Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Nash54

Peggy....snow?  Oh my 😱. No snow here but looks like rain's a comin'.  I'm curled up with a book too....The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Fascinating read. 

 I love the rain ❤️☔️

Jclc83....enjoy your weekend!

PontiacPeggy

Nash, yup. Snow. At least 4" so far and lots more on the way. Originally they thought a lot of it would melt but, as per usual, the weather guessers were wrong. Temperatures have been dropping and staying at or below freezing so the stuff is sticking. Rain is okay. I'm reading a free book from Amazon Kindle membership "The Short Drop." Nice reading for a lousy day. Enjoy your book. I've heard it is excellent.

HUGS!

queenmomcat

Keep me in mind! At the rate things are going, thank dog, I will be out West to see Dad again next summer. Alas, we will not really have a private mode of transportation (no car) but have the flexibility of coming into Seattle. And this time, I think Dad would understand.

PontiacPeggy

You all will know when I get to Spokane. It's nice to have friends (as well as family) vaguely close by!

HUGS!

Italychick

Peggy, and easier to visit San Diego too! Don't forget about us down here when you move!

PontiacPeggy

Theresa, I'm not about to forget SD since #1 son lives there and I love it. Lottery numbers do need to hit!

HUGS!

Sloan15

Well, I don't want to brag or anything, but my hair is about 1/8 inch long now. haha

Yay for hair!

Jclc83

lo

PontiacPeggy

Sloan, YEAH!!! Nice, is it? Just in time for winter to keep you warm

HUGS!

Sloan15

Oh my gosh, Peggy, my head is freezing--and I'm in California!! Good thing I love hats!

PontiacPeggy

Sloan, HAHAHA!!! I forgot that. OMG!! Well, it will be awhile before your hair is useful for warmth but at least it is growing. And, yes, definitely a good thing you love hats!

HUGS!

ChiSandy

Brit, glad to hear about the clean margins!

The snow we got here lakeside was considerate enough to eventually settle on the lawns & trees--looking pretty--and stay the heck off the pavement. But oh, my, is it ever cold! A week and a half ago I was wearing sandals--now it’s back into the weatherproof hikers and the UGGs!

Nash54

ChiSandy....can't beat UGGs! There like wearing house slippers outside...

Sloan....yeah! on the hair growth!

Cold here in Nashville but no snow! Peggy hope your keeping warm.

gypsyjo

Peggy, You will love the Northwest! The high desert is very enjoyable. You are a little too far to drive too, but my DH is a private pilot and we frequently look for destinations a couple of hours away. You will be 2 hrs and 11 min. I'll look forward to flying by sometime!

PontiacPeggy

GypsyJo, I can't wait. It would be wonderful to see you on your "home" turf so to speak. I agree the drive would be really interesting (I don't think you can get there from here). Flying is so glamorous! You're a dear friend and I hope to see you soon. If not hope the holidays are fantastic!

HUGS!

eggroll

For several months since my first of three surgeries, I have been in a lot of misery . . . not enough support, or the "over the shoulder boulder holder" that is too tight and causes pain and swelling in the darndest places . . . not only on my side but on my back and under my armpit.

So after enough complaining, my husband took me to Nordstroms and told me to "Go in there ask someone to fit you for a bra. Don't worry about the cost."

This is very unusual for my husband. Normally, he is very worried about the cost of EVERYTHING.

I was introduced to a compassionate caring young woman named Heather, who has been working in this very specific department for two years and loves it. Her very first important question was to ask for my name, which she then used several times. She whooshed me into a fitting room. As soon as I mentioned my recent lymph node surgery, she told me that they actually bill insurance for bras and prosthetics if the cancer surgery was recent enough.

She rattled off a long list of companies they bill directly.
Of course, mine wasn't one of them. But they would give me a receipt to bill my insurance myself. Who knew!

Then she measured me up and brought me six fantastic bras that all fit me perfectly.

"Wow, this is amazing," I gushed. "What size is this?"

"36 Double D," she replied.

"That's impossible," I responded, in shock. "I've always been a 36B!"

"Most women say the same thing," she said with a look of triumph. "They have no idea what size they really are."

I picked my four favorite from the group and she checked me out... they were about $60 each. As a courtesy, they didn't charge me sales tax.

I'm not sure if or how much my insurance will cover, but I only wish I had come in a month sooner . . . but at least now I'm ready for four weeks of radiation induced "sunburn."

Even if you don't have breast cancer and insurance to pay, I highly recommend you make Nordstroms your first stop the next time you need a new bra. The service truly is legendary, the bras are beautiful and well made, and you might just find that you've been underestimating yourself quite a bit!

PontiacPeggy

Eggroll, good heavens! Don't you wonder how you could have been so wrong about what size bra you wore? I'm stunned. You obviously found the right gal at Nordstrom's and she knew her stuff. That's fantastic. It is so difficult to find the right bra under any circumstances and once you've had BC surgery it seems even more difficult.

I noticed that you don't have where you live or the treatments you've undergone (or are undergoing) showing on your profile. It would be really nice if you would fill in everything you can on your profile and make it public. It helps immensely when we are answering questions or comparing our own situation with yours and how you handled something. Thanks.

HUGS!

HappyHammer

Octogirl....SO sorry about your sister's diagnosis!

eggroll

I'm in the Tacoma, WA area... Gig Harbor.

My details don't seem to be stacked as nicely as yours! Pun not intended.

Ok I went back into my profile and tried adding this information. Does it show now?

PontiacPeggy

Eggroll, Perhaps you haven't made each item on your profile PUBLIC. Check your settings. You figured out how to do the Dx so I'm sure you can figure the rest out.

Tacoma seems like a lovely area. I'm planning on moving to Spokane this coming summer to live near my son now that I am alone (DH died in September). I wouldn't mind living near my other son in San Diego but, gee, when I run the numbers they make the federal budget look balanced

HUGS!!

etnasgrl

Good Morning!

I'll be having my lumpectomy on December 10th. I was wondering if y'all could fill me in on what to expect recovery wise. My surgical oncologist suggested button down shirts for a while and a front closure sports bra, I've got both, so on that end I'm good to go.
Were you in a lot of pain or not too bad? I have an 11 year old son that I need to be up and around for as soon as possible, so am just wondering. (Granted, he can do a lot on his own and my DH will be helping out, but I don't like just lying around!)
The surgical oncologist is telling me a week is usually the standard recovery time. Did you find that to be true?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can ahead of time. Thanks so much!

Jclc83

in my experience Etnasgrl the lumpectomy was the easiest part of the whole thing. Not much pain. I just used my arm normally. I healed quickly. The only inconvenience was the drain and that was for only two weeks. Are you having any lymph nodes removed

PontiacPeggy

Etnasgirl, I was lucky and wasn't in pain after my Lx. However, my underarm incision was a royal pain - in the way and everything rubbed it. I wore Genie bras for 2-3 weeks. A couple of hints: if they offer you a drug (like Valium or Dramamine) when you go in for surgery - take it! Also, after your surgery, you can certainly "do" things but you will be very tired. it is major surgery and your body needs for you to rest so it can heal. No lifting with your "bad" arm. Do any stretching exercises for your SLNB site. I did not have a drain. I had 3 nodes removed and 2 "hangers on" came with them (rather surprising my surgeon). Let yourself be pampered.

HUGS!!!

Nash54

Etnasgirl...welcome! LX was pretty uneventful for me. I was just groggy from the pain meds so I didn't feel like doing much. By day 3 I was back to normal. But everyone is different. My main advice would be to ice the area, keep the tight bandages on for the couple of days, and rest, rest, rest. I was more exhausted emotionally than physically. Just get you ducks in a row beforehand and you should be fine.

Also, I stayed active (walking and yoga) up until LX and got back to walking right after.

Molly50

Etnasgirl, I think everyone's experience is a bit different depending on the location of the tumor and if you have any positive nodes. In my case the Lx was pretty uneventful except I ended up with an axillary lymph node dissection due to two positive nodes identified during surgery. My tumor was at 12:00 so my incision in the breast was very small in my areola. I think for some women the wire locator insertion prior to surgery and the dye or isotope injection are more traumatic than the surgery. I ended up with 3 wire locators. 2 were inserted during mammography and one during an ultrasound. I didn't find them painful but I had a very experienced radiologist who used plenty of lidocaine. After the LX I found ice was more helpful than pain meds. I also asked for a scolpamine patch during surgery and zofran after because I get nauseated from anesthesia. Anyway, read through the thread as much as you can and ask plenty of questions. Be prepared to to the anesthesiologist if you are sensitive to anything so he can be prepared to give you the right meds.

brithael

etnasgirl - I just had mine on the 13th, and really after the first day, have not had much pain. The axillary node dissection is by far and away the most annoying. That and not having quite the stamina I used to have. I went to my post-op yesterday hoping the drain would be removed, but have to wait til next week - still putting out 40cc.

Today I tried putting a genie camisole on first and my sports bra on top to help with the sensitivity I'm having on my upper arm. That feels a lot better. Hope you don't have a lot of nodes with problems.

etnasgrl

Thanks for all the replies!

HappyHammer

Etnasgirl...after joining this group I realized how different everyone's experience is....The LX wasn't bad..the wire locator wasn't a piece of cake....had 3 of them and that was very weird and I just felt very vulnerable....the team that did it was awesome and if not for them...would have completely fallen apart which I just didn't think about and wasn't prepared for...LX pain was not bad...ice was my best friend. Surgeon was able to access and remove SN from LX site so only had one incision and nothing underarm. Think those are worse..no drain. I tried to use that arm as normally as possible...again, used lots of ice packs. I was tired and did overdo it a few times but my body let me know. Take good care....this is a great site with so many wonderful women sharing and helping one another.

ChiSandy

I had no drain, and 2 sentinel plus 2 adjacent nodes removed. Got IV Versed pre-op, and a bolus of Fentanyl when I woke up in the recovery room. When that wore off later on, they brought me 2 Tylenol. Not Tylenol #3, plain Tylenol, not even extra-strength, just a couple of 325s. No Rx for anything stronger. Had some Norco 5-325s left over from my knee replacement days, so I took one at bedtime the first night and 1/2 each of the next two nights, with my normal Arthritis Formula Tylenols BID. Ice did the rest. Never did get the fatigue I was warned about--was able to dish up dinner we'd had delivered the first night, and go out for dinner (sis was driving) the second (not to mention walking to the grocery & back). Walked 1/2 mi. each way the third day to & from a restaurant and the beach. And was driving again the next evening. (I didn't get radiation fatigue either, so maybe I'm an outlier).

The radioactive seed placement was painless; the tracer injection was painful but subsided fairly quickly (it was into the areola, and I still get nipple-nerve-zaps). By far the most traumatic part of the operation was trying to start the IV--they had to wheel in an infrared “Vein Finder" to locate a good vein. And my SNLB incision bothered me more than the lumpectomy one (the SNLB developed a seroma and its incision burst because of the weight of my overly large breast--originally steri-stripped, but had to be sutured for a couple of weeks; now it is shrinking but my breast seroma enlarged from the radiation).

Funny you should mention Nordstrom and bras. About 20 yrs ago I thought I was a 42DD, and was bummed out that nothing at Victoria's Secret fit me. Nordstrom measured me and declared I was a 38DDD. I'd had no idea that cups that large were sold anywhere other than maternity stores. As I gained weight over the years, I stuck with DDD but kept getting ever bigger band sizes, until I noticed my 44DDD Playtexes weren't really holding me up and that try as I may, the center gapped, giving me a sort of uni-boob (like an apartment balcony). After watching an Oprah episode about bra fitting, I went to Intimacy (now Rigby & Peller), the boutique she used, and found out I was a 38HH or I. When you gain weight, it's your breasts, not your rib cage, that get bigger. Nowadays, there's something called Universal Cup Size for D+ women--it's an American D plus the magnitude the cup exceeds it. No matter how various mfrs. can differ (ditto UK sizes), I am now considered a “D6." And only recently has Nordstrom begun carrying any bras approaching my size--Wacoal now offers up to an H cup (underwire only--I'm wearing a 38H Wacoal as I type this), and they've begun offering Elomi, which goes up to a J or K (you have to special-order anything beyond I). Before my biopsy, I went to Schwartz'--a large lingerie/swimwear store in the n. 'burbs, which has a mastectomy & lymphedema boutique--to buy some non-underwire bras to wear home (and in contemplation of a positive diagnosis). I told the ancient saleswomen (both >80) my bra size, and they said “Honey, you're not an I or even an H! Where did you get measured?" When I answered “Intimacy," one of them snorted, “oh, they measure everyone wrong--two bands too small and two cup sizes too big. You're a 42DDD." Well, of COURSE--that's the biggest cup they carry; and as I suspected, the back rode up. When I inquired as to, what would happen if I needed a mx and a form, they said they don't make forms and mx bras that big, so I'd have to have my healthy breast reduced!

april25

Yay! Just had my last Targeted treatment (Herceptin). It's been a year. Wow, that year between DX and now seemed to drag on to eternity and then suddenly speed up. Now it's hard to believe it's gone by so quickly. Chemo, lx, rt... I'm so glad it's over! Now I'm on hormonals for 5 or 10 years. My MO said I'd be checking back in with him every 3 months for 3 years. After that, every 6 months. My BS is taking care of the mammograms every 6 months. I'll be getting my trusty Port out sometime after Thanksgiving.

LX experience -- OK, really. I was mostly worried about it being post-poned because I was still weak and anemic from chemo, but it went forward 2 weeks after end of chemo. The wire-locators were strange but I didn't have any pain. They used a mammography machine, so getting slightly squished was about as bad as it got, although of course the idea of getting wires placed wasn't pleasant. I went into surgery shortly after, so was out for any dye or other process. Woke up feeling a bit sore after, but they quickly gave me meds and I was OK. Had a surgical bra holding me in. Ice helped. Took pain meds for the first few days, mostly at night when lying down (shifting the position) made me worry. But no real bad pain at all. I rested solidly for 4 days until my follow-up appointment when I felt good enough to shower and take off the surgical bra and check out the surgical tape over my self-absorbing stitches. Everything looked a lot better than I thought it would (I was a chicken and didn't look until I had to!). Rested when I could after that, but felt pretty darn good after that. Got some bras that I could either step into or fasten in the front and some shirts I could fasten in the front so I wouldn't have to lift my arms a lot and that was about it. Surgical tape fell off by itself weeks later. Never had nerve problems or shooting pains.

Bra-fittings -- I've seen tons of news stories or Oprah stories about how most women are running about with no idea of their true bra size. Of course, I think it had changed over the years... both the sizing and everyone's body!... so that doesn't help. They always recommend that women at least go in to an expert and do a fitting at least once in their life. The women in the articles always say it makes a big difference in comfort and in how their breasts look. They can usually find something that really supports them and holds them up and in!

I haven't needed that since I'm on the smallish size, so can grab just about anything in an A or B and try them on...

Thanksgiving -- Lucky me, I'm just bringing some appetizers to my sister's house and they are doing all the work of making the dinner and getting the table all set up. Around 20+ people. Whew! I wouldn't be capable of hosting such a large dinner myself.

I hope you all will have a fantastic week, celebrating the holiday or not!