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Hair
I was just on the zoom call and I wanted to ask why most everyone has hair. Lori was only one who mentioned losing hair. Mine was falling out byhandfull so we just shaved it short. Thank
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Breast pain when wearing a bra/swimsuit
Hi. I had a DMX last August. I had a revision and fat transfer at the end of this past December. Overall..I am just really happy to still be here and good with the aesthetic results. However, I have pain in my breastbone and under my implants when wearing a bra or swimsuit though. I am pretty active. I do spin classes,…
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To Be or Not To Be - Challenging the Standard of Care
I started my "journey" a little less than a year ago. Through my "ordeal'" as another woman graciously posted on the boards, I have found that breast cancer patients tend to get dismissed in their so-called "journeys" for scanning or a diagnosis. I, too, am not a fan of the word "journey" in my cancer dx. I'd say my…
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New diagnosis IDC stage IV + lymph node
I just got diagnosed with IDC stage 4 right breast and right armpit lymph node. They haven't biopsed the left breast yet but they want to asap! My question is isn't more important to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else in my body before the slightly suspicious left breast?? Its been really hard getting STRAIGHT…
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Hormone-Free Medicine for Hot Flashes Shows Promise
Hormone-Free Medicine for Hot Flashes Shows Promise June 21, 2022 Fezolinetant, an experimental medicine that doesn't contain hormones, has successfully treated hot flashes. Read more...
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3D Mammos Reduce Risk for Extremely Dense Breasts & High Risk
3D Mammograms Reduce Risk of Advanced-Stage Disease in Women With Extremely Dense Breasts and High Risk of Breast Cancer June 15, 2022 In women with extremely dense breasts and a high risk of breast cancer, screening with 3D mammograms — rather than 2D digital mammograms — was linked to a lower risk of advanced-stage…
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Frustrating Mammogram wait times in Canada for 5+ years out
Every year since moving to Ottawa nearly 6 years ago, I start reminding my family doctor to kindly, please, book my mammogram. I was sternly warned by my many medical professionals to get my annual mammogram on my remaining breast to make sure that the benign, previously biopsied fibroadenoma is still the exact same size.…
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LBCA founder and lobular advocate Leigh Pate has passed
It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Leigh Pate, founder of the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) has died. Leigh did not die from lobular breast cancer, but from complications from stage 4 fallopian tube/ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed with this second primary cancer several years ago and went through…
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Stage IV - Mutation PIK3CA
Good afternoon. I would like to know which of you have this mutation? When did you find out? What treatment have you been following all this time? And is there anyone who did it? Read about Pikri. They have bad effects. Problems with blood sugar and people sit on it for no more than 5-7 months. So, there is no cure for…
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Need recommendation for sunscreen
I'm being treated with chemo and my face is very, very sensitive to the sun. I really don't understand why my arms and legs are not.
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Embracing being flat and no regrets
Greetings! After discovering I had a genetic mutation (ATM mutation) last February 2021, I had choices to make. I learned that I was at higher than average risk of getting breast cancer (15-40%), ovarian cancer (3%) and pancreatic cancer (5-10%). The number that made me most uncomfortable was the risk of breast cancer and…
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Could Neulasta be optional for each cycle?
Hi, I would like your opinion on is it necessary to have Neulasta each time? My MO gave me the impression that it is NOT something optinal. I'm with her2 type and doing TCHP every 3 weeks. I already had 3 cycles and 3 left. My MO gave me Neulasta each time and white cell did come back to normal before the next cycle. Now…
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LymphaTouch
Are there any updates/personal experiences with the LymphaTouch machine? It appears to use "cupping" type treatment and I see Youtube videos by LE massage therapists on how to use the device. According to the website, "Lymphatouch is a medical device that can be used for lymphatic drainage and lymphedema. It uses negative…
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Not mentally well- how to deal with the stress
This week, while getting one of my infusions, I was in so much pain that I asked the nurse if she knew if euthanasia waa legal in the current state. She responded that it's not and walked away. Ended up having a private conversation with the head nurse. I apologized about my comments because I freaked out that nurse. Got…
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Solid Lung Nodules
Hi Ladies, I hope you are all doing well. It's been a long time since I've posted anything so I hope you forgive my absence. At my catscan in October they found several small 2-3 mm lung nodules. My oncologist said not to worry as they were most likely nothing. I had my next 6-month scan just last week and they found…
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My toenail just came off!
I had AC followed by weekly Taxol but finished in December 2020. I was just rubbing nail polish remover on my big toenail and the nail peeled most of the way off. I’ve admittedly been wearing polish for way to long without giving my toenails a breather. Has anyone heard of this happening 1.5 years after finishing Taxol? I…
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Life insurance before biopsy
It just dawned on me today my biopsy is tomorrow so I do not have an official diagnosis until a week or more from tomorrow. I just purchased life insurance today. Has anyone else done this and/or had any problems with it? My thoughts are after the official diagnosis it will be impossible to purchase more and/or be totally…
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Black & Hispanic Women May Have Higher Risk of Lymphedema
Black and Hispanic Women May Have Higher Risk of Lymphedema June 15, 2022 Among women who had breast cancer surgery and axillary lymph node dissection, Black and Hispanic women were more likely to develop lymphedema than white women, as were women who received chemotherapy before surgery, rather than after surgery. Read…
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Dreading Upcoming Appointment
I was diagnosed three years ago and treatment was quick and aggressive. I've always had a mix of uninterest in and fear of all things medical, but I have done what a “responsible person" is supposed to do. Around the same time as my breast cancer diagnosis, I was having extremely heavy periods and was found to have large…
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Clear breast discharge that led to sono
I feel so stupid. After 3 years, I weaned my son but having had oversupply and overactive let down, I never worried that my breasts continued to drip very slightly, even when it became clear and only one side. This went on for at least a year before I read a pamphlet that alarmed me. Unilateral, spontaneous, clear…
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Stage 3c How do I keep from obsessing about recurrence
Hi all, At the age of 38 with no family history, I was diagnosed with a huge ER/PR+ HER2- tumor in Feb 2018. I had all the treatments: 5 mo. AC-T chemo, mastectomy & axillary node removal (10 of 25 had cancer post chemo), oopherectomy 3 weeks post mastectomy, then 28 sessions of rads. I'm on a daily aromatase inhibitor…
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Surgery 6/22/2022
I had surgery yesterday and came home the same day. I have a single mastectomy. First, I was surprised at how big these drains are! I have two. Secondly, I had a tissue expander and it is already partially filled. I was surprised by it being filled a bit and also about how it feels- a big chunk of stuff in my chest lol. I…
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Iris Zhi Oncologist at Sloan Kettering,
anyone use her as their oncologist I am thinking of switching oncologist don't want to go into Manhattan anymore
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Low lymphocytes and a wonky blood work.
I had 28 rounds of rads in March 2022. Finished in April. I had chemo and surgery before that. My blood work was always good. Until after rads. Now my Lymphocytes are low. My WBC is fine. But my Lymphocytes could be low because I also have an autoimmune thyroid disorder. What I want to know is has anyone else had wonky…
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Please share your experience, we care for mum and are lost
My mother had a total mastectomy and 43 lymph nodes removed in 2008. In 2018 Mets were found in liver, spinal column, and lungs. Bother times she underwent chemo and radiation. She has non-alcoholic cirrhosis and delicate kidneys Yesterday she had an ultrasound and x-ray. Her liver and epiplón are covered in Mets. She was…
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Surgery Postponed - Thanks, Covid!
I was all squared away for outpatient surgery (bi-lateral mastectomy) this past Monday, 6/13. Had coverage scheduled at work for a month (no mean feat in live radio), got a negative PCR test the Thursday before surgery, supplies laid in, house cleaned, meals prepped in the freezer, help scheduled to pop over post-surgery.…
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Belly bulge after diep revision surgery
Has anyone experienced a belly bulge after diep surgery? I had stage 2 revision surgery the end of April and recently noticed a bulge the size of my thumb below my bellybutton and incision. It’s not painful, it’s soft. I sent pictures of it to my plastics and they said it looked like fluid collection and to come in And…
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Consult with surgeon leads to more tests/biopsies... and then?
So, in early March I had my annual mammogram, at that time they saw microcalcifications which led to my first biopsy. The biopsy showed an intraductal papilloma, and I was referred to a breast surgeon for excision. Fast forward to my appointment with the surgeon. The appointment was overwhelming. She did an exam, and found…
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Older Women Treated With Hormone Therapy May Not Need Radiation
We're interested in any thought's you have on this new research studies findings: "A study suggests that women older than 60 who have surgery to remove a relatively lower-risk type of invasive breast cancer -- luminal A breast cancer -- and who get hormonal therapy after surgery may be able to skip radiation therapy after…
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Is anyone else not "thriving" .....or am I just doing it wrong?
Hello ladies! Anyone else having a hard time moving past cancer? It's been just over 3 years since treatments were finished, but I still feel like I'm in a never ending circle of tests, pains, illnesses, fears...the list goes on. I understand that we have to find our way through this new normal, but I apparently forgot to…