Topic: I'm only 30 with breast cancer

Hi Hens,

This is the truly awful part, and after this comes some clarity and then you become a Warrior Princess! Try not to worry about your hair..it will grow back. (Check my other posts). I am not 30, but I sure as hell feel it :) I think the feelings about this disease are the same for women of any age because our breasts are so important to our identity. What will hit you soon is that you will do anything to get rid of the cancer, and then get serious about living! It's a big journey, and we are all here to help you through it. I hope you are surrounded by people who will take care of you. My faith is a gritty faith..I will pray for you, Hensleyclan.

 HensleyClan,

Hi. I am so sorry that you are here...I was dx when I was 36 so a bit older than you. Good luck on your upcoming surgery and chemo. The hair part is difficult....but it is doable. It is all doable just difficult. Know that you will get a ton of support from everyone on this site. (((hugs))) 

I'm so sorry this has happened to you at your age.  Please don't dwell on what you should or shouldn't have done!  It is out of our hands.

There is a forum for younger women with bc on this site.  It might be a good spot for additional support.  Just scroll down through the forums.  You're in my thoughts and prayers. 

Susan

So sorry this has happened to you.  Sadly, there are LOTS of young women today who are being diagnosed with breast cancer.  It's hard to say why.  I, personally, believe there's environmental factors involved, among many other things...but as others have said don't dwell on what caused it.  Put your energies into getting rid of it.  So many great treatments out there today and wonderful drugs to manage the side effects.  I never once experienced nausea due to the amazing drug emend.  I thought I'd hate losing my hair and it turned out it wasn't any big deal.  I actually stopped wearing my wig and enjoyed being able to shower and run and not have to deal with bad hair days...like a guy.  It was kind of freeing.  I mostly wore a baseball cap.

Here is a link to the forum for young women with breast cancer. 
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/27

Good luck to you and keep coming back here.  We'll all help you through the  maze. 

My daughter is your age.  She is nervous b/c I was just dx with bc and her grandmother (my mom) had it 5 years ago.  Why were we all picked?  Who knows.  I have lived a healthy lifestyle - good diet, aerobic exercise.  My daughter has four children and is now setting up a baseline mammogram.  Her OB won't prescribe birth control anymore b/c of the history of hormone-receptive bc in her family.  Thinking of you with the disease makes me sad - it makes me think of my own daughter.  I will be praying for you!  You will make it, and you will come out okay.  In the meantime, know that a lot of other survivors are pulling for you and thinking about you.  Gentle hugs,

Welcome to the world of cancer way before you're "supposed" to be at risk.  I was dx at age 26 almost four years ago.

The beginning is the worst-- just the waiting, and the information overload... but I want to give you some great resources you should check out.

www.youngsurvival.org  you'll meet thousands of young women who have cancer, and are not taking it lightly-- quite an incredible group.

Also, there's an awesome book for young women with cancer-- it's not a front to back read- you read what applies to you.

Fighting For our Future, by Beth Murphy

Once you have a plan with your oncologist, and get going with chemo, you'll have a plan, and fight the cancer, then beat it, and reclaim your life.

You should ask your surgeon about BRCA testing due to your family history.

Here's info on genetic predispositions to cancer

www.facingourrisk.org

Do you know if you are having a lumpectomy or mastectomy yet?  If you need a mastectomy and opt for reconstruction, you can learn about all your options at

www.breastreconstruction.org

This won't be forever-- it's just this huge bump in the road, that will force you to stop, and rest and heal.  I was dumped during cancer and then went on to meet the man of my dreams and we're getting married.  Kids are still a viable option, and they can be for you too.

Keep your head up and take it one thing at a time-- and don't hesitate to ask for an rx for xanax -- there's no handbook for how you're supposed to feel.  But we're here for you.

Hensleyclan,

 I'm sorry that you have had to join our ranks but you have come to the right place.  I don't know what I would have done if I had not discovered this website and these boards.  I have learned so much and feel less alone.  I hope you will find the same comfort.  You can always get your feelings off your chest here, no matter what if you want to rant and vent do so. 

So please stick around, any questions you have to ask someone is sure to have the answer.  Know that here you have support.  You will be in my thoughts. ((( hug)))

Yogi

Hi there...

I am sorry that this has happened to you.

I was diagnosed at age 39 and thot wow I am too young for this.....and in fact ANY age is too young for this.

I can only feel what you are going through.

Through luv and support, we will get thru this together.

Hugs....

Kosh

I was only 36 when I was diagnosed.  It has been a little over a year and I have been cancer free since October 2007.  I remember how I scared I was.  I remember feeling so overwhelmed, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.  I wondered how I would be able to care for my two young children and what would happen to them if I died.  It's awful.

 BUT - it does get better.  It will get better. The scariness never goes away completely, but it won't be part of your every thought.  You develop a new kind of normal.

 Know that you can beat this!

Hens -

I am 31, with no family history, and I have three children, so against all odds, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 7.

I know you're scared... I am, too.  But we'll get through this together, okay?

31andscared:  I turn 31 tomorrow and was dx in July.  You can see all my nightmare stats at the bottom.  I have three kids 6, 4 and 3 months and my life has been completely turned upside down! I have started chemo and will get radiation and herceptin for one year.  We have to be positive and know that we can beat this.  I have figured out that you have to just know you can do it and it will make things much easier.  I HAVE to be here for my daughters and son so there is no other option, just fighting this monster.  Best wishes to all of us!! 

You are not alone.

I was 32, just a month shy of turning 33, the first time I was diagnosed.  I too, had been on birth control for many years when I was diagnosed.  And I also have no children. 

Please know that despite the fact that we are all in different places on the globe, you do not walk this road alone. 

While I do not want to underscore the importance of websites like this one, I will suggest to you that if you want to talk to someone directly, you should call the Yme! (I believe it's now the National Center for Breast Cancer Awareness or something like that), hotline.  It's staffed 24/7 by women who are breast cancer survivors with a minium of 5 years out.  Those women were my lifeline after I was first diagnosed and it was so empowering to hear a voice on the other end who had already been down the rocky road I was just starting.

Please PM me if you wish to talk at length.

I was 33 (34 a few weeks ago).  Was on the pill forever, no kids etc.  Have had a bi-lat, did a/c chemo, growing hair now.  Even though it may not seem like it now, you will get throught this.

Please feel free to PM me and I can give you my phone number.

D.

You are not alone!:)  I was 31 when I was diagnosed. I have since had a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy, 33 rads, and I am currently taking lupron shots and tamoxifen.  I hope your surgery went well.  You now are probably being bombarded with all the information and questions that you still are not ready for.  This time will feel hazy and blurry to you because you are still dealing with the shock of it all.  Soon you will snap out of it and really grip the reins that have been thrust in your hands.  Take notes at doctors visits so when you don't remember what was said you can look back and remember.  They have come so far with treatments and options it is alot to decifer.  Let yourself cry, let people help you.  You will find out who your true friends are.  Don't blame yourself..alot of the reasons they give for breast cancer didn't even fit me..the only thing that I can think of is the birth control I took for 5 years and the fact that I have fibocystic breasts.  Your diagnosis will be all your own and you will find it hard to fit everyone perfectly, make choices that feel best for you.  Take time for yourself.  I tell myself often that I am not going to let this cancer rob me of the time I feel good and if I allow myself to get depressed or down in the dumps then it has already won, because it is ruining the here and now.  I refuse to let it do that.  Now I still have my emotional days,  usually a day when I have another test or I go get my monthly shot, or when I am going to see the doctor..because those days force me to acknowledge that I do have cancer and things have changed.  But once you get through the bear of it you will find yourself fighting back emotionally, intellectually, and physically with all that you have in you to fight.

Hi  Hensleyclan

You are not alone on this journey....I started my roller coaster almost a year ago.  I was 28 and 6 months pregnant when I was dx.  The journey has been a long and winding road, however this site and my wonderful sisters here helped me in ways that thank you is not enough for!  You will have days when you will cry and days when you are angry but that is to be understood. 

I was dx on 10/3 and started chemo on 10/8/07, my son was born on 11/11 6 weeks premature, port put in on 11/13 and had a mastecomy on 12/9.  Te first few weeks are hard, the hair loss, the emotions, but trust me everyone here will be happy to lend an ear. 

I am sorry you had to join this journey, but this is the place to come, you will meet some wonderful ladies both under and over 40, that will touch your life in a special way!

I will keep you in my thoughts

~evy~