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rginoceanside posted an update
Hey Ladies out there....do monthly breast self-exams, they can save your life!
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rginoceanside shared an experience
Decision Point (Should I take the tamoxifen or not?): I am not a big person...I am 5 feet and 95 lbs. I was told that 20 mg of tamoxifen was the prescribed dose for 5 years, however, I did not like the side effects....I felt like I was in a fog...so I changed oncologists and she was very direct in that she gave me the choice. She gave me the statistics for the size of tumor and my prognostic indicators. With those numbers, I recently made the decision not to continue with tamoxifen. Quality of life is important.
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rginoceanside shared an experience
Other Care (Psychosocial): Only after I had four surgeries in 9 months while holding a fulltime job, did I seek counseling. I feel that I have PTSD....that I had no time to process what was happening to me so now that things are quitening down, I had to speak with someone...it helped.
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rginoceanside shared an experience
Loss (Some friendships): Friends were no where to be found...I felt like an orphan....I realize that they didnt know what to say, that they probably were pretty shocked too...after all, here is this athletic woman doing all the right things and she gets cancer! They were pretty scared!
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rginoceanside shared an experience
Side Effects (Nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)): The right breast is still numb today....my plastic surgeon says that some people get feeling back...but I think my surgeon wanted such clear margins, that she took a lot of tissue out. It has been more than a year, and I dont have feeling in that breast except for the pain recuperating from reconstruction.
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rginoceanside shared an experience
Procedure or Surgery (Mastectomy): The mastectomy went as scheduled....I learned that anesthesia and I do not agree...that the best thing for that is a sea sickness patch. The first day is a breeze...you don't feel a thing because of the pain medicine and the anesthesia. The next days are when the pain really starts...feels like someone has taken a baseball bat to your chest. The right arm is a bit numb and tingly and you can't lift it over your head...