Newly diagnosed invasive ductal and lobular in right breast

I had the surgery July 11th! I’m doing OK. It was very painful the first day and still painful today but it’s tolerable. I spent the night in the hospital thank goodness and got lots of pain and anti nausea meds. Now it’s mainly painful when I move. I’m definitely in slow motion!! They removed 2 lymph nodes and found cancer in one. They are going to run more tests on the samples he took in surgery and then come up with a plan. Thank you for checking on me!!

Yes, the drains are probably the biggest nuisance. Today I noticed deep (under the skin) and intense itching sensation; I wish I could unzip and scratch! I suppose that's part of the healing proces too.

I think I was prescribed gabapentin (and second of ibuprofen 800 mg ) because following my lumpectomy I had a reaction Tylenol (became flush, and had shortness of breath) so they took me off thier standard of hydrocodone because it contains Tylenol- maybe oxycodone does as well.

BTW I did try to clean my house -and my sister did yell at me! I was lucky to have her visit for almost a week to help out. I hope I have the same ambition to clean the house after recovery🙃

I’m so sorry you are still in pain. Mine last for about a week and I had to take oxycodone at night. It gets better after the drains were removed. Just make sure you strip the drain to prevent clogging of the tube. With one lymph node they still do oncotype test to determine if chemo is needed. So hopefully you don’t have to do chemo. Be patient. You will fully recover. It’s just a matter of time. It took me a full 8 weeks to feel normal again. Keep in touch to let us know how you doing. Hugs.

My diagnosis was very similar (I had just turned 46). I think the chemo/surgery order is decided by your oncologist. In my case surgery came first and the outcome of that determined that I needed the chemo (it had spread to lymph nodes). So sometimes they learn more after looking at the removed tissue that helps them determine whether/how much chemo is needed. If you are triple negative I am pretty sure chemo comes first. Anyway, I bet you'll have that answer as soon as you meet with an oncologist. As far as removing the healthy breast, there is no right answer there - only the one you decide you can live with. I've heard of people keeping the healthy breast and then changing their mind and removing it later because the scanxiety got to them or they felt lopsided/mismatched. Worth asking insurance if that is allowed (a delayed removal of the healthy one). I decided to have aesthetic flat closure so removing the healthy one meant I could be symmetrical. I am glad I don't have to go in for mammograms/breast MRIs anymore. Best of luck to you.

For me, they recommended chemotherapy first and then a mastectomy as the ductal cancer I have is aggressive and they wanted to stop the cancer from metasticizing into other areas of my body. I start chemo in two days

For me, they recommended chemotherapy first and then a mastectomy as the ductal cancer I have is aggressive and they wanted to stop the cancer from metasticizing into other areas of my body. I start chemo in two days

Hello,

I was diagnosed in January with lobular carcinoma with armpit and supraclavical lymph node involvement. I have had 20 rounds of chemo. I will have a single mastectomy and lymph node removal at the end of the month. I decided to just do a single as my oncologist said my other breast is healthy. Following surgery I will have radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. My reconstruction will not be until next spring. I will have a lift on the healthy breast for symmetry. It is a journey but just take each day with some grace. Best wishes - Corey

Thank you so much for your reply!! I am definitely looking forward to being done with the drain!! Today was less pain. Im now sleeping all night and going 6 hours or so between pain meds during the day so I feel like Im doing pretty good. I wasn’t expecting my armpit to be so sore but it’s getting better every day too. I had my oncology type before surgery and it was 11. My tumor was pretty large though so I don’t know what they will recommend. Overall I feel really positive about improving each day even if it’s just little bit. Thank you so much for your care and kind words. I really appreciate the support!!