March 2012 chemo

I honestly cannot remember where I posted what so forgive duplicate information.



Surgery was Monday. Recovery room was rough but things got better once I was in the room and on the pain pump. I had the option to go home Tuesday but elected to stay. My pain grew worse again on Tuesday when they switched me to oral meds.



I came home yesterday and getting up and down was no easy feat but I devised a system in my little home hospital bed. That is the time when the pain is worst. When I am up and about. Received no instruction on what to do/not to do so that is frustrating.



Did I post here about the path report? Left breast totally clear / right had a few poorly distinguished cells or something but I can't remember the wording the nurse used. But since original tumor was 2.5 to 3.1 cm depending on what method was used and there were clean margins I guess this is good.



DH is being a good nurse, stripping / dumping and recording the drains output and helping me about. Although I look for things in the middle of the night to throw at him and snoring self since he is sleeping in the same room as I am.

They're good KCB. We went according to plans I had devised and surely enough got a call Sunday night from the friends mom that Abby was staying with. She was upset/crying but it was just one if those situations where we had no choice. She had to stay with them and go to sleep and I had to be at the hospital at 5 the next morning. Then the second night, my brother got them fromschool but my mom kept them that night so they could have some down time. But it's been business as usual for them as far as school Etc. just today I have stopped sleeping so much and have kept the bedroom door open so they wander in and out. I guess things are back to normal because I finally had to say "ok Abby that's nice now go away" to her earlier!

kltb - glad you are at home and starting the recovery process!

KLTB

Your post have helped me to know what to expect from surgery.  Thanks a lot for all the input.   I am so happy to see you doing well.

You seem to have it all together.  I do not know when my surgery will be.  I am on a chemo pill for now.  The chemo did not get the results my Onc wanted.  The chemo helped but did now destroy the tumor completly.  I think I will be having surgery in November.  This bc was diagnosed a year ago.  I know what you mean by wanting to get back in the swing of things.

I did not know I needed these things for after my surgery.  I need to get busy.

Thanks to all you Marchers that have posted.  Prayers going out for all of you.

 Lana so sorry to hear of mets.  I hate stupid cancer.

Bev

Hi all!  KCB, glad you are done, done, done with the "big" treatments, yay! 

kltb04 - lol on the short list needed for the hospital!  For once I didn't overpack when I had my surgery.  They gave me those slipper sock things in pre-op; I remember the nurse freaked when I took my own socks off because she didn't want my feet touching the floor (I decided not to think about what was on the floor).  I wore those slipper socks the whole time and didn't take them off until I got dressed to go home the next day.  

My port will be removed on Friday.  It was good to have it - I am sure it saved my poor right arm veins from really being beaten up by the chemo, but I'll be glad to have it out.  Monday I go for rads port films and dry run, and first treatment on Tuesday sometime. I'm hoping I can schedule as many treatments as possible so that I can at least make plans and figure out what to do about work! 

I swear, from the rads boards there are even more differences in recommended skin treatments, vitamin recommendations, etc., etc., between doctors than there are with chemo.  I am trying to not go too crazy over it.

The irony of it is - I actually didn't pack any underwear.  I do not know HOW I forgot.  I wore a fleece sweatsuit (zipper jacket) socks, and my houseshoes. Then after surgery I realized I forgot undies and so I put back on the ones I came in.  Then had my mom bring some more the next day.  Going home, I put on the jacket, sweatpants and didn't even bother with the shoes, I just went out in the slipper socks!  Forgot to bring a pillow for the ride home and the nurses said I could just have one (wonder if insurance was charged?) then I couldn't even use my seatbelt so I just chanced it.  I was in so much pain, I didn't care at that point.

Alice - that is wonderful news!  So glad to hear it!

Great news Alice!  

Lisa, yep, I have TE's - getting used to them now.  For the first few days I was like "why oh why did I do this" but it's tolerable now - still on pain meds though.  Now, you have to remind me - did you have rads with TE's?  Were you filled before you started?

Journey4life - This is how this surgery went....I was 4 weeks out from chemo and just starting to get rid of that chemo fatigue.  The surgery got started late (230pm) and lasted 5 hours as I had two different surgeons (ooph first) and tear down and set up between.  They rushed me out of recovery at 9pm (this was on a Thursday) and I think the twists and turns through the hall made me throw up (well, it was the aesthesia, but that didn't happen after my BMX).  I don't know if it was because of the late hour, or their plan anyway, that they kept me overnight.  I was glad they did!!!

Until 6am, I was pretty shakey, getting up and out of bed to the bathroom.  By breakfast, I was feeling better and was checked out at 11am.  I only took hydrocodone, at home, that day and the next. The biggest thing I noticed was a fluid build up in my abdomen - 10 lbs on the scale...that went away by Sunday.  A few small pains from the ooph.....that was about it.  I was still shakey and much weaker post surgery than from pre surgery, for about a week.  Didn't want to spend too much time on my feet...i.e. I remember getting Rx's filled that day was overwhelming me - I was driven there.   It took me 3 weeks to get back to where I was, totally.  I think I'm unlike most, but the Implants felt worse than the Tissue Expanders.  The TEs never bothered me.  The implants felt like rocks on my chest.  It wasn't til last week that I started not to notice them too much. I still have to massage the right one downward, as it is sitting high in the pocket.  The right one was slightly bruised and swollen for a few weeks (she said she spent a lot of time working on it).

I'm not big on looking at my incisions, but I just noted that the PS, who did my port removal, left more of a scar (in the sense that it is raised) than the original ordinary surgeon putting it in.  Could be that the removal is just more insult to injury?

The ooph is easy peasy..... all and all, these 3 procedures together, where really nothing compared to the BMX...and when all was said and done I thought the BMX was nothing compared to chemo or the seemingly permanent neuropathy I'm experiencing!  Best wishes.

p.s. I noticed you are brca1...I'm brca2.  Not TN though...I have luminal B (ER+ nearly PR- and high Ki67).  It's like TN, in that it would probably come back in 2-3 years if it were coming back. 

OMG - we were dx'd the same day....11/11/11 

Indigo - I'll be having the ooph because I'm BRCA+. Since I'm TN, hormone therapy won't help me. I wish it could...

Happy Sunday Ladies!  Just checking in and seeing how everyone is!  kltb, sounds like you are doing well after surgery, allie - woohoo on the scans.

I go back to the MO on the 30th, then he will order my first mamogram and then my port removal.  Until then, just trying to get back into the swing of things.

Most of my energy is back and I'm cleaning up my diet trying to detox my body from everything that happened to it this year.

Hang in there and enjoy the day! 

Truly I haven't even thought to ask - I go for Herceptin only tomorrow and the MO office is who did the bloodwork so I guess I will ask then.

Hi ladies. Hope everyone is doing well.



Karri: so glad you're recovering well.



Alice: Sooo happy to hear your wonderful news! Sent u a PM earlier.



I'm not on as much as I used to be but I'm lurking around and keeping up with everyone. I think of you all often.

Hi all! I gave serious thought to dressing up as Crazy Tazey for Halloween, but had to choose something else. Still remember her and all of you! And thinking of those of you in Sandy's path! Hugs!