Primary breast cancer

Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to write. I did actually get out for a walk yesterday with my dad who I am staying with for a few days and I am doing my gentle exercises which I was given from the hospital.  I must say I'm looking forward to having a shower when my dressing comes off on Wednesday but a little anxious about what the wound will look like.  On a positive note though, my breast cancer was detected early and the prognosis is very good so I am lucky in that respect.  It is good to hear that you are healing well and I hope you continue to recover, always here for a chat if you want to.  Kay xx

Hi Kay56!

i had lumpectomy the same day you did plus one node removed because that was all there was close by. Like you, mine was caught early - I am told it was tubular carcinoma - slow growing but very rare. Like you I felt great day one, overdid it and have paid with fatigue since. Starting to get a bit itchy round the site which I’ll take as a good sign. I have had a look (did so from day one as I was so frightened of what it would look like, I just thought I had to get over that hurdle or my brain would go into overdrive and fill in the gaps!). Anyway, pleasantly surprised - the bruising wasn’t there at first (just a blue discolouration of the skin where they’d injected dye) but is now very livid as it’s come right out. The blue dye has virtually gone now. The incision is under a waterproof dressing which is irritating me no end (as the dye soaked into it and has dried like cardboard so it sticks into my underarm). There’s a bit of swelling to one side but otherwise it’s fine. Try not to build it up in your mind as that’s energy draining. I hope you feel a bit better today - I managed to drive for the first time and was intent on taking another walk as I didn’t go out yesterday but I just couldn’t summon up the energy. I felt very guilty but my daughter told me off - she is staying with me as she pops up from Cornwall from time to time and my husband works in Bristol three days a week. 

My one bugbear is I feel numb in odd places around the area - I think that should return over the next few months but wondering if you’ve experienced the same thing? Also the lurking worry about the node result and whether they got it all with a healthy margin round it.

Hope you are ok and hope I haven’t rambled on too long!

Best wishes xx

Hi Babs, thanks for your message, do appreciate you taking the time to write. As you say, just listen to your body, that’s what I am trying to do and I’m sleeping when I need to. Tomorrow I have to remove my dressings, I have dissolving stitches.

Take care x

Hi Maind, it’s really lovely to hear from someone who has gone through exactly the same, mine too was tubular cancer, very small, was yours small too? Mine was picked up on a recent mammogram, because it was small it couldn’t be felt so thank goodness my mammogram was due... I must say when I went for my biopsy results I was so sure everything would be fine I was quite shocked.

 I’m due to remove my dressings tomorrow so am quite anxious about that, I’ve managed to keep it intact for 5 days. I’ve got a numb feeling under my arm where a couple of lymph nodes were removed and a heavy feeling down my arm but I have managed to do the exercises 3 times a day. Also had a walk out every day with my dad, other than that, have rested and done plenty of reading.

Im also quite anxious about getting the results of the lymph nodes and the surrounding tissue, should be about 3 weeks, is that how long you have to wait too?

Take care of yourself

Kay xx

Hi Kay56

I had my lumpectomy  and lymph node (just 1) done on 20th Dec so just over 4 weeks ago now. It's amazing how much better I feel. The bruising took 3-4 weeks to completely go and I'm still delicately 'blue' but both wounds are healing nicely. It's still just a little tender to lie on one side and numb under my armpits (I now realise armpits are seriously under-rated), I find that I feel the cold more in my affected arm so spoil myself with blankets when watching TV. In a few days you'll be able to get rid of the dressings and that makes it better right away.  Every day will feel better. xx

Hi Kay - yes, 1.5mm apparently. I felt a lump which turned out to be a cyst. I wasn’t due routine screening again till 2021 so lucky the cyst appeared because tucked in beneath it was the cancer! I noticed a bit of dimpling on the side of my breast when I found the cyst and thought it hadn’t been there before and knew dimpling wasn’t a good sign but thought it was very faint on the skin and I was probably overthinking it. GP was excellent - referred immediately and like you I skipped into the clinic for the biopsy and mammogram and thought it’d all be fine. What a shock to be told it was cancer! I have an appointment for 4th Feb for node biopsy results and keeping my fingers crossed it hasn’t gone any further.

Surgeon has been excellent - has said I need radiotherapy but shouldn’t need chemo as it’s caught early and I am relieved about that but not getting too ahead of myself until the biopsy comes back.

Ive been told to keep the dressing on for seven to ten days but it’s driving me nuts now haha - I’m definitely going to get the practice nurse to remove it on Thursday and replace it with something else - I should think by then, it’ll be well on the way to healing. 

Hope all goes well with the removal of your dressing - I don’t think it’ll be nearly so bad as you think although you may have some interesting temporary colours going on! 

Take care and hope to hear from you again xx

Hi Joan,

Thankyou for your message. I feel like I've gone abit backwards today, I removed my dressings leaving the tape strips in place but since then have felt really sick and quite emotional.  I'm staying with dad at the moment, I lost my mum a few months ago and I think everything just got to me a bit this morning.  I went to sit in her dressing room and had a good cry so feel better for doing that.  I also have a numb armpit which feels really weird, just shows what you take for granted.  When did you get your pathology results, I've been told 3 weeks.

I'm glad you are feeling a lot better though, will you be having radiotherapy or hormone treatment?

I know I am ER positive and HER2 negative so far.

Take care and lovely to hear from you xx

Hi Maind,

My tubular cancer was 5mm unless I hear any different at my next appointment.  You were lucky that yours was diagnosed early too, hope all is well on the 4th Feb, I'm waiting to hear when my appointment will be.

I was also told I will need radiotherapy and hormone treatment but we'll see if that is still the same when I get my results, as you say, best not to get too ahead of ourselves!

I've removed my dressing this morning and left in place the tape strips so I can't really see that much but my armpit feels numb and I've been feeling very sick this morning and abit lightheaded, not sure why. Oh and quite emotional too but all to be expected I think with what we're going through.

Take care of yourself xx

Hi 

The numbness and sometimes weird feelings post surgery are normal and are down to nerves that get cut and/or disturbed during surgery trying to repair themselves.

This can ease fairly quickly but depending on severity and number involved can take a while longer.

Take care, G n' J

Sorry to hear you’ve not been feeling well today and weird because I have been ill today as well - thought I’d take a gentle stroll down town and realised when I got there I was feeling poorly and had to turn around and head back. Luckily I only live a ten minute walk back - was washed out and feeling very sick and tired. I think it’s exactly as you say, the whole thing suddenly feels overwhelming.

I said to my husband that I feel inside the way you do when someone has said something completely horrible to you and totally without justification. It is that sort of churned up ‘what on earth did I do?’ emotion - and when I thought about it, actually someone has said something completely horrible to me (albeit not maliciously) - they said I have cancer and it suddenly became more understandable and why I feel it’s a struggle to get on with things. Everything feels ‘on hold’ as well. You are also grieving for your mum so you need to take extra care of yourself - your dad sounds like he’s very supportive. 

I’m going to take my dressing off Thursday. Have been getting some tingling/ itching sensations which I’m hoping might be some feeling returning - having loss of feeling in the armpit is very weird! 

Look after yourself and let’s see what the coming weeks bring. Lots of nana naps judging by my current experience xx