My Mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imho, for elders the physiological affects of treatment is more than most can bare. It's harder on them than the reality of dying. Please let it always be their decision, without judgement, and not a decision they make based on loved one's emotions.

Why infantilize the elderly? I agree to respect their wishes entirely, and without judgment, and without regard to what the family would want. But, barring dementia or something like that, we should not assume that elderly are not able to mentally cope with treatments less than younger adults.

Doesn't physiological mean physical symptoms, not mental ones?

Yes. I think pp misread the post.

That's embarrassing!

I did misread and not embarrassed. The point holds true either way. And as someone who has had BC, there is a mental aspect to the physical healing as well. I wish i didn't know that but I do.

I don't believe the poster was infantalizing the elderly. Her point is well discussed in the book Being Mortal. Doctors kept my mother with breast cancer alive for extra months but her quality of life was terrible.

[Anonymous]

Hi All, OP here with an update. My Mom is scheduled for surgery next week (partial mastectomy). I’m super anxious. She doesn’t have a recliner at all despite my offers to rent one and says she is going to make up the bed with pillows. She claims she has a wedge pillow. Someone gave her a mastectomy pillow thankfully. She claims she will get some ice gel packs at the hospital. Should we be buying extra gel packs?? She also doesn’t have a prescription for narcotics - they said “we prefer Tylenol and Motrin..” How can that possibly be strong enough for a partial mastectomy??

What are some other things we need to prepare/get ready? I mentioned stool softener and she brushed it off. She said I can get that later if I need it - I don’t think she realizes the magnitude of the surgery??

[Anonymous]

A partial mastectomy is not much more than a lumpectomy. I do not think you are dealing with the same needs a mastectomy patient has. For example, will she have tubes you need to drain for 10-14 days?

How long is the surgery? An hour? Vs 4+?

As someone who has had a lumpectomy, a reincission and then a mastectomy, I think the most important thing is getting more details on the tumor they remove and then next step of the treatment plan. I suspect over the counter medicine will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi All, OP here with an update. My Mom is scheduled for surgery next week (partial mastectomy). I’m super anxious. She doesn’t have a recliner at all despite my offers to rent one and says she is going to make up the bed with pillows. She claims she has a wedge pillow. Someone gave her a mastectomy pillow thankfully. She claims she will get some ice gel packs at the hospital. Should we be buying extra gel packs?? She also doesn’t have a prescription for narcotics - they said “we prefer Tylenol and Motrin..” How can that possibly be strong enough for a partial mastectomy??

What are some other things we need to prepare/get ready? I mentioned stool softener and she brushed it off. She said I can get that later if I need it - I don’t think she realizes the magnitude of the surgery??

Hi op - I’m glad your mom has progressed to this point. I had a bilateral mastectomy about 16 years ago and do not recall that much pain. I had had an oopherectomy several months prior and was in much more pain from that even though it was laparoscopic.

The biggest issue was not being able to lift very much but if you are able to help with grocery shopping and laundry she should be fine. Granted, I was 40, not 80 and I also did not have cancer (my surgeries were prophylactic) so I did not have any of the mental issues (which are real).

If she needs more ice packs or stronger medicine, you will be able to get it. Good luck with the surgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A partial mastectomy is not much more than a lumpectomy. I do not think you are dealing with the same needs a mastectomy patient has. For example, will she have tubes you need to drain for 10-14 days?

How long is the surgery? An hour? Vs 4+?

As someone who has had a lumpectomy, a reincission and then a mastectomy, I think the most important thing is getting more details on the tumor they remove and then next step of the treatment plan. I suspect over the counter medicine will be fine.

She is going to have drains, the procedure is 1.5 hours (outpatient), but she’s stage 3 and it invaded the chest wall/muscle.

[Anonymous]

During surgery, there’s an injection similar to a spinal, called Exparell. (Spelling?) It reduced the pain for days.

I needed very very few narcotics after a double mastectomy.

[Anonymous]

Will you be caring for her post-op? I cared for my sister after her mastectomy. One of the best things I did was buy a little notebook where I wrote down things like what time I gave her pain meds and what time I emptied her drains and how much fluid there was. It helped me stay on track with it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will you be caring for her post-op? I cared for my sister after her mastectomy. One of the best things I did was buy a little notebook where I wrote down things like what time I gave her pain meds and what time I emptied her drains and how much fluid there was. It helped me stay on track with it all.

How often do the drains need to be emptied?

[Anonymous]

Get back to us re: staging

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, OP. It’s good they caught it early. Wishing her health and you strength.

I don’t think it’s early unfortunately. She is almost 80 years old.

A possible silver lining is that, at her age, most breast cancer tumors tend to be of the slow/slower-growing kind. Let's hope that hers is treatable and survivable.

+1 This. And meds like Ibrance are relatively new game changers for some types of breast cancer.

[Anonymous]

I had a partial mastectomy. It is really just another name for a lumpectomy. It wasn’t a big deal. Definitely did not need a recliner. I took Advil. My surgeon gave me some long acting meds during the surgery, so I think I was good to go for the first 12 hours or so.

[Anonymous]

https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/lumpectomy-partial-mastectomy

I would try to calm down. Your post is stressful to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a partial mastectomy. It is really just another name for a lumpectomy. It wasn’t a big deal. Definitely did not need a recliner. I took Advil. My surgeon gave me some long acting meds during the surgery, so I think I was good to go for the first 12 hours or so.

Thank you!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/lumpectomy-partial-mastectomy

I would try to calm down. Your post is stressful to read.

Then feel free to move to another thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get back to us re: staging

See response at 08:30 please.