Well op went well yesterday, had to take a lot of tissue out surrounding the lump apparently so got a nice crater in my right boob but hey no bloody CANCER!!!
Had a bit of a rough nights sleep once home (7.30pm last night). Managed to sleep through to 1:30am then after trying for at least 10 minutes to get myself up out of bed without waking hubbie, I sat and watched total rubbish on telly downstairs and got back into bed at 4:30am. Boob area is sore but copeable but under my arm is just agony. I am taking painkillers (paracetamol) but it just does not seem to be kicking it in the butt at all. I am dreading the coming days as it gets stiff it will kill me even more then! Just managed to have a nice shower so feel a little brighter now.
So back in the “waiting room” for me again, not great but trying to be positive and not get too hung up on it. Feel in good spirits today so making the most of it as I feel sure I am gonna hit a wall of low moments again soon.
If you can cope with the constipation it sometimes causes, give codeine a go. I had some co-codamol and they were pretty effective, but the armpit thing really is sore because they do push the nerves around quite a bit.
Well done for getting through it, and I hope you are able to get lots of rest today. The GA may mess around with your sleep patterns for a couple of days, so snooze when you need to and watch night-time telly if you need to.
Well done! My underarm was much more sore than the WLE. They told me ibuprofen would help as it is an anti inflammatory. If you can cope with it they did seem to take the edge off… Codeine makes me sick so I avoided stronger painkillers as much as possible but did get tired and need to snooze on and off for a few days.
Totally freaked out when I took a look at the scars, not because they were horrible but because no one told me they were going to slap some kind of pink antiseptic stuff all over the area and I initially thought I had really been bleeding until I realised it just wipes off! I also trimmed bits off the clingfilm like dressing with my nail sissors and used wipes when it started to get itchy as it drove me mad not being able to wash!
The waiting for the all clear is painful but you have made a big step forward and it is great when you realise the bc has gone xx
Great that u are in good spirits today! Just rest as much as u can, I had mastectomy & 3 weeks later here I am & I’m doing good, lots of movement in my arm, back on a lower dose of codeine (found higher dose very very constipating!) & doing my exercises but it’s feeling a bit better every day.
It’s a pain waiting for results, just concentrate on healing for now.
It’s so nice to hear that you are at home recovering! Make sure you get lots and lots of rest. I also think co-codamol are really good for pain relief. I took them as a course with ibuprofen after my surgery, rather than wait and take them when I felt really sore.
The co-codamol knock you out a bit too, which helps at night time!
well done u! chill out now and watch lots of rubbish tv!thinkin of u!i can hear tth clock tick tockin til my turn! take care,hope u get decent nite 2nite with gentle hug alex xxx
welcome home tracy (miniminx) just thought i would pop in before i go to bed if i can sleep that is ,as tracy and alex know i too had my op but had it today was lucky to be the first one done so was home by 4 (went to my sister first so out by 2)boob area mybe sore but underarm is killing me and is black and blue , im watching the clock for pain killers lol think i have done too much tbf carnt seem to sit still i have co-codamol for pain and they are helping as i forget and move my arm so im joing tracy in the waiting room again only 13 days to go and ill know just hope they dont go slow so with that said im off tomorrow is another day just hope its a good one
hugs maz xxx
Maz darlin’ hope you are ok this morning. I slept much better last night but still feel like I have done ten rounds with Mike Tyson!!! Tired but do not want to sleep all the time just feel that life is passing me by but then again not got any energy for anything and trying so hard not to follow hubby round tidying up after his tidying up if you know what I mean!!!
Am out tonight with the girls from work to see a show in Poole. This was organised before bc became an issue but I am determined to go as I think it will do me good, probably be exhausted and suffer for it the following day but hey ho such is life.
Not sure if it is normal or me but feel a bit unwell but not sure really what is wrong…yep you guessed it I have lost the plot completely!!! Just don’t feel like me and thats the only way to explain it. Got a headache but otherwise seem ok but just not me. Arm is still giving me grief but I think this is going to be the case for while. Doc prescribed co-dydramol for me yesterday and took some when hubbie got back with them but then my head started killing me and I felt sick so I can only assume that they do not agree with me and have reverted back to paracetamol this morning.
I think what I might be trying to say is I am fed up but don’t want to say it or admit it as people will only get sick of me whinging.
Love
Tracy xxxx
p.s Still getting the “you will be fine” oh and “at least the cancer has gone” comments…why don’t people just p*** o** and not bother saying anything!!! (sorry) xxx
hope you had a good night out hun been yrs since i went out other than shopping i forgot wot it was like so hope you enjoyed yourself , i know wot you mean when you say mike tyson lol that sure is one way to put it , im starting to get sume sleep but stil waking up early hours, tonight i was walking down the stairs and i felt like a burning feeling and like my arm went pop now i can pull my arm closer to my body god knows wot that was all about , i removed one of the dressing (on my boob) and was shocked to see a scar very thin from one side to the other now im not small in the boobs so its big but looks very neat and im sure it will heal to almost nothing which im happy about dont ask me about he one under the arm cos there is no way im touching that one yet lol all the pain is from my arm if they tell me they only took 3/4 nodes out i would be shock cos the cut is as big as the one on my boob.
Alex wishing you all the best for monday (think that when you going in ) hope we havent put you off but im sure we have now all i can say to that is a big sorry the op is fine it just the pain afterwards and the tears feeling sorry for oneself cos you carnt do much i also feel quilty for making hubby do everything so that aint helping more so when the poor man had to pull me knickers ups for 2 days yet our love life is a no no right now talk about tease lol it is getting better pain is dieing down slowly i can move my arm more even with the infaction so try not to worrie to much
take care both of you
sending hugs you way
maz xx
Tracy, I was told to alternate paracetamol and ibuprofen; that way you can keep the level up without overdosing. Codeine makes me sick as well.
Try putting an icepack under your arm, either well wrapped or over clothing. Or put a damp flannel in a sandwich bag and put it either in the coldest part of the fridge or in the freezer for a few minutes. The lymph node incisions hurt a lot more than a breast incision because more nerves are involved and cold will help numb them a bit.
Cheryl thanks for the tip with regards to something cold, you are so right about the lymph node incision it is a nasty one for sure!
Maz, did not go out with the girls in the end just could not do it. I had a really bad day on Thursday with tears and pain and when it came to getting myself up and ready to go out I just could not do it. Thats when I really knew that I was not on top form because I was so determined to go but the body just would not let me. I am obviously sad I could not make it as I had been looking forward to it but nothing else I could do.
The pain under arm is a little improved today and I have managed to use my arm a little bit more than previous but it still bloody hurts!!! Like you I hope they took enough nodes to make this all worth while…one or two seems such an insult for the level of pain!!! Got appointment this morning through post to return for my results, Wednesday 13 April. I am going to apply for a season ticket to the Ladybird Unit at Poole Hospital as got to go next Wednesday, 6 April to the same place for them to have a look at the prolapse of the womb…what a complete nightmare!!!
Alex, hope you are doing as you are told sweetheart and trying hard to enjoy your weekend and not focus on the op on Monday. Worrying will not help and thinking too much only makes you anxious and believe me there is nothing to be worried or anxious about. Yes you may feel out of sorts once you get home, I guess thats to be expected, but the op itself is a doddle and you can and will do it no problem. Keep smiling we are here if you need us.
Its the not knowing that causes the worry and not the procedure believe me. Just prepare yourself for a rough day on day two post op, many tears and being somewhat uncontrollable. This appears to be a combination of facing up to the cancer and the op and also the anasestetic as well. The boob area is a little tender but keep your softie/sports bra on 24 hours a day and you will be completely comfortable. The armpit is another story and I am not going to tell you that is fine because it is NOT. Dependant on how much work is done in this area will be the final result of pain. I was in with a co-sufferer and she only had a couple of nodes removed and appeared to be in much less pain than me…not sure if that is good or bad really but you will get through it I promise.
Just concentrate on today, enjoy the company of the kids as worrying today will not change what you have to do. That is one key thing I have realised, worrying and fretting will not change anything…we have the Big C and we have to do all we can to get rid of it my sweet.
Hi, Sorry the SNB is causing such pain Tracy, it can be really nasty and I know a few people who’ve had a lot of pain/bruising.
Just to say, I think it does vary because compared from the pain you are suffering, I only had mild discomfort really. It did get worse later in the day and I only found out when I went back for results that part of the pain anyway was because I had a build up of fluid which needed draining. They told me that because it is in a confined space, fluid build up can make it really sore so if it continues it might be worth checking with BCN (draining it was just a needle into a numb bit and it felt soooo much better after it was done).
Alex, best of luck with the op. I had a WLE and SNB and think I was pretty lucky with after effects. It really wasn’t too bad. Waiting for results caused me way more probs than anything surgical. Thinking about you all xx
Thank you so much for the tip concerning the SNB, it is still very sore and I am finding the only way to make it feel comfortable is to keep my arm lifted slightly, even in bed at night I keep it up on a pillow. I probably look a bit odd when I am out having my arm up in the air but hey who cares, it helps!!! Got to go for check up with nurse at surgery on Tuesday but may see if I can bring it forward to tomorrow so she can check it out form me.
Hi Tracy, If it helps you to compare with your SNB, mine felt raised and tender on either side of the scar. It was almost sore to the touch and certainly when I put my arm down it was sore. It just sounded a bit like yours might be the same and it felt so much better with the fluid drained off it xx