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I have to go to a different office the morning of the surgery and have the wires put in since the surgeon said they are very small and close together. Then I have to go to the hospital for an injection for the lymph nodes and then surgery hopefully at 2. It is outpatient so I hopefully will be going home. One question is I had aPET Scan and I thought that would show my lymph nodes and what kind of pillow do I need. My friends are going to be with me the whole day as my husband had a stroke and… read more
I am 4 years out from surgery and my life has gone on just fine. Of course I can't stop my brain from thinking about reoccurance every now and then, but I try not to dwell on it. I had a double mastectomy at age 60 in Aug 2022. I had BC in both breasts. I had the injection to check the lymph nodes in both breasts at the hospital about 45 minutes prior to surgery. The nurse put some kind of numbing med on the skin and it felt just like a normal prick. I had to do 33 rounds of radiation full chest and up the left side of my neck because the tumor on that side was large. I did not have to do chemo. The surgery, radiation and recovery went much better than what I had envisioned in my mind. I am also on the AI pill (hormone blocker). The side effects have been mild to moderate but tolerable. I feel blessed that I am very happy with my life and I feel that I am doing the same things as I would have done without the cancer diagnosis. Best of luck to you.
Here is the pillow I bought for after surgery.
https://www.amazon.com/Mastectomy-Surgery-Pillo...
You are absolutely not bothering anyone — these are great questions, and it's wonderful that your friends will be with you all day. You've got a solid support squad! 💛
First, you're right that a PET scan gives a lot of information, but surgeons often still use a separate injection (a radioactive tracer or dye) on the day Show Full Answer
@A MyBCTeam Member I had the mastectomy and three lymph nodes removed. The center provided (made by volunteers) a U shaped pillow to go under my arm. It helped lessen the pressure and friction from my arm on the lymph node surgical site. Because I am a serious side sleeper, I opted to sleep in the recliner, with my regular pillows on each side to prevent me from switching to side position. I also kept some small ice packs handy (a few seconds on/off/repeat) for when I would wake up because the meds had worn off. The ice pack really helped bridge that time gap until the next dose kicked in. I had a Rx for a pain med, but found that OTC Tylenol worked just as well for me.
Keeping you, your husband, and friends in prayers as you navigate this together! Hugs!
Cathy, It is very normal to fear all the unknowns coming at you all at once. This is a very scary and uncertain time for you. I was you just a year ago. An emotional wreck with more questions than answers. My tumor was also small and I had a lumpectomy. Instead of the wires to point to the tumor I opted for the savi scout to be placed into the tumor a few days before surgery. I had the nuclear injection the morning of the surgery. My surgeon demonstrated all the instruments she was going to use during the surgery. She made me relax and laugh on the operating table. She was like Tim the tool man! Anyway, I had 12 rounds of chemo and 15 radiation treatments. Until I actually completed one of each, I was worried about what was going to happen. But it was all very doable and not half as bad as I had imagined it would be. It's easy for me to say to you...relax, take a breath and don't let your mind spin out of control only because I have just been there, done that. Just try. Sending you positive thoughts and a thousand hugs. You will be fine! 🥰🙏❤️🙃
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