January Mastectomy

Hello Ladies,

Happy Anniversary Laura!  Whoohoo!  25 years together.  I hope you enjoyed a magical anniversary week!

Thanks Cathy for trying to change our thread...I went and looked at a thread I created a long time ago and I'm not seeing where the title can be edited either.  We will all be Team January in our hearts! 

I'm sorry you had issues with your DIEP...turns out it wasn't a DIEP that my PS wants to do to correct the ripples but rather that Latissimus Dorsi (the muscle from the back)  My answer is still no but I thought I should clear that up. Still seems like a huge procedure to go through for some ripples.  He's the perfectionist not me!  I think I look fine in clothes and at night I can wear a cami.  If I were 25 I may reconsider but since I'm closer to 50 I guess it doesn't really matter.

Hows our birthday girl Kim?  Getting ready for your next procedure?  What is your date?  The 15th?  I'm a huge advocate for pain control! lol  You do what you must do.  I'm excited for you...I know you will be happy with your end results.  A birthday present like that can only be good! 

Do you have a date yet Robin?  I certainly hope they can get you scheduled in before the years end.  I also hope your ankle is doing better in your cast.  Hang in there!  (ps...I'm with ya on getting a jump start on the holidays....I've been doing a little bit of Christmas shopping every month since August and I'm almost done! whoohoo!  

Well the roller coaster of what I call my career continues.  I love when I'm on top of the world and there are no problems but as soon as you dip into the depths of despair it's no fun at all!  My love for the old folks is what keeps me focused through this rough patch.  Just a lot of pressure and I'm losing weight like crazy.  I'm not really sure what that is about because I'm eating eating eating!  Fortunately, this breast cancer crap certainly helps you prioritize and I feel stronger in that respect.  It is what it is and it will be what it will be.  If I can see it through to the end of the year it will be an accomplishment...then perhaps beyond.  But the way the picture looks now I'm not too sure.   

Have a wonderful day today all...if you're living in the area like me you got to sleep in an extra hour!  Ribs in the slow cooker today....yum!:)
Kat

Hello Team January,

Kat - great news from the biopsy....Sooooo happy for you and know you must be so relieved. 

Robin - sucks about your injury....I am sorry to hear you are in a cast!  Don't apologize for whining....it's perfectly ok!  You have a right to complain.

Well Halloween was a special time for me.  Had a follow up appointment with my breast surgeon on Friday the 29th.  Her office staff were dressed in Ghostbuster T-shirts.  (Last year they were hookers!)  And I did what I promised I would do.  I had full "hooters girl" wardrobe!  I wore a running suit over it (it was all I could think of that would go with sneakers and those big socks). The nurse put me in the end room and they were all so excited.  DH was actually there and brought the camera.  My doctor came in and she absolutely loved it.  In her waiting room she has a large curio cabinet filled with gifts from patients (some hand made and all have a lot of meaning I am sure).  I often wondered what gift I could possibly give her.  My showing up as a Hooter's girl was a fary cry from some of those handmade items, but I knew she would understand the message.  She said it was a perfect gift.  I took a couple of photo's with her and others with the office staff.  I finally put my photo on my profile page, but for the life of me can't figure out how to get these photo's into a post.  I may pm paula or kat and seek their advice.

I have been busy doing a little counseling (or should I say listening).  My breast surgeon put a patient in touch with me.  She had recently been diagnosed with bc and thought she was going in for a lumpectomy....but when they looked at the images again, they discovered another "lump" too close to the original one and so they changed their recommendation to a mastectomy.  She was pretty upset.  I didn't know how I was going to feel ... you know was it going to put me back in an unhappy place.  Actually I found it really rewarding.  I talked to this woman on the phone and most of what I did was listen.  She said she thought about getting a second opinion and I just simply told her, that if that's what she wanted to do, then that is what she should do.  I just gave her generic advice and offered her the opportunity to see the results in person and told her there is indeed life after bc and life after a Mx!  It went very well.

I then got a phone call from a really good friend of mine.  She actually came from Florida to be with me for the exchange surgery (in case DH couldn't make it back).  Her sister was just diagnosed with bc.  Well her sister called me today and told me that she hadn't talked to anyone else who had bc.  She had a needle biopsy and a lumpectomy and node dissection.  She was pretty rocked when they told her the margins were not clear.  She called to ask me what that means.  I gave her all the information I could and told her that also happened to me.  That was the reassurence that she needed!  Something happened to somebody else that was happening to her.  Can we all relate to that!!  It was a great conversation.  I was very careful to stay positive and suggested some questions for her doctors.  I told her to get a copy of her pathology report.  As the conversation continued I could tell she became more comfortable talking about it.  She will be going in for another lumpectomy (like I did) and I promised I would only give her the information she needed.  No need to go into the discomfort of TE's if she is going down that path.  I felt good being able to give someone some reassurance and some hope.  Just paying back what others gave to me.

I, too, am glad October is over.  Maybe because it is the first October for a lot of us since our diagnosis, but I am pinked out.  Don't misunderstand, I contributed to the Komen race here, but just didn't think I could make the trip this year.....

Love and hugs to all my January sisters.

Marianne

I started to say Mornin' Team January Glories but its afternoon!    Cathy, thanks for trying to change the title of this topic. But considering the purpose of the thread was to support everyone through their mastectomies, perhaps this topic has served its purpose and we should start another topic... Team January? We already have 88 or 89 pages going now and are nearing our 1 year anniversary. We are survivors now!

Robin, I would go ahead with the vag/lap. I have never looked back and have never missed the pain and horrible periods.  I am scheduled to have a lap to remove my ovary December 8. I plan on being back to work by the 16th.  I will be happy to have that little estrogen pumping sucker out of me! lol. 

Marianne, it sounds like you have a knack for counseling other women facing bc. I remember an advocate talking to me after I met my surgeon at the breast center. She was such a blessing to me. It was wonderful to have someone to talk to who had been through it before. 

Hello ladies!

It's been a while, nice to read about so many, but not so nice hearing some of the news.  Regina, sigh, I will be praying for it to be nothing!  there are no words, can't even imagine what you are going through.

Maryann, I read your PM and I am going to try to put a picture up so I can remember how to do it and then I will PM you back with instructions.  It is awesome to see your beautiful face!

Kat, I'm jealous that you're losing weight!  WTS!  I seem to be gaining and gaining, so much for bikini in Cancun, not with this pudge!  Anyway, all joking aside, if you're losing for no apparent reason, that sounds like a red flag to have checked.  

Robin, I know that this must be such a hard decision for you, but as someone that has been getting worse and worse cramps, I agree you don't want to live with that for the next 4-5 years.  I am going to be lazy here and just ask a couple questions rather then going back a few pages and trying to remember everything (no brain, can't remember things), did you have the thing where they scald your uterine wall (can't remember what it is called) before?  My family doc (who is now retired and I have no one! sigh) suggested that to me last year after my annual, but then I was dx with BC and all of that went to the back burner.  My DH and I were just talking about it the other day that I might want to try it.  I remember someone talking about having it done...

I also have questions for those of you that have had a hysterectomy....  I have a good friend that was dx a few months before me last year, she had whatever it is that is before DCIS (pre-cancer she calls it) and she opted for a lumpectomy and Tamox.  She has had a great year other then having to go for tests every 3 months or whatever, no side effects from Tamox, everything going well... until last week, she started bleeding heavily and remembered that her doc told her that if that happened they wanted to see her right away, so she went in and they did a biopsy right away and started talking about uterine cancer and hysterectomy and all kinds of scary stuff.  They also sent her for an ultra sound.  Well, the biopsy was clear from cancer but the ultrasound showed that her uterus was 2 1/2 times the normal size and that is an early warning sign of cancer.  So now they're going to do a D&C and test the results from that, and then go from there.  But she came to me with all kinds of questions about hysterectomies, she won't be able to take any type of hormone replacement so she is really nervous about any side effects from it.  Can anybody give me any answers for her?  Not about the recovery time just the lasting effects from it...  I really appreciate it.  She is so frustrated, she said "Here I thought I was so lucky not to have any side effects from the Tamox and now I get the worse one there is!"

Okay, I think that I have went on enough, I'll try to post the picture in another post cause this is already too long.

Hugs  Chickas!

Paula

cuteness!!!

Yes, Paula....I already had that "scalding" procedure.....an ablation.  Had that three years ago.  It was wonderful, as in no periods!!!  I had been doing non-stop bleeding for three months (literally NO stopping) - hemoglobin dropped like crazy.  I was munching on ice like it was going out of style.  But what happened was, I started in cramping again last year, and then started stopping, then bleeding.  The U/S showed that the lining of the uterus was starting to grow back, as it can do.  The only options are to take it out, or live with it until menopause.  So far this week, I have cramped every day, and even the ovaries have had stabbing pains.  Not horrible, as in I need to go to bed or anything - just irritating, and eventually it makes me irritable, AND I have headaches with it all.

I'm running out of time with this, and I seriously need to make a decisoin...and I keep putting it off.  My head is saying GO!!!  But I have been laid up so much, I'm SICK of it....

think of all of you all the time!!

Hey ladies.....I have a favor to ask of you....and Kat, I have to let you know that you have been my inspiration to follow through with this.....    I happen to love Christopher and Banks clothing (most of it, anyway....at least some of it when it's on the clearance rack!!)....Well, they are having a photo shoot contest!!!  However, theirs isn't quite as cool as CAbi's was....but there is a contest, and I decided to enter.  It requires votes, and you can vote every day (and more than once a day!!!)  I'm a little behind, as I just entered today, and some women already have 1000+ votes.  I'm sure I don't stand a chance, but hey, figured I'd at least try....

so, here's the link...

www.model.christopherandbanks.com

I'm ID number 3921

just click on that, and it will take you to my picture.  Click on my picture and it will take you to my story, and then you can vote (and vote more than once!)...and every day you happen to think about it

blessings....robin

{{hugs Sally}}

Robin, I voted!

Wow, Sally...your days were all close together.  How does today make you feel?  I had such odd feelings last week....can't even put my finger on it.  My regular mammo was 10/1, second mammo was 10/13, stereotactic biopsy 10/22 (but they couldn't do it), surgical biopsy 11/4, and results/diagnosis 11/6....then two more surgeries...lumpectomy (which was half of my left breast) on 11/18, followed by more tests, and of course the surgery of all surgeries in January    or 

whichever way you look at it.....actually for me, it's  - -

blessings...robin

p.s.  thanks for the votes....just checked....currently am 10th (out of 800+, but the top vote getters have 2000+ votes, and I have 365ish....can't' imagine how they have *that* many!!  guess they have more friends than I do...ha!!)

My dates were all really close together, due to the women who worked at the mammo clinic.  They pushed everything through so as to make nobody wait long for the next procedure.  (Apparently, someone there understands that part of it.)  They scheduled my biopsy for me, while I was there for my 2nd mammo.  After the results came in, the women at the clinic helped me get scheduled with two breast surgeons immediately.  From the time I went for my initial mammo to the time I had met with 2 breast surgeons and  PS, it was 2 weeks.  I don't think I had time to freak out, because it went so fast (thankfully).  I love the women at the clinic !

Robin, the 1 year mark was a wierd day.  I don't know if I can describe it correctly, but I felt sad that I have now experienced *everything* as a person with BC.  example, Halloween 2009 - I was normal (well, as normal as I ever am , Halloween 2010 - post BC.  There are no events or birthdays or holidays left *untouched*.  I can't explain it, but maybe you ladies will understand.

Cathy, I delayed myself a bit this summer with my procedures, so am behind schedule also.  I just kept puttin off my appointments.  I finally got back into the PS and have scheduled my nips for Dec 17.  My nips will not be done in a hospital.  He does them in his 'procdures room' at the office, with a local.  Paula, I believe yours were done at a hospital (at time of exchange?).  Kat, where were yours done?  Anyone else that have nips, when/where were yours added?

Marianne - good to see your picture ! 

Gina, let us know when your mri is scheduled. *sending good thoughts*

Robin, I have been voting...good luck !

Love ya Team January !

Never Surrender !

Sally, I am happy that you  are doing your nipples too. Mine also will be do in his office under a local. We will be fine... I wish you luck... Since I am having it first( out of the two of us)  I will let you know how it goes....

Hugs,Donna 

Really?  Tattoos fade in the shower?  Learn something every day. Tells me a little about the hygeine of some bikers with bright tattoos!  LOL.

Yes! - I too am showing vast physical improvement - I've taken long hikes recently, finished a sculpture that required hard physical work and I'm eyeing some yardwork and my junkie studio.  Much better than even this summer, when I might rake up a pile of brush but then have to leave it for a month or so until I could face hauling it to the compost pile.  Graduating from pool exercises to weight-lifting has helped - one step at a time.  I'm coming up on my anniversary - mammogram on Dec 2, needle biopsy Dec 9, dx on Dec 11, bmx on Jan 12.  I was totally oblivious last pink October, although that time has always made me think of my mother and grandmother, both deceased of bc.