Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

Good luck tomorrow, Trish!

Wishing you a speedy recovery Trish!

I will plan on sleeping in the recliner just because I kind of have to crawl into bed since it is so high. I'll be able to have my daughters sleep in the TV room with me which I think will help with their anxiety if they can help me out. I might move to the bedroom Friday. I also have 3 dogs and they all sleep with me. I have a better chance of keeping them off if I sleep in the recliner.

Trish-best wishes tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you...

What should I plan on wearing tomorrow? Bra? I'm very large (44DD). I could not find a front button up top. I just wear loose t-shirts. I bought a couple new ones and a large sleeveless PJ.

ej- if you don't have a button down, find a larger shirt and practice putting it on and taking it off without moving the bad arm. Start by putting that arm in, then head then good arm, then reverse the process. It's definitely feasible to do it this way, but practicing will make sure you have an appropriately sized shirt as well as sufficient mobility. And good luck

I just got the pathology back from my lumpectomy. My original DCIS dx has turned into 2 spots of invasive cancer. One spot is 11mm and the other is 4.5mm and they were not next to each other. Every slide had DCIS on it.

It is being tested for HER2 status right now and i hope to know more about that today.

Bilateral mastectomy is in my near future.

I wonder if I will still have to have radiation? I forgot to ask that question??

Traci, boy that sure was a surprise! You must be in shock. Did your surgeon recommend a BMX? Not sure about the radiation, I'm sure others can share their experience. Let us know what you find out today. How are you feeling? Did you have an Oncotype Test done? Can I do anything? I'll be there in later in June and will be glad to help out. Enveloping you in a big hug!

HUGS!

Just got home from vacation and called my BS to find out my Oncotype score. Feeling relieved as it was 10. Looks like my rads simulation is a go for Thursday and I follow up with my MO next Monday on aromatase therapy.

Katzpjays, YEA for the great Oncotype score. Nice to move on to the next stage of your treatments!

HUGS!

Created, Great news on the clear nodes!!! Yuck on the seroma. Enjoy the couch and stay as comfortable as possible.

HUGS!

Created, I'm so happy your nodes are clear!!!! I'm not able to keep up well today, but prayers for healing for any with recent surgery and and for those having to make those dreaded choices. Hugs to all!!! I will try to catch up tomorrow

Sue, great news about the low oncotype! Hooray,now you can relax even more!

Traci, I'm sorry you got not such good news after your surgery. We'll be here for you.

Trish, so glad to hear that the surgery went well!

Created, it is wonderful to hear your nodes are clear! Hooray!

Okay, now to tell about my second opinion. The long and short of it is - yes, I will benefit from chemo. I saw Dr. Mark Moasser at UCSF (pronounced Mow-asser) and a cute junior doctor too. Dr Moasser thought my Ki67 of 30% (high) was a more important factor than the PR+ of 40%, but that both things contributed to my onco score of 26. He brought up the TailorX study and the fact that for that study, the intermediate category, which was randomized to chemo/no chemo, included scores 11 to 25. My score of 26 would have been considered high and automatically received chemo. As far as percent benefit, Dr. Moasser thinks my risk of recurrence will be reduced somewhere between 7 and 10 percent, so that my final risk will end up in the single digits. For chemo, he recommends the standard four rounds of TC, 3 weeks apart. The UCSF clinic was extremely efficient and everyone was very friendly. I had no wait. They had a white board in the waiting room which told if any doctor was behind schedule and by how much. It's nice to see institutions thinking about ways to make the patient's lives a little less stressful.

I asked him his opinion on estrogen treatment for vaginal dryness. He said that Estring, a ring which is inserted for 90 days, has been shown to be safe, but he was still wary of creams.

My tooth surgery went okay this morning but I'm feeling a bit sleepy! I'll check back later.

Peggy, I will have my treatment locally, probably with my current MO unless she throws me another curveball at my appointment tomorrow. I asked Dr. Moasser if he could recommend another MO in my area, but he didn't know any. He felt it was important to get treated locally so that any urgent side effects could be dealt with quickly. San Francisco was a 4.5 hour drive for me. I'll hopefully know my starting date when I'm done with my appointment tomorrow. The endodontist said to try wait two weeks to allow the surgery to heal before beginning chemo.

Thank you all for the kind thoughts and positive energy. I was just numb yesterday. I heard from the doc and the IDC is also ER/PR+ . No word yet on the HER2 status. I am assuming that will be an indicator for chemo if it is positive - or maybe i will need it either way? I am not sure about that.

I guess now I need to think more about reconstruction after the BMX. That is big decision. Yikes!

I bought a few new pajama shorts sets that I will have modified to open in the front for the weeks after surgery. I felt I needed to do SOMETHING today to get "ready". I am really not sure what to do next.

I looked at renting a recliner. I may buy one instead?

It just seems unreal to me. Trying to stay calm and focused.

What else do I need to know?

Traci, when do you think you'll have your BMX? I do understand the need to DO SOMETHING. It's so hard waiting around for things to happen. I can't give you advice about reconstruction, others will have to do that. You're definitely in my thoughts.

HUGS!