The Hermit Club

Blondie, please have a speedy recovery from surgery! *Hugs*

Isn't that "Doctor" George? He just gets better with age!

Checked for Blondie........her room phone rings busy....figure they took it off the hook, so she is not bothred with calls............

Ducky, thanks for trying!

Ducky- thanks for being our connection to Blondie. I hope the surgery went well and she is resting okay. Hospitals are not an easy place to get any sleep......

Did get to talk to Blondie......she sounds good.......on meds, in pain.........she is going to try to send a message to you all.........

Her surgery went well, plaltes, screws, the who Magilla............has not yet talked to the Doc.......she said she lost her balance going down the steps (outside),,,,,,,,and grabbed for the rail, went over on her left foot, gained her footing, and the turned over on her right foot, and ended up on her back.....

Her son took her to the hospital......the rest is history......will keep you all in the loop.....

Told her by name everyone that was asking for her.....she sends her love and appreciation for your thoughts..........

Thanks again Ducky!

Blondie, hang in there. Hope the food is good Glad that you have family there to rally around you. Miss you here.

Oh no! I have been off the boards for a week or 2 and just heard about Blondie. (thanks Teka!)

Please let her know I am thinking of her as well. She is so sweet, and had so much on her plate already

xoxoxox super size hugs to you, Blondie!!

Thanks for the update! Keeping her in my prayers... next comes the dreaded re-hab stuff.

*Good Morning Hermits*

*Blondie*

Hi Shelley- glad to hear you are through surgery and home. The waiting for the path report is very hard, so your anxiety is understandable. Sounds like you will know in a week. Mine took 2 weeks (sigh.... )

I was the most sore about a week after my lumpectomy surgery, and the node incision area bothered me a bit longer (because they cut through the muscle, and it takes longer to heal). You should be up and around within a few days. Just take it easy for awhile. No lifting and doing anything crazy with your upper body. I remember being home for a week and then got out to drive.

I had sentinel node biopsy myself, they seem to do this more for early state cancers (Stage 1 or 2). Usually they do this to see if there is any cancer in the closest node, which if yes, that usually means chemo. I don't think they do more node removal after the fact. It keeps the risk of lymphadema (swelling) down.

Did he already tell you that you would have chemo? Sometimes they may advise this early on based on your initial pathology. I was node negative, so I just had the radiation treatment after surgery. Not sure what to say about his comment about your treatment plan not changing based on node status. If the nodes are positive, you should ask if you need chemo or some other systemic treatment? If it is just in the breast, they focus on treating that area. If it gets into the lymph system, usually you need more. Not sure what the radioactive status means?

They do their best to get clear margins during surgery. The final pathology report will indicate if they are successful. Hopefully you won't have to go back for any more surgery. My margins were clear and that was that. Onward to rads treatment. My hope is that is all you need to do also. The pathology report will tell you a lot more info about the margins, node status, etc. I expect you will have a follow up with the breast surgeon to check on healing and discuss next steps. Maybe the oncologists too.

Try to rest and not worry. Easier said than done, trust me, we all know that here. But you need to recover from this surgery and be ready for whatever comes next. The uncertainty of the whole think is nerve-wracking. You have to trust your doctors and just ask questions around your treatment plan as you hear more. Some may be open to it, others won't like the questions. Does not matter, they don't have to go through the treatment and live with this, we do. I always just said I was trying to understand so I knew what to expect. No one can argue with that.

Wishing you a quick recovery and good outcomes.

Shelley- a lot of times the staging comes based on the tumor (size, etc.) and whether it may be anywhere else. Here is something you might want to read to help you understand a bit more. There is all kinds of indicators in the pathology report that help the doctors know the best way to treat your cancer. BC treatment is very focused now, on the type, staging, aggressiveness, etc. Lots of abbreviations here and it may help you to understand your pathology report when it is ready. You should ask for a copy of it too.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailed...

I am glad you had the Oncotype test. I had it too and it helps to know genetically if you have a low, med, or high risk for reoccurrence. Another piece of info to help with the treatment plan. Based on my results, my MO thought chemo would be over treating my cancer. So between that and the nodes, it went off the table.

It sounds like they have you covered with all they are doing. Just hard to understand as it is all so new to you and much to learn. I learned more about bc than I ever wanted to know going through this.

Update.....Blondie sent me message..

She is going to Rehab for 7 to 14 days.

Off the foot for 7 to 8 weeks.

No help at home, so this is the best choiice for her....she will get 3 squares, Rehab, and good care......thought she did the right thing........

Will keep you posted.

Hi Shelley, it was good to see that you were feeling well enough to post.  Listen to your body ... rest when it says to rest.  I did not listen to my body, tried to do more than my body wanted to do, and ended up in the hospital for a few days. 

Ducky, thanks for the Blondie update.

Blondie, I hope the rehab staff treats you like the special person that you are ... thinking of you!