I'm quite convinced that beyond the doctor's skill with the needles, the bras helped with recovery from the biopsy entry puncture. I was told to wear a bra to sleep for the first three nights. I wore one immediately the moment I got back to the recovery ward. Bras prevent movement, provide light compression and they will keep the puncture wound closed.
Once I got the schedule from the clinic, I immediately went out to buy...... comfortable non-wired bras. Hahahaha. Priorities, you see. I zipped to Lululemon to buy their EveryDay Bra in all available colors and permutations; they're non-wired with back clasps. 😬
In spite of some rather spectacular bleeding on the operating table, and being poked by needles that went in deeper than usual, I didn't take any of the painkillers prescribed. I didn't need them. If it didn't hurt on the first night of the biopsy and the next morning, it wasn't going to hurt at all. The oncologist was going to send me home without any drugs. She said I could simply pop a Panadol. Say WHAT. 😮 I wheedled for Arcoxia 90mg. She gave me a miserable four pills. Chehhhh.
To be honest, there's discomfort around the biopsy site, but there's no pain. The minor laceration on my shin and the accompanying bone bruise hurt a lot more. (Shin was injured from falling onto the edge of a step on an escalator while walking up. Yah, I KNOW, don't ask.)
I don't know how the entry wound is healing because it's covered by Steri-Strips and a plaster. It will be removed and checked when I return for the follow-up. I have been obedient—haven't lifted weights or exerted focused strength around the chest. I can't have this high a threshold of pain tolerance right?! If this is an indication of pain levels, then I can deal with surgery/lumpectomy. Perhaps I would get Vicodin then. Teeeehehehe. But I will stay away from the frightening opioids.
I don't know how the entry wound is healing because it's covered by Steri-Strips and a plaster. It will be removed and checked when I return for the follow-up. I have been obedient—haven't lifted weights or exerted focused strength around the chest. I can't have this high a threshold of pain tolerance right?! If this is an indication of pain levels, then I can deal with surgery/lumpectomy. Perhaps I would get Vicodin then. Teeeehehehe. But I will stay away from the frightening opioids.
I was staring at this clip from #KnowYourLemons and shuddered. Early breast cancer (carcinoma-in-situ), which is treatable, doesn't present any symptoms. You might not even feel any lumps. By the time symptoms manifest, that would be a tough and scary Stage 3 to 4 of the cancer, and worst, it might have metastasized. Breast cancer is too common. It's an inexplicable mutation of cells, and if you go down the rabbit hole of asking 'why me', you'll never get the answer you want. The only guard against breast cancer is early detection, which means mammograms done every two or three years and detailed ultrasounds done annually from the age of 40. Betting on an active lifestyle, clean eating and even genetics (BRCA1 or BRCA2) are tenuous at best for many people nowadays. Unless there's a persistent family history of breast cancer, then these women (and men) should start their scans at 28 or 30 years old.
