Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

LovesToFly

((((Hugs)))))

1step

Home from surgery. Still have most of my lymph nodes, but I'll be having to do chemo. Little to no at home instructions and no prescriptions.

LovesToFly

sorry about the chemo 1step (how do you know?) but good bye to the lump!!! I barely used my prescription painkiller (and don't think I needed it) but still...call your doctor if you have pain. ((((Hugs)))

1step

My BS spoke with my family after sx. They found cancer in at least 1 node. She didn't take all the LNs (she told us before sx I would be admitted if she had to take them all). For my age they highly recommend doing chemo and not just leaving it to radiation. My biggest fear was having to have them all taken, so I'm happy that didn't happen.

PontiacPeggy

1Step. Glad you're home. Use ice on your incisions. But not continuously. I'd recommend taking a couple of Tylenol regularly. If that doesn't work, definitely call your BS and get something for pain. You may not need anything. Glad they didn't have to take all your LNs.

Also in a day or two start walking your left arm gently up a wall until it starts to barely feel uncomfortable - not hurting. Rest a lot. Enjoy being pampered.

I'm sorry that you have to do chemo. My DIL had colon cancer and every single session she told those drugs to KILL CANCER. She had to most positive attitude. Worked for her. And she said it's doable. Not easy. Doable.

Now try to get some sleep and be glad that that damned lump is out!

HUGS!

Melclarity

1step - Glad you're happy with the outcome, I think knowing is half the battle. Cant be too informed, All the best.

Sloan15

Re trying...

Sloan15

Had a great time meeting with April in LA today! Coffee, turned into lunch, which turned into her meeting my son after his afternoon classes. She is so easy to talk to!

Here's a picture of us at lunch. I had to get the happy faces in there!

April, we are back at our campground safe and sound. Here is the view from our campsite right after sunset. Gorgeous weather in LA today. The jacket means 65 degrees after sunset is cold weather.

Goodnight from California...

PontiacPeggy

Sloan, damned envious. I wanna be in SoCal! Glad you had such a great time with April. This is a wonderful place to make great friends - even in real life! You both look beautiful. And the sunset is too!

HUGS!

LovesToFly

so nice Sloan and April.

1step I too was very worried about losing a lot of lymph nodes, mostly because I've heard that it can really impact mobility and strength on that side, and I definitely want to get back to my previous level of fitness! I also didn't want superhighlymphedema risk, even though of course I know I have some. Very relieved you didn't lose too many, i'm sorry you need chemo, but as I said the other day, chemo is one badass cancer killer, so I think those of us to get it are also little bit lucky!

Sloan15

Peggy wrote:"We all worry about recurrences, especially the first year or so. While that never goes away, we learn to tuck it away and go on living life with a renewed vigor. It is so hard at first. We hear "cancer" and think "Oh my god, I'm dead." But we're not and neither are you."

Peggy - I've been thinking about this all day. I think that's why I want to meet ALL of the ladies in this chatroom. I have always loved life, but now I have a "renewed vigor" to live it! I will meet you one of these days!

Gemma - Your daughter is a beautiful young lady! Oh my, the hair!!!

Brightsocks - They did my lx through an incision at the aerola, so I can't see my scar at all. So, I'm not doing anything.

Who was asking abour our "book"? Was it 1step? Geez, I can't find the post now this thread is moving so fast! Anyway, it was a tongue in cheek reference to typos and double meanings... Prone position became porn position in someone's funny typo, "mine is bigger than yours" was actually referring to tumor size, and Brazilian martial arts takes on a new meaning when you start losing hair ALL over in chemo. Sometimes we post something and go back and have a good laugh!

And then we add it to our "book."

Molly50

Awww, Sloan and April how wonderful that you got to spend the day together! You both look beautiful. 1step, sorry about the positive nodes. I am glad you are done and have the tumor out of you.

Sloan15

jclc - Yay! What a relief! Congratulations on finishing.

1step - Glad your surgery is over. Half of us did chemo. It's doable, and it kills the cancer. We're here for you.

Molly - Good luck to your friend. We're in her pocket, too.

mustlovepoodles

LovesToFly said: "Reality is I could step off the curb and got hit by a bus any day, these things happen all the time. Yes, the fact that I have cancer means I am more likely to have it again, and probably means I'm more likely to die of it. But so what? Right now it is very treatable. I have every reason to expect a long healthy life ahead of me even if it does come back. I plan to make the most of every good day."

I feel exactly the same way. My heart goes out to anyone who is struggling with this demon breast cancer. It's a bitch and the whole experience requires so much time, energy, and money. And then you have to deal with all the mundane daily stuff of kids, partners, work, parents, and friendships. It's really easy to want to shut out everything except cancer, but we still have to go on.

I've had a few teary moments. But for the most part, I have just tucked my head down and kept walking through this cancer experience. I live in the metro-Atlanta area and if you know anything about Atlanta, you know the traffic here is terrible. It's probably much more likely that I would die in a car accident, than from cancer, but it doesn't stop me from driving.

Peachy2

1step, glad you made it through surgery okay. I had a prescription pain killer, but didn't take any. All I needed was Tylenol and ice, so hope that you find the same thing! I had surprise lymph node involvement, so it added chemo to my treatment plan. As the others have noted, chemo gives you the best way to blast any lingering cells out of your body, and the peace of mind that you're doing everything possible to fight recurrence.

Sloan and April, so beautiful!

614

Dear Gemma:

I had the 4 week higher dose rads (Canadian and British studies) rather than the 6 week lower dose rads.  My breasts look fantastic.  I had some radiation burns at the end of rad tx but it wasn't bad.  Now, my skin looks perfect.  The skin is slightly darker but it is not noticeable at all.  I am the only one who would be able to see it.  In fact, I just showed my breasts to my cousin, who will be starting rads on Monday. (That is if she will be able to fly home from Florida to NY, where there will be a blizzard and probably, closed airports.)  She said my breasts look so good and that she cannot see any skin discoloration at all.  She was really encouraged after looking at my post rad breast.  Now, she is much less nervous to start rads.

I am sorry about your friend.  Prayers to him.

Dear Brandy:

Anxiety is a big part of the waiting and not knowing.  At least it was for me.  Once your tx plan is arranged then you will be able to feel much better.  I wish you the best of luck.  The important thing is that you are getting married in September and going on a cruise in October.  CONGRATULATONS!  Ask a lot of questions and if you trust your doctors, then you will be fine. 

Dear  MLP:

YAY for you.  Good luck tomorrow.

Dear JCLC:

CONGRATULATIONS!

Dear Mairew:

Good luck tomorrow.

Dear Brightsocks:

I had incisions around my areola so the incision is not noticeable.  However, I have many scars because I had a reduction and lift.  The radiation actually worked wonders to reduce the redness in the scars to my left - bc - breast.  The scars are not visible in my left breast.  The scars are much more noticeable in my right breast.  I am not worried about the scars at all and I will not do anything about them.  I had a lx years ago and the scar faded on its own.

Hello and hugs to everyone else. 

 

PontiacPeggy

Sloan, I hope we can meet up too. Probably not this summer but maybe in 2017 I'll be able to visit my San Diego son. We usually get up to LA (have a bunch of relatives there) so should be able to meet up. And if you're coming this way before June or towards Spokane afterwards, you're invited to my house!

HUGS!

PontiacPeggy

Please keep my DIL in your thoughts. She's been sick with a cough and she is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. 911 is on their way. She can't take Benadryl either She's in San Deigo. Very worried.

Turns out DIL CAN take Benadryl. Hopefully she won't have to be in the ER for too long.

HUGS!

614

Dear 1Step:

I'm glad that you did not have to have many nodes removed but I am sorry about the node positive and the chemo.  However, chemo kills cancer and it will save you.  Good luck.

ChiSandy

Peggy, good thoughts and prayers for your daughter-in-law. I remember how terrified I was when decades ago I had an allergic reaction (burning all over, red as a lobster, 104F fever) to sulfa given to me during a bout of pneumonia; we didn't even wait for 911--Bob scooped me up and carried me to the car in my PJs and drove me to the ER in the middle of the night, and I spent the next 8 hrs. on a Benadryl drip.

Spoke to my sis in Arlington, VA today. Yesterday was nightmarish for her: what is normally a 20-min. commute took 3-1/2 hrs--and she didn't get to complete it. Streets, which hadn't been salted, were solid ice. After she saw the 20th accident and ambulances, she realized she was a block from a friend's house. So she abandoned her car at the roadside and a gentlemanly stranger literally took her by the arm and walked her to her friend's house. She & her friend killed off a bottle of wine and a frozen pizza (the stranger politely declined), and she spent the night there. By this morning, the ice had melted and she made it home before noon. They're not sure when the blizzard will start tomorrow, and she's in a quandary: if the snow is expected to start before 3 pm, school will be canceled (DC across the river already canceled at noon today for tomorrow) but if after, she will have to decide whether to accept her subbing assignment and run the risk of getting stuck again on the way home.

And the hits just keep on coming. My friend sent me the path report from her stereotactic core-needle biopsy. “High grade pleomorphic intraductal carcinoma--DCH (sic)." Grade 3, scattered calcifications over at least 3.7 cm, around her left areola. “Multiple cores" revealed areas of cribiform and comedo necrosis. Since she is barely an A cup and hasn't worn a bra in 30 yrs., it's likely that to get clean margins they'll have to excise too much to make breast-conservation practical. She's 71, Type 2 diabetic, hypertensive, and has had two coronary stents over the past 15 yrs. So she's not the world's greatest radiation risk. In 1991, she had an excisional biopsy that was benign, but hadn't gotten another mammogram until a couple of weeks ago. She has no family, and lives in a small town (Minooka, in Grundy County) 90 min. SW of here and an hour SW of Advocate Christ Hospital--where my husband is her primary care doc and where she will be having her surgery. (The surgeon, Dr. Barbara Krueger, has an office in Tinley Park, half an hour from Minooka). I promised to come down the night before and drive her to & from Christ--but if she needs a mastectomy, she will almost certainly be admitted for a few days. She and a couple of longtime friends had bought homes (had them built) in the same Minooka subdivision, and they're all retired, so I hope they'll be able to take over her care from me after surgery. I forwarded the report to Bob, but I'm terrified she'll ask me what it means--and I hope her surgeon's office can tell her first before I have to.

Me? I'm really lucky--we're getting (maybe) a dusting of lake effect snow tomorrow or Sat. as part of the backflow from the storm; I have to decide whether to get a plain or a tattoo-patterned second LE sleeve & glove; and more immediately, whether to cook steak or salmon. We're going to Tru for my birthday Sat.--and since it's walking distance to my other friend's assisted living apt. in Streeterville, we'll probably pay her a visit first if she's up to it.

PontiacPeggy

ChiSandy, what a harrowing drive your sister had. I think she should just stay home. But obviously it's her call. The video on tv this morning was terrible from her area.

What awful news for your friend. Not much to say except tell her we're here for her when the time comes. Does she realize that she has cancer? Definitely keeping her in my thoughts.

HUGS!

april25

Whew... Just read through all the posts... I'm terrible at names and details, so will probably miss so much, but hope you all won't mind!

Sloan -- I had a fantastic late-morning coffee, lunch and after lunch chat with you and your wonderful husband. So nice to meet your handsome son, too (he was getting attention from random passers-by!). Feel free to tell me any time you are in town and want to try and meet up!

---If any of you have a chance to meet up with Sloan, definitely do so! She is amazing and fun and so easy to talk to!

This was the first time I've met with anyone from this board. It was a lot of fun!

1step -- Sorry to hear you had node involvement and will get chemo. Plenty of us have had chemo here, so it's do-able. I hope the rest of the news/path report will be better for you.

Jclc83 -- Many congrats on finishing chemo!!! That's huge! I think my last chemo was pretty anticlimactic, too... but I was just so relieved to have it done with, I was celebrating enough in my own mind that I didn't need anything else. Really... SO glad to have chemo over, you would not believe!!!

---

MX vs LX -- So many struggle with this decision. I definitely worried about it. But I'm so glad I went with lx, even with a not-small lump and small breast. I thought I'd have a huge divot or something, but I can barely tell a difference between them! And I'm so glad I didn't have a lot of extra surgery to go through with an mx. Many people really don't have a choice about an mx or lx... Even if things end up being an mx down the line, it's good to have that choice. Although deciding can be a stressful time.

==

Good wishes and positive thoughts to friends and relatives who are in need. It is strange how it seems that BC and other things seem to suddenly happen so much, but I think it's because we're all so very aware of BC and other health issues, now. I had several friends get dx'd with cancer around the same time I did. Happily, they are also through with major treatments now and doing ok, but it was pretty grim for a while there.

--

Some amazing and encouraging posts, here. This really is a great, supportive group!

PontiacPeggy

April, it IS hard to keep track of everything. One of the best things about meeting up with gals from BCO is you don't have to explain anything. They already understand. You can be freer and more honest than with most anyone else. It's nice.

HUGS!

april25

Peggy -- Yes... it's not a great thing to have in common, but it IS something that links us. It's very relaxing to not worry about the other person not understanding.

PontiacPeggy

You're right, April, BC is not a great thing to have in common. But it has brought me many new friends that I'd never have made otherwise and I'm thankful for each one.

HUGS!

octogirl

Peggy, I will come to the meet-up if you make it to LA next year for sure! I may make it to Spokane before long too (but not before you move..)

and hope your DIL is ok! Prayers for her easy recovery. HUGS!

Octogirl

PontiacPeggy

Octogirl, damn! Our timing seems to be off! I may be in Spokane in March or April to house hunt. Haven't decided when yet.

Thanks for the good thoughts for my DIL. Poor dear.

HUGS!

Melclarity

Ladies just remember this doesn't define you!!! As I said, its always in the back of your mind absolutely, but 4yrs ago I did what I had to do and I moved on and only got anxious yearly visits, but I lived...Unlucky you bet....no 2 people are the same...Am I more scared than before?? 2nd time?? absolutely!!! BUT....I refuse to be beaten and I refuse to give a minute and be robbed by worry...LETS JUST LIVE!!!

Sloan - Awww getting together with everyone would be lovely...one day

Molly50

Praying for your DIL, Peggy.

marijen

Yes Peg, me too. Please keep us updated on your DIL.