Hello

my breast nurse said the same thing when you can do emergency stop  I drove day 6 after lumpectomy but this s different thing as I’m having tightening down inside of arm I need to do more physio I know here doing it now and it’s hurting when I push the stretch but if I don’t do it I’ll end up with poor range of movement    I plan to drive in a few days I’m heading for a walk now 

My margins ended up terrible this time and I’ve been told I need mastectomy my nodes were clear I have one badie but after node clearance the rest were good thank god I was more worried about this I’ll get over the mastectomy now 

Regards s

Hi MeJules,

You've caught me out with this question. It's been so long since I had my mastectomies that I cannot honestly remember. If I'm  correct, all post-op tissue is sent to pathology and, is again analysed to ensure that it concurs with your biopsy results and to see that the entire tumour has been removed. If any lymph nodes are removed at the same time, this is when you'll find out if any more are infected.

I can recall getting a lot of details about my lumpectomy, but not much at all about my mastectomies. Perhaps someone else can answer this for us?

I am sure that you will be glad to get your drain removed tomorrow. I still have discomfort in my arm and underarm after all this time. I think that most of us do, but we can cope with it.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Swiperbaby,

I was referred to a physiotherapist after I came home following my lumpectomy, but left to my own devices following my double mastectomy. It certainly helped me to see the physio and, I didn't need to attend for long.

The nerve pain can certainly stop you in your tracks, but watch out for the side-effects of Gabapentin. I had to stop it when I found myself getting forgetful and having difficulty in concentration.

As far as I know, you can drive as soon as you can safely do an emergency stop. However, you are possibly best to confirm with your consultant, preferably in writing, that you are safe to do so, as we live in a very litigous society.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi jolamine

no drain out today. They decided to leave it in til Friday as still too much coming out. 

I asked about what results I will get next Wednesday and the cancer nurse said in effect it should be it’s all out and how many lymph nodes were infected. The less nodes affected the less chance of reoccurrence so I’m hoping it’s low. Also they will be able to say if it there were precancerous cells in the chest wall , what grade and what stage. Not going to lie thought it would only be good news hereonin and start the chemo/radiotherapy so bit of a reality check for me. Just got to wait for results next Wednesday and take it from there . 

Hope you are ok x 

Hi Mejules,

I'm sorry to hear that you have to wait until Friday to get your drain out. I know that this is disappointing when you were expecting it out today, but you will probably benefit from keeping it in for a few more days, if there is still a lot of fluid coming out.

I'm glad that you asked the nurse what to expect of your results next Wednesday. It is always wise to ask your care team about anything you don't understand.

Here's hoping that it is all good news for you then.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi everyone 

Thought I would let you know that I started Chemo today, my wound still isn’t healed but we decided we needed to get going otherwise delaying it further could impact on the outcome for the cancer. 

Bigjean, my onco said today that mine is treatable and curable... thought I would let you know as it is language they would use.

I have had a really long sleep, and I’ve got a lot of tablets to take and I have to do some injections for 5 days starting Thursday, not really looking forward to that but needs must. And regular visits to the nurse to have my dressing changed. 

How did the head shave go? 

Take care.

WL

hi WL 

good news you have started your chemo And good to hear your cancer is both treatable and curable.

hope your wound heals quickly and chemo doesn’t swipe you off your feet too much me lovely x

take it easy and take care of you x

Hi WL, 

great to hear you have started on your treatment. 

Thank you for your words of encouragement too that your oncologist said . 

I tool the plunge and got my hair shaved, I felt much more in control as it was very upsetting as it had started to come out quite a lot over the weekend. It feels a bit weird with the hair gone but hey it will grow back . 

Take as much anti sickness tablets as you need and get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. 

Take care of yourself. 

Xxxxxx

Hi big jean

i was thinking ahead about when my chemo journey starts if to shave and take control rather than wait and after reading your journey I think I will follow your choice. I hope you are ok and resting x

take care