Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Melclarity

Well I did my first walk yesterday on Valentines Day, since my Treatment started 7 months ago, I was so happy with how I did. I did a circuit for about 30mins, I can build from there!! That was huge.

HH - Ive been on Arimidex for about 3 weeks now, havent noticed any side effects though, nothing out of the ordinary that I didnt have before starting it. But I also had no side effects with Tamoxifen either. Hope things settle.

ayr1016

Peachy, so sweet of your son. I love Denise's PJs

I woke up to the most beautiful bouquet of candy, several candy boxes, and a card that she wrote: "so proud to be your daughter. This year can STILL be great! Have hope!".....and then she told me "I will be your "sweetheart" today mom" (giving me valentine's stuff).

I have amazing kids. I can not top them. My heart is full today. Happy Valentine's Day ladies ~ sending love and warm wishes from Texas.

PontiacPeggy

TrudyS, I think you should call your BS tomorrow. While that underarm incision is most annoying, you shouldn't be feeling a golf ball there. BTW, Welcome! Please update your profile and make it public (including where you are) - that helps us answer your questions better. Hope you feel better!

MelClarity - YIPPEE! Good for you! I haven't had any side effects from Arimidex. Hopefully you won't either.

HUGS!

ayr1016

Mel: So awesome about your first walk. I like your view on building up. Small steps forward into big steps.

Jill: Sweetest card ever!!!

Peggy: The count down is on (2 weeks till market). I have never sold a house, but I bet it is super hard getting it ready to show. I look forward to you telling us about your new house after the move.

MLP: You inspire and motivate me with your diet (and exercise). I may have received candy for valentines, but I told the kids that it will last for years because I have changed my eating habits drastically (for the better) since being diagnosed. I am no longer a terrible vegetarian (breads/pasta/cheese). I am an informed and healthy vegetarian and it feels great! It is like my taste buds were woken up and are heightened and I enjoy food more. It is kind of weird, but great. Hard to explain.

Sandy: I am so sorry you are struggling with LE. It (LE) is one of my biggest fears of my upcoming surgery. I need to get an arm sleeve or two for preventative measures and get a list going on when I would wear it. I know for flying. A lady told me yesterday that if I was to ever get on a roller coaster. That didn't even occur to me. But, I do not get on roller coasters often. I hope you get some relief soon.

Okay...off to get my fitbit. Although, I am not sure which one to get. Wish me luck Would it be wise to bust it open in the store after purchase so I can start my steps right away? Just kidding! I will wait....lol

PontiacPeggy

Angela, I've never sold a home either! I really don't want to move until after Memorial Day because I'm having DH's memorial that weekend and I don't want to travel back from Spokane for it. But I won't turn down an offer because of that. Guess I have to wait to see how things fall out. Good luck with your FitBit!

HUGS!

mustlovepoodles

Katja, I think I'd have someone look at that rash. Cellulitis can present that way. I've had it twice since starting this BC crap and both times it was painless.

ChiSandy

Fortunately, the injury was to my L (non-LE) hand. Of course, it limits how much of the slack (i.e., hard work) it can take up from my R. I only put the sleeve on when I was standing in the kitchen yesterday noon (I slept in) and felt like a splinter or nylon thread in my fleece PJs' sleeve was pricking my forearm skin. Took off the top and found there was nothing poking out, and the thread was soft cotton. Put the top back on, and there it was again. Took it off, touched my bare skin at that spot and felt the exact sensation--and the skin was unbroken. Started doing MLD strokes on the arm, but the inside forearm skin and the underside of my wrist felt very sensitive, so much so that it hurt to finish the massage; so that's why I donned compression (moved the R hand ring to the left--looks like I'd been engaged twice). My R hand ring (a CZ, not the real thing) is always tighter first thing in the morning--but I notice today my L hand joints are a tad swollen. The weather right now? Snowing, of course. Last night before I went to bed and Googled “barometric pressure Chicago" and found a site called “Aches & Pains." It has up-to-the-minute weather maps that show barometric & humidity conditions that affect both arthritis AND migraines. Chicago was listed as moderately bad for both last night!

Not wearing compression right now; so far, so good. (But also not wearing my MedicAlert ID bracelet, which though it has over 1" of slack still leaves impressions from the charms & links in my skin--and still getting pitting. Bob, who deals with patients suffering from CHF, pooh-poohs it as insignificant; he says his post-mx patients eventually “outgrow" their LE because new lymph channels form in much the same way as blood vessels. I'm skeptical--everything I read says LE is forever, and the best I can hope for is the waning outlasting the waxing). Will shower, do my full MLD and then don compression for my LE & cording exercises.

MLP3

I might try the fast starting at 6pm and then have half of an avocado. I've never heard that before! My actual infusion starts at 10:30.

Ltf... Sweetest card😊

It's a balmy 2.8 degrees here in NH! Heading out for dinner tonight and hopefully I have a card coming my way... 😳 But nothing beats the hugs n kisses from my son and all the love from my dogs this am;)

Trudy... Go get that checked.

Ayr- glad I inspired someone;) the vegan diet is a lifestyle change... Kind of. But it's helping to empower me through this process.

HappyHammer

MLP- Is there a thread for folk who are vegan? If not, maybe you could start one and get ideas from one another. Would bet there are others wondering what options there are eating and keeping the body nourished in a healthful way during chemo and beyond. The Valentine was really beautiful- thanks for sharing!

Molly- me too- weekends- especially FRIGID ones are the most difficult for me in terms of exercise. Ugh! Tomorrow is a new day, ha.

Jill- You've got a keeper!

Katja23

Mustlovepoodles, thanks for your reply. I was not aware of cellulitis, but I suppose that might be a possibility. However, mine is itchy rather than painful, and on the third day there is no change; it has not progressed to be any worse.
It was too long after surgery and did not present itself as a surgical infection. It began after my steri-strips started coming off.

When and where did your cellulitis appear?

HappyHammer

Sloan wrote, "Forget what the measurements are and stick your fingers in there to determine tightness. Haha, okay, that one is for the book, but seriously, check it yourself." Haha- one for the book, indeed. Especially on VD.

HappyHammer

Ok, Poodles, sorry to hear you are not better but glad you are no worse. Hang in there. Waiting to find out what doc tells you

Sloan15

Trudys - There is research out there that suggests some people experience depression from the surgery anesthesia. Exercise, like walks, each day might help you with fatigue and depression. Regarding the knots, look up cording and ask your doc. Some people get cording. Good luck.

HappyHammer

Angela- your daughter is a sweetie!

DH and I agreed not to exchange gifts for VD. We did give cards. He gave me 3 precious, mushy, sweet ones. We are having supper in and am cooking one of his favorite meals. It's so darn cold here but we have a roaring fire and the dogs and cats all snuggled up for the afternoon and evening.

HappyHammer

Mel- yay for the walk! You are a warrior! And, maybe it's not the Arimidex making me moody- it is just the only thing that has changed recently.

Today has actually been better so am hoping I was just in a long bad mood, haha!

Sloan15

katja - I second that you should have the doc look at it in case it's cellulitis since it was 1/3 of breast. But, yes, cellulitis is often warm in addition to being itchy. So, if it's not that, don't forget that it could be a fungus! The sterilizing med they put on the skin kills bacteria that keep the fungus in check. So, if your skin stays red when you put cortisone cream on it to treat the dermatitis, then it's probably a fungus. Buy Lotrimine for jock itch. Sounds funny, but that's the only kind over-the-counter that will treat it. My son was a wrestler, and that's what the doc recommended for skin fungus. Good luck.

Sloan15

Chisandy - Seriously, though, my LE did get better after 6 mo! I think you just have to make sure out doesn't get worse. I read that elevating your arm the first year after surgery is really helpful. I elevate my arm whenever I can on the back of the couch or whatever. I'm sorry you are having flares. I find myself saying, "I just want to go back to normal again!" The new normal is challenging.

Mel - Way to go on the circuit training!

HH - Haha on our book especially since VD used to mean something else! Good thing we laugh at our own jokes. Hey, it's possible you had a mega-mood last week. Maybe you were stressing about something in the back of your mind. I'm glad you pushed through it either way.

MLP3

congrats on the exercise Mel!

HH- a vegan thread would be great to start but... it's hard enough keeping up with this fast moving thread!!

Moondust

Sandy, I'm sorry to hear that you are having an LE flareup. Do the therapists every suggest wearing a sling during the day which would slightly elevate your hand above your heart? I hope the weather holds until you are home tonight.

Katja, just a thought, have you been using any creams or lotions on your breast? Sometimes those cause dermatitis even if you've used them for years. I like Sloan's thought about a fungal infection, but your doctor will probably know for sure. The time I had a fungal infection on my face, I remember the Dr saying it had definite margins which was a clue to fungal origin.

Hi Trudy! My underarm incision (measured by my former carpenter DH) is 1 1/8 inches. I would probably quit the exercises and the massage until you have it looked at.

Mel, I'm excited to hear you did your first walk! Definitely start slow and build up. Almost anything is possible if we start slow and remain consistent.

Jill, what a great card! I got a nice one from my DH too.

MLP3, my RO also said that healthy fruits and veggies were fine to eat during treatment. He did say no juicing, however, since it really concentrates the vitamins and is more like a supplement. The fiber is an important part of the food, and that gets reduced by juicing.

Sloan, I hope your sore muscles are starting to feel better! What great weather this is for Bakersfield in February!

HappyHammer, it's quite okay to be bitchy. Just having cancer is a reason to be bitchy, and then we pile all the side effects on top of the Dx. But you are right, it's easier to enjoy the day if our mood is better. Hope the headache went away.

Mustlovepoodles, I hope they get you in right away tomorrow.

Peachy, what a great bear! I confess I haven't even told my son about my Dx yet. He is 22, in the Army, stationed in Korea, married (since last June to his home town sweetheart), and we only hear from him once a month max. When he comes back to the States in October I'll tell him all about it.

Peggy, great going on the house preparation! I filled up a box with Goodwill donations this morning.

Molly50

Angela, your DD's card made me tear up. What a sweetheart. Poodles, hang in there. It does get better. Jan, I hope you are doing okay.

PontiacPeggy

Alice, good for you. I've had the Salvation Army pick up 2 huge loads since DH died. Lots and lots of clothes. Once I found Marie Kondo's "tidying up" books with keeping things that only "spark joy" my work has been simplified. No more angst over things I felt I "should" keep but didn't real want. They found new homes. The books were quite the revelation.

Hope everyone feels oh so much better!

HUGS!

queenmomcat

Peggy: hoping you do find much to spark joy in the upcoming months and years.

PontiacPeggy

QueenMomCat, Thank you. I'm really looking forward to this new chapter of my life. Something positive to assuage my loss of DH. Being near #2 DS and DIL will be wonderful. Wish it had been possible to do when DH was alive.

HUGS!

ayr1016

oh dear. I came home with a fitbit and it will not connect (set up) to my phone. It keeps telling me to make sure it is close (I am putting the fitbit next to my phone), it needs charged (the display says 1/2 way charged) or make sure no other trackers are nearby. Anyone ever have this problem? Darn it. I was hoping this would be easy peasy

LovesToFly

no

Mine was easy.

Molly50

Make sure your phone is in discoverable mode

Brightsocks

Just a question about flying at the end of my rads I will be taking about a three hour flight. I have no issues right now with swelling in my arm and two modes removes. Should I wear a sleeves?

Moondust

Angela, the fitbit website has a lot of troubleshooting info. One time I had to reset my fitbit to get it connected to the phone. Instructions are on the website - the instructions depend on which model you bought.

ayr1016

Brightsocks: I'm sure other will give first hand advice will chime in, but I was told by a lady who had BC and has a local shop (that sells breast cancer recovery/mastectomy stuff) that you should always wear a sleeve after having surgery with nodes taken out as a preventative. Needless to say, I will be getting a few. But, so far they seem pricey. Chisandy, have you found that insurance will pay for any of the sleeves, gloves, etc.?

froggie

I've been running around like a chicken without a head trying to get ready for surgery on Tuesday. The department stores were useless for cotton and/or wireless bras and nightshirts that button in front. Found a nightshirt on line from the Hanes shop as well as cotton Bali bras that look like they will do. Since both arms will be affected, I passed on the Genie bras and went with a Bali Revolution that is similar to a Genie bra but has hooks in the back. The sides are low and for a knit stretchy thing it keeps the girls from flopping around so I should be good there. The navigator said BS doesn't use drains for LX & SNB but I ordered pink pockets just in case and they came yesterday.

We're supposed to get 1-3" snow tomorrow that turns into freezing rain/ice before it is just rain on Tues. Baltimore is supposed to get the same crappy weather. Hubby and I will head down early tomorrow and stay in a hotel and pray that we will be able to get to the hospital on Tuesday. Before we leave tomorrow, I will call BS office to see if they usually make it in in bad weather.

BS uses tissue glue on incisions. How big should I expect LX and SNB incisions to be?

Mel, belated happy birthday.

MLP3, your wig is awesome - it looks so natural. No idea yet if I will need chemo but I am fearing the worst with the AI since I have a great case of male pattern baldness going on that started with menopause. I don't think I'll be able to get a decent wig locally and will have to travel to a bigger city for it. Is there anything else I should be looking for other than human hair and custom made when I start that search?

Jill, what a lovely card - you have a real prince.

Peachy, your son is so thoughtful and you will always have the lovely Denise as a reminder. My kiddo is 26 now but it seems like yesterday that he was toddling around in diapers. I hold on to the little things these days and make memories out of them for safe keeping.

Sandy, sorry your LE is flaring up and hope it settles down soon.

Poodles, hope you are feeling better soon.

Praline, what a nice gesture from the little neighbor boy.

Peggy, good luck with getting your house ready for showing. Fingers and toes crossed you get it sold on a time table that works best for you.

Hi to everyone new, best wishes to everyone with upcoming surgeries, chemo and rads. Sincere apologies to anyone I missed.