Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Hi, ladies--don't want to interrupt your lovely thread but just wanted to tell Barb-K that I have sent you a private message with a Carlsbad NM question. Seeing as how you are a new poster just wondered if yu'd noticed that you have an incoming message....
...love the pictures...can't have enough doggies in our lives!! cats are precious, too!
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Oh Lisa, you live in a beautiful area. What gorgeous scenery!
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Lisa is a natural with a camera in her hand. Your pictures are always stunning. Probably not a one of us who don't wish "we were there" after you show us your pictures.
Jackie
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Hi All,
Just got home from my 5th mammogram of the year. I had to think to add them all up! I am now one year post DX, one year post lumpectomy person - patient - survivor ... what do you call yourself? I don't like to say I HAD breast cancer as then I feel as if I am just daring fate to smack me down again. I don't like to say I HAVE breast cancer cause that seems to suggest I am in active treatment or worse, that I can't get over it and move on. Can I? Am I? I have said I am a "breast cancer" patient but usually use that with medical people.
Since I take Arimidex with all its lovely SEs I don't feel like I am free of the effects of treatment, not physically nor financially. Certainly not emotionally! Is it like being an alumni of a college athletic team... once a Gator, always a Gator? Or like being in the military... once a Marine, always a marine? What if I live to be 96... will I, on my deathbed, dying of whatever normally befalls a 96 yr old, will I still think of myself as a breast cancer ___________?
So what do you say about yourself?
pam
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If someone brings it up, I just say I am a breastcancer survivor. JO is right after time goes by you don't think of it all the time. You just get on with your life.
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Pam, I describe myself as a breast cancer survivor.
Barb, I hope you get good results from your scan. Let us know.
It's sunny here, in the low 70's. Very nice day.
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I just say I am a breast cancer survivor also...
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It doesn't come up unless I mention it. I rarely bring it up.
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I am thinking of the present perfect form: I have had breast cancer.
Seems to cover all the possibilities
pam
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pj234 - that's what I like to say as well. I don't like the term "survivor". I am a survivor of a divorce. That was way harder.
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Survivor was okay until the TV show came along. Now the idea of getting voted off the island dominates the image.
pam
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Hi Everyone.- Had a rough day today. Having a colonoscopy tomorrow.
As such, could not eat anything, just drink clear liquids. Oh,fun. Right now, my system is thoroughly cleaned out! Even though it's a screening, it still makes me anxious. I know I don't have to explain that as we have all been there, done that, haven't we. Please say a prayer that the results are clean. Thanks. Now I need to try to sleep. Yeah, right. Good night. Hugs, Chris 0 -
I have been saying....I had breast cancer that is gone now due to lots of treatment for it. I tried it, didn't like it, so I'm never doing it again.
Jackie
p.s. Chris we were posting at the same time but my hope is for squeaky clean.
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I just got back from my friend's house....she got the word today after her surgery to remove a suspicious lump.....invasive lobular. The dr said she doesn't see many lobular since mammograms don't detect them and this also did not show up in the sonogram. She also took out some other tissue she thought was cancerous and will call my friend with the report on that tomorrow. Naturally she is a wreck....this is one of my younger friends, 45 with a 7 year old son. She said she can't stop crying so sent him out with his grandparents since she is worried about upsetting him. I swear when her husband called and told me it was cancer, it felt just like it did when I found out.....like someone had kicked me in the stomach and I couldn't get enough air and I was shaking. I live with my cancer and find it doable, but certainly don't want my friend to have to start this life. Do any of you know about lobular?...I guess it's only 15-20% of breast cancers..so I don't know if that is worse or better than ductal. Regardless of report tomorrow she has already been told she is going to have to have chemo.
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I think it is much harder to see someone you love go down this road. My brother is in intensive care after an 8 hour surgery for oral cancer. He will need rads and chemo. The oral cancer folks have such a tough time of it. What they go through is beyond words.
I know my dear brother will go through the next six months with courage, dignity and humor. He is my hero.
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Hi Marybe......I'm sorry about your friend & her diagnosis....she is so young! I looked this up for you, from Mayo clinic.....You can reseach this also, but ANY encouragement would help your friend! That's all she has right now, is "hope!" The more she learns about this, the less afraid she will be....and she has you!
Definition
"Invasive lobular carcinoma is a type of breast cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands (lobules) and then invades surrounding tissues. About 20,000 women are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer each year in the United States. Invasive lobular carcinoma makes up about 15 percent to 20 percent of all breast cancers.
Compared to the more common form of invasive breast cancer - invasive ductal carcinoma - invasive lobular carcinoma is less likely to show up on a mammogram. Although invasive lobular carcinoma tends to be larger at diagnosis, it generally has a more favorable outlook than does invasive ductal carcinoma. "
Morning notself....so sorry about your Brother.....I would just hate if my Brother had to go through something like that.....But he has you.....You will keep him strong, with courage, dignity & humor! He is your Hero, & you are his Rock! Just hold on tight!
Jackie, I like what you say about "having breast cancer".....that was good! I also thought, just between us women, that the "cancer" part seemed relatively easy, it is the treatments after, that make it harder. xoxoxox
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notself,
My neighbor had oral cancer. She endured all the treatment and is now doing very well 2 years out. She still has to work at finding foods that she can swallow comfortably but other than that (not to diminish the problem) she is fine. Hardest working person around! She started with breast cancer ten years ago and has the gene so has had all the prophylactic surgeries. Nothing slows her down and she is my inspiration. Sending good wishes to your brother.
pam
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MARYBE First of all welcomeand a Ohioian no less. We live in Holland a burb of Toledo. I have tried to post but keep deleting things (not on purpose) so gave up for a while. I was diagnosed with both lobular and ductal had 2 lupectomies and a single mastectomy. Have to stay on the pills for 5 years. So sorry about your friend. I had messages for many but still dont know what I was doing to delete everything. I am quiting now while I still have something. Sweet hugs DAR
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Darolyn,
It took me a while to realize that if I left "typing" my reply and went to another page to see what someone else had said or if, when I clicked submit, I had to sign in again... that's when my message would disappear. So now if that is happening, I "copy" what I have already written so I can paste it back in. It's a pain to have to recreate a long witty message, usually comes out like the Readers' Digest version.
pam
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If I know I am going to wax eloquently I type it on Word and cut and paste. I have lost some posts by referring back a page or looking for a picture to post. I also will open two internet connections because that is another way to lose posts. I hope that made sense.
Lisa, as always, georgeous picture. I can feel myself there.
As for breast cancer ... if I don't bring it up neither does anyone else. That's fine with me.
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Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace. Milan Kundera0
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OK.....not to brag, but today is the kind of day people move to Florida for! Sunny, high in the low 70s, clear, light breeze. We walked on the beach this AM and there were all kind of shells, some places so thick you could not walk across them. There was a bunch of skimmers (kind of like seagulls) standing on a little sandbar squaking like crazy. A 12" sting ray was caught in a tidal pool but we left him alone. Their barbs can be dangerous to bare hands. A cannonball jelly fish had washed up... look kind of like a small beach ball. We saw two fat starfish and a couple unusual colored crabs, have to be called leopard crabs cause that was the color and pattern on their shells. The sand was rippled like the desert dunes in the opening scene of The English Patient. The water is still pretty cold for us, maybe 60ish, but warm enough to wade in. Three men were surf fishing and one of them had caught a whiting - hope they did better than one fish! There were four shrimp boats dotted along the horizon with the inevitable trail of gulls who hope to get the rejects.
I need to copy and save this post to read in late July when we are all inside huddled around our air conditioners! But for today it was perfect and made me appreciate life and being retired and able to walk on a quiet beach as part of my daily exercise. Wishing you all good spring days.
pam
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Like most of you, I just say that I've had breast cancer and leave it at that! Pam, how well I relate to your "just daring fate issue." On the date of my second cancer anniversary, my friends wanted to celebrate but my onc appointment wasn't until that next week and there was no way that I was celebrating until I'd made it through that appointment! Funny how our brains work, isn't it????
Chris, you are in my thoughts and prayers! I hope that you got through the procedure today and am praying that the results are "clean." Let us know as soon as you get the results!
I'm off to do a little work. I've pretty much played all day. It was our last day for Wednesday morning bowling! That means spring is here!
Any American Idol followers on here? If so, who do you think will go tonight?
Catch you all later.
Rita
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Morning all
I like Pam say I have had BC. If the subject is brought up I will talk about it quite freely as there is so much misinformation out there. Many people still use the word cancer in hushed tone, not me. I got up in a Church meeting and said I have had cancer and there were gasps from many people. I was actually talking about how to help people deal with cancer and treatment.
Notself, my MiL had an oral cancer 25 years ago and she had groundbreaking surgery, they used an absolutely new technique then and were able to plug the hole with muscle from her face. Took 6 months to come right but other than having to be careful about temperature of foods she is fine. So hope all goes well for your brother, its hard I know. My brother has had prostate cancer and that has been worrying.
Kathleen I am very good at losing posts, its so easy for them to vanish. Pam, yes I try to copy them but sometimes that doesn't work either. I have this computer set up so I can have lots of sites open and not lose things.
Have a great day and for the cat lovers
'I've learned to cat-proof my house but I can't cat-proof my heart.' Anon
Alyson
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rita, I am a fellow idol watcher, my favorite this year is chrystal, she has the sound that I just love. Not sure who will go home tonight but I kind of think the spanish guy with the tattoo on his neck will be one.
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Chevyboy, Thanks for the info. She is doing much better today. The other tumor tested positive also. She was told it is invasive infiltrating lobular carcinoma. Stage l. She will meet with the surgeon on Tues to get options and names of oncologists. I think mine is great since he has kept me alive for 12 years at Stage lV, but I know many do not like his manner, think he is cold and detatched. I myself have always been able to talk to the man and like him, but maybe that is because I just talk to everyone. She is doing a lot better today....that initial diagnosis knocks the wind out of you....the C word is something no one wants to hear.
Morning Notself, I will say my prayers for your brother. He will have problems with"dry mouth" from the rads....biotene gel helps a lot. From my job, I know oral cancer is a bad one, but I see patients who have done just fine after treatment. We do an oral cancer screening with every cleaning and exam.
Darolyn, Do you know Oregon, OH? My old boyfriend was from there. They have a wonderful German American Fest there....the beer tent actually came from Germany. It's so much better than the October Fest they have here in CIncinnati which is right downtown in the middle of a bunch of tall office buildings and way too crowded. Of course I ate at Tony Packo's when I was there. What were the pills for 5 yrs....tamoxifen?
Dogs, cats, even guinea pigs are all great therapy as far as I am concerned. People need animals just as much as they need us. The dogs are probably in bed waiting for me....goodnight all. Remember that commerical...nightall?
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Carolehalson All my scans came out fine, Just a little fat on my liver, caused by my weight as the Dr. said.Was that a hint to lose weight?HA!!! Any way I am cleared to take my chemo now, so i start bright and early in the AM. Well the dogs are waiting for me to get in bed. Sometimes I think My DH has come back as one of them. Yesterday was the 2 yr. anniversary since he passed, So was kind of a strange day.Somet.imes I think the dogs know what day it is as yesterday his dog would not leave his (DH) chair. sure makes you wonder. Wel guess I'll go to bed and make them happy. Hope I can sleep after taking thedecadron
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Barb....Thinking of you today as you start your chemo. May it go well and may you have no side effects! Hugs!
Spar....I like Crystal, too. She has lots of natural talent. I was guessing that the Spanish guy with the neck tattoo would probably be voted off and was really surprised. I can't believe he got more votes than Katie, who I thought did a great job this week. Although he's not as talented as Crystal, I do like that young Aaron Kelly. He does a good job for only being 16 years old and is so enthusiastic and cute. He's got the personality!
Well I'm off and going this morning already. The sun is not yet out and rain showers are expected throughout the day so it looks like my golf game will be cancelled. That means I have to work around here........
and of course there is always something to do. I might go shopping later this afternoon to finish up my Easter baskets for the grandsons. That sounds like fun!!!I hope everyone has a good day.
Rita
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Crystal Bowersox is from a town about 10 miles from here. Elliston Ohio. She is our hometown girl. I dont watch Idol but heard she is good. MARYBE worked in Oregon for 27 years at St. Charles Hospital. Every one goes to the German American festival. Have you been to Cedar Point? We have a trailer on Lake Erie not far from there. Great hugs to all0
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barbk,
You sound awfully cheery to be starting chemo today! If a good attitude helps, you should do fine. Hope things go well for you.
pam
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