Hi, sorry to hear about your diagnosis and hope everything goes well with your surgery. I was also diagnosed with breast cancer in January. I will be starting chemo on Monday, but due to have a mastectomy further down the line. Although, my treatment plan is a different way around, I am still interested in any information about what's involved in the surgery and anyone's experience of it.
Hi Pippin24 - I had a single mastectomy and axillary lymph node clearance 6 weeks ago. 6 weeks on and I have healed really well. The pain afterwards for me was sore bit I'm not sure if it's due to the lymph nodes being taken aswell. I'm really nervous about starting my Chemo next week how are you feeling about it? I'm seeing my oncologist today to sign consent forms and discuss exact treatment. Wishing you well.
The exercises were OK you start them day after surgery - just do what you can and be kind to yourself. My hospital gave me a heart shaped cushion which I used every day and night for 5 weeks helps take the pressure of your wound. Look out for Seromas which is a build up of fluid, your BCN can drain this for you as it can be very uncomfortable. After my operation I slept with a V shaped pillow supporting my upper body it was really comfortable and stopped me hurting myself in the night.
Sorry having problems, wouldn't let me finish this reply. It's the docetaxel that concerns me, side effects seem rather unpleasant. Hope your oncology app goes well, let me know how you get on. Xx
Thank you for the tips. Hope you saw my added bit of message was having a few issues. Hope all goes well for you at your appointment, keep in touch, if you want to share chemo journey. Xx
Hello SANDYDEE53 , I had bilateral mastectomies in September 22, the op wasn’t painful ,I came home with drains . They also gave bags to put drains in and be able to move around , I also had the heart shaped cushions to pop under your arm ,these were very comfortable.I was taught to empty the drain and record the amount which I would phone through to district nurse . They would call every few days too . The only thing I found awkward ,was sleeping on my back ,but propped some pillows up and that solved it .Not having a shower bothered me ,but my husband had to wash my hair and that was fine .I bought myself front buttoning nightshirts,which were easier.Before I had my op , I cooked a lot of meals to freeze as you can’t lift much after the operation.
Good idea to be prepared .Rest when you get home and listen to your body .
I didn’t start my Chemo til December and that went quite well to .Had a bit of brain fog for about three days but nothing else really .Felt quite well ,let’s hope all goes well for you too .Anything you aren’t happy with mention it to the Breast nurses or in the chemo unit . Keep in touch xxx
I'll be starting Chemo next week unfortunately I need to have more chemo that first anticipated.
My course of Chemo is EC - P which will be in the form of 8 sessions in total and frequency is fortnightly. 4 sessions of EC then 4 Sessions of P. After this I'll get 3 or 4 weeks to recovering before starting 15 Radiotherapy sessions over a 3 week period. They will also put me on Tamoxifen for 10 years, suppress my ovaries with a possibility of removing my ovaries altogether. I will also be put on the drug abemaciclib which is oral for 2 years.
Feeling sad and tired- I don't know if I can do this.
Hi Angus101, I am also starting chemo next week, so you are not alone. I was diagnosed on the 18th January, only just starting treatment now. Quite worrying as I do have a fast growing cancer. I do realise that all the tests need to be done first. I would have rather had my surgery first really, but they wanted me to have chemo first. Will have mastectomy later in the year, then radiotherapy. Will also need hormone blockers for 5-10 years. I understand how you are feeling, it is all very daunting. Good luck with the rest of your treatment. Always here for a chat. Xx
Pippin24 thank you. Feels so overwhelming I've only just got over my mastectomy but I know I have to get through it. Do you mind ne asking what type of Breast Cancer you have - only if you feel comfortable telling me.
Thanks for being so kind and I'm sorry we are in the same boat x
Hi Angus, sorry I must have missed your last message and also got your name wrong previously. This text is so small, looks like I'm getting old!
I have two areas of invasive ductal carcinoma and low grade cells in breast tissues. It has also been found in 1 lymph node. It did come as quite a shock as had a mammogram only 14 months ago I am ER positive, PR positive and HER2 positive, so will need chemo and Herceptin My chemo is EC-T, 3 cycles of EC then 4 cycles of T (Docetaxel). I had my first cycle on Monday which went really smoothly. Side effect have been minimal so far. I had a headache yesterday that I couldn't shift, but this is not unusual for me anyway. I went out for 40 minute walk with hubby to get some fresh air. I was also able to cook dinner with no problem. I've had no sickness so far which is great, although on lots of anti sickness tablets for first few days. Will have to see how it goes when they're finished. I also have an injection from day 4-10 to help boost white blood cells, hubby going to do this. It's the Docetaxel that I'm more concerned about, the side effects seem a bit more unpleasant. After chemo I'll be having a mastectomy, radiotherapy, followed by 5-10 years of hormone blockers. I hope all goes well today, I'm sure you'll be well looked after. Please let me know how you get on. Xx
