December 2016
It's Christmas day, and the worst. My husband and I are on our own. It is nearly five weeks since I had my op. I haven't been able to buy presents, or to get much in the way of food because I can't face going to the shops most days. These past days I have had to go to the hospital because the pain killers I have been given have caused a colon blockage and have stopped my bladder working - I had to have a catheter. I am still having problems. Today everything has got on top of me again and I can't stop crying. I tried to talk to someone at the Cancer place but because of the holiday, no-one was there. I even dished up our ham salad Christmas lunch at 11.15 because I mistook the time! Can't seem to get anything right. Even writing this is seeming to help my thinking a bit now. I really should try to think of other people more. People are dying out there of what I'm told has been stopped in my case by my mastectomy. Why can't I pull myself together? I wish I could sleep.
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December 2016
I had mastectomy of my right breast 3 weeks ago. Pathology showed DCIS at 12cm, and that cancer was totally removed, so I don't have to have radiotherapy or chemo. I will be on Tamoxifen for 5 years starting in January. I still have quite a lot of pain at my wound site, and every professional I speak to about it doesn't seem to believe me, saying it should be better by now. I'm new to this, and don't know what's "normal". When does it stop? I want to start wearing a bra again with the temporary prosthesis and to go out looking okay, but it's too sore right now. Everthing I read says that people can wear the post-op bra almost straight after surgery. Why can't I?
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December 2016
At one time I was thinking of buying shares in kleenex. Things have improved a bit now, thanks to the friends I have found here. You have no idea how it helps at times.. I do hope everything turns out well for you. I'll stay in touch, if that,s okay with you. Pinkroses
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December 2016
Me too. I get frightened to death some days, I know my husband loves me and is so very supportive, but now and then nothing makes very much sense and I get to thinking really rotten thoughts. I do hope that things have taken a turn for the better for you over time. Life's not all that fair, is it? I have no way of thinking that I have done anything to deserve all this crap. Let me know how things have become for you sometime. I need all the help I can get just now. pinkroses
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December 2016
Good morning, Len I do wish I had some answers for you. Reading about you puts all my little whinges to shame. Still thinking about you, though, so may you have the best day you can manage today. Bless Pinkroses
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November 2016
I had mastectomy a week ago. So many things have gone wrong. They lost the biopsy report. A 'clear' report was sent to my GP, then another saying I had DCIS in my right breast. Then I was booked to have a lumpectomy, but then the report was found, showing that I needed a mastectomy instead, but theatre was not informed until I told them of the upgrade. I was rushed into theatre within half a hour of getting to the hospital. I was told there was no bed for me to stay overnight and that if I wanted to go ahead with the op, I would have to be tranferred to the local hospital afterwards. A bed was found for me eventually and I was sent home the next day. Although painkillers were written up for me by the anaesthetist, I had to ask for them, because nursing staff forgot. I got home and within a day I had a reaction to the painkillers. To get others I had to go to my local Hospital, who directed me to the wrong surgery which was closed. Finally I was given some pain relief, after another trip to the hospital and to the correct surgery. This all took from 2am until 9.30am on a saturday. I was at home with a drain in. It needed changing so I had to go to the local hospital again. The nurses there were not familiar with the drain set-up, and sent me home with the tube still clamped and the drain rate regulator turned off. I had to fix it myself. What else can go wrong? There have been so many seemingly small things that I dread going to see the surgeon next week to get the results of the pathology tests. I cry at the drop of a hat these days, and all the 'contact' numbers given to me to provide help and support have turned out to be recorded messages, not real people. I am so angry, and feel so isolated.
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