Best Of
Re: Bone Mets Thread
rk and mods, thank you for the condolences. My brother is a decade older than I am, and his son, who was my parents’ first grandchild, was in his early 50s. He was a traveling nurse and fabulous photographer. Out of the blue, he was diagnosed with stage iv melanoma in October and died less than three months later. The aggressiveness of the disease was horrifying and unrelenting. It’s hard to process it all.
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Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Let's bump this. I, too, am senior. I was diagnosed in October 2008, operated on December 2008 and turned 62 in January.
My primary care seems to think because I am 62 I shouldn't miss my breasts. Its not like I'm looking for a relationship (I am). I am over 50 and I won't be breastfeeding any babies (so what). I felt like asking him should we take his testicles off since he's over 50?
I didn't think I would miss those old saggy girls but I do and I want perky ones back!
kmccraw423
Re: Brain Mets Sisters
Good morning everyone, Mr. Igloo's wife. I wanted to thank this board for existing and providing us with good news in light of a very dark situation. When my oncologist dropped the news about my brain mets, she said the prognosis was two years. However, I achieved PCR, have no mets neck down, and am asymptomatic. We are frustrated she gave me such a dire timeline when I have read many uplifting stories of women who lived years with brain mets. We are excited to see what Sloan Kettering and MD Anderson have to say and hope to add positive news moving forward.
Re: De Novo Stage IV
Good news for me!
Dec 12 was the start of my 22nd year as a metavivor! I didn't announce it on the 12th since I was waiting to find out the results of my latest CT scan. I had a highly suspicious spot in my lung, but now the spot is almost gone. So it isn't cancer. I do have a new 7mm spot beside my heart, but it is probably nothing.
I pray that everyone else is doing okay!
denny123
Re: What do you wish you had known when you (or your loved one) were first diagnosed?
That I cannot be responsible for everyone else's response to my diagnosis. I needed to figure out how I felt at first before I could "help" anyone else. It's like I felt guilty that I had cancer and now it was affecting everyone that I loved. Put yourself and your feelings first in this.
kotchaj
Re: What do you wish you had known when you (or your loved one) were first diagnosed?
@kotchaj If I could upvote that comment 100 times I would. People have all sorts of emotional defences, and other people's reactions are more about them than the patient a lot of the time.
This has been a very recent diagnosis process for me. But if I could go back a couple of months, I would have told myself to buckle a seatbelt, because the rollercoaster is getting ready to go, with many, many appointments, and ups and downs.
I can't remember the last time I was this busy. There's so much to keep track of, so much more information available than I could ever absorb at once. Taking in all the new medical information is like trying to drink a river through a straw. I have calendars and planners everywhere now.
My best advice in the first few weeks is to take a breather whenever possible. Log off, take a walk, keep pursuing a hobby, and focus on self-care (eat right, get enough sleep and exercise). It's gruelling.
doodler
20 Years Cancer Free - A message of hope
Hi there I hope this message is allowed. 20 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had ducal carcinoma with one infected lymph node. I had four rounds of chemotherapy - followed by mastectomies and another four rounds of chemotherapy. Treatment was tough. I was a young mom with two little ones at home that needed me. I was scared and felt alone. I spent a lot of time on forums looking for hope.
This is a message of hope. My kids are grown now. I have had a long life after breast cancer and so will you.
My heart ❤️ is with you.
Cristina
Feel free to contact me if you need someone to chat with
Re: What do you wish you had known when you (or your loved one) were first diagnosed?
I wish I had not felt so overwhelmed and was able to be more open. It took me weeks to be able to talk about it, but when I did, it actually helped.
perida
Re: Life does not end with a stage IV diagnosis (really!)
xbrnxgrl - so glad you found the cat! My parents once took care of my aunt's cat for a few weeks and he got out and disappeared! They finally found him about one month later at my sister's house which was a good 10 miles away and the cat had never been there as far as we know! Cats are a little crazy and mysterious!
I love that everyone has been sharing photos! Here is a shot of me at the South Rim in Big Bend National Park in November. It was a long day and a total of about 14 miles of hiking that day, but so worth the effort. Big Bend is a place I had never been, but it's now in my top five of all National Parks!
dghoff