Michka, How Are you
 

Michka, just wondering how the surgery went and how you are feeling. Strength and love being sent across the miles to you that each day brings you healing and recovery. Many prayers for you dear Michka....you are a fighter, stay strong.

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Sheila, not even past your home door and thinking of others!
I did not intend to post but I will answer because I do not want you to think I am not doing well! As someone wrote on our forum "liver resection is not an easy procedure". I knew it. The worst part is over, I want to forget it. I came home last Tuesday.
The surgeon told me she took out 2 mets by resection and 2 other ones by RFA.That was planned. What was not is that she also took out 2 nodes under the liver she didn't like. I should get the pathology report next week. That put me down. How come it was not visible on MRI?
I am still trying to cope with a problem that started 3 or 4 days after surgery. I started to have a horrible taste in my mouth. Like during chemo. Then it became much worse and I kept telling them to stop giving me medication. I felt that the excess of medication was just intolerable for me. But they did not really take that into account because they saw I was also in pain. Then I had a urinary tract infection and they gave me antibiotics.
I asked to leave the hospital and stopped everything including the antibiotics.
I got rid of the UTI now. But not the horrible taste. It even stops me from sleeping. My local doctor came to see me at home and said it might be a fungal problem. She had a lab come to the home for a throat swab culture and started me on a treatment. I will only have the result in 2 days. My feeling is that my digestive system is in a very poor shape. They gave me anti inflammatory medication (Profenid) for the pain because I had bad reactions to other pain medication (Tramadol, Acupan). And this just was too much without speaking of the antibiotics they added after that.
I believe my digestive system had not recovered enough from Tykerb.
So far, after 2 days I feel no improvement from the anti-fungal treatment. I do not know how much time it takes to work. I am eating yogurt.
What makes recovery more difficult is that I do not take pain medication.
My next appointment with my onc is Friday. I have no idea what the plan will be if these nodes are positive.
I am happy to be home and I am lucky to have a wonderful man taking care of me every minute.
Love to all. Michka

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka, I am so sorry to read this. I hope they are able to get you some relief for that horrible taste you are dealing with. I am praying for you. Hope you feel better soon. Mary L

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka
You may not feel like it now, but you will be up and running soon. You've been through a lot. Just let the healing begin and let your nice man continue his good work for you.
Warm hugs,
Karen

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Dear Michka

I am not sure what you are allowed to eat. If you can have some dairy, try having yogurt. If you cannot eat yogurt, put some in a glass and thin it out with alittle warm water and rinse your mouth out with it and spit it out. Get a plain one that is known to have alot of active cultures. You could sweeten it with some non sugar if rinsing. You are probably not quite well enough to gargle with it, then wait until you can. Rinse as many times as you can - several times a day. It may do the trick but it won't hurt you either.

A gentle hug from me.

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

It is tough. Do you get enough sleep? You need to sleep in order to heal. Perhaps you could take pain meds at night? Although it sounds as if your liver is having a hard time dealing with the meds. Ofcourse it went through a very tough time too. But livers bounce back.

Now I don't think those nodes will make a big difference in your treatment plan. The cancer is already outside your breast, so I don't think it will be a lot worse if there is some cancer in the nodes. When they grow, they can press on other important structures, so I think it's a good thing that they were removed.

Pamper yourself and perhaps find ways to distract yourself from the pain, the bad taste, from feeling tired and scared. This too shall pass.

Hugs

Jacqueline

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time and I hope your recovery speeds up. Thank goodness you have such good care at home.
Trish

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka,

Thanks for the update. You might want to check if you are anemic since the condition can also affects our sense of taste because of the stuff cummulates on our tongue.

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka,

I hope they can figure out what is causing that horrible taste in your mouth. Becky's suggestions regarding eating/rinsing with yogurt sound like a plan.
Wishing you a swift and complete recovery.

Bisses a toi.

all the best
caya

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Dear Michka,
So sorry to to hear that the post op wasn't a breeze. But.....they will get it figured out and you will be glad that you had the procedure and it is behind you.

Jackie's comment about being anemic is interesting, as my Drs. specifically mentioned being anemic after the significant blood loss associated with a liver resection.

Also...offering words of encouragement regarding the suspicious nodes. Weird....after removing my left lobe, they spotted a couple of cancerous nodes. Like yours....lots and lots of scans and they NEVER appeared. My thinking (trying to be positive), is that no wonder the liver kept getting infected if there were these nodes continuing to drain into it. Glad your Drs. identified the node and removed them. My Onc always talks about the cancer burden. I think you just significantly lightened the load!!! Which is a good thing.

Thinking of you and sending healing hugs!!!

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Dear Michka, I have been following your progress and happy to see you are home starting to heal. I have to go in to the hospital tomorrow for a liver biopsy, had a Cat scan and they found some lesions there.
I have lost a lot of weight recently and don't know why, mind you I needed to lose some, but not all that i have. Oh well, just have to play the waiting game again. Anyway here's wishing you speedy recovery, love , Jeanette

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Lori!!!!How are you doing? Your resection was more important than mine. You don't even mention how you feel.

My thinking about the nodes is that if I had chosen another way to try to get rid of the mets, I would not know about the nodes. It turned out to be the same for you. I am very sorry about that.
What I learned these last weeks is that 1) there are different strengths of MRI 1,5 or 3 Tesla. On the first kind only 2 mets were visible. On the second 4. But no nodes, 2) MRI or scans do not always detect nodes very well.

Lori I am also sending hugs you way and hope that you got rid for ever of the recurrent met.
Michka

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Jeanette. I hope they will find nothing. I will keep you in my thoughts. Please post and give us news. Michka

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka, hope you start to feel better soon. Thankfully they found the nodes and got rid of them! Hope you will now be NED forever.

Hugs
Ellie

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

I hope you are feeling better today. Take good care of yourself. Good luck with your oncology appointment.

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka;
What a time you've had. I am glad that you are home and healing. I hope the yucky taste goes away real soon.
Sending you hugs and prayers,
Kris....

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka,

Glad to hear from you. Hope you are feeling better today.

Amelia

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Thinking of you and hope the following days will
be better for you. Sending healing thoughts and hope
for feeling better.
patb

Re: Michka, How Are you
 

Michka,

I'm sorry about the rough recovery and also the terrible taste in your mouth. And the nodes! Hopefully, they won't be cancerous. It seems like there's always something, but you're moving forward and that's all that counts at the moment.

Get as much rest as you can. You'll be feeling better soon. You've been through a lot.

Hugs,

Joan