Illinois ladies facing bc
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Great quote. I just read "Neither Wolf, Nor Dog". Powerful stuff.
Hi everyone.0 -
Hi Adey0 -
Good evening all!! Hope everyone is doing well. Had my pre-op appt yesterday with my PS and everything is a go for the 26th. The best part is that I will NOT have drains. The bad part is he wants to wait a few months after exchange to address the loss of one of my nipples due to necrosis, was really hoping it would all be done at the same time. I guess that means one more surgery
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Hi all-
I'm glad to have found a group for Illinois gals! I live out in a small town west of Aurora, although I grew up in DuPage county.
I had my first mammogram Oct 1st, ultrasound/biopsy Oct 3rd. I had an initial diagnosis of ADH and surgery. Path report after surgery said DCIS, so my surgeon said I needed a 2nd surgery to get better margins. Meanwhile, she ordered an MRI that found another spot 4 cm from the first. I got a call yesterday from the radiologist that the 2nd spot is IDC, grade 2. It hid from them behind VERY dense breast tissue (the biopsy needle actually bent trying to get through the tissue). Even before the call yesterday I knew mastectomy is a no-brainer at this point for me, I can't imagine worrying constantly what is behind that dense tissue (and the biopsies have been pretty tough as a result), and whether it is a single or double depends on how dense the tissue is on the other side. Mammograms (even 3D) never found any of this, I was referred because of a cyst for an ultrasound, and they found calcifications that started the process. Surgery was actually less painful than these biopsies. So I'm going through Rush Copley in Aurora for the next surgery and whatever additional treatment I need.
I'm pretty worried about how I'm going to handle everything going forward. I'm married to a great guy (who is understandably freaked out), have 4 kids between 9 and 17, am in grad school and work part time 3 days a week with a 3 hour round trip commute. My health insurance comes from being in grad school- I can't stop going to school. I need the income from work, and it's required for the grad program I'm in.
Anyway- glad the group exists, but sad that we all have to be here all at the same time. Looking forward to getting to know all of you!0 -
Hi Adey, and everyone else. Just spent time catching up on this thread. We have made our move to Arizona and and are just beginning to see our way out of the mountains of boxes left to unpack. I thought I had gotten rid of a lot of stuff before the packing, but still way too much stuff. The dining table is already stacked up with things headed to a thrift shop somewhere when I finally have time to locate one.
Our new neighbors are very, very friendly and have been a lot of help. One of my neighbors is a two time breast cancer survivor and also colon cancer. She has more energy than anyone I have ever seen. I am going to check in with her doctors! I have hooked up with the Phoenix ladies on BCO and have an invite to their 6th annual ornament exchange next month. Really looking forward to meeting them.
Of course we are loving the wonderful weather and almost feel guilty when I see the weather we left behind. I said, "almost". We have room for visitors, so please feel welcome to come on down. Wishing everyone continued progress on this BC journey. I look forward to keeping up with your comments and praying always for those struggling through surgeries, treatment, etc.
Doxie... Good luck with the dating scene. Our son met a wonderful woman on match.com. We loved her, but after a year of dating, our son broke it off. He thought they had too much in common! Then he started going to Yoga classes and met the love of his life. They are perfect for each other.0 -
Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is t the experience you are having at the moment.
Eckhart Tolle0 -
corpor welcome to the Illinois Ladies thread. So glad you found us and as always....wish no one had to but the door is always open here. I had to look up ADH as I didn't know what it was.......you have sure progressed from that. I had a hidden tumor ( not found until amid the removal of the first non-aggressive one ) so it can be daunting to wonder just how long.......and omg how fortuitous that it was found and you can get a truer assessment of where you really are breast-health wise. Life tends to throw lots of challenges.....we will all be here to help you walk through yours and get on the other side.
Joan.....how great to be "home" and getting settled. Your neighbors do sound delightful and so glad you are already getting an intro soon to the "Phoenix" sisters --- as you are used to interacting already on a strong level with BC sisters.
Weather here in my part of Illinois....not so great --- blustery and cloudy as we wait for rain. It is due ( if forecast is correct to pour tomorrow. I think all the last few leaves will be out of the trees.....so not going to work too hard on any of that today. I'd like to only have to get out there once more maybe.
Hope you are all going to have a fantastic Saturday.
Peace and love
Jackie0 -
Hi Jackie-
I got a call from my surgeon today and got more information. I have a total of 3 unrelated things happening in the one breast. As a result, she thinks it is almost certainly genetic, and a mastectomy on that side is the only option. Knowing that my chances of bc on the healthy side are 4 to 8 times more because of this, a double mastectomy just became a no-brainer. She also said because of my age (43) chemo was going to be strongly recommended regardless of status of the lymph nodes. She is going to try and schedule my surgery (and reconstruction) in the next 2 weeks. And I guess I get chemo after that.
It's a lot to process. But she was actually reviewing my tests, including 3D mammogram, etc. as we were talking, and the IDC just didn't show up anywhere until the MRI and they went looking for that spot with the ultrasound. Kind of scary for my biological daughter because the normal screening didn't find it, mammogram just found a cyst they wanted to confirm was fluid filled. That seems like a lifetime ago right now.
Thanks for the welcome, I'm glad to know there are so many others around who have gotten through all this. It feels pretty overwhelming right now. Hubby is pretty overwhelmed too, are there any resources for him?
Cory0 -
Corpor, sorry to hear that you have joined the sisterhood, but we welcome you. I am guessing that we are not to far away from each other. My cousin went to Delnor when she was diagnosed and was very pleased with her surgeon, MO and RO there however she did not opt for a mastectomy even with being diagnosed stage III, I am not sure why. It was because of her that I went in for my mammo as I had put it off for 2yrs then I was diagnosed with very early BC.
Just want to say welcome!0 -
Cory, Welcome. This first part is the scariest but we will be there for you. This group is awesome!0 -
Welcome Corpor! Sorry you have to be here too...but glad you found our group. We are neighbors...I am in Geneva! Good luck with treatment/surgery. It's a long road but you will get through it. Hugs!
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Hey Adey, how are u doing?????
Joan u'r all settled with great neighbors and sound really happy. Wonderful, but u can still keep in touch u know. I always enjoy u'r posting. And u can LOL about IL weather.
Sorry to say welcome Corpor, but I certainly am sorry u'r here, but it's a good place for support. U are a super busy woman but remember to take care of you. And ins wise I think someone will be able to help u with all that, there are so many knowledgeable women on here to guide you.
Hey Jackie and u'r beautiful quotes.0 -
Hi all-
Thanks for the welcome! Cateyz2 we are probably about 45 min away from each other. mdg- we go to Geneva often, and actually got married a year ago in the gazebo on the Fox River in Batavia.
It usually takes a full day to get my head wrapped around these things, so I feel a bit better this morning. The fact I need chemo was a very unwelcome surprise, and it's just tough when every call carries news that is a bit worse. I've put in a request with my bs for only good news from now on!
The tough part is going to be explaining this to my kids Wednesday- I want to wait for the info from the surgeon Tuesday, so I can give them concrete information.
This sucks, but I'm glad I found a group of women who get it
Cory0 -
I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite -- only a sense of existence.
Henry David Thoreau0 -
Corpor -it is definitely hard with kids but chemo was surprisingly more do-able for me than I imagined. I had little side effects and no nausea. I did hit the gym 5 days a week through chemo! You will get through it.....we will be here for support, advice and listening when you need to vent. Keep us posted on the treatment plan.
Joan - do you have room for visitors? LOL! You may have all of us showing up in January
Hey Adey! How are you??
Jackie - as always your posts are uplifting!
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Good morning from very windy and I'm sure later stormy southern Illinois. The forecast is looking a bit horrid as tornadoes are really expected or straight line winds which are quite similar. I'm not exactly looking forward to I think what will prove to be a really wet afternoon. The only up-side is that I think it will be well late enough at the start for me to get out and get the feral cats fed for the day.
Cory...good to hear that you are starting to adjust.....at least as well any anyone can. I think in the main we all struggle in some ways with the whole idea of "things" are BAD enough that we will HAVE to do a chemo protocol. It is scary and makes a couple of question marks pop up when considering our "future". After all, if you are like me, this was likely the last thing -- if even that high on the scale, that was going to happen to you.
Amazingly things start to fit into place, especially when you get a protocol and are able to see a definite pattern and the reasons why you have to do things that seem totally un-pleasant. I always think of chemo and other un-pleasantries as what I need to do to help my medical team give me the best chance for success on my way to NED and saving my life.
I looked back at how far I came and was sort of amazed that I just kept ploughing through, though a coupled of times I really questioned if I was going to accomplish it. Fortunately.....I was on this thread and the over-whelming love, respect, hope and care that shone through every time I got on my computer....kept me moving forward.
These are all of the things I hope we are able to give you --- you are important to so many people, including yourself, and you deserve to come out on top. If we are able to help you make that happen, than that is divine.
There are people ( and you may or may not run into this ) who will not know what to do or say when they find you are having a run with a cancer diagnosis. We do tend sometimes to lose a big part of a long-time friends relationship and/or even some family members are at a loss. Just be prepared that people may interact on a different scale than they ever have. It is just a difficulty they have --- and you have to forge ahead and become the best you can be on your way to your wellness.
Here's hoping that no one gets too significant a weather event today.
Peace and love
Jackie0 -
Corpor I don't have kids but like MDG I too worked out etc. I too had no nausea.0 -
i found the worst part of this whole thing was the anticipation and fear. Try to take it one day, one moment at a time.0 -
Welcome corpor. The beginning is the worst part. I was terrified of chemo... but for me it was ultimately do-able. I have four kids, at the time they were between ages 9 and 13. I also worked full time... no choice in that for me, so it was important for me to keep up my job. My oncologist's office was very proactive about managing nausea, and I would say I had virtually no nausea. The fatigue was there but it was manageable. I missed a few days of work toward the end of chemo, but that was it. Honestly, most people I worked with had no clue. My boss knew, and two of my co-workers. People who I could trust "had my back". As for resources for your husband, here is a link to the cancer support center out by your way, I think. http://www.livingwellcrc.org/ I used a similar organization in Hinsdale, and it was wonderful.... everything is free, including one on one counseling sessions, group sessions, for you and family members. I was really helped quite a bit by this organization.
Unlike mdg and lago, I spent zero time at the gym.... but that is true for me under the best of circumstances! I did try to walk a few times a week. Ironically I was better about it when I was in treatment than I am now.
Sorry you find yourself here, but this is a wonderful place to come for support.0 -
Hello IL ladies! Just checking in to be sure are all safe after this weather we got this afternoon. Heard you guys got hit pretty hard. Hoping everything's ok down there! Much love.
Monica0 -
thanks Moon! Im in the nw suburbs and it wasnt terrible like farther south where they got tornadoes. I was at my 911 job til 3pm and we had a few super busy times and some fires, but not too bad.
It is still super windy outside, am going to get under the covers soon with the kitties and huddle together.0 -
wind is still howling around here. Hard to sleep. LOL. Stay safe everyone.0 -
When enough of us focus our intentions on a better world, a world of co-operation rather than competition, of compassion and forgiveness, rather than hate and avarice, it tips the scales towards a collective renaissance of the of human nature.
Steven Farmer0 -
Good Morning from southern Illinois ( although yes we are just barely on the edge of the southern aspect ) where it is much cooler today, but all is quiet. Now our trees are really bare. Had some high winds here but where I live, really not much else.
Heard on the news there was some damage here but I certainly don't think it was extensive at all....we would be hearing it on t.v. were that the case. There were though a number of small towns a half hour or less from us that did get much more damage. I hope all are safe this a.m. Guess this 'type' of weather has happened before in November but not very often.
Peace and love
Jackie0 -
We lost a tree in the park in front of my building. Other than that the wind cleaned off a lot of leaves. They must have all gone into the lake.0 -
I was wondering where theyre blowing to. Mine have blown 'away', wherever that is! You dont see big piles around so where do they end up? Such existentialism!0 -
Aviva I believe they went east0 -
They can have them ;00 -
Well young men go west, so old leaves must go east.0 -
LOL! Great cami! Always such a joy to read your posts.0
