thankyou for your support everyone. kittenkat i got moved forward cos my surgeon had to do his collegues work as she had broken her leg. unlucky for her, lucky for me. magel i hope thinks get movin soon for you. my drain seems to be leaking so i have to run back into the hosp now to get it sorted. no big. these things happen.
the other lady cant remember her name hope im the same as you with no chemo but if it happens then it happens. is there anyone here from northern ireland, it would be nice to maybe have someone i could meet although if theres gonna be a party in england then im comin. ok
went to the hosp to have drain emptied, have to go every day. is anyone else doing this. i see the surgeon on monday for him to look at the wound. i have to do my exercises every day, my arm feels ok although there are parts of it numb but i was told to expect that. its strange that my life seems to revolve around my hospital appointments at the minute.
my husband is just being an angel, he is coping really well with running the house. he is lucky with his work as they let him pick the days he wants to work so he is here to drive me about . i have really realised how much i took him for granted. i cannot have a shower yet so hes going to give me a bed bath later…
well thats all for now i hope everyone is feeling good today and i think of you all daily
well done martina, not sure re drain - although I know someone has mentioned the district nurse coming for dressings so maybe they’d do the drain or get them to show you/hubby?? Take care and rest yourself,mary x
ps I have an aunt in newry who might be coming over to me for a while - maybe you can hitch a lift in her case and we’ll party! Hope you find someone local, that’d be good - ask the bcnurse re groups or support
hi kittenkat
the district nurse usually does the drain but i have a very particular surgeon and because they didnt go for training on it he wont let them do it i really like him an i like that he is very particular cos it gives me great faith in him that i will get the best treatment available. he also doesnt like sticky tape on the bandages so i have the bear minimum on my wound. he must have asked me about 20 times before i went down for the operation which side he was doing even though he had a big arrow on it and writing all over my breast. he knew what side is was but he was doing it all properly.
do you know whereabouts in newry your aunt lives, thats where i had my surgery but Craigavon is the hospital with the cancer clinic. so some of my appointments are there. maybe i could call in to her an have a cup of tea (lol). how are you doing kittenkat. what stage are you at now, im sure you told me but so many stories on here i get mixed up.
by the way i like your name (kittenkat) we have 5 cats and a kitten called dee dee who is not well he has a tumour in his throat and i dont think he is going to get better. he is the only cat allowed in the house, hes our baby.
take care and talk to you again
hi martina - I was diagnosed on wed 7th jan after going to GP on christmas eve, the consultant planned the day surgery there and then for 28th - this wed coming- for lumpectomy and node sampling - same as you I think, so the waiting is really getting to me now! I had to go back last monday for pre op assessment jobbie and some more mammogram views and ultrasound which they didn’t do at first appt - and they ended up doing a core biopsy under mammo on the “good” side to check there, so I have to see them tomorrow for results etc and see what he thinks - I suppose if there is any more work to be done then I won’t be down on day unit on wednesday?? The radiologist told me it looks benign but there’s still the waiting…
We lived in Craigavon in the 70’s when it was new-ish although my family are from Dungannon, I’ll see if I can send you a private message later on…take it easy, mary x
Kittenkat - good luck tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t change your Wed appointment.
Martina - I think everybody is different with the drain thing. I didn’t get any at all for some reason. I just had to sit and gurgle for a few days till it drained away by itself.
i hope everything goes well tomorrow kittenkat. hopefully you will get some good news. i will be thinking about you. i have an appointment tomorrow for post op assessment. so we will be kindred spirits.
carole my drain is attached to my wound all the time, i just tuck it into my pocket when i’m walking around. i go once a day to have it emptied and compressed again at the hosp. i dont mind cos i would rather be at home then jus sittin in hosp waitin for it to “dry up”. do you drive caroled and if you do how long was it before you could drive again.
Yup I drive. I had my op on Wed, felt a bit woozy on Thursday, a bit stiff on Friday, but I could have driven and been happy that I was safe on the roads by the Saturday. As I didn’t need to then, I didn’t actually drive till the Monday, and it was no problem at all. But I didn’t have a drain, and I seem to have had a really easy time of it recovering from the op compared to some of you. Don’t rush the driving if you can help it.
thanks girls - will let you know how I get on tomorrow - and thinking about it too no-one has mentioned a drain to me, maybe some do and some don’t?..mary x
Good luck hope all goes well xxx
hello everyone finally found my own post. hope you are all ok. if your reading this will you drop me a line and cheer me up.
martina
Hi Martina
You may find the BCC booklet talking to your children about breast cancer helpful to read. I have added the link where you are able to find this.
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/talking_to_your_
children_about_breast_cancer_0.pdf
I hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards
Sam (BCC Facilitator)
ardmhuire, sorry to hear about your dx, it’s such a shock I know, and good luck with your surgery. For what it’s worth, my daughter who was 9 when I was dx in June 08 has told me the worst thing for her has been what she calls “people who water down the truth”, she likes to use the word cancer and ask the difficult questions, I have been quite matter of fact with her and told her the truth about everything. I know all children are different but she said to me, “if you tell me one lie I’ll never believe anything you say in the future” and I promised her I wouldn’t lie o her. Good luck wit your treatment xx
hi martina - how are you? I’m sore… mary x
hi kittenkat im sore too, i have an infection in my wound and im on antibiotics. its not too bad but i jus cant bear any clothes round that part of my arm and breast. hopefully the antibiotics will start working soon. on a lighter note the breast cancer nurse asked me to come in today so she could have a look at it. she then went to ring the consultant about my results, when she came back she said all the results weren’t in but what they did know was that all my lymph nodes that were removed were clear. i am so delighted, i dont care what treatment i have to have the fact that it hasn’t spread is the best news i could have got. i see my consultant for the rest of the results on tuesday and then i will have to see the oncologist. i do feel so lucky and believe i have been a reprieve especially when i read some of the troubles that other people on here have.
do you know when you will get your results. i hope you feel better soon. its nice to put a face to your name, by the way in my pic i’m the one in the white tshirt :-D. talk to you soon
starflower thanks for the post. i think everyone has their own ideas about the children. when i have all my results (next tuesday) and i know what treatment i will be getting i will sit them down and talk to them. they know i have had a lump removed and when i know more so will they. i do have a bit of an advantage as my daughter had cancer when she was 23, she had surgery and chemo and is right as rain now so they know that cancer is not always a death sentence. i will be able to explain the cancer and then the treatment so that they understand the whole journey i will be going through and know there is an end date so to speak. take care
well today i stayed in bed until 4 o clock. it was great, kids at school, hubby at work and a nice warm comfy bed. i have to take my daughter to an open day at the school she will be attending next sept. still not driving yet, i will ask my bc nurse on monday about it. its not that i have anywhere particular to go its just that when you know that you cant drive you always think youre missing out on places you should be going. daft i know but anyhow.
i hope everyone is doing ok and im thinking of you all,
take care
martina
well today i done a bit of driving, just a small trip to my mums grave. it was ok but i wouldnt want to drive much further for a while. i now have 2 appointments on wed. one with the consultant for the rest of my results and the other with the oncologist to discuss my treatment. only problem is one is in craigavon at 2.30 and one is in newry that is an hours journey away at 3.30. which means i am not going to be able to make both. i am gonna talk to my bc nurse to try and rearrange one of them for a different time cos i really want to make both of them and if i cancel one it means another wait. i am feeling good, i really think im gonna beat this.
i know i seem to be talking to myself here but i dont really mind. its like i’m keeping a diary and when i read back when i started this i can see how far i have come and how i was feeling at different times. i do post on other forums and i have a few great friends that i send private messages too. i hope that we are giving each other support and encouragement. well thats all for today.
martina
I was also diagnosed on thursday I am 31 married with 3 girls, 12,10,6 I am due to go for an operation on the 9th of feb. I havn’t been told what type of cancer I have as my doctor dosn’t know. I had a biopsy last week. I have had an on going problem for four years. I was told it was a blocked breast duct. My nipple bleeds and forms a crust. The doctor did a biopsy thinking it was a skin condition. SO If any one has an idea what type of cancer this could be I would love to know. I feel in limbo at the moment as I have no idea how bad this is.
Hi Cornelia,
You are more than welcome to give the helpline a ring and have a chat with one of the nurses here, they’ll be able to talk to you about what to expect when you go into hospital, no question is too trivial, just ask away BCC are here to support you. Calls to the helpline are free, 0808 800 6000, open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm and Sat 9am - 2pm.
Hope this helps. Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator