Hi Kerry, yeah 20% off would seem a nice prospect - if only! For your info - I have fat going spare everywhere! I thought I might have a quiet word/some sort of bribe to the plastic surgeon to see if he can remove a couple of chins while he’s in the area. (My old mum used to say - “if you don’t ask … you don’t get”! lol.) Now, let’s see if I can remember the tests:- 1. temperature taken (ear). 2. swabs - mouth, nose and ‘down below’ - but they let you do that one privately! (checks for MRSA). 3. urine sample. 4. two phials of blood, for various tests I guess. 5. blood pressure and pulse(the 3 different machines they tried seemed to think I was already dead!) 6. they count how many breaths you take per minute. 7. ECG. 8. chest x-ray. 9. photos - no need to smile! 10. More chat about yourself with a junior doctor, (who couldn’t find notes, so I couldn’t sign the consent form and had to go back bit (much) later. 11. More chat with breast cancer clinic sister and nurse about general health (asthma), and given ten tons of leaflets to read. (Information overload!) 12. Height. 13. Weight. 14. Another physical exam by junior doc., and more chat about past ops and medical and family history. And signing of consent form after he found my notes. All painless, but wear something easy to take on and off - I feel qualified to now apply for a job as a Quckchange Artiste. (I know I’ve forgotten something!) Jackie. x
Hi, been reading your posts and I had to laugh at some of the things you’ve written, you obviously have a sense of humor so take my advice and dont lose it - I was in your shoes 3 years ago and thankfully I am doing well, long may it continue. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your treatment, some days you might feel its never going to end but honestly it does, eventually…
Jackie X
Thanks katiebelu, I think all this sense of humour stuff is that if I didn’t laugh … well, you know the rest! Do you have an answer for me re: surgeons fibbing to us, i.e. are they allowed to? Anybody … ?
Sorry I dont know about the surgeons, but I would think they have to be truthful and give us the whole picture. I know mine did he was very straight to the point and made no promises, but in a nice way of course, lol X
Hey, I agree on the sense of humour thing. I think thats whats got us so far down the line with out cracking. My lovely neighbour is off work after a back op, so we have had many a DVD afternoon and had some wonderul laughs - she is a great tonic and everyone should have a mini Emma in their handbag!!
JNYITB = thanks for your comprehensive breakdown of tests, I shall wear my very best quick release underwear on Monday and feeel so much happier now I know what to expect.
You are a true star - please, keep us laughing. As for the surgeons - i truelly believe they have to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!!!
XXX
Oh yeah, I did forget something - the ‘i’ in Quickchange!
whatever you are on - i want some.
One more thing, they measure you up for surgical stockings - that’s something to look forward to seeing poking out of your nice new Tesco pj’s!
Re MRI if they thought ‘it’ had spread they would give you one before you could say ‘spit’ honestly!
Hi Kerry: I am also being treated at Cov although I am a way down the line from you. DX in Feb. op WLE and lymph removal mid March - had chest infection so had to wait two weeks more - started chemo end May - wanted to get holiday in before I started and Prof said OK. Have just finished chemo E-CMF and, apart from losing the hair and being a bit tired now, have had no other side effects. Have six weeks off now before the rads, again said I didn’t want anything before Christmas and Prof said OK. Are you seeing Prof Grieves, Julie and Caroline? Prof has great reputation and is really nice. My surgeon was Stephen Parker - a bit abrupt but seemed to know what he was talking about! Due to the delay had someone else actually do the job but looks OK and was recently told by my BCN that as the surgery had been well done and fairly extensive I would not need rads to the armpit area. Thank you!
You will get through all the tests although I didn’t have half as many as Jaci, they managed to lose notes saying I had been for the pre-op and wrote to me saying I had been taken off the list. Rather strong phonecalls put that right!
The only advice I give anyone about this is make sure you understand what is happening, why, how. Also keep some control of what happens see my delaying things until I was ready. Don’t get daft about it, but the oncs do understand when you say you want a rest. There is loads of info on these forums - the one I use most is on treatment for chemo - starting 20 May any good buddies? We are nearly all through our treatments although one or two are there for the long haul. The info on there is sometimes scary, funny, sad but always knowledgable.
Take care of yourself and we are all rooting for you and the other gals on here.
Enjoy the cold weekend.
Julia
XXXX
crikey jackie, all those tests??/I had my blood pressure taken (it had whizzed up a bit, so they did it again, twice!), bloods, talk to a doc, who had no idea about SNB’s…then the swabs, height and weight…and that was it! I asked if i was suppsed to have an ecg, or anything esle and the nurse (not my bcn) just asked why i wanted one!! When i said i didn’t, but thought i was supposed to have one, she just said no, that was it.
However, have come home to a letter telling me they want me in on Tuesday to the BC clinic…and i am in a flat spin, my op is on Friday, so why do they want me back at clinic again???Can’t get hold of anyone at the cinic to tell me why, so i shall quietly go nuts until Monday when i’ll phone again…
Probably for some more tests then! lol. No, not laughing, that’s all you need for your weekend’s peace of mind, isn’t it? Not that either of us are going to get any peace until at least another week. Perhaps you’re a bit anaemic or something. When did you have your tests done? I must admit I’ve been dreading them getting in touch with me about the tests’ results (they’ve not lost their chance though!) - and that’s before we start! The doctor I saw on my tests day looked worryingly at my ECG graph sheet, asked if I had ever been under the cardio wotsit unit and said he wanted to show it to somebody else. I thought, great, why not chuck in a heart transplant at the same time?! Anyway he came back and said - not very confidently - that it was ok. I remember you saying you were a bit unsure of what to have done, perhaps they want to check you’re sure about your decision. Must admit I’ve not been hearing many good things about the recon back thingy that I’m having done. Pack your bags and get round here - City Airport is just down the road from me - where do you fancy?! xxx
Aaaaargh … and now my f***ing car won’t start!
Las Vegas is good…what time’s the next flight???
I had my pre-op a couple of weeks ago, so i guess any probs would have shown up before now, and wouldn’t my bcn have phoned me to tell me if there was a problem?You could be right about the checking i am sure i want to go ahead…maybe that’s it, but it’s awful having to spend the weekend trying to guess!
I know, but there you go, the whole bloody thing is awful - for all of us. I think I was Jack the Ripper in a previous life - have had so many bad things happen to me. Am definitely coming back as a man though. Going to marry my late husband (who’s obviously coming back as a woman), give him about 8 kids and then p*** off! Now, now mustn’t speak ill of the dead Jacks! Strength Narnia, strength. We’re all made of stern stuff! xxx
Gawd, I do like the sound of my own voice the last couple of days, everywhere I look I’ve had to put my oar in. Anybody would think I didn’t have anything else to do. Got 3 days to get this house in order for my 2 daughters to stay, trying to finish off 2 bedrooms that were halfway through decorating. I’m one of those people that thinks - oh, well, there’s always tomorrow??!! So it’s panic stations and I’m sitting on this thing typing. Mainly because the car still won’t bloody start to let me go and get the stuff I need to finish it all off. (Any excuse!)
Thought it was the car battery, but - duh! - no oil (well, I checked it a couple of years ago, so though it would still be alright!). Do we have to take our own towels into hospital? And when I have the SNB the day before my op., am I conscious, i.e. is it just numbed/nothing/or what? Also I have a cold - not feverish, just a chill - will they still do op on Wed., if it gets no worse? Help please?! x
yes, take your own towels in, and not white ones, or they will get mixed up with hospital ones and taken away. I am having the snb jab on Thursday, the day before my op…am strating to get worried now, especially since i have this new clinic appointment for Tuesday…
You don’t have the Sentinal Node Biopsy the day before your op - they do it as part of your operation under the general anaesthetic. The bit on the day before is the injection of radio isotopes - just like a little wasp sting. They massage it in (the nurse I had said the more massaging the better it works) you then go and wait for about half an hour and then they do a scan to make sure its all gone into the right places. Best wishes for Wednesday.
Oh, ok redders, thanks for that. I’m sure I’m suffering from information overload. Will they still operate on me with just a cold - not feverish? Thanks for your best wishes. x