First Annual Breast Surgery Check-Up

Today I had my first check-up with my breast surgeon since I finished up all of my surgeries and treatment last year. It was not a terribly exciting visit, but that is fine by me! My last check-up with my surgeon’s office was with the Nurse Practitioner and that one was really fast!

The first thing I did at my appointment was to get on this machine called the SOZO. It looks like a body fat analyzer scale and I’m assuming works somewhat similarly since it takes a lot of the same measurements (e.g. weight, lean muscle mass, fat percentage, etc.). The most important measure is my L-Dex score. The L-Dex is calculated based on the measurements the machine takes and puts through a proprietary algorithm. The resulting measure ends up on a spectrum and the score corresponds with how much fluid you are retaining in your body. My L-Dex score actually went down from pre-surgery and treatment!

The purpose of doing this scan on an annual basis is to see if I am starting to retain fluid in my limbs, especially the limb where they removed lymph nodes. This could mean that I’m stating to develop lymphedema – a swelling of a part of the body due to the inability of the lymph nodes to drain in that area. In breast cancer patients, having many lymph nodes removed and receiving radiation therapy are risk factors for developing lymphedema. The earlier you identify it, the more you can attempt to head off the fluid accumulation by taking other measures. While I don’t have any accumulation of fluid in my arm, my surgeon did say that I do carry a bit more fluid in my breast skin. This was most likely caused by the radiation treatment. However, she said it is a very small amount, but I could notice it by my bra not fitting as well anymore.

After the SOZO scan, my surgeon performed a breast exam and checked my lymph nodes. She told me that my skin is actually in better condition than she normally sees! Maybe the special cream my Radiation Oncologist gave me worked super well! I told her about some of the weird tightness I seem to get and the pangs of pain I occasionally get in my armpit and around my surgical site. The tightness, which I feel when I do a a yoga pose like Cobra, is from the radiation therapy and she said intentional stretching can help with it. The pangs of pain are nerve pain and are to be expected.

Overall, it was really uneventful and went well. When I was making my follow-up appointment for my next annual appointment with the surgeon, they offered me an appointment in July 2024. I was a bit confused and asked why we were scheduling my next annual appointment in July when it is currently May. Basically, they already do not have appointments available! I just don’t understand how that can happen especially a year out! The scheduler who was making the appointments did not really understand why this happens either, but she isn’t able to do anything about it. She told me some people get really angry with her. I know it wasn’t her fault, but jeez!

My surgeon is also about to have another baby! I’m not exactly sure when she is out, but she told me her first day back would be in September. That means that I might have to have one of the other surgeon’s in the practice remove my port after I finish up my infusions in July. Given the scheduling, I wonder if I would even be able to get a surgery scheduled that quickly!

In other news…

My mom and I attended the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Annual Summit. It was really great! I’m planning on doing a blog post completely dedicated to that in the next few days. Today, after my appointment, I went home to get a much-needed bike ride in. Since mid-April, I have had colds and super busy weeks and I have not been able to keep up with my riding. It has made me feel all out of sorts without having my usual ride and I have lost some of my fitness as a result. It will just take time to get back up there and getting my body back into my normal riding shape!

This week is also Teacher Appreciation Week, so Maddie went with me to Target and we picked things out for her teachers. She was super particular that one of her teachers needed a gift bag and the other needed a “square box present.” What a goof! We got the gift bag and box and filled it up with some goodies and some gift cards to show our appreciation. Her teachers really do such a great job with her and all of the kids. Plus, I can’t even imagine how mentally exhausted they have to be every day to deal with 20 four-year-olds! They deserve some treats and gifts! Maddie also made us get bows, but she refused to put them on the gifts and just put unused bows in the gift bag/box! We hope they enjoy their gifts!