Bad night
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Shit bum fuck.... all totally relate to this shitty thing that is breast cancer. I don’t think I write a post without dropping at least a fuck or two in it. My tumor was 1.8cm on the mammogram and 3 cm when I had surgery. So I was glad I had the mastectomy. Be guided by your surgeon and your team and trust your guts with your decision too. Biggest hug. Keep us posted. Margiexx0
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Okay - update... I saw the surgeon this afternoon. My 2.5cm tumour was 4.5cm with no clear margins on 4 sides. I had 5 nodes removed with 2 cancerous and 1 showing signs. ER+ & PR+ (PR stronger than the core biopsy showed) and HER-.
I'm going in on Monday afternoon to have mastectomy and axillary clearance (he did say how many nodes but neither my husband or I can remember). Then sometime after that I will see the oncologist to discuss further treatment which he thinks will be full-on. Leaving reconstruction optional for later down the track. He concurs with my GP that I won't be back at work in Term 1 and possibly not in Term 2 - luckily I have also come to that conclusion and have given work a heads-up.
I can't really say I feel "better" but I do feel more settled after talking to him. I went to Dr Kollias as my GP said he was the one in Adelaide that she would go to if she had to (and he does seem to have good "reviews") so I'm trusting that he's good but his manner does instil confidence. I know that my anxiety will ramp up again by Monday and I'm far from a willing patient at the best of times but at the moment I'm okay - not great, but okay.
One good thing - he's said that I have his permission when I'm in hospital to leave the ward and go out in the garden! Yayy! It's so seriously cruel to be able to look out of a glass door and see a balcony but not be allowed to open it and get fresh air and sunshine.3 -
Dr Kollias is my my breast surgeon and he is an extremely skilled kind and gentle surgeon. I've recommended him to many, including family and he did my bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction and my nieces revision reconstruction. Of course like anyone he can have off days but overall I really like him and have seen some great results of other ladies too. As to auxilliary clearance the nodes are sort of clumped together so they take a chunk and then see what they get.
You are probably looking at 6 months of chemo which starts around 3 to 6 weeks after surgery...then because of nodes (if over 3) after clearance or size possibly a further 6 weeks radio. I didn't require radio but was wiped out and basically wasn't ready to return to work until October and need to start at reduced hours. However we are all different and I hope for you it is. I'm seeing Dr Kollias at the RAH on the 18/1 so if you are there for an appt. we might be able to say hi. It will be my first time at the new RAH. Kath x1 -
@primek I thought I'd seen on one of your posts that your surgeon is Dr Kollias. I'm happy to have him as my surgeon. It's a shame about the boob - he's done a fantastic job of the partial as I can barely see a difference and the scar is so neat (and attractive if you can say that about a scar!) and now it's going. I'm seeing him at St Andrews. We were just about to cancel our health insurance due to the cost when this happened so I'm trying to use it when it doesn't mean I have to pay big gaps. I would suggest meeting but I live outside of the city and I know I won't be able to drive safely by then if my recent surgery is anything to go by.
There must be something about the 18th - it keeps cropping up for people I know.
As for the RAH, despite what people are saying (and I do believe there's some teething problems), it's gorgeous! My father-in-law was in there for a couple of weeks recently and the rooms are like good hotel rooms. And it's spectacular at night when you drive passed!
Good luck on the 18th - hope all goes well. Gaye0 -
@sister well done for venting your stress and frustration. Perfect place to do it. Many examples of 'shit bum fuck' seem to exist in many of our worlds nowadays. Swearing seems quite therapeutic I find now lol. @Afraser I like your reminder about the end game thankyou. All the best @sister I hope things are better and easier than you imagine. Much strength Janine xo1
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@sister. I too have Dr Kollias as my surgeon. He is a lovely man. The plan that he put into place for me in March last year took away a lot of the worry. He arranged Oncologist and Radiation specialist. There rooms called me to set up the first appointments. So I didn't have that dread of making the phone call. Which is good for me cos I tend to put things like that off.
I finished treatment on the 1st December and am just getting over the Radiation Burns.
Trust Dr Kollias. Good Luck on Monday xxxx
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@sister many more trips for me in next 5 years so we might catch up in the future. He was brilliant at planning appointments to avoid too much travelling. I live in Broken Hill..so 500k. He planned surgery detail with that in mind. A considerate Dr. Got all my body scans and oncology reviews done whilst seeing him. I was abke to have chemo here but remain with same team.3
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Hi @Sister I too have Dr Kollias as my surgeon and support every word said above - he was my anchor in a stormy sea - you can put your trust in this man as a professional and a human being.If you ladies meet up on the 18/1 would love to be part of it too. St Andrews was great DURING treatment but have been told of amazing AFTER treatment support staff at FMC provide which would have helped -guess there is no money in it when treatment ends for a private hospital.1
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Hey @Sister , no worries about the swearing, I still do it (frequently and often). Try to chill out over the weekend, I'd suggest going for an amble around the botanic gardens for your whole family but it's stinky hot today in Radelaide. Maybe tomorrow? I remember being encouraged to get out of bed and amble about the hospital as much as possible, I was at the QEH and they have a lovely enclosed garden area there. Good luck for Monday, sending positive vibes your way. Let us all know how it went (when you feel like it).
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PS I reckon you can tell a lot about a doctor who steps up to make appointments on the phone because his staff were too busy doing other things .He even delivered my paperwork to St Andrews on his way to do surgery! And as well as being a kind man he is a brilliant surgeon.1
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PS I reckon you can tell a lot about a doctor who steps up to make appointments on the phone because his staff were too busy doing other things .He even delivered my paperwork to St Andrews on his way to do surgery! And as well as being a kind man he is a brilliant surgeon.0
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Yes - he delivered my paperwork yesterday afternoon.
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