just have to say...

tan39

i remember half way through chemo thinking,,all i want is to wake up in the morning (as i used to) feeling full of energy, leaping out of bed , brain full of things to do...well , today it happened and boy am i grateful for this one small thing, i feel like im back being me again (finished chemo 2 weeks ago). its so good to feel good if i could sing i would although the neighbours would complain!!!
Now for a quick question , when you have a reconstruction (the silicone one), how do you go about checking your chest wall? they tell you to check it but how when you have a blob of silicone over it. thanks for listening , again. hugs and love to you all. Tan (the girl that can't stop smiling) xx

seof

I think that's a question for the Dr, or maybe someone will answer with experience. I am planning reconstruction with my own tissue, so I will see what they tell me at that time.

best wishes, seof

chenheart

I didn't have reconstruction, so I can't answer that one, but I want to say that your post made ME smile!!! It is really nice to know that we do get past this, isn't it?? It seems impossible sometimes , when we think back to finding the lump, the confirmed dx, etc etc that we will ever possibly be vibrant and happy again. And yet--YIPPEE!!! Here you are! Congrats!

Hugs,
Claudia

cabbott

I'm happy for you! Sing away and let the neighbors complain all they want! As for the breast exam, there are some questions about whether they are really necessary. As a survivor, I know I'm going to check no matter what the research is showing but I know the research shows that monthly breast exams don't seem to be all that useful compared to mammograms, MRI's or PET/CAT scans. If you are like me and still want to do one, first wait till the stitches are healed and the surgeon gives you the okay. You don't want to go messing up a surgeon's stitches (especially if he or she is as touchy as my surgeon!) The implant will cover the central breast area, but there is a lot that the implant doesn't cover that would be examined in a thorough breast exam. I think you could digitally check for swollen nodes and suspicious lumps starting just above the collar bone from midline to arm pit and then down to the bottom of the ribs. Any unexplainable lumps (especially those that feel like rice or gravel) might be worth telling your doctor about. Remember that any stitches showing or just below the surface feel kind of grainy too, so don't panic if things aren't totally "normal" until you learn what your new normal is. You can ask your doctor for how to get the area under the implant checked and how often that should be done as well as ask for a demonstration on what he suggests you check. You might ask the nurses for more pointers. They have the best advice and more time than most of the doctors. Good luck!

Joycelouise

I just want to echo what Cabbot said about getting to know your new normal. One day I decided that my mas. site may have a lump. I thought it was probably scar tissue, but I got a doc to feel it and tell me that it was scar tissue. We need to establish new baselines. I am looking forward to an implant also, so thanks for the questions - I will be reading the replies too. love, Joyce

Eil4186

I had a lumpectomy so I cannot respond about reconstruction, but I do want to extend congrats on finishing chemo! Thats HUGE:o) Eil