Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I'm so glad I discovered this section for "older women". Thanks!
I was 56 when diagnosed with triple negative bc and 60 the second time. I am now 62.
Any other triple negs in this forum?
First round was lump, ACT, Rads, the second time double mast, Taxotere x 6.
Positive for a brca 1+ mutation. In 2007 my daughter was also diagnosed so we went thru that year together doing the chemo. A horrible year, seeing my daughter diagnosed and I had an awful time with Taxotere, picked up CHF doc says was from the A I got the first time and MRSA also so still recovering from 07, peripheral neuropathy which seems to be getting worse.
Anyone having problems with peripheral neuropathy and what are you on? I take Neurontin and Meclizine for balance.
I come to this forum alot and so sorry to see I've missed this. So many of the women seem younger.
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HI All,
We now have a spot for the older (and older can be anything you want) girls! Hopefully we'll have different threads as I kept getting lost in this one!
Jo - keeping fingers crossed for you. Can't believe the "foggy" photos. Hope it turns out okay.
And yes.... I do remember swinging on the vines! And collecting the lighting bugs... and yuck, writing with them. The fireman's carnival with the ferris wheel and cake walk. Still remember winning the cake and having to walk home with it. All of this, though, from a suburban girl. We were just lucky enough to have grandparents who lived in beautiful western Maryland...in the middle of no where and to spend a lot of time there. Walking along the tow path, next to the Potomoc... that's where the best swinging vines were. No paper dolls from the Sears Catalog....we got them at the five & dime. Woops...didn't mean to go on and on (and certainly didn't want to set up a thread to swinging vines) But it's the first time I've actually written a post that didn't mention BC once.
Thanks Phyllis 0 -
Even I had a hard time catching up today with all the writings.....now I have to go and see what kind of Permanent Forum we are talking about and where it is.....if its really there HOORAY !!!!!
Jo I wrote to you.....but you know I am always thinking of you and praying for nothing but the best for my straight talking very deep hearted friend.....as for them doing bad films....they never should have let you go for heavens sake. This is going to work out.......absolutely !
Been readin bout all the elderly moms and dads and the obligations and responsibilities and nursing home issues.....my mom, had a very bad spell just as I was diagnosed....Coumadin issues led to hemmorhaging which led to C. diff on a long hospital stay and she HAD to go to a lovely place called Rest Haven as my surgery was coming up in 2 days....Im still not sure she has forgiven me for that.....sometimes we dont even get to choose, life chooses for us.....she fought to get back home and told me she is NOT going back no matter what....I just let it ride cause as we all know *It Is what it is* and what will be will be......
Gotta get something to eat....and find our Forum....
Love to all
jan
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Hi Ladies!
Just stopping in to see how you all are. Mom has her Onc. appt on Thursday and I was wondering if you have any questions we should be asking besides the obvious. I am very interested in hear the pathology report of the lymphnodes...
Mom had a mast. 2 weeks ago and still has her drain in. She is still producing more fluid than what the Dr. would like ... anyone else have an issue like that?
Rebecca-
(Here for Mom, She is a young 71 has ILC, 6 cm that was removed w/ lumpectomy, 2 positive nodes at lumpectomy time and then had a mast 2 weeks ago... breast tissue came back clean but the pathologist "forgot" to do the lymph pathology.... )
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Woo Hoo!! We are home!
And, reading through some of the posts tonight, we were being missed!! Now that we've come out - we'll the hot spot on bc.org!!
Gainok - It must be so hard to have your daughter go through bc. I just called mine today and offered to fly to Annapolis to watch the baby so that she could get in to have her mammo this week! And, then I told her, "But, I'm not worried about your lump!!!" And, we both laughed. Sort of.
Since she does have a lump, I assume she'll be having some type of biopsy/surgery, etc., so I'll fly down then. Crap. Well, I woke up at 1:30 this morning and never went back to sleep, so I guess I'll try to get some sleep tonight.
Oh, and I started Aromasin today.
Was enjoying less pain and fewer hor flashes for awhile.0 -
Oh, cripes - not hor flashes!!! I meant "hot"!!! Thanks to my furry Maine coon kitty....again! 0
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Hi gals! Wow! I need to get caught up and only one day has gone by! I panicked at first because I didn't find you under the Comments and Suggestions! LOL
Welcome to the new gals! This is a great place to be!
Jo..so sorry that you've had this extra stress with the mammo call back! I've nearly self-destructed when they've come back into the room to retake films so I know what you're going through! HUGS! The first time they did this to me, they came back in three different times and I was about in tears. Finally I asked if there was a problem and they said, "Yes." I about lost it. However, the problem was that they could not find the markers that the surgeon leaves in there and so they kept shooting until they found them all. I'm betting that they just didn't get good pics the first time around. Hang in there!
The elderly parent situations can certainly cause challenges, can't they? I lost my Mom between my second and third chemos...just two years ago. My father is so crippled with arthritis that he's in a motorized wheel chair. Since he lives in Tennessee and I'm in Illinois, I can't check on him as often as I feel that I need to. He never admits that he's having any problems on the phone and I think it's getting to the point where we're going to have to look for more help for him. It's so hard to see them become dependent. Still we're lucky I guess that we've had them long enough to have to deal with these problems.
My chemo brain is in action now. I had so many things I wanted to say and now I can't remember them. Guess I'm going to have read the posts with a pen and paper in front of me so I can take notes.
So glad we've all found this place.........
Catch you tomorrow.
Rita
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Hey Mary Lou! We're neighbors... Hubby and I are WV Mountaineers!!
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Maire: I loved cross stitch too. I did a photo cross stitch of my 2 oldest g'kids. I have 6 more photos to go,but wonder if I'll ever be able to do 6 more.. BTW, each one took a whole yr. to make!
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Ladies,
I'm so glad I found you. I haven't caught up on the earlier posts yet, but am going to read through all 15 pages. Thank you, Northstar, for getting this started!
I'm 62, was diagnosed on 12-16-08. It was a total shock; I had just had my annual physical a month before, and my doc didn't find anything in the breast exam. A routine mammogram in November uncovered this little booger. On Jan. 05, I had a lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy and chemo port placement, then started chemo (AC to be followed by Taxol). When I'm finished with the chemo, there will be 5 1/2 weeks of radiation. I'm in the Avastin clinical study--hoping I'm in the B or C arm.
I'm divorced after 33 years of marriage, have two grown sons, two super daughters-in-law and 3 of the most beautiful (of course!) grandchildren ever born! I am still teaching full time and that has helped keep my mind off of the bc.
I go for tx #2 this Friday-anyone else scheduled for chemo on the 3rd?
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Wow Mikita that sounds wonderful. My biggest project was Norman Rockwell. It took forever but was great. I gave it to a friend.
This is some group. I"m on Aromasin and I think someone asked earlier....I have lots of hot flashes...sometimes they are so weird I'm convinced it's something else. I had them on Femara too. Worse at night...and after eating...or is it just I sit still then.
Peg glad to see you report in.
Jo I hope that Friday comes quickly for you and all is well.
I too need a pen and paper . Hugs to all of you.
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Gramof3: You were diagnosed on my birthday, Dec 16. Sorry about your dx. Mine was the first of Jan, after having an oopherectomy because mom died of ovarian cancer. Pathology report on ovaries came back clean, but was dx'd with bc 2 wks later.. Welcome to the site!
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If we have a forum, will we continue on here?
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I have this on My Favorite Topics list, but it came with the first page instead of the latest posting. Not a problem for me, as I have way too much time on my hands and I play around till I find things or get frustrated and go eat something.
I am glad "we" got our own forum - many thanks to the moderators. Hugs and Blessings, Nancy
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I think this fits in this Forum.....LOL
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*giggling* at Debs' maxine.....I love Maxine stuff.....a dear friend of mine with bc brought me a collectors figurine of Maxine in a boxing ring all dressed in pink with big boxing gloves on and a kick bc butt slogan....I keep her on my bedside and she makes me smile and summon up my fighting gloves when I need them
jan
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Jan
I have a ton of those cartoons, I love her mentality....tells it like it is! LOL
Deb
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Rebecca - Sorry your mom is one of us. Did you try the home page for a list of questions to ask your doctors at different stages of treatment?
I can't remember which place it is, but I printed them off and put them in my bc binder that I take with me to ALL my appointments. Even the dentist and optometrist, because they all want to know what meds, how much, what surgeries, etc. and I have it all there in my handy dandy binder with Dave Matthews on one side and all of my fav family pics on the other.
That way when I have to sit and wait for my appointment, I just look into those faces and think..."screw you, cancer"!!
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My best friend had two adages I thought were so appropriate. They are:
You should not have pimples AND wrinkles
You should not have hot flashes (I mean power surges) AND still get your period
Have a great day
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Good
sunny morning to everyone. Hope everyone is having a good morning. I'm late saying it but I too like Maxine. She has such spunk and she is not afraid to use it.Mikita.....can't imagine getting ovaries out for the reason you did, ( clean bill of health ) only to turn around two weeks later and find bc. Very impressed about you when I read that.
Hope you won't be offended but I have a little black and white rescued kitty whose name is Maggie Grin which we shortened to Magita.....so I was instantly drawn to your name. As it will come out later I may as well 'fess' up. I'm a HUGE animal lover --- have way to many "saved and rescued" here on my property....full to the max right now though may take in a boarder for the Humane Society-House of Hope while they find a home for this cross-eyed puppy. We'll see.
Keeps me busy anyway....when I'm not on the computer and I work two days a week at a local Realty company. Gave up my Realtor's license and just do front reception duties now.
I am sorry for all those caring for parents who are presenting challenges. I was fortunate, though both my parents as well as only sibling are gone. I did care for my mother her last year of life but it was not difficult as she was able to remain in her own home and had no mental challenges.
I do know Jo, as I often do it myself......that it is easy to feel you are saying something clearly and then find later that it seems mis-understood. I always promise myself that I'll slow down and make sure that I'm presenting things correctly.....but often I trip up anyway.
Hope you all have a fantastic day. I'll be checking in later. I put this in my bookmarks so I dont' have to go looking now.
Jackie
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Gramof 3...Good luck with treatment #2 on Friday. It sounds like you deal with this by staying busy, which has been exactly my method of coping. I'm also divorced and was also a teacher. What grade level do you teach?
Oh Deb...Loved the Maxine Power Surge! LOL Thanks for sharing!
This new forum is wonderful! Thank you moderators!
Rita
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I will be praying for your daughter. Just hope and trust in the Lord. Years before I was diagnosed with bc, my daughter Debby found a lump in her breast, I was terrified. It turned out her's was just too much caffenine. She is doing great, and she is a big help to me. I also have a daughter who is a registered nurse, her name is Pamela, she always calls to see how I am doing and if she can do anything for me. My other daughter, Luci, is like her mom, very shy, but she also calls to see if she can do anything for me. I don't have any crafting skills, neither does Luci. Debby and Pam are like their dad was, he died with cancer in 1992. He could just watch someone do something then he could do it, that's how Debby and Pam are. I lost my oldest daughter, Mary, in 1999 to brain cancer. I also have three boys, Timmy, Jackson and Joe, but once the boys get married it's like they go to the wife's side of the family and almost forget who you are, or at least my three did. Maybe they're just afaird, they also lost two grandmother's to cancer, My first husband David's mom died with cancer in 1966, and my Mother died with liver cancer in 2006. I took care of her, maybe the word cancer just scares my boys.
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Yipppeeee, we have a forum. Thankyou thankyou thankyou to our beloved mods!!! You're the best!
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A BIG Thank you to the moderators!!! we now have our own place!!!
Has anyone been on Aromasin for more than 3 years? IF so do the hot flashes ever get any better??? I'm post menopausal, had a hyst 26 years ago, oopherectomy 2 years ago.....Been on Aromasin and/or Femara since Sept '06. I'm also on effexor it's helps some but there are days......
I'm lucky, my youngest bro is a "home health care provider" and he lives w/ my Dad. ( My Mom passed 11 years ago now) But I am very involved w/ my MIL ( FIL passed almost 2 years ago) We had to move them to an assisted living 3 years ago. Some days she shows signs of dementia others she's sharp as a tack! She'll be 89 next week!
Time to get back to work
HUGS TO ALL
Karin0 -
This topic is awesome. I learned a lot from reading the posts on other topics, but I couldn't find many referring to grandchildren, aging parents, menopause, etc. So, thanks to those of you who got this started. I don't know if we are a forum yet or not--this comes up under "topics" but I don't see it listed as a "forum." Actually, I don't really know the difference
Ritajean: I teach sociology at a university. I had just had my surgery when the SP semester started and I debated whether or not to tell my students about the bc. Thought about how there will probably be times I have to send in a GA to take the class, plus times I would be showing up in chemo hats or wigs, so I decided to tell them up front. They were great. I explained that out of 90 students per class, half of them are females, so the odds are pretty good that someone in the class would develop bc at some point. We also talked about how it will affect some students' mothers, grandmothers, sisters, etc...that no one is immune from this beast. Their responses were thoughtful and they have been understanding at the times I've had to sit down during the lecture, or when my "chemo brain" makes me unable to come up with a word or two. My department head has been great, too, as he had prostate cancer last summer and understands the side effects, etc.
Mikita: My oldest granddaughter's birthday is December 16, too! I consider that day a lucky day for me...not that I wanted bc, but I'm lucky they caught it and I could plan a fight.
"Seasoned" Ladies, All: We can do this. Won't be fun, won't be a walk in the park, BUT we have age (my primary physican said so) and experience on our side, so let's kick butt!
Helen
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*giggling* and did we have have to think the song by the Rolling Stones......" Time Is On Our Side.......yessssssssssss it is " would be our anthem ?????? I can hear Mick in my brain now.....
Susan is there any news yet ?????
My 90 year old VERY with the program mother.....told me, last Sunday, after my weepy day had come to an end, that I needed to learn how to SUCK IT UP and not give into such feelings .....that she didnt live to be 90 by crying about every LITTLE thing.....gotta love it.....I can only hope my son thinks that I am a feisty old lady at 90 just like my mom is being , cause she thinks she has earned it !
Love to all
jan
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Congratulations, northstar. Thanks, moderators.
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Hi everyone I am 63 and just dx friday that I have invasive ductal carcinoms grade 3, I am in shock, and very scared, never been so scared, but glad I found a place where older people are, I go to the dr. next week to talk about the biopsy and what to do next.
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Marpatn......you have every right to be in shock and scared. We all were. Just keep taking big deep breaths in and out know that you have a great deal of company here who know very well how to offer comfort, hold your hand, support and help you through every step of your journey. Being on the boards here was my sanity. I had a lot of friends and family who tried and so very much wanted to help.....but the people who were going through it and had done it, meaning in the main the people on the blog were the ones I needed most. They have the empathy and understanding because they did it or even now are doing it. No one else will quite get it as they do.
It's a good place to get questions answered, vent, cry, get irate, and have all the emotions and feelings you need in order to accomplish this journey. It's not easy a lot of the time but to know help is only right past your monitor screen is such a blessing.
I hope as I'm sure all the ladies do that you will come often. We are here for you.
Jackie
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Jo: First of all, praying for your mammo's to be clean! What stress we have to endure!
Yes, the cross stitch photo looks exactly like the real photo. My g'son's (Zack) that I finished (he's 11), is the favorite pix of my daughters. She has the picture on a shelf beside of tv. Her youngest daughter (18 months), won't leave it alone. She picks it out from all the 'real' photos, takes it apart, holds it in her lap and chants "zack, zack, zack". She doesn't bother any of the other pictures of him.. Go figure!
I have a program on my pc that makes the patterns from a photo. The first one I did was of oldest g'daughter. It was a 9x12. The second (and last) one went down to a 5x7.. I hope the others will make the 5x7 and not get any smaller. lol
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