Inquiry
Had left hand side mastectomy with sentinel lymph biopsy 3 weeks ago and results showed 4mm on the node and dcis 19mm and invasive ca 22mm found hence surgeon suggested axillary clearance which i have done a last week and still recovering. I dont get enough sleep as i kept waking up in the middle of the night. I have not book my post review as still processing all the information.
First surgery coming up
Hi, I have a lumpectomy and removal of lymph nodes coming up. I have been given lots of information about the surgery itself, but they haven’t said anything to me yet about managing afterwards ie what bra to wear (or not), what I will and won’t be able to do etc. Does this get discussed before I leave the hospital? Is there anything I should be doing beforehand to prepare? TIA.
Bilateral mastectomy + SLNB + TAD
Hi everyone, I'm having a bilateral mastectomy in two weeks, and while I've been getting information from my medical team, I know there's so much that only people who've been through it can share. If you've had a bilateral mastectomy, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Looking back, what do you wish you'd known beforehand? What should I realistically expect during the first few days and weeks of recovery? I'd also love any practical tips, such as: Things that made recovery easier. What you recommend doing before surgery to prepare. Items you found helpful to have at home or in the hospital. Advice for managing drains, sleeping, showering, getting dressed, or moving around. Things that surprised you (good or bad). Any emotional or mental health tips that helped you cope. I know everyone's experience is different, and I'm not looking for medical advice—just personal experiences and practical wisdom from those who've been there. Thank you so much for taking the time to share. Reading your stories and advice means a lot as I prepare for surgery.
Post surgery pathology
Hi there, I had a double mastectomy last week following a cancer diagnosis in April. I had sentinel lymph nodes removed as part of the surgery and am assuming the lymph node testing will infom the next steps/stage. I was disappointed to hear that the pathology on the lymph nodes will take at least 6 weeks due to a massive backlog in the Tasmanian public healthcare system. I'm curious to hear how long the wait is for lymph node testing in other states. I'd appreciate hearing how long other women generally have to wait please. I'm pretty anxious to know if the cancer has spread beyond my breasts, as well as to find out what the next steps are. Thanks for reading, Anna
Post mastectomy and auxiliary clearance concerns ?
Hi I am a 45 yr old post single mastectomy on my left breast and also full auxiliary clearance and was hoping for some advice from those who have gone through the same ! I am still struggling to be able to lift my left arm to a full reach and also have some weird sensations in different parts of my under arm and also my upper arm and from where breast was ! I haven’t left the house much and can feel my mental health heading down ! I’m just curious as how long it took others to be able to be at full arms reach after surgery and or any tips regarding this ! I am following the after drain removal exercises but still quite painful for me is this normal for 2 weeks 3 days post surgery ? Feeling quite lost with it all so thought would reach out to others for some or any advice ? Thanks a lot for taking the time to read !!Recovery after axillary clearance
I had axillary clearance 12 days ago with the removal of 13 lymph nodes. I’m a bit bowled over by the severity of the aftermath of the surgery, including nerve damage and cording. I’m most concerned about the size of my axillary wound swelling, which is quite large (maybe 8cm x 10cm), painful and hard. It feels like I’ve got a tennis ball under my arm. Is this kind of swelling normal and I wonder how long it might be before I see improvement? Thanks for any thoughts.
Reluctant about mastectomy
This is awesome that a supportive community like this is available. My mum was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had an initial lumpectomy and now requiring a mastectomy. She's struggling to understand the necessity of undergoing this treatment due to being asymptomatic. I was wondering if any ladies here, particularly Cantonese-speaking were willing to share their experience in undergoing this type of surgery. I know my mum would appreciate talking on the phone to someone, if anyone is happy to share details or exchange emails. Thank you so much for your help in advance 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 ☺️ ConstancePost‑Surgery Fluid Leak on One Side
I’m 48 and one week post–bilateral wide excision with right‑side axillary clearance for invasive lobular breast cancer on R) side. I still have one drain on the right, but my left breast (which has no drain) is leaking a large amount of serous fluid. It’s very uncomfortable, and the nurse has now placed a wound drainage bag post second visit to hospital and discussion with the surgeon. Has anyone else experienced this after surgery, and how long did the leaking last for you?BMX with ALN removal and SN biopsy.
Hello to all you lovely folks on here. I've had 6 cycles of THCP and I'm having BMX this Wednesday, with axillary clearance on the left and sentinal node biopsy on the right. Has anyone had the same? And any advice for recovery? Were you able to go out for a walk or is it mostly housebound at first? I'm also dealing with heamorroids so a little worried about that. Thank you and best wishes to everyone going through this.
Indecisive
I am new to this group and beginning my journey. It is very reassuring to feel I can learn from other members experiences. Knowing that everyone’s situation is different and I am beginning to appreciate that there are a number of decisions ahead of me regarding treatment options. i was recently diagnosed with mass-forming, high-grade DCIS of the left breast. The mammogram detected a single 14mm lesion and an ultrasound detected a corresponding mass. So I understand that this is considered small in size. No hormone marker testing was performed on the biopsied tissue. I have been scheduled for a wide excision next week and my surgeon has given me two options: either have a sentinel lymph node biopsy at the time of the surgery, or wait until the histopathology report is back (after surgery) and then later do the sentinel lymph node biopsy if any invasive cancer is detected. I am having difficulty making a decision. I appreciate that if the biopsy is performed next week (whilst the excision is performed), I only then have one anaesthetic but if I choose the second option, I may avoid unnecessary loss of lymph nodes. Wondering if any other members diagnosed with a small high-grade DCIS have been given this choice and if so, what did you decide?