Post-mastectomy underarm boob?
Hi, I just had a mastectomy and axillary clearance on Monday and I have a very large fatty lump under my arm now. It looks like my boob has migrated under there! Just wondering if anyone else has expe...
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Today I saw the surgeon and a breast care nurse and they seemed to think that I have a seroma extending right along the scar line. There was also a small dehiscence in the middle of the scar. I forgot to ask whether it is likely that the underarm lump will remain as I was a bit distracted by the small wound opening and by learning that the pathology results weren't quite what I had hoped. I only had tiny viable tumours in the breast (3.5mm) and in one lymph node (1mm) (5/28 had looked like they had been previously cancerous/enlarged). So now I have to see the oncologist tomorrow for a review and some Herceptin and also get the seromas drained on Friday. Considering my diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer spread over an 8cm area across the whole boob I should be grateful that my response to the treatment was good. However I was hoping that the doc would say the magic words pathological complete response. It was not to be. I came so close!
So now maybe I will need to have more chemo or Kadcyla, and as it is not on the PBS, it might be very costly if I have to do it privately. I will have to raise the underarm boob question again when I have my next surgical review next week, when hopefully it will be clear whether it is fat or fluid. Thanks for all the advice and help.
I didn't feel particularly fat shamed by the nurses when they said I was a bit overweight, as it is true and I felt they were just being matter of fact about it. However I do remember once being told by a doctor that I was obese, when I was much lighter than I am today (around 70kg). On that occasion I did feel fat shamed, mostly because she seemed kind of disgusted by my slightly overweight frame.
So now maybe I will need to have more chemo or Kadcyla, and as it is not on the PBS, it might be very costly if I have to do it privately. I will have to raise the underarm boob question again when I have my next surgical review next week, when hopefully it will be clear whether it is fat or fluid. Thanks for all the advice and help.
I didn't feel particularly fat shamed by the nurses when they said I was a bit overweight, as it is true and I felt they were just being matter of fact about it. However I do remember once being told by a doctor that I was obese, when I was much lighter than I am today (around 70kg). On that occasion I did feel fat shamed, mostly because she seemed kind of disgusted by my slightly overweight frame.