Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!
Comments
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Molly, thanks for the advice. I may need a binder for sure and will take softener religiously!
Sandy, that I'm aware of, there are severe limitations for home health assist here, but hubby did take the next week off from work to be around to help me out.
Peggy and Italy, I may try the magnesium if nothing else works. He did do bikini line incision, but instead of a few inches, he did it all the way from one hip to another around the whole underside of my flabby belly. I will have to ask why. maybe the uterus and cyst on the ovary was larger than the ultrasound showed?
Hugs to all, maybe tomorrow will be a better day 😁
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LovingG's- glad you are home, sorry your DH left you at night- AND, PLEASE think about using Colace (or other aid) and eating prunes/fresh fruit and drinking lots of water...the same thing happened to my cousin when she had a hysterectomy- and she REALLY had to stay on top of the constipation- all the meds and anesthesia does a number on us and you just have to fight back! I personally think it's up there as a top SE as it seems to affect everything else! Hugs to you!
Peggy~ "Sorry you feel crappy (and wish you could)." One of the reasons we love you so much and wait for you to chime in on things!
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Y'ALL- let me be VERY clear about the 3 5K's....I am WALKING them- and, they are brutal and my time stinks! However, I did 1 year of active BC treatment- and, intend to use the next year to get myself back together. WALKING 5k's and working out
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HH, I'm impressed with all your walking. You're doing fantastic. My exercise consists of walking the dog and fighting with the damn packing boxes. Those wardrobe boxes need 2 strong people to put them together and they are terribly awkward. The dog and the cat, while anxious to help, lack the proper appendages to be helpful. My hands are sore and I'm sick of boxes by the end of the day. But at least I can literally see progress - boxes filled, taped, labelled and marked where they go - all over the house. Getting rather interesting. I have a hand truck to move the heavy boxes but of course I can't lift them to stack them (for the most part they weigh north of 500 lbs I'm sure). ARGH!!!!
LG, just take care of yourself!!!
HUGS!
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Oh, Peggy- you are a great cheerleader! - packing is so hard and you are one strong gal to be able to do all that you are doing on your own! My admiration is intense. Hand trucks are great but you have got to get some help with those boxes for sure! Hugs to you!
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muh - I had radiation on the left side. I was fearful of radiation on my left side, and my doc said that there are fewer side effects than having the larger surgery. Radiation is also different today than it was years ago.
I understand your concern about being abroad, too. But, the Swiss are not slackers, and it's not like they are not up on the latest treatments. So, rest easy. You'll be happy you had a lumpectomy and rads when it's all done.
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Moondust - how are you feeling today?
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Thanks Happy! So glad you are determined to get fit again. Me too, when I'm healed from surgery!!
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Thank You Sandy! You are right. It's related to the size, it was just under a centimeter, so "b", as you noted, but really 1A.
I had no idea. My report is in German and I just assumed the b was related to 1B. I'll change it....
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Lovinggrouches, if you are stil struggling with constipation, consider trying Miralax. It's a tasteless, odorless powder you mix into any liquid and drink. It doesn't cause cramps or the runs, either. And it's not habit-forming. Miralax was a miracle drug when it came on the market and it still a frontline med for chronic constipation.
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Sloan, thank you so much for your message. It is difficult. I do still wish I had had a mastectomy without reconstruction, but now that I have started (10 down 20 to go) it makes stopping and waiting (and who knows how long to wait...how would they really determine when it is safe enough to operate) another risk. If they had explained everything up front and given me options it would be easier to deal with. Did they do any kind of heart monitoring/checking before or during? I feel like my heart beats abnormally immediately following treatment but maybe that is to be expected.
thank you...
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Muh, I suspect your abnormal heartbeat is nothing to worry about. From what I know and have learned, I think you are on the right course of treatment. The ROs are very careful when doing left side radiation. Try to relax and just get through them. How difficult it must be for you to have your path report in German. That's something that would be much more helpful in English, I'd think. Two more weeks and you'll be done with radiation! Slather on Aquaphor or whatever cream that your RO suggests to help with any skin issues. And look forward to getting on with your life!
HUGS!
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Thank You Peggy. Actually, I have 4 more weeks to go :-( 3 of photon radiation and then a boost (6 total). I am concerned that I have had a cough for 5 weeks that I know is not related to radiation, since it started earlier, but will likely not get better in this time. The radiologist said not to worry about it unless I still have it strongly in the 4th week. However, today I have a slight fever and chills, so I'm wondering if there is not something else going on. I am also taking Tamoxifen, and at first thought maybe it was a reaction to that (I've taken it for 3 weeks now), red face, etc, like a hot flash, but I don't think it should have a fever with it. I will try to ask a doctor about it tomorrow.
Thank You!
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Poodles, thanks for the advice e! I've seen Miramax before but wasn't sure if it would. Cause the cramping. I used 1 tsp Epsom salt with water along with docusate stool softeners and finally had a very small bowel movement. Hoping for another today. I've never wanted to poop so bad in my life lol!!!!!!
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Muh, I would say you have something else going on. Don't know about where you are, but around here the bugs have been making the rounds. Cough, fever, stuffy nose. I've had it a couple times along with my allergies thriving. Often MO's here wait to start you on your hormone therapy rather than doing 2 things at once like rads and Tamox. Easier to track SEs. But I think you are right that you have a bug. I had 33 rads (including boosts). Take care of yourself!
HUGS!
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LG, try the Miralax daily for at least a couple weeks. Its really great stuff, and gentle enough to use with babies, even.
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thank you Peggy!
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Welcome to the lounge, muh. I think we all get paranoid about every little symptom when we are going through this experience. Radiation can produce some temporary side effects, but if you are generally healthy you will recover just fine. Besides mild skin reaction, my worst side effect was a very painful shoulder. It went away about 10 days after I finished my 25 sesssions and 5 boosts. If anything, the radiation might have knocked down your immune system a bit and made you catch a virus. All will be well.
LG, I'm so sorry to hear that your surgery did not go exactly as described. That is one of my worst gripes about surgery. Once you are out, they can do whatever, and you find out about it later! But I'm sure it will heal up just fine and in a year you'll never give it a thought. I'm trying to promote bowel activity too, on chemo. Last night I finally took dulcolax and it certainly had the desired effect. Maybe a bit too much. I hope you feel better very soon!!
HH, I am cheering you on with your walking! It is long-term consistent activity that slowly changes our bodies for the better, so please don't stop!
Molly, I think we never like photos of ourselves. You look very pretty! And like a proud mom!
Yesterday I drove an hour to the mountains and did an easy slow hike. It did have a few hills, and I experienced "concrete leg syndrome" that others talk about. But it felt good to do it. Afterwards I stopped at the very quaint hot springs "resort" up there and had a large milkshake. The huge place was practically empty so I felt germ-safe.
Today I am feeling blah but still not nauseous. I wish my appetite would pick up. My weight dropped again this morning (maybe because of dulcolax). I've been eating a ton of calories (over 3200 yesterday) and I'm anxious to gain back about 3 pounds. Waffles with butter and syrup this morning! Those who have done chemo, do you think my appetite will get back to normal in the next couple of weeks?
You know, I love how we can "tell it like it is" here! I am grateful for all of you. You make me feel better!
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Thanks Moondust and poodles! The docusate just wasn't cutting it , so took a second dose of 1 tsp Epsom salt in warm water and BOY did it work well! At least no worries for an ileus at this time. I'm just having lots of lower back pain now. no telling how they work you over once your out! Lol!
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Molly - I had to scroll way back to see the picture of you at your son's graduation after I saw a reference to it - congratulations to your son; what an achievement graduating cum laude! You look very pretty as well
Love your dress. -
LG... I understand that gas from abdominal hysterectomy... OUCH! Have you joined the hystersisters website? The discussion boards there were very helpful to me in 2001 when I had my hysterectomy. I kept my ovaries at that time but may have them removed soon.
Healing hugs,
Traci
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Traci, I think you were the one that gave me that info before surgery. It has been wonderful and I'm posting on there now in a post op forum with women who had their surgeries the same week as me. It has been a wonderful site! I just haven't seen many women with abdominal like me. Lots of them had vaginal, scope, or vaginal assisted scope. I'm guessing the pain is a lot less with them. Some of them are already up cleaning house and I'm barely walking around and getting up and down from recliner lol! HUGS!
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Molly, if that is a “bad” picture of you, then a decent one would show that you’re a stunner. LG, you too! Alice, I wish I could be a fat donor. I do notice that though my Fitbit has me averaging a calorie “burn” of 1700-2000 per day, since I went back on low-carb my intake is about 1200-1500 at most. Once again, I weigh less than Bob, and am 1/4 lb. below where my PCP scolded me last Dec. (pre-letrozole) Gonna take advantage of today’s mild dry temps and (after watering my tomato plants) go for a nice long stroll along the lakefront and pick up some more salads & stuff at WF on the way home.
I checked the amenities at Borgo Alla Vigne (our HGV resort condo in Selvatelle) and found the kitchen has a kettle and French press but no grinder or electric coffeemaker. I hesitate to bring a manual one (it takes for-freakin’-ever to grind enough for a single cup), and if I grind my beans at home before leaving they’ll probably be too stale by the time we get to the resort--an electric grinder is too heavy to pack, and I’m not sure our convertor would power it sufficiently. I’d buy a sealed brick of Illy or Lavazza in Rome (or even here), but I don’t think it’s ground coarsely enough for press-pot. Thought for sure, it being Italy, there'd be at least a moka pot--ours is too heavy, but a little aluminum flip-drip might be light enough and would take espresso-grind. I could probably also steep some espresso pods in water. Maybe if I roasted and ground some beans freshly at home and then vac-sealed the bag it’d be fine for the three days we’re in Tuscany. There’s an espresso machine in the lobby, but it’s 1 euro per shot of espresso; I have mostly smaller coins left over from our previous trip. Will be sure to break some small bills in Rome so we have enough 1 and 2 euro coins. Trouble is, I’m the kinda gal who needs coffee so I can get or even order coffee. Will also pick up a few eggs, salumi & fruit & veggies at the grocery in town, since the only meals available at the resort are from a bread-and-pastry truck that comes by every morning to sell. We will have dinner one night at a friend’s house in Arezzo, and will eat as simply as possible locally (heavy on the fish & produce, easy on the pasta). Will indulge during the cooking class at the local winery, though. In our hotel in Rome, there’s a kettle and (ugh) Nescafe packets in the room (I can bring my little bicycle-pump espresso maker and pods, though it takes Herculean effort to generate enough pressure to produce one shot; maybe my Aeropress would make more sense. But I suppose the Nescafe or tea would wake me up enough to get to the superautomatic free machine (Americano, cappuccino, latte, and espresso) in the lounge--or down to the bar off the lobby.
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Moondust, my taste buds changed quite a bit while I was on chemo. Week 1 & 2 were usually the worst--nothing tasted right and the textures were all wrong. About the only things that really tasted good were bacon and nachos. Even my beloved Diet Pepsi had to go! Usually my taste buds got with the program by week 3, although not totally. That said, once I went off chemo everything got back to normal and unfortunately, way TOO normal. I have gained about 10-lbs since I had my BMX. I can't truly blame it on the Femara. I am making too many bad food choices.
Ha! My DH doesn't know it yet, but we are going to see the Happy Together Tour in Atlanta tomorrow night. The Turtles, Flo & Eddie, Chuck Negron, Gary Puckett, The Cowsills, and Mark Lindsay. I thought, since we had to skip the Braves game (it's frickin' 98 degrees here!), maybe we should find something indoors. I'm excited. I can't remember the last concert I went to--Barry Manilow, back in his big hair and sequins days?
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We have Springsteen tix for late Aug. at the United Center, the night after I get back (if I indeed go, trying to watch the $$$) from the Cutting Edge Music/CLE Conf. in NOLA. Same tour (and venue) as when we saw him do “The River” in January, but no such thing as too much of The Boss. Last concert was the Who in Milwaukee in late March.
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MUH I would ask your Dr. for a chest x-ray. I had a cough that started shortly after surgery and all the docs refused to acknowledge it. It was just annoying. Two months after radiation was compete cold weather hit and suddenly I started getting short of breath when I went out in the cold. They finally took a chest x-ray and I had pneumonia. Treated for pneumonia and no more cough.
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Sandy, I can tell that you are a serious coffee girl! I think vacuum sealed pre-ground beans would be the way to go with the French press. I'm not so picky - when I am backpacking I rely on the Starbucks via packets. They contain a fair amount of caffeine and are far better tasting than the fresh-brewed in my office.
Being under your scolding weight (and your husband's weight) is a cause for celebration! In a non-food way, of course
Poodles, I would really enjoy the concert you are going to! A few years ago we saw the Monkees just before Davy died. They were terrific! Arlo Guthrie came to town last year - what a kick! We get a lot of older country stars playing in this area, like Clint Black and Vince Gill,
A tuna melt tasted fantastic for lunch. I'm still trying to eat a lot of veggies, but I will be trying them creamed or in cheese sauce for a few days. My taste might be changing a bit, but I chewed on ice during the infusion and maybe it helped. I sure hate stocking the house with cheese and other high calorie stuff, because my DH will partake and he needs to lose about 50. But as I've always said, it's up to him what he eats. I easily ignore all the snacky items he brings home when I am of normal appetite, and he could do the same.
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Cheese is a mainstay for me, especially artisanal cheeses, because I'm almost completely avoiding sugar and starch. I've cut my bacon back to one or two slices a week, and cured meats to about an ounce or two once or twice a week (that salumi & charcuterie is shaved very thin). The fat fills me up even more than veggies do (which is to say, at least as far as salads go, not at all--I get bored with large portions of greens and stop, but I'm still hungry. Pastas and breads are yummy, but it takes a lot to satiate me so I mostly avoid them completely. I am not at all tempted by potatoes, rice or other grains. I do get satiated quickly with desserts, but not before the sugar and starch have done their damage. But a 3-oz. portion of meat, fish or chicken (or 2-3 eggs) does fill me up more than the caloric and protein equivalent amount of legumes or veggies. I can't remember the last time I went out for steak and didn't get 3-4 meals out of one steak (even after discarding the fat). Every time I try to cut back on protein and way back on fat in order to have starches & desserts, my weight goes up. Can’t remember the last time I drank soda pop, diet or regular.
My low-carb diet (when it works because I'm sticking to it) isn't really “ketogenic:" I don't do things like put blobs of cream and coconut oil in my coffee, eat four strips of bacon or a half-dozen eggs or more than an ounce of cheese at a time. If someone told me I had to eat half a pound of steak at one sitting I might hurl. I do eat non-starchy colorful veggies (no carrots or beets, because they're high in sugar) and low-sugar fruits in season, as well as a square per night of very dark (72-85%) chocolate. I limit my milk to 1/4 c. of low-sugar high-protein FairLife--just enough for a cappuccino.
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Sandy, you must be devoted to your coffee with the great lengths you plan on going to making sure you have just the right coffee when you're in Italy. I'm fascinated by the varieties and grinds and various ways of preparing coffee (just not enough to do it). I'm very plebian. I like my Maxwell House House Blend K-cup. I douse it with 1/2 & 1/2. I'm also no connoisseur of wines - I'm cheap and I like low alcohol wines. I found some sangria that was low alcohol and it was one step up from Kool-Aid. I love Red Lobster's sangria.
Packing away. The buyer of my house came over tonight (her father lives 2 doors from me) and I pretty much know now what needs to be done to satisfy FHA. I'll get on that tomorrow. She & hubby and kids are anxious to move in. They're living in 760 sq ft - moving to 2300 will be heavenly for them. I hadn't told her or her dad when I was moving so she was surprised when I said Friday. She thought she'd have to wait after the July 1st closing for a week or 2 before moving in. It's nice knowing the people who are buying my house and I know they will love it as much as Chuck and I did.
HUGS!
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Missed a couple of days,
MLP those baby dolls are horrid, can you say Chuckie!
MUH, I've lived in Europe off and on in the past. The Drs tend to have less bedside manner than in the US but they know their stuff. Studies show that a lumpectomy with radiation has a slight advantage over mastectomy without radiation. I went to a lecture last year by an MO who mentioned the fact that more women in the US have mastectomy when they could be treated less aggressively with a lumpectomy than in Europe. She felt that perhaps doctors in US should spend more time educating women on the statistics of their choice. Just thought that was interesting, although based on your experience it may be that the Drs give patients less choice. Anyway, sorry you are going through this without a great support network overseas.
LG, Sorry you had an abdominal incision. Hope you get a satisfactory answer from your doctor. Take it easy, don't push yourself. I got off the pain meds pretty quickly because I had a reaction to oxy and it freaked me out. I did need a lot of laxatives for several days. Take care, MJS
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