Good luck with your operation today and presumably it’s a morning operation ?
Let us know how you get on when able to
Xx
Good luck Linda with your operation today and presumably it’s a morning operation ?
Let us know how you get on when able to
Xx
I am sure all will go welllLinda. Let us know when you feel up to it
Christine Rim - welcome and hope you ‘lose’ your Darin soon
Hugs x
Hi Christine nice to see a familiar face. You really have had a big operational and I’m sure recovery needs to be gradual. I understand you wanting the drain out. I also have had to wait for 2 consecutive days of less than 40mls which was today. I mentioned I have a district nurse come each day to check it, I understand why you feel so alone and vulnerable being left on your own to phone the numbers in. After the nurse took it out today she said they wouldn’t be back until Sunday when the clips need to come out. I felt very vulnerable and emotional at the thought of not seeing anyone until then. I am not used to feeling so fragile. Thankfully they offered to come on Thursday just to check all is ok. This has made me feel much better. It is a very difficult and emotional time and we have had a lot to deal with over the last few months.
Quaggie how is your wound today? Have you spoken to anyone else about it? I hope it is all ok now and healing nicely.
Linda I hope the op went well, come and let us know you are ok when you feel well enough.
I hope everyone else is doing well xx
Thank you Michelle. I know i posted my rant on the chemo thread but it probably should have gone on here. I have never been one to cry and through most of this i have been the “good strong woman” i am expected to be but at times everything crowds in, you have no support and you are scared. Cancer is scarey no matter how strong we are. I am glad you got your support when you asked for it. My husband has had to deal with a lot and is a great support but we have always been quite independant so it is all new. I had to email my plastics consultants PA for an appointment and she has provided me with the number for a specialist nurse in another hospital that she says will talk to me if the Marsden still don’t call me tomorrow. I have made an official complaint through the Marsden website so no one else is left stranded with a phone system that means you can’t talk to who you need to and a pre arranged plan that can’t be carried through.
Just getting to know the rest of you on here as I read through your stories and wish you all the best. The chemo threads have been my lifeline so far and the support has been amazing. As i move forward i know i will have support here.
It’s probably just as well you have complained Christine, like you say no one should be left high and dry like that.
I am thankful to everyone who writes their experiences on here because it makes the whole thing seem less daunting but also anyone who lays bare that they have been emotional or tearful makes me realise that feeling that way is totally normal considering the enormity of the situation we are in. Like you say Christine these are scary times for us all and it is good to know there are others here who understand and feel the same. X
Hello everyone, hope you are soon to have/recovering well from your various surgeries. If recovery seems slower than you thought, just remember you’ve been through a lot and it’s now behind you!
Today marks 3 weeks since my surgery (full Mx and ANC) and I’m ok - tireder than usual, but a lot more positive since they took my last drain out on Friday… makes a huge difference, I feel almost normal, not clunking those horrid bottles around all the time! My scar has healed well and the new boob although a bit lumpy, the only thing really in terms of pain is my numb upper arm (pins &needles) and the drain entry points… Has anyone heard how long/if ever it takes to get that upper arm sensation back?
Most of the time I am philosophical about it all, but I must admit I had a middle of the night wobble a few days ago. Largely because I suddenly felt so weary of it all - got to gird myself up for radiotherapy next, having had six months of chemo already! This whole cancer journey is a long slog, isn’t it? Which makes the lovely cheering words everyone shares on this forum so worthwhile!
Hope you are also keeping cheerful, and saving lots of time for the things you enjoy most! Keep well, if hugs BRx
Hi Michelle
Worth finding out from your surgeon if s/he is suggesting immediate or delayed reconstruction. I have just had the former with one sided Mx and full ANC - 3 weeks ago - and am glad I went for it. I didn’t want to be constantly reminded of the cancer with a flat chest and falsie on one side, so although the recon will always show in a scar, somehow weirdly you can kid yourself you’re still double-breasted!
Goodness, that does sound weird… Frankly, to look at the silicon boob looks fine, but I can still feel the ‘edges’ and where the air goes in, and occasionally at night it bulges in unexpected places! In a bra, nobody could tell though - it only affects anyone, including you, seeing you in your birthday suit… I’ve had verylittle pain in the reconstruction, it’s been the impact of messing around with the nerves in the armpit on my upper arm that’s been more painful.
Hope that gives you an idea of what to expect. Only you can decide what’s best for you in the trade off between recovery time/appearance/pypsychological impact and if you have a partner around, they may have an influence on your decision too.
Do feel free to ask any other specific questions in case I can help, and good luck on Thursday.
BRx
Ladies, emotional moments are perfectly normal in my opinion. I start crying whenever I feel overwhelmed or tired. If it’s there, it will come out and I personally don’t care who witnesses it. It’s therapeutic and also where possible can be effective with a loved or trusted person although a pet or cuddly toy can work. Or a good forum!
We have a lot to deal with right now. We were never trained for this. We are full of varying emotions anyway.
It’s also ok to cry tears of happiness as I did today when I woke up at 5.30am instead of 4am the two previous mornings. A little victory in a big battle but won.
Take care, big hugs and go with the flow!
Well worth a cheer for any step back towards normal sleep/life
Hi Christine, I hope you get someone to help with your drain today x
Hi Belmont Rosie lovely to hear from you. I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks since your surgery. Good to hear you are recovering well. I totally understand why you went for the recon straight away as you didn’t want to be reminded of the cancer.
I think you may have been reading one of my early posts as I had been told all through chemo that I would have to have a mastectomy however at the first appt with the surgeon I had an ultrasound and the results were so good that he said he would perform a lumpectomy. Thats not to say I may end up with a mx but I will have to wait and see what the pathology result says in 3 weeks. If it is clear then I won’t need any more surgery but obviously if it shows any cancer cells they may have to go back for more. I will have to wait and see.
I have also had a full lymph clearance and would be interested to know how long the upper arm is numb for.
I hope everyone has a good day today x
Hi Michelle. I had all my lymph nodes removed on my first diagnosis 20 years ago and my experience is that i have a small area on the back of my arm that remaines numb to this day. It hasn’t caused a problem apart from the occasional phantom itch that can’t be scratched. The area is on an inch wide by two inchs long and i just got used to it.
Drain free thank goodness.
I agree this is a very long process and waitning for results and not knowing the next step sits in the back of your head. we all build the next step into something horrendous but so many people have done it and got through it that it can’t be that bad. On diagnosis this time i didn’t want to go through chemo again. 20 years ago i had a horrid time with 6 rounds of FEC and then 6 weeks of radiotherapy. Things have changes and as i have already had FEC they didn’t do it again and I was given a weekly paclitaxel drug. Radiotherapy i have avoided this time due to the surgery. They just seem to throw everything at it which I know is good but as you are going through it you just want to be out the other side and be free from it all. Just remember it is never as bad as you think will be. In a perfect world chemo would have no side effects and kill 100% of the cancer and maybe one day it will.
So glad to hear you are drain free. Onwards and upwards
Hugs x
Thanks for sharing your experience about your lymph node clearance Christine. It is good to know what I can expect. Great news about the drain too.
Quaggie im pleased fornyou that the results seem good but agreenit would have been better if your surgeon or onc could have gone through them with you. The worst part of all of this is waiting. Waiting for results, waiting for treatments, waiting for scans.
I agree with Christine often the thought of what’s next can be worse than what is next. I’ve also just completed 6 cycles of chemo, I was lucky with side effects but when I think back to how terrified I was the day before I started chemo it really wasn’t as bad as I had built it up in my head.
Having said all of that I think talking to a councellor will be very helpful in alleviating anxiety.
5 days post op for me. I am feeling slightly better each day but I am impatient to have proper movement of my arm. I guess I just need to keep up the exercises.
I hope everyone else is doing ok xx
Hello everyone
Been keeping up more or less with everyone’s progress with but dont find it to easy to fully follow everything when on my phone so will have a good catchup when I can get back at my PC.
Good news is I’m being discharged today after 6 days here. Had an infection at the weekend which was a bit worrying but IV abs solved that. Foob is looking as good as it can and swollen and numb. Back is sore but have plenty of good painkillers. Final drain will be removed in the next hour (Drain 1 and portable anaesthetic were removed on Monday, drain 2 was removed yesterdsy).
Have loved being in this hospital despite the reason why as the nurses are truly wonderful and I plan on sending them a pamper hamper to thank them for their care. Flowers and chocolates are a bit too usual. Going to look at hampers at Fortnum and Mason. Expensive but they deserveve something special for how they treated me like a princess/queen even though its their job. Respect to them as I could not do it
Anyway time to relax before drain removal. Hurt like hell yesterday so hoping less today as shorter line!
Take care all, wish you well for any next steps, and big hugs.
Hi Guys, sorry I couldn’t post yesterday, my tablet wouldn’t work but I’ve got my daughters iPad now. Apparently my surgery went well and my surgeon said she is really pleased with the results and from what I can see my new boob looks pretty much like my old one! I have been in quite a bit of pain and discomfort but having morphine on tap has helped although they have taken it off me now. They also took my breast drain out this morning just leaving me the one in my back. Listening to you guys this seems a bit early but I suppose they must know what they’re doing. They made me get up for the first time today. I had to walk round the bed and then sit in a chair and I felt like I had done a marathon!
i’ll keep you updated of my progress. It’s good to read all your comments xx
Had a bit of a meltdown this morning. I woke up in a lot of pain and couldn’t move until they brought me some pain relief and I got a bit emotional. Also every time the physios come and get me moving about it makes me feel really sick. They say I’m doing really well but I just don’t feel that I am and they’re talking about sending me home tomorrow which is really worrying me! I think I’m just having a bad day,
Jane - how are you doing now that you’re home?
Hi Linda. You are not alone in the emotions and the panic. I had exactly the same response. Wanting my own home again but the panic of no one to help. It is a very emotional time and your body has gone through a lot. I reacted to the morphine as it made me really sick. I hated that feeling. I stopped the pump and refused oral morphine. I got used to the paracetamol and ibuprofen and they gave me anti sickness tablets to help too. Movement at the start is very difficult and a week on i feel find it hard to move around. I am still worrying about everything and glad i have an appointment with the consultant this afternoon. Not sure if the pains i am getting should be there or not. Assuming i have done something wrong to cause it and dreading the need for any surgery to correct it. Bleeding from my tummy scar too…
Getting through each day seems like a chore. waiting for the pain to go and mobility to start improving. wishing i didn’t have to depend on other people for everything…