Morning All,
SNB done and dusted and not too sore. Now waiting for results on 21st to see if it’s ‘all out’ or ‘nothing else to do’.
C8 - People don’t know what to say but feel uncontrollably that they MUST say something or offer advice. I’m sure it’s well meaning but sometimes i wonder if it’s to make them feel better rather than the person receiving the ‘advice’. How far are you in your treatment? Have you started anything yet?
x
Morning all.
C8 sorry u are feeling low but maybe it’s a good thing to have a release (?) even though the cause was upsetting. There are many theories about alternative treatments but our oncologists have been studying the subject for years. Can it really be true that they would rather pump us full of poison than use something much less harmful to us.
Now that you have had a release if your emotions try and get back to your positive attitude. There’s a post on a thread I was looking at yesterday and it brought a bit of light relief to someone who was trying to work out why we were in this position and what we could do differently and I think they were saying that no one knows why we get these things and someone had said it was to do with wearing yellow wellies on a Wednesday. Hope this brings a smile to your face.
Polly x
Hello Ladies I had my mastectomy on the 19th May and had an implant and reduction at the same time. I am wondering if anyone can tell me how long the pain lasts as I feel it seems to go on forever. Apart from that I am fine. Keeping up with the exercises and been told that they got the cancer and I dont need chemo or radio therapy so I have to say I am one of the lucky ones. So good to hear all these positive ladies.
Thank you all, I’m following up on the threads you suggested. Personally I’d love to have yellow wellies anyday!
Scaco, the op next Thursday is the first of my treatments. We were advised surgery before chemo, herceptin and rads because of spread to the axillae. I guess it’s all just beginning to sink in. It’s just over 3 weeks since diagnosis.
C8
Hi all.
Just checking in. A week after my mx and immediate recon n I feel fine. Keep waiting for somethinglike the tax truck to come n hit me and not up to running any marathons but I feel a lot better than I expected:-)) doing little bits around the house, washing pots, sweeping floors, just little bits.
Had two drains removed yesterday. Last one goes today
Hope everyone is ok
Kerry. X
Hi all, had my mx on the 3rd june, i was diagnosed on the 21st of april, the mx is the only treatment i,ve had, as my ‘gremlin’ was caught in a early in the first routine ( i’m 50 ) mamagram. It was a shock to say the least, i’ve always checked my breasts and never found anything different but the lump was small and even the bcn couldn’t find it by feel.
So now it’s gone and i have a wonderful, ‘battle scar’ as my 7 year old grandson called it, that is still a little sore and my arm pit is very tight, but i’m getting there. I’ve no recon on the advise of my surgeon, which was a shock as that only advised on the morning of surgery, before that i was going to have an expander fitted. We’ll see how i feel in 3 months time when things are healed and maybe i will, maybe i wont bother.
I go back for the results of the node biopsy they did at my mx and any other results(?)on the 21st june.
Hi girls, I just found out that I have the BRCA 2 gene mutation so now it’s 100% sure I will have a double mx in July after my chemo. I was already convinced of having it but of course now it’s straightforward to know that I am doing the right thing. A bit of a shock though given the riprecussions for the family.
Hi all,
I am 31 and had a mastectomy and reconstruction on 13th may. That was 5 weeks ago and I am also having chemo and radio afterwards. Due to start 2 wks ago but had infection in wound that’s still clearing up. This week I have felt back to my old self and been out with my kids and carrying my 10 months baby around no problem at all. I still can’t straighten my left arm (also had node clearance) might ask surgeon if he thinks I need physio??
I don’t think I would have had the treatment this way round if they knew it was BC but I was diagnosed with DCIS until after the mastectomy when labs came back positive. Now I am worried the radiotherapy will ruin the reconstruction.
What a roller coaster we have all been on, I feel there is always something to worry about and feel so cheated and hard done by. Dreading the chemo but you have all done it and come out the other side.
Really hope all your ops go well and those that have had it done a speedy recovery.
Katie xx
C8 big hugs, I was in a bit of a mess pre op, but feel fine about it now after 13 weeks for the very reason you’ve said - no more cancer.
Blanche re pain after mx I had nerve regeneration pains for 6-8 weeks, then they just died out. I had phlebitis in my chest too, and that eased up around the same time. I have no pain at all now. You’ll get there! Love Xx
hello ladies,
well im 1 week post mx and node clearance.
felt just fine for the first few days, and now well from under my arm to my elbow its so so sore, almost feels like severe sunburn, also my operation site in solid and alittle swollen i think i have seroma, but as my surgeon said to try and leave alone unless it becomes unbearable, i can cope with it.
has anyone else had this, and for how long?
thankyou ladies. you all take care
love and hugs
Donna
xxx
Hi Donna, the sunburn type pain is nerve regeneration pain, I had it for a few weeks. It gets referred to the back of the arm very commonly. I got advice from the lovely people on here, which is:
Wear something that is close-ish fitting and silky next to your skin - definitely helps.
Massage the area gently - hurts at first but helps to desensitise the area. Use some nice massage oil if you don’t have any reasons why you can’t. The best way seems to be to place your whole hand over the area of the scars and press quite hard while rotating the hand round, then rub lightly over the skin. You can try massaging the area where the pain is too.
If you can’t bear the pain or it doesn’t ease in a few weeks go to your GP who can prescribe amitriptyline or gabapentin, both drugs which reduce the excitability of nerves.
My pain eased up after around 5 weeks, and just annoyed me when I got jigged around in the car, then vanished altogether after 8 weeks or so. It’s not nice, but it will go!
Lots of love, hope you’re doing ok otherwise
xx
bubbletrouble, thankyou for your reply,
what oil do you use, or can i use a cream, i keep looking to see if im marked at all as its so sore but theres nothing there,
yes its painfull in the car every bump hurts so i send hubby around different routes,
i hope the swelling will go down soon too as as its bearable its still solid and uncomfortable,(MX site)
any more tips ladies
thank and take care
Donna
xx
bump
thankyou
Hi all:-))
Get my dressings off tomorrow:-) looking forward to feeling the air on my skin and being able to be able to straighten my self, the dressings feel quite restrictive. Need to exfoliate and fake tan, not liking this pale look:-)) vain? Much?
Think I have a Seroma too. Felt quite poorly yesterday, woke up in a shock during the night, was laid on my left side, wonder if that’s what caused it? It’s on my back, just below my ribs. My 9 year old said it could be another boob growing:-))
Donna - I hate bumps in the roads, we had to drive to York twice on sunday, 4 hours in the car in total. Ouch!! Are you still taking pain killers? My recon is really hard, still quite bruised too, but think I am expecting too much, only 2 weeks since op. Don’t know about the massage oils, sorry.
Hope everyone else is ok
Kerry xxx
Help! I’ve been told I have to have a masectomy on my left breast and have been offered reconstruction at the same time. In a dilemma though whether to have a silicone implant or to have the fat used from my tummy, which of course would be more natural. Would really like to hear from anyone who has had either.
Hi Donna, I use Bio Oil, quite expensive but I’m still on my first bottle (14 weeks of 1-2 times a day). I think it’s fine to use once the scabs have gone and provided you’ve got no nasty bits - if you have avoid them. Some people use vitamin E oil (which is one of the oils in Bio oil) as it’s a bit cheaper. Hugs xx
Hi Ladies
Hoping you are all doing well.
Had my mastectomy yesterday afternoon and back home with both drains in.
Feeling good at the moment and district nurse coming tomorrow to check on drains and wound. Really hard to try and remember not to do much with my bad side, pain killers work well and hard to remember not to use bad arm to hoist myself up in bed etc lol.
Just so pleased at the moment to have got rid of the ugly mass that used to be my breast (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) that the emotional loss hasn’t hit me yet but sure that will come.
Very pleased that another part of treatment is undertaken and can move further down this crummy path towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
Love and best wishes to all of you.
Scrapper
xxxxxx
Hi Ladies
I’m now on the other side of surgery having spent 6 days in hospital and as many of you said, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected although I’m really struggling to look at what’s left in the mirror. My arms are also quite tingly so I’m following up on the Bio Oil suggestion (thank you B)
I’m now starting to prepare myself for chemo which starts next month. Any hot tips?
C8
C8, well done for dealing so well with surgery. I’ve done things in reversed order to you, chemo first and I am now preparing for surgery. If you go on the chemotherapy section of the forums you will find a thread on top tips for people going through chemotherapy. I hope it will be useful, good luck with the rest of your treatment.
well the big day came and the left one went.
I feel so relieved now I’ve had my mastectomy.
I had node clearance in December’10 and then 6 months of chemo - 4 FEC and 4 TAX. (side effects taking longer to go than I want but we’ll get there)
Keep leaving my drain behind and am worried it will come out. I’m a bit sore if I move too much but apart from that I’m ok. Nothing so bad that I need pain killers. Drain comes out on Monday at hospital and dressing off Wednesday with practice nurse.
I’m feeling really positive because I know the cancer is gone & I’m here. Final treatment is radiotherapy to make sure we’ve finished the bugger off.
Life can begin again then until reconstruction at Christmas '11. Boob job and tummy tuck for Christmas which is what we all joke we would like from Santa. LOL
Onwards and upwards ladies. 
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