Can anyone tell me if it is normal to still have tenderness nearly 3 weeks after a biopsy. I had to have 2 done, first one was inconclusive and had another done a week later. During the first one I bled quite badly and when I went back for the second one I was told that during the previous one an artery had been nicked. No wonder I bled!!! I still have bruising and seems quite swollen. Unfortunately the results for second biopsy resulted in me being told I had BC, I go in on 30th August for WLE and SNB. You can imagine my brain is working overtime and keep thinking it is my lump that is growing. I just can’t wait to get rid of it.
poor you, not recovering properly from biopsies and now the worry of your op and the results from that.
first of all i would say that everybody heals at different rates, and that when you are stressed you heal slower. If they nicked a vien the first time that is going to take longer to settle down than a normal biopsy, and then you had a second one, so yes I’d think you are entitled to still be sore and bruised. If you think the tenderness is getting worse or you start to feel ill its always worth ringing your breast nurse just to make sure you have not picked up an infection. It would not be from your lump growing, they dont grow that quickly.
did they tell you what they found on the second biopsy?
Have you been told what to expect from you SNB and op?? Are you having the radioactive die put in before the op? do you understand what that is all about??
i always trot out the same two bits of advice. either ring the helpline to get them to send you a leaflet, or down load the excercises that you are supposed to do to help you recover from the op. If you do them for a week or so before hand you will get your muscles into better condition, more able to recover, and you will know the exercises off by heart and be abe to start them straight after the op.
the second is to buy a comfortable sports bra with seperate cups, in fact that might help you now. You will wear it night and day for some time so get one that will let out in the back. This is especially important if you are well endowed.
and in the meantime just be prepared for all the tricks your brains and emotions are going to play whilst you are waiting for your op and for the results of that. its a horrid time. friends and family can give you some support, but this blighter occupies your mind 24/7 and they cannot always be there for you.
do use this forum to ask questions or to express concerns, there are lots of people around with all sorts of different cancers and different treatments who all remember what those first days were like when you do not know what is in store for you. And everybody is willing to help
Thanks oldandlumpy
According to the letter going to my doctor I have IDC 10mm. I am having the wire thingy put in to guide the surgeon to the area and also radioactive injection all done on the same day as the op. At least it gets it all out of the way at once. The consultant didn’t think it had spread to the lymph nodes according to the ultrasound but I realise there is no guarantee until all the tests have been done. Just have to keep my fingers crossed. At the moment I seem to have every ache and pain under the sun and my emotions are all over the place. One minute coping then all of a sudden in floods of tears. Going away next week for a couple of days, just to try and chill but I know what you mean about thinking about it 24/7, I can’t get it out of my head.
Thanks for the advice
no that sort is not going to suddenly grow, thats why they need a wire to tell the surgeon where it is, he would not find it other wise. Those two proceedues are quite modern and mean the surgery is less invasive.
its good that you are going away, a break in routine can help quell the gremlins. its amazing what different emotions people come on here to express. Anger, disbelief,abject terror, self-blame, complete crankiness etc etc. Expect to have any one, or a mixture of them all.
just to cheer you up. my lump main lump was a papillary cancer about 2inch,but I also had a couple of IDC sbout 8cm, and lots of LIS, my sential node biopsy was clear. I have completely recovered from the op 5 weeks ago, back into performaning in my band. I am in the middle of radiation treatment and apart from the nuisance of the daily trip to the hospital (which is far to temptingly close to my favorite clothes shop) that is no problem. need to take hormone tablets for 5 years, but my chinese doc says we should not have a problem with side affects. yes I would rather have not found the lump and have had the initial worry and turmoil and the disruption to my daily routing. But by next month things will be completely back to normal and I hope I will be starting to forget about it all.
I sometimes feel a fraud being on this site. mine is such a mild version of cancer, nothing like the horror that I first thought of when I found the lump.
Hi
Just to let you know that i still feel sore about 2 1/2 weeks after biopsy and i only had one. So you’re not alone there. Also felt very tender after having mammogram on BC side, other side recovered ok. So you’re not alone, and i think we’re both in the same boat when it comes to our imaginations. Also starting to worry about tops of my arms being sore (i.e. biceps area) and now worrying about inflammatory BC, but surely that would have been picked up on the biopsy and i thought they used chemo first on that? At least you know yours is IDC as i haven’t even been told that much. Anyway, the best we can do is wait to see what the proper diagnosis is and get our action plans in place (easier said that done i know as i’ve felt really down today). If you ever feel you need to meet up for a chat then let me know, as we don’t live that far from each other, although i guess the ops might get in the way in the next couple of weeks.
Getting very nervous now and have had a very tearful day. Must mean tomorrow will be a positive day 
Hi Alibaba 49
That sounds a great idea about meeting up, maybe post op.
I had a bad day yesterday. Today hasn’t been too bad, did lots of housework. I don’t know about you but I can’t stop thinking about it and sleep is just about non-existant. I really wish I was having my op sooner, the waiting is just too much. Hubby is off for the next two weeks, so at least I will have company.
By the way I only know my diagnosis because I asked for a copy of the letter being sent to my GP, I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Fingers crossed for both of us that our nodes are clear.
I am not sure how you private message on here.
Barbara
Not sure how to private message either. Must be something on our profile. I’ll have a look to see if i can work it out.
Hi ladies, if u want to private message i find the easiest way is to click on the person’s name then it comes up to send message or go to ur profile & ur inbox & compose message x
Thanks hjv123. Will give it a go.
Thanks hjv123 - looks like we’ve cracked it
glad to be of help ladies x