Healing after lumpectomy

Did anyone have a tumor removed from the flat portion of the breast (upper inner quadrant)?  If so, what is that like for you?

Elisheva and Rose,

I saw the Surgeon( for follow-up and pass-off) and Rads dr Monday.  The Rads Dr and her PA were both very thorough about treatment, although it won't happen until after chemo - 6 months from now.  Today was visit with Onco.  She threw me for a loop when she said she will get another FSH (HER2) test done on the surgery specimen.  Also, in the next two weeks, I will be seeing a cardiologist, a nutritionist, a genetic counselor, then possibly a port.  Chemo should begin on or about 7/15.  She said I most likely will start with AC every 21 days unless the HER2 comes back negative.  She said she wants to redo because HER2+ with ER+/PR+ occurs in only about 5% of BCs and she wants to be sure this is true for me.   Goal- is cure since all cancer was removed.  She also mentioned a possible trial using a bone strengthening drug that is normaly used for osteoarthritis but in Europe has seemed to have had some benefit in reducing reoccurence.  Left with a big guide to chemo and brain overload. I was somewhat disappointed because I was so confident that I would walk away with a definite plan of action and not so many 'waits' and 'ifs'.   Also I have erythema (redness) at the axillary wound with a little swellness. Got a 7-day antibiotic for that.

Tonight I will work really hard to get out of the cancer-mind for a while.   Wanda      

Had lumpectomy on tues 7/14 (?) and I didn't/haven't orn a sports bra. Am I hurting myself by not earing one? My breasts are small. They're sore but I'm not in pain. Waiting for pathology report now.

hi msc209..i live in camisoles with a soft shelf bra..i put them on from the bottom up. they are from j.jill. had my lumpectomy 6/15..i don't think it matters what you where as long as it gives you a lttle support and is comfy.

I had my lumpectomy May 29 and 3 days later developed an allergy to the plastic of the JP drain that was inserted however no one knew it until day 11 when it was removed.  By then cellulitis covered more than half my breast.  The sentinel node dye I also was allergic to and actually burned the edges of my incision like a thermal burn would.  I had to be readmitted to the hospital at day 14 due to intractible pain and infection.  I was given several bags of vancomycin and cipro and treated with morphine for the pain for a couple of days before they opened the surgical wound from the lumpectomy completely because of the infection.  I have been healing with wet to dry daily dressing changes from home health since then and the incision still is not healed.  My rads are being held up because of it.  My doc said that I may only get to do rads a few days at a time since my skin is so sensitive worrying me that it will compromise my treatment.  Tape used for the wet to dry dressing have further damaged my skin and I have used paper tape, cloth tape Medipore like used on babies and tegaderm which is an even lighter tape all with problems so I am scared to death about the radiation.  I am signed up with the Taylor-RX study and should have my onco score in the next week or two.  I just had no idea a lumpectomy would be this difficult to recover from.  I was totally unprepared and really feel like I was not informed correctly.  I was sent home with 5 mg lortab from the lumpectomy two hours after the surgery.  Two weeks later I was in the hospital receiving morphine every 2 hours in more pain than i had ever felt in my life. I think there needs to be more education about lumpectomies and what you could encounter.  My surgery was at a major hospital with one of the top 10 cancer surgeons in the US so this was not some rural hospital that just didn't know better. What makes it worse is I am a nurse...critical care....not oncology...but I still had no idea what i was walking into.  As I have read some of the posts on here I realize my experience is far from the worse..   I truly pray that all of us in this battle for our lives beat this horrible disease.  Good luck sisters and brothers.  Thanks. 

Elisheva..got my oncotype..was high at 35..bummer. I start chemo thursday.just got back from pharmacy picking up steroids and compazine.i hope mine goes as well as yours.thanks for asking.

Pamspromise..i  totallyagree with you! I never thought my lumpectomy would cause as much pain and still discomfort. I too am a nurse (school for 15 yrs) and felt like it was a big secret..my upper arm is still numb but it does feel better. it sounds like your super sensitive skin isn't helping! hopefully it will all turn around for you.

this truly is an awful disease..it just blows my mind how many of us there are..love & luck

Pammyj  Good luck to you.   I wish you all the best.  Let us know how your chemo goes.  I will be right behind you in a couple of months...have to do rads first.  

Elisheva I have no idea why I got the JP drain and I wondered that too.  I was set up to do the Contura balloon catheter to get the twice a day for 5 day radiation  but now that I am allergic to the plastic I have to do it the old fashion way.....38 rads. 

 thanks to both of you for answering.  So great to have people that actually understand what you are going through.  

 Elimar:  Good luck with your radiation and let us know how it goes.  It sounded so good that I sure wish I would have been able to go that route.  Good luck to you. 

Hugs from Oklahoma,

Pam

Hello ladies! Made it through first cytoxan/taxotere on thursday..nothing the first day but after neulasta shot yesterday had wicked heartburn and headache so I took it easy in the pm and hit the bed early. Am on dexadron 2x day x 5 days so sleep is hard to come by. Just repeating what the sages say on here it's drink and pee all day all night. appetite non existant but when i force myself i can get things down. haircut today..it's kinda warm and sticky here so i am looking forward to getting it off my neck. thinking of you all today and always

Oh Ronnie Kay how awful for you! That first dx seemed way too over the top..wish you well at Seattle Cancer Care.Why did they do lumpectomy if you need mastectomy? What exactly is brachytherapy? I don't have a port either and i'm glad..one less thing to have to take care of..good luck to you..

Thanks for understanding my concern after the first onc appt. I'm in a better mindset now and appreciate your questions...they make me aware of what I need to ask drs.  Pammyj, the first dr said that since I have a family history of bc (4 aunts passed, 1 is a survivor), along with my her2 and what she considered to be a large mass (2.1 cm), she said she couldn't be sure of cancer cells not being elsewhere in my body and that the cancer WILL come back to my breasts and that means a need for further surgeries.  Elisheva, I haven't had the BRCA test, which the first doctor would not recommend until I saw a genetic counselor, but said that since I am not menopausal (at 55!), she said a hysterectomy was needed along with the breasts removed (there is no history of ovarian cancer in my family).  SCCA said they will do the gene test, and decide on the ovaries at that time (also mentioning chemo's effect on cycling), as well as saying that there is absolutely no reason to do a mastectomy, that the radiation will provide protection from the tumor's regrowth in the same area. I'm relieved with the decision to have the gene test, as I have 2 grown daughters who may be at a higher risk. Pammyj, Brachytherapy is somewhat the same as Elimar had spoken about.  I will have catheters placed about 1.5 cm around the lumpectomy site, that will have wires attached 2 x daily for 5 days, which deliver high doses of radiation. Since the area of radiation is more direct, the higher doses can be administered, with less impact to the heart, lungs, ribs, tissues, over a shorter period of time. It's more invasive, but I generally heal well so am hoping for the best.  Does anyone have info on aromatase inhibitors, which the dr recommended instead of tamoxifin?  When I read about it, it says it's for post-menopausal women...which they may think I will be at the end of treatment.  It's so terribly hot in Seattle that I feel like I'm going through menopause now. I guess it's good training for the real thing!  Thinking of you all