January 2014 Surgery Sisters

Levassel,

You mentioned your ps wanted you to Ooze blood?? Why was that? I was worried a stitch may have loosened or something. Is this a good sign?

for me....she didn't want the skin to dry up.    I wasn't healing as good and had some dead tissue.  She said keeping it moist kept it from dying more.  And when it told her there were spots of blood....she said good...blood means it's living. Done with all that now.  Drying up and healing up.

Had a curve ball thrown at me today. My path report was not what I expected at all. I thought chemo was working very well because we couldn't feel the tumor anymore. Wrong. It did work some but it was still 4cm. Then the path report said it was a primary neuro-endocrine tumor - a really really rare type. Now this morning my MO called and said lets get together and talk this week. I needed to know right away so he said that he repeated the HER2 test (had one done on the biopsy tissue, it was negative) and the hormone tests. While I'm still ER+ now I'm also HER2+. That is almost unheard of in a primary neuro-endocrine tumor. Now I'm wondering if I'm wrestling with a pink polka dotted unicorn or if the first PET scan missed another tumor somewhere. How soon can we repeat the PET scan?  I'm just really confused. Then he talked about a tumor marker test he ran.  He said the the aggressiveness of the tumor on a scale of 1% to 100% with 100% being the worst, I was a 2%. I started asking more questions and he said to wait until Wed. when my husband is there with me (he'll have lots of questions). He also talked about starting herceptin ASAP. I thought that I had dodged that bullet. I can almost feel him writing up a paper on me right now for one of his journals. BC, the gift that just keeps on giving. Supposed to start rads on Thurs., wonder if that is still going to happen. Now that I've vented, I'm off the study the HER+ thing and herceptin. More to come after Wed.

I can sleep on my side now that the drains are out but I need a pillow to keep the top arm from putting too much pressure on my side. 

happy Monday!! I called my breast surgeon about the armpit swelling I am having and as luck would have it; I got in to see her resident this morning and my seroma was drained. So glad. Hopefully it won't come back, but I have to go back on Wednesday for a recheck and in the meantime am bandaged up (once again). 

Tried a little side sleeping lady night but it's hard. I feel like the tissue expanders have such sharp ridges that they are bound to poke through my skin if I put my weight in it. I'm still pretty sore in areas too . 

mommyathome: Wishing good path report

Hanksmom1:Welcome these ladies are a wealth of information and support

Follow up appt today and all 6drains are out YESSSS DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE MY TEAM MY BS GAVE ME A COPY IF MY PATH REPORT WENT OVER IT WITH ME GAVE ME A BIG HUG AND SAID HE WILL SEE ME IN 6 months. BS told me to find my new normal and to call him if something does not feel right. 

Hello January 2014 Surgery Sisters...I am new to this site. I had a BMX on January 17th with TE's inserted. This was my 3rd round of DCIS, the other 2 times I had lumpectomies with radiation. When it reoccurred in my left breast I decided to have not just that one, but both removed. I am taking one day at a time. There are a good many days when I feel like I will never be the same. It will be 4 weeks this Friday, some of the paperwork my PS gave me said I would feel great at 4 weeks. I do not feel anywhere near great. These TE's are very uncomfortable already and I haven't been expanded much yet due to having prior radiation on both breasts, he said he doesn't want to rush it because radiated tissue has a tendency to not heal as quickly. I only had 275 cc added at surgery...I have an appt for this Wed. for my first expansion. I can only imagine that the discomfort will get worse with saline added. I am trying to be positive and I am very thankful that my cancer was noninvasive and that I don't need chemo. Anyone else think these TE's are the pits??????????? Plus, because I had large breasts I also have large "mud flaps" (I hadn't heard that term until this site)...which are also very uncomfortable...I think this is the new me for awhile. 

Just got back from breast surgeon appointment. First thing, I had to have 42 cc asperated which kind of sucked. But then, I found out IM CANCER FREE!!' they got all the cancer!!! She said it was a good thing I did bilateral because there was atypia and LCIS in the right breast ... That was supposed to be the good breast. Bottom line, bilateral mastecomy, no chemo, no radiation, no tamoxifen and NO CANCER!!!!!

oh how freaking FABULOUS mommyathome...bravo!!!!!!!!!

tears of joy for you!!!!!!

Now, go out and LIVE LARGE!!!!!

Eve

CONGRATS Mommyathome!  Best news ever!

Laurie

Congrats clairefraser!

yay! to you Claire, wow! what a great day for you and mommy and really for all of us.

was about to post about how much pain I was in today....somehow I feel better now!

giant bear hugs, well at least in spirit, I even winced at the thought of that.

love,

Eve

yay Mommy so happy for you best news ever

Wow, such great news!!!! Congrats to SouthernGirl, mommyathome and Claire. Sorry if I missed anyone else. I had my BMX on the 13th and the following day while still in the hospital, my BS told me I was cancer-free. I was still kind of groggy, but we met the following week and the pathology report confirmed that I had no remaining cancer, no further nodal involvement, so I don't have to do chemo or radiation.It also showed that the remaining tumor was dead or dying, so the hormonal therapy I did before surgery worked -- it kicked the cancer's butt! So now I just have to continue taking Aromasin. After hearing that, I felt relieved, like I had dodged a bullet, but still it took awhile to sink in. Even now, I still feel like a cancer patient vs. a survivor. Gotta get that happy feeling back again. 

Hope - welcome to the club you never wanted to join. Like many of us here, I really struggled with extreme pain for the first 4 weeks, but now I have finally turned a corner. The pain has lessened quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's still there, but I feel like I'm climbing out of the pain pit and I've finally quit taking narcotics.  I had my first fill last week and it didn't hurt any more than it usually does. I'm still sore, still fighting stiffness, still have hypersensitivity, but it is getting better. Give it time. You'll get there.

Good night and sweet dreams everyone

That is great news bc101.  Sweet dreams

Thank you Hope, will keep you posted.  I feel the same as you, although I have not been through as much as you.  One day at a time, and some days are better than others.  I feel, too, like I will never be the same, but I have read so many posts from women who feel they have been able to get past those feelings.  We are all different and handle things differently.  You deal with what has been given to you.  {{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}