I had a right mastectomy and lymph removal in February. Even with a seroma, and needing to back sleep for quite a while, surgery and recovery was sooo much easier than chemo. No horrid side effects, no nausea etc. . Minimal pain.
But yes, if you are nervous of operations then its normal to feel unsure. But the Teams are so supportive and kind. Just talk it through with them.
I actually rang BCNow Nurses a lot throughout the process, just to get extra reassurance. It all happened so quick (4weeks from diagnosis to surgery). The thought of cancer and losing a breast was huge and frightening. Our fear is justifiable.
But, my Team was great.
I also used the Someone Like Me Volunteers to talk through, drains, seromas, mastectomy. They were fantastic. . You will be fine.
To all you ladies having surgery in the next few months…. Grab all the support on offer. Be fully informed.
Surgeons secretary called me this morning, pre surgery assessment has been bought forward tothe 14th, that will be the sixth day post chemo so surgeon hopes I feel well enough to come. That will give them the maximum time to sort out alternative closures glues and post surgical dressings as well as get advice from dermatologists. He also wants to sort out a potential bed ‘just in case’ I did pull any nasty reactions or life threatening unexpected extras as l have in the past.
@big given my very genuine concerns regarding surgery based on past surgeries I have had, if you can find a way to communicate areas of genuine concern and areas where your just plain worried or scared the. Surgical team will do what they can to manage risks and support your worries and fears. As others have said compared to chemo it should be a doddle or at least a gentle walk round a park as opposed to the sheer free style up a sheer rock face that chemo can be.
My surgery is scheduled for the19th of August so a little before yours. Opted for an aesthetic flat closure rather than a reconstruction. Not keen on extra surgery, more drugs or more risk of reacting to a longer anaesthetic etc. Will let you know how I get on with that in the hope it can reassure you a little…..and it’s okay to be trying to hold hopeful and plain fearful at the same time in regards to surgery. It’s a little bittersweet as it means goodbye boob but also goodbye to the uninvited lodger.
Yes I’ve been using on my eyebrows too and they are starting to come through again. Just hoping my lashes start following suit soon (I haven’t used it on my lashes), but I can see little ones poking through, my eyes are so inflamed and watery at the minute!!!
Is anybody suffering with watery/inflamed eyes during or after chemo?
GP thinks it’s blepharitis but I’m not sure if the watering is due to lack of eye lashes and theyre pink on the eyelid along the lash line which I’m not sure if it’s inflamed from New hairs poking through? I can see some little stubbly hairs coming in!
Is there anything that’s helped you? I just want them to calm down so I can wear eyeliner and a tiny bit of mascara on my stubbly lashes again
My eyes have been watery and dry ever since I started chemo @katie91 and my hairs started to vacate my body . Same as my constant runny nose.
So I tend to use normal eye drops, which helps alot, even for watery eyes. They help clean my eyes.
I avoid touching my eyes as much as possible…but I do forget from time to time. Which makes them worse.
I also wear sun glasses on sunny days, as my eyes are a lot more sensitive to the sun. I stick to shaded areas as much as possible to avoid sun glare. I avoid dusty areas/dusty jobs.
Hi, yes I’m the same and have been suffering with blepharitis mainly due to lack of eyelashes. My son is an optometrist and recommended a eyelid cleaning wipes, a heat mask and drops for dry eye (hycosan) which has helped. Another reason I’m desperate for my lashes to grow back!
I have missed so much! Since I finished chemo I have been trying to make the most of every moment before my mastectomy which is in just over a week. It has been nice feeling a bit more normal!
I’ve got a pretty difficult decision to make - the lymph nodes had tumours but from imaging post chemo are now looking more normal. I need to decide between having a few removed and tested during surgery with a full clearance to follow if cancer remains (lymphoedema risks etc), versus not learning if cancer remains or not and simply relying on focussed on the armpit radiotherapy to attack them! Can’t have both (would just have radiotherapy on the breast if I had the clearance).
@katie91 hair looks great! Sorry to hear about the eyes. Mine have been a little sensitive now and then but nothing too bad. I went to a LGFB class and they sugges RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum for regrowing them. When do you start radiotherapy?
Sounds like everyone still in chemo is ploughing through! Keep going it’ll be over before you know it! Xxx
Morning @jululemon well done for making the most of your time
Goodness what a big decision! Its not easy when they hand things back to us to decide.
For me because you said there was tumours on the nodes before chemo I would opt for taking a few out and finding out definitively what’s going on in there. There is always a risk with lymphoedema even just with radiotherapy but I think that risk for me would be worth it. Knowledge is power in my opinion. From the begining they’ve said how they want a clear map of what’s going on so they can treat it so if they have to do more digging then its all part of the treatment process.
Remember that is just my opinion. If you read that and you instantly think, oh no I don’t want that, then that is your answer. Whatever decision you make is the right one for you
Thanks @foxgem thats so helpful! My instinct was the same. Having such young kids my key aim is survival for as long as possible. How are you feeling? What is your next step? Xx
That’s my aim also. I want to live to an uncomfortably old age surrounded by my children’s grandchildren haha (I’m being extremely unrealistic but why not shoot for the moon!)
I’m feeling ok actually. I am 16 days past chemotherapy. Next step is getting an appointment with my surgeon to measure me up for implants. I have to have a double mastectomy and they wanted me to consider a DIEP. I was referred to a plastic surgeon at another hospital who said I didnt have enough tummy fat for a full DIEP so I would need 1 operation for 1 boob using my tummy and another operation 6 months later using thigh fat for my pther boob. Big instant no from me. I was extremely uncomfortable and worried about all those multiple incisions. So I l’ve decided implants. They come with more risks but for me its worth it. If my body rejects them ive made my peace with going flat. Trying to get an appointment with my surgeon has been difficult though. The first breast care nurse didnt relay my decision to him. The 2nd nurse was told to book me an appointment and didnt. The 3rd nurse apologised and said can we call you Monday when your doctor is in and we will hopefully get you in that day.
Ive been so nervous because my surgery is in place of radiotherapy. And everyone had their radiotherapy booked in.
Just goes to show again that you have to advocate for yourself and keep ringing them. Dont let them forget about you haha
What a nightmare about getting the appointment with your surgeon. I am so sorry it has been such a battle. Having to always fight for yourself / to be heard gets very exhausting!
Your decision sounds sensible re the implants. Such a lot of surgery otherwise!
Will you have radiotherapy down the line or not? I feel slightly anxious with this gap between chemo and surgery knowing there is still cancer in me with no treatment ongoing, but appreciate my body needs time between chemo and surgery.
So sorry to hear BCNurses have let you down so much recently @foxgem . Its hard enough on this bumpy road. We just need people to help us navigate it smoothly, we dont want to be the navigators. Hoping you get it sorted soon.
Same as me. I had 3 surgeries with sfx after both lumpectomies and clearance. Mastectomy was the only one that went well. Paclitaxol 2 weekly still the worst!
managed to get out again today…went to Worcester and found an absolutely brilliant lingerie shop called Embrace that totally specialise in post surgery and masectomy bras, wigs, headwear (accepts Worcester hospital issued wig vouchers for wigs and headwear) range of prothesis, masectomy swimwear, chemotheraphy friendly skin care products and the service was compassionate, kind and took their time to fit me with a comfortable straight after surgery bra with advice for the second type of bra post surgery and a tour of their masectomy bras for when the scars have healed enough to consider them. they have a huge range and aim to match you with the most comfy for you to wear and does not rub sensitive scars. being told they would not sell me more than one post surgery bra but would send me a second via the post provided Ìt was still a comfy fit around post surgery swelling really helped me feel they knew what they were on about. Gave advice on the kind of post surgery bras to suit if you need drains too. they aim to be a one stop shop for any woman facing breast cancer and similar. they do sell online but having a physical place where you could try on said bras and be properly fitted made me feel more human.
TBH looking through the window Ìt looks just like an ordinary lingerie shop and so I had not gone in before as I found it too upsetting to look at what appeared to be ordinary pretty bras. SHame there is not anything like it in my city.
I only have the main sentinel lymph node with signs of cancer cells rather than tumours pre chemo. I am still opting for up to level2 auxiliary lymph node clearance because I need to know anything potentially rogue has been removed and not just zapped by chemo drugs for a bit as the tumour in my breast is HER+.
All I can suggest is get the best advice you can maybe speak to the BCN on the helpline about what you have been told so far so you can make the best choice for you. if need be ask if you can have another meeting with said surgeon and or your oncologist as they are supposed to work together as part of the multidisciplinary team looking after you.
No plans for radiotherapy at the moment but maybe that will change based on what they find after the double mastectomy. I’m hoping the chemo did a good enough job though and they dont find anything. That’s why I want the surgery sooner than later. But you are right the priority is our overall health. They need our immune system back up so we can heal properly after surgery
I don’t blame you for not wanting to have all that additional surgery to other body parts for reconstruction @foxgem and I would feel exactly the same. I see the places the tissue is taken from to rebuild the breasts as very important in the body’s support structure and I personally wouldn’t want those messed with, especially as it’s not all particularly reversible if you hate the result!
I had a chat with a young woman your age in chemo on Friday, which I found very helpful myself as while I’m hoping for just a further wide local excision at the end of treatment, I’ve been told a single mastectomy is a possibility and my main concern is symmetry. She’s already had removal of the affected breast but has also been approved to have the healthy breast removed for the purposes of evening out and I think this is what I would want in this scenerio.
For me, like you, giving the implants a go would be my choice if I do end up in a double mastectomy situation because at least if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason, there’s always the option of removing them and going flat later.
Also I love your life goal and don’t think it’s unrealistic at all. Shoot for the moon!
Glad you’ve come to a decision @foxgem . That in itself will help you feel better.
Does anyone know who gets radio and who doesn’t? I had single MX but lymph nodes were clear, then 12 weekly paclitaxel plus 9 x herceptin every 3 weeks, and no radio.
My oncologist said that a mastectomy for most people had the same results longterm as radiotherapy. I am going to assume that this is in the cases of clear lymphnodes.
So for people that only have a lumpectomy, the radio is as good as a mastectomy. And those that have mastectomy don’t need the added radio.
. Minimal pain.
. You will be fine. 
. Same as my constant runny nose. 