Illinois ladies facing bc
Comments
-
Yes, JanClare and LauraGTO are both killers at that addictive game. But they are good teachers. Just got back from a great power walk. Beautiful day. Hope others had a chance to enjoy.
0 -
jemije did they tell you for sure you would need radiation with MX? Usually if your tumor is 5cm or greater you will get it. There are lots of factors though. I was sent to a Rad Onc to discuss this. She actually gave me a pass saying I was in a gray area. My tumor was around 6-6.6cm with non-invasive (5.5cm invasive only). Granted I did lots of other treatment (chemo, herceptin, hormone therapy, 10 nodes removed on left) and it would have been on my left side (some heart risk) so maybe the risk out weighed the gain.
Joan that sleeve is lovely. I know what a PITA LE is. My arm seems to be the same size but that thick area has been there for over a year now. My arm doesn't bother me as long as my sleeve is on but I can't wear it to sleep. Sometimes it's ache. I see Dr. LE MD in May. We may have twin sleeves.
I don't think I was upset my breasts were going to be lopped off… I was upset because they were lopping off body parts. I didn't care which ones. It sounded so painful. (Not nearly as bad as I thought). Granted my old breasts were tiny so they weren't a huge part of my body image. No one ever noticed them before. If I didn't have nipples I don't know if my husband would even know they were there
Seriously I think this would be much harder for a larger breasted woman. 0 -
Lago, they said rads with MX or lumpectomy. I don't know all the factors. It's a medial tumor, closer to my sternum, left side and multifocal. I'm early still, so don't know lots. I just got a call from my MO that my oncotype was 4, so no chemo. VERY happy about that. I have some other health issues that make the bigger surgery more daunting for me.
Zap, is your regret about the lumpectomy vs having a MX, that you still have to go through the worry and wondering of screening?
0 -
Remember, jemigie, I was 58 at diagnosis and married since 1974! My breasts are so big and I really admire the look of small breasted women. My DH did not care, Quite simply, I was freaked to have the bmx then, but I would be just fine with the flat-chested look now. But this is five years ago and that painful worry is so far behind me so it is easy to double guess. I did consult with the breast cancer surgeon on an elective bmx surgery (three years after the lumpectomy) and she said she would do that if I saw her psychologist before she went ahead on that. I am hardly steadfast so I did not pursue that.
I repeat what has been said here so often. It is just so personal....this choice. I do not have regrets....vut I am always wondering and hoping I did the okay thing given the fact I had no clue what was the winning ticket thing on this BC thingy.
Good luck to all the ladies facing big stuff.
0 -
Ok.....since I have that CRS disease.....is it Clariton that you took before your Neulasta shots. Sigh!!!! I think I need to make a folder so I will have a place to keep all these things I'm sure I'm going to remember but never so.
Hope you don't mind telling me one more time.
Thanks,
Jackie
0 -
Yes Jackie Claritin is the recommended drug for Neulasta. I was on Zyrtec so I didn't take Claritin. I believe it works just as well.0
-
Hey Robo I was a large A/ barely B I'll be out today. Do the zoo tomorrow or Thursday 0
-
Joan - You have come a long way with Words! I am itchin' for a game with Jan! lol I sent her a request and am waiting for her to accept it. Bring it on! LOL0
-
jemije5559 - Awesome news about the oncotype result! Congrats.
0 -
OMG how did I miss that. Jemije that's awesome!
0 -
Joan-if foob isn't a word I guess frankenboob is out of the question.
jemje-great oncotype score!
I was a dense D, had mammo every year and never had a palpable lump. Mammo detected one spot on right and nothing on left. Ended up with 3 spots on right and one on left. It was a no brainer for me to do BMX. I had no emotional attachment to my breasts and quite frankly was tired of lugging those things around-not to mention trying to find clothes that fit. Not best friends with the new frankenboobs, they still ache a bit now and then-but time will help. As everyone says and I will reinterate-it is a personal decision you need to be comfortable with.
robo-have fun with your guests. looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.
Have a great day everyone-off to PT for me!
0 -
jemije559 -- Dense tissue here as well. I'm going to look up the MBI, sounds interesting. I'm having a single mastectomy after chemo, decided against the double after the BRCA came back negative, but I still want to keep a very good eye on my other breast. If not this test, then hopefully I can ask for a yearly MRI. And YAY on no chemo! I don't even know what my oncotype is, but I had to have chemo because of my HER2 status.
And ladies, I don't know which will be worse for me, losing my breast (I'm a 34D right now and they're still kinda perky for my age (46) -- I like my boobs!) or when I lost my hair. I mourned for 2 weeks before I got tired of looking sick and got up the nerve to take the clippers to it. Which was worse for ya'll?
0 -
loosing eyebrows Actually they only thinned on chemo. I don't think I was too upset about either. I knew the hair would come back. For me I was just more upset my last few chemos. I just had enough of feeling stiff, puffy from weight/water gain, achy fingernail beds etc. I wanted to feel like me again. 0
-
My eyebrows have thinned on Taxol. I use an eyebrow pencil now to fill them in. I haven't had to pluck them (think unibrow if I didn't!) since starting chemo. And I can totally relate to the wanting to feel like me again. I talked about that with the pyschologist at the cancer center yesterday and my nurse. They assure me that I will feel like me again. I'm waiting... lol.
0 -
Off topic: Chicago ladies who love romance -- The Romantic Times Magazine's yearly convention is being held in Rosemont next week. There's a book signing on Sunday with TONS of authors signing their books. Sadly, I won't be one of them signing this year, but I think I'll go and wander around to see my author friends. PM me if you'll be there, and we can meet up. It's really a fun occasion if you're a lover of the romance genre.
0 -
Kristin you will. Hard to believe but you will. It starts about 5 weeks PFC. It's really weird. You just wake up one day and realize you feel so much better. Not 100% but you notice the difference. I also found once Herceptin stopped I was less stiff. Granted still a little stiff from the estrogen sucking drug (Anastrozole) but nothing like chemo or even on Herceptin. It's better when it's not cold or damp out.
0 -
5 weeks? Just in time for the mastectomy!! I tell ya, it feels like it's always something...
0 -
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.
Buddha0 -
Wow I'm shocked how many of us had dense breasts and tumors not seen on mammogram, etc. It's not rare, is it?
Jemije, that's great news. Four must make you very happy.
Illinois Lady, does Buddha have any advice on HOW to have no fear?
Kristin I am at one year post surgery and its just been recently that I have hope to feel like my old self. I think I can get there, whereas for a long time, I thought maybe this was it.
0 -
Thanks for the good wishes on the oncotype. Lago, you were right about the Rads. No rads with MX. I heard wrong. I have made a decision and it feels right for me. They took my case to breast tumor rounds yesterday and the committee supported MX, of course it is ultimately my decision, but the margins were two places, less than 1mm, so the chances of getting a clean margin on third try were iffy, and even if it came back clean, there are likely pockets of DCIS other places. The surgeon supported my decision. My MO also and my PCP, so I feel good about it. See the plastic surgeon on Thursday. No chemo, no rads. Start aromatase inhibitors after surgery. I will have other breast reduced to match--36F now--after left breast MX heals, but if tissue shows CA, will have MX on that breast also. I've been carrying around these big old girls way too long--always were too big for my frame.
TWOHOBBIES the dense breast issue and inability of technology to deal with screening is amazing. Large and small breasts--both can have dense tissue. Older women typically have less density, more fat, but not me--at 61 still dense. It's a big issue and mammo's are not the answer. My 31 year old daughter has the same issue.
So many of you are dealing with so much, and so much younger than I am. What a sneaky disease this is...
0 -
Same story here... dense breasts, mammo and ultrasound did not show anything.... six months later I felt that the very large innocuous cyst near the top of my breast had somehow "changed". Well, it was still large and benign, but hiding behind it was a tumor..... showed up on mammogram this time, though it hadn't before.
I chose to have a BMX.... I had just had it with going through extra screening, more and more frequently. I am very happy with my decision. I had nursed my four children, and looked cute in a bikini when I was 20, they had done their job......
Oh, and for the BRCA testing...I'm a whole different story. There is a very strong history in my family, I had BRCA testing years ago... and came up negative. The only female in my generation to be negative, it turns out.
0 -
Waving hello to everyone and a big welcome to the new girls.
0 -
Hi all! Wow, hard to keep up when I've been away all day. First and foremost a hearty CONGRATS to Jemije on the lowest oncotype score I have ever heard! Time to celebrate kicking some BC butt!!!
I'm curious about the feeling 'normal' phase 5 weeks PFC 5. I have been on a Taxol hiatus for 5 weeks now and am definitely feeling more energetic and alive again BUT I'm also losing my eyebrows! Now? after all this time??? Are the eylashes next? And like you Kristin, I'm feeling well enough just in time to turn around in two more weeks and start the AC. Bummer!
The good news is that I received the pathology report from my lumpectomy (3/23) and what was thought to be a 6.5 cm tumor (measured by US) turned out to be ONLY 2 cm!!!! Happy dance anyone?!
0 -
cathleenwithac -- You did taxol first, then you're doing AC? Out of everyone I've talked to, I'm the only one I know of who has done it this way. Typically AC is done first, then Taxol. Glad to know I'm not the only one, but I'm still FREAKING about the AC. I'm hoping the dreading of it is worse than the actuality of it. Remains to be seen. And congrats on the smaller tumor!
0 -
Hi Illinois ladies I live in central Illinois around Springfield. I have IDC & ILC, had BMX w TE's & had a port put in today start ACT for 16 weeks then 5-6 weeks ads, I'm 37 and have been very surprised to find so many 20-30 year old. I thought I knew about breast cancer because of my family history but I had no idea. I'm reminding myself one of the side effects of chemo is living.
0 -
Welcome Buttons.....but as always, sorry you needed to come. The door is always open here, but oh you young gals.....I really hate this for you.
Two H.....hmmm, how to have no fear......that takes some doing. I know I have a whole lot less now though. I know that fear and worry seldom solved much for me --- so there is still some, but I give it way less credit. Try to think of that song that talks about accentuating the positive and use it like a mantra and affirmation.......try to keep the negatives of life --- fear, dread, worry, etc. at a bare minimum.....in the background of life.
Buttons.....I'm not too far from you in Centralia....probaly a couple hours and I think Rita maybe is an hour or so in Bloomington.
Just to note....I too have dense breasts.....pretty much all my life. So, I was forever getting call-backs. In later yrs. US's with most mammos. Sigh !!!!
Hope you all had a really good day.....hi to everyone.
Wendy......I miss the deck/weather report.
Lago....thanks for telling me about the Claritin again.....
See you all in the morning atg quote time.
Hugs, Jackie
0 -
cathleenwithac my eyebrows and eyelashes thinned on chemo but not too bad… then 5 weeks PFC they started to fall out. Eyebrows grew back quickly, eyelashes a bit slower. Then started to fall out again. My onc said it was because of chemo. Both are still thin. My brows actually are thinner than on chemo. I'm over 14 months PFC. I'm now thinking the thin eyebrows/lashes is from the estrogen sucking drug (anastrozole). I see my NP next week. I'll ask her. I have heard some people say it can take 2 years for the eyebrows/lashes to get back to normal.
Welcome Buttons Love the "one of the side effects of chemo is living." Hope the port isn't too uncomfortable. Eventually most of us get used to it. I've had mine since Oct 4, 2010. I hardly notice it.
0 -
Welcome again to the newcomers. I did my Pre-op today for my upcoming lat flap surgery next week. The doc commented that "this seems to be breast cancer day in the clinic". Sigh...too much of this stuff! She did remind me that I have an excellent prognosis though so not to fret. Just need to get past this's little reconstruction revision?
Other than that..I lost my cell phone somewhere along my path today. Grrrr! Retraced my path on the way back and no luck. Had to suspend my account when I got home. Apparently, someone had been using it. On top of that, I found a parking ticket on my car when I got back to my train station. Looks like I paid for the wrong lot number. So tomorrow, off to Verizon and city hall. Yuck!0 -
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
~ Lao Tzu
0 -
Joan.....yikes about the phone. Too bad I couldn't have "found" your phone. I dislike talking on the phone so much.....I'd have never used it. I could have a little larceny in the heart....just not for a phone. Ticket is not so hot either. I think all of the above is reminders that the path always has a few rocks in it.....how human that keeps us.
Buttons....I like your avatar.
Hope you all have a good day.....we had storms overnight and likely more rain today --- you never know for sure. Despite Doppler and other sophisticated equipment....Mother Nature not knowing anything about the "fancy" predictors does what she likes, when she likes. May not have to "drive" my lady around today if it rains.....I won't mind.
Happy Wednesday.
Hugs, Jackie
0
