The Bra Fitter
Yesterday, at the urging of my lymphedema physical therapist Manasee, I met with Lisa Lindenberg, the awesome certified mastectomy and lumpectomy bra fitter at the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville, NJ. We had spoken on the phone on Wednesday, so she had an idea of what was happening with the burns and the lymphedema.
Lisa has many years of experience and has seen it all with regard to post-surgical breast cancer patients. She took one look at me and pulled out a bin with Prairie Wear compression bras. She fitted me with one called the Hugger Prima, which has adjustable straps.
It's definitely a snug fit across the breasts. It comes with inserts, but more importantly, it fits the Swell Spot pad that Manasee wants me to wear. The Swell Spot is a large, ungainly thing. It's a soft, quilted piece that covers the breast and wraps around the side, under the arm to my back. It contains small pieces of foam that provide a specific kind of compression to move the lymph fluid away from the breast and armpit.
I previously had been using it in that wraparound compression tube top kind of garment. It's a much better fit in the Hugger Prima. There's a YouTube video of someone inserting the Swell Spot into the openings where the inserts go, but since I'm big, so is my Swell Spot. It doesn't fit into my Hugger's insert section.
Regardless, Lisa had one that she demonstrated in the fitting. I was able to wear it myself in the Hugger for an hour (so far) this morning. I'll try it again later to limit the amount of time I could possible disturb the burn site.
Two of these Huggers cost me $150. While Lisa told me they would not be covered by insurance, my friend Tom suggested that I try my insurance company anyway because they are being sold as medical devices, from a hospital, to manage my lymphedema, a medical condition.
I wouldn't wear these out because they zip up the front, and the zipper can be easily seen under a shirt. Also, they don't provide the level of support I need. But, I can wear them to sleep, if possible, and at home to manage the symptoms.
The bottom line is that we know that compression works for me. I just need to figure out how to do it without angering the burns in inframammary fold. I'm really hoping that these bras provide the answer. So far, the bottom portion doesn't come in contact with the burn area, which is a really good start.
Letrozole Updates
I'm now a week into taking the Letrozole, and the side effects have been manageable. I have experienced bad heartburn 3 of the 7 days (especially the first two days), but each time, I was able to treat it fine. On Wednesday, ginger alone kicked its butt. The previous two times, it was Nexium. I use ginger in my morning smoothies, and have added 1 teaspoon turmeric to try to deal with the inflammation of the burns.
The hot flashes have increased in number, length, and severity. Which means that they went from my feeling very hot from my chest upward for a minute or two a few times a day to occurrences throughout the day and night lasting up to 10 minutes, sometimes with my becoming sweaty (although not all the time).
The nighttime ones are the worst because they wake me up. This ties into the insomnia. For the first three days on Letrozole, I slept soundly, even after waking up in the middle of the night -- something I'd not experienced since Sept. 2021. It was wonderful. It also helped me figure out that my memory problems are due to lack of sleep because during those days, I had ZERO memory issues.
But, now I'm not able to fall asleep easily, which is new. I didn't have a problem falling asleep, just staying asleep. And as of Sunday, it's both. On average, the past few days have seen 2-3 hours of sleep each.
Finally, there is some joint pain here and there. That's not actually supposed to hit hard until month 2, but I'm keeping an eye on it. To date, all of it has been easily addressed with movement.
All said, 1 week into it, not so bad. Mind you, it took two weeks for Tamoxifen's side effects to take me down. This time around, I strongly hope that eventually, my body will even out with the side effects, especially the hot flashes.
Otherwise, I've had to put a dent in the credit cards even more than the lymphedema bras. Letrozole and sun exposure do not mix well, so I've been purchasing UPF 50 clothing and a new sun hat to try to deal with that. Wearing extra layers and hot flashing will be a challenge. But, I'm willing to deal with it if it means I can tolerate Letrozole and just know that's my medication to prevent future breast cancer.
As ever, thanks for your kind thoughts and words, useful feedback, funny comments and private messages, adventure day company, prayers, love, good vibes, and gifts.
Remember to get your screenings, folks. Early detection is key.
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