Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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Hello ladies,
I was diagnosed October 27 by US guided needle biopsy with IDC, and I am having a lumpectomy November 19. Doctor said that he would be doing a sentinel node biopsy where they inject a dye and see if the cancer has gone there. This may be a stupid question, but do they remove the node? Or can they tell if it's cancerous just by the dye? If they remove the node, are there two surgery scars? Finally, if the nodes are clear, is radiation therapy still necessary? Or can I just have hormonal therapy? Sorry for all the questions.
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Citrinetiff: welcome. we hope you will find lots of support here, it is a great group.
the purpose of the dye, as I understand it, is to figure out which is the sentinel node...and yes, they do remove the node, there is more information here: http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/lymp...
You will have a scar where the node is removed, yes, and many of us find it to be more annoying than the actual lumpectomy scar. OTOH, your chances of lymphedema may be reduced, and otherwise they may end up removing more than one node...
Radiation is almost always called for with lx....possibly also chemo also.
HUGS!
Octogirl
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octogirl, thank you so much for the info. This is a scary time, but the support I have gotten on these boards has been amazing. Thank you again.
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Citrine, the SNB site may or may not require an extra incision. Mine did not, so I have a 4" long lumpectomy scar. which is actually located right in the fold under the arm, so it's already fading .
Your future treatment will be determined by what they find during the lumpectomy. No one can tell you that ahead of time. I think that's the most maddening part of it--not knowing what to expect. But once you get the results of your Lx and get a plan in place, I think you will feel much better.
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Cintrinetiff, Welcome! You have already discovered that this is the best, warmest, most comforting and very knowledgeable group. We're just sorry you've had to join us. It IS a very scary time. You don't know what is ahead of you for treatment beyond your lumpectomy and likely radiation. Once the plan is in place it is much easier to cope. I would ask about having an Oncotype test done. It pretty much determines if you need chemo or not - in most cases. Did your oncologist say you were getting anti-hormonals? I ask because I see you are ER- but PR+. Don't know what that means for treatment.
Poodles experience of an "all-in-one" incision seems to be unusual. So plan on 2 incisions. Octogirl is right - that SLNB incision is a royal pain - mostly annoying.
Keep reading here. Go back through a lot of pages and you will glean more information on what to expect with surgery (and the variations are huge), how to prepare. Mostly plan on doing a lot of resting after your surgery since it is a major shock to your body even if it is outpatient.
I see that this is your second round of BC. Did you have surgery before? What treatment(s)?
Try to breathe! If you haven't read it yet, I recommend Dr Susan Love's Breast Book. It is almost a bible of breast cancer. Loaded with tons of information and the newest edition just came out this fall.
HUGS!!!
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MLP, I didn't realize it could be one incision, but that makes sense depending on where the tumor is located.
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Citrinetiff, Welcome to our lumpy group. I had to have all of my axillary nodes removed because my sentinel nodes(sometimes there are more than one) were positive. So I had a total of 9 nodes removed. As the others said the lumpectomy incision wasn't bad it was the snb or in my case alnd incision. Ice is your friend during recovery.
As for your question about radiation, generally radiation follows lumpectomy but your team will make that call based on your situation.
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Have been following all the posts. Poodles, I also have only 1 incision way high on side of breast, but mine's reallly bothersome, glad yours is doing better, Boy, you sure have had a run! Been sending tender thoughts.
Cayeu, I had similar surgery dates. Surgeon drained a seroma at the re-excision, and at my 2 week follow-up drained 750 cc from a seroma. My breast was bright pink and hard as a rock. Man, what a relief! Felt like I had a boob and a cantaloupe! The Oncotype-DX came back at 18, so No Chemo!! Have the sim for radiation this next week. Tamoxifen after that; no AI because of osteoporosis.
Finally met the grandboy (thanks for the "how to", Peggy!) (You can barely see I had my breast pillow on, was only 4 days post-op and determined to hug everybody without wincing, lol.) Asher James is almost 7 months old in this pic, and what a smiling baby! My DS and DIL are doing an amazing job! Wish they didn't live so far away! DH has been home for a month from UT and sick for most of it, he can't do the humidity back here in MI, and cat hair might be a factor also, lololol (only have 6). But am making it a good time anyway. We live way out of town and no trick or treaters for 2nd year, wah. Started Chantix last week, this morning will be my step-up day to the 1 mg (had thought of today as quit day, but maybe couple of days at the higher strength first...) Wishing you all good healing and peace of mind. Thank goodness for great support systems!
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KittyL, glad you're doing better. It IS hard to keep from bumping that poor boob. Glad you figured out a way so you could hug your grandson - that's always important!
Wishing you lots of luck quitting smoking with Chantix. Quitting is hard. For me, I quit cold turkey and did an AA thing of "one day at a time." I figured one day of no smoking was better than none.
My youngest son wouldn't move back to Michigan (among others) because of the humidity. He lives in eastern Washington state and it is DRY there. So I can understand about DH. Too bad about him and maybe cat fur. Give him lots of Benadryl. And very sorry he's been sick.
HUGS!
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Hello and happy new week to all!
I am contiuing to improve, and felt like doing a bit of housework and cooking today. So I am pleased. Getting a little nervous about the post-op visit tomorrow, and hoping I don't have to have a replay.
Waterstreet - Happy Birthday!!! I hope you are doing well. Thinking of you for your post-op visit on Tuesday.
Brithael - In Jewish thought thirteen is a lucky number!! So in that reckoning you have a good surgery date! I hope all goes well.
MLP - Well, I guess you couldn't get by without having to catch a cold as well
I hope you get better very soon, and hope family members and friends have duly noted that they are not to visit when ill!!Citrinetiff - Welcome! I'm sorry you have to be here, but glad you have found this wonderful, supportive group.
I also did not have to have a separate incision for the Sentinel node biopsy. I think it depends on where the Sentinel nodes are located in relation to where your tumor is. My tumor was at 12:00, and I have one 3" incision at the top of the breast that angles up toward the armpit region. It seems the more common is to have 2 incisions, and the surgeon probably won't know until he gets in there. It might have helped that I had the radioactive mapping for the nodes, so the surgeon knew approximately where the relevant nodes were located before going in.
We can certainly empathize with you that it is a scary time. We are all there, or have been there, and we'll get through it together!
KittyL - Yay on no chemo!! Thanks for the update, and glad you met your sweet grandson!
HUGS to all! Rina
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Citrine, sorry you are a member of the club but this is a great group of very caring and supportive people so if you have BC am glad you found these boards. Like MLP, I only have one incision. Surgeon was able to make 4 in incision on side of my breast and get the SLN as well as the mass from that one incision. I was so lucky to not have anything under my arm so not much swelling/pain/etc. It just happened that the SLN was at the edge of the breast.
It is so hard to deal with the unknown- will be praying and sending positive energy your way as you deal with all of this. Take good care of yourself.
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KeepWalking, so glad you're doing well. Isn't it nice? Fingers crossed for a great post-op visit!
HappyHammer, glad you're doing well!
HUGS!
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Kitty, what an adorable baby!! There's nothing better than grandchildren.
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Awww, great picture! What a cute little grandson!! I'm glad you don't have to do chemo Kitty!
I get my OncotestDX scores back next week. I already did the chemo --I was on the cusp of when you should get chemo when I switched doctors, but we decided to order the tests anyway so I can get and idea of recurrence risk. Yikes. I'm a little nervous because I ended chemo early because of neuropathy, but the doc thinks I'm going to be in the low-intermediate range even with my high ki67 (proliferation) score. So, I'm glad I at least did most of the chemo. I'm 10 days into radiation, and so far so good.
Citrinetiff -- Welcome. Sorry you have to join us... Yes, these ladies on this thread are wonderful and full of information. I had the dye to light up the Sentinel Node Biopsy. They removed 2 nodes. So, I have a small scar under my arm. The doctor did the lumpectomy by going in next to the areola --my tumor was mid-breast about 11 o'clock--so you can't even see that scar anymore and my surgery was 3 months ago. Like I said above, I did the chemo and the radiation because that was right for me. Make sure you ask ALL of the scenarios to your doctor --with radiation, without radiation, with medication, with everything, wiithout anything, etc.-- and take notes or have a friend take notes because you are so stressed out it all runs together and it's hard to remember later on when you are by yourself having to make decisions. Good luck.
Keepwalking --glad you're feeling better! I decided to go to a Halloween party last night because I want to feel as normal as possible and not dwell on things, too. It really helps to keep busy! Good luck tomorrow.
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thanks, KittyL. I also have a low oncotype score so no chemo. I have an appt but no schedule yet for the radiation.
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Guess who is starting to sprout hair? Yay!
I'm the Santa but wearing my wig because I didn't want to be a bald Santa.
Doing things like this makes me feel less like a cancer patient. I love being Santa and opening the door. The little kids are stunned. They start to say Trick or Treat but then look at their parents like they got the holiday wrong. It's so funny. My husband is the wizard.
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Sloan, that picture makes me smile.
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Sloan, love that picture, too! Think you had a really great time!
HUGS!
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Sloan...you look great in the pic- cute cut on the wig. Glad you are sprouting hair (me, too! tho most wouldn't notice it- still makes me happy)
Love your holiday sense of humor- bet it was fun to see the expressions on you T or T'ers when they saw you. What fun!
Looks like you had fun last night- so glad!
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Well, despite the steady rain, we got to have a nice visit with our son. He was happy to see us, too. His caregiver had already taken him to Walmart and Home Depot to walk around (this kid can walk 5 miles a day, easily!) Since it was too nasty to go walking, and he was already a little worn out, we just went riding to see the leaves at a state park. On the way back to his house we stopped by Denny's for lunch--I swear, this boy has hollow legs. He ate pancakes, 1/2 of DHs turkey, mashed potatoes & cranberry sauce, and 1/2 of DHs salad. And two little powdered donuts. And I still had to wrangle him out of the booth because he was far too interested in the scraps left on the plates!
Gotta love this boy. He is so sweet & loving, no bad behaviors. Christian is severely mentally handicapped and autistic, and non-verbal. He's a full care kid--diapering, bathing, shaving, dressing, etc. He can feed himself a little and he can walk. Christian is fully a foot taller than me now, at 6'3" and 136-lbs--a big ol' string bean. I wish we could bring him home sometimes, but we just can't handle him anymore unless my two adult children are around to help us. But fortunately, Christian doesn't pine for us and doesn't hold a grudge. He lives in the moment. When we show up, he's happy. When we're not there, his life goes on as usual. We should all be so content.
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Poodles, how hard it must have been to place him in a home where he could get the care he needs and that you could no longer give. It's a shitty decision even when it's the right one. I've been there too with my DH. How wonderful that he has such a lovely disposition and seems to be quite content. I'm glad you were able to visit him today. Is he very far away? How often are you able to visit?Take care!
HUGS!
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He sounds lovely, MLP
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MLP- so glad you were able to have a nice visit with your son!
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I thought it would be really hard to place Christian, but it happened over a long period of time, so we all had time to process and adjust. We had always hoped to keep him at home until he was around 25-30, but that wasn't a realistic plan--Christian was born when I was 40. DH became fully disabled when Christian was 7 and as he grew taller and stronger it became harder for us to manage him. At this point, DH can only feed him. He can no longer bathe or dress him, nor take him walking (which Christian craves.) When Christian was 15, he fell down the stairs and broke his hip. I had a "God smack" moment when I suddenly saw our situation as other people do. I realized that we could no longer keep him safe, so we began trying in earnest to find him a home.
Christian (20) lives with a couple about 45min away; he's been with them for 3 years. We tried to find him a home closer to us, but none were suitable. We ended up going farther afield, but in the end it was the perfect placement. They are phenomenal. Knowing that he is so well cared for helps me sleep at night. We try to see him at least once a month, together. When I do home visits in his area, I call his host mom and tell her I'm going to come take him out to dinner. Sometimes I even take him out of school for a McDonald's treat, then walking around Walmart (are you sensing a trend?) I wish we could bring him home more often--we haven't had him home since New Years.
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MLP - Christian sounds like a wonderful young man. We could all learn contentment and joy from him - the joy of simple pleasures and of life! I am so glad that you have found a good place for him with loving people that are able to give him the care he needs and also that it is close enough for you to spend quality time with him. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Sloan - Great pic! I am glad you had a good party night! Great to feel "normal". Hoping that you get a good Oncotype score!
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Poodles, those "I can't do this any more" moments are quite shocking. All of a sudden you realize how pressured you've been, how overwhelming, and you wonder why you hadn't figured this out sooner. I'm so glad you found the perfect place for him.
I had my enlightenment hit when the kids came to take care of DH after my BC surgery. For the first time in 4 years, I got to sleep through the night. That's when I realized I was killing myself and not doing DH any favors. Then the kids left and I was back to 24/7 care of DH. I was ready for a breakdown. I was in radiation by this time. DH had surgery and that went okay but he got pneumonia and had to go to a rehab facility. It was there I found the elder law attorney who said, yes, you can qualify for Medicaid and place DH in a nursing home. I nearly cried. I couldn't afford a nursing home. It was a very difficult process but so worth it. I was 6 months before I was merely really tired rather than exhausted. I'm sure I'd have been dead if I hadn't placed him. Being a sole care-giver 24/7 is impossible to maintain as you know. Then there was the guilt: I was actually living my life, able to go out and do things. I hadn't been able to leave DH more than 10 minutes, afraid he'd fall (he had Parkinson's and memory damage from a heart attack - bad combination). There's nothing straightforward about placing a loved one in a home. You're relieved, guilty, exhausted, and finally living again.
Unless you've been there, I think it is hard to comprehend how difficult the decision is to place a loved one outside your home. Good for you for doing what needed to be done and was best for you, DH, AND DS. I'm glad you've found peace and contentment.
HUGS!
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I had my one-week follow up with the surgeon. All is coming along well. Unfortunately, here the pathology report is not received by the doctor until the whole thing is completed, including the Oncotype (if appropriate). So, I have about another 3 weeks to wait, even to find out whether the margins were good or not! I'm disappointed, but maybe just knowing it is so far off will help me not to get nervous yet. We'll see if that is the case.
HUGS to all
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mustlovepoodles --I will be getting information on Thursday about whether or not I will have on or two incisions. I hope it's one since i imagine that will be easier to recover from.
PontiacPeggy -- The hormone status is from a core biopsy, so I am waiting for the final path report from my November 19 surgery to see what the treatment will be. I am also assuming and hoping that I am Stage 1, but that will also be clarified after the surgery. My doctor did mention that if the hormone status stays as is, I may be able to forgo chemo and just do radiation and hormonals. Also, my previous dx is for LCIS (Stage 0), so the only treatment was an excisional biopsy.
I can see that this is an incredibly special group, and I am so touched by all your support. Thank you for making a newbie feel welcome and supported.
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Wow, Rina that's rather unfair. My BS told my son after my lumpectomy that she needed to see me two days sooner than scheduled. It turned out it was she couldn't get clean margins due to extensive LVI.
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Poodles and Peggy --Hugs to both of you "just because."
Keepwalking and Citrinetiff --Hang in there you two. Yeah, that waiting is what drives us all crazy!!!!!
California weather: Windy, ready to rain, and FINALLY sweater weather!
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