Nurses with Breast Cancer

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  • donnajrn
    donnajrn Member Posts: 154
    edited February 2012

    Janie, good luck with the next step of your surgery. Will be thinking of you.

    Donna

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  • Janie-bug
    Janie-bug Member Posts: 181
    edited February 2012

    Thank you Donna. I am nervous about it.....I hate to be put to sleep.....but I am looking forward to getting the TE's exchanged .......hate them...I used to work with a nurse in London Ky who moved to VA. Did you every live in KY????

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited February 2012

    Good luck on exchange Thursday Janie

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  • Janie-bug
    Janie-bug Member Posts: 181
    edited February 2012

    Thanks Fran....looking forward to sleeping on my stomach again......

    Worked this past weekend and we had a record # of flu pt seen in our ED...Just wondering if it is as bad anywhere else!!!!

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  • juliet62
    juliet62 Member Posts: 3,412
    edited February 2012

    hi, work adult pcu, .last 6months checkup found new calcificiatons, next mammogram april with the possof more biopsy ,poss mx. speaking from experience just had the flu even though had the flu shot still got a dry cough 2 1/2 weeks later

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  • kelled77
    kelled77 Member Posts: 3
    edited March 2012

    Hey all. I just finished all my BC treatment. 12 doses Taxol, 4 doses A/C, lumpectomy and 33 radiation treatments. All diagnosed with a 10 week old baby. Stage 2, IDC, no lymph node involvement. Now on Tamoxifin-so far not to bad. I am 34.

    Right now I can't imagine taking care of patients, as I have to recently been one myself for almost a year. I need to heal that part first.

     Anyway-I am curious if after all your treatment you went back to nursing. Did you go back to your same job, did your diagnosis lead you in a different direction? I want to do something positive with my education and new life experience I just went through. I am struggling with what to do with my career. I have been an ICU nurse for 11 years. Thanks!

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  • Jennt28
    Jennt28 Member Posts: 2,021
    edited March 2012

    Hi Kellie,



    I'm not exactly a nurse but am an oncology trial coordinator. I am still in the middle of my tx but have been able to remain working full time with accommodations. Since I am overseeing two oncological drug trials (one adjuvant therapy and one in advanced cancer) I am finding the hardest thing is having so many AE/SE reports coming past me every day. I now relate to them on a personal level where I didn't before...



    I can't imagine working directly in an oncological setting in a hospital. If I worked directly in a hospital I think I'd have to work in a different area...



    Jenn

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  • 3girls
    3girls Member Posts: 94
    edited March 2012

    kelled77-  I am a nurse I work in the CCU in a hospital in Boston.  I have had ACx4 and am on #7 of taxol with herceptin.  I will have rads after chemo and then herceptin for a year.  I have worked full time 36 hour nights throughout treatment.  Having been a "patient"- I think I empathize more with my patients and their families.  There is actually part of me that trhinks I may want to do something with oncology in the future.  Good Luck!!  Can't imagine going through what you have gone through with a tenth month old!

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited March 2012

    I think this is why I can't sleep now. Been tossing and turning. My first 8 hr day on few hrs. Have done a few 4 hrs. I am having trouble I think with remembering things. My brain seems foggy. They have been patient with me. Giving me the ea cases. But I worry that my brain won't speed up. ArgghI hate this. Maybe I will do a little review . I havnt even given any drugs yet. I work IR.

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  • Kraemermom
    Kraemermom Member Posts: 10
    edited March 2012

    Hi Fredntan-can't sleep either. Had my first A/C treatment yesterday and will return for  Nulasta today. Haven't been to work since my BMX on 2/20. Not sure when I can start managing working. I am an RN in the Float Unit at a Trauma I hospital so u never know what type of patients I will get each day. Curious, did you or anyone else work during chemo or radiation? Any problems with getting sick or neutropenic? I feel like I have chemo brain already-had to go back and correct many typos!!

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  • kelled77
    kelled77 Member Posts: 3
    edited March 2012

    Thanks all for your responses. I was fortunate and didn't have to work during treatment. It was to much with a new baby. I think I could have worked while going through radiation, but I did get tired towards the end. Being around all the germs did scare me while going through chemo, so I am glad I got to stay away. Who knows what I will end up doing, but I do agree about being more empathetic with patients and families. I feel like I am coming out of my fog almost 5 months post chemo. There are still times when I easily forget things. My mind just goes blank. I wish you all luck in your treatments-there is an end in the future!!!

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited March 2012

    ewww I had horrible day at work. worst patients ever. can't believe we put patients through this torture.

    first one had this horrible skin flaking/oozing. second had worst cdiff smell it was awfull. then the next one. absolutely nothing could go right. oh it was horrible. xray table broke and we had to move this child getting not the most fun procedure. the tech didn't have her supplies. she was as clueless as me. and it seemed like everyone was moving in slow motion. probably cause there was no managers around. think they all took friday off. my first 8 hr day was only 6 since we were so slow.

    seemed like i was cursed today

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  • rn4babies
    rn4babies Member Posts: 409
    edited March 2012

    I am a labor and delivery nurse just diagnosed for the second time in a year. I worked through rads but had to take 4 days off because I burned so badly and couldn't stand to have any material touch my skin. I plan to work through it again but I've been told chemo might be in my future this time. I don't know if I'll be able to handle that. As my fellow nurses know, the days are long and exhausting as it is. I just pray I don't need the chemo. Besides, I can't afford to be off work for a very long time.

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  • juliet62
    juliet62 Member Posts: 3,412
    edited March 2012

    i worked through rads on a very busy pcu but that was notbecause i wanted to but because it  took 6 weeks to get fmla approved. so after rads when the tierdness hit i could actually have time off.    still got multiple isolation pts to!. still do , wear a mask a lot now, had the flu earlier this year so worry about lung issues

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  • cajmi
    cajmi Member Posts: 80
    edited March 2012

    Hi Ladies,

    I'm wondering if anyone had a pedicle TRAM and when they went back  to work after that.  I'm very fortunate in that I won't require any other treatment.  I do however wonder  if 8 weeks off is enough.  I work in a very busy university based pediatric hospital.  We have 27 sub-specialties on my floor including rehab kids.  I work  3 12's midnights, so in all reality by the time I get home it is a 15 hour day.  I'm still struggling with edema from the base of the rib cage to mid thigh.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I didn't even have lymph nodes taken with the BMX.  Thanks for the imput!!!  To everyone struggling with returning to work, I'm thinking about you and hopefully it will get easier:>

    Carolyn

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  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited March 2012

    cajmi--the swelling you describe is probably truncal lymphedema.  Get a referral to a lyphedema therapist for management. That will include daily massage and a long compression bra.  You don't need to have any lymphnodes taken out to get lymphedema, just having the surgery is enough to trigger it. 

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  • NeedtobeSTRONG
    NeedtobeSTRONG Member Posts: 101
    edited March 2012

    Hello everyone,

    Just saw this topic and would like to introduce myself. I just finished nursing school last may took my boards in July. I passed then found out I had bc. I have not been able to practice yet. Although I have had such an experience as the patient and feel my experience will make me such a better nurse. I am hoping to start searching for a job sometime this summer after I complete rads next month. Do you think that is doable? I so want to move forward after being on hold for so long. I am a little scared to move forward but I have worked so hard to be. Nurse I want to get out there and pay it forward.

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited March 2012

    Welcome needtobestrong. Yes that sounds doable.your experiences will give you more compassion

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  • 3girls
    3girls Member Posts: 94
    edited March 2012

    Needstobestrong- Definitely doable- will be a great way to move on with your life:)  Good Luck!

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  • NeedtobeSTRONG
    NeedtobeSTRONG Member Posts: 101
    edited April 2012

    Thanks! I am hoping to start searching this summer.

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  • Jo_Ann_K
    Jo_Ann_K Member Posts: 277
    edited December 2012

    Hi Everyone!

    It's been a little over 4 years since I started this thread because so many nurses seem to get breast cancer.  I am curious to hear where everyone is at this point.  Hopefully, everyone is still alive, NED, and enjoying life. 

    As for me, I only have 1 year and 1 month on Tamoxifen to finish before ending my active preventive treatment.  I have some head to toe residual skin issues as a result of the radiation therapy. I learned from my dermatologist, after the fact, that radiation shocks the "skin-nervous" system, and sometimes issues last forever. It beats having cancer, but it is annoying never the less. 

    I have been fortunate to have minimal side effects from the Tamoxifen. A little over a year after the lumpectomy, I started to bleed from the nipple of the cancer breast resulting in an excision of part of my nipple. While the tissue was abnormal, it was not cancer, and the cause was a very small papilloma (wart). 

    The whole reason for going through the full gamet of treatment (surgery/radiation/hormone therapy) was to hopefully prevent recurrence since my Mom died of breast mets and her mom (and her sisters) all had female hormone cancers. While the BRCA tests were negative, the geneticist felt that there was likely an aberrant gene mutation, so all the doctors agreed it was the right course to take.  I was just lucky enough to catch it at the DCIS stage due to yearly mammograms.

    So how about everyone else?  Happy Holidays to all.

    Warm Regards,

    Jo Ann

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  • peg119
    peg119 Member Posts: 281
    edited December 2012

    I am doing pretty good.  I decided about a month ago to stop taking the Tamox due to side effects.  I preferred quality of life.  I too have some redisual from the radiation.  Sudden sharp pain on my side where the radiation hit.  Annoying and painful but it doesn't happen too often.  I hope that the decision to stop Tamox won't domce back to haunt me.  Hope everyone has a Merrry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate and a good new year.

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  • rn4babies
    rn4babies Member Posts: 409
    edited December 2012

    I took the summer off for chemo, returned to work in early summer and worked full-time during radiation. My hair's growing back like a weed. Fortunately, I work with an awesome bunch of nurses that supported me so much during this ordeal. I'm working 12 to 16 hours a day along with alot of call. I don't feel I'm any more exhausted at the end of the day than I was before all this.   I am an L&D nurse, but I do know that if I was an oncology nurse, I'd be a heck of alot nicer and empathetic than the nurses at my treatment center.

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited December 2012

    I am all done with my tx and recon. Back at work. Loving it.



    That little adventure on the other side of bed is over until part two of diep.

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  • Nurse_Lizzie
    Nurse_Lizzie Member Posts: 70
    edited December 2012

    Hello all

    Just found this thread and would love to introduce myself. I've been a nurse since 1979 (seems like a long time). In January I will "celebrate" my one year diagnosis. I had BMX on Feb 24, immediate reconstruction with TEs. Had my exchange in September. I've been doing very well. Have my next PS appointment soon after Jan 1, and we'll be discussing nipples. I may be looking at some more reconstruction because one breast isn't quite perfect. Overall, though, I'm very pleased with my outcome, and would stop here if I needed to. However, now that I've come this far, I might as well finish!



    Work: I'm a manager at a Home Health agency, so fortunately I have been able to work without losing much time, as they can accommodate any restrictions I've had. They've been awesome.



    Hope all of you are well. Happy Holidays to each and every one!



    Lizzie

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  • SherylB
    SherylB Member Posts: 450
    edited December 2012

    I so agree with your statement about others not realizing we need information too. I didn't work in oncology during the last 36 years so even though I have years of experience this is new to me. Reading my pathology report I was amazed that the words weren't even understandable to me. I had to write things down and then look them up. On the other hand being a nurse I think I have an increased amount of trepidation regarding side effects such as, infection, complications when my port is placed next week, trying to stay hydrated and walk when I don't feel like it and so on.

    Thanks for starting this topic.

    Sheryl

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  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited December 2012

    I am now officially DONE with treatment.  Lumpectomy, rads, mastectomy due to rads aftereffects, prophy mast and Bilateral DIEP, finished tamoxifen/arimidex in Oct.  I now actually feel human again, actually have energy to do things, feel like I can make plans for the future and not make back up plans in case of another "gee that's unusual" side effect of treatment ruining my life.  I am now totally terrified of IV starts and cannot trust health care providers enough to bring myself to schedule the colonoscopy I should have had 3 years ago.  Truncal lymphedema mostly resolved since mastectomy, but ongoing, rest of my life management of muscle damage from radiation is part of every day now.  I refer to myself as a bc TREATMENT survivor now.  Things are better, but I am still struggling with forgiving the rad onc and treatment people for how they treated me, and the med onc's office that lost my records, and the PCP that took a month to give me my mammo results and make the referral to a surgeon.  Most of the time I can ignore that part of my medical past, but sometimes it rears it's ugly head and bites me. 

    I'm sorry, didn't mean to go off on a rant, but I think I've needed that for a bit. thanks for listening. 

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  • rn4babies
    rn4babies Member Posts: 409
    edited December 2012

    One advantage to being a nurse throught all this is being proactive about your treatment. I knew very little about breast cancer until this. What I did know was research I did when my sister was dx'd 5 years ago. They failed to send my oncotype, had the wrong reports, etc. It was one error after another. Thank goodness I new enough to followup with everything or I probably wouldn't have even gotten any treatment. I feel bad for patients that aren't able to be proactive with their treatment.

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  • juliet62
    juliet62 Member Posts: 3,412
    edited December 2012

    oncology not my field ,when i was diagnosed hit the research buttons too, my sister also a nurse was diagnosed 7 years ago, she was stage ll but hormone neg so our treatment  is so different.  some family members struggle to understand why if i'm a much lesser stage than my sister ,i have had so much more tx than her.,why she had bmx and then yearly mri's but i had lumpectomy ,rads and take tamoxifen.   too dealing with rad after effects, just had essentially a wound debridement as there was non healing from below the skin to the muscle,   as i'm right handed and this is on my right side concerning ,you know we nurses don't do any heavy lifting!!   and just to make you all laugh my sister who works in a store is off for 12 weeks p tah/bso because she's on her feet and does heavy lifting. girls i work with that had the same surgery back to work in 6 weeks

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  • Janeybw
    Janeybw Member Posts: 199
    edited January 2013

    I haven't checked into these boards in a long time.  I just had a second revision of my right breast last Wednesday.  That makes four surgeries for this journey plus a fifth surgery for a tubal, endometrial biopsy and ovarian cyst removal.  I feel like an expert surgery patient!  Put my IV there.  Versed in preop?  You betcha!  It's tough being a nurse because I need a lot of info still, but I don't want them to give it to me in too simple of terms.  I get impatient when they start explaining things like the pain scale.

    I teach nursing and all of the experiences I have had are definitely making their way into the classroom.  My students hear about my experiences and we talk about what they might do better.  One of the biggest frustrations for me is the lack of knowledge about taking BPs on those of us that have had a bilateral mx and nodes on both sides.  Does no one have a thigh cuff?  Do they not understand why the calf is a bad location (inaccurate--painful!!)?  I feel like I should mount a campaign to educate our fellow nurses on how to care for us.  I fell and broke my arm last Sept and the er didn't have a thigh cuff or a manual cuff.  I can be talked into a manual if they don't pump it up too high.  Crazy!!

    The tamoxifen is ok.  Hot flashes come and go.  Worst when I am lecturing or in with patients and students.  I am drenched after.

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