Ooops - double clicked!
Hi
Susanne, stress ball a great idea , i never thought of that. I also did a few aqua aerobics classes and must admit felt a positive difference after them.
Thing with all that hits us through this Joyce is that,at times the silliest little things seems enormous, so folk worry and moaning sometimes helps , when i think back at some of my moans before this i think LOL you stupid bag what did you have to moan about ha ha
keep smiling gang…if for no other reason, than it confuses people :0)xx
Hi Wills
I am new to this site. I thought I would give my account of my diagnosis.
I came out of hospital yesterday after having lumpectomy the previous day (Thursday). I had a Sentinal Node Biopsy last week,and also Nuclear Therapy the day before my op. which is they insert a dye into the breast area which then travels to the nodes. They then take loads of images - takes about an hour. I was quite surprised to come home the day after surgery, without the drains. They sent me home with painkillers, but the pain is not as bad as I had expected. I found out I had BC 4 weeks ago, so they are pretty quick in getting you done. I have to go back August 3rd to get the dressings changed and for the results of the 5 nodes they took out. I was happy that my breast has not changed that much, as I was warned that the nipple may move and the breast reduced in size.
I have been told that I shall probably need radiotherapy for 4 weeks
(Mon - Fri)starting 4 weeks after surgery. I have heard that this makes you feel sick, can anybody tell me what the reaction is after having a dose of radiotherapy.
Hi Wills1 one agin with more questions!
If you have a full node clearance are you more than likely to get lymphodema? If I am having this procedure done does it mean that the cancer I have is really bad and it has spread? What are the drains like that they put in? I am sorry to ask all these questions but as you can probably tell I am feeling very nervous about it all. I keep thinking will I be here this time next year or is this it. I hate having all these kind of thoughts as I am not normally a negatvie person but thats what I seem to of become. Sorry for the moan. Karen
Hi
Lymphodema is not fully understood even by the proffesionals, but yes having a full node clearance does increase the risk because that area of your body simply doesn’t have the same mechanism in place to deal with lymphatic fluid. Take a look at the topic ‘lymphodemia’ on this very site it really is so informative. Lymphodemia is something that happens when your body reacts and many, many things can contribute to that.
I didn’t have drains so i can’t answer that one.
The lymph glands are all over our bodies they filter out lots of things, the fact that cancer has been caught there means the system is doing it’s job, but cancer being cancer means it taken it toll on that area. I didn’t find a lump in my breast, the first signs i had were when my lymph gland began to swell just under my arm pit.
Please keep thinking ’ I will be here next year’ Karen, and it’s you that will be typing like me now, to someone else who has the very same fears. There are lots and lot of positive stories out there, truly there are BE STRONG
hugs rhian xx
Hi Karen - don’t apologise for asking questions or moaning. We’re all in this together, and a few months down the line you’ll be the one helping the newbies!
Yes, I think it is the case that you are more likely to get lymphodema with a full node clearance, as it takes away all the channels for the lymph to drain - though you can get it even when they only take a few, I think. But there’s a lot you can do to minimise your risk.
As for your question about it having spread, the answer is probably that they won’t know until they’ve removed them and checked them out. Then they’ll tell you how many they removed, and how many (if any) showed signs of cancer. Obviously the fewer the better, but don’t panic if it’s more - it’s the job of the lymph nodes to stop the spread, so even if a lot of them are infected they may have still done their job.
The drains… Ugh, the drains! They put one or more narrow plastic tubes into the cut under your arm, which drain into a plastic bag. It’s a good idea to take something in with you to put this in - an old pillowcase, with some tape safety-pinned to it so you can hang it over your shoulder. But the tapes need to be long, so the bag hangs just above the floor, otherwise it doesn’t work properly.
And yes, it does bluddddy hurt - I won’t kid you it doesn’t. For the first few nights you can’t even roll over in bed - you just have to sleep on your back. And then some bright-eyed little dolly comes round and tells you to start exercising it (try not to kill her.) But beleive me, it DOES get better, especially once they take the drains out. They check them every 24 hours (for some reason, in Shrewsbury they do it at midnight - could never figure that one out) and once you are draining less than a certain amount of fluid, they take it out.
Now, that sounds nasty, but it isn’t. When I had mine done, all the nice gentle ward nurses had left on Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning we had a huge bloke from an Agency, with close-cropped red hair - looked like he should have been plundering and pillaging the coast of Northumberland! I’m like “Oh noooooo.” So he says to me, “OK, just breathe slowly - that’s it.” I thought he meant I was doing the breathing right - but there he was with the drain in his hand, and I didn’t feel a thing!
Then make sure you do your exercises. I got full movement back within a few weeks - at fisrt I thought I’d never be able to get my arm above my head again, but within about four or five weeks it was like nothing had ever been wrong. So to sum up - it’s not nice, but it’s not toooo bad.
Hi
Thank you for answering my questions. I just want the next couple of weeks to come and go.Someone could wake me up and say “its alright karen you have had your op, drains are out just wait for the results now” Oh if life could be like that! When I saw the consultant last Thursday I asked him how long would I be in hospital for he said one night. A nurse will then come out to me to check on the drainage tubes so hopefully this is what will happen. When I have been in hospital previously I am never able to sleep, there is always something going on, lights on, blood pressure taken, sleeping tablets just as its about to get light! Im sure once I am in hospital I will just accept it and get on with it, its the waiting which is the worst but I suppose thats what this disease is all about. Hope everyone has enjoyed some sunshine today. Karen xx
Wenjack, sorry i only this morning noticed your question in this thread. Radiotherapy doesn’t make you sick or nauseous in the same way as chemo. You do get tired after a few sessions but don’t forget your body has gone through surgery and your general well being is a bit low. I had 30 sessions over 6 weeks Mon - Fri and towards the i was finding it pretty tiring, you need to listen to your body and try and rest if you feel tired. I didn’t wear a bra through my radiotherapy i bought a few cotton vest tops this was hard going on the non affected boob but bra straps and edges would have rubbed and caused me more problems. Drink lots of water and look after your skin. I didn’t use any soaps or shower gels on the area E45 do a non soap wash and i used that but not everyday. Use the cream they give you . Once your scars have healed ask your breast care nurse if you can start using moisturiser on the area to be treated. Prepare your skin as you would if you were going to go on holiday in strong sun.
rhian xx
Hi
Really need some advice.I am due to have my op on thursday (wide local excision and complete lymph node removal) Problem being I dont know if I should have a mastectomy instead. The consultant hasnt said I need one yet but may need one once the results of my op come back. The reason for the doubt is, an MRI scan showed up some dodgy areas but my consultant has said he didnt want to go just by those results alone. The scan and 2 biopsys I had showed 1 definate cancerous lump.Really dont know what to do. He has left the decision with me and I obviously have to decide by Thursday. Has anyone been in a similar position? Thanks. Karen
Hi Karen
My biopsy showed cancer in my right breast but the following mRI showed two lumps in my left breast. I had these removed and they werent shown to be cancerous after the pathology was done that was back in Oct 08 , last week when i had my left breast reduction the tissue removed was sent to the path lab and i found out today that it was all clear. So a lump doesn’t always mean cancer but you have to make the decision. i have a friend who as soon as she found one lump chose to have a masectomy because that was how she wanted to deal with it. Me i woulds rather have the lump removed and then deal with anything else that is thrown at me.
Have you been introduced to a breast care nurse yet Karen, you really could do with sitiing down with someone and discussing all this.
Rhian x
Hi Rhian
Thank you for your message. I met my breast cancer nurse today. I explained to her how I felt. She said the decision had to be made by me as I was the only person who could make it which in reality is true. Its such a hard decision to make. God I hate this disease.
Karen
All I can offer is read, read ,if you take a look at some of the threads on this site listed under ,‘undergoing treatment, surgery’ there are some ladies on there who are just about to or have just gone through surgery and maybe if you post a comment you will get some other perspectives, and someone to share this journey with. I didn’t get to look on this site until i was mid way through chemo and looking back it would have been really helpful if i had know or been aware of so many things, knowledge is power :). You are part of that special club everyone speaks about, you didn’t ask to be a member, subscriptions are free, and you meet and talk to some of the most amazing people ( yes thats YOU to all those reading this :0)…go girls)
Rhian xx
Hi Wills,
Firstly I would say that this bit of the journey for me was the worst, you’re sort of in limbo until your treatment starts. Once you’re actually going through it it does gets better, you’re activly doing something to get rid of the cancer. You are not alone, I clearly remember the shock of diagnosis (May 2007) and all the fears, I won’t say they ever go away but life does go on and my life now is not totally dominated by cancer anymore. Just thought I would add my experience as well, I hope it helps in some small way.
I had a mastectomy and total node clearance in June 2007. The cancer was in 2/10 nodes. I was in hospital for 2 days. I was numb after the op but no pain at all, just paracetamol and ibuprofen to keep on top of things. 2 drains in, one at the mastectomy site and one under my arm. The first one was uncomfortable coming out but it only took a few seconds, I didn’t feel the second one coming out at all. Both were removed before I left hospital. The hospital had a drains bag, I was a bit wary of them but just take it easy and you’ll be fine. I would take a front opening top with you for coming home, I stupidity had a T shirt which was very difficult to get over my head!
I would say I was more or less back to normal after about 10 days, I had help at home from my husband, my daughter was 2 at the time. I had a pressure dressing on and steri strips (paper stitches) over the wound, they just peel off after a few days. It did take me a while to get my arm movement back, maybe two months and I did have cording, which is a tight feeling in your arm but I kept doing the exercises just a little bit each day and that went as well. You do feel like you’ll never be able to move your arm properly again but just be patient, you’ll be OK.
I had a bit of fluid in the mastectomy site after the op but the breast cancer nurse drained it no probs, totally painless. I haven’t had lymphodema although I am still a bit numb under my arm and also at the top of the arm on the inside but it’s no big deal, it doesn’t bother me at all.
I wish you all the very best with everything, there is always someone here who can help, don’t hesitate to ask as many questions as you want. I can’t stress enough how valuable it is to be able to talk to people who have been through it all and if there is anything else I can help you with (I’ve had chemo, rads and herception and currently on Tamoxifen until 2012) I’m right here.
Take care
Veggie
Hi Veggie
Thank you so much for your post it really has lifted my spirits. I am truly dreading Thursday not so much the operation but the after effects e.g drains, pain in arm, not being able to use my arm properly. I know it is a process you have to go through to get to the other side but that doesnt stop me from being scared My hope is that when I go for the results they will tell me they got it all and I dont have to have another operation, I can then focus on the chemo, rads and the drugs I will have to take. I will no doubt be pestering you with more questions at some point but thank you again for the message.
Best wishes Karen
No probs Karen,
You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t scared. I’ll be thinking about you on Thursday.
A small thing that helped me was keeping a journal of my experiences. This is a wee bit from it that I wrote 2 days after the op:
“Well here I am at home, sitting on the sofa next to my beautiful little girl watching Tom and Jerry!”
I sometimes read it now, it reminds me of how far I’ve come. Just keep going Karen, you will get there.
Take care
Veggie
Karen, the bad news is you’ll be scared for a while yet - after the op, you’ll probably have chemo to be scared of. The good news is:
- the effects of the op wear off fairly quickly
- the chemo’s unpleasant but do-able
- the survival rate for breast cancer is high and getting better all the time, and so are the treatments if you are one of the unlucky few.
But this is a good place to come for when you’re scared or want a moan or a rant - we all have our episodes!
Karen maybe start a journal today too, i did and it really is therapuetic and as Veggie has pointed out even now a while later she has something to look back on, because I don’t know about the rest of your bet there are episodes that do become a bit foggy.
There is always someone on here who can help/ or have been there and just that very fact makes it all less scary at times, and it all does have its funny moments promise you there are smiles to be had sometimes
xxx
Thank you all for your positive posts. I have started a journal. Just after my first visit to see the consultant I decided to write it all down so I could express my thoughts, emotions, anger and hopefully positive things as well. When I first started writing it and read it back to myself I thought, what a complete and utter misery I sounded but that was obviously how I felt at that time. It is a good thing because I can write down things in there that I wouldnt like to say aloud ( mainly for upsetting the family). Had my letter today confirming my op, 8am Thursday. I have to have a wire inserted before surgery and Im pretty sure Im first on the list for theatre. Still havent decided on the full mastectomy or WLE. Have got some serious thinking to do! Anyway thank you again. Ive no doubt I will be back on very soon asking loads of questions and looking for that all important reassurance! Karen xx
Ah - good to be first on the list. The knives are still clean and the surgeons are still sober…!
All the very best Karen, it’ll be over before you know it.
Take care
Veggie