Hi everyone, i have just seen the consultant who has advised me that following 7 courses of chemo, one to go, I have had a good response and the tumour has shrunk. I will be having a lumpectamy and auxillary clearance mid June. has anyone else had this done and can give me any advice etc? He said i will be in hospital for one night and have a drain at home for a couple of days. thanks. Ness x
Ive not had it done but am having axillary clearance on May 9th post chemo. Chemo finished a month ago. No tumour found so not taking my breast. I will be a day patient.
Hi I had a lumpectomy and auxillary clearance before chemo. They take the drain out as soon as it reaches a certain level but it is best to leave in as long as possible as it will be draining. Although mine was in for a good few days and were happy to take it out I did have to have the fluid drained by needle on two other occassions as it kept filling up like a tennis ball. Very common as the lymphs would normally do this, but as they are not working properly it fills up. All normal now though. Just watch the sticky tape they put over the wound as that is what was pulling my skin and making it uncomfortable and so much better when removed! Word of advice do your exercises straight away, although it hurts they are very important and it is imperative you get movement back in your arm asap. Good luck. Adi
Don’t feel you have to be brave about pain relief, just take whatever they give you and if you develop a seroma, phone the BCN or whoever you are told to phone and arrange to have it drained. I had to have that done several times.
Take things easy, have plenty to drink, but you may recover faster than you think. Do the exercises.
The area under your arm may be more painful than your breast. A cushion may help, and some places you can get heart or crescent shaped ones to fit under your arm nicely, and you may find it helps to have something cold as well, such as a well-wrapped ice pack or a wet flannel chilled in the fridge and wrapped in a sandwich bag.
If you have sensitive skin and adhesives bother you, be sure to tell them before the op, but even the best adhesive gets to be a bother after a while, to be honest.
Hope it all goes well,
Cheryl
with just axillary clearance how long is it before you can sleep on your side again?
How did you manage sleeping with the drain in?
Thanks
Hi just short of 1 yr on I am v. comfortable sleeping on my back.With the drain in ANC wound had to sleep on my back and also with WLE X 2 Never would have thought it but I actually wake up if I turn over and the scar is a bit tender too. Good Luck J xx
Hi,
while my drain was still in at home I slept on my back in a single bed and had the drain bottle in a wastepaper basket on the floor beside me at night. This worked really well as the bottle could not tip over and tug me or fall off the bed. It just rolled around the basket if I moved. Had to do single bed as the drain was on hubby’s side and he was terrified of touching it. Propped up on pillows to stop me turning over in the night.
Good luck. BTW I didn’t even feel my extremely long drain being pulled out despite being ready to scream if it did!
Good luck
Lily x
Hi there,
So good to hear comments from others, even though it is a nightmare that we are going through.
I was diagnosed on 21st April, and I now have to have a CT Scan, a clip inserted into my right boob-so they can keep a trace on the tumor. Then Chemo will start… from what I can remember as its all a blur, I will have 6 x chemo to see if the cancer will shrink, then I think they will remove what is left along with lymph glands etc… is that similar to yourself? I am so scared of loosing my boob, as I am quite big, and I cant have recon for 12mths…
How did you cope with chemo? Its fear of the unknown Im sure, but sounds like you are getting there at doing well.
Thoughts are with you.
Tracey x
Hi Tracey
yes that is what happened to me, found a tumour and I have also had a clip inserted which is being taken out tomorrow, the day of my op. I had a CT scan also and afew MRI scans along the way. My tumour has shrunk and responded well to the chemo. Coping with chemo can be tough, take one day at a time, accept offers of help from people. Dont expect too much of yourself, rest is important, as is keeping intouch with family and friends. I have had fantastic support from my friends through the last 6 months, I was diagnosed on 18th November. On my good days I made sure I got out and about, saw friends, went to lunch, shopping, walking etc. What type of chemo are you having. I had 4 FEC and 3 TAX, was due to have one more tax but they cancelled due to getting peripheral neuropathy, tingly and painful fingers and toes. Good luck with it all, keep in touch, you will get through the chemo I know it seems hard at the mo, to me there was no choice, chemo was doing good. Getting wee bit nervous about tomorrow, will be back on here once I can. ness x
Hi Ness,
Thinking of you, as I know you may not get chance to get on here for a while. Hope all went well, and you are not too uncomfortable.
Hope to catch up with you soon. I have my first chemo next thurs 26th may.
take care honey
Tracey x
Hi
well came home last night, very sore but glad its over. They had to remove more tissue from the breast than first thought and moved my nipple so it doesnt dip. can move my arm ok but under strict inustructions not to iron, hoover for 2 weeks! will be doing the exercises they gave me to do every day as well. Have the district nurse coming daily to empty the drain, got a nice pink bag to carry it in as well! Cant speak highly enough of my surgeon at QA Portsmouth, and to the fantastic nurses. hope all goes well Tracey with your first chemo next week, you will get through it, take one day at a time, keep in touch and let me know how you are getting on xxx Ness xx
Glad you are home and doing OK xxx I have just been given a surgery date for the 7th June and am very nervous. Same operation I think.
Nice to find some ladies in the same boat as me. I have just had 4 FEC and am having surgery now, I think because my lump has gone and there is no sign of the tumour on scan either. I have a coil in place so they will operate to remove the coil basically.
I may have Tax chemo afterwards depending what the nodes look like. They were enlarged on scan so assumed involved.
Hi Manny,
Is is not a good thing that your lump as gone? Wont that me less evasive surgery for you?
I had a clip fitted last week, to trace the tumor should that happen to me… hoping then that I wont loose my whole boob. I suppose after just 4 x chemo you are ready to move to the next stage. At least the chemo has worked fantastic for you, and this will just make things better for you.
Will be thinking of you lots. I start my first FEC next thurs 26th - dont know what to think - although I know its gonna be awful.
you take care, look forward to reading on how your doing.xx
keep smiling
Tracey
Yes it is a good thing! It was amazing how fast it happened as well. It was a big egg when I had my first chemo (it was quite big as it was hidden in my big breastfeeding breasts), by the second chemo I could hardly feel it, and about 3 days after that it couldn’t be found at all. I had the coil put in 2 weeks after the first chemo and the tumour was already 40% smaller.
It has meant that I can have a wide local exicison instead of a mastectomy at this stage.
Yk - I know everyone is different - but I have found the FEC much much easier than I expected to. I was in bed for 12 hrs after the chemo, but after that I was up and OK. The fatigue has caught up with me a bit now though, although part of it is the kids waking at 5am every morning.
What I want to say is it may not be as bad as you think it will be. It certainly wasn’t as bad as I expected.