Sending you a huge amount of love @foxgem 
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Pleased it all went well and youāre home x
Wow - home the same day! Hope youāre not too sore. Keep on top of the painkillers and take care. Iām now 10 days post MX and TAD and feeling much better! Xx
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@foxgem how are you a f ew days on? hope you have. Managed to wave goodbye to the post surgical drains by now.
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Hope youāre doing ok @foxgem ? and good luck @felineoptimist as I think your surgery is due this week xxx
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@foxgem so pleased thatās itās done, in the rear view mirror and youāre resting up. Some milestones to go (getting the drains out will feel a relief!) but you will get there, slowly but surely. Sending you gentle hugs and healing energy. 
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I havenāt been on here for a while, so catching up and wishing you all well with your next steps. My radiotherapy is due to start next month, and have already been given a letrozole prescription, but reluctant to start it until after radio as I want to get decent energy back before introducing more side effects to contend with. Reassuring to see those of you going through radio finding it easier than chemo. 
I think the whole hormone blocking/bone health medication situation is making me most anxious of all as itās so long term compared with the surgery, chemo and radio that are all done within a year (and thatās bloody long enough!). Breast cancer treatment feels like a full time job sometimes and I just long to feel some kind of normal again. Sending strength, healing and love to you all as we continue on this path that none of us wanted to be on. 
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@m1sty.george take your time on the Letrozole decision. Itās a big drug with significant short and long term side effects. Worth doing your own research to help you decide. I finished chemo 1 May and to my oncologistās annoyance Iāve still not said yes to the hormone blocker. I have many reservations. There are some good threads on the topic elsewhere on this forum.
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Iāve been given Letrozole too. My oncologist wanted me to start it just before surgery. I thought about it for some time and, as I have an appointment with him at the end of August, I started it the day after surgery. I thought Iād give it a go and see what my side effects are so I can talk through with him at that appointment. Itās only been a few days so hard to notice anything yet and on top of everything else itās hard to know as you said @m1sty.george whatās related to what ! Iām trying it out so I know how I am and trying not to read all the horror stories as I know for some people itās really not good !
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Itās a tough one @sam1204 isnāt it. I know someone who is on it and has side effects comes off it for a bit and then goes back on. Iāve read quite a lot about it and still very much in 2 minds but I thought Iād bite the bullet to see what happens to me over a months period (that was the timescale my friend said she felt her side effects within). This feels like the right personal choice at this stage but I must say Iām not totally wedded to the idea and may well decide to change my mind as time goes on. He also wants me on Bisphosphonates and possibly a CDK 4/6 inhibitor so my drugs journey feels like it has some way to go that I may or may not be all in for !
I know youāll have done loads of research about this topic and are always great at advocating for what feels right for you so power to you
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Just spoken with oncologist, the only dip in my blood results is still the Hb count BUT itās up from 7.3 to 8.5 with all the other results that support your body to make Hb well within normal. That includes magnesium levels. Oncologist was sure that without the chemo drugs my Hb should be back to more normal levels by surgery. To have Hb levels tested with cross matching two days before. Having had to have emergency haemorrhage protocol blood transfusions during and after surgery that really matters to know. It was so bad it was the same hospital that organised for the haematologists to screen for haemophilia type clotting disorders that woman can inherit. Turns out I am right on the very edge of normal clotting but occasionally my clotting factors like to take an extended tea break before responding. Currently they are behaving.
TBH itās a relief that the hospital and MDT have taken this seriously and are doing all they can to avoid me needing to stay in the HDU again. Downside is being stuck eating meat as a vegetarian for longer than hoped.
It means I am actually good enough to head off next week for a few days.
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May I ask is letrazole a drug used for hormone positive breast cancers?
Asking as mine is only her+ so itās not one my oncologist has ever raised with me. I will admit I have not read that much beyond what I have had to cope with but I am aware that breast cancer can be fuelled by different human endocrine products.
Hello all, today is a good day. Boobie day. It has been an uncomfortable few days but now my drains are out the pain is much better. It got slowly better each day anyway but it feels like a relief at the moment. My chest muscle under my left boob is having a bit of a spasm on and off which feels like a phone vibrating in a pocket. Apparently this can happen because the implant is sitting on the muscle. My surgeon isnt too worried and said it should hopefully ease up as my body builds a barrier around the implant. He is very happy with the healing so far so fingers and toes crossed that continues.
I am happy to be a smaller size. Thereās no denying they dont look like mine and they will take some getting used to. One is ever so slightly lower than the other but all in all they are healthy looking and hopefully as safe as I can get.
My old boobs are currently in a lab somewhere so my next appointment will be the pathology for that but Iām not worrying about that today. I feel like I need to heal physically and mentally. Maybe sleep for a week or 2 
In regards to hormones Iām really glad to hear people taking the time to consider their options. Thats all we can do, just keep thinking about it, keep researching and when youāve made a decision thats right for you, you will know it. Iām 2 zoladex injections in and probably just over 2 weeks into my tamoxifen. So far no real differences apart from the hot flushes. Maybe I get a little more teary and down at times but I think if that wasnt the case right now that would be weirder.
Lots of love to you all
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@wibbles Letrozole is a hormone blocker that blocks any remaining production of oestrogen (after menopause). Itās given for breast cancers which are oestrogen positive (OR+), to women post the menopause. For those before menopause, Tamoxifen is usually given.
There are often side effects with Letrozole (and other hormone blockers) such as fatigue, joint pain, depression, and typical menopause side effects like hot flushing - though of course not everyone gets them. There are also potential long term impacts of completely blocking all oestrogen from the body, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Because of the latter, bisphosphonates are usually given at the same time. For the former two, my onco simply said they would give me BP meds and statins to treat - in other words, more drugs to combat SEs of drugs 
. Not ideal! But yes, if one has a OR+ cancer (mine is both OR+ and HER2+) a hormone blocker is almost always recommended.
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Glad to hear your recovery is going well @foxgem . Am sure it will continue with your positive attitude and strength 
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Glad to hear how things are @foxgem and that the drains are out now which should hopefully make things a little better.
Sounds like your body is doing its thing and healing a little bit - definitely take some time out to rest and sleep when you need to - feels really important now.
Good to hear how youāre doing on the Tamoxifen - early days as you say. Iām all about the hot flushes too - particularly in the night. Although Iām Letrozole Iām also a little weepy but again as youād say this could be a number of things rather than related to the drugs. I guess weāll see how we get on over the next month or so !
Look after yourself
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Hello! Happy to report surgery done and I was let home same day. I was second on list, taken in about 10ish and put just before 1pm but slow to wake up - clearly needed my rest! Because I was sleepy and didnāt get to the loo until much later I didnāt leave until 6ish and was definitely still feeling sick etc from the anaesthetic but they controlled it really well with anti sickness drugs such that I didnāt actually vomit, first time after a general that Iāve managed that! Sheās sent me home with a Pico negative pressure dressing which has a little battery powered pump to draw away fluid and stuff. Said it was because my blood numbers were a bit low so presumably itās an infection reducing thing. She said Iāll be back in a week to have it changed.
Came home, ordered Japanese food, watched some telly and went to bed. Slept realllly well - had my sister and nieces to visit the 5 days before surgery and had done lots of middle of the night waking to sort out small ones, as well as my own hot flushes, plus had the expected anxious early waking day of surger. Last night, despite getting up once in the night and being joined by a very soggy moggy whoād been out on the rain at some other point, I feel very well rested.
Feels good to have it done and kind of not too weird yet because I canāt see the new boob under the dressing. She said the excision was nearly half the breast 
but there definitely looks like thereās a boob there.
How did you all feel within the first week of surgery? Weāve been invited to a barbeque at the weekend so just trying to judge how up for it Iām going to feelā¦
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Well done on getting it done and getting home the same day 
it feels too early to be sent home doesnt it but its sch a relief. Your drain sounds so fancy!!!
The pain honestly gets a little bit better each day. It is very slow and gradual but thereās a definite difference. Once my drains were out I had much less pain and more movement of my arm. And this morning, ive not really done much yet but I havent taken any pain relief yet because I dont feel like I need any so thats a good sign. I will still be taking them anyway haha keep them in my system for a bit. I am 6 days post surgery
One day at a time
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Glad to hear you got out on the same day and that all seems to have gone well. Itās such a relief to get it over and done with isnāt it but also not to have to stay in over night.
Iāve been feeling better each day (Iām day 8). I have to say that I was feeling pretty good last Friday (day 4) so went out in the day and that was a bit too soon as I ended up with a banging headache for the 2 days after. That may not have been related to doing too much too soon but getting the balance right is always a big challenge isnāt it. The heat didnāt help either I donāt think but after all the chemo I just wanted to get out ! I stayed out too long so an escape hatch (or place to cool down and chill for a bit) is recommended !
From a pain perspective Iāve just taken paras whenever I felt I needed them and not had any codeine at all. Some days thatās been 3 lots, sometimes 2 and someoneās 1. I can tell when Iāve done too much as the pain does increase under my arm particularly. Keep doing the exercises as much as they recommend and wishing you a good recovery and enjoy the BBQ xxx
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My DD uses PICO and other forms of negative pressure dressings as part of the plastics reconstruction side of burns. Itās used as it promotes a faster healthy wound healing process and she has previously said produces better scar results for those who need plastic reconstructions. Helps the healing cascade to get going by reducing the environment that wound infections love to find.
Hope it proves to be as good for you.
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