MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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Barbe-happy, happy, birthday! Happy, Happy Birthday (sung to the rhythm of a conga line chant)
Have an awesome, amazing, fantabulous day!!!!!
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Happy birthday Barbe. Gotta love the Cheeto cake
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Barbe...... we've got a Cheetos cake.
Now we need the chocolates:
and wine:
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Happy Birthday Barbe! Wishing you many, many happy healthy ones to come!
Congratulations Navy! My first grandson is due September 16. I have three grand-daughters and now a boy. I feel so blessed to be here to watch them grow!
Keep the Cheeto's and chocolate coming...I'm not a wine drinker but I love Margaritas!
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Navy, here's some Irish Coffee to 'wet the babies head' as we say when we are toasting a new baby
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And Barb - Some Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake for your Birthday - sorry there's a slice missing, I left it on the counter and I guess DD or DS helped themselves!!!
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Ainm, please leave a slice for me when I stop by later.
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Ainm - I love Bailey's!!! DH and I are thinking of a trip to Ireland next year when we will be back in England for my Mum's 80th birthday. Any suggestions? DH likes good beer, a village to stay in (so it's easy to walk home from the pub and to go get a morning paper) and nice walks!!!
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I adore Ireland! Been twice and hope to go again someday. We stayed in some manor houses and old castles and a lovely small place in Glendalouch (sp?) which at the time was owned by a friend of my Dad's and they were wonderful. Anywhere there is just beautiful! Everyone was so friendly and nice.
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Navymom.....congrats to you and the happy family....what a big boy!!! what is his name? May is a very good month....2 of my kids and I all have May b'days.....3 tauruses in one house!!!
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Yes, May is a very good month. My birthday was on the 6th!
Faith, Thanks for the delicious drink!
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My daughter's birthday is next Friday and my uncle who recently passed away would have had his birthday on Sat. along with his son and grandson - all on the same day! Just happened that way. Then most of the rest of his family and in laws are all on the 22nd. except one - weird. Yay May!
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I must say, I've never had such a geographically wide-spread of birthday wishes! Was too busy at work yesterday to log on so got them all today. Thanks!
The last thing on my bucket list is Ireland as it's my DH's wish...when I finish my bucket list do I make another one, or do I have to "go"?
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Way to go Grandma Navy Mom!! He sounds like a little linebacker already! I can't wait to be a Grandma......well maybe a little longer. Best wishes to his Mommy and Daddy and the entire family.
Happy B-day Barbe! and many happy returns.
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Barbe, You keep adding to the bucket list. You are not allowed to "go." My sister calls it dangling carrots. There's always something to do and reach for. I have short term goals and long term goals. Get out a pencil missy and write!
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Belated happy b'day Barbe,hope you had a great one.
Congrats Navymom,that's a big boy.
Kathi
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Hi everybody. Thanks for all your well wishes. I just finished skyping(sp?) with the new mom and dad and I got a chance to "see" my Grandson for the first time. Even had his eyes open for awhile. What an emotional ride. I am speechless.
Navy
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Barbe, a very happy birthday to a fabulous women and the answer is NO you just make a new Bucket List!
Navy Mom, congratulation on a beautiful bouncing baby boy! Give him a little love from all of us!
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NM - how wonderful!!! I love that.
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Technology is so cooooooooooool!
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I am a great-aunt again! My nephew and his wife just welcomed Melanie Laura into the family!!! Babies...what a miracle!
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Hey Barbe glad you had a great day. Teh one great thing about bucket lists are you can always edit and revise!!!
Chocolate, wine and cheetos perfect food!!
Navy Mom great news on the Grandson, how precious.
Banana slugs yuk, glad we don't have them here, garden snakes are bad enough!
One year cancerversary was on the 15th, well ok one year BC cancerversary!! Had a good day working in the flower beds and picking morel mushrooms in the woods. Been busy so not on much lately but home sick today my third upper respitory infection in the past few months, bummer.
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Congratulations, Great Auntie!
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Hi. I am just turning 40. My kids are 12 and 15. I have had the gamet of tests leading up to surgury to remove some suspect ducts. I dont have cancer but I have atypical ductal hyperplasia.I now have a mis-shaped right breast because of the tissue removed, my vanity has survived this blow and Im ok with it. After breast feeding 2 kids I had to let that go already ! So much for breast feeding reducing the risk! lol
Ive been told Im at a higher risk and I need to be checked every 6 months and have a mammogram every year (which I would be starting to do anyway). I find myself thinking about my options. Part of me feels like I could mange it; be healthy physically,emotionally etc..but always have a worry tumbling around my head. The other part thinks; Damn! Why cant they do pretty mastectomys? Why does it have to be so brutally excecuted? Leave the shell,nipple intact and then do an implant. Why havent they figured out to do a crease incision (big one) and get everything out that way. Or have they ? When I search images I just see straight across,no nipple left , scars. Im still in my sexual prime, I love my sexual self more than ever before and now this? Crap.
Dont get me wrong I know I would get over it if I had no other option , but as I do, I cant help but ask why havent they made it a better outcome with all of the cosmetic surgury they do now? I know about the complications of implants, everyone has to weight the options. I dont know if I would do it myself, it just brings up a whole bunch questions.
So as you can tell Im in the "what the h*ll" phase. Any advice would be welcomed.
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Huddie--actually, they are doing matectomies that leave the skin, nipple and aureole in place, and fill the space with an implant or tissue from another part of the body. They're called "skin sparing" and "skin and nipple sparing" mastectomies. As much breast tissue is removed as with a traditional mastectomy, so the risk of recurrence (or in your case, occurance) of bc is the same as a traditional mastectomy. My advice to you is to make a consultation appointment with a plastic surgeon and find out about all the options and how they apply to you. Each option has it's pros and cons, as you already realize. One of the pros of skin and nipple sparing mastectomies is that some sensation can be saved in some women. Some PS's are actually doing surgery reconnecting nerves or avoiding cutting nerves to retain as much sensation as possible. My PS showed me pictures of women after these procedures and, unless you knew exactly where to look and what to look for, you couldn't tell they had any surgery at all. My other bit of advice is to keep in mind that, while you are at higher risk than average for developing bc in the future, you have plenty of time to research options.
My PS has a website with pictures of reconstruction results of different procedures and approaches, you might find it interesting to look at http://www.bostondiep.com
This is just one place where you can see photos of women after skin sparing mastectomy/reconstruction, it's just the only site I have bookmarked. I'm sure others will be along shortly with other site addresses for you to check out.
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P.S. I certainly do understand the "what the h@%% phase" as does every other woman here!
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Yes, thank you! As I was making my way around the site I found the "middle aged 40-60ish" group and read about the nipple sparing procedures you mentioned. Good to hear that there are options.
Yes, I do have time to consider my options. I tend to be a bit practical and get it done and out of the way kind of personality with life. lol Perhaps this is an area where I need to rethink that philosophy!
Thanks again!
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huddie- I was also diagnosed with Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (or pre-cancer) but when they removed it they found actual cancer in the margins so I was then diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (cancer within the ducts).
Just wanted to let you know that some surgeons are doing "pretty" mastectomies and I had one in March. I opted for a bilateral skin-saving, nipple-saving mastectomy and got great results. My breast surgeon made the incision below the fold of the breast and removed all of the breast tissue while maintaining blood supply to the nipple. Cells within the nipple were examined for cancer during the surgery. If any were found they would have had to remove my nipples. Luckily, I did not have any. After the mastectomy a plastic surgeon placed a tissue expander beneath the skin. For the last few months they have been gradually stretching the skin to allow room for an implant. (They place a port below the skin and add saline to the expander every week or so.) Once the skin is stretched enough they take out the expanders and put in implants or they can create an implant from other parts of your body. My PS said when I am done no one will even be able to tell I had a mastectomy which I think is amazing. And I have decreased my odds of recurrence to about 1-2%.
Not everyone is a good candidate for this type of surgery. For those women who already have cancer it cannot be too close to the nipple. Also, this works best on women who are small breasted. And not every breast surgeon does this type of surgery. You need to find a BS and a PS that are very experienced in the surgery and reconstruction which can sometimes be difficult. I had to drive 4 hours round trip to find my surgeons but it was well worth the drive to have it. I would have flown across the country.
I chose to do this because I was afraid my cancer would come back, be close to the nipple and this option would no longer be available to me. Although I was told I only had one small spot of cancer in one breast the final pathology report showed multiple areas of cancer that had not shown up in the multitude of mammograms, ultrasounds and breast MRI's that I had.
There are several threads on here regarding this type of MX with lots of women who are happy with the results. I know for me, personally, I feel a lot less disfigured than I would have with a traditional MX.
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"what the h#$$?" phase followed closely by "what did I do to get this" phase. LOL We have all been there.
Huddie, I know it must be hard to keep your chin up but think of the silver lining. You now have the ability to research this disease deeper and find out all your options BEFORE something happens. Perhaps even prevent it from happening at all.
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