January 2016 Surgeries

Kathy- I flew to a couple places and was just sure I would be sidelined with a port and a tissue expander magnet. Never happened ! Have a great trip! 

Patty

Grandma3x - thanks for the tip re the paravertbral block - I will ask about it for sure. Good luck with the excision. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well.

DecisionFreak - thank you for your thoughts. My DH drags me up the mountain every Sunday - and the grade is so steep that I can't think of anything except gasping in the next breath. I am really sorry you had that awful experience with the rheumatologist. Mine is a real prima donna. I think a lot of these specialists are so brilliant they forget that they are mere mortals, like the rest of us. I was worried that the AI would interfere with the arthritis, but so far, so good, although it is early days yet.

Logang - so sorry about your high Oncotype score and the stress that caused. Enjoy your trip. If there is one thing I've learned about BC, it is that it is full of curve balls. We have to catch them and whip them back. My BS told me yesterday, after being adamant that I would not need rads after mx, that the RO is now considering rads, due to the 'gray area' I'm in.

Positive thoughts and wishes to everyone, wherever you may be on the journey. The cherry trees are starting to bloom. ciao for now

Hey, everybody, my breast has been hit with a limited lumpectomy followed by a partial mastectomy and flap surgery and then the bi-lateral breast reduction and lift. I did not have any nodes removed but now I have limited mobility in my right arm. The PS predicted this might happen. I am going to need physical therapy anyway because my breast reduction has changed the center of gravity in my body, and I am off balance. I am wondering how long I have to wait to start PT.

I have felt crummy all day but I got up and walked a mile in the late afternoon. Getting strong and in shape is very high on my list of important things to accomplish this year. Physical activity has to become part of my daily life.

I am not certain that the rheumatologist is brilliant. All I know is that I spent hours in her office and decided that I did not want treatment from a doctor that was rude, insensitive, a terrible listener, distracted, late, and unable to assure that her lab tech had the right supplies or that her staff sent me to get the right x-ray. I am sorry if she is trying to run a medical practice on a shoestring, but it is time for me to put my own health and wellbeing first. I don't have time to waste or time to allow for someone else to get her bearings. When I see a specialist, I expect to consult with a top tier physician who can get a grip on the main problems and come up with a treatment plan.

I am sick and tired of doctors. It seems as if my life revolves around getting my health under control. I need a break. I need to have some fun.

Bjsmiller, thank you for being empathetic. I am kicking the rheumatologist to the curb. I will have to get care at the large teaching hospital where I received my bc treatment. It is 225 miles away but I have little choice. I am a complex medical case, and I need a highly qualified rheumatologist. I already have a referral but I made a last ditch effort to get help for my fibromyalgia and arthritis pain locally.

Bjsmiller, there are three rheum doctors locally. One is a pompous jerk that jammed his hand up my skirt the first time I saw him. I took my mother the second time I saw this doctor and he did it again. My mother saw and commented on the behavior. His clinical notes were so sparse that the state disability office said they were little help. The third rheumatologist has a reputation for being an awful human being. I don't need to try out the third doctor. I am going to research the doctor at the teaching hospital and if he doesn't specialize in my problems I may ask to change doctors.

I am very stressed out and unsettled. I had a vaginal discharge on Tamoxifen but I only took the drug for three weeks. I stopped HRT in late October about a month after my diagnosis. I am still having a discharge. I had a transvaginal ultrasound last week that showed a 4 mm endometrial strip that is indicative of thickening of the endometrial lining. The data finds that postmenopausal women that are bleeding with a 4 mm or smaller endometrial strip have a very low risk for uterine cancer but the risk is not zero in a postmenopausal woman that is bleeding. I also have a 4 cm uterine fibroid that I have had since my 40s and a 2 cm ovarian cyst that appears simple. I found blood on my underwear after the transvaginal ultrasound. The tech puts a stick sort of like a dildo inside the vagina to do the transvaginal ultrasound. The bleeding may come from another problem near my reproductive organs. Now I may have to push for another type of diagnostic test that gives a powerful image of a larger area than the transvaginal ultrasound. I am at risk for clear cell adenocarcinoma due to exposure to high dose DES in the womb. I hope that is not the cause of the bleeding. It is a rare disease but the bleeding frightens me. I wish I could have my uterus and ovaries removed. It would lower my risk of breast cancer slightly, and I wouldn't have to worry about uterine cancer. However, I don't meet the requirements for Medicare to pay for prophylactic removal of my female reproductive organs. I have to go back to see my GYN doctor and I don't think my symptoms qualify me for a D&C biopsy. I am more frightened of this situation than I was for the breast cancer because the doctors always take aggressive action if there is the slightest possibility of breast cancer.

Moondust, I had a transvaginal ultrasound that revealed borderline problems. I am symptomatic and that makes a difference. Before I have a plan of action it is necessary for the doctors to do a differential diagnosis. I hate the local hospital's outpatient services and would prefer to return to the teaching hospital for surgical treatment. I am going to see how far I get here and then decide about any major surgery and where I want to have it done. I am on a limited income but have decided that I have to devote most of my money on my health right now.

My incisions are healing very slowly. I have to eat more high quality protein than I have been consuming. I cannot imagine having another major surgical procedure until I am released by the plastic surgeon.I am very grateful that the skin over my flap surgery looks okay over a month out from surgery.The PS moved a lot of tissue into the space left by the breast surgeon.

I just found out that I can make a civil rights complaint against the acute care facility where my mother is being treated. The head of clinical nursing services allowed a minister to come into my Mom's room when we were in there talking with my mother about the DNR and other private health issues. I thought he was an administrator or nursing staff. He came quietly into room and was not asked to leave.That was a violation of HIPPA and my mother's civil rights. While I am at it, I am going to file a complaint about something that happened to my mother at another hospital last year that shattered our family's sense of peace and security to the point that it will never be restored.

Yes, I am going through difficult times. Unless I want to run away, there is only one way to go and that is through the center of the storm. I don't try to do everything. I let some things slide. I am living on faith.

grandma3x, I'm glad your surgery went well today and that you're liking your new look. I think "the look" is normally what gets everyone and is the hardest thing of the process.

I had my second filling in my right TE that was replaced in January and my fourth for my left side. My plastic surgeon puts in 60cc for each fill. This filling was almost painless.

Surgeries are pretty well all healed up. Mid way through chemo now. I still have "stains" left from the bruising from the dye from the sentinal node biopsy where I was injected around my areola...kind of looks like a daisy. It does not look like it will be fading any time soon. Let's see, that was January 7th, so it's been 2 months now. At least it's not still bright blue. Anybody else still have their "dye jobs"?

thank you for the well wishes!

Moondust - I did not have any problems in Vail or with flying, luckily. When I went in for surgery yesterday I asked the nurse how they do an IV on someone with ly,ph nodes removed from both sides. She said they pick the side with the least number of nodes taken. I think that's a bit strange - has anyone else here faced this? My BS is planning to do a sentinel node biopsy for the prophylactic mastectomy in May and this is one of the things I worry about the most (how to do blood pressure and blood draws if they can't use my arms).

Birds are singing up a storm here too! It's nice to feel the warmth of spring!

Grandma3X, I have heard recommendations to draw blood from the leg for people with lymph nodes taken from both sides. I guess the blood draw places don't like to do it, but they can. Personally I would probably chance an arm now that I've done the high elevation thing. I think infection might be the biggest worry, since that activates the lymph system like crazy. I'm gradually working back up to my regular weight training and so far, so good. Yesterday I did 6 real pushups! (Used to do 25-30).

BlueHeron, so great to hear you are doing well! It's good to hear that the prosthesis is working for you and that you forget it's there. If I ever need a total boob removal I'll probably go the same route as you.

Stellamaris - Yes, I was surprised when my BS suggested having the SLN removed for a prophylactic MX. She said that since my cancer was so much larger than expected and wasn't detected by mammogram or ultrasound (MRI showed only 2 small areas instead of the 5X4 cm mass), we may not know for sure if there is cancer in the other side until we remove it. And once it's removed, we can't go back and do the SLN. I asked about localizing it and then going back later to remove it if necessary but she seemed really hesitant to do that. I may revisit this idea with her again - seems they can find the SLN, put a marker in it like they do for breast biopsies, and then go back and take it out if pathology finds cancer in the breast tissue. I need to research this more to make a case for it though.

I hope you are doing well. I am supposed to start Femara next week and dreading the SEs. I had my vitamin D level tested and it's a bit low (29.3) so I've been trying to increase that before I start on AIs. Unfortunately I don't have my Oncotype score yet (GHI screwed up, can't remember if I mentioned this on this thread), so I really shouldn't take AIs until I know for sure that I am not having chemo.

The cherry trees sound beautiful. It surprises me that Vancouver is already warm enough for them to be in bloom, but I think the west coast is typically warmer than we are in the east.

Thanks, Kessa! I think I did see this a while back but couldn't remember where. With this one, they go back in and find the blue-dyed nodes after the surgery, but there isn't much data showing how long the nodes remain blue. If I don't get the path report back until 7-10 days, and then have to schedule the lymph node surgery after that, it's possible that the dye may have dissipated. I'm wondering if anyone has done this with a metal marker that could be located by ultrasound at a later date? They could use the radioactive tracer and ultrasound to localize it, place a marker and then it wouldn't be as time sensitive to remove it. If I can't find the data, I'll go ahead and have the SLN removed during surgery as they did before. I have not had any issues with lymphadema on my left side - they removed only 1 node - so I think I could probably use this arm for blood pressure, IVs etc. in the future if necessary.

grandma3x and krssa, thank you for the excellent info. I am worried that when they do the breast reduction on the 24th they will find cancer in the "good" breast. They are already talking rads after mx on the bad side, since the BC is confirmed ulti focal now, and they have not been able to get clear margins after 3 x lx. Scared that it may have reached the chest wall [sigh). Take care all

yaaaaaay!! So happy for you ..hugs

Popping over from February 2016 thread.

Good news for you, grandma3x!

BlueHeron, glad to hear you're doing well and still happy with the no recon decision, I am as well. Wonderful that you've had a good experience with the prosthetic. I can't wait to get mine because I really don't like the bra and cami inserts.

Have a good week all.