Hi I have been refered to a breast clinic and have been waiting 1 week and have had no appointment yet. Has anyone else waited as I have heard people normally get the appointment letter quickly.
I have at least three affected lymph nodes but I expect many more will have to be removed. The surgeon says she has once had to remove 70! I hope I will not add to her record. Perhaps the tablets you mention are to suppress the hormones which promote the growth of cancer cells. I expect my tablets will be similar. It will be interesting to find out.
I had my operation on Thursday and I am delighted with the result of the lumpectomy. The surgeon has made the left breast look completely normal, lifting it slightly so it looks almost a complete match to the right side one! She used dermabond glue to stitch it and I have been careful not to get it wet.
I had to have a complete clearance of all the axillary lymph nodes because there was too much cancer involved and she expects that I shall have to have chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy plus tablets but this will be decided on 24th May when I will be told the biopsy results and next action plan.
I was given codeine tablets along with paracetamol but decided to discontinue the painkillers after one day because they were making me feel sick and bloated and caused constipation! I doubt whether this would be approved by the hospital team but I am used to fibromyalgia pain and this was no worse.
I started the arm exercises the day after the operation and I think they are getting easier to do. The wound under the arm is slightly swollen but this is to be expected.
I am sure everything will go well for you next Thursday. Don't worry. You will be in good hands at the hospital and any discomfort is completely manageable.
I shall be thinking of you on the 15th, so best wishes.
Hi glad the operation went well. I have mine next Wednesday. Then I have to wait 2 weeks for the results of that. Waiting 2 weeks after the biopsy was hard so this will be hard too I think. I also have to wait another 5 weeks for genetics to see if I carry a gene as that will change my treatment plan completely if its positive. I haven't been shown any exercises yet but have a telephone appointment about them on Monday. X
I have been thinking about you and hope everything went well with the operation
. I have had my biopsy results and was a bit disappointed when I was informed that the breast tumour was 2.5 cm. and much larger than shown on the scans. Also, four lymph nodes were cancerous, not the expected three. The healthy breast tissue around the lump was slightly less than the 1mm guideline and I could have a further operation to remove more tissue. However the consultant surgeon said she did not want to put me through another procedure due to my age. Chemotherapy was not recommended because I am almost 81 but radiotherapy was the way to go.I shall expect an appointment with the oncologist in the next few weeks - possibly up to a month! Constant waiting seems to be a necessary part of our treatment pattern.As you say, this is hard but at least we are on our way. She does not expect that I shall receive radiotherapy for a further four weeks because the swelling around the armpit could take 8 weeks to settle. Still, in the meantime I shall try to get the garden into shape - between the rain showers - and then look forward to fifteen rounds of radiotherapy over a three week period at another hospital 35 miles away! The equipment there is more specialised so I shall be forced to travel. Just imagine the taxi fares!!
How are the arm exercises? I have been doing these as directed but can't say they are comfortable yet. Hopefully they will feel better with time.
Hi Anne just read your reply to Gemma,and wanted to say I'm sorry your tumour was bigger than thought and that four lympth nodes were cancerous. I too has lympyh nodes removed ,so I know how painfull this can be,ecspecialy the swelling . I developed a seroma and had to have fluids drained twice, tool a long time to heal,but it dud eventually, but left me with mold lymphedema . I noticed yoi said you would have to travel a long way to another hospital your radiotherapy sessions, and were worried about the cost of taxis. You should be entitled to hospital transport as a csncer patient you are entitled to free hospital transport,speak to your cancer team and they should be able to give you a number to call to book in your transport too and back from the hospital. I had to travel to another hospital for my radiotherapy sessions for three weeks ,and I had free hospital transport, the only drawback is you have to be ready a lot earlier ( hrs before ) as thry do pick up other people sometimes. I had ambulances puck me up and drop me off and sometimes it was a taxi sometimes it was a volunteer driver, but all were reliable and great. I wasn't aware thst as a cancer patient thst I waa entitled to free hospital transport untill one of my csncer nurse's told me. It was such a releief to know as it would of cost so much . Hope this helps you,and you can get transport to your radiotherapy sessions. Also it might help if you Google free hospital transport for csncer patients in uoir area,it might give uou a telephone number to ring. You will obvously need all your dates and appointment times beforehand so you can book the transport. Good luck with evetything Anne.
Meant mild lymphedema not mold. Gosh how funny ,I'm always making typo errors, I really should check, before I send my replies lol. I can see there are lots more typo errors in my reply,but km guessing you can understand it all. Corrected the mold one, as it made me laugh.
Thank you very much for the information about hospital transport. I shall certainly look into it when I see the oncologist and have definite dates.
When my husband had his operation for stomach cancer this was carried out at a hospital fifty miles away and I had to book in to a nearby hotel for ten days. There never was a mention of help when he had to visit the outpatients department on several occasions but his consultant finally transferred all his medical notes to our local hospital and eventually he attended follow-ups from there.
I am sorry to hear about your seroma problem. Mine is causing quite a lot of pain because I think some nerves were severed close to the back of the upper arm and it hurts to touch. So far there is no sign of lymphoedema but I have been given an appointment with some nurses who specialise in this. It won't be until July, which seems a bit odd! I am keeping an eye on the swelling because the consultant said it might have to be drained if it increases in size.
I forgot to mention in my post to Gemma that I shall have to take hormone tablets for seven years in addition to the radiotherapy. I was given a terrifying booklet about Abemaciclib (Verzenios) and after reading it I decided that it was not for me. My son-in-law advised me not to touch it because it had given him and his father nasty side effects. They have had skin cancer and his father died from this disease. Although all treatments are tailored to particular cancers it is certainly difficult to come to the right personal decision when there are alternatives and additional drugs to fight this awful disease.
your husband had to travel all that way for treatment,but I guess it does happen sometimes. I'm on Letrazole for 10yrs have 7yrs more of taking it. Its not great,some bad side effects but I'll continue to take it if it's helping to stop the breast cancer reoccurring ,I know that isn't guaranteed that it won't return, but if it helps. As the research shows it does , I'm taking it untill I have to. Good luck with evertything Anne.
I think as a couple we have got used to the cancer scenario and we both realise that we could have a relapse. However as time passes and we concentrate on everyday challenges and try to enjoy our limited life style, we realise that we are fortunate to be here, thanks to the NHS. I am clear in my own mind that radiotherapy and hormone tablets are the best treatment for me and I am trying to block out thoughts of the possible alternatives!! I suppose everyone in a similar situation feels a bit of uncertainty about the best way forward but we just have to have some faith in the experts.
I will let you know what the effect of the tablets will have on me when I see the oncologist. I just have to wait for that letter!
