Hello all,
I do hope you all had good weekends. Hopefully your nightmares Bridget will reduce… Just make sure you don’t pit yourself in the position of seeing that surgeon again. I am down the road from you in Kent… Funny that you were on sunshine this morning…the sun has only come out here this afternoon!!!
Pleased to hear you are recovering well kip and your drains are out.
Cdc - nurse took my dressings off today I have 2 wounds… One over breast which is ok, it’s the wound around my side and back where they did the reconstruction that I have reacted to the dressings. Having said that the nurse is happy the actual wounds are healing nicely and the recon looks good ( it’s the skin around the wounds that is aggravated).
I wish everyone having surgery this week lots of luck.
I also wish those about to get their results lots of luck too.
Who gets their results this week??? I get mine tomorrow and my nerves have really kicked in today. Have managed to keep positive through recovering from surgery so far but today has been a real low. Fighting back tears again. I just hope I hear what I expect to tomorrow… Don’t want any surprises. I am sure everyone will agree that it’s the uncertainty and unknowing that is the real issue with dealing with this whole experience.
Have a good evening xx
Hi Jazza. Good luck tomorrow. We will be thinking of you. Me on Wednesday so we can compare notes. Bizarrely I am going to have my roots done tomorrow. Could be ££££ down the drain(literally) if I have chemo soon. But I just want to look nice while I can (is that crazy?!!). Lovely and sunny, again, in Devon ?Kx
Good luck Jazza for tomorrow, I can imagine the fear my stomach lurches every time I think of it. At least no more nasty surprises once results are back. Bridget I have the phantom nippke feeling too… so strange. No bruises I can see though. I was told not to reach up beyond shoulder height before a week post surgery? I’m so short don’t think I could reach the lintel anyway … Xxxx hugs to all
Or maybe my surgeon said there were signs of exudation - meaning fluid is escaping through the wound. Agh! Wish I’d asked her what she meant. Must remember to double check when I hear something I don’t understand. Keep finding myself thinking of questions I should have asked just as I’m walking out of the hospital!! There have been so many new medical terms flying around since my diagnosis. Anyone else struggling to keep up with them all???
CDC, thought you might like this dictionary definition:
An excoriation is a harsh criticism. If your senior prank involves releasing a flock of chickens into the halls of your high school, you’re practically asking for an excoriation from the principal. Excoriation comes from the Latin roots ex, meaning off, and corium, meaning skin.
Today is the day. Been awake all night. Husband still fast asleep. Just want the clock to say 6.00 so we can get up and be on our way to get this thing out of me. Feels like it’s been a long time coming but in reality just 4 weeks ago I was totally oblivious of what was going on in my body. I feel surprisingly calm but wonder if I will be able to actually walk through the hospital door in an hours time. Good luck to all of you going to have surgery today and moving on to the next stage of this roller coaster journey
Good luck mcnulcc. We are all with you. Hope you are home soon. Do let us know how you get on. Big hugs Kxx
Good luck with your results appointment today ktk and good luck mcnulcc.
My results appointment went well…wounds all ok, nothing in lymph node and was given oncologist appointment for next week. All good… Told my parents and my friends… but then… I had a call from my BCN. For some reason the MDT team meets on a Tuesday lunchtime after my surgeons clinics. At MDT meeting my results were reviewed again and unfortunately there is a small area they did not get a good margin on so I need more surgery. They were very apologetic but I guess this is why several people look at your results to make sure everything is captured. That said I am absolutely devastated… It’s taken me since February to get this far and now I will be put back another 2 weeks waiting for more surgery and then another 10 days waiting for the results.
I really sobbed last night… My poor Son did not know what to do with me!!
Decided to go to work for a few hours today to take my mind off things and try to gain some sense of normality for a while.
Sorry I dont have better news… I guess the positives are my nodes were clear and histology regarding the actual tumor was exactly as expected.
Take care everyone xx
Good luck for those getting results today. Really feel for you all. I get results on Friday but will see my surgeon this afternoon for a change of dressings (again!) I know she’ll have been to my MDT this morning to discuss my surgery and pathology findings and just wondering if she’s allowed to give me a heads up in advance. Jazz’s I really am sorry to hear that you need further surgery. Good that other news was as expected but nobody wants to have to go in again for more surgery so totally get why you’re feeling devastated. Sending a gentle hug and my very best wishes. Xxx
Sorry predictive text Jazza xxx
Morning all, good luck to mcnlcc for today, you’ll be fine but we all know how nerv wracking that walk into hospital is, deep breaths we are all with you. jazza sorry to hear you need another surgery but at least nodes clear and initial diagnosis was the same, try to see it as a small blip… My brother in law always tells me I am fighting a dragon but I should focus on it being just a small one!!! Thinking of you and sending hugs. bridgett I love your dog Dazee and took it as a good sign as my daughter is Daisy and she’s been by my side too. It’s my first day at home alone today… Not sure how I feel about that… Can’t seem to put the radio/TV on without seeing/hearing the word cancer…
I’m so sorry Jazza, but glad they found it sooner rather than later.
My appt went well. Margins and lymph nodes clear, so now need to wait for the oncology appt in a week or two. Took OH and son (home revising for A levels) out to lunch in pub overlooking the sea, then went for a paddle. Hugs to all xx
That really is fantastic news ktk and what a lovely way to celebrate by the sea! Xxx
Hi again everyone. What a strange day. I went to Great Ormond Street for my genetic counselling this morning and then to Barts to have my ‘excoriated’ wounds checked by my surgeon this afternoon (with a brief interlude for my husband and I to go for a Wedding Anniversary lunch in between). My surgeon explained I have a seroma and also asked the nurse to change my dressings and talked about putting on special vacuum ones as my skin is reacting to other types. She then told the nurse to just put on normal dressings as she was going to talk to me anyway. So glad my husband was with me as we started to worry that she might have really bad news. She had been to the MDT meeting and did have my pathology results and wanted to share them. She started positively telling me everything was great on the right. All clear and no lymph involvement. However, right side tumour was larger than they thought, lymph’s negative (just micro mets) and then explained there was an area without clear margins. She than said ‘I can operate again tomorrow’!!! So shocked but since she also told me I’m definitely going to have chemo we agreed it was good to get this surgery done as soon as possible so as not to delay the treatment. The good part is she thinks there is enough tissue to try and get clear margins by taking out more rather than immediately doing a mastectomy on the right side. So fingers crossed and here I go again. I’ll be in hospital overnight but really hope to be out on Friday. I found it very hard to take the news at first and cried in front of the surgeon for the first time but now I’ve had a bit more time to process things I realise the news could have been a lot worse. I really thought of you Jazza and wondered how you’ve been today. Do you have a date for surgery yet? Sending hugs to everyone xxx
Sorry I mean everything is clear on the left.
That’s excellent news ktk. Really eased your appointment went well and you had a lovely lunch in the sunshine with your family.
Oh cdc…I am so sorry. It’s a real kick when they tell you you have to have more surgery. It’s really good though that they are doing it straight away… I have to wait until 7 June. I am not happy to wait… Been waiting for appointments etc since February. I have a meeting with BCN tomorrow and will be seeing what can be done to move things forward. Really hope your second surgery is successful xxx
Thanks for the the positive messages of support. Glad to say all went well with operation. My unwanted guest has been removed along with a number of lymph nodes and now we wait for my results appointment. Can’t stop laughing everytime I go to the loo and see my waterworks are blue!!. Great icebreaker for the future I think. Keeping pain under control husband now relegated to the spare room for a few days…I’m so grateful that I found this forum as well as all of you amazing ladies. Hopefully might get a decent night’s sleep and be able to enjoy the sun which is promised for the weekend…much love and best wishes to all of you xx
CDC, I am so sorry to hear your news. Sending you my ch love for your surgery today. Kx
Yay well done mcnlcc, now rest up and enjoy the pampering from hubby. Suns Sun here hope it is for call you ladies too. One more day until my dressings come off and hopefully a lovely soak of if this armpit ?
Just had to share that I have just received my first “knitted knocker” today, it is amazing, so comfy, soft and light and Free!!! I know a lot of you havent the need for a prothesis but those who do try one of these, they are brilliant!!!