Lumpectomy on Feb 1st - Looking for a "Cancer Buddy"

Mereseas, the section Lumpectomy: What to Expect, on the main Breastcancer.org site will walk you through every step of what's ahead of you for your surgery and beyond - and of course the community members here are always ready to answer your questions.

Judith and the Mods

CLP821,

Thanks for the confirmation.  I work for my family business and they are very supportive but it's nice to get confirmation from someone who has had the proceedure that recovery is quick.  

 Hope your meeting on Wednesday goes well.  This seems like a great place to get information and support.  Thanks again.

You are so lucky to have only dcis. I what is called a partial mastectomy(large area dcis)

and radiation for six weeks.Not bad at all.More tired, but not too much. Had mammos

every six months and now graduated to once a year.I feel very lucky. There is more risk

of invasive cancer because of this, but just watch it closely.

Just back from my first treatment. Really weird but ok. You go in this room by yourself and lay on a table and they hook the five wires I have on to this machine. Then a physicist comes in and checks everything, then the oncologist checks everything and they all go out and leave me in the room by myself and lock these lead doors. Then I hear the machine start clicking and each of the five wires sends a bead down it to the balloon inside...I don't feel a thing just hear it all. I then lay there for about 5 minutes and then the beads come back out. After this is complete the door opens and the nurse and physicist come back in carrying a geiger counter. It showed all clear so they unhooked me and the nurse wipes me off and puts on new bandages and helps me get my shirt on and I leave. Do it all over again at 2:30...not bad at all just weird!!

CLP821 I can understand why you would need more time for the next surgery. 

The treatments (have had 6 now) have gone pretty well.  I haven't had any side effects except by about 4 p.m. I'm wiped out.  I'm sleeping better at night so that helps too.  The strength is about the same as regular radiation except it is within in tubes in the balloon inside my breast where the DCIS was taken and they can determine which of the 5 beads has more strength and the time it stays depending on how close to the chest wall or skin that particular bead is. 

What bothers me is when they take the balloon out she said they don't usually deaden it because it doesn't usually hurt anymore than the shot to deaden it so a little apprehensive about that.  The nurse and doctor doing my treatment said it may sting a little..so hopefully that's all it does but just know I don't have but 4 more treatments on Monday and Tuesday is a relief.

My daughter came over today and washed my hair and that felt really good. Be glad to get a good old shower when this is over too.

 Please keep us up on your treatment. How are the others of you having treatment doing?

jigadake - I'm so glad that the radiation treatment has gone well.  Today should be your last day, right?  Are you getting the balloon out today too, or is that done at a later date?  I didn't realize that you aren't able to shower during the treatment time, although it makes sense now that I think about it.  That first shower is going to feel incredible!

quilted-ta-tas - First of all, I LOVE your user name and the Helen Keller quote on your signature line!  It sounds like you've been through quite a lot.  I hope that you hear back from your surgeon soon and come up with a plan to deal with those margins.  I read one of your other posts and see that you've been waiting to speak to your surgeon about the pathology report for quite a while.  I've had similar issues with the hospital or doctor calling my home number when they know that I work all day and it's in my record to call the cell first! It drives me crazy!  Don't they realize how anxious this waiting makes us?  To miss a call because someone didn't use common sense or check the file is maddening!  Ok, I'm done venting now.  It's really frustrating to get the news that the margins aren't clear, and the thought of more surgery, whether it's re-excision, or possible mastectomy, is never pleasant. For the last few days I've been leaning more towards having a UMX...but who knows how I'll feel about it tomorrow?  I'm not usually so indecisive, but this is such a big decision.  The surgeon said either option is acceptable but I'll have to let her know soon if I change my mind about re-excision.  BTW, why did you have drains?  Did you have a large area of DCIS?  I didn't realize that drains are sometimes needed for lumpectomy.  Please let us know what your breast surgeon says!

Hi sally my name is Liz 08/3/201,DCIS STAGE 0, ER+PR+ I also had a lumpectomy and IORT at CTIA in Philadelphia and now I still have some soreness on my breast and arm pit but I am going for a MRI in may to check the inside. So far so good ! I have the faith that Everything will be OK. I hope that you are doing well. If you need a buddy to talk I am Here for you, This is my Three cancer ,Hodgin's Disease and Thyroid Cancer and Now Breast Cancer. I am only 40 years old but I am a Fighter!!1 You keep Fighting!!!

Take Care Liz

Mereseas, do you have any idea how big your DCIS is? I had a smallish one (around 1cm) removed from the back of my left breast last summer. The surgeon was able to cut along the side of my breast and the scar is not very noticeable at all. If you're like me, you will be absolutely fine to go back to work on Monday. I was up and walking all around by the next day. As long as you have a very supportive sports bra and follow their recommendations, you will be able to enjoy almost all your normal activities (just no sports for a couple weeks).

They will give you a little tiny ice pack to tuck into your bra near your incision and this helps keep down swelling, along with the meds they prescribe. Make sure to take any anti-constipation meds they prescribe if they give you narcotic painkillers during surgery (and usually you get a prescription of them, too). A lot of pain meds can make you really constipated otherwise.

As for radiation, one problem with telling you about the side effects is that it seems like there is a very wide range of effects for different people. Women who undergo chemo and then a mastectomy are already pretty tired and healing from much worse than what we go through with our partial mastectomies/lumpectomies and no chemo. So keep that in mind. However, I did experience some fatigue from about the last 2 weeks onward - it did not keep me out of work, though. I just had to get to bed earlier and was not as social in the evenings.

For me, the skin effects were the most annoying part, but plenty of other people get through rads just fine without the skin irritation that I experienced. So it's hard to tell how you will do. All you can do is baby yourself after your surgery and wait for the path report to come back. Then you will have all the information you and your DRs need to make an informed decision about needing radiation.

Good luck! 

Finished my last radiation treatment today. After it was over the took the balloon device out.  It did hurt but only for a minute and then the oncologist put glue to close it and now I can shower and sleep on my side...I can't wait for a good night's sleep!!

 Good luck tomorrow Mereseas let us hear from you.  lizzy4e..boy you have been through it..I'm so sorry but you sound like you have a great attitude!

Hi Christine! - Finally got a call from the breast surgeon and my nurse navigator... I'll give you a link here to the thread where I posted my story about what happened:

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/102/topic/759882?page=105#idx_3141 

It looks like I have to make a decision too about whether to have "boost radiation" (have to get educated about what that is) OR a mastectomy. Was surprised that the breast surgeon is advising the radiation route, since from the beginning of this journey she was always preparing me for the possibility of MX. As mentioned in that other thread, she thinks in my case that MX would be over-treatment. That said I am still thinking about MX for peace of mind, recurrence risk etc. But I need more information and will soon see the surgeon again, and the Rad ONC and plastic surgeon since I want to talk about options. Pretty much like you I change my mind from one day to the next. But until those appmts I am keeping a question list going and will ultimately make the decision after the appmts.

To answer your other question, about drains with my lumpectomy, I don't think it is related to the size of the DCIS, just doctor preference. Another friend I correspond with on another thread mentioned that she has only about one quarter of her breast left like me and she did not have a drain. I think I am glad I had a drain for those 12 days post-op to relieve the extra fluid. After the drain was taken out I had burning pain which I believe was from fluid build up. The doctor told me it would take a little time until my body would re-absorb the extra fluids, it lasted about a week. On the other hand my friend who didn't have the drain, her doctor told her he believed that not draining the extra fluid would help to maintain volume in her breast. I guess there are two schools of thought on this matter.

Love that beautiful cat in your avatar image, looks like the royal blood that rules your home!?! Is that a Maine Coon cat by chance? I will have to post some photos of my felines somewhere, they have been so loving and sweet as I have gone thru this. Let's keep in touch Christine!

Hello Mereseas! - Thinking of you today! Please let us know how you are doing when you feel up to it. We all have different experiences here and look forward to hearing yours especially if we can relate to something and can help.

Donna

Wow Liz! You are an inspiration and definitely a fighter!!! I pray that things only get better for you and that you keep the faith!!! xoxo

Hi all,  my surgery went well, took a little longer than originally anticipated since the surgeon decided to take a little more but I was up and about the next day no problem.  The new way they put you out is great - so much easier to wake up and without the side effects of general anth.  Got the full results of my pathology yesterday during my post op visit.  Looks like I am going back for more surgery since margins were not clear.  This time they will take sentinal node as well as more tissue.  I noticed that many of you have also had to do this so that was not unexpected.  The one bummer was that they discovered some invasive cells so I have been bumped up a stage and there is now talk of chemo.  I am also getting the gene test since my doctor wants to know if I have it since that may also change my treatment plan.  I am off for vacation tomorrow for a week - yeah! And then back to surgery when I get back.  It's very helpful reading what everyone else posts - very glad I found this site.

Sallygal and CLP821 how are things going?  I went to my radiologist oncologist today for my followup and all seems to be well except I am hitting my 3rd week after radiation and my right breast looks like it is sunburned and peeling.  she gave me some ointment and said they should be better in about a week.  I really appreciate everyone's support through all this.

Sorry I haven't posted...my sister in law had unexpected back surgery and I've been trying to help her since they sent her home without much rehab!!!  The SE is much better although still there but I can now see if fading and the itching is as bad.  

 I'm sorry to hear about you CLP821 but I have already come to the conclusion that if I get DCIS again I may just decide to have a mastectomy myself instead of going through all of this again.  My mom did that in the 70's and she is still going strong at 87!   Good luck to you with whatever you have decided!