Sentinel lymph nodes removed - Chemo & Radiation treatment

4Coco

@Afraser   Thanks and yes I'll definitely not be eating out for the next several months and will be having baked/roast vegetables instead.   

Ausmum2

Hey @4Coco
in terms of food intake the “easiest way” for me to remember the food advice was “think of it as the pregnant diet” (ie foods to avoid and what to eat more of) to manage any possible side effects. 

I did 4XACs, 12Xpaclitaxels, 25 radiotherapy fractions (but a lot of grays, as medial lymph nodes, sub clavicle and clavicle and armpit and arm lymph nodes, as well as chest and chest wall, after a double mastectomy as I’m a TNBC one). So basically “the whole enchilada”. 

I had significant neutropenia and issue with haemoglobbin as well, but got all my treatment in even though I needed three WBC boosting shots a week for almost all of the chemo. 

I also did have a recurrent seroma (on the non cancer side!) that needed two rounds of negative vac drain followed by bellow vac (so four extra operations and hospital stays). And a fair few antibiotics with things needing dealing with. 

My only side effect after all of this (and like abbey dog I didn’t have any nausea or vomiting with chemo at all. Just the eveready bunny effect of the dexamethasone). 

Basically, my advice would be 
eat well and a basic balanced diet 
talk to the breast care nurses a lot
and don’t worry about things they might never happen (there is enough to worry about that does happen!) 

good luck 

Locksley

@4Coco the ladies have made some good suggestions. I should make more of an effort. 

@arpie I do have one of those plates.  Just not big enough for me.    

Keeping_positive1

@Locksley may I ask where I can get one of those plates?   I agree it doesn't seem big enough for me either, but I am curious if I can adapt to smaller portions.

arpie

LOL and the pic shows that they really only used the 'inside bit' of the plate .... not the WHOLE plate!   

@Locksley ... Hubby demanded ALL his meals be on a 'side plate' a couple of years ago - instead of a 'dinner plate' (even before he was diagnosed as Stage 4 last year) ..... So, I now try to cram as much as I can ON it ... (height wise) .... as the idea for HIM is to ADD weight .... but he still has to eat it!  Sometimes, he digs his toes in & just won't! 

Locksley

I got portion control plate online (it was a few years ago cant remember exactly where).  Ive just had a peek on  Ebay and they are listed there as well.   I know it was quite expensive a few years ago but I see some advertised from $20.00. 

Keeping_positive1

I guess the cost will pay for itself soon enough if I cut down on the money I spend on meat.  Not sure it is going to work that way for me, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.    Thank you for the info @Locksley

4Coco

Hi @Ausmum2  Thanks for responding with what you've experienced with your treatment and diet advice.  Your last line made me inwardly smile.   I possibly have a seroma on the breast that had the surgery  -  I had a US a few days ago and "nothing" showed up.   It raises a couple of questions for me - can you receive chemo if you have a  seroma?   Can the Oncologist drain the seroma?   

Ausmum2

@4Coco my breast surgeon was doing weekly aspirations for a few months before I headed back into theatres - so all the way through the AC. We timed the first drain attempts between the end of AC and the start of Paclitaxel… and when the seroma reformed anyway he spoke to the oncologist and I had a two week break in Paclitaxel treatment to do the drain (they operated on me whilst I was “hot” - ie a few days after a Paclitaxel when I was radioactive ha ha ha). The second time the surgeon stripped out the capsule (this basically re-doing the whole wound) and that “got it”).  

The antibiotic coverage and WBC shots protected me in this (got close to needing a transfusion but red meat became my “second best friend” to get the red counts back up). 

So I did have a bit of a rocky journey through the Paclitaxel but we got all 12 doses in just over a bit longer period. 

A big thing for me was not focussing on the “end of treatment” rather just taking it all one step at a time and letting it unfold. 

You can’t control this….”control is an illusion”. So I went with “know the overall plan but know you’ll be done when you are done and in the meantime actually LIVE each day. See and value the little things that bring you happiness everyday and enjoy and so the little things you can.” 

Go gently 

Afraser

@Ausmum2

My surgeon did a similar procedure to deal with my persistent seroma (what he termed ‘a good scrub out!’) and that finally fixed it. Irritating things although just the body going into overdrive to heal. While my oncologist was initially not too happy with chemo and so much fluid, we did six months (A/C and Taxol) with the seroma waxing and waning and quite a few aspirations. 

Ausmum2

@Afraser must be a surgeons quote since mine too told me “a good scrub out and a strip back. Might hurt a bit but think we’ve got the bugger this time”. Made me laugh so much. 

He’s such a lovely gentle man - was way more annoyed with the seroma than me (and kept apologising for it developing and not being an easy fix) and he spoke to the oncologist regularly to keep him up to date. So I’ve always felt like I was in the best of hands with them both. 

(Can totally acknowledge that they wouldn’t be everyone’s choice though. Like everything medical treating practitioners have style that means you have to get a personality match).  

4Coco

@Ausmum2   Agree I have to take each day as it comes, I like the sound of your surgeon.  Will have to see what happens when I see my Oncologist tomorrow.

Ausmum2

@4Coco
do let us know. And know I’ll be cheering you on. 

4Coco

Thanks @Ausmum2. 

4Coco

Hi everyone  -  I had my second chemo session yesterday and will be receiving 3rd and 4th treatments at 3 instead of 2 weekly intervals.  I didn't sleep too well last night but I'm feeling livelier than I recall feeling after the first session so that's a thumbs up.