Hi All
Well thats me home from hospital today following mastectomy on Monday. Had my 2nd drain removed today and consultant asked me if I wanted to go home or stay another night…mmmmmmmmmmmmmm - really not a difficult decision.
All went well - just have to wait 2 to 3 weeks for results of tumour and lymph nodes!
It physically was not as bad as I was expecting but just feel repulsion and disgust when I look at it!!.
Hope all is well with the rest of you
Take care
Fiona
x
hi fiona,
glad your home and op went well.
it is the mental/emotional side that is so difficult to deal with…i had a WLE and remember when the dressing was removed my BCN actually told me to look at my scar
karen x
Hi Karen
It was a few days till I plucked up courage to look at wound - my bc nurse was wonderful and just said to do it in my own time - I thought I would be more upset than I was but as I said I just feel revulsion for my body now - was quite proud of my breasts before! Its gonna be a long tough road (as if it hastnt been already).
Take care
Fiona
x
Hi Fiona
I remember that we having ours done at pretty much the same time. (Mine was 7th December). Those drains were revolting but were removed after 3 days-phew! Now I can shower and wash my hair but it takes me forever to do so. Am rubbing Bio oil into scar (recommended on this site) and using Aqueous cream instead of shower gel.
I too feel revolted by my body. I was very bruised (still am) and when I sit in the bath and look at my bruised, battered & butchered body I just howl. I do feel better after a good cry. I too loved my boobs and am finding it difficult to adjust to the false one in my bra. By the time the evening comes, I have to take it off as it’s uncomfortable.
Hope you are OK-I get my results(nodes, grade of tumour, prognosis and treatment plan) on Xmas Eve! Hey Happy Christmas Gill!!
Keep us posted with your results (BTW great idea of someone to have a thread specifically for us to post results-how about it BCC?)
Love Gill x
Hi Gill
I had my drains a bit longer - 5 and 6 days!!
Have heard different reports about bio oil - some recommending some not - cant remember the reasons but it was a thread on here somewhere
I am not really bruised but steri strips still on and still a bit swollen. I only wore my bra and softie to come home then straight back into pj’s and dressing gown - think I will just stay in them today too!!
You obviously had mastectomy first and are waiting to find out about chemo etc??
I had chemo first so dont have to worry about washing and styling my hair - lol.
Will keep my fingers crossed about your results - hopefully you will be able to enjoy christmas as much as you can anyway.
Take care
Fiona
x
Oops! Sorry Fi didn’t realise you’d had Chemo already. Please forgive comment re hair. I have no idea why some people have treatment first while others don’t. I was dx with 2 tumours in right breast 15th Nov and just told mastectomy was only option and that any further treatment would be dictated by results (ie depending on grade of tumour, how aggressive, how many nodes affected etc) but have been told that the younger you are, the more likely Chemo is (I’m 48 and told that’s young but there are much younger women on this site). I find the whole confusing.
Enjoy your slob day -I loved hanging round in my PJs!!!
Love Gill x
Hi Fiona
Just wanted to say that I’m really glad to see you’re back home and recovering well physically. I hope you’ll get lots of support to help you get your head around things (I’m sure you will from lots of ladies on this site). I can’t offer much in the way of advice myself, as I didn’t feel too upset at having a mastectomy to start with and 6 months on I feel absolutely fine about things… I was just hugely relieved to get the cancer out. Just wanted to let you know that my thoughts are with you and I wish you the very best results possible.
Nicola x
Hi Gill
No need to apologise about the hair thing - didnt think twice about it - even my 2 best mates have made stupid comments when they are with me but you have to laugh about it - its the kind of thing I would come out with.
I am 39 with grade 3 invasive ductal cancer and had the choice of chemo first in the hope of reducing tumour so I would just need wle - but it didnt respond very well so ended up needing mastectomy - at least I know I tried - altho still doestnt make the whole process easier!!. Because of my age I would have needed chemo either way round I did it. Have just to wait for results now to see whether I need rads or not - thats why they wouldnt do immediate recon - cos there is a chance of ruining the recon - altho I know other centres do it - and if I had insisted they would have - just didnt want to chance it.
As you say its a confusing thing this bc business and not straightforward and this depends on that depends on this!!!
have a nice day
Fiona
x
Hi again Fiona
I only found out that my cancer was termed ‘Invasive Carcinoma’ when I read the discharge letter meant for my district nurse. I guess ‘invasive’ means that it has already spread from the ducts to form a tumour? How did your team know that your cancer was grade 3 without results of biopsies? Did they base it on size of tumour? I was told that both of mine were about 2cm (based on mammogram & ultra-sound). The more I read, the more confused I get! Mind you, the info and advice from this site has been brilliant-never laughed or cried so much!
My partner is doing the ironing whilst I’m on here, my 18 year old daughter has just emerged from her bed none the best for having been clubbing until 3am and my step-mum & half sister are their way to visit me for the day (they’re in Leicester, I’m in Norwich) so hoping to enjoy today.
I can’t get any enthusiasm for decorating the house with Xmas stuff as yet! Am I the only one?
Gill x
Hi again Gill
I just typed a big long response - then lost it - so here we go again!!
Invasive carcinoma does mean it has spread out of the ducts. They knew mine is grade 3 cos I had biopsies twice when I had mammo, ultrasound and fna.
As you say, the tips and advice on this site is invaluable and makes you laugh and cry.
Glad your partner is helping you out - good on him. I dont have a partner so dont have anyone to do the chores!! I live with my 14 year old daughter but going to leave her at her dads for the next couple of days so I can rest up.
I too cannot get enthusiasm for christmas - I put up my tree before I went into hospital but more for my daughter than anything else - otherwise I probably wouldnt have bothered. Everyone keeps saying to me " next year will be better" - well forgive me for thinking - sod off - cos thats what I thought last year after my daughter was seriously ill in intensive care - for this year to be just as bad if not worse - between me being diagnosed, dad having heart problems, and mum being diagnosed with dementia and having to go into residential care!!
Anyway, enough of that moan. Hope you enjoy your visitors and they dont tire you out too much. As i said, I am having a lazy day - apart from tidying up a bit and doing the washing, and catching up on trash I recorded while in hospital!!
Take care
Fiona
x
Hi Fiona
Hope you are enjoying your day. A couple of days by yourself sounds good-no-one else to be responsible for! I was on my own with my 2 for 10 years after I divorced but have been with my partner for 3 years (it was our 3rd anniversary the day I had my op last week-great way to celebrate it!)
Hope your daughter is fully fit now-what an awful 2 years you have had. I think that your ‘sod off’ attitude is the best one to have! I wanted to tell everyone who told me that I was ‘such a strong person’ (and would therfore sail through this) to sod off too!!
Family now gone, partner now exhausted and I’m off to a crib service. Have missed seeing the children’s concerts this year (I work in a school) so going to get my fix!!
Love Gill x
Hi again Gill
Hope you enjoyed your christmas. Think if I went to anything like that I would just cry and cry and cry - and make a complete fool of myself!!
Love fiona
xx
Morning Fiona
Goodness! Doesn’t it take ages to ready in the mornings? By the time I’m showered & dressed I’m ready to go back to bed! Normally, I’m a really speedy person who rushes around the house like a tornado so having to slow down has come as a huge shock!
The crib service was lovely and, for the first time so far this year, made me feel ‘Christmassy’. I’ve just removed all my get well cards and am about to put up the Xmas cards and might even put up some decorations! A bit rash I know!
Hope you’re having a good day-is your arm still quite stiff & sore? Mine is-find putting jumpers on almost impossible! Still shocked when I catch sight of myself in the mirror-I guess we will come to terms with it eventually.
Love Gill x
Hi Gill
Glad you enjoyed the service and has put you more in the mood for xmas.
My arm is really not too bad at all - have not had any jumpers on but can lift my arm above my head with just a bit of discomfort. Have a bit of fluid build up so trying to contact bc nurse so see how much they allow to build up before they would drain - its not tight or particularly painful so dont think they would do anything but best to be sure. As you say, its still a shock when we look in the mirror - dont think I will ever get used to it tho!!
Spose I should go to my exercises!!
Hope you have a good day
Fiona
xx
ps - have u driven your car yet??
No I haven’t driven-BC nurse said at least 3 weeks! I hate this loss of independance! My daughter is about to drive to me to Tesco-what a fun trip that will be! Bet it will be packed and I’ll be nervous that someone will crash into my right side!
Just heard that my school held a collection after the concerts last week and raised over £320 which they want to donate to Breast Cancer-made me cry!
I have a rash on the inside of both arms-just little raised bumps which itch like mad so will contact BC nurse just in case. Hope your fluid is OK. I hope I don’t get paranoid about everything ache & pain now.
Have you got good support from family & friends? Don’t like to think of you alone while your daughter is still at school. Mind you, my two are driving me mad as the house is permanently full of their friends, empty coffee mugs and loud music! LOL!
Tesco here we come…
Love Gill xxx
Hey Gill
Phoned bc nurse and she said to c ome up - lo and behold I had a seroma and had it drained - chances are it will build up again so will just have to watch it - typical for me to be the 1 in 3!! - hey ho!! I also drove myself to the hospital - so was a bit shocked to see your bc nurse had told you not too - when I spoke to mine on the phone she said if I feel ok then no reason why not - and I do have good range of movement - it was ok!
What did your bc nurse say about rash?
I am ok for support - altho spending a lot of time on my own - as obviously my friends work and have their own lives. also dad is in and out seeing mum in hossie every day so cant rely on him - but I am ok. My daughter will be home from school soon until she goes to her dad so looking forward to seeing her
Hope tesco was not too busy
Fiona
x
Oh my goodness Fiona! What rotten luck! Can’t believe you drove yourself to hospital. My arm still feels far too stiff to do most things let alone drive.
Had to leave a message for BC nurse re rash-still no reply.
Tesco was OK but kept seeing people I knew so then had to explain why I wasn’'t at work! When I got home my daughter and her friend took me out for lunch-bless them!
Off to check for seromas now!!
Love Gill x
LOL Gill re seromas - believe me you will know if you have one - it was like a wee boob!!
My arm is obviously doing a lot better than yours - at least I know I can get out if I need to - not going to overdo it tho
Take care
Fiona
x
Hi Fiona
Glad you are back after op and you seem to be doing really well. I hope you are getting as much help as you need and are resting when you need to - it is hard to do that isn’t it? Your arm sounds like it has recovered well - did you do all your exercises like a good girl?
I had my bi-lat mastectomies on 30th November and had to go back in last week for another minor op to sort out my new 3rd armpit (hmm nice), I have an odd ability to develop scar tissue quicker than anyone my surgeon has ever seen - and so they had to remove it (the scar tissue, not the armpit!) and so felt like I was back to square one with movement and pain. A bit better today though. I assume you didn’t have recon, reading your comments? I had tissue expanders, but they are not nice - I feel like my chest is being crushed sometimes.
Did they take all your nodes? I had mine through and they found one node with one cancer cell in it - 22 taken, so that was good…the chemo did it’s job well - and the lump shrunk from 5.3cm to 1cm. Good luck with your results, let us know.
Take care hun
Ali
x
Hi Fiona
Sorry the thread is long, I haven’t read through it all but wanted to say WELCOME HOME! I hope all is well with you. I’m doing OK, had a bit of cording due to being lax with my exercises, so I am going to say to you now, do them!
Keep us posted…
Cecelia. x