Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

JuniperCat

Phoebe is beautiful!!!

PontiacPeggy

What pretty kitties! Mine is gorgeous when she hasn't licked half her fur off. (The front half looks nice anyway). Our fur babies are such a comfort.

Heathet, I think you are wise postponing the remodels until this summer. You won't want that mess while you are recuperating. How exciting getting a new fridge, d/w and stove! I've replaced all of mine over the past 5 years. I have to buy a new fridge for my new home, too.

HUGS!

Heathet

Brandford37- I am scheduled for a bmx. My BS recommended a mx because I have very little breast tissue and implants. She said I would most likely be back within a few years because of other suspicious areas, so I made the decision to have a mx.

I had a lumpectomy about 10-12 years ago and I remember going back to work in about 2 days. I didn't need drains with a lumpectomy and I just wore a sports bra. Sending good thoughts your way for your April 12th surgery.

Heathet

LovesToFly - Phoebe is super cute! She looks like our George - he's the other heating pad!

Peggy - I am super excited about the new fridge!

Peachy2

Oh, kitchen rehab! Two of the women in my sorority alumnae association who are cancer survivors laugh that they have found something worse than chemo or planning a daughter's wedding: kitchen rehab.

We completely renovated our kitchen in 2001, and it was miserable. Last January the refrigerator froze its own water filter, the line burst, and the kitchen flooded. We woke up to water all over the floor, looked down the basement stairs and it seemed to be raining down there. So, we had to re-do the kitchen and a lot of the finished basement. A year ago I had no lower kitchen cabinets and had been cooking with the microwave on a table in the living room and washing dishes in the bathroom sink for a month an a half. It was so nice to get it finished, and I was so glad to have things back to normal. Then, less than a month later I got my diagnosis. "Normal" is a relative term!

Love seeing all the animal pics! My Basenjis are in puppy heaven, and now I have a child who is allergic to dogs. Miss having a four-legged member of the family.

Lovinggrouches

PontiacPeggy

Heathet, I'll bet you are. I'm going to get a French 3 door refrigerator for my new house. I don't have room for that huge thing in my current house. Did you get something ritzy?

Peachy, I sympathize with the agony of remodeling anything and living in the dirt zone. It's terrible. I think most of us have forgotten what normal is by now. We're so busy getting on with life on any terms. It would be hard for me to be without pets. I know you don't have any choice, but that doesn't make it easier.

HUGS!

Lovinggrouches

That's my hubby and 3 legged baby on top is Miracle and other one is Fancy. All 3 are my babies lol!!!

PontiacPeggy

LovingGrouches, pretty kitties, handsome hubby!

HUGS!

brandford37

Thank you so much Heathet appreciate it can't wait to get over my surgery the next thing I'm worried about is the Chemo, I don't wanna do Chemo if I have to I will but that's my last option I'm praying everything works out well after the surgery and I wish no chemo for my treatment plan.

PontiacPeggy

Brandford37, We all hope to avoid chemo. And hoping you don't need it. But we do what's necessary to kill the cancer.

HUGS!!!

ChicagoReader

Poodles, I'm so glad to hear about the progress with your wounds. You've been through the wringer and it's about time things started going better for you. I'll be sending positive thoughts for your DH.

ORKnitter, the is-it-or-isn't-it cancer controversy about DCIS will drive you crazy if you let it. When I was first diagnosed, I couldn't believe that medical professionals disagreed on what seemed like such a basic issue. When I got over the surprise, I was hopeful. If it's not cancer, then maybe I don't need to take it very seriously or do much about it, I thought. Well, that didn't last very long. I learned that a significant percentage of women with DCIS (estimates range from 25% to 35%) will develop invasive cancer and that doctors don't have a reliable way to determine which ones will advance. For that reason, the traditional approach to DCIS is to treat it just the same as early stage invasive cancer: in other words, with lumpectomy plus radiation or mastectomy. So while DCIS patients don't go through everything that patients with invasive cancer do, it's no picnic.

But really, what's the point of comments like that PA made? Something tells me she wasn't trying to make you feel better. Please don't let it make you feel worse.

Heathet

Peggy - we went with a stainless steel fridge with the french doors. I love that the freezer is a huge space on the bottom . With our current fridge when we open our freezer it's guaranteed something is falling out! Watch out toes!

Brandford37 - I know how you feel. I'm working at taking it one day at a time. I try not to let my mind get to far ahead of its self.

ChicagoReader

You all have such adorable kitties! If you haven't been over to the Cats, cats, cats thread, check it out:

Cats, cats, cats

brandford37

Well Peggy I'm hoping I don't need it cause I don't think I can manage Chemo I no before my surgery my father up above gonna kill all cancer cell in my body. Thank you Peggy and Heathet

HappyHammer

I have typed a message to you all several times and it will not post so....short version- YES- get routine screens...sending lots of positive and healing energy to each of you- pray daily for you and yours! Spent 5 days with my sister, her fam and mine- SOOOOO fun! Forgot I have had cancer....and, loved every minute of it!

PontiacPeggy

Heathet, I hope I love my new fridge as much as you love yours!

Brandford, fingers crossed.

HH, that was wonderful!

HUGS!

chipsy83

Thank you ladies for all your personal experiences. I haven't smiled much but all those pretty pictures of all your pets sure did make me smile!

I had my follow up with my surgeon today. She said everything looks great! We are getting a second opinion on the pathology report since it is a rare tumor(phyllodes is what she said). Due to the aggressive behavior of these tumors and tendency of local recurrence and family history of breast cancer she recommended a bilateral mastectomy. Is it ok that I'm slightly angry about this?

I find it is even hard to hit the submit button right now. I'm scared. Scared of being judged. Scared of negativity because i wasn't diagnosed with cancer...I dunno.... Maybe just scared in general.

mustlovepoodles

Brandford, I hope your LX goes well and that you don't have to have chemo. But I just wanted to tell you that, for me at least, chemo wasn't too awful. Sure, there are side effects. I lost my hair, my taste buds changed for awhile there, fatigue set in, and I had a few trips to the ER due to fever. Thankfully, it was only for 4 months. I probably would have felt differently about it if I had to have 8 months of chemo! Still, I just wanted to let you know that chemo is not fun but it is doable. Most people had no idea that I was going through chemo, unless they were very close friends (my wig is smokin' hot, too!) I took a few days off here and there, but only about 5 total over the whole course of chemo. I thought that was pretty good, considering that I had chemo from Oct through Dec, when everyone was getting sick. Interestingly, I never threw up until about a month after chemo was finished, when I got a stomach virus. I was so sick I ended up in the ER, dehydrated!Oy~! I'm glad it didn't happen during chemo because I probably would have thought the chemo did it.

zinny

Andy 1205- please do have it removed. My core biopsy was DCIS, but when they got in there, there was also some invasive cancer. I do not want to scare you, but that is not uncommon. I sat on something that felt like a benign cyst for quite a while, since it was tender and changed size, and you don't want to sit on anything, especially not with a family history like yours- my mom had her breast cancer at 43 also.

mustlovepoodles

Chipsy, it's okay to angry. Nobody here is gonna judge you. I ended up with BMX, as well, not because my cancer was so bad, but because my family history is so bad and I have these stupid, stupid gene mutations. Off with the breasts~arrgh! So, yeah, I say let's be ANGRY. We have good reason!

brandford37

Hey Mustlovepoodles so sorry you have to go true a lot from chemo that's why I don't wanna do it but if I have to so be it but that's my last option, 4 months was good

tbalding

Hi , I have 2 cats. I don't have kids either. When people ask me if I have kids, I tell them 3, two cats and a husband

I had read the same things about DCIS, but I know the way that my brain works & I don't want to wonder if it is or isn't. I want it gone. I'm also a poster child for get your mammogram too, that's how they found mine. It saw calcifications. I'm 52 ( today ) and already had my colonoscopy scheduled in March so went ahead and did it between 2 breast biopsies. It came back with no polyps & I was so relieved (my mom had rectal cancer) and it gave me hope that I could actually expect a good report. And I did get one, second biopsy from MRI showed fibrous tissue, so now just have to deal with one area. My surgery is next week (didn't want it on my bday) & I have my sports bras ordered, cleaning house this weekend, just staying busy.

I really appreciate all of you & look forward to stopping by every evening.

Hugs to you all!

ChicagoReader

Happy Birthday, tbalding!

Molly50

Toomuch to catch up on! Poodles, I will be praying for your DH. Sloan, enjoy your trip and I hope you have your dream kitchen when you return. Your DH is a good guy. Has anyone seen Melclarity lately? Hello to any newbies. I had a wonderful day. I went to the opening of the World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in LA. Just me and my DS's GF. It was great until we got rained on.

Sloan15

Chipsy - You have every right to be angry for lots of reasons. It's going to be okay. We're here to support you. You're here in the Lumpectomy Lounge because you had questions, and there are plenty of people who are in here who had a benign lumpectomy tumor or went on to have a mx. We don't judge. We support each other. It's a sisterhood. You're one of us because you came into the Lounge, not because of a pathology or surgery! Hope you feel better.

I miss having a cat! The pictures of your babies are so cute!!!

Sloan15

I was just thinking of Melclarity, too. Anyone hear from her lately? Maybe I"ll try a PM.

Molly - We're going to a play (Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder) the Ahmenson the night before we fly out. We're going to stay at Checker's Hilton down the street. If we get into LA before 5, maybe we can have a quick coffee. Are you feelling better?

Katzpjays

Brandford37 - I'm new to this thread, but just had my lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy on 4/5. I wore some loose yoga pants and a blouse that buttoned up the front with a sports bra underneath. I had a wire localization procedure before the surgery and they put a cone-like protector taped to my chest over the wire so I couldn't catch it on anything as they moved me from pre-op to surgery. The blouse was easy to put on when I was done in recovery and ready for my husband to take me home. I didn't have a drain. Recovery is looking good. I have a RX of Percocet, but haven't needed it. Tylenol has done the trick for me. Feeling pretty close to normal except for just a little pulling at the SNB incision site.

Molly50

(((Chipsy))) you can tell people that you have a rare condition that means you need a BMX. That's all anyone needs to know. You do what is best for your future. I had a umx scheduled. I had genetic testing done and the results were taking too long so I figured I would just go ahead with the scheduled surgery since I wanted all the cancer out and it was nearly two months since diagnosis since I had a lumpectomy first. Well I got the test results that morning. I have a mutation that increases my risks of a new cancer by up to 30%. It was too late to change the surgery. When I saw my BS at my post op appointment she didn't have the results. Her nurse had to search to find the results had been misfiled!! My MO and BS said that I should have had a BMX. Grrr but what's the point of being angry. I am now going to have the other side done when I do reconstruction this summer. Of course that means another surgery again for the exchange to implant.

Molly50

Sloan, yes I would love to have coffee with you! I heard that show is really good.

Chipsy, I hope that I didn't come across like you shouldn't be angry. I just wanted to share my experience with you.