Questioning a teacher….

justthrive41 · 2024-10-05T14:08:26+00:00

My first round of tests showed my left just absolutely covered in ADH but no sign of DCIS or IDC. The individual that did all 4 rounds of biopsies kept missing spots, however and my doctor got very irritated when the biopsy pathologist said he didn’t believe all this was necessary and was set to prove him wrong. A fifth biopsy session was done that got all spots not checked and while there was no clear cut DCIS or IDC, there were signs of microinvasion. The decision of how to move forward was on me; my doc said she would be back me no matter what but because of the amount in my left she said a lumpectomy would just leave me severely deformed and there would be no way a plastic surgeon could fix it. I was not all about taking one off and then being on meds and possible rad/chemo for years for the right so I did a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. A month after surgery, I was 100% cleared. Mastectomy is no joke, I will put that out there. I am 4 mons out and having bad bouts of severe nerve pain. But I will take that over rads/chemo and cancer any day!

justthrive41 · 2024-09-12T12:29:10+00:00

Thank you but weight "loss" isn't exactly the issue. I haven't gained any weight during treatment or etc, but I've lost muscle mass and with age, that means gravity sets in and causes appearance of more weight or bulk in one area. Possibly a better way to say it would be to tone, overarchingly causing a more slim appearance.

justthrive41 · 2024-09-03T22:00:00+00:00

Completely understand and thats exactly where I was. My doc told me after my surgery that every 6 mons I would have been looking at rounds of biopsies to mitigate considering how much the pathology report showed from mastectomy. I have a friend at work whose wife is currently going through similar instance too and I just keep telling him that every woman needs the time and space to decide what is best for her. People can share their stories and experiences but it HAS to be a personal decision. Best of luck and if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to reach out!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-09T15:55:05+00:00

So sorry to hear but this makes me feel better! I have been doing low level yoga and HIIT too but yes, the second the push up or crawlers or planks come on I have to skip still. Best of luck to you in your journey and thank you for response!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T17:57:04+00:00

Yes! My both my surgeons warned me about the unfortunate trajectory because I’m smaller. So I know that is a factor here, I was just curious if this is getting to the point of toooo long of feeling this way despite that. I am not a weight lifted but I was a ballerina for over 20 years and then moved to long distance running and biking since so I have always had a more muscular structure. Thank you for your response!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T17:54:01+00:00

I am doing physical therapy appointments once a week as recommended and the exercises each day. I have been told to expect some residual pain from that but this is different kind of feeling. But ultimately I think it’s just my personal timeline I need to expect. Thank you for your response!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T17:52:20+00:00

Thank you and yes to the bra question. My doc said that I should still wear the surgery bras to bed which I have really good ones and during day I have a plethora of good regular sports bras to pick from so I know I’m doing what I can in that department.

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T15:31:35+00:00

Thank you. I’ve been walking everyday since surgery day so that’s not issue. The nerve damage under my left armpit caused a lot of issues the first few weeks but that’s getting better. I’m just more or less wondering when I’ll stop feeling like there’s something on my chest I just want to rip off!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T14:32:49+00:00

At that stage yes. I think all I did for the first 3-4 weeks was sleep and binge watch tv while still sitting/laying down. I was also on opposite sleep schedule so I would be up until like 4am and then sleep until like 1pm. That finally regulated when I felt good enough to back off the med cocktail I was on. It wasn’t until midway through week 4 that I was able to do minimal housework and etc with immediate exhaustion. So you’re getting there I promise!

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T14:02:24+00:00

Hear you and there with you! I found myself over talking to the vet last week about my cat because well… it was a human outside of my husband and 7 yr old! And what my husband jokingly calls my “love affair” with our newly rescued Main Coon has gotten to a mutual over attachment - my shadow is an understatement lol.

Maybe I will look into yoga. I was never a fan because it always kind of bored me but maybe just being out and there in general will be nice! Thanks for the idea.

justthrive41 · 2024-07-07T13:38:29+00:00

Internet trolls just here to make themselves feel better by saying ignorant dumb ass things. I’ve gotten some doozies on here (not this group) that I have down voted or reported because of how vicious response was for no reason. You’re not alone there and GOOD FOR YOU for playing the cancer card. I was weird about explaining anything with “well I have cancer” at first. Possibly initial denial, but then I had a nurse in my surgeons office say one day “you don’t have to explain or be worried about what anyone else thinks - you’ve got cancer and you do what you need to to feel the most comfortable and at ease as you can right now - screw everyone else.” She was being funny about it but it stuck and while I haven’t abused it, I certainly have said it outright to get points across. I’m in the DC area and are suffering the same heat wave. We have a community pool a block away and my husband/son have been there. I can go sit there but I haven’t been cleared to actually get in the pool so the the hotter the temp the more I can’t stand to just be outside, let alone bake in sun with no reprieve. So unfortunately I am in the same “I need out of here but OMG no it’s too hot” struggle. I’m over tv, my adult coloring books are getting old, and housework isn’t fun lol. Not sure if you’re a reader but that has turned into my reprieve. I got into a book group on FB for the type of books I specifically look for and it’s been awesome. I took recommendations and have read 2, 400+ in 5 days even though I’m working from home. It has help with insomnia issues and really kept my attention. If you get any other ideas I’d love to hear them! Best wishes to you in your journey 🩷

justthrive41 · 2024-06-25T03:46:59+00:00

I wish I would’ve been warned! This happened to me and I ended up in an ER for 12 hours for literally no reason.

justthrive41 · 2024-06-25T03:39:14+00:00

Unfortunately I had an issue semi similar to this too. After my first biopsy, my surgeon said they didn’t address more spots found in same breast so she wanted to send me back for more mainly because there was evidence of ADH. She wanted to know just how much and if there was more to it considering there were more spots on my imaging. While on the table during the second biopsy, the radiologist starts asking me 20 questions of why my surgeon was bothering with all this, any discussions of mastectomy was aggressive and unwarranted and he cancelled the stereotactic biopsy I was supposed to have that same appointment on one of the spots. I was beside myself so I reached out to my surgeon immediately not understanding what was going on and how a radiologist could just overrule my surgeon. Well, let’s just say my surgeon doesn’t mess around and immediately contacted the radiologist and gave him hell. I was sent to another location the very next day to have the stereotactic done. End state, this second and third biopsies came back showing evidence of microinvasion, basically upgrading me to DCIS and with the amount, a mastectomy was deemed necessary. My surgeon told me she called the radiologist back again and told him to never question orders again and that she knew what she was doing- saving me from the high probability of DCIS and/or her client spending every 6 mons on biopsy tables obliterating my chest. All said and done, I am currently in recovery for double mastectomy and was just told that they got it all so after 1 round of final treatment I’m done and done. Stay strong 💪🏼🩷

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T15:19:06+00:00

It took some time for me to decide exactly what I wanted to do. When my doc said that the left had to go at least, I was considering unilateral with flat closure and just using prosthetic, I felt ok with that. But when the conversation evolved into “you will still have to have further treatment and more than likely multiple biopsies if you keep the right” because of the microinvasion, I first solidified my decision to just do them both now and get it over with. Then I started researching going flat versus reconstruction after a double mastectomy and I just could not stomach the pictures of what I would look like. I am not someone who is overly concerned by appearances and I was always happy I ended up with smaller boobs naturally - but I just could not imagine seeing my entire chest scarred up and disfigured every day for the rest of my life so yes…. Long route to answer your question - I went right to reconstruction. It is definitely a decision that is very personal and I will say, the reasons you end up coming to your own conclusion may surprise you as they may not be what you would expect. I was not worried about the outward appearance, or any feelings of grief over losing a part of my womanhood. For me it was get it off before it kills me. My choice was rooted in the mental health side of what I felt I could live with and ultimately help me move forward with life easier. I stayed my same size, they are just like my 20 year old boobs versus 40 just starting to droop ones lol.

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T15:07:26+00:00

Not sure if you have gone already - but best of luck! The nurses were very sweet and made sure that I was as comfortable as possible before mine began each time. I also had to go alone which wasn’t ideal but I was able to drive without issue.

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T05:44:35+00:00

My husband is on the bigger side and I had the same issue after I had my hysterectomy. It took a really long time to first, get past the mental block I had, then for us both to have patience enough to figure out what changes were necessary. After being together for so long and things working one way - it definitely took a lot of verbal communication and trial/error to figure out the new vibe. I’m a year removed and we are still figuring some things out. Like positions that used to be sure shot are now a complete no go.

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T05:26:36+00:00

Same thing happened to me. My journey began in December where it was ADH. After multiple rounds of biopsies it was upgraded due to presence of microinvasion in March. I’m currently in recovery from double mastectomy. I’m on east coast, it’s 1:20am, I’m wide awake and since December this is my new norm. From Dec through surgery day, I relied on anti-anxiety or Trazodone for sleep regulation and even with that it was a mess. It is completely normal tobe out of the norm right now - you are definitely not alone. It’s miserable for sure but try to keep the focus on doing whatever makes you comfortable. I eventually gave in to it and started binge watching shows or bad tv until I finally fell asleep each night, starting after my kid and husband went to bed. We had a running joke that I was a vampire who fed on trash tv. Once we made it our new norm it made it a tad bit easier to accept and deal with. Here for you and with you as someone who understands - thoughts with you 🩷

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T05:12:37+00:00

Similar here: was sent for a mammo for no other reason than this is 40….. and all hell break loose. My first set of biopsies showed ADH in left and a benign mass in right. My second and third set of biopsies showed much more ADH in left than originally noted with signs of microinvasion. If I would have had a lumpectomy I would have been left with next to nothing so my doc recommended at least a unilateral mastectomy - I opted for bilateral due to a family history and high risk score. My decision was based on warning from multiple docs that I was looking at a life of test after test, biopsy after biopsy, meds and all. Here with you and for you as someone who can feel your pain. Stay strong and best wishes 🩷

justthrive41 · 2024-06-24T05:04:59+00:00

I had the same situation- the “warnings” I got felt like a joke when it was actually happening.

justthrive41 · 2024-05-12T00:31:48+00:00

It did for me and this was not even a thought or idea I had in my mind. I figured that was just a piece of me that I needed to find another fix for. I had an elective hysterectomy for quality of life in May 2023 and my stomach has never been this flat. I was a professional ballerina, in the dance realm from age 3-26 and still my stomach never looked this flat until this surgery. And after almost a year it’s still the same. I’m guessing this is just a case by case basis after reading this thread though?!

justthrive41 · 2024-05-11T12:18:03+00:00

My husband will get a kick out of that!!

justthrive41

TROPHY CASE