Ann04- have just posted on 1st Chemo tomorrow. So far so good, not as bad when it happens as thinking about it for all those weeks. That forum really helped practically and emotionally. Lots of good advice and laughs. Hope you are well and progressing nicely.
Marli.
Marli - Glad you are doing ok. The fear of something is often worse than the actual thing, isn’t it? It’s amazing the courage that can be found when needed. Well done, you!
I had my rads planning this week and am due to start on 8th Dec, spanning Christmas and New Year. Great timing!
Love Ann x
Hi theere - hope you don’t mind me asking but had the same as you last week and am finding the underarm op more difficult to cope with. Stupidly thought I’d sale through ( mind over matter job) how wrong can you be. I’ve given up wearing a bra and resorted to support tops and although an improvement I’m still very sore from all the sticking plaster resudue any tips 'clear water washing hasn’t helped . I’m due to have the stitches out friday and am dreading it.
Hi Lazydaisy1
I also had difficulty with the underarm op although better now after 3 weks. I persevered with the water washes but my main problem was super-sensitive skin which still hasn’t completely gone away. I’ve also ended up with cording under my arm and am having to exercise regularly to keep it mobile. Trouble is the exercising causes it to swell up so not very conmfortable. I found sleeping very difficult as I could only lay on my back. Incidentally I found a good quality sports bra made a lot of difference - although I had to buy one a full size bigger than my normal bra. It will get better so don’t despair.
Maggie
Hi Lazydaisy1 Sorry to hear that you are not coping so well but it is still early days.I must admit that I found not been able to have a good wash very hard but as soon as one of the BCN’s said i could have a bath I must admit to giving it a quick soak in clean water every couple of days. I took about 3 weeks to get more comfortable and I was starting to feel myself after 5 weeks then started all over again with an axillary clearance. Bought a soft baby sponge and pure unperfumed soap to wash that arm and boob only and used this in the shower then rinsed with clear water. I bought soft cotton post-surgery bras (£6) from asda and wore those for the first 6 weeks.Didn’t have stitches that needed taking out but understand how you must feel.Just imagine yourself on the warm beach, thats my trick for nasty situations! Hope all goes well.
Marli
Hello lazydaisy1
It seems that everyone finds the underarm causes most problems. It really is so important to do the exercises many times a day from the start. I ended up making up my own, to stretch the parts where the cording was. I still walk around the house waving my arm in the air! I am waiting for radiotherapy and I understand that it may tighten it up, so am trying to keep the arm working beforehand.
I had to sleep on my back for a while and found that it helped if I put my arm on an extra pillow along the side of my body. It supported my shoulder and hurt less. It was quite a while before I could actually sleep on that side. My surgery was 9 weeks ago and it is ok now.
I just washed with pure soap and water and put Nelsons’ Arnica cream on the bruises and their Healing cream on the scar once it was healing. That might help to get off the stickiness - or any sort of cream, really, like E45. Lately, I have been using Bio-Oil on the scar.
I didn’t know they still used stitches that had to be taken out. Mine were internal, dissolving ones. Good luck with that!
Ann x
Thank you all so much for support - due to have stitches out in an hour so by the time this is posted it will all be over …then the meet with surgeon and then oncologist hey ho often wished i could have some time off work - moral becareful what you wish for! love and luck to all of you thank you for just being there and your good practical advice and understanding.
These tips are invaluable. I have just finished chemo and due to have node clearance on 18th Dec. The SNB scar will re-opened (and it has healed so nicely!).
Thanks
J
Hi isn’t it strange how different authorities/docs do things in different order. Jayney you are ahving your clearance following chemo but most people seem to have it before?
Or if they are at a hospital with the in-theatre testing machine the clearance is done wth first op - thats why I am helping to raise the money to buy one.
The Shaveathon was brilliant and money still coming in - hoping the total will be over £1200.
My Don and two cousins had their heads shaved along with me - it was very liberating to get rid of the fluffy mess on my head!
This third FEC has been best yet but now going onto 3 X TAX! week on WED.
Hope all yor ops and treatments go as well as possible ladies xxxx
Hi Gemjunkie
Yes it it. Had the WLE and SNB at end of May and got results 9 days later. Showed spread to lymph nodes, but because I am HER2+ and the cancer is more agressive he decided to get started with the chemo asap and leave the nodes til after. Otherwise I would have had to wait for incisions to heal and the another op and wait to heal. As you say, wouldn’t it be fantastic to have an in-theatre machine and if nodes are positive, whip them all out at the same time. Do you know the cost of one of these???His words were, I want to get ahead of the disease. Let’s hope he has. Well done you for the fundraising. Good luck with TAX. Think of it positively - just a different drug. I had no nausea whatsoever on TAX, but more aches, but again manageable with paracetemol and the good news is your hair should start to grow back! Good luck x
Thanks Jayney now I understand - its the Her status - makes sense to get at it asap - The machine costs £60K = don’t know how muc they have got already but they must be near as my Onco-plastic surgeon has seen a rep from the company. maybe the nodes are not such a threat if they have removed the original tumour. But it is not nice to have to go through another surgery so soon after chemo!!!
I think the Authorities should pay for the machine as it would pay for itself in no time but my consultant just raised his eyes and said ‘you don’t want to know’ when I asked him why its not in the budget!
Having a hysteoscopy tomoro cos got polyps in womb and will get worse when i go on tamoxifen. Might as well get it all sorted out while I am off work lol x
Hugs to you all xxxx LynB
Hi everyone - have taken all your advice and very grateful too life is slowly improving but it’s still the nights that cause a prob. Sleeping on my back was the only option but that is now presenting problems so sleep propted up what a vision!!
Get to see his holyness the ‘surgeon’ tomorrow and i don’t think i’ll ever get to have a deep and meaningful relationship with him ( odd sense of humour) i’m still very grateful for him. Please i’m still one of the unitiated - what are all these abbreviations i keep comiing across e.g MX( I’m sure as my treatment progresses all will become clear…). off to do more excercises.
Lazydaisy1
Hi lazydaisy
Abbreviations
MX - mastectomy
WLE wide local excision (lumpecomy)
SNB Seninal Node biopsy
HER herceptin receptor
any more you need de-coded? LynB.x
Hi Gemjunkie - many thanks for taking time to ‘fill me in’ . Expect there will be loads as I progress through system! MX yes… why couldn’t I work that out! my brain has turned to mush since September. I went for results today guess what! still arn’t back from pathology! they have no idea how they mess with our emotions have they! Again many thanks LDX
Lazydaisy1 - Oh, that’s awful. Couldn’t they have rung to tell you they weren’t in? We all know just how you feel, having got all worked up for the results and then not getting them.
My BCN was kind enough to ring to let me know mine before my appointment. Good luck when you do get them.
Marli - How are you getting on?
Ann x
Hi all,
I’m also still having trouble with my underanrm scar 4 weeks on. I too used arnica on the ruising and now bio-oil or aloe vera gel on the whole area. My prblem is awful sore skin, like all the nerve ending are live amd exposed. My bra drives me mad after a few hours, but I bought support pyjama tops from M&S so I wear those.
I got my results last week. Good news! The tumour was 18mm, grade 1, infct some DCIS still, lymph nodes clear. I breathed a sigh of releaf!!
I saw the Onc last Monday and started on Tamoxifen and I think my radio starts Xmas week.
I was really brave during the diagnosis and surgery, esp as I was told how lucky I was that it had been caught so early, the prognosis was excellent etc, but after seeing the onc I think it finally hit me that yes i have had cancer and I’ve been feeling very weepy and down. Part of me feels guilty for feeling like this when my tumour was so ‘minor’ in the scheme of cancers and I read what others on here are going through. But my BN is coming to see me next week for a chat.
Ladies
thought I would pass on a tip to help with the sensitive skin issue. I massage E45 cream in every morning and night and wear a short sleeved silk vest under cotton tops. The vest acts as a barrier and allows the top to move easily without catching the sore skin. Being natural fabrics they allow the skin to breathe. Also avoid anything with tight sleeves. The vests were not cheap but I still use them and my skin is gradually getting less sensitive. Recommend patra.com as source.
Maggie
thanks maggie, didnt think of silk. have bought off patra before so will have alook. i’ve been wearing post sirgery bras but they come just under my armpit on the SNB scar so I’ve gone for the cotton naturana to see if they’re more comfy. This is turning into an expensive exercise!!
Hi Knitnut - I was getting worried about you as I’d not heard anything for a while. Glad it’s good new for you and I hope the rads go well. See ya on FB!!!
Hugs
Crystal xx
Hi crystal,
Thanks for the mssage. I havnt visited FB for ages.I’ve been busy trying to kick start my on line yarn busines after the surgery