so I was scheduled for open heart surgery last week at short notice and I got as far as the operating theatre. All psyched up, coached myself overnight after having minor panic attack, got wired up, sedated, arterial line inserted etc see photo. However someone had a more urgent need of my surgeon at the last minute than me (unfortunately for them and not sure howthey did) ) so I got sent home. Now it’s on again for next week. I’d not been taking palbo ibrance for 4 weeks due to a post covid chest so wbc were back up to 5.4 from <2 so thought I was in good condition to manage post op infections. Given there’ll only be 2.5 wks in between ops and you have to stay off 1 wk before anyway, would you take palbo for the 1 week in between and risk reducing reduce wbc, or just not take it and keep wbc high but risk Cancer shooting back as It would mean 2 mths in total without it ie including recovery. Just curious.
open heart surgery : so I was scheduled... - SHARE Metastatic ...
open heart surgery
I have no idea but commiserate with you and wish you luck. Its a roulette game when we have to submit our lives to those doctors, some of which are less than what we would like them to be. I bear the deep scars.
You’re right in that you have to trust your doctor entirely and I’m sorry you’ve obviously had a bad experience. I’ve had good surgeons so far - my hip has lasted 20 yrs so far which is good. You can message me if you want to share/offload. My cardiac surgeon is fab and I’m so grateful to him as I never thought this op would be possible. He treats cardiac patients who get cancer and people with cancer who get heart disease. He seems confident about the op - and I’m tough as old boots and know it’ll be several weeks of hell and misery then hopefully by 6 mths I’ll have forgotten all the bad things and will be back walking in the hills i love.
I'm so sorry you have to wait now for this surgery. That must have been frustrating. Hopefully the other patient did well. I don't have advice about the Ibrance, hope your doctor would guide you in right direction. I am sending you hugs and prayers though that your surgery will go well and that you will make a quick and complete recovery.
Thank you. I am following doc’s advice - I was just curious. Hopefully not long to go now.
I'm so sorry it was postponed :/ I think I'd send a message to my oncology team about the Ibrance ...overall it sounds like you have a good cardiologist and understand the delay.
My father had a single bypass in 1971 when it was experimental ! He's had a quad since , pace maker and just had a valve replacement at 88. Pretty amazing how far we've come in the past 50 years in medicine . Of course, I've always been proactive and careful with my cholesterol and heart health with this family history (so far so good ) yet - stage IV breast cancer with no "family history ". .... go figure !
Keep us posted on how you are doing .
Thank you April foolz. Hopefully I’ll be all repaired and ready to go by the date of your namesake!
Ugh! So sorry to hear about the postponement of your surgery. How disappointing for you when you were ready to go! Your onc should be the one advising you on the Ibrance schedule.
I’m a little jealous of your beautiful wbc counts, though. 5.4!!! I haven’t seen anything close to that in 6 years!
Best wishes!
I am so sorry to hear about the delay. It takes so much to get into a good head space only to have to start over.
I would get your oncology teams advice about the Ibrance and tell them about that bruise too! It is not so bad to be off the extra time than to be off lots of time for a serious infection i think. there are so many bugs in hospitals that are resistant to anti biotics that I would think spare your immune system the strain but your oncologist will tell you for sure!
Take care of you and thinking happy thoughts and sending prayers for health and total well being.
Hugs
Tammie
Sh Good points!
Thankyou SJ/tammy - you make a good point. Will see what wbc do after 10 days and scans in April. 🤞 I had a super high risk (pleomorphic lobular, 19 nodes, >8cm tumour) at outset of this journey but am determined to defy expectations with help of all many different doctors across 6 hospitals for several comorbidities. Def. like to be in the driving seat and often feel like conductor of an orchestra. It’s therefore scary to be totally passive during this op /recovery (sternotomy/heart lung bypass) and trust my surgeon implicitly to do the best he can. I’m guessing they wouldn’t proceed if they didn’t feel I was up to it so it’s just my head/thoughts that need attention. And I’m fortunate to be given this opportunity.
Also - thanks for reminding me about the need to take my own witch hazel for the bruising. Due to one of the several co-morbidities and itches like fire ants when it’s in last stages of healing ie now!
Arnica gel is good for bruising, too.
Ta
Oh my goodness you must be so aggrevated. To get THAT far into heart surgery then be told you have to go home ... wow girl, my heart goes out to you BUT I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason ESPECIALLY when you get that close to heart surgery then get sent home. So now your body has more time to get that WBC count up alittle higher, and has a little more time to be just that much stronger. As jealous as we all are about the wbc count I honestly thought it would've been a little higher after 4 weeks no ibrance. I am NOT a Dr so like everyone else says double check with your onc n tell them how you feel but what's another 2 weeks? It can take Ibrance up to 6 months to have a bigger impact on a tumor so what's another 2 weeks? (Just trying to find some positive sides to concentrate on) what did your last scans show? I can't shake this feeling in my gut that this totally happened for a reason. Rest up, take deep breaths, researching stuff in medical journals always helps me cope,keep a notepad and pen with you everywhere you go to write down thoughts and questions that might pop up through out your day and call your oncologist with any questions that are weighing on your mind several times a day if you have to. This is a big deal and we have to be our own advocates with these busy dr people. Best of luck to you and keep posting here because we are all here for you!!!! 😘🙏💪
Thank you so much Kimberly for responding with such positivity. I wasn’t gutted - very sanguine. Someone else needed help more than me. Saved for a better day! Best wishes to you.
also sorry you are having to go through this. We have to trust our doctors, though sometimes they give us reason not to. I live in a small town and have no other choice. We have a great cancer center and medical services. I wish you the best. Hugs!
Sharon
thank you
I wouldn't risk it.I took that combo - it worked great for 5 years l had to take 1-3 weeks off at times and at reduced doses - this didn't ever matter - seems that if it's working it works.
Wish you the best, hope your recovery goes very well. 💕
Omg so sorry your surgery was canceled. Talk to your onc about your concerns.
bikebabe, are you taking anything in conjunction with Ibrance? I went back and read through your post and didn’t see any mention of additional drugs. If you are not taking other meds please disregard if it doesn’t apply. I was told that the hormone blocker part of the combo that is normally given was actually the workhorse of the two meds. If you are still taking a hormone blocker I would tend to say skip the week of Ibrance and go in with good blood numbers. Of course, as you know, a call to your onc may help alleviate your concerns. Best wishes for a speedy recovery ❤️🩹
I’m so sorry you need an open heart surgery and hope it’ll go well with the full recovery.
I had an emergency back surgery, so couldn’t stop paleo before, but I was off for about 2 months after during the recovery in the hospital and stay in the rehab. It didn’t lead to progression.
You need your immune system in check to recover
Wishing you good luck with the surgery!
hi -I want to say something supportive but you are right -this is a journey. Hope your heart surgery goes well’My father had open heart surgery in his 70’s & he lasted 20 years. It will be worth it but getting right to the hospital & having it cancelled would be shockling . Take care & keep us all up to date. Lou Anne
I have taken a month break for holidays, and I had mitro valve repair surgery and was a month off for that and I was in hospital in Sept. for a week and had a month off then. Hope all goes well for you💕
Thankyou for posting your response - very encouraging to know someone has been there and got through it. Is there any general advice you’d give to ease the post-op recovery in first 2weeks.im a tiny bit wortied about how easy/not it is to breathe properly after the sternotomy.
I did not have open heart surgery. They went through my veins in my neck and my wrist. I was just in one night. A lot bigger surgery for you. Hope it goes well💕. Theresa
Wow! That's very impressive bruising! It seems extreme even to me who also bruises easily. Was the nurse new at her job?
Even when I had open heat surgery in 2018, I don't recall my rib cage being that discoloured. However, I recently slipped on ice twice and fell on the same thigh with a similar result.
Happy Valentines Day😇 to you, our Sisters/Warriors/Thrivers/Advocates, and of course our loved ones.😊. I hope/pray your surgery will be scheduled as soon as possible.😇🙏
i have been on "Ibrance vacations," once for 3 months due to a broken bone; being off it allowed the body to heal. blood work results remained 'the same,' and PET/CT scan remained NEAD. it is a conversation for you and the onc, with you making the decision that brings confidence. keeping you in my thoughts for the open heart heart surgery.
Oh thank you - many thanks - that sounds such a relief. My quarterly scans mostly are reported as 'active but stable' so hopefully that will continue. I will take the letrazole throughout as advised.
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