Patient Learnings

I wish that I would have known other people like this community to help me through the several shocks I had at dx, during tx and how to deal with the aftermath. I wish I had an idea how it would affect the lives of my children and know howto better prepare them. It is so sad to see my daugther, now 5 remembering my hospital stays and make me promise each time I go to the doctor that I wouldn't stay there and come back to sleep at home. I wish I had known that radiation of the breast will affect what kind of reconstruction I can have on that side. I might have opted for a mastectomy so that I could get a saline implant on that side rather than having to have a TRAM-flap reconstruction.

My treatment included 10 breast cancer surgeries, 8 rounds of chemo and 5 years on Arimidex. The worst surgery was the DIEP Flap procedure mainly because I used my "good arm" to pull me up out of bed or a chair. As a result, a rib on that side flipped up over my collarbone, trapping a bundle of nerves between the bones. The pain was off the charts for six weeks, and I can't take many pain meds. I saw a pain management specialist who wanted to keep me on Valium... I DON'T THINK SO!!! I eventually saw a physical therapist who figured it out, manually flipped the rib back into place. Problem solved.

Arimidex was a witch!! If you're taking aromatase inhibitors then you know what I mean. Every day I felt like I was 110 years old. The only thing that got me through was daily exercise, walking yoga, weights. When I stopped the Arimidex, I began to feel better in about 3 or 4 days. While I understand it's no fun, I urge you to continue with your aromatase therapy because it does lessen risk of recurrence. My treatment included 10 breast cancer surgeries, 8 rounds of chemo and 5 years on Arimidex. The worst surgery was the DIEP Flap procedure mainly because I used my "good arm" to pull me up out of bed or a chair. As a result, a rib on that side flipped up over my collarbone, trapping a bundle of nerves between the bones. The pain was off the charts for six weeks, and I can't take many pain meds. I saw a pain management specialist who wanted to keep me on Valium... I DON'T THINK SO!!! I eventually saw a physical therapist who figured it out, manually flipped the rib back into place. Problem solved.

Arimidex was a witch!! If you're taking aromatase inhibitors then you know what I mean. Every day I felt like I was 110 years old. The only thing that got me through was daily exercise, walking yoga, weights. When I stopped the Arimidex, I began to feel better in about 3 or 4 days. While I understand it's no fun, I urge you to continue with your aromatase therapy because it does lessen risk of recurrence.