January 2013 surgery

Good luck Hope and Jenni! Praying for you all.

Abitmuch: Reading about seeing your sweet one move reminded me of seeing my darling Anna at 12 weeks. We had thought we had lost her, so when I saw her (husband was deployed) all I could think was she's really there, alive and MOVING! It's amazing how much they look like babies at 12/13 weeks! I'm praying for your node surgery. I don't know which date would be better, so I'm just praying that whatever is suppose to happen (tomorrow or Valentines) happens!

Hope everyones recovery continues to improve!

Good luck today Hopex3 and jenimomof3!!!



Hoping everyone out there is having a wonderful day

Hi, everyone! So glad to see everyone is progressing so well. Have not had phone, TV, or Internet for the last 3 1/2 days!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRR. Do you have any idea how boring it is to not be able to do anything and to not have those necessities? You can only read books and watch so many movies! Thank goodness my son and lovely DIL made me an entertainment basket for after surgery! Anyway, I survived and came back to see several new January sisters on here. Hello and welcome to all of you. For those of you who have had surgeries during my hiatus, you were in my thoughts and prayers. Sympathies to those who are still dealing with drains and happy dances for those of you who were able to shed that burden!



Saw PS on Tuesday and he did my first fill. I was terrified of how I would feel that night and the next day since I had read that the more athletic and fit you were, the more you would hurt. I had a really hard time right after surgery with just the initial fill of 50cc's, so I almost fell out when he said he was going to do 100cc's on each side! Apparently my TEs were wrinkled and he didn't like that. Fast forward to later that evening...my back and shoulders were really pulling, but nothing that some muscle relaxers and the heating pad for my back couldn't handle. Today is much better and even though I'm only 150cc's I feel almost like my old self. (My TEs are only 350cc's)



Will have you in my prayers tonight and tomorrow, BrandieMcAdams!

Ladies!  Just met with the surgeon...the news is good!  I am staged as a IIa...woo hoo! with 2/25 nodes and clear margins.  MY warrior princess nodes did the job.  Superheros extraordinaire!  I love my now-defunct nodes...a formal thank you for doing your job beautifully...my eternal gratitude.  No receptor info back yet but my cat scan today came back with an all-clear so i am feeling cautiously optimistic (insert Snoopy's happy-dance here).  Only iffy note was the "possibility of a BRCA associated cancer" due to the high grade (3) and "medullary-like features and a very high mitotic count"...so i'm gonna get tested to rule it out.  That said, keep your fingies crossed- NO breast or ovarian cancer in my family so i'm hoping for a GIANT RESOUNDING NO on the BRCA.

So overall...a damned good night...just what i was hoping for..yeah!  And if there are any cellualr insurgents out there...watch out...I'm coming for your asses...chemo starts mid-Feb.  Nowhere to run...nowhere to hide...just annihiliation.  Die cancerous bastards, die!  (I feel like G.I. Freaking Joe!!!  I am Canadian...this is so out of character...)

Kkuziel - request an oncotype dx test to see if you need chemo. You have to be invasive, er+, her - and no lymph nodes to get it. I'm waiting for mine - It tests invasiveness, receptor status, proliferation rate to determine effectiveness of chemo. Here is a link with other good links at the end.



https://humana-portal.dnadirect.com/pdf/patient-education/humana/oncotypedx.pdf

Prayers and positive vibes to all of you! Wishing you with surgery today and tomorrow minimal fears and a speedy recovery....hugs!

I had a lumpectomy and SNB on January 18, 2013. I will not meet back with my surgeon until early Feb. He called to say lymph nodes are clear--I hope that means "for sure".  I have been experiencing weird sensations and numbness. Glad I found this website, so I learned the sensations are common.

hi kkuziel!

I just found this forum and spotted you on the list of recent surgeries similar to mine. Like you, I had a lumpectomy and SNB on January 18, 2013. I was only diagnosed 4 weeks prior to that! So this is all happening so fast and my emotions are up and down, buried, then surfacing. I also was lucky--under 1 cm, margins cleared. But I couldn't get my follow-up appointment until Feb 4th. Glad my Dr. called me to tell me the nodes were clear. Hope that wasn't a pre-mature statement. Like you, I'm nervous. I actually found this forum, because I was getting creepy, tingly, and numb sensations. So I'm hearing this is common. My underarm feels quite strange. Are you having any of this?

This forum IS wonderful! When I'm not up to talking or listening, I can read the posts and absorb the info and support at my own pace. I don't know if I will or should join a support group. You make a good point in your post ... I read what you said to mean that a particular support group, even a breast cancer support group, may not have a positive effect.

DebR53, our situations do sound similar. Especially the up and down of emotions. Went to my surgeon yesterday, but the reports weren't in so you not meeting until February will probably work okay. I knew after my surgery that my lymph nodes came back clean, but I thought that might change as they do more testing. He assured me that that will not change. Felt somewhat better about that. He did of course say chemo was not off the table (worst case scenario) so I've been in a panic about that. Just thought with negative nodes I had dodged that bullet.



Haven't had any of the symptoms you described. My recover has been thankfully uneventful and painless. This forum is a great place to speak out about your fears. Everyone hear has been so wonderful that I'm sure you'll get a sense of support our your journey.



Amy4978: thanks for the great fund raising idea. We don't have many chain restaurants in our entire county. It there are many local places that would eager to participate. I'll be back on Monday and shoot this idea past my students.



CookieMonster: that is the one thing that no one has right now - the hormone status. It was never faxed to my first surgeon and my second surgeon got the copy sent to the first. He said they redo all of that so it will come in with all the others surgical results. That's all going to the MO who I have an appointment with this Thursday, so I guess then finally all the pieces should fall into place. My surgeon again reminded me that this test and wait, test and wait is the toughest. Once I have everything in place i'll feel better. I sure hope so I'm driving myself and my poor husband insane.

those tingly and numb feelings are normal and will most likely last for a long time.   i had my surgery last year in march and i still had them at times but they do minimize.   at first i couldn't even wear a necklace because it was soooo irritating just touching my skin right there.......but it only took a few months and i was good to go.   what's funny is that you will have an itch on one spot of your chest and have to search around to find where that particular nerve really is to actually relieve it.  like it i would feel a sharp sensation where my nipple used to be and have to massage under my arm to relieve it!  lol!   it was hilarious to me.   crazy stuff.   

@ dnadebbs - I will have to remember that one for my post-op, when nipple area hurts, massage under arm to relieve it

tammyT.....definitely......it will crack you up just trying to find "the" spot!  lol!

Tami!   i'm soooo where you are right now.   my drains have been in for 3 weeks and i getting more and more depressed.  i feel like my a$$ has fused to my recliner becaused i was told to do little activity.   my drainage is a little more than yours but i developed an infection at 2 weeks and had to go back on antibiotics so not sure if that extended my time or not.   but gosh i'm praying you get to lose yours!  i too cant wait to take a REAL shower.....and then hit the hiking trail!  it calls to me every single day!   i have an appt next Tuesday so i donned my compression band this morning to hopefully help slow the drainage down before then.   i had the same question tho.....i was supposed to get a fill next tuesday but will they do it with the drains still in?   you'll be able to tell me that when you get back here!

good luck hun!      

Thanks for responding kkuziel!  Glad to hear you aren't having those numb and prickly sensations. I guess that's why they don't warn you about all the possible side affects--we are worrying too much already. Like you, I was hoping chemo was not a consideration for me. When I see my surgeon next week, hopefully I will have less anxiety. I'm surprised they set you up with the follow-up before the pathology report was ready. I have yet to see my reports. Others on this forum sound so much more informed than I. My doc just explains everything and writes it down as he talks/sketches, then gives me a copy of the notes. It's kind of cool--I was all ready to take notes the first time, and then he started writing everything down. Consequently, I'm not as informed on details and terms. Maybe I'll ask him for a copy of the report next week.

So, I'm a teacher too! I also go back this Monday and as luck would have it, it's a professional day so it's a physically easy first day back. My student teacher will be starting--she's is happy to lift heavy stuff for me! (I teach art!). Since I teach elem., I got some adorable handmade cards from students, but was advised not to share the details of my absence with young students. I got a bunch of cards that had a white hand print that had a rabbit face drawn on and read "Some bunny loves you", hand-writtten on the front, with a note inside. I was getting all teary as I read each one, when I came across one that read, "some dummy love you." It really made me giggle! I

t's so sweet that your kids want to do a fund-raiser--I love middle-schoolers--usually teach that age at summer camp. I agree with you that helping an individual struggling with costs would be such a blessing to that person. I was upset that my insurance did not cover the $85 cost of a pill that completely took away any nausea from general anesthesia. No vomiting for once! My health coverage is not as good as it used to be, but at least I have coverage!  Good luck to you going back to work. I think it will be a good distraction for us! deb

DebR53~  It's a good idea to get a copy of your pathology report for your own records.  I have saved all of mine over the years and it's really helpful to be able to look back at them years later when you need to know something, and you don't remember the terminology.  Case in point...I had the pathology report from a tumor excision I had done in 1988.  I just remembered that it was a benign breast tumor, but the pathology report showed that it was ADH, which in 1988 was not recognized as a precancerous condition, but is now!  My BS was then able to get my insurance company to cover annual MRI's in addition to the annual mammogram and twice a year breast exams.  Without that MRI, I still wouldn't be diagnosed!  Make sure to get a copy!

Tami