MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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I have asked sas-schatzi to remove the post above which solicits $donations$ for BCO. As you all know, there is a "Donate" link button at the top of the page which you can feel free to use any day of the year, should you care to provide monetary support to BCO.
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NEW ACS RECOMMENDATIONS for Mammogram Screening: ACS Throws Women Under Age 45 Under the Bus
Well, the question is, how many under-45's can be considered "average?" Would it be the 85% who do not have BRCA + whatever percentage do not have cautionary benign breast disease that might require monitoring; so, what does that leave...probably a WHOLE LOT of younger women who are now receiving the recommendation to wait until 45 to get mammo screening. AND, the ACS is not even advocating for CBE anymore, so what do the under 45's have left?
Supposedly the mammo leads to a lot of false positives in this age group. That would be the result of younger ages having denser breasts. Why is the ACS not advocating for ultrasound screening (more ideal for dense tissue) across the board for younger women? Where is that recommendation?
The only good here is the reduction of radiation exposure. Some of us who followed the old recommendation, to get radiated yearly beginning at age 40 are now left to wonder if we got any bonus cell mutation for our compliance. If you got BC in your 50's, could it have been courtesy of the 10x mammos in your forties? I notice the article fails to talk about this.
Oh, what a tangled web...
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You got that right!
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Hospitals/Doctors here are already saying they will not change, and continue to recommend Mammo's at 40. They want to save the lives of women 40 and up.....
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Seems like the "experts" don't really address everything they need to. If I had waited until I was 45-50 to start doing mammograms, it would have been too late.....
Seems like just another confusing web of information for us to wade through in making decisions about our health.
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I left a riddle on another thread of this topic...
Q: What's left for women under 45, under the new ACS recommendations?A: Next of Kin
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LOL, Elimar....sad, but true....
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Hi - pulling up a broom tonight before my 1st diagnostic/3D Mammo since BC. Been putting it off since August so I will get this behind me. Definitely going in with the witch theme and not the good or pink kind. have a peaceful night, Linda
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BookLady1, How did the 3D Mammo go? They do give you the results right away, don't they? Hope it was not too uncomfortable on the treatment side. I really feel damaged from the rads on my treatment side. This particular year, I have been feeling sore ever since they squished me way back in Aug.
The other thing is, supposedly I have seven surgical clips around my SNB region and that area has always been sore. Does anyone else have this? (I'm thin and maybe I just don't have enough flesh padding in the area, but I swear I can feel right where they are! Wonder if anyone gets them removed, although who wants more surgery and I cannot see insurance paying for that.)
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Elimar - yes I am usually sore around my ALND armpit/chest site. It was better when I was doing PT 3 times a week for radiation fibrosis, but insurance limits those. And of course I haven't kept up an hour's worth of specific stretches every day (or even every other day). My bad. I don't know if I have clips left but the back of my upper arm is sure always sore.
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Yes I have clips, I thought they said clip until this mammogram the tech showed me on the xray and there are lots of clips scattered all over the area where BC was....
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If anyone had asked me before the surgery if I even wanted clips in there, I would have said no. My understanding is that they clamped off blood vessels during the surgery. Why can't they use a disolving suture? My guess is they save 10 seconds by using the clip, but I admit to having a cynical mind about these things...maybe there is a good reason for them????
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I'm with you on that, elimar. I have biopsy clips in my breast and also on my side ribcage in a node there. That one really bothers me, and my surgeon said she would not take it out, cause I already had so many out! It really is painful. I said, what's one more?!?? And there are clips in my breast too from other biopsy, other day. I guess the implement they use, just leaves a clip to show where they sampled, in case they would need to go in after something, they would know where they got it from. i think.
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Tomboy, I have heard that about the clips being left in to mark the position; however, since I have seven in one area where they only took two nodes, it's overkill for just marking the spot, don't you think? How did you have some taken out? Did your insurance pay for it?
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OOOps, Sorry, el. I meant I HAVE so many biopsy clips. I was trying to get her to take out the "reactive node" that supposedly has been biopsied. In any case it's is always a pain there. I don't think they ever remove clips, unless you get a mastectomy, or that breast tissue removed. I wonder if I am able to talk another doctor into taking it out (pesky node), if insurance will pay for it. I want that son of a bitch out of there, and also, there are at least two ladies I know, when they sampled a node, that it was clear, and that when they had it out, had gross disease.
Can you really feel your clips? Or is it the nodes you are feeling?
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I can't be 100% sure what I am feeling. It is the area right under the SNB scar (where there should not be nodes anymore, but who knows.)
Like you, I have a bothersome, pesky node, but near my sternum on the same side. Doesn't feel the same. (As for my one pesky node, they called it "enlarged" but "stable" on all my scans, and it had no uptake on the PET. That thing used to freak me out, but it has been sore for 7-8 years now and no one seems to be excited about it, so I try to ignore it as best I can. Allegedly, it is positioned right on top of a rib. Well, ow!)
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Yeah, well, ow! here, too. Same place rib, I am going to insist they take it out.
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DIEP Phase 1 tomorrow morning!!! I have to check in at 5:45 a.m. for my 7:45 surgery. Talk to you all after!!!
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beergirl63, I'm sure yesterday was a loooooong day, but hope all went well. You might not get a chance to check in for some days but healing wishes going out to you.
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beergirl63Hope you are recovering well and starting to feel more like yourself again. Take it easy and allow others to do things for you. We are thinking of you.
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I am glad I found this thread. I'm 56 and was recently diagnosed - please see my 'stuff' below my signature.
So I don't know what most of the abbreviations are - like NE, SN etc. Is there a glossary on breastcancer.org where I can look these things up?
Terrified about the RADS and the SE's of hormone blockers....I just see myself getting fatter, having hot flashes, and slipping into osteopenia...and of course looking older and less appealing. Just when I'm in a committed relationship....and about to move in with my S/O in 5 weeks.
I have NO family history of cancer on either of my parent's side anywhere, nothing with any of my kids either. However, I have the distinction of being the "Cancer Queen" of my family. I defeated ovarian cancer at age 14, and I can beat my DCIS too. Waiting on my second surgery - surgeon didn't take a large enough margin - so I have the thrill of that coupled with the ensuing pathology....fingers are crossed. Trying to stay as positive as I can.
When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, my attitude was "People are cured of cancer every day". I went through my surgery, chemo etc.....never had a recurrence. It wasn't until my annual mammo last year the technician told me that ovarian cancer is related to many types of breast cancer. Somehow in my psyche I think that knowing that 'fun fact' brought it on.....of course we're all looking for a reason.....an excuse.....for having breast cancer. That's mine. Ignorance is bliss!
And, somehow I just knew when the imaging place called me back for an ultrasound on something they saw on my mammo in August (and yes I'd had MANY ultrasounds and one FNA that were B9 over the years) that I had cancer. I just had a very strong feeling, and even went so far as to tell the HR dept. at work so I could get my short term disability paperwork in the event I might have to take extended time off. I'm mentally blocking the discomfort of the upcoming RADS and the estrogen blocker side effects....only because I think the surgery is going to be the easy part. Also blocking out medical bills that are probably already rolling in - so I'm not checking the mail....I will face every event as it comes and not before. I'm eating this elephant one bite at a time because I know it's not going to be eaten in one day. That's my version of 'one day at a time'.
Of course I'm telling all of my friends to go get regular mammograms!! It's shocking to me how so many women don't go regularly. It's like playing "Russian Roulette" in my opinion, but I've been cysty and lumpy my whole adult life - and have been going annually for mammos (and well woman checks) since my late twenties.
I'm terrified of radiation and hormone blockers.....any advice any of you lovely ladies can send my way will be appreciated! I admire your courage and your ability to deal with your treatments. I only hope I can be as brave!!!
On the personal side, I am a woman with 4 grown/married children and 8 grandchildren. 4 kids born on my surviving ovary. :-) I've already been very blessed in terms of beating the cancer odds. I can only hope I get through this cancer the way I flew through the last one.
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Mesharon, you will have no problem with rads, as you've defeated cancer once already. Of course everyone is different, but if I, someone petrified of any type of medical procedure, can do it you can too. The hormone therapy is okay. The issues for me come and go, but all in all okay. Everything is pretty overwhelming at first, but it will become easier once you get going. People here are very helpful. I'm sure you will find their insights invaluable. They really helped me through all the scary stuff.
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Mesharon59--
here's a link to a list of abbreviations that will help.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/131/topic...
Also feel free to ask when you see one you don't recognize, we're all happy to "expand"!
Some that come to my mind right off:
SNB--Sentinel Node Biopsy
SN--Sentinel Node
Mx--mastectomy
BMX--bilateral mastectomy
Lx--lumpectomy
SE-- side effect
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Native Mainer - thank you for that. Now when I'm reading posts, I can actually understand what they're saying.
Question for you - do you ever wish you had a BMX instead of a lumpectomy in the beginning? I've had the lumpectomy, there's a suspicious nodule on the same breast that showed up on my MRI last week, that the US Dr. told me didn't look like cancer, but they want to watch it every six weeks....plus there was some hyperplasia in both breasts in my MRI. Should I be talking to my BS about doing a BMX instead of just clearing my margin on my lumpectomy?
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I had a prophylactic mastectomy when I had recon, so I have had both breast removed. I actually started out with the lumpectomy/rads route, but the rads did so much damage to the breast I had to have a mastectomy to stop the constant pain and abscesses and infections. Then I couldn't deal with the going back for more views/ultrasounds on the remaining breast every year so I opted to get rid of it. I wish I had done the bilateral mastectomy up front but it was going to take so long to set up that I got scared and went with what could be done fastest, which was the lumpectomy. Should have gone with my gut and not my head, but it worked out in the end.
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Hi all,
I have been off-line for a couple weeks on BCO. I was at "academy" for 2 weeks and could only get e-mail & Facebook on my phone. One of these days I will figure out how to add BCO.
Doesn't appear I've missed too much however. I can only hope that means the "oldies" are going forward with what life hands out, but I don't ever want to forget to check here to see if there are new folks, like mesharon, who need that reassurance and guidance. Elimar is sooooo good with that, but looks like NM stepped up to the plate.
Getting ready for the eating marathon approaching? Anyone using the "stretch it out" philosophy? I would really like to test mine resilience with a pumpkin pie blizzard daily, but so far have limited myself to one every 2 weeks! Love those things!!!!!!
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I kind of wandered off this past week, otherwise I could have pointed out that right at the top of this page is a handy link called "Abbreviation Guide for Newbies" but I thank NMainer for also including it in her post. We get so used to using the jargon and abbreviations, and I know it can read like a bunch of gibberish to someone with a new diagnosis.
Coincidentally, I wandered not to the part of AZ where mesharon195 is but to the other part where you need four layers of clothing and get to observe (and touch!) evidence of the Earth being 1.8 billion years old (or only 6,000 if you do the other kind of math.)
mesharon195, I sense that you might have some apprehension about doing rads and the anti-hormonals? (Haha, I had to write that because I think you mentioned it, like, 23 times in your one post!) You have a tough choice ahead of you. I had a lumpectomy + rads + Tamox. and it's no cakewalk, that's for sure, and a lot of us do get through it o.k.; BUT (oh, how I like to throw my big BUT around!) other than my lump, nothing else was going on. You mentioned hyperplasia in both breasts and that is entirely different than my case. You will have to consider all the factors and you might decide that you would want to do something preventative rather than all the "watching" for possible future occurrences. Just be aware that with Mx, the risk of LE could be greater; and, even with recon. that can help you look the same, you will have a chest area that will not feel the same (I mean will lack feeling.) Please make sure to discuss all the aspects with any/all of your doctors. Did you have a close margin, or was the DCIS right in the margin?
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Yes elimar - the DCIS was in the margin even though the doc took out a chunk as large as her fist.....I actually met with her on Friday and we discussed everything, and I decided to do a right MX. I was incorrect about the hyperplasia. Everything that's going on is happening in the right breast. The nodule (that's apparently benign but they want to look at it every six weeks anyhow - really?) and the hyperplasia. So we're taking her off and doing immediate reconstruction. I had implants in the mid-eighties, and they both ruptured. My entire chest area is loaded with free floating silicone so my surgeon wants to remove that as well. I met with the radiology oncologist today, and she agrees with my choice. She says there's a 90% chance I won't have to do the RADS, so as long as the tissue comes back from pathology with clean margins I'm good to go. Just the hormone killers to endure.....I meet with a reconstruction plastic surgeon Friday afternoon for a consult, and then the doctors set something up. My surgeon thinks it should be done before the end of the year - hopefully it can be.
At least I have a plan now and although it's still scary as crap, I feel better about it.
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mesharon195, It does feel better once the plan is in place. Let us know when you get the surgery scheduled.
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