Sept 2011 Rads

Thanks for the feedback KATE.  I'm glad the bumps have gone away.  I have a few tough type mini-lump areas along the incision, doc felt of them and said I was okay.  KS, you will not believe this, but my port ALSO comes out on Dec 13!!!  My brother's birthday is on the 12th, that's how I can remember it so well.  Well, we shall both have to report the next day or whatever about how things go for us!  Perhaps it's becuz I lost 30+ pounds from chemo, the port is sticking out more.  I don't know. I'm just glad it's coming out.  GG 

Yah, KS, it will be in the cancer clinic office, a doc assist will do it, tho, not my surgeon.  And YES, I am fearful of the procedure, too!  I keep imagining it's going to spurt blood and they'll have to bring in the crash cart.  And there's one doc assist I do not trust, I just hope it's not her.  And I wonder if it will hurt, both during removal and after?  Funny, I wasn't fearin' my boob coming off, but this tiny little monster is scaring the heck out of me.  GG

Great to hear from you, Tam!!!  GG

6 month mammo all clear!!!!

Celebrating with you Tam!

Tam - WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!  You are so brave getting a mammogram so recently after rads, too. My boob is killing me and I can't imagine getting it squished for quite awhile. 

I'M BAAAAAACCCCKK !!!! 

KS and others,

Well, I woke up mighty early this morning, had my port DISPOSED of yesterday, as promised!  I use that phrase because I remember when I watched the movie "The Alien" in a theater when it first came out, there were some rowdy kids behind me, thinking it would be a lark... and when that beastie stuck to the astronaut's face, one of the boys was leaning up between the seats, his eyes wide in desperation, and he goes, "DISPOSE OF IT!"  He was freaked out.  I was looking at the exit thinking of leaving.  But yesterday I HAD to go in and face the terror of the week, my port disposal.

As promised, it was not so bad.  AND, thank heavens, a REAL doctor did the procedure, and the nurse was one I liked, so I had a good team for me.  But I was still a nervous wreck, been terrified and had an upset stomach for three days over this thing.  The "office" room was about twice the size of our clinic's regular ones, it was decidedly a procedure room.  Anyhow, after I advised everyone I had a vision of blood spurting out of my chest, they started in, I turned my head and practically tore the nurse's hand off, barely felt the numbing shots (whereas at the dentist it feels like they're putting an ice pick in thy gum), and when they sliced me open, it just felt like a little thorn being dragged along my skin.  After that, I felt NOTHING.  The nurse said that thing was ready to come out of there, becuz as soon as one end was pulled from the blood vessel, the other one popped right out on its own.  No infection or anything else, the doc said maybe my pain was some sort of scar tissue.  So, I don't know why it has been hurting there, but I hope it will stop now.

FAST FORWARD to now.  IT HURTS LIKE HELL.  Actually, it's kinda like a... well, like someone stabbed me there with a butcher knife... well, no, not that bad... maybe a pick axe?  All I know is, it's sore, pinches hard when I move the wrong way.  They put a compression bandage on there that immediately became unstuck, so they applied more tape that also came unstuck.  And of course after they explained several times (my mind was floating outside somewhere) that I must not pull or push or tug with the left arm for a couple days, what do I do?  I had to go downstairs to get a bone density scan and was directed to follow the sidewalk outside, and I yanked the VERY heavy clinic doors open with the bad arm.  SIGH. 

I live with a busted-up back, busted-up feet, a limp that causes me to lurch, so I cannot do difficult walks, so I ASKED if the sidewalk was a rough way to go, "Oh, no, you'll be fine."  So, off I went, lurching and veering around, crying... which I had started crying after they got the port out, it was such a relief, and said outdoor trip FINALLY ended where the sidewalk ended, which was roughly three miles from the scan department entrance.  SIGH.  Went back in and they escorted me the elevator route.

Back to this morning, my incision is painful.  Yes, indeedy.  Made NO DIFFERENCE whatsoever that I politely asked for some pain drugs besides my own to help me for a couple days, "Please, just a few pills," and they just laffed it off like it was no big deal.  Well, I am here to testify (despite what KS MATTHEWS might report, if she can move well enuff today to get online after HER procedure), that my incision is quite sore and actually hurts.  Now, with the boob surgery, why, they had some sort of feel-good I.V. drugs that prevented me from feeling pain, and a morphine derivative bottle of pills to take home, so it didn't seem too bad, altho I have forgotten how the drains seeped for DAYS and THOSE things hurt like a somabutch. 

Anyhow, I took my own medicines this morning, and I'M SORRY, anybody who doesn't have access to strong drugs like me for my wrecked-up back, they really ought NOT to have their chest cut open, stitches tied in, and be told a couple Tylenol will be okay.  THIS IS A MYTH.  The "drug war," which I DO respect the DEA and FBI and CIA, but honestly, it should not extend to people who NEED pain relief.  I've heard other people on another part of this website discuss this procedure and many acted like it was nothing.  But just as many others feel like me.  I don't know what is wrong with me, tho, used to stand up to pain just fine, but I guess my age and my goofed-up back and cancer all conspired to make me overly sensitized to any invasion of my space.  It's ALL been a HUGE PAIN. 

They said I could un-stuck my compression bandage this afternoon, which is already becoming unstuck and uncomfortable, I mean, what?, did they have a shortage of tape yesterday at the office?  Gee whiz.  I had some tape here that I added yesterday, but it was narrow stuff, no match for all the muscles and tub of lard around my waist when it all shifts one way or the other.  Anyhow, as soon as it gets light outside, I'm taking it off and applying my own more comfortable gauze and tape, which will be on top of a clear tape cover for my stitches, that one put on there to stay one week. 

Well, I AM complaining for effect, and thank heavens it's all over, so that's my story, for anyone who is interested.  I'm now free of having to go anywhere until after Xmas, except to run down to the Kmart to get my medicines next week and buy my husband's Xmas gift in there, too, both of which are pleasant chores for me.  I got all my unpleasant chores done in the last two days, culminating with the removal of my port, so whilst I am sore, I am a happy camper indeed to have the last vestiges of this cancer production removed from my experience.  

KS, it's your turn now!!!  I wants to know if it's age or beauty that suffers the most!!!  And I won't mind at all if it was painless and easy and you went to an all-night party afterwards.  For I am used to being old and obnoxious.  Sister Gail

KS, well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was a nervous wreck and then thought it hurt.  I imagined I had turned into a wimpy type, whaling about my two-inch incision.  But as you probably know by now, it improves day two.  And yet, just a couple hours ago, I was cursing those people for not giving me medicine.  Mine is a tad swollen, very slight redness a couple inches all way around, but no big thing.  I've kept a close eye on the incision area, looking for a list of stuff they said to, and I took my temp, etc.  Apparently I'll live!  Smile.  Thanks so much for sharing KS.  GG

This is off topic, but I wanted to mention this book again (it has already been mentioned in several threads). I thought that it was terrific. Here is the full title for anyone who'd like to check it out...After Breast Cancer: A Common-Sense Guide to Life After Treatment. Author is Hester Hill Schnipper. She is an experienced oncology social worker and a breast cancer survivor. Excellent and comprehensive book. I got mine on Amazon.com for my Kindle and it is also available in paperback and hardcover.

Mine was a little sore this morning, but for the most part feeling better.  I took the steri strips off Wed..  seems like it is healing up good.  Glad you are doing good dogeyed.

Happy Holidays to all! 

Merry Christmas!

GG vent whenever you want, thats what we are here for.  

I am feeling much better.  Hope you do too. 

LADIES, on the fading radiation front, nearly all rough skin is gone, still a little darkish rectangle on my left shoulder blade, which only occasionally that shoulder bothers me now.  I am certain some other women's trouble with their shoulder has to be related to our rads.  Anyhow, I noticed one thing about rads, altho may be a combination of my mastectomy (no reconstruct) and the rads.  It seems my scar area has kind of pulled in tight, sort of sunken in, and I'm thinking the rads may have pulled stuff together.  I have been doing gentle stretching fairly regularly of that part of my body, and if I don't for a few days, it gets a little sore and I lose range of motion. 

But really, the temporary burn of rads has gone, just a little skin roughness left here and there, and also the exhaustion from rads finally left me about a month ago, so it took about six weeks of feeling really tired to get over it.  Isn't that the strangest thing?  I guess one way or another, ALL our treatments take a toll on our bodies, not to mention our minds. 

But I'm SO glad I had rads, I think it must be one of the more effective ways to kill any cancer cells left in the breast.  It just burns them right up.  I have a rather dangerous collection of cancers in one place, but I swear, I do not feel like I'm in any danger now.  Oh, and I had mentioned an off-topic last time, the anti-hormone pill, it drove me plumb crazy, made my back hurt really bad, and I was feeling VERY depressed.  So, I had to stop it for now.  I see the doc in a month, he'll probably switch me to something milder. 

Oh, and KSMATTHEWS, my port thing is straight, but I STILL have a little stich sticking up out of my skin, and since these are dissolvable stitches, I'm wondering how is it going to dissolve?  Oh, well, in the larger scheme of things, it's pretty minor!  Hope yours is basically a memory, too.  GG

KS, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS!  Well, it's about this sticking-out annoying thread from port removal.  I finally came to the conclusion that if these are dissolvable stitches, then once the thread is dissolved underneath the skin, then the top part might just fall off.  So, I was talking to husband yesterday, and I was fiddling with that stooopid string, and lo and behold, it fell off into my hand!  I have no more sticky-out thingy!!!  I set it on the coffee table for later when I can investigate it with my magnifying glass.  So, I am a regular girl now!  GG

I'm baaaaack!!!  Folks, I am having a problem with a sore shoulder again.  I have posted over in my surgery forum, thinking we had discussed it over there.  And then I thought, too, might have been here in rads, since I remember my radiology oncologist asking me about lymphedema.  And it was either here or at surgery that a helpful soul gave us the "arm painting" exercise to do, to make sure the lymphs drained correctly.  Now, I DO NOT think it has anything to do with that, altho I've been doing the painting for several days now, but mainly becuz I didn't get lymphedema,and my arms are about the same size, and no cording.

I just wondered if any of you others had experience on-again, off-again soreness in the shoulder.  Mine is in the upper arm and that shoulder muscle that sits on top and kind of comes to side-back of neck, and then over to arm-to-shoulder joint.  I can grab it with my other hand by reaching up there, and I've been massaging it.  And I've been "painting" down the lymph, and massaging under my arm, and from my neck and arm and going straight down.  It started up over the weekend, and I would have thought it would have gone away.  I'm just nervous, I guess, and so wanted reassurance that some of you all will once in a while get some discomfort in shoulder and upper arm.  Back after surgery, I had that type of soreness,, but also a LOT in the shoulder blade, which I felt came from radiation.  It all kind of flows together somehow.

Well, if anyone remembers having this shoulder thing going on, and then perhaps it coming back, if you have any tips to make it stop, I'd appreciate it.  I did try heat and cold, temporary relief.  I have pain pills for my busted-up back, but it's still there.  HI KS!!!  Always, GG