December 2014 Surgery Sisters

Quiggy, hugs to you. I wish I had an answer for the pain. That sounds like something you should call your BS about.

Pink & Knm: I still can't side sleep and I'm 5 weeks post BMx. I want to badly because of neck and back problems from sleeping propped up. I'm also still having some pain but had to get off pain meds because whole digestive track is wonky. I'm returning to work on Monday and hoping for enough energy to get through most of the day. I can work shorter hours for a bit but really have to get back in the swing.

So ready to start feeling more normal again. I guess I just have to accept that normal will be different from now on.

Scottie

Knmtwins-Thanks for the info and suggestions. I will look for the Jan chemo group. Most of worries do come from being "functional" & productive for my kids (8 year old twins and 11 year old boy). My husband has been doing a great job picking up the slack around the house. But he has returned to work and now sees how challenging it is to work full time and then come home to handle the kids and all the other housework,  etc. 

I see that he is overwhelmed. And now with me starting chemo next week,  I know he is worried but isn't saying anything about it.  Like you said,  I think we do have all those images in our heads of what chemo will be like (Thanks Hollywood). I'm sure it may not be a walk in the park but your words reassure me-Thanks! Have a GreaT weekend!

Hopefulmomof3, my DDIL sent me this link. I'm sure DH and your dear kids are doing a great job helping, but who couldn't use this?

Cleaningforareason.org

"Fighting cancer is difficult enough, but living with it is even tougher and that's where Cleaning For A Reason steps in. As a nonprofit serving the entire United States and Canada, we partner with maid services to offer professional house cleanings to help women undergoing treatment for cancer, any type of cancer. To date, we have provided more than 17,000 cleanings for women with cancer with a value of more than $4.5 million in donated cleanings, and partnered with over 1,100 maid services."

Just posting for the first time. I had my left side mx and full axillary dissection on 12/2/14. I only had one drain that I got pulled on 12/8. I was allowed to drive at 3 weeks and am allowed to wear a bra with a fiberfill poof.

I do have a large hematoma above and below my incision that is hard and very slowly going away. It extends into what used to be my armpit and is really uncomfortable. It's making wearing a bra/poof really suck so I'm back to either going without anything at home or lightly wrapping myself in the ace bandage. It's times like this I wish I had bilateral. While I'm glad that the cancer is gone, I'm missing being even on both sides more than I admit. I think both sides gone would be easier to practically deal with. Plus I'm having phantom boob feelings so it's sometimes a surprise to look down and not see anything.

I'm doing the exercises given and am getting my range of motion back. My elbow won't go back super far but I can reach over my head to my right ear. I still get flat out exhausted and I have to watch that my blood sugars don't tank.

No reconstruction as I also have type 2 diabetes and aplastic anemia.

Hope everyone is doing well!

lucky girl had the same thing happen Thurs. Was looking to go back to work and now waiting 2 weeks for oncotype! Feel like life is in limbo. This too shall pass. Spending a fee days visiting a cousin who had chemo last year. They look wonderful Very reassuring that it if it has to happen it will be another speed bump but then we will be on our way again.

Hard thing for me is being self employed. No income ouch. But if I don't live I won't have any income for my family in the futureeither

Luckygirl,

I'm almost 6 weeks post BMx. Still have some shoulderrands and arm pain although some is probably do to TE fills which I stopped last week. I also have an old shoulderror injury that sugery may have aggravated. It's frustrating. I did go back to work today and made it fr om about 9 - 4. Sore and resting now that I'm home.

Scottie

Knmtwins-you really do get me. :-). Going to have to start getting my 11 year more involved. Thanks for hearing me out. 

Sweethope-Thanks for the link! That sounds awesome. 

I had my port put in this morning. Doing ok besides feeling loopy/sleepy. I'm going to make it a Netflix night. Have a good evening ladies! ♥

Well 6 weeks post op with two drains still in and they admitted me to the hospital for infection/cellulitis. I am receding IV antibiotics. Wondering if I should make the PS pull these drains. They are doing cultures on the output. I have to believe that this infection came from the open wounds from these drains. So conflicted. Is it that bad to have the fluid manually drained? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Hello, all. Today I have my second post op with my surgical oncologist and an appt. with my medical oncologist. I am feeling pretty good physically. I feel like I might have turned a corner in the healing process the last few days. The TEs are still not terribly comfortable, but definitely livable. The swelling under my arms is starting to go down quite a bit. The right is definitely still more swollen, but that is where they took the nodes. I am hoping my MO gives me some answers today about whether I will need chemo or not, since the final pathology found a micro-met of .49mm. The onco-type was ordered so she may say we need to wait for those results. Just wanted to check in. I have been reading the thread everyday, but hadn't chimed in in a few days. 😀

Lmcqueen, I also ended up in the hospital w/ cellulitis 2 weeks after my original surgery 7/30. They left the drain in because it was a way to keep a check on the fluid to see if there was still infection (purulent pus - yes gross!). I was in the hospital 6 days and then on home IV abx for a month (!!!), still w/ one drain. Hopefully the hospital stay will be enough for you, cause I ain't gonna line, home IV abx sucks!

Hope you feel better soon!

Hi farmerma;

Sorry you had to do the second surgery, one is bad enough! I've heard that any node removal can cause long term issues. You're right we want to feel normal. I am did the seroma thing, that was no fun! Numb AND pain and sensitive skin; strange and hard to explain to people not going through this. I'm still having more pain then I think I should but then, I haven't experienced this before so ????

Hope you get some relief soon and that we all find "normal" again!!

So hard not to sink into depression.

Hi all,

I've posted this on another forum but I figured I'd ask here as well since so many have had chemo. One annoying SE I have is that my eyes run constantly. It started somewhere around my 3rd treatment and hasn't stopped. My tear ducts have narrowed and closed up from chemo. I've been to the eye dr and he wants to put stents in my tear ducts. Have any of you ever had this done? It seems like it's my only shot at getting this corrected but there are no guarantees.

Any feedback/experiences/tips are appreciated. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life dabbing at my eyes and explaining to people that I'm not crying!

Hi farmerma.  I too had a re-excision after my lumpectomy.  It's been 2 and a half years now and my breast is still a little sore if I lie on my tummy.  I also had a huge hematoma and a second one in the other breast (also lumpectomy where they found atypical cells ).  I felt it took a good year (sorry to have to say that as it seems a long time) for the hematoma to desolve (it's always made much worse because of a second surgery in the same place) and in that time it felt hard and swollen but dr said it would go away and it has - more or less.  So hang on in there.

Hi Good,

The news on my husband is horrible. He has a type of blood cancer called high risk Myelodysplasia Syndrome and they gave him a little over a year to live. His one chance is a bone marrow transplant. We are looking for a donor.