Hi everyone i had a WLI + my nodes taken on friday 28th jan not sure what treatment yet i dont go for results until 24th feb.when i was dianosed with breast cancer i took it really well (if you can) but after surgery i feel very low very sore not sure how long it takes to heal it just helps sometimes to talk to you other ladies
Hi Madmax
Trouble with surgery is that it hurts, stops you from doing things and makes the whole bc a reality. I found that prior to surgery I was fine, fit and well it was just that I had bc (but I wouldn’t have known without the mammogram)!
My recommendations at this stage is to make sure you take your pain killers - don’t be a hero, if it hurts you are less likely to do your exercises and they are important. Also rest, don’t do what I did and have a go at mowing the lawn (not that it’s the right time of year). Did it because I wanted to prove I was ok but I paid for it afterwards and my OH snitched on me to my bcn and she gave me a right telling off - if looks could kill I would be well and truely under.
What happens next is going to depend on what they find and this can be a hard time as you have to wait for results. It’s a long road but you’ll find plenty of great support and laughs here.
Take care
Reeb x
xx
Hi girls
I had my lumpectomy on the 19th November. Felt so relieved that that stage was over. Didnt think I was ever going to get rid of the stabbing pains in my breast and that odd numb prickly feeling under the arm. My arm movement was fine but i did my exercises religiously. Couldnt get comfortable in bed so i laid a pillow under the breast that had been operated on to take the strain of lying on my side. It took til the end of December for all to feel fine and the process of healing both in and outside. Then you have the histology appointment which dictates your treatment.
I am now nearly through my treatment and have 3 more weeks of rads. My histology was good with clear margins and only grade 1. Am on Tamoxofen, and to date no side affects. Not so sure about the rads yet, early days. But apart from the routine of attending every day, am just going with it. Good luck to all starting this road - it does get easier and accepting each stage whilst getting on with your life makes it easier hopefully. Positive thoughts. xxxx
Thanks to you all
sometimes its just nice to talk to you all
at the moment my breast is heavy /sore / bruised
i had my nipple removed then sewn back on at the mo i feel sick when i look at it so go to local doctors to have nurse make sure its ok and yes i hate the numb armpit too
just hoping they made a good mirgin around the cancer i will let you all know which treatment i have xxxx :0)
Hi Madmax,
It is miserable post surgery and it is difficult to know what is normal and what is not but rest plenty,take pain relief regularly and dont let any worrying symptoms build up,use your BC nurse and surgery as much as you need.
I had surgery,chemo and radiotherapy which finished in Nov,there is light at the end of the tunnel,I’ve started swimming and the gym in last couple of weeks and am enjoying things again.
Waiting for results and further treatment plan is one of the worst parts of this horrid process but it will sort and theres lots of care and support there for you and yours,thinking of you.Traceyx
Madmax, “the waiting room” is really crap. We’ve all been there, and it doesn’t really get easier.
If you have an appointment set for your results, try to keep a lid on the nerves if you can, and distract yourself. I think this wait is the worst.
As for what it looks like, it’s very early days yet for it to look ok. Disolvable stitches look really ugly and make you feel like Frankenstein’s Monster, but when they dissolve you’ll be amazed at just how neat your scars will look. My armpit scar is only just 3 weeks old and it looks really really neat, even though it did look horribly lumpy and bumpy and yucky for a while. I have an incision round the top half of my areola, and even two weeks after (once the stitches had healed and the steristrips were off) it looked really, really neat. Surgeons tend to pride themselves on pretty needlework, so although it looks alarming now, it should look brilliant in even just a couple of weeks, and should fade to barely noticeable over time.
I don’t know what armpit surgery you had, but if you had lots of nodes removed you should make sure you do your exercises. I was lucky and only had a sentinel node removed, but other ladies who have had more nodes taken say that the exercises REALLY help with mobility and comfort, so do them religiously.
And keep posting while you’re waiting, if you need to. We’ve ALL been in the Waiting Room so we all know how horribly anxious you can be. (I’m still there, waiting for results from a re-excision, so I’m half way up the walls!)
CM
x
Hi Madmax
It’s only a few days since your surgery so don’t expect to be running a marathon! It takes time, but not too much time.
I’m nearly 3 years from my WLE and node clearance and although I remember the soreness after the op, that soon went (a couple of weeks). The thing I found really strange was the numbness under my arm. That stayed for a couple of years (you do get used to it) and that’s back to ‘normal’ now.
Keep on with your exercises. I found the one where you’re crawling your hand up the wall the most effective.
As I said I’m nearly 3 years out now and my arm feels normal - just sometimes feels a little achey if I’ve done too much.
The waiting for the results is just the pits, but you WILL be OK. I didn’t think initially that I’d need chemo, but I did, and that was a shock. But you get on with it and look forward to the day when you can plan holidays etc etc.
You will be OK. One day at a time and not too much googling.
Mal
Thanks again everyone iam feeling less down today the weird thing is today my boob feels tingly can of pins n needles is this normal i went to doctors today to see the nurse ( take my dressings off ) i just have one draped over my nipple to protect the stitches i also have like a netting boob tube which helps to keep dressing on place on my nipple