Breast Cancer Care Forum

Hi Sarah,   Sorry for no reply in a while. I tried to find my way here a few times but find it a clumsy website to navigate. So, I either got distracted or just could not find this section of posts. I will keep this page open to easier look for your reply.   Anyway, it is now Feb. March 20th. I got 1 drain tube out yesterday, as it was down to 20 ml a day & they do not like to pull more than 1 at a time. The one that remains is still draining at 40 ml/day. I have another appointment on Tues. & if I can drop to 30ml or below, they will remove that one too.   My pathology report revealed clear margins in all 3 DCIS locations, as well as no cancer in all 9 lymph nodes taken out to be checked. There was 3 other areas of invasive cancer found, after the mastectomy tissue was tested, so that was sent off for an Octo type DX 21 gene test (if I got that right) which is a rate of reoccurrence test. A low rate means no Chemo, whereas a high rate of reoccurrence means Chemo will be recommended. I am not sure what they will Chemo as I had a mastectomy??   I still have yet to meet with an Oncologist to start Gene Therapy. I have an appt. on April 23rd they are trying to move up sooner.    I am still sore, but have cut my pain meds drastically. Still need them occasionally, mostly at night... like now, as I woke at 5 a.m. & am very uncomfortable.  A good portion of my sleeping pain is my  right arm & left hip, which I am forced to lay on. I start shifting my hip to stop the pain, then the arm pain kicks in.   My arm is still quite numb with the nerves they cut or "moved out of the way" to do my lymph nodes. I have asked 3 separate times now to 3 different nurses & 1 doc about excercises, but they just dismiss it with a "Just move it slowly" or "stretch it out  a little, a couple times a day."  I don't want to do any damage to my stitches or  remaining drain tube & it is rather painful to move passed shoulder height, so I just don't. Stretching to reach something brings out an "Ouch" & I feel an area or 2 either under my upper arm or on top that is either hot or cold (feels like water was dripped on it)... which I was told is just my nerves waking up.   How is your arm doing after having 31 lymph nodes removed? Also, did you get your MRI results back yet? I am crossing my fingers for a good & easy treatment outcome for you. 🤞   ~Wishing you well, Paula     ... View more

Hi Sarah,   Surgery went well. No infected lymph nodes, so no extra treatment needed that I know of yet. I'm a bit stiff on my right side, but am moving better. My hospital gave me no excercises to do, they told me no lifting more than 5 lbs or a gallon of milk.   Meds are good at keeping the pain to a minimum... & me groggy. But I have no place to be &  with my men waiting on me, all is good. The bulb drains will be removed in about a week at a surgeon's follow up visit... if they are no longer draining.   I have been given instructions to not touch or remove anything. 1st follow-up is Monday with my surgeon, but I don't think they will do much of anything. Tomorrow a Homecare nurse comes out, but is not allowed to remove any bandages or even peek under them.   I found my breast care center does not know what the hospital recovery staff have on hand for post surgery. I was told "Oh, you will get a tank bra with pockets." Nope, they have none & instead brought a different type of tank bra then last time. One look at it I could tell it would not fit me. It is a medium & even with a smaller right side, there is no way I am a minimum around my chest. Still we tried it & it came no where near closin. Another kind was  brought, like the one I had with my biopsy, it being a couple sizes bigger, fits a bit better because I am down several sizes on my right side now. My drain bulbs are pinned to my pants & seem well out of the way, so that is good.   Hope all is well with you! ~Paula ... View more

Crossing fingers all is ok! 🤞🏻 Do you know when you will hear the latest results? Not sure if you said or not, but did you know ahead of time they were going to take a lot of lymph nodes (your 31)?   What have you found helpful recovery wise? (Like, positioning, pillows, shirts to hold drain bulbs, certain bras?)   ~Paula (Keeping busy before Tuesday... surgery day.) ... View more

Such a bummer on the added stress to the surgery... they do say things come in 3's, then you have good luck (or something like that!)   I have been "enjoying" no period for over a year now, so that coming back would be a major bummer for me!! Any lower body injury while recovering from an upper body one would be miserable. Hoping you continue to recover from both fast.   I so get not wanting to take painkillers when you can get by without. But also very thankful when something like what happened to you occurs & they are available for use!   I had some leftover Tylenol 3's from the birth of my youngest. When he was about 2 yrs old & I slipped backwards on ice while holding him. Bam, right on my tailbone! His 40lbs was cradled in my lap as we fell, so he was fine, but the extra weight created such a shockwave I felt it all the way up my spine to my head. I had him climb up in our van on his own & got him buckled in. Went in the house to take one of the left over pills & headed out to pick up his older brother from school 3 minutes down the road.  Thank goodness I stopped seeing "stars" a half hour later when he came out of school.  Thought my recovery would be a month... it took 3 months for me to stop feeling the pressure when I sat down, walked or stooped. And I was a young something in my middle 30's then too! Passing the mid 50's mark last year... any added fall would not be easy!   Lol... no worries on your long post! 😂 ... View more

Thank you, Sarah. They will still take the sentinel node & 1 or 2 more, but they said other than being big, the were not worried cause they were the right shape.    I finally have a surgery date as of yesterday.... it is for  Tues., March 3rd. I won't know the time til the day before.   Hope all is well with you! ~Paula     ... View more

Delly, thanks for asking about my biopsy. At the Ultrasound they said my lymph nodes looked "prominent" (big), but not misshaped or anything else out of the normal. So they did no needle biopsy as planned. I am taking it as good news & expect a call from my surgeon's office early in the week to schedule surgery... probably after he looks at all the data.   Sarah, glad to hear you are getting along ok so far. Hope it continues! Keep us posted.   ... View more

LOL, Delly! Our chicken boobs were in the form of tenders from the local chicken joint tonight! They are the best in town and 3 -3 piece meals makes enough for 5 meals! I was wondering if being sleepy from not a full nights sleep was the way to go for surgeries from the start. Glad others think so too. Thanks for the well wishes for a good outcome Fri. I hope all goes better than expected for  Sarah/Sarjaba also! ... View more

Hi Sarjaba, I am very new to this sight, but wanted to wish you luck tomorrow. Loved your chicken boob comment! Laughed cause a friend will say she is having chicken boobs (instead of chicken breasts) for dinner. And you have to love 7/8yr old boys! How awesome would a booby that shot Nerf darts be!! My surgery (rt mastectomy with an implant) has been delayed due to the need for a lymph node needle biopsy on Jan. 30th. I won't know until results come back from that if the reconstruction will change due to adding chemo or other treatments. I am crossing my fingers they find nothing. Wishing you the best of luck in your surgery tomorrow! 🤞🏻 ~Paula ... View more

Thank you, Shareena. I will go check those links out. ... View more