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chrisr1965's avatar
chrisr1965
Member
15 years ago

The journey starts

Actually I thought it would be just a little trip.

I woke up with a tender breast last month. Tender enough that I went to the doctor - which is pretty rare for me.   I'd had a cyst in my breast for years, but it was soft, pliable and not a problem. This was something new.

Unfortunately it was pink ribbon day, so I couldn't get an appointment for a mammogram for over 2 weeks.

Monday - had mammogram.

Tuesday  - doctor chasing me to get results. Says to make apptmt with specialist asap.

Wed - ring specialist, and she says come in for biopsy now.   Does biopsy, waits for results, and congratulations, you have invasive malignant breast cancer.

Tuesday next week - lumpectomy.

I initially thought it was going to be a quick chop and zap:  cut out the lump, zap it with 6 weeks of radiotherapy, over by Christmas, and back to normal life.  Able to say that I'd 'had' breast cancer, but didn't have it any more. 

And I could do my planned trip to see the Northern Lights in Feb/Mar - apparently its a 20 year peak for seeing them.

Then the results of the lumpectomy came in.  Although the sentinal nodes were clear, one of the margins wasn't, so I'm waiting by the phone for the surgeon to confirm whether she'll go back in next week and chop a bit more off.

I was doing my exercises last week - possibly not as frequently as I should have been, and noticed that my breast was a bit tender, heavy and puffy.

Decided to go to the local doctor in the morning to see if it was normal. He said it was to be expected and not to worry, but I really did think it was puffy.

So at lunchtime Friday I nicked out of work, hopped on a bus to the Mater, and asked the breast care nurse to have a quick look.

Yes, it was a good sized seroma, which she drained and relieved the pressure.   And back on the bus to work before lunch was over.

Now it's the weekend, and I'm super sensitive about my breast. I think it's getting puffy again, and I'm wondering whether I'll make it to Monday before needing another drain.

Am I going to be lucky and avoid a drain?  How often do these things fill up?

The other downside is that the BCN said that they probably won't start the radiotherapy until January.  If they chop more off next week, they'll wait 3 weeks for the scar to settle down,  don't normally start radiotherapy over Christmas, so that will put it at a late Feb finish.

What are the odds that I'll be able to fly to Alaska to see the Northern Lights mid-to-late March?

At this rate (pity party) I'll probably get lymphoedema.

Sigh, definitely a journey, not a short trip.

:)

 

 

8 Replies

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    15 years ago

    I'm glad that surgery is behind you now-well fingers crossed anyway.Can't believe you worked from home the day after surgery - gotta love those drugs!  

    Tuesday will be here before you know it and here's hoping for clear margins.

                                  Tonya xx

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    15 years ago

    I'm glad that surgery is behind you now-well fingers crossed anyway.Can't believe you worked from home the day after surgery - gotta love those drugs!  

    Tuesday will be here before you know it and here's hoping for clear margins.

                                  Tonya xx

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    15 years ago

    I'm glad that surgery is behind you now-well fingers crossed anyway.Can't believe you worked from home the day after surgery - gotta love those drugs!  

    Tuesday will be here before you know it and here's hoping for clear margins.

                                  Tonya xx

  • Di_BCNA's avatar
    Di_BCNA
    Member
    15 years ago

    Hi ozgeekmum, just wanted to say hi and welcome to the site.  You look like you're finding your way around okay -- feel free to post as much or as little as you like, everyone here is pretty friendly. If you need a hand with anything, just ask. :)

    ~Di

     

  • chrisr1965's avatar
    chrisr1965
    Member
    15 years ago

    Thanks for your replies guys.  I'm normally a bit of a quiet homebody, so this network looks fantastic.

    Pisces_tas - hop harvesting sounds intriguing and fun!  Went to Cradle Mountain a few years back (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozgeekmum/page2/)  and it was beautiful. You don't hear much about the southern lights in Australia.

    TonyaM, you have a lovely photo :)   I'll do whatever the doctors tell me to. Including sadly reducing my wine intake. My reaction to the nurse telling me to cut down, was to buy a URL from the hospital bed - http://www.mistressofmocktails.com/. ; Such a geek.

    My exercise lately had been dancing. Mostly waltzes, but I hit middle age (46 now) and decided it was time to do a burlesque routine.  I'm still deciding whether to do another burlesque dance to perform in May, but as a minimum I think I'll attend the practices. Again though, I'll ask the doctor in light of the seroma.

    cheers, and enjoy the day

  • pisces_tas's avatar
    pisces_tas
    Member
    15 years ago

    i am amazed how people can say such a lot in a few words; tonya and ozgeekmum.. amongst them !

    you seem to have dealt with it all so well ozgeek. i think for everyone, it eventually hits you and you hit a wall.

    wow the northern lights..amazing.

    i saw the southern lights once, late summer, when doing hop harvest one evening, about 1989 i think it was. i am in northern tasmania. white flashes, sort of a curtain effect, lasting a few seconds, then again. at first i thought it was lightning, then i figured it might be southern lights.

    i hope you get to go to northern hemisphere in feb/ march 2012. bugger about the BC, but please try and not do too much physically i mean.. rushing about. let your body heal ..for a year or two i think is a good idea.. take it slowly, carefully, gently....the emotional and physical effects can add up. i pushed myself a bit much..too soon.. with flushes/ vasodilation and doing things.. veins became distended in forearms somewhat, so just take it slowly for now..and deal with things day by day; you do seem to be dealing with it.

    the treatments can take a toll and you need to deal with that, but keep hope for the future too.

     hope they get clear margins next time and also re lymphoedema: learning how to drain lymph manually into your right neck and left neck ducts, plus in abdomen and groin and axilla, etc is helpful i think. getting a good physio or massage person to teach you may help.

    i had a lumpectomy right side in 1998, with axillary clearance;11 nodes taken, one had cancer..so chemo and radiation.

     in 2003, i had left lumpectomy, with sentinel node biopsy.. clear. i had radiation on left side also.

    i can get a bit of swelling around my back area and shoulder blade, stomach and also in  right arm, if i do things too quickly. too long.. or too vigorously etc. i take it carefully these days. i have flown and was ok. just make sure to do exercises, and stretches, before you fly.. slow breathing and drainage etc. and have suitcase on wheels, so  do not carry bag short, or long periods, or wear tight restrictive clothing, can help.. to keep lymph flow from being disrupted, so rebalance it if necessary.

    in the air.. the cabin pressure is lowered. when the plane lands the cabin pressure is adjusted to ground level air pressure again.  these days i like LOW pressure. and can " feel " the weather changes.. in my body..

     in time you can adjust to the new ways,and work around things if you have to, like some discomfort etc. just take care now.. all the best kathy.

     

     

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    15 years ago

    Your short trip to the doctor has really turned your world upside down.It all happens so quickly doesn't it and I'm so sorry you have to face more surgery. Seromas are annoying but not a matter of urgency.I had a mastectomy last year and got a seroma under my scar which had to be drained twice a week for 5 weeks.It's not uncommon.As for your flight to Alaska,that's a tricky one.If you finish radiation by end of February and you don't have burns/broken skin then you should be ok 2 weeks later.This is something to discuss with your radio oncologist before xmas I should think.I've had breast cancer twice(same breast)with full lymph node clearance and I don't have lymphodema,most women don't get it.I  get abit of "heaviness"and I have to be careful with my arm but it doesn't stop me from flying or any other activity.Try not to worry about that because the odds are in your favour -especially if you only had sentinal nodes taken. Hope it all works out for you and you get to have that wonderful trip.

                                        Tonya xx

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    15 years ago

    Your short trip to the doctor has really turned your world upside down.It all happens so quickly doesn't it and I'm so sorry you have to face more surgery. Seromas are annoying but not a matter of urgency.I had a mastectomy last year and got a seroma under my scar which had to be drained twice a week for 5 weeks.It's not uncommon.As for your flight to Alaska,that's a tricky one.If you finish radiation by end of February and you don't have burns/broken skin then you should be ok 2 weeks later.This is something to discuss with your radio oncologist before xmas I should think.I've had breast cancer twice(same breast)with full lymph node clearance and I don't have lymphodema,most women don't get it.I  get abit of "heaviness"and I have to be careful with my arm but it doesn't stop me from flying or any other activity.Try not to worry about that because the odds are in your favour -especially if you only had sentinal nodes taken. Hope it all works out for you and you get to have that wonderful trip.

                                        Tonya xx