Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

PontiacPeggy

TBalding, for four years prior to my diagnosis, I was the sole caregiver to my husband. He had Parkinson's and had a widowmaker heart attack in Oct 2010. That screwed up his short term memory and fiddled with his mobility (not good since Parkinson's already did that). He was not able to get in bed or out of bed without help. And for the last couple years he was at home, he was getting up 4,5 and even 6 times a night. I was in a constant state of exhaustion. My sons live on the West Coast and didn't realize how difficult it all was until my BC dx. They each came back and took care of DH to the point of sleeping with him, when I had my surgery and recovered. They were worn out after a week. That was the first time I'd slept all night in years.

Then the boys went home. I'd had a 3 week break. DH couldn't go to the bathroom alone and hadn't been able to for a couple years. A lot of lifting which I shouldn't have been doing but no choice. He had surgery to remove a cancerous kidney and got pneumonia and nearly died. I was doing my rads all through this. Once he entered rehab I realized that I absolutely could not continue caring for him at home. I'd have been dead in 6 months. I wasn't sure how to manage the financial end of putting him in a nursing home but found an elder law attorney who said that we could qualify for Medicaid. So found a nursing home that accepted Medicaid and did everything to become Medicaid eligible. Not only that but took care of my will (DH was not allowed to have anything in his name except his Social Security check), powers of attorney, a trust for me and a few other things.

DH lived at the nursing home for 10 months, got a c.diff infection which led to a horrid bed sore. He couldn't move himself and was too sick to be moved to meals, he got pneumonia, his congestive heart failure got worse and he was admitted to the hospital. Less than a week later it was plain that he would not be leaving the hospital and he went into hospice care at the hospital (which in our case was the perfect situation). The boys came home and got to say whatever needed saying to their Dad before he became non-responsive. He died the day after they left, last September.

It was 6 months after DH was admitted to the nursing home before I was no longer exhausted, just tired.

So that's why I think my BC was stress-related. Perhaps it wasn't but I think the stress I was under for the 4 years before dx contributed.

Created, you DO have a lot to live for - please figure out how to do it! We're here for you.

Everyone, I'm thinking of you. Please take care.

HUGS!

njnancy

Question for everyone -- this group has been so helpful and I am learning so much. What other groups (not necessarily on this site) should i be considering? Definitly intersted in those gong through chemo when i will (probably start at the end of April).

tbalding

PontiacPegg, thank you so much for sharing! My stress doesn't even compare to what you've been through. It is mostly work related & the fact that I don't want to slow down. I work long hours & still try fit in all the other things that I need/want to do. In short, I have trouble saying no. My DH has been warning me for the last year that I need to slow down & push some of my work down to others or I was going to collapse. As well as not volunteering so much. That's why I wondered if the stress & the bad diet contributed to the bc. I don't take time to cook so then I don't eat right, and when I do eat I'm always in a rush. Thanks again & hugs to you!

LovesToFly, thanks for sharing too. It's good to know. I'm trying to stay positive and take it a step at a time & praying that my plan goes as planned.

You all are great thank you so much

zinny

njnancy - I am another nodie who ended up with chemo - doable. A shock to hear the news, for sure. One day at a time:)

Gemma12

Congrats on finishing, Jan! my last day is Friday.. woo hoo!

Jclc83

Thanks Amy! So glad that you're almost done too. It's a long journey for sure.

Congrats to Alice whose last boost is today! I love your photos. You have a good eye for photography. It's one of my hobbies.

Welcome tbalding. Created, I'm glad you are "seeing the light. ". With BC you have to be informed and become your own advocate. Be strong and don't second guess yourself. ChicagoReader sounds like quite the infection. Maybe Staph? Hope the antibiotics kick in soon.

Happy , healthy Monday to you all.

Brutersmom

I googled the article UCSD: Nighttime Snacking Increases Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence. It is an interesting study. It makes me wonder. I usually have a lite snack in the evening because I sleep better. I go about 12 hours without food. Not the 13. My husband who is type 2 diabetic has noticed that fried foods especially french fries and potato chips even earlier in the day will increase fasting blood sugar. I am sure that it has a lot to do with what you eat for a snack as well. I would like to see what the types of snacks were that the participants were eating.

"According to the study, fasting fewer hours per night was associated with higher levels of glycated hemoglobin — a measure of average blood sugar over a period of months — and getting less sleep".

Peachy2

Great video LTF! You are so well spoken, even with the video running and applying perfect eyebrows. I love, love, love Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion too. I just bought a similar MAC product because I was at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, and don't like it nearly as well.

wiseseeker

Question: Is there an ideal maximum ratio of size of tumor relative to size of breast wherein a lumpectomy can be performed without a major deformity (and without requiring reconstruction)? I have a 2.8 cm "tumor (I use that word loosely - it's an area of DCIS Grade 3 Stage 0 -- but gosh, I wish it was simply a lump only, because DCIS spreads through ducts like wildfire sometimes according to the surgeons I have spoken with and it's hard to "pin the tail on the donkey" and get clean margins... but that's for another post!) but I am a 34-C bra size, and a couple of surgeons are saying no way, while another one is saying yeah, no problem. Thoughts?

Molly50

wiseseeker, I was a 36 C and had a lot of tissue removed during my lumpy due to 2.1 CM tumor and extensive LVI. My breast surgeon did such a great job that it looked better than my good breast. It probably would have shrunk some during rads though. Unfortunately my surgeon could not get clean margins so I ended up needing a mx. I would ask for a plastic surgeon consult before making my decision.

brithael

My computer went bananas, and I had to reinstall Windows - lost some files etc., anyway, just now catching up on these forums - 8 pages behind!

Had #15 of 31 rads today, and so far only a tan and some small red bumps on my chest - one darker patch where the nodes used to be. The bumps have gotten better over the last week. I use the Radiaplex they give me on everything. Tired, but not overwhelmingly so.

stellamaris

Heathet - I was in hospital for 5 nights post mx, but this was due to the immediate DIEP reconstruction. I'm pretty sure a mx with tissue expanders was quoted as a one night stay. Likely going home with drains.

Sloan15

My CEA turmor marker test went down from 5.3 to 2.9. Its still a little elevated since I'm not a smoker, but it's going in the right direction. The RDW went up to 15.4, so it's higher, but the doc doesn't seem to be too worried right now about that and said no evidence of leukemia right now. Whew. He said I'm in remission --yay!!-- but wants to see me in 3 months for a CEA and pancreatic cancer tumor marker test...WTF? I guess he's trying to track down why the CEA is high, but it might be normal on the next test, so who knows. I'm cleared to go to France for 6 weeks, I was worried I'd have to cancel! In general, it was a good report.

Here are a few news links to that article on snacking. Sorry that the other link didn't work, but Brutersmom summarized it. I'm really going to try to have 13+ hours before eating breakfast.

Click on the link address to read an article about it.

http://timesofsandiego.com/education/2016/03/31/uc...

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20160331/e...

PontiacPeggy

Sloan, good news!!! Now you can really enjoy your trip. When do you leave?

Brithael, glad you're doing well. I just used Aquaphor on my punctated (pink hair follicles) skin. I hadn't even noticed it. Rest when you need it.

HUGS!

ayr1016

Do any of you get your estrogen checked and how often? What are your latest #s?

I had an oncologist appt. this past Friday and the tumor has softened, but not shrunk much. She equated it to being swiss cheese (holes in it) and soft now. Then I get a call today from the office saying my estrogen is to high even with the ovary suppression (Lupron). The nurse said I would probably get a larger dose of Lupron from now on. I do feel better the few days before getting my shots. So, I was already a little aware by the fact that it wears off by the time I get the shot again. Bummed I won't have those couple of days of feeling somewhat normal. I have had 3 monthly Lupron shots now and have been on Tamoxifen the whole time as well.

I have not posted in awhile. I have been reading and trying to keep up. Hello to all of the new ladies and to the regulars.

I had my first alcoholic drink since New Years Even this past week celebrating my daughter's 21st birthday. Now back to no alcohol till after treatment

Molly50

Angela, when do they plan on doing surgery?

sarajaneevans

Thank you ToriGirl for starting this thread- Not sure why I never saw it before. But glad I now have.

I received a diagnosis of ILC (L) in April of 2013. I had the ultrasound needle biopsy and another that I can no longer remember- anyway, I saw the surgeon within two weeks of getting the pathology back and was scheduled for a SNB with a Lumpectomy to follow. -One node out of three had cancer cells. I had to return for another Lumpectomy in order to take wider margins around the first of June- I saw my oncologist and started 6 rounds of Chemo in July followed by 7 weeks of Radiation completed the second week of January-some radiation time was delayed due to holidays and I had to take a week off from rads in order to let my skin heal- it burned pretty badly.

I see my oncologist every 6 months now starting this year- he does a blood test and we chat a bit and that's about the extent of it, except for the breast exam he does-but what I wonder is how can they tell the cancer is not somewhere else by doing a breast exam?Today, I guess I am doing ok- who knows? how do we know? How do we know which aches and pains to listen too and which ones to ignore??

Blessings to each of you as you make this journey

PontiacPeggy

SaraJaneEvans, don't you have regular mammograms? My MO handles only my Arimidex. My BS handles everything else. Glad you are doing well!

HUGS!

sarajaneevans

Hi Pontiac Pegg, Yes I do get mammograms.I forget how often that is now, every 6 months maybe?I have such bad chemo brain that my recall is not that great- I am 71 by the way(maybe the memory loss is more age related than chemo related)in any event it exists.

At the time I was diagnosed, I had had yearly mammograms. I was told that the type of breast cancer I had is not detectable on the mammogram. Most likely the tumor had been growing for 2 to 3 years-so I don't have a lot of faith in mammograms- However, when I posed the question, 'why bother' I was told because mammograms pick up other kinds of cancer- that made sense..

Thanks for the response (:

PontiacPeggy

SaraJane, I turn 71 in July so we're the same age. I blame any such brain farts etc on being blonde

HUGS!

Sloan15

ayr - I had my estrogen checked on this blood test to make sure I was in menopause. This time I was <15, which means menopause and AI's for meds.

LovesToFly

wonderful news Sloan. So many worries you've had, so glad they are all resolving well.

I am seven days passed my second dose of Taxatore and went back to work today, I'm back at my normal position with the accommodations I wanted and it went well. I even took the kids to the mall for dinner afterwards! I actually decided to wear a wig to work today, not to hide anything because everybody knows, just because I like how I look better in a wig and decided that it was a time of change so I would give it a try. It was much more comfortable than previously. Who knows I may be a wig wearer yet.

PontiacPeggy

Jill, Glad you're doing well, back to doing what you wanted. Perhaps you just needed time to think a wig was okay. Whatever, just do what makes YOU feel good! Maybe your head isn't quite so sensitive now.

HUGS!

Ce4758

Just joined the group so I'm a little nervous. Was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma a few weeks ago. Scheduled for a lumpectomy in three weeks with sentinel node something or other. Also doing breast reduction on both breasts at the same time (will be glad to not have to lug around these DD's). To be followed by 6 weeks x 5 per week of radiation and hormone therapy. I suppose recovery is different for everyone but am concerned about when I can get back to my normal life. I look forward to getting to know others in the same boat. Thanks for listening.

PontiacPeggy

Ce4758, Welcome! You've come to the right place! We're welcoming, comforting, warm, informative and funny. Looks like you have your treatment plan all worked out. Since I didn't have a breast reduction I can't answer your questions on that.

While you're waiting for the ladies to chime in with answers, would you please help us out by filling out your profile with everything you know and your proposed treatment plan AND make it PUBLIC. Then it will appear after each of your posts and we can be reminded of your diagnosis etc. We also would love to know where you live. We're all over, quite international. There are likely ladies near you and some of us have managed to meet in real life - which is fun.

The "sentinel node" is a Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy. Usually 1-3 lymph nodes are removed and tested to make sure that there is no cancer in them. And most of us find that incision (right under your arm) is the most annoying thing ever. Not that it is painful. But the armholes of your tops will rub it. And it will often be numb - makes shaving interesting. I suspect you will be pleased with your new "lesser" self.

Ask away - we will answer. Each of us has had a slightly different experience, treatment, etc. So you'll find something that applies to you and learn a lot. You might also consider purchasing or borrowing Dr Susan Love's Breast Book. It is a comprehensive guide to breast cancer (latest edition came out last fall). I found it quite helpful.

HUGS!

iammags

Ce4758 Hi, I just had that same surgery at the beginning of March. I'm so glad that I did it. I, too, was a DD and now I think that I'm a C and I love it. It was painful after the surgery but I'm only 3 weeks out, or so and the girls feel fine! All of my shirts are fitting better, I feel lighter, and I am getting stronger every day. I was very surprised to find that my breasts looked so good, considering. It was the best decision for me.

If you have any other questions that you'd like to ask about the surgery just let me know.

I'm meeting with my RO for a consultation on Wednesday. Any questions that I should be sure to ask?

Thanks all!

614

Hello everyone. 

Dear Balding:  My stress levels are overwhelming too for the same reasons that you have.  I work too many hours and I do too much.  I always put myself last and I have a hard time saying no. I end up eating all of my meals at work or in the car so I don't eat as well as I should.  I am making it a priority to walk every day though and I am trying to eat better.   I love your dark chocolate vegetable!  lol.  Good luck with your treatment.

Dear Nancy and Zinny:  You may want to join a bc support group.  Good luck with chemo.

Dear Gemma and Alice:  Congrats on finishing rads. 

Dear Sloan:  You are really on a roller coaster.  At least the test results are good.  Hopefully, it stays that way.

Dear Peggy:  I love the "blonde" comment.  ROFL.  You really went through so much.  You are an inspiration.

Dear Wiseseeker:  If you have a competent BS and PS then your breast will look fine.  I have had 4 lumpectomy surgeries (2 were double lumpecctomies) and my breasts look fine.   My breast cancer double lumpectomy involved plastic surgery though. My daughter had a lumpectomy when she was 17 years old.  My daughter's BS removed a 4cm X 3cm fobroadenoma.  I do not know how much tissue the BS had to remove but the BS said that he had to remove an "egg size area".  (I did not know anything about BC 3 years ago so I did not ask questions.  I feel like an idiot now.)  My daughter did not have plastic surgery.  Her breast looks fine.  We are both D cups.  If you are a C cup then your BS should be able to do surgery and your breast should look good.  If necessary, a Plastic Surgeon can "fix" your breast.   Cosmetic surgery is considered "medically necessary" for bc patients.  You don't need to worry.  You will look great.  (Just make sure that your doctor uses the terminology "medically necessary" so that the surgery will be covered by insurance.)

Dear Brit:  I'm glad that you are doing well and that you are 1/2 way done.  Woohoo.

Dear LTF:  Great job on the video.

Dear Ayr:  My ovary suppression took a while to work.  I also had a lot of estrogen although I never got the levels checked.  I got my period for 2 months while on Zoladex and taking Anastrazole.  I opted for an oophorectomy.  Good luck.

Dear SaraJaneEvans: I worry that cancer may be in other parts of my body as well and that it won't be found because I am not being tested anywhere aside from my breasts.  It is very scary and stressful.  I was diagnosed with pleomorhic ILC and with bifocal pleomorphic LCIS.  It is very hard to detect lobular carcinoma.  I worry all of the time.  I don't have an answer to your questions.  I hope that you are doing well.  My peace of mind is that I trust my MO and that I am under close surveillance.  Hugs and prayers to you.

Dear Peachy:  I love your picture.

Dear Brutersmom:  Good snack questions.  People are probably snacking on celery!  lol.

Dear Molly:  I am glad that you had the mastectomy and that you are going to have a prophylactic mastectomy to your other side.  It will take away your worry.

Dear JCLC:  Happy Monday.

Dear Melclarity:  I hope that you are ok, and that you are resting and feeling well.

Dear Sandy:  Enjoy the rest of your vacation.  Thanks for the history lesson.  It was fascinating.

LovesToFly

welcome e. Sorry you have to be here but this is a wonderful group. I haven't done radiation get, I did find my lumpectomy quite easy to recover from, the sentinel node biopsy was more annoying than the breast incision, but I did not have a reduction as well. Hopefully some of the other ladies will be able to give you a bit more advice!!

PontiacPeggy

614, Thanks. I was glad I could care for DH for as long as I did. But when I couldn't do it anymore, I truly was at the end of my rope.

I have always preferred having blonde moments. Having a senior moment seems so derogatory. I am a natural blonde now helped by L'Oreal. No clue what my real hair color is and see no reason to find out. And, yes, I love blonde jokes!

Take care

HUGS!

ayr1016

614: Thanks for replying. That is good to know. Maybe my OS is just taking a bit longer. I did not have a cycle this past month, so to me, I felt like it was working.

Sloan: That is great! I guess I'm going to call tomorrow and ask what the results are. I was hoping they would be on the portal today/tonight, but they are not yet.

Molly50: To be honest, I do not know. I had anticipated 3-4 months of the hormone therapy and then surgery. I just started my 3rd month. I am anxious to get another appointment with the surgeon to see what she thinks at this point.