December 2016 Surgeries

Goincrzy8

Srfmom glad I could help. I normally dont wear button up shirts so the ones I bought I will probably post on the free item site here. If no takers Then off to Goodwill.

tlgio17

Hi Goincrzy8! Sounds like we are having the same sleep troubles. I am worried the port will mess up my left side and I will only be left with back sleeping.

I am nervous about working w chemo and going to talk to HR tomorrow about it all. I have a zillion Dr apts etc in the next two weeks leading up to chemo and I am worried about being able to work if I am not feeling good. Can work from home but not sure I will always feel good enough to do so. My work can be stressful and I definitely don't want to be worrying about that right now. We have to focus on getting healthy.

When do you start chemo?

Hugs,

Traci

Goincrzy8

I dont have a start date, I just made the decisions on Friday about the chemo plan I chose. I need to call PCP (have HMO) to check on refferal for CT and Echo and port placement.

I feel after UMX I could have gone back part time within 2 weeks. But Holidays are here and I already told her I would be out 6 weeks But when I got disability papers and saw I was off till March I was like ok. Hoping Chemo is like surgery and I have no complications. I have kept busy but will be bored soon.

tlgio17

Hi Goincrzy8,

Good idea to take advantage of the time off. I slept horrible last night and am heading to work but have to leave to get echo so it will a busy day.

G luck w scheduling all of your tests and apts. I'll be a few weeks ahead so I'll let u know how mine all go.

Have a good day!!

Traci

RedemptiveSufferer

I've been reading but not posting. All have been in my prayers. Thinking of you, Traci, as you return to work today.

I've barely slept a wink the past couple of nights because of my TE. Yesterday when I got up it felt like my TE had fractured a rib. Anyone else w/TE(s) getting just a few hrs. of sleep a night? This morning I nearly started to cry from lack of sleep then realized when I had newborns I didn't sleep either and survived. I'll survive this, too.

RedemptiveSufferer

Pepper43: Do you still have your pre-op appt. today? You're on my mind. Please keep us posted.

ReneeCA: I'm so sorry to hear about your ears! How has it affected your hearing? Have you noticed some improvement? You're right about the collateral damage BC causes...I never knew all this. Had I known, I never would have signed up for it ;-)

TooTicky

How well you can sleep on your side deends on where they place your port and how thin you are. My surgeon placed my port relatively high and there was little fat to pad it so I couldn't sleep on my side without the port digging in. Also I had the titanium port and it has sharp edges--the plastic ones have more rounded edges from what my nurse said.

pepper43

Redemptivesuff- appointment is at 11:50, then I have preop testing at hospital at 12:30 and then an expander fill at 3:45. Busy day! Will keep posted on results. Came to rude awakening today on the impact of a brand new year when it comes to medical expenses. Will have to pay $1500 deductible to urologist for upcoming surgery. Fun!

RedemptiveSufferer

Pepper43: You'll remain on my mind today. I meet w/my PS today as well. May get a fill depending on whether he thinks my redness has subsided enough and if he thinks there's anything to worry about regarding me feeling like I had a cracked rib yesterday. I hear ya about the expenses. About a month ago right before my surgery, I got a call from hospital billing while waiting to see the oncologist letting me know that I'd need to pay $2,500 for my UMX/TE placement. She said it would be a good idea to go ahead and pay it right then. Can anyone say, "Visa!"

Kattis894

Traci,

The port was installed a bit above my left breast (my right was the cancerous one) I did not experience much discomfort.

It is like a metal piece, the size of a quarter beneath your skin. It sticks out slightly but not a big deal. They attach tubes that goes into the veins in order to protect the veins and direct the hole thing towards the heart so the chemo pumps around quickly. I was´t very sore but yes, it of course feels a bit foreign to have this little metal piece there. After a few months I forgot about it and now its like I don´t even think about it.

So no PCR for me...my tumor was 2,5 cm x 2 cm at removal, instead of the 6,5 cm x 4,5 cm so it has shrunk some.

I am off the radiation tomorrow and have started Femara today. My Ki65 went down from 35% to 6% so I guess that is good. My onc is on holiday so I have to wait a whole week for the entire picture, but talking to another general doctor he said it will take about 6 months before knowing more for certain how things will go.

The nightmare continues....

Lilo244271

I am hardly sleeping either. Last night I tossed and turned from 9 to 1 am. At about 11 I got up and went to my chair but no luck falling asleep there either. I keep hoping that once I get these last two drains out I will sleep better although with my TEs that doesn't sound promising. I have my MO appt tomorrow and have been looking up way to much stuff to "prepare" for any type of news. I just want to have a plan in place and can't wait to move on. Hopefully my drains come out tomorrow too.

Today I am working on my mental health. I have a wonderful therapist I have been seeing for the last two years [working on other life issues] and I am seeing her for the first time since my BMX. Part of me wants to just stay in bed but I know I need to do this and so I will.

This journey has been harder than I originally thought hopefully tomorrow bring good news.

RedemptiveSufferer

Lilo, hopefully you'll have a better time with the TEs than I've had. I think I'm just a baby, lol! Do you take anything to help you sleep? Ativan helped me, but I didn't take it the past couple of nights because I wasn't feeling anxious and didn't want to take it unless necessary. Well, sleep is necessary so I may take it tonight.

Good for you for concentrating on your mental health...what a blessing that you already have a therapist. I know for me I'm constantly playing "mental games" to get through feelings of anxiety that seem to come out of nowhere. It helps for me to remind myself that this is a season and won't last forever...because sometimes it doesn't feel that way. It's harder for me than I thought it would be as well. Strangely, I accepted the diagnosis OK and going into surgery...but somewhere after that my outlook changed. But I KNOW it will get better! It helps when I focus on others, too, and less on myself. Will be interesting to see how I handle so much alone time when my kids return to school tomorrow and I have the house to myself.

tlgio17

TooTicky--thanks for input on port. My sleep quality has been bad along w alot of the other ladies on here, tired upon tired and now back at work so cant nap during the day.

Kim--Sorry you arent sleeping and had TE Pain. I keep thinking about how tight things are healing for me and wondering how the TE and finished product will feel one day in there. I cant imagine its comfy at first.

Kattis894--thanks also for the port info. Sorry you have to deal w long waits and unknowns along this journey.

I had my heart echo today, next up is chemo class Friday, something I never wanted on my agenda!

So tired today at work! Luckily i am not buried but I have a few more hours to get thru and all i want to do is go home and lay down.

My work is struggling w my STD paperwork, had 4 weeks off for surgery, but came back today per BS. Now I will have port surgery, and chemo coming up and so HR is saying have dr write me out for continous STD until CHemo is over, and my boss is saying work in between and from home when you can so you have more of your pay.

I dont know what the best plan is!

MyJourneys

TTgirl, I apologize for the delay in my reply, but please see your breast surgeon as soon as possible. It sounds like your nipple isn't getting adequate blood flow and they need fix that as soon as possible.

MyJourneys

dccancer, my implant was replaced with a TE and it (weirdly) hurts less than the implant. (But I was clotting all around the implant, so my circumstances aren't typical.) I'm not taking anything right now except for after I do stretching exercises, then I take some ibuprofen to relieve any tenderness. All that said, I haven't had a fill yet (they filled to 360 when they inserted it). I don't feel as much pressure as I did, but do feel some nerve pain. I'm not looking forward to a fill. I'm just now making my way toward feeling normal and want to hang onto that little longer.

MyJourneys

dcbc, ILC is sneaky, so even if they did get clear margins, a MX (BMX, really)is recommended because it's very likely hiding elsewhere (even if it doesn't show up on MRIs or any other imaging). I had clear margins on the lumpectomy on my right, but absolutely know I need to get a MX on that side as soon as I feel I can mentally handle it. I don't want to right now, but probably will before the end of the year.

MyJourneys

tlgio, it sounds like we'll be on the same path for treatment. I wondered when I would start the hormone treatment, but I keep forgetting to ask. I guess that comes last

Goincrzy8

Myjourneys its usually Chemo followed by radiation then Hormone. I believe that is the case, It is for me.

MyJourneys

Kattis, do you have your pathology results yet?

ILC is invasive lobular carcinoma (around 10% of breast cancer, hard to detect, usually doesn't lump up, just invades like a web and hides in lobes not ducts)

LCIS is lobular carcinoma in situ (not really cancer, but likely to turn into ILC)

DCIS is ductal carcinoma in situ (is cancer in the ducts, but it's staying put and not spreading)

That's the most of what I have, but a few other things (atypical cells that aren't normal but aren't cancer. Yet.

MyJourneys

Thanks, goincrzy

MyJourneys

Redemptive, I don't think you're being whiny - I think something is wrong with your TE. With my implant, I was counting down the minutes until my next pain pill and didn't know that something was wrong until I went in. I think something is off with yours. An infection, or the insertion is wrong, or something. What did your PS say today (didn't I read that you had an appointment?

MyJourneys

Everyone, please remember to update your listing so we can keep track of everyone. Message me

tlgio17

Hi MyJourneys,

Yes it does sound like we have the same plan. Oh the joys, right? Mine is chemo, radiation and then the hormonal part. Let me know what yours ends up being once you have all the details.

Rough road ahead but glad we have all the ladies on here to talk to!

Hugs,

Traci

RedemptiveSufferer

Hi, MyJourneys! I'm so glad to see you back on here and to hear you're feeling better! I don't blame you for wanting to hold onto that! :-) Oddly, by yest. afternoon I no longer had the rib pain and am fine today. Go figure!! I saw my PS today and he did a half fill, despite the fact the redness has diminished but he wants to remain cautious. It actually felt better afterwards...probably because it was only 60cc. No tightness whatsoever. Also, I barely felt the needle this time unlike I did with my first fill. Hopefully, because you already had an implant your first couple fills won't be that bad. I'm assuming your skin has already stretched somewhat. My first fill was a breeze (except for the needle...but even then the discomfort was short-lived.)

Goincrzy8

So since some of us will be going to the chemo boards soon, thought I would share some things. I called my insurance and they do cover a wig for chemo patients Also went on the look good feel good class thru American Cancer Society and Monday I am going to that class. You get free makeup, they give you tips on makeup, hair and scarves to get you through chemo. I also did an online chat with ACS and they directed to free wigs. I am going to call an make appointment to see what they have.

Daughter will be here tomorrow for our family Christmas on Saturday and I am going to have her go with me, as she lives out of state and I want her to feel part of the process. She came home for 10 days when I had surgery

MyJourneys

Just wanted to post a link to exercises I've found to be helpful in increasing my range of motion/decreasing my stiffness: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-educatio...

michelle1172

For those of you that already have your tissue expanders, and a couple of visits, how do feel it looks? I feel like a total Frankenstein when I look in the mirror. The 2 "breast" even seem to be expanding differently. I know I should be grateful to be at this point of the process, but I feel like my femininity is gone. I don't want my husband to even see me without a shirt. I can't even fathom putting on a bathing suit. Is this normal? Will it all work out in the end????

MexicoHeather

I'm moving over to posting in the January 2017 Chemo Board. Just to close out my status:

I have no pain meds now, not even Aleve. Most of the things I feel seem to be from the nerves under my arm. Still doing exercises for range of motion.

Sometimes I have phantom breast feelings, but that's not disturbing.

My husband seems to like the Amazon look: He's making me feel loved and beautiful.

My hijab came in the mail today.

Goincrzy8

Mexico I will be joining you there also. They called today to say Jan 12 but I have not heard about port insertion, echo or CT yet. So they will check on that tomorrow. I will be having chemo every 14 days for 16 weeks.

Tunegrrl

Congrats Kattis! That's dramatic shrinkage! Especially because imagery tends to understate the size of things. Even if the depth was unchanged (you mentioned only two dimensions), you are looking at shrinkage to 1/6 the size! (29 square cm on imagery, down to 5 square cm). That is *way* better than what i had. Nice one!

My MO passed the job of deciding whether i need to have a mastectomy (to address the original DCIS that is now hiding) to my radiation oncologist yesterday. I'll see him next Wednesday. Loving my reno'd boobie, even after re-excision surgery, and hope i get to keep it. All my usual bras still fit so far and everything. Expecting to lose volume as swelling continues to subside and through radiation.