hi all I feel so bad posting on here, and guilty to moan. I had a mastectomy five weeks ago with lymph node clearance after 18 months of hormone treatment. The swelling and soreness under my armpit is making me low. I’m used to being in pain as I have rheumatoid arthritis too, since I was 6 so my pain threshold is pretty good! It was a lovely hectic Christmas. It’s just exhausted me though, and I’m just not feeling in the new year celebrations, which I feel bad about as its my birthday tomorrow and I should be happy. I’m not a down person, always happy but the last couple of days I’m just feeling blue for no particular reason. Does anyone else feel like this tonight? Sorry to be a fun sponge all u lovely pink ladies ???
Hello Pink74. I’ve just picked up on your post as I haven’t been into the forum for several days. I think your feelings are absolutely normal and justified. We are all in place we don’t want to be with BC. I face an axillary lymph node clearance this coming Monday and am dreading it.
I was misdiagnosed by my GP in August when I found a lump. He told me it was nothing to worry about and referred me as a Routine case to the … Orthaepedic department of the local hospital. You can imagine the look on the face of the Consultant there who got straight on the phone to the Primrose Breast Clinic. I had a Lumpectomy in November along with a Sentinel Node Biopsy. They gave the tumour a Grade 2 with clear margins and a ‘tiny amount of cells’’ in the Sentinel Node, hence the clearance anticipated for Monday. I wonder what the next step will be. I feel once the Cancer Teams have got hold of us we become unwitting passengers on the Magic Roundabout.
Feeling blue with all of this is normal. New Year’s Eve and the threshold of another year is always daunting. How many of us get to December after high hopes in January to find a good neighbour has died, a friend has lost their job, someone else was burgled or a family member has an illness which came from nowhere. Come the following year we cross our fingers something might improve but life does get in the way.
A birthday however is a positive way to start the year so I really hope you are feeling better for tomorrow. Let me know of any tips for the Axillary clearance if you can and how to keep my sanity with it! I feel absolutely fine and am wondering if the surgery is worthwhile.
Misa x
Hi! I’m about 4 weeks post mastectomy with silicone reconstruction and had 9 lymph nodes removed and like you, I’m swollen and sore. I’m sure I have seroma build up which has improved since Christmas Day when I thought my wound would open! But it’s uncomfortable and tingling but not infected. The oncologist wasn’t concerned when I saw her on Tuesday for my first meeting, but I think her prodding has made it a little worse! I’ve been putting aloe Vera gel under and around my arm pit which has helped the soreness there. I do suffer with eczema but have been so careful because I don’t want to cause any infection! I think the aloe Vera has helped with the sweating too - but that may be wishful thinking!! I have wondered when I’ll be able to wear deodorant on that side again!! I’m being REALLY good at keeping up with my exercises! Totally unlike me!! I think I have cording under my arm so I hope the exercises will ease that. I’m trying hard not to let it get me down, I start chemo in about 3 weeks and tell myself that I’m going to feel worse than this then - but it is quite difficult to do when a couple of months ago I was happily attending my first routine breast screening confident I’d be fine - I examine myself regularly and felt nothing out of the ordinary.
I think it’s completely normal to be feeling down, pain and discomfort in certain places make you feel that way more than if they were in other places I find. I was discussing this with my 24 year old daughter the other day - she had an ingrown hair sore in her bikini line and couldn’t understand why it was getting her down more than one on her leg!! Your armpit is a sensitive place.
I hope you managed to have a good birthday and are feeling brighter today too. Never feel the need to apologise for having a moan on here, it really helps to type down how you feel - as you can see, I type loads!!
Good luck to you and also you too Misa
Xxx