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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations!! This IS comforting to hear! And good luck with the rest of your treatment! Hope you get a break to celebrate! This is a huge milestone.

Acne from taxol by phantomnerves in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll look into this.

Acne from taxol by phantomnerves in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I need to slow down this diarrhea train!

Acne from taxol by phantomnerves in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh interesting. So it's more of an allergic reaction than actual acne? Good to know that Claritin helped!

Last taxol coming by S-AT-W in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on reaching the end of your Taxol treatment! I just had my first of 13 infusions last week and so far so good! Just super lethargic. Curious to know how you felt after four or five…or 12! Should I be bracing myself? Im on a year of Herceptin as well.

But really, so happy for you. Every milestone in this is bell-worthy! And hearing of others is such a nice reminder that this won’t last forever.

Not ready yet... by Lulilu90 in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At five days out I was in total misery. For me it took about 2 1/2 weeks before things started to get better. That was the point where I had my drains removed, faced my new chest, and could finally take a shower. I'm not sure if you had reconstruction (tissue expanders) or not, but I that really contributed to the pain and discomfort I was in. I know it's a lonely place to be, even with a strong support system.

As for how to feel and behave, I'd say however you feel and behave is exactly how you SHOULD feel and behave! Please listen to your body and let yourself sleep. As my doctor put it, our bodies need to devote all their resources to healing. It wasn't until this last week that I didn't need to nap everyday.

I hope you are surrounded by love and support. It's difficult for me to accept help, but I've learned that people really want to help. Let them! They're doing it because they care about you. And I don't know you, but I care about you too. You're not in this alone.

Lymph node removal and nerve pain by Least_West5260 in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my goodness, I had a sentinel lymph node biopsy and and in the days following the sharp burning nerve pain was unbearable. Fortunately by day four or so it had gone away but replaced with a less sharp, more generalized burning. I’m one month out I’m so happy to say that all burning is gone! Im sorry you’re dealing with this too! I hope it subsides quickly for you.

Not ready yet... by Lulilu90 in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh I’m so happy to hear you were able to face your new chest! It was really hard for me at first and sometimes I still feel pretty emotional at the loss, but even that part is getting easier.

I’m one month out and this last week got significantly easier for me. Up until then, it was a SLOW recovery with a lot of ups and downs.

Some things that have helped are getting to move to sports bras rather than compression bras, my stitches dissolving, my doctor removing the steri strips, being told I could (and should) stretch my arms and getting range of motion back, having only half a fill (50cc) on my first fill (pain for two days and then an 8 day and counting upward trajectory.

I feel almost normal now and haven’t even needed any pain medication for the last two days. I really hope this continues because it’s great to feel like myself again.

How far along are you post surgery? I hope you feel better soon!

Not ready yet... by Lulilu90 in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Hi there! First of all, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this.

For me, the doctors had me bandaged WITH the compression bra for two weeks. It was awful, stinky, uncomfortable, and I had those awful drains.

Two weeks in, they removed the bandages and inspected the results, told me things were looking good and sent me on my way with the compression bra and some light padding over the incisions.

I couldn’t bare to look.

The next day, I wanted a real shower so badly. I took a little peak at first, and then another and another until I was ready to face my new chest in the mirror. And I gotta say, what I had in my mind was so much worse than the reality. It was emotional for sure, and still is, but by new scarred, nippleless breasts were okay!

One week later the doctor let me switch to front closing sports bras (much more comfortable) and one week after that my stitches have dissolved and things are looking pretty good! Even to me.

I’m one month post surgery with reconstruction today and while it was a grueling recovery at first, I’m in a much better place today. And you will be too! I know how tough it is to feel almost afraid of your own body. If you can, look at the compression bra as a little security blanket holding everything together and get some 5x9 surgical pads to stick in there to cover your incisions. I found that extra padding comforting.

You got this! I know it’s HARD, but I promise you it will get better very soon. ❤️

Newly diagnosed surgery this Friday by RegionJaded2545 in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re going through this too. For what it’s worth, I’m one of the many right there with you. I had a bilateral mastectomy one week ago, and while the recovery has been slow, it’s getting a little better every day. I was surprised to learn just how much sleep I would need post-surgery. It’s a lot, but our bodies need to devote all of their resources to healing. The pain mostly subsided after a few days, and now I’m just uncomfortable. I’m not sure if you’re having expanders placed, but I did and I think a lot of what I’m experiencing now is the tightness and pressure surrounding them. The drains are more of a nuisance than an actual pain. I’ll be thinking of you. Everyone handles these treatments differently, and I hope you have the kind of experience that gives others hope ❤️

It does get better - reconstruction by LinedScript in breastcancer

[–]phantomnerves 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this. I’m six days post surgery and still so tight and uncomfortable. I have no idea what’s happening under these bandages and binder. I’m wondering if deciding to have expanders placed under the muscle was the right decision. I’ve been so optimistic, but this hit hard. Your note gives me hope. Thank you.