Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

I haven't been on this thread for awhile, and wow...I missed over two thousand posts! For those of you who are further out from your lumpys...

I started working out in January now that I am feeling better and want to lose weight. Running on the treadmill with a supportive sports bra. After two weeks, My SNB area, which had been fine, got sore and feels tight, and I noticed along my lumpy scar I had a couple of small bright red dots that look like they might have been trapped blood beneath the skin. ( they were tiny, and have reabsorbed). But I cant figure out the soreness? I stopped working out but I'm bummed

great news Peggy!

Mlp awsome socks!

I feel safe in saying I have bypassed the ER trip this time! Well done me! I had some "flu-like" symptoms on Wednesday p.m., but never got to the magic 100.4. I woke up Thursday feeling good, but tired, and took it easy Thurs., and Fri. Feeling good today - have over a week of hopefully good times before getting zapped again on the 8th.

I too, am tired of the uniboob with the sportsbra, so I tried one of my underwire bras, and had no problem with it. I'm not going to wear it everyday in case familiarity breeds contempt, but will save it for when I want to ♬Feel like a natural woman♬

Love the pictures of the labradogs. We used to travel with a black lab and a buff cocker spaniel during our RV days. The black lab was incredibly smart and always found the space with the A/C vent while the Cocker was relegated to lying on the Lab.

I have had acid reflux for years due to the NSAIDS taken for osteoarthritis. Since I've had my knee replaced, I don't take the NSAIDS much, but the acid reflux is here to stay. I take Prilosec daily for that, but with chemo have had some bad heartburn pain, which if I didn't know better, would think was a heart attack. The pain is right under my breastbone, and occasionally radiates all the way to my back. I know it's heartburn because taking a couple of Tums takes care of it, but I do intend to talk to my MO about it next appt.

This session of chemo has been much better than last - maybe we'll get it perfect by number four!

yeah Brit!

Yay, Brit! SO glad this time was better and no ER visit!

LadyHumps- where in NC are you? I'm near Charlotte.

Tresjoli2 you might want to call the RO. I exercised right through Rads. I get pains under the arm to the side of my breast and top of my breast to the shoulder with exercise but not the redness. I was told that radiation damages the muscle and that will continue until I am fully healed. It has been getting better slowly. I wear a tight sports bra but even with that my breast sizes are very different and the radiated girl does not get quite the support it needs.

Tresjolie, nice to see you. I would call the RO. I get pain but not redness. Best wishes in returning to work, creative!

Britheal - I'm so glad it's going better. Outta hard to anticipate which SE you will have, but once you know, the docs can manage it pretty well these days.

MLP - I am SO there to experience the cooking, baking, conversation, music (with the accompaniment of the sleeve) and general sisterhood all in a good house found by HH!

To answer your question: Chemo was harder for me because I didn't know what to expect. I didn't have any nausea (yay ), but my skin broke out so they reduced steroids, got foliculitis when my hair fell out so antibiotics, WBCs crashed so Neulasta. With rads, they said, "Put Miaderm on 4 times a day and make sure you have NO skin-to-skin contact." (Put a rolled piece of t-shirt under my boob at night). I knew what to expect with rads.

Tresjoli - My RO told me to watch for skin redness after rads due to yeast on the skin. He said rads and chemo change the skin flora (bacteria) and it's not as good at eating tbe yeast -especially when you exercise or get hot flashes!!!! So, I have a tube of Lotrimen --yep, the one for ringworm or jock itch--to put on the skin if it gets red. The yeast infection stuff does not work on the skin. My son was a wrestler in HS, so any sign of red and I break out that Lotrimen. Don't know if yours is the same, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

MLP, I second what Sloan says,chemo was unpleasant but doable. Just be prepared with Benadryl, Claritin, anti nausea and poop medication, Advil or Tylenol, coconut oil, Biotene mouthwash and spray (loved the spray), some Valium or something for freak outs, some Pepcid ac or something for gut burning. And lots of lotion, I used tons of lotion on my feet and hands, just goobed them up and put socks on my feet. Aloe Vera juice helps too with the burning gut if you get that. Oh, and be prepared for coffee to taste burnt if you drink it.

I'm sure there are more things to have on hand, but those products helped me. Best of luck!

I found rads quite easy. There were never more than 2 people waiting and they didn't look horribly sick like you had HH. I had virtually no skin issues. I was exhausted before I started, and I'm sure you'll be startled to know that I was still exhausted when I finished. I am retired but for the first 2 weeks, I was fulltime carer for DH (and that was hard work). The next 3 weeks he was in the hospital, at death's door with pneumonia after surgery. I'd go to the hospital at 7 to be with him, grab my car (from the valet), drive the quarter mile to the radiation center, have my rads, back to the hospital (love valet parking) for the rest of the day. The staff at the center were so very supportive that it made it a great experience.

HUGS!

Thanks for the great feedback on both! I'm just trying to prepare myself because I'm such a planner and info queen!

Sloan- that's exactly my mindset on chemo... Just kill it all!

I just actually did a winter hike! Snowy and icy but I was like... "F*€k it!" It felt sooo good. Not a very crazy and strenuous one, but being out in the forest is just so calming for me. The range behind me is actually Mt Washington. And you were all in my pocket... Hope you weren't too cold;

MLP3, awesome pics. I forgot to mention exercise, do what you can. I kept up all my bike riding, etc. all through chemo and I feel like it really helped me

Great pics MLP3. You could start a travel show!

Chemo was a lot different for me. I hope this doesn't scare you. It could be the effect it had on me personally, my age, the type of chemo and/or the number of treatments. I just finished six rounds ( the max) of TC and six rounds of Neulasta. I had almost every side effect there was. You can take medicine for the diarrhea, Claritin for the bone pain, ibuprofen for other things. I've never taken so many pills in my life. The neuropathy wasn't so bad, the mouth sores were fleeting and thankfully, the debilitating headaches I had medicine for. Baldness, blurred vision,Skin discoloration and rashes,heartburn and nausea and depression. Terrible sweating, dizziness - I can't even remember them all. But the worst for me has been the extreme fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath and total exhaustion. The side effects have definitely been cumulative. I almost cried today because it was so hard to try on a pair of pants at the store. After 4.5 months off I am supposed to go back to work full time Monday and I really don't know how I'll do it.

It seems like its not as bad for most people. Hopefully, it won't be.

Jclc83, it's just a really good example of how everyone reacts differently, and there is no one size fits all answer. My infusion nurse told me on the last day "You really did well through this. Not everyone does." There's nothing any of us do differently, our bodies process the drugs in different ways. Then the last day of radiation the tech told me "Your skin really held up well. Some women have to stop treatment." I just slapped on the Aquafor they gave me like everyone else, so it was none of my doing. Just as the women who had trouble didn't bring it on themselves either.

Jan, I am sorry you are having such a hard time with chemo. I will be in your pocket for Monday at work. Please continue to be honest. My posts on the Arimidex thread are not sugar coated.