Hi Jellymould,
Well I was an idiot, after surgery on Friday I’d been getting very rapidly better so decided to pop out to the cinema on Tuesday afternoon, had a lovely day, even made a nice dinner for all in the evening and had little pain - everything was fine. Then I went to bed, I guess all the local painkillers must have all worn off in one go as I was up all night, zero sleep, lots of pain - been a proper grump all day (nothing too bad I suppose) and now I’m fed-up again. At least I get all the results from the surgery next Thursday plus my chemo schedule - so I’ve got that look forward to… Missing work too, isn’t daytime TV terrible 
Anyway, rant over, glad you seem well.
Hugs,
Phil.
Posted on behalf of new user Margaret:
Hi Ladies I am new to this site but reading all your comments does help as it shows we are all different even though we have the same bc. I have had 2 ops wide area followed by node operation. I am waiting for my radiotherapy dates but do not have to have chemo, and have just started taking tamox. I am doing well wih some aches in affected sites but nothing too bad. I am hoping that I stay feeling well and can get back to work soon. Margaret
hi phil take it easy, i too have been going faster than my body went out shopping with my mum and dad and by 7.30pm was asleep in bed, im taking my dressings off today as my wounds are healing and are dry the sticky is so irritating, anyway still trying to take it easy. got my results on the 17th, fingers crossed its good news. and phil its ok to have a rant, thats what were here for. x
hi margaret nice to hear from you, im not sure if i need chemo or not, consultant has mentioned it but not given the final decision, i go back on the 17th for the results of the lumpectomy and sn biopsy. good luck with your treatment and take care x
Hello lovely ladies,
Just me checking in again…
I finally got my pathology results…well i had chemo first so it was really to see if the chemo had done its job… I am please to say it did. I am pleased to say that the cancer had shrunk to less than 5% of its original size. The pathology report said there was only odd cells left no lumps! Also there was no cancer left in my lymph nodes. They can tell where it had been though and it had spread to 9 out of 22 they removed. Outcome is i will need to have radiotherapy but i prepared myself for that. So no big surprises…
I had my Herceptin yesterday and feel good today. They do give me IV piriton beforehand which makes me sleepy…so working yesterday afternoon was a write off!
We are now going away on Friday for a few days before i start radiotherapy. Time to relax and let our hair down
Jenny - i had a port fitted. They are really good. I had mine after my first lot of chemo as my veins were rubbish (and i needed herceptin - which is 19 infusions). The only down side for me was that i developed a clot in my right arm pit (portacath side) due to the port, chemo and cancer. SO i am on blood thinning injections (and will be for 6 months). That said - i dont regert having it. They put it in under local anaesthetic. It didnt hurt at all and made chemo delivery a lot easier. Plus its under the skin so does not get in the way when you shower etc…
Margaret - nice to see you. I am glad you are recovering well…I am back working this week (from home). It helps me keep my sanity so i can understand you wanting to get back to it…
JElly - also good to see you are healing well and on the mend…
Phil - i know what you mean about doing too much. I think we start to feel better and push ourselves. And if you are anything like me - i am stubborn and not very patient so i want my arm fixed yesterday
Love to everyone else - sending out lots of healing vibes…
Rae
x
Jen - best of luck for your op today…hope all goes well…
I am not sure why my previous post posted so many times!
omg im sick of these dressings now, my skin is being ripped to shreds, im in more pain from the dressing tape than the actual surgery
Can they not come off? I don’t have any on any more. X
hi raechi, ive taken one off but for some reason the WLE site is still not completly healed, ive tried taking the steristrips off and my skin is coming away from each other.
Oooooh definitely don’t pull them off then. My surgeon took mine off when I went to see him for a check up on Monday. That was 3 weeks post op.
they do drive you mad though I agree!
X
They put this kind of sticky cling-film all over me, feel like I should add some marinade and sit in the fridge for four hours - I think I’m supposed to take it off this weekend (bit scared to be honest).
lol phil, scary stuff taking the bandages off, sticky ribs
Phil - that made me smile
I was told of its too tough to pull it off dont pull too hard…
x
Hi Rae
That’s fantastic news about your path results! Brilliant! have a lovely weekend away and I can promise you that rads is a breeze after chemo and an op!
Love
Joan xxx
Hello ladies. I am back home. I had the mx at 2.30pm on Thursday and was home at 6pm on Friday. I got really lucky and my drain had less than 50mls so it could come out after 24 hours. Had morphine on Thursday - well that was lovely, had two codine since, otherwise coping on regular ibuprufen and paracetamol. I feel uncomfortable in the mornings after 8 hours of no pain killers, it reminded me of after my boys were born and your milk comes in on day 3 and your boobs go numb (the mums will know what I mean). I move very slowly but have spent most of the weekend in bed. My mum moved in to look after me and my boys as I am a single parent. She went home this evening.
Jellymould/Phil - I know what you mean about the dressings, the sticky part seems to pull the skin on my chest. At least they are waterproof and so I had a shower today, shaved my legs and felt a bit more human. Having spent the weekend in bed I will try going for a short walk with my neighbour tomorrow morning.
Rae - thanks for the advice about the port for chemo. Hope you had a great weekend away. Good news on your path report. My friend who had breast cancer last year said to put loads of E45 cream all over your boob throughout the radiotherapy.
Jellymould - I get my results on 17th too. You have my admiration for working with the elderly. I found the ward very diffiult as the elderly patients were very confused and were shouting for most of the night because of confusion and/or pain. I did not sleep a wink and was grateful to get home after one night. Have slept like a log since being at home.
Not sure how I feel about losing a boob, I have my softie fitted to my bra so you cannot see any difference visually, but not sure how I am going to feel when the dressings come off. I am very bruised under the dressings. When I first got changed into my nightie, I did not like the flat look on the one side, so since I had antiicipated being in for 5 days, I had lots of spare pants and so the nurse helped me put on the cheap Primark bra and I stuffed it with two pants so that I looked ‘even’ when the boys came to visit. I think I’m not really fussed about losing a boob, I will get my cleavage back eventually when I have the reconstruction, otherwise, with clothes on, no one can tell the difference. I like Rae’s OB description, you have to laugh about our situations, at least the cancer is out.
Hi girls,
I have got so much reassurance from reading your comments. Seems we are all struggling with some aspect of surgery here and I now don’t feel that I am anything unusual! Its so easy to over extend yourself and the inability to do the smallest task has been so frustrating…
Its been over 4 weeks now and I am feeling much stronger, have started working again but I’m still struggling with exercises. My arm does not seem to be getting any higher, there is a lot of tightness and tenderness in the upper arm still…and I am due to see the oncologist about radiotherapy next week!
jellymould and Phil - I hope you’ve managed to get the dressings off now. It took a while to get the last of mine off and it wasn’t the nicest thing to do. I fetched the last few off in the shower…but left them until they eased off without pulling. And it took a while before I got all the sticky residue off too! Horrible stuff.
I now feel much better about looking at the wound. I make myself confront it each morning and it isn’t as bad as I though it would be. It’s really helped to have the support of family and friends who still treat me the same way they always have!
Thanks so much for this conversation thread…wish I’d been back on here more often.
Here’s to us!
I’m a guy who had to have a mastectomy late September, just had all the pathology back today and it has spread to my lymph nodes so I’ve got to go in again tomorrow to have them all ripped out - bit…down I guess, I’m sure you can imagine - but we’re on this ride, can’t get off can we. Ah well.
not good news phil, i dont back for my results till next wed, it will of been 2 and half weeks since my op. all the best for tomorrow phil
Hi Stevie b - I know how you feel about the frustration. I can move my arm OK so started to put out the washing on the line this afternoon. Whilst I could not lift the basket of wet clothes, I could go in and out, one item at a time. After 4 items I was exhausted and remembered that my friend would arrive in 30 mins. I went to lie down and wait for her and ask her to finish putting the washing on the line. How pathetic! My dressings came off yesterday and like you, I have a look in the mirror each morning after my shower to see how it looks and get used to it. I am still very bruised and am taking arnica together with the paracetamol for the pain.
Phil - sorry to hear about your results. I have had an axillary node clearance in early August, now it just seems like another op and I hope you are recovering at home soon.
Jelly - fingers crossed for our results on Weds.
Advice from anyone - when did you stop taking the paracetamol for the pain following mx? I take it if I feel uncomfortable, but am still taking it 4 times a day (1 week on). Am I trying to run before I can walk?
Love from Jen x
hello im new here and scared iv been told iv got to have a surgery idont know whats going to happen iv never had surgery before and how long after il be in hospital can some one give me some information thank you my heads every were thank you