Breast Cancer
Questions + Answers
Want to start an informal in-person Chi-area support group?
I used to attend my monthly support group at Evanston Hospital until it broke up due to dwindling attendance (downhill spiral began when our facilitator died of an unrelated cancer). The only breast-cancer-specific monthly meeting I can find is way down at Advocate Christ in Oak Lawn and sometimes at Little Company of Mary in Evergreen Park (I'm on the N. Side just s. of Evanston), and the commute down there's a bear (my husband is a cardiologist at both… read more
Long cycles on tamoxifen
I’ve been on tamoxifen for about 1.5 years now. My periods have been pretty regular up until a few months ago I noticed the cycles getting further apart. They range between 30-40 days. Recently I got my period and it seemed to be slowing down by day 5 . I even had a couple days where I had nothing. So I thought it was gone. My husband and I had sex and there was blood everywhere. I’m currently on day 12 and having light bleeding. It’s brown but it’s not going away. I’m also dealing with… read more
Post port surgery questions
I had my port surgery earlier this week on my right chest and after I got back, my family noticed very clear what looks like 4 streaks of nail scratches on the back of my left arm. Each streak is longer than an inch.
Not that it hurts me or anything, but if anyone had accidentally hurt me while I was under general anesthesia, should they not have told me what happened? Not feeling entirely comfortable asking the surgical oncologist about it though... not the most communicative… read more
Looks like you got your answers. We're "dead weight" when we are in surgery, and stuff like your scratches happens. I think it's more important your… read more
Putrid bowel movement
Finished 4 cycles of AC on 8/21, now doing 12 weekly cycles of taxol. Received my second taxol treatment today. Has anyone else experienced putrid smelling bowel movements? I have a high tolerance for smells, but this smell makes me gag, sorry for being so descriptive. Thank you.
Fatigue, not felling well.
I had a single mastectomy with expander July 23, 2018. The next day I went back to surgery to remove a clot.Two weeks later, I was back in the hospital for 6 days for IV antibiotics for infected incision. I have continually had fluid around the expander which the PS was able to remove once. My concern is that I am always so tired and some days I just don't feel well. I am 68 and generally very healthy, but I am also very sensitive to everything. Getting frustrated.
Local Recurrence
I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in May 2017. On June 2017, I underwent total mastectomy of the left breast with Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy, the results of which was negative. Since it was just Stage 1, i did not undergo chemo. I was put on Tamoxifen but my liver was affected. My SGPT and SGOT levels were above normal so my doctor decided to take me off Tamoxifen a couple of weeks ago.
I had breast ultrasound last week and the results came in today. They found a thick… read more
I've just had my first round of chemo, and after 4th fay my body is very achy, does anyone else feel this way?
Pleural effusion and shortness of breath
Is anyone experiencing shortness of breath with pleural effusion? The chest X-ray for my sister shows a moderate amount of fluid in the lung. The oncologist is holding off on draining it. Is there any way to alleviate the pain and shortness of breath short of draining the fluid ?
BC in the right breast 4 years ago and now 10 days ago a different cancer in my left breast. Has this happened to anyone else?
Tiredness
Is it normal to feel so tired before any surgery or treatment has even started? Im all out of energy and want to sleep frequently.