (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) Hooters mouse pad for his laptop. I think I’m gonna put steri-strips or butterfly closures on the appropriate portions of its right side, to make it even more anatomically accurate.

PontiacPeggy

ChiSandy, you and DH have just had loads of fun this summer. Bet you want to rush out and repeat it next year.....NOT! Love the gag gift. Definitely needs steri-strips on it. Glad you are doing much better.

For my rads, the "waiting room" was a tiny changing cubicle with 2 chairs. I requested a towel to put under my neck and that made it more comfortable. What I did find is that I was light-headed when I sat up after each session. I quickly learned to sit for a minute before standing. Who wants to wind up on the floor in front of those young techs? Not me!

HUGS!

Waterstreet

Molly50

Thank you, age is creeping up on me, I will be 67 on Sunday. I have another question if you don't mind. Did you have drains in after your surgery? I didn't and am thinking maybe thats because either he is planning on the Bracytherapy or because he had to glue my incisions instead of surturing them. I will have the targeted therapy also. ER+ and PR+ but HER2-.

Thank you, you are on my list, prayer list. God bless and take care.

Nash54

Waterstreet....no SE's for me so far....maybe a few more aches and pains but totally manageable and staying active helps.  I was dx with osteoporosis but don't know if the hormone therapy had anything to do with it or not.  

PontiacPeggy

Waterstreet, Happy Birthday a day early!! I didn't have drains. I believe that most consider targeted therapy is for being HER2 positive and your profile says your are HER2-. Mostly likely you will have HORMONAL therapy.

HUGS!

brithael

My tentative surgery date has been moved to Nov. 13th - Friday of course. Finally got my appt. with the pre-op anesthesia clinic for this Monday. I feel the Temp Nurse's fine hand in all these delays. Will be completing blog post about all this sometime today.

PontiacPeggy

Well, that's rotten, Brithael, Why do you think the Temp Nurse is involved with the delay?

HUGS!

Molly50

Shirley, happy early birthday! Yes, I had one drain but I also had alnd done with my Lx so no surprise. I am doing really well on anastrozole so far.

brithael

PontiacPeggy - Check out the blog to discover Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Temp Nurse,

PontiacPeggy

Brithael, I'm sure you've already called that incompetent all the names I could think of. I hope you found someone to complain to about her. I've complained to my PCP about her office gal who thinks it is a badge of honor to say "I don't do email." Really? In the 21st Century? Really? Hasn't done much good though.

You are well organized. I so glad you found the right team to help you through this unwanted journey.

HUGS!

Cayeu

I had a lumpectomy on 9/30 and a reincision on 10/15. Several days after the first one and 2 weeks after the second one my breast has become reddish. The incision is fine. The breast isn't hot so just wondering if others have experienced this. And what it might be

HappyHammer

Cayeu- Sorry you are having to worry about your breast after the 2 surgeries. Think I'd give my surgeon a call and just ask to be on the safe side. Hugs to you!

Waterstreet

PontiacPeggy Thank you. He has targeted therapy on the list from after the surgery. Guess I will have to ask Tuesday what he is targeting. I noticed listed on the biopsy pathology report they list Ki-67: counted cells:2340 Result: unfavorable Do you know what this is? I tried to look it up online but what I found was only explained in doctor lingo. I have it on my list of questions for Tuesday. I knew the hormone therapy was listed, and the Bracytherapy, then he listed the Radiation, Chemotherapy and Hormone. He also listed some labs to be scheduled at three month intervals.

Thank you again, Be well, be safe, and stay as sweet as you are.

HappyHammer

Waterstreet- so glad you are making a list of questions for your doc! That's the only way to do it in my opinion because so many thoughts and questions filter through our brains...hard to remember it all. I am HER2 Pos so had chemo AND targeted therapy prior to surgery and will have more for a year total...wonder what targeted therapy you will have...it is just so amazing to me that docs are targeting the bio/chem of the cancer more and more and not just the name or location of it. In the long run I think this will help them to be able to treat cancer as a chronic disease and we will all hopefully live longer, healthier lives as a result.

PontiacPeggy

WaterStreet, this is the article I found here on BCO: Ki67. It sounds like he listed every possible treatment that anyone could have. I doubt you'll have targeted therapy (which generally means Herceptin) since you are HER2 negative. The others are probably on your schedule. I suspect your list of questions for Tuesday is going to be very long. Like you, I've ALWAYS done lists when going to the doctor. Started out when I was pregnant a million years ago. It does get the doctor to stop and take the time to answer them (at least most of the time).

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate them.

HUGS!

mustlovepoodles

8 hours ago Cayeu wrote: "I had a lumpectomy on 9/30 and a reincision on 10/15. Several days after the first one and 2 weeks after the second one my breast has become reddish. The incision is fine. The breast isn't hot so just wondering if others have experienced this. And what it might be"

Keep an eye on it this weekend. If the reddened area gets larger, becomes tender, or you start running a temp> 100.4, you need to call your surgeon--you could have an infection.

Or, it may be the beginnings of a seroma, a collection of fluid. They are very common after any breast procedures. Annoying, but they don't usually get infected.

Now, me? I had it all. Lumpectomy, re-excision, major hematoma, major seroma, MAJOR infection= out of work 6 weeks! After all that, chemo has been much less exciting (other than that 4-day hospitalization last week. sheesh.)

mustlovepoodles

May I just take a moment to THANK my 22yo daughter...Bless her heart, I know she's young and all, but she came over here Thurs afternoon to do some laundry and get a shower (her water was messed up at her apt building). After she got here and laid around awhile, she announced that she felt sick. I tried my best to stay in the next room and not be around her, but it looks like I got whatever she had. Sore throat, achiness, stuffy/runny nose, headache. No fever, so far. And I have chemo diarrhea, so that's always nice. Not.

I'm not mad at her--a little aggravated maybe, but I know she didn't mean to expose me to something. Still, I had plans for tomorrow--go to church, visit my handicapped son, take him out for dinner. I haven't seen Christian for about 3 weeks, due to this chemo. I'm going to be very sad if I have to postpone this visit yet again.

PontiacPeggy

Aw, geez, Poodles. That's rotten. I'm sorry you're sick. Hopefully you'll get over it quickly. Hugs (from the other room!).

HUGS!!!

MaggieCat

Poodles... daughters, go figure with some of 'em! Hope you are back on your feet for a visit with your son!