Hi all,
My Mum has a lump and some of the lymph nodes removed a week ago, with the results next week.
The breast is very bruised (which I am assuming is normal?), but around the bottom of it the bruising is quite a dark red colour and a bit hard. I’ve looked around this site, and it seems that this can happen, but do we need to get it looked at?
Also, is a loss of appetite normal? she’s eating regular meals, but not because she wants to, more because she has to. Am making sure she’s eating lots of fruit / veg and good foods.
Hi flowergirl if you are worried about anything I would either phone the breast care nurses or your GP it’s best to get it checked out then you can stop worrying.
Your mum’s very lucky to have someone like you to care about her, so thank you from all of us.
It is pretty normal to have lots of bruising, mine has been all sorts of colours including quite a dark red. It’s possible that it could be a haematoma, which is a collection of blood that feels hard and can be “fixed” by aspirating with a fine needle, giving quick relief. Or it might just be heavy bruising.
Give your GP a ring in the morning and see if your mum can be seen. If she or you are worried then get some reassurance. As for loss of appetite, some people react to anaesthetics and painkillers in different ways. If she’s on codeine for the pain she may be constipated, and I know I have difficulty putting food in the top if the waste matter isn’t coming out the other end. And of course she could just have lost her desire to eat because of worry. The Waiting Room is a very worrying place to be and we would completely understand if she didn’t feel like eating, as worrying could be taking her appetite away.
What the others said, Flowergirl. Sometimes small meals and snacks (fruit is ideal) are all you can manage. If you’re shopping or cooking for your mum think about a few things she’s really fond of. Feeling worried and depressed as well as uncomfortable, all 100% normal, tends to hit anyone’s appetite.
I don’t know how old your mum is or what she normally does, but on the whole it helps to keep mentally active and as physically active as health and discomfort permit during the waiting period.
Best wishes to you both, and thanks to you from the mum of grown-up daughters living in other cities (and on the other side of the world), for looking after your mum.