Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
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614, the seroma rupture was certainly disconcerting and totally out of left field (I had no idea such a thing could happen) but oddly not at all painful--the nerves had been cut during the SNLB and the side was totally numb. At first, I thought I had leaned in too close to the faucets because my blouse felt warm & wet; then because it was making a hissing sound I thought that my cat had started peeing on me, but of course he was in another room. It was only when I looked down and saw first serous fluid and then blood that I realized what had happened. What was truly creepy was that right after injecting the lidocaine before suturing me, the surgeon actually expressed more fluid and it made a gushing sound. Eeeuw. The scariest part was being put on hold when I called the hospital--the idiot operator kept telling me I had to wait my turn and then that there were no nurses available to take my call--would I care to leave a message? Thank heaven the breast center nurse-practitioner got the message and called me right back. While I waited, I plastered my armpit with the biggest band-aid I could find (scraped-shin size), wrapped it in a hand towel held in place with an Ace wrap, and put on the hoodie I was most willing to have ruined. Then it took nearly an hour to get up there because of the idiot in front of us texting all the way up Ridge Blvd.
As Tom Petty says, “the waiting is the hardest part.” The nurse-practitioner said I’d have to let it heal from the inside and keep changing dressings several times a day for perhaps weeks. I told her that was not gonna happen. So she brought in the chief breast surgeon--my surgeon’s partner--who took one look at it and said that there was no way the weight of my very large breast would ever let the incision heal on its own, so he sutured it. I asked him if I should have considered reduction first, and he said he wouldn’t have ruled it out (though my surgeon’s NP was adamant that reductions risked too many complications). It all turned out okay--I was able to start my radiation on schedule. But it was rather harrowing--in fact the second scariest medical thing that ever happened to me without pain.....except, of course, being diagnosed in the first place.
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Hi, this is my first post in the Lounge. My surgery is on Tuesday. LX with SNB. I was dx with IDC w/DCIS, and LCIS, all on the left side, in late November. Hoping for clean margins and no node involvement, and no post-surgical complication. ChiSandy, the seroma rupture sounds horrifying!
OhDear, My BS said I'd probably have the same treatment protocol that yours told you. The meds have to do with the hormone receptivity. I was 100%+ for ER & PR, and HER2-. I'll find out if I need chemo after the pathology is back.
Amy
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Gemma12, here's hoping for clean margins an no node involvement! Good luck on Tuesday!!
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Vicks, thank you for sharing what works for your daughter. I am so so sorry for your loss.
My mother bought me two good wigs, and I bought a few online with my daughters as well, some fun ones like a purple one and rainbow! Hopefully I will find them comfortable, but if not I guess I will make do with scarves and hats. I was originally going to buzz my hair before I start, but now I'm thinking I'm going to wait until a week or two after. Soon enough that I won't start losing my hair, but at least I'll have my hair for a little bit longer.
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Good luck Gemma! Surgery was quite easy for me, I hope it will be for you too. Crossing my fingers for clear margins and no lymph node involvement,
So since we talked about alcohol and sugar, can we talk about soy Do you guys avoided entirely? Those of you that are estrogen positive which I am. I spoke to my MO. She said that she doesn't think I should avoid it entirely, especially since I can use important, but she thinks I should limit to a few servings a week. That is what I'm currently doing. Her opinion is that even though there is a theoretical risk of soy, there is actually no proof that so can increase risk and some studies have even shown a decrease of risk any women that eat more so I, so she feels in moderation is probably my best bet especially considering my dietary needs. What are your thoughts, advice from MO, etc?
As for alcohol, I have never been a heavy drinker, I generally have one or two glasses of white on the weekend, maybe 3 if we are socializing, which is maybe once a month. Now I still drink the same amount of time, but keep it to one glass. My MO did not say anything about alcohol, I just feel better about limiting.
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Did anyone happen to catch the movie onPBS - In Defense of Food? It's currently on On Demand and very informative. I've cut out all alcohol during chemo and not that I drank much before but I see myself consuming even less in the future. I am on steroids at the moment and am concerned about weight gain during chemo - lopsided boobs, acne, hair loss and some added pounds just sucks at times!!
Trying to move to a more plant based diet and add healthy proteins. I love my Ninja for smoothies and have been getting better about adding more greens to them (usually a kale/baby spinach mix). My next thing to look at is the quality of the meat I eat - is it just me or do chicken breasts keep getting bigger at the grocery store??
Have a great day everyone......hoping for a Patriots win today!!
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Gemma12, Welcome to the best forum on BCO!! It sounds like you have been reading posts here and have discovered that we are warm, comforting and informative. If you would, please fill out your profile with everything you know and make it public. That helps us answer your questions. You did an excellent job of putting it in your post, so you know quite a bit. Then it will appear in your signature area every time you write something.
Good luck on Tuesday! I'll be in your pocket jumping around so you know I'm there!
HUGS!
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CyndiNic, it's not you. Chicken breasts are (and have been) getting bigger over the years. When I was first married nearly 50 years ago, we could buy whole chickens that were about 2 to 2-1/2 lbs each - just perfect for broiling as chicken halves. Now you're lucky to find them under 4 lbs. Breasts have crept up, too. HOWEVER, I buy 4 lb bags of frozen chicken breasts and those are much smaller than the ones in the meat case.
HUGS!
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LovesToFly, my MO said that it's perfectly fine to have edamame, but to limit products containing soy protein isolate. Also, soy in moderation.
CyndiNic, you are right. Chicken breasts were never so large as they are now! Will have to track down In Defense of Food on demand. Thanks for the tip! (I live in NH, and had surgery and chemo in Boston. We are practically neighbors! Like you, I was diagnosed a couple of weeks before my birthday, but it was my 50th.
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wow, what is it about birthdays! I was diagnosed on October 27, turned 42 on November 13, and had surgery on November 27!
It is more tofu than edamame I am wondering about, I use tofu and a lot of my cooking. Used to have that almost every day, now I am sticking to once or twice a week. I also use a fair amount of soy sauce, which I'm cutting down.
CyndiNic, I too am concerned about gaining weight on chemo. I have worked very hard to get to and maintain a healthy body weight ( I lost about 50 pounds in 2010), I don't want to come out on the other side of this with a whole new challenge. Not only do I prefer the way I look and feel at this size, but I know that maintaining a healthy body weight is important for reducing my recurrence risk. I have heard average weight gain is around 10 pounds, and I'm certainly fine with that, the last 10 pounds seem to come and go anyway! But I would be very upset if I gained much more than that.
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Welcome Gemma! We're all with you in this! My doc said to keep the wrap tight after the surgery to minimize swelling. I had no complications. You got this! Peggy is our rock in this group, and we'll all chime in to give you different perspectives. Good luck!
Cindynic - lop-sided boob. Haha. Reminds me of my husband joking, "So what. Now you'll get 1st and 3rd place in the wet t-shirt contest." I understand your stress, but u get through it. It's all in my rearview mirror now. My docs dealt with my SE quickly. The steroid gave me acne for a couple days, so they halved it and I had no problems. Regarding weight, I stepped on the scale and a few of those chemo pounds already came off (I gained 8 in 6 mo). You are going into this informed and cautious. In my chemo group we said "Expect no side effects." If you get them, make the call to the doc!
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As for the diet component in all of this... They did ask me if I was a soy drinker/eater. I'm vegan and I love veggie sushi and have it at least once a week. And edemame with it too! I don't use soy milk, as I prefer Almond milk. I do like a tempeh wrap once a week... That's the extent to my soy products. I guess I have to cut out all soy products because I'm ER +...?
As soon as I get home from this vacation, I'm juicing like crazy to get rid of this holiday layer that I've accumulated. I don't need 10 pounds on top of it!!
Question... I'm meeting with my team on Wednesday... The cancer liaison mentioned more surgerIES, scans... Would they do this first and then chemo or hormonal treatments? She also mentioned radiation. If it's not so reading to my nodes yet, no mastectomy? My armpit area has felt swollen lately and my arm is always having to be adjusted under it. I thought it was the few pounds I've gained since I first discovered my lump by turning to comfort vegan food.
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MLP - Like Peggy said to Gemma, put your tumor info in your profile. It helps us comment. Some people have surgery first, some have chemo first. The radiation is usually last (and some don't have rads if they get a mastectomy, but some do). You're in the waiting game, and it's the hardest part. Once you have a plan with your team, you'll feel better. The scans and the pathology tell your team how aggressive they need to be. I had chemo, others had multiple surgeries. We have your back. We'll help you through this.
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Hi mlp
Hello fellow vegan. I was told that I did not have to eliminate soy, and given my protein requirements I probably shouldn't, but that I should limit it to a few servings a week! Please speak to your oncologist about this before feeling like you have to eliminate every bit of soy from your diet. Maybe you will be told a different message, but it's worth checking.
As for what will happen Wednesday, I just don't know. To be honest I can't tell what you've done already. As for me. After my biopsy I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. The meeting after that was to review my pathology, at that point I was told I did not more surgery as they had clear margins and there was no indication for further surgery, but would need chemotherapy then radiation then hormonal medication (probably tamoxifen). I was also referred for an ecg, chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, and bone scan. The scans and ultrasounds are done before chemo which I am starting on Wednesday.
Unfortunately the abdominal scan showed something on my liver, they have said it is almost definitely a benign blood vessel, but they want to take a closer look at it with the CAT scan. I am doing that before chemo, but it is only scheduling, they said I could do it after I started chemo as well
Generally the treatments are chemotherapy, then radiation, then the hormonal medication. Of course it depends on your pathology if you do all three of these, or only one or two.
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lovestofly - glad to see that you and your daughter picked out some fun wigs. I had a pink one in addition to the wig I'm wearing in my avatar. When I asked people if they wanted to see my new wig, I'd come out wearing the pink one. It lightened the mood. I also wore scarves as my hair thinned and now scarves as it's coming back. You'll find a routine and go-to style for yourself. You seem to have a fun little wild streak in you. You'll have a blast with all the wigs and wraps. Distractions helped to keep me from getting mopey.
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Thanks ladies!
Is my dx not showing up at the bottom of my posts? I just tried to correct that.
I was dx on 12/30 with IDC grade 3 ERPR+ HER2-. Also, DCIS showed up, so I'm guessing a duct next to this one got into my core biopsy.
Wednesday is the big day and I just want to go to sleep tonight an wake up wed!!
I'm so happy I found this thread. Now I know that I need to mention my vegan diet because I'll have to keep up protein levels.
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mlp have you had a lumpectomy yet? You talk about the biopsy but not the lumpectomy so I'm still a bit unsure where you are. But I do understand how hard the waiting is! I try to really enjoy myself during those times, spend a lot of time doing fun things with my family and friends. That way I was able to see it as a bit of a blessing, some time to be normal instead of a cancer patient whenever I could fit it in! I even went zip lining between finding the lump and getting my ultrasound results! I've always been terrified of heights, so that was a big step for me. We will be vegan buddies!!!!
Sloan, I definitely do have a bit of a fun and wild streak in me. I've been blogging since 2007, and a lot of it is about fashion and beauty. I change my hair and look all the time. So as heartbreaking as losing my hair is going to be, once I adjust to it, I will probably have some amount of fun with all the opportunities of brings to me to play around with my head, and learn new makeup techniques. I have already discovered a whole untapped market of online shopping that I never knew before. HeadCovers unlimited on Amazon is my new BFF!
Ladies who have already started / done chemo, I am going to the supermarket now for probably the last time before I start chemo. Anything I absolutely must have with regards to medication, cosmetic and body products, or food? What I already have is Biotene mouthwash and toothpaste, Sensitive skin facial wash and moisturizer since I usually use an antiaging line with retinol and heard it might be irritating, washable mascara because I usually use waterproof and heard I should avoid that and get one that will wash off easily, eyebrow pencil. Obviously I have all my prescription medications, are there any non-prescription ones I should have on hand (besides Tylenol which I always had anyway) or should I wait until I see the pharmacist on chemo day? Anything that I should get to prepare for food aversions or trouble eating? Keep in mind that I am vegan and gluten intolerant and quite mindful of my weight.
Tia!!
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here is my every day wig. It's a bit hard to tell, but the bottom layers are actually light blonde peekaboo highlights! Went for something completely different from my usual style:
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MLP3, No, your Dx does not show up - it has to be explicitly made PUBLIC. IIRC, everything has to be made public individually You can put in your surgery now too and edit it afterwards when you've gotten the path report of any other information (such as how many nodes were taken). Your surgery date is really quick after Dx. Wow! You've hardly had a chance to digest everything. Most of us have 4-6 weeks between them. I'll be in your pocket doing for what passes as dancing!
HUGS!
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MLP and Gemma, Welcome. As for soy my MO said while soy food is fine soy additives in food and supplements should be avoided.
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Lovestofly, beautiful wig. I can't keep up with all the posts so please accept my apologies if I overlooked anyone. For those facing surgery ice is your best friend.
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thank you Molly! I just hope I find a comfortable, but if not I'm sure I will be able to rock scarves and hats. I'm not even thinking about bald, because I live in Toronto and it's winter! I too cannot keep up with everybody and everything.
I'm so glad I found this group! You guys are really amazing
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Lovestofly, that is an excellent wig! If you don't have some already, cotton or microfiber wig caps help a lot with comfort. I also bought some on Amazon that I would not recommend that were like too-tight trouser socks!
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peachy2 thanks! Do you have any specific ones you can recommend? Perhaps on Amazon?
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Lovestofly - I was surprised how much I DIDN'T need. I bought a bunch of wraps, toothpaste, etc, and I didn't use them (even more stuff I didn't need for radiation). I thought I'd be too tired once chemo (and rafs) started to go get supplies, so I bought them. Nope. Not tired. Didn't need supplies. Then, as chemo progressed into month 3, days 4 and 5 were my tired days, and I had a routine. If I had a SE, my doc suggested something specific which I had to go out to get anyway. Here are my ideas: Get a good water glass and straw to take to chemo. You're going to have to drink about a gallon a day and urinate every hour in chemo to get the meds out of your system. Take your smartphone or tablet to read and keep busy with during chemo and on the couch at home! Exercise in the AM. Others will chime in on what they needed or didn't need, and you'll pick and choose what works for you.
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Lovestofly, I have a couple of these cotton caps from the shop at Dana Farber, where I had chemo. They are available online, and hope that they can ship to Canada:
http://www.dana-farberfriendsplace.org/cotton-wig-...
My favorite one is from the salon where I got my wig and is a lightweight microfiber. I haven't been able to find a similar style online, so need to go back and get a couple more.
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thanks!
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I totally agree with Sloan, there is so much that you might not need. Having chemo is a lot like being pregnant: you hear about all the things that can happen to you because others have experienced them, and only about half of them do. (And like pregnancy, its completely out of your control and it's as if aliens have taken over your body for a while.) I did not get mouth sores, a metallic taste in my mouth, nausea or cracked skin. For treatment days, as she said, bring a water bottle with you. Think of it like an air travel day, with lots of hurry up and wait. Only you won't be somewhere new and different at the end of the day.
I found this book really helpful for getting my head around what the next few months were going to look like:
http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Do-This-Surviving/dp...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451848224&sr=8-3&keywords=you+can+do+this
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Sooo... Just changed to public on my settings. My cancer liaison said to expect surgeries within the next week and I may be scheduled for one by the end of this week. Kinda nervous why they are moving so fast but also glad at the same time to reduce the waiting.
Bring on Wednesday!!
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Frill has been MIA for some time now. Hope she's OK
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