Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Hi munnybunny -- Go up to the top of this page....under My Home. I should have done it first as it has been awhile.....but I think the page that comes up has all the info you might want to put on underneath as well as a place to insert an avatar should you wish to do that.
I always cringe just a bit doing these things because I came to the computer rather late, but I change my saying and avatar every now and then.....and it is probably about time to find a new saying to go along.
All of the diagnosis information comes from your pathology report.....and if there is something on that you don't understand.......there are places here at BC. Org that explain how to read yours. I put mine away and I'm not sure I even know where it is. I have several "files" in my office here so it is not lost, but not at the ready anymore either. Let us know if you need any other help and someone here will chime in.
By the way welcome. should have said that first. It's a nice group here of seasoned ladies who enjoy spending a little time with each other.
Hugs, Jackie
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Hi Munnybunny! I had surgery a little over 2 years ago.... And everything is going good.... I also had the MammoSite Device like you! Your nodes were clear? Make sure your Doc, and Oncologist agree on whether you need chemo..... Take lots of notes....Are you older like us?
Did the final pathology report come in yet? Also ask why your Doc said you "need" chemo.... Did HE have the final report back yet.... Ask also about the Onco test.......... that determines whether you "need" chemo. My first Oncologist wanted me to do chemo also..... I told him "My surgeon and radiologist didn't think I needed it"....And he ordered the test....It is done with tissue from your surgery..... It came back I was "19"..... Low end of Intermediate.
So I went to a different Oncologist.... You have to be able to talk to your team.... and ask them what you don't understand.
Ask for a copy of all your tests, reports, etc.... and take them with you to ask certain questions, like "What does this mean, and why?"
None of us gals knew what anything meant when we first started........ But the gals on here can really help you..... Sometimes we are the only ones you will want to talk to....
We'll all be thinking of you..... and Welcome!!! We'll always be here for you..... Take good care.
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thanks illinoislady, vicky 1960 and chevyboy...i will try to answer what i know
i am 67 yr old
my nodes were clear 0/2
my BS is sending me to the oncologist 3/2..my ER+ is 90% PR+ is 80-90%
HER2 shows Negative/not amplified
spec size was 1.6 cm invasive ductal to the anterior resection margin
nottingham score was 6 (tubule 3....nuclear 2....mitotic 1)
mammoprint report shows high risk (22% recurrence in 5 yrs)
not sure what a onco test is...is it one of the above i mentioned...boy i feel dumb
my BS set me up for a visit to colonoscopy dr...gync dr....chest and blood test...muga scan...genetic dr....and chemo dr.
6 people on my mothers side have had bc....1 on fathers side brain cancer in a first cousin and 1 throat cancer hafl-brother
1 of those was my sister..stage 4 breast cancer diag in 2002 passed away 2004...she was stage 4 metastised..other 5 were second cousins.
i have so many different thoughts and feeling running through my brain......feel pretty much big time overwhelmed I don't know I just cant get the right words and thoughts that I have been having out...my mother used to call it "having a pity part"
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Hi Munnybunni,
Sorry you had to join us. Was scared to death of chemo and it wasnt too bad for me. Oh lost my hair but that wasnt too bad it came back thicker and in places I didnt think women grew hair. Looking back it was the best time cause I had nurses and doctors and they were watching everything and I felt safe. Turned it into a social situation and I still visit the nurses when I am at the hospital. It will be good for you and the fear is the worst part of it. I pretty much stuck to a bland diet and watched the food channel alot. The meds they give you make you very hungry. I did forgo the bendryl because I drove myself and didnt like it, made me drunk they would not let me forgo the steriods. It took about 2 hours and I watched TV, visited, read and time went very fast. Hopefully you have a port in that makes it so much easier. keep us posted and dont be scared.
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Yes little honeybunny....
Jennifer is so right! Just don't be scared....the worst part is over! There was a lot of cancer in my family too....I think there is in every-ones, somewhere along the line. My Mom had breast cancer 15 years before she passed away because of a surgery.... Nothing to do with cancer. Then my Aunt, my Niece....etc. Just do everything you can to keep it from coming back.... Jennifer, and Jackie, and a bunch of others on this thread have had chemo.... some are still in the middle of it. But most importantly, you are on the right track... And you are pretty knowledgeable about your diagnosis!!!
I always get up early....so if you want to talk early in the mornings....I'm here...Ha!
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Welcome munnybunny: So sorry you have to be on this site! It sounds like you have caught your bc in the early stages, and with the right treatments, you can reduce your chances of recurrence.
I'm not sure if mammoprint is the same as an oncotype score, but I would certainly ask for that test to be done before agreeing to chemo because the oncotype tells you if chemo will be beneficial to your type of cancer. You may not even need it if you get a score under 21.
BC is a tough challenge for all of us, but you will receive a lot of comfort and support here.
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Kaara, I got a cold from the baby and it laid in my sinus and chest for 3 weeks. Its gone now but I throught, well this is it, meds to the lung. Usually I fight colds and sinus very well but since I have been on AL's they have seemed to linger. Dont know for sure. In Aug I caught one with the cellutits and it lasted 3 weeks. I was on meds for cellutitus so I know it was not bacterial. My onco blamed global warming (my words) on this last one. Our weather here this year really has not been like winter and sinus stuff hits in the fall. Of course he would blame it on everything but tamoxifen. I hate the stuff.
One of my favorite places to eat is the Olive Garden. I like to have salad and bread sticks and a glass or two of wine. Now I dont care what I eat or when. I blame the tamoxifen, lol. I think I am going to take a break from it and do my scans and see if I feel better. If it is just my thryoid really going to have to examine my options cause I really hate the stuff.
Have I ranted enough, sorry, have a good day
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Hello, I first noticed your 'profile' pic....looks just like my little dog, Roxie! Then after reading your post, I was steaming...how dare your primary treat you like that?? I hope you did ask him how about removing his testicles and then see how he feels...the boob
I think I am older than all of you....maybe put together...just kidding. I am facing surgery again, but don't know much about diagnosis, and all the terms everyone seems to be familiar with. Just old enough that I guess I always just took what came along and didn't question. Having a much younger niece who recommended this website to me, will help me become more and more aware. I will be 77 in April....I agree we could use our own chatroom!
Thanks to all who so warmly welcomed me...GRed
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Its hyper. I just am so emotional on this pills. I cry all the time then rant and rave, its insane. When i was dx they told me it would be ok. Just do the treatment. So I gave a year to that and now here still having problems. They never mentioned lymphedema, cellutitus or the se's of the pills. Granted it is our responsibility to research and learn but they should tell you the in's and out's. Not every woman my age is computer literate and has info available. I was passed off from one team to another and everyone did their little job correctly. My onco says oh this is low-grade, it did not seem to go anywhere, go have a good life. He forgot to tell me that I would go insane.
Within an hour tonite I have cried and then ranted and raved. Got to stop. Please forgive me it is not my way to do this. Normal Jennifer is very laid back and quiet.
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Hi gred. Welcome, the ladies are very nice here. Sorry you are facing surgery again. Agree with the never questioning thing. Glad you niece sent you here. Ceased ranting.
have a good day
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Welcome GRed!
Bummer that you have a physical need to be here, and we are sorry!!! Would be wonderful if none of us had the BC, but since we do, it is nice we have this site to share our feelings, good, bad, indifferent, because sisters know what we are going through and can aid us in finding solutions.
I am 69 and was diagnosed last Sept. Am on Femara now.
Good luck with your treatments, what ever they may be.
Vickie
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Thanks that was so sweet of you to say Vickie. I am glad you are here and hopefully all of us will be great and have a nice long life together. Late niter here. The boards here are so full of information, maybe too much sometimes, and need to confine myself to this forum. On here they are warm, understanding and many have experienced everything that I have had. Its all good. When this is all said and done and fixed again see a shopping trip for my new size.
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Jennifer1: It's so easy to think that everything we have is the bc progressing...I had that thought too, but then realized that I'd had a gazillion xrays already and it couldn't be:)
One thing I did do though is go off the tamoxifen until this thing is over, and this morning guess what...no aches and pains...hummm. If that's all it took to feel better, I should have done it a week ago. I'll wait a few days until I'm back to normal, and then start it up again and see what happens. I must be a real wuss, but I just can't walk around daily feeling like I have the flu, and not wanting to do anything but crawl under the covers for a nap.
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Morning gals.... I just wanted to share something with you. I was looking at videos of this guy playing with a lioness and her cubs, and somehow, one ot the links was about Susanne Sommers. This video is amazing...pretty graphic, but it shows what they did with her own stem cells, instead of saline implants...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt55cTQEoHk&feature=fvwbrel
Okay Jennifer.... do you feel a little better this morning? We all get those moods when we just don't give a darn about nothin'! And if anyone says anything, it's gonna be wrong. Just don't get too far down, because it's too hard to get back up. We all know...... And yes, if you look into different threads, sometimes they just bring you down.... Or else they are fun reads, when it isn't all about cancer....
The threads are kind of like different groups of women with the same thing in common....and they get to know each other, and talk about other things other than cancer.
Vicki..... Good luck with your Femara.... let me know what it's like..... My Onco wanted me to take that, but I wanted Tamoxifen....
GRed, are you having another Breast surgery? And 77 is not old...at least I don't think so, ha! The closer I get to 80, makes anything over that sound not much different. As long as we feel alright.....
Kaara, glad you are feeling better.... maybe it WAS the Tamoxifen? I just never had those SE's. When I quit taking it, I didn't notice anything different. My hearing was another story....and it didn't get better.
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Joys are our wings, sorrows our spurs.
Paul, Jean0 -
Good morning and welcome to GRed. Hope you keep coming back. I hate hearing that the more seasoned ladies are having to deal with this disease......but REALLY don't like hearing that it is younger women. So...there is no good time to get this. A big crap shoot but thank goodness we have each other.
Jennifer....I'm so sorry that your diving all over again. I just haven't really had that reality -- well, I have times, but they don't last long. Like you mentioned.....usually I am calmer and quieter.....though I think I get ( mad ) easier then I use too. Don't know if that is anything I take, maybe I'll have to read those inserts or look it up on the Internet and see. Due to that I guess I sometimes get a little more frustrated.
Some of these pills do tend to 'bring' up things that were not there before. I'm thrilled I only have about a yr. to go.......of course, no idea what may be done at that point. Oncologist is not sure whether more time should be invested or switch to something else for a time. I don't remember....have you tried any of the others. Sometimes that brings great results and gets you into a place where you can 'live' with life on more even terms.
Often I do think it is sometimes hard to "read" a lot. It is so useful to so many of us I almost hate to say it......but most of the "medical" info on here tends to be somewhat negative. Meaning that people most often are trying to find solutions for "problems". Thank goodness we can share because I think ultimately it will help......but it takes some time and possibly a whole lot of adjustments. I don't read very much. I was not very able about using the site when I first started and by the time I was......I was doing well enough that most did not seem to be needed.
Ok.....now I have to go and see the site that Chevy left. Should have read it beforehand ( just like me not too ) but am curious.
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. Will be checking back in later on. I will be home ( drat...inside for a good while ) as I have to clean out a really messy pantry. It is getting up to the 60's today so I hope to get outside part of the time.
Hugs, Jackie
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Just watched that video. Was pretty amazing !!!! Now guess I would like to know why the U.S. does not seem to see this as valid as yet. I mean.....most Dr'.s it would seem would be more than willing so guess that would be my next thing to check out ( though I do not need anything like that ). Just curiosity for me.....but I do think being careful with stem cells has something to do with it. Off the top of my head....I'd say you would have to be sure if you were harvesting stem cells that they were free of defect and disease -- or you'd just be re-injecting "problems" I would think.
Anyway.....the short version seen is quite interesting.
Jackie
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I saw the video also, and certainly SS is brave to offer herself up this way to advance science. I'm not sure I could do the same, but bravo to the trailblazers! I read her book "Breakout" when I was first dx, and the information and doctors she interviewed were very inspiring for me. I'm not doing even close to what she is doing, but I'm influenced by a lot of her thinking, and the doctor's reinforcement regarding diet and supplements.
I can't tell you how much better I feel today...like the old me! Time for a little retail therapy..he he!
Have a great Sunday everyone!
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Chevyboy
I have been on the Femara since Nov 21, 2011. Have had a few side effects, hot flashes (but they are lessening), some achiness (but have had some of that for several years) and occassionally some trouble staying asleep. However, nothing that I can not deal with, especially when I consider that the Femara is supposed to help keep the big beast at bay...
Vickie
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Good Morning Ladies and also to all who are new here,
We are in Bryan- College Station, TX right now visiting our Son and family. Hubby has a friend here who has a used car lot and needed him to deliver a vehicle for him from our neck of the woods. Our son is pretty upset about his step brother's death. He keeps thinking what if his brother had went to the hospital when he was not feeling well, maybe he would be alive today.
It is 500 miles from where we live in West Texas to here. This is the first long trip I have made since before I started Chemo. I have done pretty good. Our son has a daughter 18 and a daughter 4. What a span in age. Love them both. The oldest will be leaving for Cullinary school at the Art Institute in Houston in April. Hope she does well.
I was doing laundry and packing on Friday night and when I got done I really was hurting all over. I took some I-Bbrofrin and felt better yesterday. Think I just over did it.
Have a great day
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mommarch: A sad thing for a family to have to endure..the death of a loved one by an accident. When my sister died of her overdose, I wondered why I left to go home, knowing that she was still ill and would probably use again. I was planning to return, but it happened before I could get back.
There are many things we have no control over, and a person's life choices are one of them. All you can do is try and be there for them, but in the end, they make that final choice to use or not to use. Tell your son not to beat himself up about this...it was out of everyone's control
Prayers and hugs to you and your family.
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hello everyone...i know i am going to sound like a wimp..tomorrow i go for the muga scan thing...and friday to meet chemo dr....I have become more nervous and really snappy with my hubbie
so many of you have gone through the chemo and rads I hope I can only have the strength that you all seem to have.
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Hi everyone, didnt take the pill yesterday and do feel a tad better. The pill has a long life so maybe its in my head. I do believe the body needs some harmones. To totally delete something is very hard on the body. Realizing it causes bc, the bc in my body must have been growning for years just not caught. I do not like being insane like that. We will find another way.
By the way I like being female.
Munnybunni, the muga was very simple for me, although like you I was nervous and took a xanax. You are not a wimp. We all know how you feel.
Mommarch, good job with the trip and you are right, we have no control over others
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munnybunni....Don't be so hard on yourself. At some point in time ( because we are here now ) the shoes you have on were fitting us perfectly. I'd wonder about anyone who was not scared, upset, feeling timid and almost an emotional wreck.
Some will tire of hearing this.....but while I feel great sorrow for the young women who must deal with this --- reaching our seasoned age, we are usually blind-sided. We feel we have made it this far.....so quit thinking that anything is REALLY going to be wrong now. We are maybe into some form of retirement....even a part time one. Kids raised pretty much....maybe enjoying several grand-kids. Thinking of all those things we have waited for years to do......and them wham !!!!! The rug is soundly jerked out from under us.
I thought I knew what fear was, but I don't remember very much of the day I heard those awful words....YOU HAVE CANCER. Three little words that take over your life totally and you are never really the same.
So.....there is so much on your plate right now and please, please, please, give your permission to feel whatever you are feeling. The only way out of things is right through the middle --- the harder you try to push it away, the more it will want to stay right there.....so go again and allow yourself to feel --- then you can move on.
None of this is easy.....but I think it does become better after you have your full pathology report and start putting things into place.......and getting some ideas of just what it will take to handle this. Unlike earlier times, there are many, many things protocols that can be done, and if it helps.....many times older women do not have as hard a time as younger ones.
I know it sounds silly, but when I'm struggling with something I often close my eyes and take deep slow breaths in and out until I feel a little more in charge --- not so subject to so many negative emotions and lose some of my feelings of helplessness. Just worry ( if it's possible ) about one thing at a time....and then cross it off the list. You will feel different when you have a plan in place for dealing with this but at the moment you still have no many unknowns.
We all have taken this journey.....and you can come here anytime.....I did 6 mos. of chemo and 7 weeks of radiation -- and it wasn't a walk in the park --- but I had no choice....I wanted to live and knew it was the only way I could. It was a bit tough....but I became proud when I was done.
We are all going to be here with you, every step of the way......so remember...your're not alone and helping hands are just an arm's length away.
Hugs, Jackie
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Jackie: You are very brave...I know you're glad all that is behind you, and best of all, you have a new appreciation for life. Enjoy the moments!
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Jackie agree with Kaara, you are brave. Somehow looking back that was the easy part, like we were auto-pilot or something. There was a reachable goal, your were fighting to save your life. It was a motivation thing. Before bc I was put on 100% disabled status for ptsd. Perhaps why the meds are not working correctly. Was alreadly medicated. adjustments needed.
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Munnybunni, once you get the first chemo behind you, and wake up the next day, you will say I can do this. It is not a walk in the park but it is doable. Good Luck
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If I have the belief that I can do it, I will surely acquire the capacity
to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning
- Mahatma Gandhi
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Good morning. The sun has brought me lots of gratitude for sitting right outside my little office window. That is going to make it a great day.
I so often have said -- it is amazing what you can do when you have no choice. Like many, many women, my cancer had been hanging around for years before the "discovery". So, by the time I knew --- roughly after my lumpectomy, I found that the ability to pick and choose how to proceed into treatment was pretty limited.
Rejoice if you have options because that is fantastic. My long range goal was to live --- free of disease and things were to the point, and everyone agreed that my best chance was to do it all. I struggled and a time or two I even thought I wasn't going to make it through. Those became the times when I promised myself I would be fine if I just got through the next ten minutes. After that....I would give myself another ten minute limit. You can do anything for ten minutes.
I also think of the quote/saying....have trouble remembering since I read so many that says something like " God didn't say it would be easy....he said it would be worth it". And so it was and is. In my 6 mos. of chemo I was often only living 10 minutes at a time but that was enough to ultimately give me hours, days, weeks, months, and years.......and I am grateful for all of it.
In my humble opinion....one of the biggest victories you will ever have is to climb the moutain of your own, pain, fear, distress, or disability and come out knowing that you kept the goal in sight and won. It was you, plugging away.....even for just ten minutes. As so many people have said....it is doable.
I hope you all have sunshine, and happiness in your day today....you so deserve it.
Hugs,
Jackie
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Jackie so true. A couple of days off tamoxifen has made a very large difference. Gone from considering going inpatient for med adjustment to handling my affairs again. I still have the hyperthryoid thing to go through however its doable. From my reseach (somewhat limited) I have determined that it could have been radiation or medication that caused it. Somewhat irked that they didnt mention there was a remote chance of this happening.
I also believe that harmones (evil as they can be) have a place in our body. Dont know if the Va does that type of checking but a good wellness dr can keep things in check.
I will again say I am sorry for ranting and raving and crying through this, it is not the person I am. Hopefully that isnt my new normal. Thanks for the support
Have a great day everyone and munnybunni, hang in it will be ok.
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