Hi,
I’m 28 and had what they think might be a fibroadenoma (possibly phyllodes tumour) removed yesterday. Felt great initially but feeling very emotional today. Has anyone else felt like this? I also feel pathetic as I know that many other people have gone through much more than this. Am new to the forum and would love to hear from others going through similar thing.
Thalia
hi there thalia, how you doing? yes it is normal to be emotional, i think. i had a mastectamy on tuesday 28th and came home with a drain in on thursday. I cried in the car on the way home and i cried a lot yesterday. been ok so far today.
unless you have been through it no one can understand. I think i was emotional because i needed the support of the hospital with still having a drain in. I dont think it has really hit me yet that i have lost a boob, doesnt seam real yet.
I have to sit and wait for 3 weeks for results to see if i need cemo etc
Not heard of your condition before, i would be interested to hear more.
try to rest and if you feel like crying, then cry. its ok and good for you, so everyone keeps telling me.
talking on here to others in same situation has helped me a lot so keep in touch
luv pauline xxx
Thalia pleas don’t worry about letting out that emotion, better out than in as my granny used to say ! Of course you are going to be emotional,what you are going through takes it out of you physically and mentally and sneaks up when you are least expecting it and bites you on the bum !
Coming on here has kept me sane,well as sane as I’m ever going to be…but it is a huge help in terms of information and support and you will always find someone to help answer your questions or worries,keep chatting and good luck.
Sandra x
Thanks Sandra and Pauline,
Is everything okay with you now Sandra or ongoing? Pauline, you sound like you really have been through a lot having had a mastectomy and still having the drain in. I thought they would have kept you in longer than that, although I was only a day case and wasn’t told anything other than that I will find out my results in 4 weeks time.
A fibroadenoma is quite a common benign breast condition (from what I have read) and a phyllodes is more rare and can be borderline or malignant. I have read so much much about both but it remains inconclusive until it has been analyzed.
I suppose people don’t always know what to say and so it is great being able to be in contact with people who have been through similar things.
Thanks again
Thalia x
hi thalia
sorry to hear you story mines quite simaler to yours all though im 23 i have had 3 lumpectomies to remove mutliple fibroadenomas and one phyllods tumour it is not pathetic the way your feeling its only human nature i still get down in the dumps because mines ongoing .
take care from katy xx
Oh Katy, are you due to have more surgery? Am sorry to hear that.
thalia x
hi thalia
thank you thats very kind of you i dont no i find out on the 14 th of may hope you feel better soon
take care katy xxx
I have had a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy and was “lucky” enough to get clear margins ie it all out and no spread,have also avoided chemo so bit of a result for me ! Am in the middle of radiotherapy 3 down 12 to go and am taking tamoxifen, but on the whole am fine and dandy. Different people handle these things in differnt ways and there is no right or wrong way, there are good days and not so good days,life isn’t fair but we still got to get on with it. My girls are 10 and 12 and am lucky to have supportive hubs and friends and that helps but no -one can understand what I’m going through as well as the women I have met on here and I’m thankful of that,3 cheers for the internet!
Gosh 4 weeks wait is a nightmare,I was bad enough getting my results after 10 days. I found the waiting was the worst bit at least once you know what you are dealing with it you can get on with it.I bet you are ticking off the days.No easy way to make time pass but you will get there.
Sandra x
Hi Sandra,
The emotional fallout was more than I had anticipated because I was just looking to the op and now that it’s over I do just want to know exactly what it is as it feels as though everything is suspended and on hold Nevertheless, I don’t want to become too self indulgent and am trying to keep some perspective but as you said-some days will be good, others bad. Thanks for your encouragement though. In such a short space of time I feel that this site has really helped! x
hi there ladies, hope everyone is having a good but probably wet bank holiday. just keeping you updated. I am 6 days post op now and still sat here with the bloody drain in. They tell me what ever the fluid level it will be coming out tomorrow. Thats good but move on to the next worry, fluid buiding up behind scar. oh well just have to get on with it. Makes you laugh though you are not supposed to lift anything havier than a cup of tea, my bottle is 500ml at the min. makes my bad arm ache carrying it around.
moan over, off for a rest now. Catch up with you all soon
luv Pauline xxx
Hi Pauline hope you dont mind me butting in its lisa here we chat on another post just reading through your post …
Luckily I was sent to a private hospital for my opp and they wouldnt let me go home until drains were both out , but what they did keep doing was changin the bottles so that they didnt get to heavy for me to pick up but they did tell me not to use my bed arm to pick them up as the risk of getting lymphodima was very high and once you get it is not reversable …
Have you had your lymphs removed because this puts us at high risk if so contact your nurse and explain they need emptying due to weight your carrying round…
sorry to go on but i think its better to be safe that sorry , the staff that treated me made me awear of how important it was that I looked after this arm … saw bc nurse last week and she told me I should still not be hovering and its nearly been 6 weeks …
Sorry again Pauline but I just wanted to pass on the advise I had been given hope everything else is going ok
Lisa x
thanks lisa, lovely to hear from you again. How are you doing now?
I have been using bad arm to carry bottle around, no one had warned me that it could cause lymphodimia, glad you told me. I had heard about the condition but not what could cause it. I am having it out tomorrow (they say) so i will try to not use that arm anymore till i see them tomorrow, wish i had heard earlier.
I will let you know how i go on tomorrow
Luv pauline xxxx
Hi Pauline
I have been reading about you carrying your drain bottles about and agree totally with what the others have told you. In fact my hospital arranged a group clinic session for us ladies who have had breast surgery including lymph node removal where a Lymphodoema(SP?) nurse advised us to try to consider our lymph node less arm from now on as our ‘At Risk Arm’ and to NEVER lift anything heavy with that arm and to be very aware of scratches and anything else that could cause an infection.
Good Luck tomorrow
Andie
Hi Pauline, just posted this somewhere else but can’t remember where…info re drain bottles… I had WLE and SNB and had two drain bottles, my surgeon didn’t even let us WLE ladies out til drains were out,in my case on day four. The bottles were held in a cloth bag attached to something akin to a dressing gown belt so we were hands free and they weren’t a problem at all carrying them round in this way. Hope all goes well with you, I’m rubbish with pain but didn’t have a prob getting mine out. Good luck.
Sandra x
thanks ladies for your comments, i went today to have drain removed. if i hadnt asked questions about what will happen to the fluid that is still draining and what do i do if it builds up, i think she would have pulled the drain out, covered it up and shown me the door. They dont seem very interested where i have been. I dont feel i have been supported very well through my experiance. I have had more compassion from 2 visits from my district nurse and you ladies on here. I just feel i am a number on a sheet at the moment. I have had no contact with BCN since before my op which upsets me a bit i thought she was going to be there for me, never mind.
Got the date for my results today, 21st May.
Im off now i have had a moan to you lovely ladies
Luv pauline xxx
Hi Pauline
Moan away if it helps. This site has kept me sane on more than one occassion.
I have found that the support from my BCN is there but I have had to ask for it. Initially I thought she would keep in touch with me but it didn’t happen.She is always available when I have problems or questions but has never just made contact to check that I am OK.Where abouts in the country are you?
The ladies on this site have become my cyber friends and are always there for me, there is always someone who has been in the same situation and can answer questions from a real point of view not from a textbook.
Take Care
Andie.
My experience of the BCNS the same,had a home visit before op but that was it,took all there time to return calls when My boob"exploded" at home day after I had stitches out, but then I am a good 3 hour round trip away from hosp that I had op in so I was better served by my district nurse. I thought they would have been phoning up to see how I was and how I was coping. But then again I seem to coping fine and maybe they help more if you ask or if you aren’t coping so well…who knows ?
Any probs I have had have always got an answer to on here too, best place to be !
Sandra x
been ok for a week and guess wot, could’nt stop crying this morning. got 11 days to wait for results. it just drives you mad
Pauline xxx
hi hollymeg
Cry all ya like, i cried for the whole 2 weeks after surgery,was on sleepin tabs, beta blockers for nerves, it,s such a worrying time, good luck with your results
Lornaxxx
Had op thursday and ive cried all day today too!
Feel postnatal again but without a lovely new baby!!
boooooooo