Came home on Tuesday after lumpectomy and lymphs. Finally got rid of the yukky drain thingy today (made me feel queasy looking at it).
I’m getting reasonable movement back and am looking forward to a much better sleep tonight, but am getting awfully sweaty under the arm.
The scar isn’t very high up under the armpit but the armpit is still a bit numb. Just wondering when other’s have started spraying again… (I hate roll ons)
Ta
mousy
Hi Mousy
How is your swelling? I escaped from hospital on Sunday, (had mastectomy and lymph node clearance last Wednesday) and am still considerably swollen in the area.
How is it with you?
By the way, I’m using Pit Rok crystal deodorant, non perfumed and natural (they tell me). I spray it on my hand and dab my underarm which feels so weird because it’s still numb. I find my sweat smells terrible at the moment and can’t go without deodorant
Cecelia. x
p.s. that drain thing was making me feel sick, carrying it around in a carrier bag in hospital and it got all sloshy! YEUCHHHHHH!
Hi Mousy and Cecelia (Cecelia I just replied to you on the other thread).
I’ve also just got back from surgery. It’s nice to chat with others who’ve been through the same at the same time.
My drains had to be changed once as they completely filled up and they were horrible. At the moment the fluid seems to be building up around my back and armpit area.
Did either of you have a cut made in your armpit as well as breast? I had just the one cut in my breast and the surgeon seems to have gone through that cut into my armpit in order to take out my lymph nodes. I’m very numb and rather sore and the numbness goes slightly round my back as well.
I use that pitrock you were talking about (a roll on one) and it’s good and like I said above I wasn’t cut in my armpit area so can put deodorant on. Am due back at hospital next week for results and further treatment plan.
What are the next steps for you two?
Rebz xx
Hi Rebz
I’m glad it went OK for you, the drains are utterly disgusting, sorry to hear you had to have yours changed. The one from my front came out the day after my op, the other on Sunday before I came home, (it was leaking a bit - again, YEUCHHHH!)
I have a small cut near my armpit but I’m finding it hard to inspect the area. I can’t look at my wound which is still bandaged, and I called the nurse today about swelling. She said it sounds like fluid build up and to pop in and see her before the weekend which I will do.
Other than that same plan for me, results next week and further treatment plan, i.e. radiotherapy.
Cecelia. x
Hello again I know I just replied to you on the other thread but thought I’d reply to this one too.
ohhhhh how scarey about our results. How many lots of chemo did you have before the op? I had 6 - 3 of FEC and 3 of Taxotere and herceptin. I’m having herceptin for a year so that’s every 3 weeks I have to go to hospital for the infusion - I just can’t get away from the place!
I just can’t get over the flatness of my chest - obviously it’s all bandaged up but I feel like I did pre puberty it’s so weird. I may even end up having a double mastectomy but that will come at a later date and the reason being that there is some calcification on the other side but not cancerous. My consultant told me it would be dealt with in a completely different way to the bad side i.e. counselling etc. I was told that if you’ve had BC once you’re more prone to getting it again so I’d rather get rid of the other one too esp as there are some cysts in it and they worry me.
Anyway am off to sleep now. Got to get up to visit breast care nurse and see if wound needs draining like you.
Rebz xxxx
Hi Rebz again!
I had 5 FEC and 2 Taxotere. I’m worrying now about return, but it’s late at night (for us anyway) so off to bed like you, me with my new V shaped pillow which is sooooo comfortable.
Take care, feel well, and “talk” soon.
Cecelia. x
Hello Cecelia
Hope you slept well - I sleep well most nights as my GP prescribed me something to help me sleep - I’m in a much better frame of mind when I get a good night’s sleep.
I too worry about it returning - then I force myself to think more positively but it’s hard for us as life will never be the same again. I’ve got that v shaped pillow as well in fact I’ve got a huge selection of pillows due to the fact that I hurt my neck and shoulder about 7 years ago and ended up spending a fortune trying to get the right one! I even took my favourite pillow into hospital with me which meant I slept better than I would have done without it.
Anyway I’ve decided not to go to the hospital today as had a chat with the breast care nurse and she said that the body has to find a way of dealing with the fluid and if they keep draining it this won’t happen so will leave it for a while unless it becomes really uncomfortable.
Keep up the exercises and you also take care and feel well.
speak soon
Rebz xxx
Hi ladies
I had a WLE and some lymph nodes removed in Sept. I didn’t have any drains put in and fluid did build up but my body absorbed it just as the nurses said it would. I said I sounded like a fine wine every time I lent forward. Hope yours goes ok Rebz. I use the Aloe Vera deodorant I got from the McMillan centre it’s not very strong and I do find my left side now produces a much stronger body odour so it barely manages for more than a few hrs.
Good luck ladies
Caz x
Hello ladies.
Caz it’s so good how we can put a funny slant on something that’s so unpleasant - I liked your likening the sound of the fluid to a fine wine and thanks for the advice - it’s interesting because some people say they smell more since treatment and some people say they smell less. Most of the time I dress in cooler clothes due to the hot flushes I get from the Zoladex injections they gave me to switch off my ovaries. Thankfully those injections have now finished as they were extremely unpleasant. My oncologist used to take the mickey out of me for complaining each time I had one - I asked him if he had ever had one obviously he said no and I told him that he should try it!
Anyway ladies, Cecelia and Caz something nice - a friend of mine just came round for lunch. She has done so much for me. She always buys me things each time she comes over and she asked what she could bring and I told her nothing just herself and that she has done enough. Anyway she gave me an envelope with a voucher inside - I was about to tell her off (nicely) when I saw that the voucher was a voucher to allow me to call her anytime day or night whenever I needed - no expiry date. How sweet is that.
Anyway hoping you ladies have a good day. I’m off out shortly with another friend for a mooch around the shops.
Rebz xxx
That is really lovely Rebz… how sweet of her.
I slept well and am seeing the nurse tomorrow but I will mention the body absorbing and ask her if she thinks this is best.
Happy shop mooching!
Cecelia. x
Back from shopping mooching! my little niece is here (she’s 5) and adorable and she’s watching 102 dalmations with my dad.
I’m still very swollen and would be really interested to hear what your nurse says to you tomorrow as then I can decide what to do.
Have a lovely evening and hope you sleep well tonight as well.
Rebz xx
Hi Rebz
I will let you know what the nurse says tomorrow.
Sounds like you had a nice day!
Cecelia. x
I did have a second cut for the lymph nodes but it wasn’t as far up into my pit as I thought it would be. It’s a bit hard to tell if there’s still swelling as I’m quite overweight and large-boobed anyway, but it feels a little like I’ve got “too much armpit” when my arm is down so I think there may be a little there still to go down.
I am now quite mobile and, as long as I don’t overdo it stretching up for things or taking the kids’ weights, things are coming along nicely. I have an appt on the 5th to find out what they made of what they took out… I use Sure deodorant but haven’t yet sprayed the affected armpit. I like this one and don’t want to change. I know I have to stop while having radiotherapy but hopefully things will get back to normal after that???
They didn’t even give me a carrier bag at the hospital until when I was going home. I had to carry mine around in a cardboard bedpan…
I still have radiotherapy left to go. Already did chemo.
mousy
PS Is that pillow the one some ladies refer to as the “George Clooney pillow”…?
Hi Ladies
My appointment is also on the 5th too am a bit nervous about it as I’m sure you are too Mousy. I’ve also got radiotherapy next (had chemo) so sounds like a few of us have done chemo first followed by op and next rads - we can join the rads gang now! I’ve had a really brief look at my scar and it seems to be just one long scar which stretches near to my armpit but not into it.
The whole area is so uncomfortable, the skin is sore and the swelling is quite bad. I’ve left a message for the breast care nurse to call me to arrange for me to come in tomorrow and drain it. I wish I’d had it done before the weekend like I had planned to do last week before the breast care nurse suggested I leave it for a bit and see how it goes.
RebzAmy
I’m not feeling too bad about the 5th. The chemo shrank my lumps down so much that they weren’t even visible on the mammogram any more and they had to put a wire thingy in to point to the marker. I guess the risk is that they don’t quite have the right spot because they can’t find it…
As for the nodes… well, I seemed to be getting conflicting answers to the question “Are you going to be able to tell me how many nodes *were* originally affected even though they probably aren’t any more?” so who knows…
They did say they definitely aren’t going into the armpit again, so there’s just the risk they might have to open up the breast again… Thta doesn’t sound half as bad on the recovery side of things, which is just as well as my “help” goes back to NZ in a few days time.
mousy
yeah the chemo shrank mine too but not sure how much and I’m also a bit confused about how they can tell how many lymph nodes were originally affected.
I hope you don’t have to have another op. I had a mastectomy so there is nothing further to do save rads. I’m not that familiar with the procedure you had done.
Rebz
Hi Rebz
What do you have your appointment for on the 5th?
How is your swelling. I am very swollen again, as you know I was drained on Friday and I’m in quite a bit of pain , interested to see how you are getting along.
Cecelia. xx
Hi Cecelia
Good to hear from you. My appointment on 5th is to see the oncologist with the results of the operation and what was found and to discuss my further treatment (radiotherapy).
I went to the hospital today to get the swelling drained coz it was all kindda bunched up under my armpit and really uncomfortable. It felt a little better but it’s so sore and swollen and uncomfortable. Just took some more paracetamol. Sounds like we’re in a similar way to me. I think the steri strips come off on Wed (I’ll get the nurse to do that) am nervous about it - am quite squeamish and need to do things in my own time and not quite sure how I’ll handle that.
Are you having rads and if so when? Do you go back to see your consultant or oncologist? Which hospital are you being treated at? I’m at Barnet General Hospital.
Speak soon Rebz xx
Hi Rebz
It’s so uncomfortable today! It does sound like we’re in the same boat. I go in tomorrow to see my consultant, to get results ( I think) and dressing changed etc. I was expecting my rads plan to happen tomorrow too. I will be having it in January they tell me.
I am at Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith.
Cecelia. x