Lymphedema Therapy and future issues

Well, well,well............ my fat isn't fat, it is swelling from lymphedema. Kidding. I suffer from both. Apparently, the lymphedema will get worse before it gets better. My neck is swelling and sometimes my face swells. I had a cat scan on Tuesday. I will later. So my compression bra came, I had a second therapy session and I wear my compression sleeve. I am compressed. The Dr. gave me a compression thing to put in my compression bra. When I take all this stuff off, the boob looks like a waffle. I asked Dorsey to help me with the massage techniques and after about 45 seconds, he figured out a back-scratcher would be better than his hands. So I use it now myself. Since I have to massage myself, the back scratcher is pretty handy. I had my last visit with my surgery Dr. on Wednesday until June 2013, at which time I get a mammogram. I don't know who is supposed to translate the findings of my MRI and Cat Scan. I am not worried, COH will figure it out and get back to me. I see the radiologist in three weeks for radiation. I have to get my tamoxiphen rx next week. I forgot to pick it up the three days I was at COH this week. Oh, I have to exercise my arm to help reduce the lymph stuff. That's cool. I am so tired. It has to be from the Chemo cause I am not on any meds. More as it happens.

Last Chemo and more news

Well, had the last round today. AMEN. Had labs first at 9:40 and then an hour and fifty minutes later, I had a visit with the Dr.s PA. The Dr. is in Spain on vacation. According to the PA, my ultra sound indicated I need a cat scan for hardening of my lymphnodes in my neck but the ultra sound did not include my thyroid area. So now I have to get a cat scan. And because of my cancer and the irregular bleeding I had from the last round of chemo, I need to get an ultra sound on my ovaries to rule out endometrial and ovarian cancer. Delightful. I also start the five year estrogen blocking hormone next month. So I may not have a menses for five whole years. YAY! But the lymphedema is causing a lot of swelling in my head, neck, boob and arm. My sinus is swollen on the left and there are polyps (had that before) and my gum has an indicator of infection. This is left over from some oral surgery I had. So it appears there is a slight sinus infection but I was not admitted because my white cell counts are normal, as are my liver and kidney functions. So I am good otherwise. With the five year therapy, I may get a monthly shot of something to make my ovaries do something, I forget, too much info. If the shot isn't an option, I can have the ovaries removed. So the ultra sound will determine that. It's all good. I didn't ask for more steroids LOL. I was up all night with the doses yesterday and I will be up all night tonight and tomorrow. There is a three day cycle. I mentioned that before. I was reading the side effects of the hormone blocker therapy - it says weight loss is a side effect. Imagine. The swelling gone, smaller boobs and weight loss? I asked why they didn't just start me out on the blockers, weight loss is a side effect? HELLO! It is so friggin hot. Does not work with hot flashes. Updates as they happen. Bye.

News and Last round of Chemo

I have lymphedema (fluid). I have fluid in my right boob, arm and hand. I have a compression garment for my right arm and a compression glove for my right hand. It looks like the sleeve and glove a person with burns would wear. I had to buy a compression bra, I ordered it today finally. Anyway, I remember being told after my surgery to get jogging bra's to support my boobs to keep them secure and tight to my body, I don't remember specifically being instructed to get the compression bra, but I may have missed that. I did get the sports bras but I guess they were too big or lose and didn't support they way they should. I went and got smaller ones recently and they seem to help. I am supposed to wear the garments all day and night but not for sleep, and get a massage of the areas to direct the fluid to the lymphatic system in my body for drainage. I still need the massage portion of the occupational therapy to get the fluid from my boob moved over to my lymphatic system but as it turns out, I don't know any boob rubber's to help me. So I took the advice of my therapist and bought a compression bra - they are $120 at wearease.com without a discount for being a COH patient. I found one on Amazon for $104 and used my birthday Amazon Kindle Card :-) (Thank you my Angel, you know who you are), and I got the garment for $79 bucks and free shipping. I should be mushed soon. Tomorrow is my last round of chemo. YAY. Of course, I am on the steroid therapy for three days, today, tomorrow and the next day. I will be wide awake for hours, little sleep for three days and then the fourth and fifth I am useless. I think I will ask my Dr. for a few extra days of the ROIDS to use as needed when I just can't get up. When this is done, WWF or cage fighting may be in my future. Kidding. One last weird thing. I kept having these three sites of irritation along my surgical scars, one on the left and two on the right side. The right ones were near my back and the left side was under my left boob. I kept examining the areas and finally about six weeks ago, the Dr. found and pulled out a stitch on my right side. Three weeks ago, Dorsey pulled one out on the right side further back. I kept gelling my surgical area to keep the area soft until I could see my Plastic's Dr. I had to reschedule a few appointments. I have one scheduled for the 26th. Well, the left side kept bugging me so I went for it. I scraped and pulled at the area thinking there was a stitch inside and I had to get it out. It wasn't a stitch. I pulled the skin off the area and scraped with my nails until I pulled out this white piece of plastic. It is small, the size of a stitch but like three wide. I think the gel I was using kinda got clogged in the hole there and got hard. I saved it in a zip-loc to take to the Dr. I will let you know how weird he thinks I am. :-)

Cystic

I went to the Dr. last week to find out that I have lymphedema and must wear compression wraps on my right hand and arm. I must also massage my right breast and arm in the direction of my lymphatic map to dissipate the swelling/fluid. Pain in the ass. I went for my thyroid ultrasound for my face. The lump that comes and goes on my right jaw is "cystic" according to the technician that conducted the ultrasound. So I have to wait until next week to get it interpreted by my Dr. I hope they remove whatever it is, it hurts. I rescheduled my plastics visit and I so wish I had not. I ripped my incision open again trying to get a stitch out myself. It is irritating and painful. Now I wait until the 26th for a visit. My face is swollen, my eyes are puffy, my vision is bad, and my gums are weird. I have horrendous abdominal air pockets that fire at will. I try not to be too far from home. My dogs are making me sick, it is hard to breath in this house. The puppy barked at Dorsey, scared the crap out of him. She is a 2-year-old Pit Bull. So, other than being swollen, puffy, irritated, gassy, wheezy and painful, I am really good. I feel good about being alive and well besides this crap. :-) I am sure I forgot something. More later. Happy Friday.