Marguerite
Active Member
I'm taking the easy way out, I'm emailing people plus replying to a PM, using much the same text.
husband posted in the Morning thread over in General, so now here is more info.
I'm home following surgery today for breast cancer. They took two sentinel nodes but both were clear on frozen section so they didn't need to take any more. They took the tumour too, of course. The incision is above the nipple, a separate incision in the armpit for the nodes. The tumour was too small to be felt by the surgeon, even when she knew it was there, so they inserted a hook wire. This has a hook on the end which they try to snag in the tumour, so the surgeon can use the wire as a road map. If they don't get it right on target, they check the location under ultrasound and basically write directions ("two mm to the left and down a bit" - or maybe "first star on the right then on 'til morning") but in my case, the radiologist hit the tumour bang in the centre with the hook. They then taped it all down so there was no chance it would get caught on anything or pull. Then they injected the isotope for the sentinel nodes - they look for where the isotope goes, take those lymph nodes which take up the most isotope because the logic is, if they take up the isotope then they are also the ones which would be first to take up cancer cells. So if these ones are clear, then they can be confident that all the other ones will be too.
They identified the nodes (in my armpit), marked them with a felt pen, then sent me back to admissions waiting room. I didn't get taken in for surgery until they were just about ready for me in the operating theatre. I was only in the bed for five minutes and they were wheeling me in to the theatre. I had to get across onto the operating table by myself, although after the surgery they must have moved me while i was still under anaesthetic. I was in surgery for just under an hour, in recovery for another hour (most of it doing sudoku and crossword puzzle I'd brought in with me) then back on the day surgery ward being fed a sandwich and a cup of coffee. About half an hour later I was up and dressed. Heading home an hour after that (husband driving, of course).
I have to see the surgeon by Friday next week, I should get more detailed pathology results by then.
I'm tired (a bit) and feel happier now it's out, hopefully I'll sleep a bit better tonight. Armpit is a bit uncomfortable, it's like the dressing is digging in a bit, but I think it's really the stitches plus the digging around. My breast will probably feel more sore tomorrow when the local begins to wear off (they pour a lot of local into it during the surgery, while I'm under anaesthetic).
For now - I'm hungry, I'm having a late night snack (Vegemite on cracker biscuits) before heading for bed. Throat is a bit scratchy too, from the intubation.
We've been told there's about an 8 week wait for radiotherapy, but it's just a precaution in my case, they think. And I've got six months if I need to wait before starting radiotherapy.
There is still a possibility they didn't get the tumour with clear margins, or that the lymph nodes may have cancer in them when they take a closer look. In which case, more surgery. But they're good at this, they do a lot of them and the success rate is almost 100% so I have confidence in them.
Marg
husband posted in the Morning thread over in General, so now here is more info.
I'm home following surgery today for breast cancer. They took two sentinel nodes but both were clear on frozen section so they didn't need to take any more. They took the tumour too, of course. The incision is above the nipple, a separate incision in the armpit for the nodes. The tumour was too small to be felt by the surgeon, even when she knew it was there, so they inserted a hook wire. This has a hook on the end which they try to snag in the tumour, so the surgeon can use the wire as a road map. If they don't get it right on target, they check the location under ultrasound and basically write directions ("two mm to the left and down a bit" - or maybe "first star on the right then on 'til morning") but in my case, the radiologist hit the tumour bang in the centre with the hook. They then taped it all down so there was no chance it would get caught on anything or pull. Then they injected the isotope for the sentinel nodes - they look for where the isotope goes, take those lymph nodes which take up the most isotope because the logic is, if they take up the isotope then they are also the ones which would be first to take up cancer cells. So if these ones are clear, then they can be confident that all the other ones will be too.
They identified the nodes (in my armpit), marked them with a felt pen, then sent me back to admissions waiting room. I didn't get taken in for surgery until they were just about ready for me in the operating theatre. I was only in the bed for five minutes and they were wheeling me in to the theatre. I had to get across onto the operating table by myself, although after the surgery they must have moved me while i was still under anaesthetic. I was in surgery for just under an hour, in recovery for another hour (most of it doing sudoku and crossword puzzle I'd brought in with me) then back on the day surgery ward being fed a sandwich and a cup of coffee. About half an hour later I was up and dressed. Heading home an hour after that (husband driving, of course).
I have to see the surgeon by Friday next week, I should get more detailed pathology results by then.
I'm tired (a bit) and feel happier now it's out, hopefully I'll sleep a bit better tonight. Armpit is a bit uncomfortable, it's like the dressing is digging in a bit, but I think it's really the stitches plus the digging around. My breast will probably feel more sore tomorrow when the local begins to wear off (they pour a lot of local into it during the surgery, while I'm under anaesthetic).
For now - I'm hungry, I'm having a late night snack (Vegemite on cracker biscuits) before heading for bed. Throat is a bit scratchy too, from the intubation.
We've been told there's about an 8 week wait for radiotherapy, but it's just a precaution in my case, they think. And I've got six months if I need to wait before starting radiotherapy.
There is still a possibility they didn't get the tumour with clear margins, or that the lymph nodes may have cancer in them when they take a closer look. In which case, more surgery. But they're good at this, they do a lot of them and the success rate is almost 100% so I have confidence in them.
Marg