MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Thank you for that link, Suzette! I'm printing it out to read later.
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Meece - The Young Breast Cancer Survivor's conference is this weekend in Atlanta. In order to qualify, you should be diagnosed by the age of 45. Pauldingmom was dx'd at age 46, but since she bloomed late, I think she still qualifies ; )
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Suzette, Thanks for clearly that up. Duh, I feel so bad that I shared it .Sorry Everybody!
I was worry about that diet, I knew i couldn't give up my sweets (Comfort Food)
Hugs Gina R
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You're welcome. When I got it that email a few months ago and I read it, I felt the same way. I was so worried I did the wrong thing to get this beast. Then my "research nursing" mind took over and I looked on the Johns Hopkins website and found the correct information. Also researched everything about breast cancer on reputable sites. It's so hard to know what to believe and what not to believe.
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As soon as I got to #2 I knew it was wrong. #1 says we always have cancer cells. #2 says we get them 6-10+ times in our lives. So which is right???
Then it added that stupid line about a positive additude and no stress. Who has no stress?? Tell me??? WHO???
Okay, I'll shut up now....0 -
Hey gals,My Husband found this article wow I got find some of theses Melons! Hope all of you are doing well! Hugs Gina
Chinese Folk Remedy Fights Breast cancer!
Odd Vegetable Kills Breast Cancer Cells
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By Marrecca FioreGetty Images
A vegetable used in Chinese and Indian medicine to treat diabetes may also destroy breast cancer cells, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of "Cancer Research," a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Lead researcher Ratna Ray, Ph.D., a professor in the department of pathology at Saint Louis University, uses bitter melon in her stir fries but was surprised to find the vegetable's extract also appears to "kill" breast cancer cells and prevent them from multiplying.
"To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the effect of bitter melon extract on cancer cells," Ray said in a statement. "Our result was encouraging. We have shown that bitter melon extract significantly induced death in breast cancer cells and decreased their growth and spread."
Bitter melon gets its name because it's among the most bitter of all vegetables, although it's also called African cucumber, balsam pear and bitter gourd. It is widely grown and used in India, Southeast Asia, China, Africa, and the Caribbean. It resembles a shriveled cucumber or gourd and the texture of the vegetable is described as being similar to both a cucumber and bell pepper. It's high in fiber and vitamin C. It also contains the B vitamins, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin and B6, as well as magnesium, potassium and zinc.
In the East, bitter melon is often used in stir fries, soups, and stews, as well as for pickling.
In the U.S., bitter melon can purchased at specialty grocery stores, especially Asian and Indian grocers.
Ray told AOL Health she purchases the vegetable in either Asian or Indian grocery stores and cautioned that the taste may take some getting used to.
It's very bitter," she joked. "I don't mind because I like the taste, but some people might need to get used to it."
Supplements have become very popular with Americans due to the vegetable's widely touted blood sugar benefits and can be purchased in both health food and health supplement stores such as GNC, as well as in drugstores. It can also be purchased as a tea. To date, Ray's research has not included the use of supplements and teas."We've only used the extract straight from the vegetable," she said.
Ray decided to test bitter melon's ability to fight breast cancer because it has been used for diabetes management and to lower cholesterol, .
She used human breast cancer cells in a controlled laboratory setting to conduct her experiments. She said the next step would be to test the extract in animals, which she plans to do within the next several months.
"Cancer prevention by the use of naturally occurring dietary substances is considered a practical approach to reduce the ever-increasing incidence of cancer. Studying a high-risk breast cancer population where bitter melon is taken as a dietary product will be an important area of future research," Ray said.
Ray said bitter melon will probably not prove to be a miracle drug as women in places such as Asia where the vegetable is widely eaten still get breast cancer.
In the meantime, she said eating bitter melon does have many health benefits and certainly wouldn't harm anyone who wants to start adding it to their diets.
More on Breast Cancer From AOL Health:
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suzwes, Thanks for sharing that link to Johns Hopkins. My friends also send me emails with cancer fighting tips, that they get from who knows where. They just want to support me and help, but sometimes it's that dubious stuff circulating on the internet. You are so right that we should check the info. with trusted sources.
Also, congrats to you for the new grandbaby on the way!
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Thank you Elimar. We're very excited, my DD and SIL's first baby.
Have a nice evening everyone!
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Regina - there's an awesome website called "Snopes.com." Whenever I receive emails full of "helpful tips" or "things your doctor may not tell you" or "why chocolate might kill you" or whatever, I always go to this site to check the veracity of the information before sending it out. Especially if I receive it from certain people and it has that "forward this to all of your friends!" line in it. Not sure who whips up these compilations of questionable information, or why they would do that, but there's LOTS of misinformation out there and we are often so gung-ho in trying to deal with our cancer that we fall for these sorts of things...
It's always an option to delete something you posted if you decide you don't want it out there.
Snopes.com is also good for entertainment purposes if you're having a slow day...lots of good information and pictures that are "true" to keep you busy.
C.
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I like to go cruise the Snopes site from time to time when I have time on my hands. Very odd and amusing stuff there!
Congrats for the new grandbaby!
Prayers for those who will become parents by saving a child instead of creating a child. An equally valuable way to become a parent, IMO.
I was diagnosed at 48, so I didn't qualify for any of the support groups/services for Young women with bc, and also didn't qualify for any of the support groups/services for Older women with bc. So here I am, 10s of thousands dollars in debt, with a ruined credit rating to remind me that I didn't have enough money put aside to cover everything insurance didn't during treatment becuase, as one social worker said, I was "lucky" enough to be diagnosed while I was 'in your prime" had a job and health insurance, so there's no need for any support services for my age group. If this is "lucky" I kind of wish I had been unlucky,
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I am so Bummed , I didn't get my darin out I had 49 cc last 24 hrs., So Another weekend with the drain. I need to get it 25cc.Now I will have to wait til my suregon next office day Monday March1st, That 4 weeks & 3 day post-op. He still won't do the 1st filler until all drains out! I Thought you could have fills with drains? But My Suregeon won't.
I will run out of vac days Feb 28, so I need to get back to work. I think maybe it may be taking me so long to recovery is I had the Biopsy Dec16th,1st Lumpectomy Dec 28th, & Reiexcsion Lumpectomy Jan 8th & then Mastectomy & reconstruction On Jan 29th. Maybe because I am older (52) I am not Bouncing back as fast after all the surgeries!
Hope all you all are doing well, make me smile reading the post & good news !
Hugs to all of my Middle -Age Sisters! Gina
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I was dx'd at 40, but nobody ever told me about any programs. My only link t a BC sister was my 73 yr old friend who has had two bouts with the beast. She had her tx elsewhere, and because of our age difference, I had no hints and tips for assistance. There was a social worker who sat in the lobby of the cancer center, but who wants to go talk to her in the middle of a bunch of people?
Well, two days post tests and no call from the Dr. I call that good news! I see her in person on the 11th, so hopefully I won't hear a peep until my visit.
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I agree, no news is good news. I'll keep praying that you don't hear anything until the 11th.
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Once again, I looked at my Cancer Center calendar and noticed I forgot about going to the B/C support group meeting. I have never gone. Yet. Never say never. I kept thinking that I would go after I finished rads, but then it was Winter and I could not motivate myself to go at 7p.m. B/C.org has surely spoiled me. I don't remember anyone posting on here about belonging to a local support group. Are any of you doing that?
I did go to one group one time. It was for cancer patients and their caregivers and I went because I was both. There was only one other breast cancer woman. She and I were the only Mid-Age people too. I felt too much like I only had "cancer-lite," since theoretically my cancer is now removed. I didn't go back. So that is my limited experience.
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I do belong to a BC support group and I'm the youngest member of the group (at age 49). I've gone almost every month since my diagnosis and they've been very supportive and helpful. The caveat is that it is very easy for me to attend the group because it meets at noon in my building at work. I work in the building that houses the medical schools at Michigan State University and the group was started by one of the physicians/professors who is a 14 year survivor of breast cancer. If I had to go to a support group at night or to drive very far, I know I wouldn't go, I'm totally fatigued by 7 at night and I hate driving in winter and in the dark!
I also get a lot from this website and thank each and everyone of you for being here for support.
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Hi all, weather allowing I am off the the conference tomorrow!
Hugs to all
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Silly me I thought you all were my support group
You are of course, and your the best a woman could ask for. I have even met some of you in person. Thanks for all the support.
Hugs and Love,
Linda
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Ditto that, OmahaGirl.
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I am part of a local support group, but I've only gone to the monthly meetings a couple of times. The location is fine, but the meeting time isn't good for me. There are other activities connected to the group, including a yoga class, general exercise class and evenings out having fun. They also field teams for the Komen Race for the Cure and the 3 Day, and they have an online group to keep in touch between meetings and for prayer requests.
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I agree with Omaha-y'all have been my support group, weaving in and out, but strongly built; I love coming here to speak to those who truly know.
Joni
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I checked into all the local (up to 2 hours' drive) support groups back when I was first diagnosed. Every one of them was focused on chemo, which I refused. A few actually require members to be actively recieving chemo to participate. A few others were for women younger than me, a few more for women older than me. I gave up looking after a few months. A year or so ago I ran across a Look Good, Feel Better (or something like that) session that was nearby and at a good time, called to register, and the first question they asked was "where are you getting your chemo treatments?" They offered to put me on a waiting list in case there was "room left over after chemo recipients registered." These boards are the only support group I've found in 3 years of looking that isn't totally chemo focused and accepts women of all ages. I've rarely run across a local support group that accepts women AFTER treatment--they all want women currently in treatment (not counting anti-estrogen therapy).
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I attend a local bc support group. I am the youngest person in the group at age 45, but it's a fun group and I enjoy the women. We have women who are long-term stage IV survivors and those who are more newly diagnosed, some have had chemo and some haven't. Last month we had a registered dietitian come and talk to us which was great. But for the day-to-day support, I turn to you ladies.
Cookie - I hope you have a great time in Atlanta. Wish I was going!
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There is a support group at our church, but they only meet once a month and are focused on those facing dx and those going through chemo. Not much for those of us who just live with the "residue" of going through it. People think that if you are finished with treatment (which happens much sooner with TNs, no hormones) you are finished with cancer.
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I guess I owe it to myself to check out the local support group one of these days, since it seems they can vary in the manner of support they offer. I might have gone already but, like I said, I am a little spoiled by the support I have right here at my fingertips. Once I got onto this site, I never felt a sense of isolation or of going thru' it alone. (Really, the opposite was true...like joining a club with a whole lot of members and always someone to relate to whatever situation I was in.) Eternal thanks for that my B/C Sisters!
Hey, Cookie, you will have to report back on that conference, for those of us who don't make the "Young Women" cut. Please do share what you learn.
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meece, my DD and DIL couldn't have a child naturally either and we now have a little 10 month old granddaughter that is the sweetest thing in the world. I kept her last weekend and she always has a smile on her face. Good luck to your DD and DIL and hope that there is a baby in their future. It is a life changing experience.
This is the support group for me. There isn't one in my area, but I didn't need one when I started posting here. Thank all of you for making my experience easier.
Juannelle
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I was wondering where you'd been hiding, Juanelle! I was going to track you down.
I was so stirred up by my DS#2 today that I didn't even check my messages when I got home today. There was one from Kimberly, my NP "We've reviewed your scans from Monday and everything is stable". Whoopee! Stable!!!! I can exhale now. I can celebrate with a glass a wine and a bubble bath.
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That's terrific news Meece, a toast to you! Cheers!
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Meece, good for you. Glad everything was good. I know what a relief that is.
I have been trying to keep up with all the posts, but not posting much. I am addicted to all the threads, but sometimes I don't feel like I have much to say. I am all caught up on the reading now, so maybe I can stay up and since I will not be spending so much time reading, I will be able to post.
Again, woooo hooo for all the good reports.
Juannelle
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Great way to start off the weekend, Meece!
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Thank you. Only you can understand how this makes me feel. DH listened to the message with me and then went about his chores. I asked him if he heard and he said Yes, that's good! Arrgh! It's GREAT!!!
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