August 2016 Surgeries

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  • TNpotato
    TNpotato Member Posts: 71
    edited August 2016

    Dennyse - Good to hear that the dizziness is getting better. You just went thru a very physically exhausting operation, I think it's normal to feel down. I hope that the weekend brings you some cheer! Hugs!

    MirandaPriestly & ayr1016 - :) Yay! Hope the healing goes quickly for you both!

    s1d1c1u1 - That is FANTASTIC!! So happy for you! May your luck rub off on all of us! :))

    dottyrobin - Howdy! Looks like you're the day after me. Hope we both breeze thru!

    Blueorange - I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time! :( "3 hr drive home"-UGH! Hope you are feeling a bit better this weekend!

    Milwmama - "Congrats to the NEDs and to the rest of us, we are almost done, just another step :)" I'm right there with you! Rads and adj. chemo in my future! The surgery is just one more step on the way to all of us hopefully being healthy and able to continue on with our lives. And congrats on the ooph going well! That's terrific news! :)

    Fiddler - I'm sorry to hear about the dizziness and weakness! Hope the weekend refreshes you and that you'll start feeling much better very soon!

    Hope all you lovely ladies who are in recovery heal quickly and that all of us scared n00bs who are waiting can have the grace and resolve you all have shown! Hugs to all of us!



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  • bethanygb1
    bethanygb1 Member Posts: 31
    edited August 2016

    I am at the beginning of all this- need to see if I need any rads in a couple weeks, I am hoping not to!

    I had surgery, very small (1cm) DCIS diagnosed, had lumpectomy, clear margins, 49 years old, super fit, I play competitive tennis 5 days a week, no BC in family. One child age 13.

    Had SNB, all clear no spreading. My surgeon wants me to see an Oncologist.

    __________________

    Dx 7/15/2016, DCIS, Left, 1 cm, 9 mm, 3 mm

    Stage 0, ER+/PR+, HER2+

    Surgery 8/21/2016 Lumpectomy with SNB-clear margins no spreading

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Hope you don't need rads, Bethany.

    I was doing pretty well, hadn't taken a pain pill since Thursday night. Ice wasn't cutting it, so I changed the sports bra I was wearing for a different style. Ended up taking a pill.

    Hope everyone else is doing well.

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  • Hope_Faith
    Hope_Faith Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2016

    I'm new to this community but it's have been so helpful to read your stories and tips through this beginning process. :)

    I'm having a BMX with DIEP reconstruction on 8/17. After 7 weeks of multiple consults and all the resulting appointments, I am so ready for this cancer to be taken out of me. It's been a roller coaster as it took 3 weeks just to get initial consults and then my diagnosis evolved over two weeks and consults from thinking I could have just a lumpectomy to learning that due to extensive DCIS, in addition to two invasive spots, MX was the only option. Decided on bilateral as I never want to go through this again

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  • emma2015
    emma2015 Member Posts: 11
    edited August 2016

     

    emma2015 wrote:


    Surgery: August 10 2016  

    Hi to everyone here....

      I thank everyone here for the experiences they have shared, it has made such a difference about the decision I made. I have not had one moment of regret or sadness in having chosen a bilateral mastectomy, to be honest after surgery, I actually felt happy that I made the choice. There's been a moments of some searing or burning sensation but I was fortunate that the pain medication was given at the needed times and have been carefully spaced out to keep away the discomfort. I am so thankful for the Christine E Lynn Women's Center everyone has been so wonderful there. My doctor called me late today with the final pathology, the sentinal nodes were clear. The left breast was clear, and the cancer cells that they found in the core biopsy of the right breast were contained in that area. I am so gratetful, It's my new mission for everyone I know to have a mammogram every year.....and my new voice is catch the problem before you find the lump.......Big thanks to the Warriors in Pink that sent me a Jackie Jacket.....what a comfortable item to wear after surgery it makes everything so easier....Every one please take a visit to alittleeasierrecovery.org they have so much for women to help them through these difficult stages.  Hopefully by the 18th the drains will be removed and I can restart my life one day at a time.

    Love and thanks to you all

     
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  • mltdd
    mltdd Member Posts: 87
    edited August 2016

    Those of you that have had an Oophorectomy was it laparoscopic? I am scheduled for a robot assisted laparoscopic one on Tuesday and was wondering about the recovery. Thanks and I hope everyone on this board is doing well in recovery with the least amount of pain possible.

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  • Bagsharon
    Bagsharon Member Posts: 200
    edited August 2016

    Fiddler: A friend brought me homemade kombucha (fermented tea) and it wasn't sour at all; in fact it was sweet. I don't know if commercially made kombucha is sweet but it may be worth a try. And the reason I might need chemo is because my oncotype score was 20. They weren't going to initially recommend chemo based on just that but with what they found in surgery, it tipped the scale.

    thereisnodespair: I'm doing well, thanks for asking. My BS scheduled the surgery so that I could still go on a planned camping trip (where I am right now - I go nowhere without my mobile wifi!) It's nice to have this week off not just from work but from all things cancer. I had my first run this morning since the surgery. It was only 2.5 miles instead of my usual 5 and there was a lot of walking but it felt great to be somewhat normal.

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  • thereisnodespair
    thereisnodespair Member Posts: 121
    edited August 2016

    B"H

    Bagsharon I applaud your going on with what you planned- have a great trip, sounds like the best to just have a few days "cancer free" ...... enjoy!

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  • Fiddler
    Fiddler Member Posts: 128
    edited August 2016

    thanks for the tea recommendation, Bagsharon. I'm very impressed that you have already gone for a run! I cannot imagine that at this point.

    I'm starting to feel better in terms of the dizziness & weakness. Actually went to the store today because I needed to buy some "wireless" bras! But I seem to be having more pain. I think I didn't at first because everything was very numb. I had a visit from the (male)visiting nurse today and he said everything looks really good in terms of the incisions healing. Hoping the pain will start to subside in a few days.

    Starting to get tired of sitting around the house though. I think I will go for some short walks with husband and dog....I cannot walk the dog on my own as he is a 75 lb German Shepherd! 🐾

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  • MirandaPriestly
    MirandaPriestly Member Posts: 28
    edited August 2016

    officially 3 days post op. Ended up choosing to stay 2 nights at the hospital as I wasn't ready to give up the option of iv pain meds after the first night, although I think I used them just once after a resident stripped my drain tubes rather crudely and without explanation as to what he was doing. Being back home is much more comfortable but now I'm really noticing the emotional effects of having a bilateral mastectomy. Neighbors are starting to get informed etc and I struggle with being the center of attention as it is. I guess since I was unlucky enough to get breast cancer at 31 I'm just going to have to get used to people looking at me and treating me as if I'm someone to feel sorry for (I hate it!!!).

    The bitterness scares me. I know it's all so new but I just can't see how to get past it. It's all so unfair what is happening to all of us...

    Anyway. Can't wait to get my drains out. The PS thought 2 this week and the final 2 next week. Can't come soon enough!!

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Miranda, what a sucky thing, to get breast cancer at your age. I have found that my friends don't seem to pity me, they are just concerned. I have kept going on about my life as before, taking time out when I need to. They see me, out doing the things I love, and they give me back what I put out. If I'm smiling and laughing, they are too. If I have a bad day and shed a tear or two, they are quick with a hug. Most people just want to help but don't know how. Let them cook for you, or walk your dog. It will help both of you feel better. Hugs!

    I'm doing pretty well. The bottom of my incision is bugging me because it is right at the bottom of the breast, where all bras are the most snug. This too shall pass.

    Best wishes today for Kate376!

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    mltdd, I had a partial laprascopic hysterectomy (uterus and tubes) before I got breast cancer. What I remember is that the incisions for the instruments were what hurt. Speedy recovery wishes for you after your surgery tomorrow.

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  • Fiddler
    Fiddler Member Posts: 128
    edited August 2016

    Miranda, your situation totally sucks.. My daughter is 30 and I can't imagine her having to deal with this. The bitterness is real but you may find a way to deal with it in time.

    My situation is slightly different but at age 42 I was diagnosed with a precursor condition to multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer)....when the docs found this protein I have they were convinced they would find myeloma or another disease similar to it. I've gone through many rounds of biopsies and waiting...all the while, the doctors say you could get myeloma or you couldn't....we'll never know or be able to predict. It has been really rough and I have felt bitter quite often. Especially since I have never gotten a "real" diagnosis, even though meanwhile this protein is slowly destroying my kidneys--people think I'm just fine, because I look fine. "Nothing could be wrong with you; you look so great!" Eventually I just stopped sharing this info with most people because no one really understood. What I realized after all these years (it's been 16 years now) is that no one will EVER understand--it's you who are going through it and you have to make your own peace with it.

    Now, after going through all that, I have breast cancer! Boy was I ever mad when I left the ultrasound appt where the radiologist told me she was sure it was cancer. But soon after I was able to treasure the small victories....they found this early, and early breast cancer sure beats a diagnosis of myeloma. You do have to give yourself time to work through the bitterness and eventually will hopefully come to some sort of way to make peace with it....or at least be less bitter.

    Didn't want to go on and on about me, but I hope my experience can help others.

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Fiddler, I get that a lot. "You look great"! They mean well, they really do.

    My surgeon just called with my pathology. She said we needed to do this e-excision because they found a tiny bit of DCIS that they hadn't gotten the first time.

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Back in a regular bra today. It feels so much better than the sports bras for some reason.

    AmeliaPond, good luck tomorrow

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  • Tiggerousity
    Tiggerousity Member Posts: 69
    edited August 2016

    My surgery is 8/19. I am terrified. Usually I am such a strong person but this one has got me

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  • Tiggerousity
    Tiggerousity Member Posts: 69
    edited August 2016

    Hugs and tons of compassion. This is hard stuff. You have every right to your feelings. Let it be. It will pass through. You are grieving. <3

    Liell

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  • Tiggerousity
    Tiggerousity Member Posts: 69
    edited August 2016

    Yes, B'H!

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Tigger, which kind of surgery are you having

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  • Dressage49
    Dressage49 Member Posts: 8
    edited August 2016

    Hi, I made it through surgery, Yea! My left side is draining great but my rt,side is swollen and not draining so well - painful too. Saw the dr yesterday and he wants to wait another 10 days..!! It does feel like it goes on forever! Then my breast surgeon found cancer in the one sentinel node she took out, she wants me to heal for a month then I will be seeing a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist., we also have to wait for my oncontype score!!! It just keeps coming!

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  • smilethrupain
    smilethrupain Member Posts: 160
    edited August 2016

    8/4, left mastectomy with reconstruction. Still have one drain. The strange thing is that it doesn't hurt, but the breast where the TE is and my armpit where the nodes were removed, burns. Like pins and niddles and burning sensation. The doc said it may last up to 3 wks... Got good news today 0/3 nodes. Still waiting for oncotype dx....

    Waiting is excruciating. Waited 5 weeks after diagnosis for surgery... Now waiting for treatment ....good luck everyone

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  • thereisnodespair
    thereisnodespair Member Posts: 121
    edited August 2016

    B"H

    How is everyone doing?

    Good luck to TNPotato and Tiggerousity with your upcoming surgeries.

    Maybe someone here can give me some advice.... I received the pathology from my surgery today. Good news is that the margins are cancer-free, and that the tumor even though not small 3.2 was smaller than originally thought. Too, the KI67 is much lower than the first biopsy (and they are not sure how that is possible, went from 30% down to 8%) and i finally got a "grade" - 1. Problem though is that they removed 3 nodes during the surgery, and one of them was had BC. Saw the MO today, his "theory" is that all my factors taken into account - chemo would only change my prognosis by 1%. and he thought the best thing would be for me have a lymph-node dissection and have mnore nodes removed to be tested because is there are more nodes involved the more reasonable it would be to do chemo (besides the rradiation and hormonal treatments).

    Has anyone been in a similar situation? To me it seems crazy to do more surgery just to discover if more nodes are involved. Has anyone here skipped chemo even though nodes were involved - does radiation destroy cancerous cells in nodes anyways?

    thanks - hope everyone is doing well... the difficult thing here really is that everytime you reach what you were hoping was some kind of "final line" only to discover there are more questions and decisions to be made and fears to cope with.....


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  • Samcpa
    Samcpa Member Posts: 9
    edited August 2016

    BMX with direct implant reconstruction 8/9/2016

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  • Fiddler
    Fiddler Member Posts: 128
    edited August 2016

    Thereisnodespair---wow, how frustrating is that. It will be a tough decision. Even though I am having this pain now from the lymph node biopsy, I might opt to have some more of them biopsied if I were you--just to be sure. But it's a very personal choice.

    Smilethrupain, I am having the same thing. I had a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy Aug. 8th and for the first week my armpit was quite numb, but now that the numbness has worn off, I am having a lot of pain there--it feels like what you are describing, like a burning, searing pain, or a really bad sunburn. From what I've looked up this is nerve pain and regular painkillers don't work on it. I am also frustrated with all the waiting. I was put in a rapid diagnosis program where I got my diagnosis within a week, but then waited six weeks for surgery. I now wait another 2 + weeks for my pathology report...don't know anything beyond what the biopsy said. It does (the waiting) seem better now, though, that the surgery is over. I'm trying not to think too much about what the pathology will say. The surgeon said my lymph nodes "looked good" so I'm banking on that for now. Don't get my referral to radiation oncologist & medical oncologist till Sept. 2.

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  • ayr1016
    ayr1016 Member Posts: 228
    edited August 2016

    I am 8 days out from surgery. I get twinges of pain and zaps at the node incision site. I'm also all of a sudden much more tired. The other thing that has all of a sudden come on (yesterday at one week post op) is that I am nauseous. I ate some crackers yesterday and have had some crackers today. I have not gotten my path report. The surgeon was going to call Monday and then yesterday, but did not hear from her. I have an appointment to see her tomorrow, so I do not think that I will be getting a call today. Kind of bummed about the fact that I did not get my results yet because it has been heavy on my mind.

    thereisnodespair - that is a tough decision. What about getting a 2nd opinion?

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  • thereisnodespair
    thereisnodespair Member Posts: 121
    edited August 2016

    B"H

    thanks to you all, yes I will have to get a second opinion. the waiting for results - its really the hard part isn't it? but i've begun to think that there is some good in it - teaching ourselves to accept the outcome whatever it may be. i guess it gets us used to the idea that we have cancer, because how insane is that really when a few short months ago we knew nothing about any of this!

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  • mltdd
    mltdd Member Posts: 87
    edited August 2016

    Hi ladies -- I am home recovering. Pain is pretty good today. The doc found a fibroid when she went in for the ooph. I took a while to come out from the anesthesia which is not usual for me. Hoping this is the last surgery.

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  • LoveMyVizsla
    LoveMyVizsla Member Posts: 813
    edited August 2016

    Thereisnodespair, my surgeon has told me twice now, that radiation isn't a good substitute for clear margins. That's why she did my re-excision. So in your case, I guess that would mean she would want to get any remaining cancerous nodes out, in addition to radiation. I'd still get a second opinion though.


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  • beebs2704
    beebs2704 Member Posts: 128
    edited August 2016

    Fiddler, if the waiting is too unbearable...try going to see your GP and get your results before your MO appointment. I did this so I knew my ER/PR and hER2 numbers. I felt better prepared for the oncologist appointment and it eased up the anxiety of the wait.

    I'm now waiting for the Oncotype to come back/MO on vacation and go back September 1.


    B

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  • Milwmama
    Milwmama Member Posts: 115
    edited August 2016

    Hello ladies. Had my post op with the surgeon today after two weeks. Pulled my final drain thank God. First words out of her mouth when she walked in "Congrats on being cancer free!" Now I believe it!! Yeah!!

    Margins and nodes were clear. Two microscopic tumors found in removed affected breast but she was not worried about that at all. My Onc said he will still be putting me on Xeloda after radiation as a fail safe since I'm TN.

    Still steps to go, and no guarantees, but I'll take it. On to PT to get my arms worked on, then radiation.

    Today was a very good day. :)

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