Hi All,
I am a recent *** cancer survivor. I'm doing very well with no detectable cancer. In May 2006 I had a mastectomy and in September I had reconstructive surgery. I was able to swim at Worlds this summer and I'm now trying to get back into shape to swim at Nationals. I'd like to get a group of people together that are swimmers that have had chest surgery or injuries so that we can share some insights of what helps. I think there are a lot of us out there! Any takers?
Judy Strauss
Parents
Former Member
This is a pretty good thread. It is great to hear that you are now cancer free!
While my surgeries weren't quite as extreme I can join you in your club of chest surgeries. I have had a few... my situation has been rather weird I think...
My first fibroadenoma (a type of benign tumor) was discovered my junior year of college during my physical for the swim team. It was fairly large and noticeable, that is noticeable once someone pointed it out to me... I had the mass surgically removed to be sure of its nature.
A year after the surgery I still had sharp pains in my ***. It was very uncomfortable. It turned out that another fibroadenoma was present in the same location as the previous one (or perhaps it all hadn't been removed and it grew back... I don't know...). I had another surgery to remove the mass.
After the second surgery I had already transferred colleges and I hadn't been swimming. I recovered from everything well and I started swimming in college again. I only had one more year of eligibility left. I didn't even make to the end of the season before I was in incredible pain. Another mass forming in my chest made swimming, driving, and even breathing extremely painful. It happened to be positioned right on my rib cage. The more I pushed it in the pool, the worse the pain became. I couldn't do anything to reduce it except rest. It was months before I had surgery to remove the mass. I had to go through many tests and lots of waiting. Even after surgery I had to manage my pain level because the scar tissue caused inflammation.
It has now been almost two years and I haven't had anymore chest problems! Swimming feels great right now. Better than it ever did in college. There doesn't seem to be anymore lingering pain in my chest. It took a very long time to stop bothering me at all though.
I would also love to hear anyone else's story.
This is a pretty good thread. It is great to hear that you are now cancer free!
While my surgeries weren't quite as extreme I can join you in your club of chest surgeries. I have had a few... my situation has been rather weird I think...
My first fibroadenoma (a type of benign tumor) was discovered my junior year of college during my physical for the swim team. It was fairly large and noticeable, that is noticeable once someone pointed it out to me... I had the mass surgically removed to be sure of its nature.
A year after the surgery I still had sharp pains in my ***. It was very uncomfortable. It turned out that another fibroadenoma was present in the same location as the previous one (or perhaps it all hadn't been removed and it grew back... I don't know...). I had another surgery to remove the mass.
After the second surgery I had already transferred colleges and I hadn't been swimming. I recovered from everything well and I started swimming in college again. I only had one more year of eligibility left. I didn't even make to the end of the season before I was in incredible pain. Another mass forming in my chest made swimming, driving, and even breathing extremely painful. It happened to be positioned right on my rib cage. The more I pushed it in the pool, the worse the pain became. I couldn't do anything to reduce it except rest. It was months before I had surgery to remove the mass. I had to go through many tests and lots of waiting. Even after surgery I had to manage my pain level because the scar tissue caused inflammation.
It has now been almost two years and I haven't had anymore chest problems! Swimming feels great right now. Better than it ever did in college. There doesn't seem to be anymore lingering pain in my chest. It took a very long time to stop bothering me at all though.
I would also love to hear anyone else's story.
