So, phase one of my treatment ie the clinical trial is nearing its end. The last shot of Herceptin will be on 03/19. Got an MRI on 03/10, there is a 1cm * 1cm * 0.7 cm mass left, but the report says there is marked structural and kinetic improvements. I am no radiologist, but that sounds like good news!!!! Meeting my oncologist on 03/19 will request her to explain the report to me.
Awaiting my surgery, which is scheduled for 03/23...it will be a lumpectomy with axillary node removal...I am a little scared of the node removal...the axillary node biopsy was so much more painful than the breast biopsies...I cant imagine how painful the node removal would be...
However, did a fun shopping trip ..got half a dozen open to the front sports bras, my doc suggested those.
I was looking for bras in pretty colors but had to settle for whites, grays and navy blues...
So I got my pretty color fix by buying 3 open to the front gowns, to wear after the surgery...
oh they are soooo pretty...
one is white with pretty pink and lavendar flowers...and beautiful butterflies..flitting around...
Then a lemon yellow gown with tiny brown flowers...
and baby pink gown with white flowers...:)
I am all ready to look pretty ...:D
Your axillary node surgery might not be painful - I don't recall mine being painful at all. Did you already have a sentinel node biopsy, or is that what you're getting? If sentinel node, then they only take out 1 to 3 nodes; some women have burning from the injection beforehand, but again, I didn't feel any discomfort. Hope it goes as smoothly for you as it did for me... Glad your tumor is showing signs of shrinking - that's great news! And congrats on your shopping trip - spring is coming, it's time for some relief from the bloack/white-gray of winter... Good luck - PJH
They did an MRI in January , and found and suspicious loolking axillary node, they biopsied it (which was a painful biopsy and took a month to fully heal..:( )..
and unfortunately found the tumor in my axillary node...so during my lumpectomy they are going to remove the entire axillary node cluster...:(
Do you know how many that would be? Hopefully not TOO many... the more you have removed, the greater your chance for lymphedema. Don't worry too much - your chance is still low. But I'd stress to them you don't want any more nodes removed than are absolutely necessary, OK? PJ