March 2014 Surgery

Southernbling, good to hear you are doing well now!  I like your sense of humor.  I wish surgeons would give is 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 surgeries!  I asked if they could do a tubal while I was under and they said NO, it's a totally different area of your body.  Humph!

Everforward, I really hope they got clear margins for you this time.  You must be beyond frustrated by now.  If you do end up needing a mastectomy, I would hope your mom wouldn't mind sleeping on an air mattress to help you.  My mom stayed on my sofa for 2 weeks and I really just needed help for 1 week but everyone is different.  They usually do say don't drive for 2 weeks, though and there are a lot of follow up appointments.

Everfoward, hoping this will be your final lumpectomy. If you do need a mastectomy don't be afraid to ask for help. Your friends and family would probably do whatever it takes to help you. There are some sites that are specifically for help with meals. Co workers were begging for something that they could cook for us. I'll go see what sites I can find out  there and post them. My DH goes back to work next week and it will be nice for him not to worry about cooking AND it let's my friends and family help and come for a visit.

hi all. Just sitting here thinking which is sometimes the worst thing to do!  If I do need chemo I suspect that they can't use the left arm because of the lymph nodes being pulled from the left side. They can't use the right arm because they just can't. 

So what dies that leave?  A port?  Blood taken from the feet?

From someone who hates and I mean hates needles I am ready to jump off a ledge with fear!

Sometimes thinking is the worst thing to do. I really should go and do something!!

football - I would def recommend a port for you if you need chemo - it really makes things easier.  Because of your situation, and already being vulnerable with your arm, it seems like the only viable solution.  I love having mine - I had a year of infusions, so mine was put in at the time of BMX since I already knew I was Her2+.

Football!~  The mind is a powerful crazy thing. I had such anxiety the month prior to my surgery, I had myself convinced that I was dying of thyroid cancer. My throat keep constricting and I felt I was being strangled,.. and was sure it was thyroid cancer. I laugh now at telling the anesthesiologist 5 minutes before going under, that I thought I had a thyroid issue. She just looked at me and said,... what?? I was paranoid, and my brain carried me away! Take one day at at time,... it will work out. Perhaps you should get some Emla cream to have to rub on areas before injections. I used it before my Dye injection, and it did help a lot. Deep breaths!

My sister set up www.foodtidings.com and I had 2 weeks of meals brought to my door everyday. I started to feel guilty. It was one of the best blessings I could imagine. (although my DH was in the hospital with our son who had surgery the same week, friends were so happy to help any way they could)

Have a good day all.

PS~ I don't despise my Tissue Expander so much today,... perhaps someday we will be friends,...

THE DRAIN IS OUT!!!!!!!

But the site where the drain was won't stop bleeding now. It's not gushing out blood, but dripping fairly rapidly. The gauze my BS covered it with was completely soaked by the time we got home (nearly 45 minutes driving). I called her right away and she said to put a fresh gauze on and put some pressure on it. I also have a new tight ace wrap around my chest. This was almost a half hour ago, and the new gauze is already getting soaked again. Is this normal? Or should I go back in to see her. She said I could come back in if it got really bad. It's 45 minutes each way though, and I can't drive yet today, and my DH will not be happy if he has to take more time off of work today (he works from home).

Did it stop bleeding, Vinmama???  I hope all is ok.  That sounds excessive.  Mine didn't bleed but a drop or 2.

I had my first post surgical Onc appointment and I was shocked that she recommended to me that I do chemo because of my age.  I am 46 but my IDC tumor was grade 1 ER+, PR*, Her-.  All 3 nodes were negative and there was no lymph vascular invasion.  My tumor appeared to be 1.4 cm from the ultrasound but 1 cm from the surgical path report.  She said probably part of it was removed from the core biopsy so it might have been 1.4.  We are waiting for my Oncotype DX test results and I won't decide on chemo until I get my score.  I will be doing Tamoxifen for sure.  I left the appt really bummed out because I never imagined the Onc would suggest chemo.

Gabriella, sorry about your drains.  I think they were the worst part of recovery.  How do you sleep with incisions on your front and back.  It must be difficult.  I don't have any other suggestions.  I think I've been guilty of doing too much too soon.

Juliecc - I can't imagine how that felt thinking you didn't have to have chemo than to get that news.  One thing I have learned about this ride is to expect the unexpected. After surgery I'm not sure which one is worse?  Is it just me or does it seem like almost everyone is recommended chemo unless DCIS?

Thanks Frostecat and SpecialK.  I will definitely wait to see what my score is before deciding.  I wouldn't expect a grade 1 to have a high score but who knows.  I do think that some Oncs might recommend chemo to any premenopausal woman just to kind of cover themselves if it does come back.

Thanks to those of you who recommended sitting on my butt!  I think that's exactly the right thing to do and plan to spend tomorrow watching netflix, which I ordered just for my recovery period and haven't even looked at yet!  I don't consider myself a super athlete but in the past few days the sitting around has made me antsy.  Also I have done some light housework (putting dishes in the dishwasher, folding clothes etc) which maybe I shouldn't be.  My husband and boys (ages 10 and 14) have been pretty good about basic tidying up but of course not quite up to my standards.  This is certainly a lesson in patience, taking things one day at a time, and letting the little things slide.  

BTW I asked my PS at my first post op appointment (day 7) why I felt so tired all the time and he also looked at me like I was crazy.  He didn't give me any specific recommendations for activity but instead said something like "use your judgement." (maybe he should have been more specific).

Someone asked about sleeping on my back -- my back incisions have never hurt (in fact I never had significant pain, just at times really uncomfortable tightness). The drains seem to get more irritating to my skin every day but with soft pillows under my back I do ok.

Thanks for the advice!

Vinmama I really hope your bleeding has stopped!

Phew, I think the bleeding from the drain site may have finally stopped! My DH changed the dressing again just now, and it was a lot less soaked even though it had been a couple of hours. It was also not actively dripping blood when he took the old gauze off, while the times before I had to hold tissues under there to catch the drops in the few seconds before he could put the new gauze on.

I've been sitting around doing nothing all day to let this heal. My DH helped with dinner, and my 9 year old son helped with the dishes. Grateful for the help. One of the lessons I've learned from this journey is to ask for help when I need it. I tend to feel like I'm imposing on others when asking for help, but I'm getting much better about asking for help, and being specific about what I need. I have found that my family and friends do want to help, but don't always know what I need from them and when.

Let's hope I don't end up with too much swelling in my chest over the next few days; my BS seems to expect some, and said she'll aspirate it if it becomes uncomfortable. Going to be a good girl and keep that tight ace wrap on, and take it easy for a bit longer!

Hi everyone! Haven't been on here in a little over a day and wow it took me a while to catch up! I'm so glad to see that even with March over we are still going strong and supporting eachother. 

I had my oopherectomy today. Much much easier recovery and got to come home. I'm curious if they will consider me postmenopausal now. I read somewhere that tamoxaphin is somehow better for your bones and now that my ovaries are gone I will have a higher risk of  ostioperosis.

I am trying to get myself ready to be told that I should have chemo too. My BS said that she needs to see the score first but that my age would be the reason too. I read on  here that premenopausal cancer is often more aggresive so I think that is the reason. 

From what I understand the chemo would be done incase there is a stray cancer cell that somehow found it's way through to somewhere else in the body. DCIS hasn't even figured out how to get out of the duct yet so that's why chemo wouldn't be needed. 

That's my take on it. I sooooo don't want chemo! So scared of it. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think because the oopherectomy didn't seem so bad and I was very worried about it. Now I'm waiting for the hot flashes and whatever else is on its way.

vin- so glad the bleeding is stopping.

Linda- you freaked me out with the TE April fools!!!!

Yikes this got long. Sorry.

Julie, I'm also surprised that your onc is so quick to recommend chemo. When I was first diagnosed and had a biopsy, my HER2 was inconclusive, then negative. They weren't going to recommend chemo at that point, but still suggested doing the oncotype test. Then the path report from the first lumpectomy came back as HER2 positive, which automatically means chemo. Have you gotten a second opinion? I'd be concerned about the onc over treating you just to cover herself. I have an appt with a second med onc this afternoon.