In between appointments

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Karen T
Karen T Member Posts: 95 ✭
edited June 2014 in Health and wellbeing

Tuesday was the follow up appoinment from my second surgery and I got the all clear on the margins this time around!! Whoohooo! Really REALLY happy that I dont need another surgery. 

I am super happy with how much boob I have left and how well my surgeon reshaped it all and consider myself very lucky to have gotten away with 'just' losing a nipple along with the bad bits.

Now I can move on to the next phase in this - meeting my oncologist!

This is booked for Monday. I am pretty nervous about the next phase. I am worrying about silly things like; Are my glasses frames too boyish if I have no hair? I am so short sighted ....... how the hell am I going to go drawing on my eyebrows? Will I scare customrs away at work if I dont wear a wig or just wear a head scarf?

I have read a few peoples posts on the hair loss thing and finding it reassuring the amount of people that have mentioned that it wasnt such a big deal after it happened and they had a chance to get used to it.

My surgeon has warned me that the oncologist has to give me ALL the statstics and not to get too over whelmed so I am expecting Monday to be a pretty crappy/full on one if it comes with a pre-warning! lol

For now I am just celebrating the fact that I dont need another surgery and that is enough for now!

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  • Deanne
    Deanne Member Posts: 2,163 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    It is always good to progress to the next step because you feel like you are getting somewhere. As you are no doubt aware from reading other people's posts, chemo provides a different experience for each of us!

    I had 2 different types and found them very different in the side effects they gave me. Reading about what to expect is a good idea so you can try to prepare for the more common things, such as loosing your hair.

    Funny enough I was worried about drawing on my eyebrows due to being short sighted too. I found they gradually got thinner and thinner but didn't really disappear completely. I never worried about drawing them on much but did find I looked very different. But they came back pretty quickly although even now they grow more slowly and I rarely need to pluck them!

    I found that the things I was most worried about before hand were usually not as bad as I was thinking. I was constantly amazed at the care and thoughtfulness of the medical staff, my family and even the general public. If you look for the good things along the way it really helps.
    Hope the meeting with the oncologist is not too scarey. Take care. Deanne xxx
  • Karen T
    Karen T Member Posts: 95 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    So far I have noticed the same as you! - The things you worry about the most arent as bad as you expect once it happens.

    I was so sad about loosing my nipple but so far since the surgery (2 weeks ago) the thought of it hasnt bothered me at all!  I still havent seen the scar properly yet as it has support tape over it but otherwise doing ok.

    As for the various chemo side effects. I am aiming to be aware of the common ones and to read up on tips to help ease them. That way I am semi prepaired and its not an 'oh shit what do i do' moment but a 'I know how to manage this' moment.  Best case senerio I dont get them too bad, worst case I just deal with it!

    Dont get me wrong. I still have moments of crying over silly things but I am being as positive as humanly possible!   At the start of this my husband said he would shave his head if I lost my hair. Now that it is looking like a strong chance of happening he is freaking out more than me! :-D

     

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