Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Oh Chisandy! - That's terrible news!!! im so sorry for your friend!!! I'm glad she has you for encouragement and support! Big hugs!

Sandy - sorry to hear the news about your friend. {hugs} Keep us updated.

Sandy, that's devastating for your friend. She's in my thoughts.

IAmMags, it does help once you have all the information you need to make informed decisions. Good luck!

Angela, at least things are moving along with your Oncotype test.

Everyone have a great weekend!

HUGS!

Moondust- I believe we are starting radiation at the same time starting next Wednesday.

Has anyone done any reading on drinking red wine and radiation treatments? I understand the issues of drinking and BC but there has been some interesting information on the benefits of the red wine. I did find a paper on this study that explains this but I can't say is a scientifically validated study.

sorry I wrote my email wrong it's blamoms@hotmail.com

sloan- where did you play lax? That's awesome! My daughter was recruited by Harvard and Georgetown and decided against D1... That was hard for us! But she's at a great D3 with high level academics and an art major. She is a first team regional All American;) So of course I have to go to every game!

Peachy- it was just AC that was mentioned. What are the Neulasta shots? Taxol? I meet with my mo for a full appt right before I start my treatment.

She explained the AC deal with me and said its the best for my grade and it has a risk of uterine and cervical cancers which is great for me because I had a hysterectomy! I'm usually so good with the questions but last week I was just happy to have a plan. And I trust my mo with my life;)

In NH by the fire and it's 10 degrees out. Wind chill tomorrow is supposed to be 36 below!!!

MLP3, brag away! You have every reason to with such an accomplished daughter!! In my first meeting with the MO she said that a Neulasta injection would be needed the day after AC to help build white blood cells. She asked me if I could do it myself, and my dear husband volunteered until he learned that it might have to be in my stomach. I believe that LovestoFly is badass enough to do it herself, but I am a wimp. I went to Dana-Farber in Londonderry since it's close to home, and the shot was given in the nice fatty part of my upper arm instead of my stomach, thankfully. (AC followed by Taxol seems to be a common course of treatment)

My boss was going to go skiing at Loon this weekend where he has a seasonal rental, but then checked the weather and saw that it was going to be -2 at the top. BRrrrrrrrr!

got it blahmoms! Yeah!

Yes, I do the Neulasta shot myself. The first one the nurse taught me to do, then I did it myself 24 hours after my second infusion. I was really really nervous about it, but it was actually very easy. The needle is very small and thin and does not hurt, I did it in my stomach and it was very anticlimactic after working myself up over it!

Sandy I'm sorry about your friend.

It is my last weekend before cycle three now. I'm trying to enjoy it, and not to dread going back Wednesday too much! I will be halfway through chemo!

Praline, you got this! Yay for non-eventful chemo #1, and I really hope the same is true for the rest. Sending hugs!

Octogirl

Praline, so glad your first infusion went well. Mlp3, your DD sounds like a wonderful girl. Blamoms, friend request accepted. I finally met my 12 K step goal today! I think I am starting to feel better because of the extra activity. Annie, welcome to the lumpy lounge. We are a fun and supportive group and Peggy is our resident cheerleader and a great encouragement to all. Recovery from lx isn't too bad. Ice is your best friend and you will have lifting restrictions of about 5 lbs. If you take pain meds take stool softeners as well. Make sure whoever is waiting for you pays careful attention to what your doctor says and your post op instructions because you won't remember. Also be sure to let your anesthesiologist know if you need anything for nausea before the surgery. They can put something in your iv and put a patch behind your ear.

Welcome to the Lounge, Annie. I don't know anything about surgical technique, but it sounds like you are in good hands. I think stool softeners are a good idea even if you don't take any pain meds. The anesthesia can stop you up. After surgery, they took me out to the car in a wheelchair like they always do at a surgery center. We had a one hour drive home (with a stop for a McDonalds cone), then I was able to get out of the car and walk just fine. I walked quite a bit the day after surgery and could do most simple things that didn't require lifting objects with my right arm or raising my arm higher than shoulder level. You will probably be told not to do any cleaning, sweeping, dishwashing etc, anything requiring repetitive motion. My surgeon infused my breast with some type of local pain reliever, so I had very little discomfort at all. Even after the local stuff wore off in a few days I never needed any pain meds. I did not use ice. But everyone is different. I wore a big compression wrap for 48 hours. After that, I removed the wrap and could shower. My surgeon recommended a compressive sports bra be worn 24 hrs a day for at least a week. Do you know if you'll have any drains? I didn't have any. My last steri-strips fell off at about 3 weeks. Good luck!!!

Oh, one other thing - you will gain a few pounds from the surgery. I gained 7 pounds. It is due to all the IV fluid you get, and temporary, of course.

Praline, glad everything went so well!

Sandy, what a dismal time your friend is going through. Give her some extra hugs for us. I hope you are being extra careful with sharp objects now! You don't need a third injury to your arms or hands! It's so easy to do. Once I pierced my cheek with an awl by accident. It was all too close to my eye and I was horrified at what I had done although it wasn't a serious injury.

ayr, very cool that your daughter likes cauliflower. When I first read your post, I thought you put the almond butter on the cauliflower and I thought that sounded a little weird. But separately I love them both! Most veggies are better roasted if you ask me. I think your strawberries and cream will be perfect.

Brightsocks, are you doing your sim on Wednesday or having the first real zapperoo? I'm doing the sim. I have read you can get the same benefit from drinking grape juice that you get in red wine. Not as sexy though.

MLP3, I think it's fine for you to brag about your kids! She's lucky to have you for a mom

Octogirl, where in California do you live?

AnnieKaja11, Welcome! So glad you found us. Sounds like you've been reading the posts here and have discovered that we are warm, welcoming, informative, and a bit crazy. Where are you located? You will walk out of the surgery center most likely. As Molly said, ice is your friend. I didn't have much pain at all. I took a pain pill in recovery and then just Tylenol. You will definitely have lifting restrictions. That underarm incision isn't so much painful as REALLY annoying. Everything rubs it. You will want to have a front close soft bra (or step-in Genie bra) to wear after the bandages come off. Front closure and easy to pull on pants for surgery day and a few days thereafter. You will be able to shower after a few days. Mostly concentrate on resting - that's what your body needs to heal from major surgery (which this is). Walks are fine. I'm retired so I didn't have to worry about going back to work. However, I was caring for my husband full-time by myself (two weeks post-surgery) and that was terrible. He had mobility issues and I was doing a lot of lifting of him which was not good.

It's good that you like your BS! BTW, I WALKED down to the surgery suite - I felt so empowered and not sick. It was great. I did NOT gain any weight from the surgery. Moondust must have been blessed to gain so much. Of course, as with everything to do with breast cancer, "your mileage may vary."

Even if you don't have clean margins from your Lx, they can go in and try again. It does not necessarily mean you will need a mastectomy.

Wishing you well and ask your questions!

HUGS!

Praline, so glad to hear that #1 went well and was uneventful! My infusion nurse said to be sure to take vitamin B with Taxol to help with neuropathy. I still got a little numbness in my fingertips and toes, though it was just a little annoying and went away soon after treatment ended.

AnnieKaja11, welcome to the lounge! I learn so much and get so much encouragement from these terrific ladies, so know you will too. As for recovery, my surgeon told me to plan on a week off, but she'd prefer her patients take two. After a week I was getting stir crazy around the house and felt good enough to go back to the office. I did leave early the first few days when I got fatigued toward the end of the day. My surgeon step-dad's advice for his patients and family was always "Don't try to be a hero" and applies here as well. (My mom reminded me of this repeatedly, of course.)

ChiSandy, pass me a latte, please! That sounds good.

MLP3, are your AC infusions two or three weeks apart? If three, then maybe you won't have Neulasta since your body has longer to make its own white blood cells before the next treatment? I don't know for certain, but say this because the nurse practitioner mentioned something about now they can schedule AC treatments two weeks apart because they've got Neulasta to help get the white cell count back up between infusions.

Hi to Mags, Praline and Annie. I've learned more from BCO than my doctors ( sad but true) told me Praline chemo affects everyone differently initially you're in a steroid"high." The side effects , if any, start 3-4 days later If I can do it, you can do it

Annie, surgery was a breeze really I had a great surgeon and healed quickly it does depend on the location of the incision I used my arm normally except for carrying heavy items The drains were the only inconvenience but luckily I never had a seroma

Brutersmom, I was in a very similar position as you, especially after the MammaPrint result came in. Two MOs and my BS suggested I do 12 weeks of chemo. I opted not to do it because of negative nodes and other health issues. For me, it wasn't work the potential risk. I've just started radiation and after two treatments my breast is already bright pink