Illinois ladies facing bc
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Grace I meet some of the criteria of your questions. I chose to have a healthy breast removed under the argument that whatever combination of biological factors that caused me to get cancer in one breast exists for the other breast and so lets remove the likelihood that I'll get cancer in the healthy breast, too. I didn't want to go through the process again. (I was concerned not about recurrence but a new occurrence.) This was the PERFECT decision for me because pathology on the healthy breast found at-that-time undiagnosed LCIS. (The other breast was diagnosed with DCIS and then IDC.) All of my decisions have been driven by a desire to reduce a chance of recurrence and occurrence as low as possible. That was also why I went with mastectomies rather than the lumpectomy that could have been done.
Even if I knew that the healthy breast really had been healthy, would I do it again? Yes, and that is after knowing how very much I miss having breasts and nipples that have feeling. My internal accounting says it's the price I'm paying to have less anxiety about cancer in my future.
Deciding whether to delay three years is obviously a personal decision. I would check with the PS to see if a free tissue reconstruction without a mastectomy is really only 3 hours. That seems a bit short to me.
Yes, with free tissue reconstruction, your breasts will get smaller as the rest of you gets smaller, but the same applies to whether the tissue is still in your belly or on your chest. Of course your remaining breast will get smaller, too. If you lose enough size that you don't have enough belly tissue to reconstruct a match to your existing breast, talk to your PS about doing a stacked procedure where they tie in tissue from more than one part of your body (belly, back, butt, etc). Another option would be to reduce the size of your remaining breast to match the reconstructed breast.
I am now a year past reconstruction and am very pleased with the result. I found my recovery to be quick and started chemo 6 weeks after surgery. I don't think it had any impact on how I tolerated chemo, but everyone reacts differently.
Good luck with your decision making.
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TwoHobbies All I can say FU cancer.
I'm actually working on changing the words to the thunderbuddy song:When you hear "you've got cancer" don't you get too scared
just grab your chemo buddy and say these magic works.
"F*ck you cancer, you can suck it quick.
You can't get me cancer cause my oncs that good!I'm still working on it. Let me know if you have a better suggestion for the ending.
dltnhm Sounds like you have things under control. I didn't have rads so maybe that's why I don't have the cellulitis issue. I seem to get cuts in my left fingers all the time too (LE arm). I wear gloves when cleaning stuff but for some reason my left hand has always been prone to cuts. Don't seem to cut my right. I do wear my sleeve every day. When doing upper body strength training (with weights) I wear them on both arms. I only wear the 1 one the LE arm when power walking though.
onward Congratulations on 3 years. I didn't realize how close our diagnosis we are. Technically I wasn't officially diagnosed till July but I knew things were not good after the mammo on the June 11th. When Dr. Witt hinted at "breast cancer is very treatable" when I saw him on the 25th I knew I was screwed. We need to celebrate! Maybe time for some Greek food?
Graceembraced It really is a tough decision. I wanted off with both of them from the start then my BS said wait. No need to remove healthy tissue. Lets see what the MRI shows. I too thought it might be nice to keep one with some sensation. But the MRI showed 3 suspicious areas, one my BS was concerned about. He told me they would all need to be biopsied every year and recommended bmx. I didn't even bother with a biopsy on those spots. Ended up that one spot was LCIS. I wasn't a candidate for DIEP even for one boobie prize. If I didn't do implants I was going flat. I personally didn't want any more scars on my body. It's such a personal decision.
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Lago- havent researched the LE possibility, but does everyone get it when they have lymph nodes removed or is it hit or miss? I only had 2 with no signs of cancer in my left side, guess Ill need to read up about it
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cateyz2 No not everyone gets it but everyone who has had nodes remove is at some risk. Having 2 nodes removed, no radiation, lumpectomy and no chemo puts you at a fairly low risk but I couldn't tell you how low. But there are other factors that can put you at a higher risk. In my case LE runs in the family. Both my mom and her uncle have/had it in their legs. Even having a BMX puts me at a higher risk because they are taking out nodes in the breast area too. You can read a bit more about risk factors on this site: linky
My BS felt my chances were very low, less than 3%. I knew I would get it. My LE MD said my risk was much higher than that.
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Hoping for no strange marks:
Peace comes from living a measured life. Peace comes from attending to every part of my world in a sacramental way. My relationships are not what I do when I have time left over from my work. . . . Reading is not something I do when life calms down. Prayer is not something I do when I feel like it. They are all channels of hope and growth for me. They must all be given their due.
Joan D. Chittister0 -
Lago, love your song lyrics. Thanks for the cheer!
Grace, I had bilateral mastectomy and a flap surgery with Dr. J and Dr. S. I choose to do both because my other breast was on six month watch also and I didn't want to worry. Overall I'm happy with my decision, but have no way of knowing if I would have been as pleased doing one side. My cousin had a delayed reconstruction by several years, then had unilateral and they make the other breast look similar and she is happy. Remember you do lose sensation, so I have two that look good, but they don't "work".
The recovery was kind of long, mainly in the fatigue area. I would say I was tired for 10 months, but I was also working. I worked one day a week at home mid-week and this really helped me by getting an extra hour or so of sleep.
Can't make any decisions for you but I would consider that you do want your body to be strong should it come back. i recently had a local recurrance and am doing chemo and rads now
. I can relate to the idea that you would want to be your strongest should it come back. Perhaps you could discuss doing one side now and how much that would tax your body. Maybe that is an option as the surgery should be about half the time. Again, can't make the decision for you but thoughts to discuss with the docs. 0 -
Oh lago - LOVE your take on the Thunder Buddy song!! Just a few days from my BMX and starting the craziness...I needed that chuckle. Thanks!
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twohobbies- im confused by your last post and your tag line. Forgive me but Im fairly new here. If in 04/11 you had BMX how does one have local recurrance and lumpectomy in 05/13?
again forgive me but Im confused.
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Cateyz I have no breast tissue but I had a 5mm mass in the skin of the same breast. It was removed via wide local excision, otherwise known as lumpectomy.
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Cateyz2.... I am not new here and I think that was a good question. Two hobbies.... So sorry about the new diagnosis. We're you able to find it yourself or did your BS find it?
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Hi all! I've been crazy-busy here working on deconstruction in prep for new flooring. I tore up all the carpeting, carpet tack strips, and transition strips so far. What a work out! And what a difference a year makes! To the new IL Ladies.., last year at this time I had just gotten out of the hospital after final chemo rendered me neutropenic, and was preparing for my BMX (july 5). I cannot believe how far I've come! You will get there too!
Another piece of exciting news..., purchased tickets to Italy! Leaving August 4th. I'm SO excited! Has anyone been there? Any suggestions? Especially for Venice. Taking a ride in a gondola is obvious but not really sure what else to do there? We're planning to take in the many attractions in Rome: Vatican City, Colosseum, Jewish Ghetto, Ancient Rome, etc. and perhaps a day trip to Florence.
Happy weekend all!
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Joan I actually did notice it just a few days before my regular appointment, but it didn't occur to me it was cancer. It looked like a pimple forming. In fact I forgot about it until I got to the BS and she found it and was concerned.
C-squared that's exciting- a trip to Italy! Woo-hoo, have fun. Hey even tearing up the floor seems like fun. Wish I could get out and garden and weed but I'm so tired after chemo on Thursday.
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Just reading here and thinking to myself.....not only do we take for granted how wonderful when we can work and do the things we want, but how often we take it for granted that cancer happens to someone else.
C-square....I'm envious about your Italy trip....it sounds just so exciting and fantastic. Good, good, good for you. Actually.....I did so much traveling when young that I'm not highly inclined to go now. Don't really have the funds, but I do love vicarious traveling so I'll be waiting later in the year for some really vivid descriptions of all you do.
Waving hi at everyone I haven't mentioned by name.
Peace and love
Jackie
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TwoHobbies... Thanks for the explanation. Gosh, we have to be so vigilant.... A pimple?
C-squared... My DH and I spent a couple weeks in Italy about year and half ago. It sort of comes with my job to check it out! We took another couple with us, had a ball! I had hired a private guide to spend a day with us Rome. She was superb, saved us a lot of time and aggravation. Also had a guide in Florence after spending a week in a vineyard apartment in Tuscany. Have fun. Be prepared for some pretty warm weather.0 -
C Oh how wonderful for planning such a wonderful vacation. Italy sounds wonderful--I'm sure u'll have a wonderful time and so glad u'r feeling so good too.
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These are the gifts I ask
Of Thee, Spirit serene:
Strength for the daily task,
Courage to face the road,
Good cheer to help me bear the traveler's load,
And, for the hours of rest that come between,
An inward joy of all things heard and seen.
Henry Van Dyke0 -
Thunderstorms late yesterday and now at about 9:30 a.m. they are returning. Heat and humidity will come afterward. I am thankful we are getting moisture though spreading out a bit better would have been nice. It is different from last year.
Otherwise, I'm looking forward to an ok Sunday and finishing up some varied chores and small projects. I hope all of you have a great Sunday.
Peace and love
Jackie
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TwoHobbies-I am so sorry to hear your news
BoatinGirl-Good luck next week-I'll be thinking of you.
I know there are other threads for this topic, but I always like to run things by all of you and your wealth of knowledge. One of my implants has been feeling "odd" (not painful, but not right) and now it has a divot in it. My original PS is no longer covered by my ins. so I'm guessing I should have this looked at by another, but wanted to see if anyone ever experienced anything like this.
Hope you all are enjoying summer, now that it's official!
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Spunky I would have it looked at. Divots to happen but I'm wondering if it's shifting. A little shift might not be a big deal but you do want someone to check this out. Not sure what "feeling odd" is so I can't judge that.
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"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."
Mark Twain0 -
If we remember that we are happiest when we are doing things for others, when we are busiest, and after we have accomplished something worthwhile, we need never be unhappy again, at least not for long. We need only find a project on which to work, or put in a good hard day doing those things that need to be done, or find a way to do something for others. Then happiness, like a butterfly, will come and land on your sleeve.
Earl Nightingale0 -
TwoHobbies - So sorry to hear it has returned. Thanks for the explanation, it is a reminder to make sure you are aware of everything.
BoatinGirl - Good luck next week.
Diana & Joan - Hope you are both doing better.
Spunky - definitely have it looked at soon. Thinking good thoughts for you.
I hope everyone else is doing well! I have finally graduated from the couch to the bed but still having a hard time sleeping on my side. It feels like my TEs are in my armpits and my ribs are still sore when I lay on them.
But it's progress nonetheless! Try to stay dry today. Hope the storms don't cause any problems for anyone.
Jenn
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BoatinGirl.... thinking of you tomorrow. Hope surgery goes well and you are on the road to recovery quickly.
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Boatin I'm sorry my days are all confused---Good Luck tomorrow--tell us how u are as soon as u can.
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Boatin today it the big day. Wishing you lots of good luck and good pain meds (if you need them. I didn't so hope you're like me). It's thundering time to sing the thunder buddy & cancer buddy songs!
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Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
~Marcel Proust
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Boatin Girl, hope all is going well for you today!
Im so sick of this rain, but have to admit it makes it easier to stay in recliner curled up in a blanket with my two dogs in my lap.
Tomorrow one of my girlfriends wants to take the train to the city for the Blackhawks celebration and parade, so Im resting up. hopefully the rain goes away.
Wishing everyone is doing well
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cateyz2~ I went to the celebration when the Black Hawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010.., it was ALLOT of fun!!! I'm usually not one for crowds but being a morning celebration I felt comfortable. If you go just be careful.., I can't imagine getting "bumped-into" so soon after surgery. Do you (or your friend) know anyone in any of the office buildings surrounding the parade route where you could go and be free from the crowds? That would be a GREAT set up!!
Boatin' Girl~ Thinking of you and wishing you much comfort! Remember the mantra..., just because you can.., doesn't mean that you should!!!
Hey to all! Hope you are enjoying the summer.., albeit soggy! Just happy to see the green grass & trees and the flowers in bloom! All that I'm allergic to but still so beautiful! HA!
What's up with the skewed formatting on this site? Is it me or is it crooked?!?!?
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Hello ILLINOIS Ladies! Thank you Cateyz for recommending this topic I already feel comfort knowing you all are so close to home
.I am scheduled for BMX with immediate reconstrut on July 11th and I am crazzzy nervous about the entire process.
I was diagnosed the end of April and my initial emotion was contentment.. I was oddly content and felt blessed I had DCIS and I was able to remove the cancer. Now that my surgery date is getting closer I am feeling scared and find myself saying (very often) I don't want this and/or Do I REALLY have BC?!
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Welcome myers421. You look so young in your picture. Easy for anyone to say don't be scared and you'll be fine. You have every right to be upset and nervous/scared now. Getting a cancer diagnosis is not quite like getting diagnosed with most other things. Cancer usually goes right to our deepest fear level.
We also don't really know who will be fine, but if it is possible.....you will have so many women virtually holding your hand and holding their breath just a little that you come out with the best possible results.
Just know that there is some safety in numbers and this is so much about what BC. Org is all about....giving you a huge outlet because it is so much to go through and here is where everyone knows pretty much exactly how you feel....sometimes up, sometimes down, and sometimes angry, fearful or whatever emotion turns up.
I'm sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us. Hope you will let us walk hand in hand with you.
Peace and love
Jackie
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