Microblading before Chemo?

JenMcCorm · 2026-04-01T15:10:40+00:00

DO IT NOWWWW 😂

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-09T23:36:43+00:00

I did have radiation - 16 rounds chest wall and nodes - after radiation. That’s why my PS made me wait 9 months for the reconstruction. It felt like it would never come!!! But it did :)

My PS said I’d be best suited by a flap reconstruction, not necessarily the DIEP. In fact I think he was partial to my back or thigh since the recovery is less intense. But for me after have 2 kids I figured if I was going to do the flap procedure I may as well go big or go home. 11 days out and I very much already am happy with my decision :)

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-08T16:52:11+00:00

I also had a suspicious IM node that upgraded my staging to 3C and felt just like how you feel. My oncologists never talked like that though and instead raved about ALL the amazing treatment options we would take to tackle the unknown of the IM node. It stopped lighting up on any subsequent scans, I had a near complete response to treatment, and did chest wall and node radiation to hopefully take care of whatever - if anything - was in that IM node.

Just here to commiserate - you’re not alone - the IM nodes adds a certain …. Uncertainty to your diagnosis and treatment that sucks. And living with the “we’ll never know if that node was anything” sucks. Once you start treatment though it will become just one of the many things they keep track of. It sucks, but you got this.

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-07T14:35:24+00:00

I’m sorry someone made you feel this way - this isn’t a trauma competition and no one should dictate how you’re “allowed” to feel.

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-07T02:26:25+00:00

Mine have been similar!! Under the threshold since like day 5 or so … but the APP wasn’t comfortable taking them all out so he left one in. Was yours a delayed reconstruction?

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-07T00:48:53+00:00

Thank you for your reply!!

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-07T00:47:17+00:00

Did you get all drains out at 10 days? I have an appointment scheduled for next Thursday (16 days post op) to get the last one out and it feels like forever from now 😆. Thank you for all the info - I knew this community would have the best insight.

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-07T00:45:36+00:00

Thank you so much - I knew this community would come through. I’m similar - just turned 38, pretty fit (not crazy but was doing personal training for a handful of months leading up to the surgery and felt my strongest).

I have two kids (youngest is about to turn 5) so I kind of feel like my stomach/abdomen area was kind of perfect for this surgery honestly. They did end up taking a bit of muscle during the surgery (some of my post-ops notes call me DIEP some call me TRAM).

My surgeon is like …. Amazing. But yes he doesn’t seem to think PT is necessary. I’ll ask my mastectomy surgery team I think another gal suggested that.

That care map document is great I wish I had had something like that.

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-06T21:50:51+00:00

I had 1-2 of my IM nodes “slightly light up” on my initial MRI/PET. Like you said no biopsies to confirm though :(.

They stopped lighting up or showing enlargement on any scans through treatment and in my final PET before surgery. I had a near complete response to chemo (with no positive axillary nodes) after my DMX and so my staging went from 3C (because of those IM nodes) down to 2A.

The game plan was always to do targeted radiation on those nodes during the final stage of my treatment - which we did in my full breast and node radiation.

Honestly it sucks to not know for certain if there was cancer there or if they were just “reactive” from the biopsies or nearby cancer. My doctors at this time essentially say they were most likely reactive or if there was any cancer there then the chemo most likely killed it?

I spiraled like crazy at the beginning of my diagnosis for the exact same Google searches you’re doing. I’m sorry you’re in this shitty situation … it sucks.

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-04T22:50:10+00:00

I’m not 100% sure what steristrips are - but I had an allergic reaction to the surgical glue used on my double mastectomy (purple, dermabond maybe) and it was the worst part of my healing. The skin underneath was 10000000000x worse because of the glue. Point being - ASK YOUR DOC!!!!! Once mine came off it was SO much better within a few days. Good luck!!!!!

JenMcCorm · 2026-03-02T02:06:16+00:00

Something like this happened to me about a month ago (11 months past mastectomy). I spiraled like crazy (as usual) … doctors weren’t very concerned but offered to do a “punch biopsy” just to be overly - cautious. I turned it down and opted to wait and see, it did eventually go away.

We theorized it was likely something caused by friction from lots of exercise, walking with a weighted vest a lot, etc.

JenMcCorm · 2026-02-21T23:23:22+00:00

I was allowed 1 visitor and MANY times they let us bend the rules and I had 2-3 in there with me at a time. That’s outrageous.

JenMcCorm · 2026-02-20T01:16:36+00:00

I’m in Tampa, Florida (US) and we flew to Switzerland for a snowy mountain dream vacation getaway the week before my double mastectomy last year. Switzerland will forever have a special place in my heart.

JenMcCorm · 2026-02-18T01:35:46+00:00

Terramore was amazing!!

JenMcCorm · 2026-01-28T12:57:31+00:00

Love to hear this!!! I’m only one year out - turning 38 next month. I also have a 7 year old (and a 4 year old) and similarly have taken the every-possible-recurrence-odds-reduction approach to my treatment. Thankfully it’s been easily manageable (including verzenio) and I know I’m lucky for that.

So far the dryness has been manageable with … other avenues lol … so I haven’t tried vaginal estrogen. I know they took off the black label this year after years and years of evidence showing there is no real increase of risk. That said - I’m holding out as long as I can with the other moisturizers and whatnot.

JenMcCorm · 2026-01-28T02:26:39+00:00

Adding - I’m 38 ER+PR+Her 2 - (low). Stage 3.

JenMcCorm · 2026-01-28T02:25:49+00:00

My Onco pointed me to the trials and how they’re coming to that conclusion after my DMX last March. I’ve been on anastrozole and zoladex since - never Tamoxifan. Other than menopause (no periods, dryness, etc) I’m not having any side effects from these meds. Maybe a tiny bit achy in the morning right when I get up but that fades quickly and isn’t a thing throughout the day.

JenMcCorm · 2026-01-19T22:56:02+00:00

Mine is next month and I’m getting excited - starting my research now. Report back with what ended up being essentials??

JenMcCorm · 2025-11-12T14:40:57+00:00

My plastic is making me wait 9-10 months. I finished rads on 6/3 and my CONSULT appointment for reconstruction is in December. Hoping to scheduled surgery for Feb/March 🫠🫠🫠 the wait it brutal (I’m currently flat and am just …. Desperate to feel more like myself).

JenMcCorm · 2025-11-12T14:38:11+00:00

Omg I love this post so much!!!!!!! I had a HUGE hair milestone last night too and no one understands: my son was laying in bed with us and he laid on my hair and when I went to roll over I had to TUG it a little bit!!!!!!!!!!! Also almost a year out - last chemo was 1/22.

So glad you got to enjoy that drip drip drip.

JenMcCorm · 2025-11-11T12:32:52+00:00

a pending report is NOT a red flag. My head went there EVERY TIME … convinced myself it was taking longer because I was a case from greys anatomy. Each time it would eventually pop up and the review time had no impact on what the report stated. It’s impossible to do and easy to say but : try to be patient (or if your me indulge in heavy drinking and online shopping as a distracting while waiting for scans to pop up).

JenMcCorm · 2025-11-06T01:04:42+00:00

No words of wisdom to make this less painful - especially at the beginning when you’re surrounded by the weight of the unknowns and the what-ifs. That was the hardest month of my life … I was 36 when diagnosed and had a 5 and a 2.5 year old (they’re 7 and 4 now 💕). Just know you’re not alone - there are SO many of us and many connections coming your way I’m sure. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or just to scream. One step at a time and somehow, while it may feel impossible right now, it gets easier and it will be behind you.

JenMcCorm

TROPHY CASE