MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
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How lumpy is this port supposed to be; and how long is it going to HURT?
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E-my lump was fairly pronounced for most of the time I had it, but eventually the skin heals & the it seems to reduce some. Mine hurt for quite awhile as I ended up with a bleeder that caused ginormous swelling & I had to have a 2nd surgery, so I was painful for at least 10 days.
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Thanks Eli.
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Barbe, I had severe changes from radiation that left several hard spots under my skin. Surgeon wants to see them in person every 6 mos, and I get an u/s one time, a mammo the other time. There have been other breast changes in the affected breast - all benign but two requiring biopsies. I am totally not worried about recurrence, I'm just very glad I have a doctor I trust to be proactive for anything that shows up. My rose colored glasses are only intended as a way of saying I have not thought I "have" breast cancer since the day of my last radiation. And there's no way in hell any post of yours could ever piss me off ... we may too much alike
And for the record, I share the thoughts of "why not me?" and always did. I wasn't the least surprised when they told me it was cancer. In a totally odd way that I'm hoping someone else might understand, it was almost a relief.Diana, I had my pocketbook stolen yrs ago and had to do that dance, and then jsut a few yrs ago had my identity compromised and had to do a harder dance! Both times it was just aggravating - lost no money, just many hours to fix. So I totally commiserate with you hon.
Marie, welcome to our room. I hope you spend lots of time with us. I totally agree that we are are responsible for our choices. I can't help but give my opinion though that to throw in the towel at 58 is a bit severe if you are otherwise a healthy woman. Chemo can be tough, no question about that, but I truly think the majority of us who had chemo would tell you that it is doable. If your doctor feels chemo increases your chances to avoid recurrence or a new occurence, please take some time and think about it, ask about it, talk about it. Just keep that door open for a while, okay? Whatever you decide though, we'll be here to listen and support. Also, there are threads which talk about holistic/natural options instead of chemo. I just don't like thinking of you doing nothing more at all.
Wave - I'm not the poster that Valjean was talking about, but I did develop LE 2.5 yrs after the end of treatment. I had 13 nodes removed (all neg) and radiation. Happy to give more info through PM if you'd like, including ways to minimize your risk as much as possible.
Eli, I've always thought you were a glowing force. Now I have proof
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If you don't mind what were the side effects of radiation that you couldn't tolerate. I too refuse to do chemo and my DX score is 34. I actually think I'm just going to pray alot and hope for the best with nothing more than the surgery I already had.
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LorAll, As an individual, just having surgery might be all you need to do to be done with cancer, but statistically you do have better odds for it not to come back if you follow-up with radiation and something systemic (chemo or Tamox., maybe both.) Has your doctor provided you with the percentages of benefit you could receive from each kind of therapy? This is usually done by what I have mentioned above, the Adjuvant Online software. You already know that your OncoDx score suggests you will benefit from chemo, and I can tell you that most with a score of 34 would not pass on the chemo.
I will never say I liked any of the treatments, but I wanted the advantage they gave me to live cancer-free. That's about it.
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I was prepared to be told I had cancer when I went in with my lump in 2010. When they said "scar tissue" nothing to worry about. I believed them. So when I went in for a "routine" mamogram in 2012, and that same lump I wasn't worrying about turned out to BE cancer... well I was shocked and dismayed.
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Eli, I am with you on that. The treatments were sometimes difficult, but most of the time it was anywhere from tolerable to OK.
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Cindyl, Even tho' I knew I had "a problem," I still was a little stunned to hear that I had CANCER, because both times I had the false sense of security of having had recent scans that were "all clear." Ha! Guess not. In your case, as quick as they usually are to jab a leather punch (er, core-needle biopsy tool, I mean) it is surprising that they didn't biopsy that scar tissue, just to be on the safe side.
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I've been a busy little Middle already this morning. My PET on Weds. caused some commotion over some uptake in my rt. thyroid. Just went for US to find out if it is nodule (no biggie) or node (not good.) The tech "unofficially" felt it was nodule. Great! Who cares about a little nodule that they might check every now and then in the future? Now while I was at the Imaging Center, I got a copy of the PET report. No surprises. Uptake for rectal area, of course. Liver was clear. Big news that the (eek!) enlarged lymph node in my treatment-side chest had no uptake at all. Yip, yip, yippee! Time to lace up my Happy Dance shoes.
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Yeah!! Eli! I'm happy dancing with you!
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Happy Dance here too for you Eli!!
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More info. than you needed to know dept.:
So, remember when a lot of us were comparing whether we had to "gown up" to get rads, or if it was more of a take-off-your-top-and-hop-onto-the-table kind of operation, with some of us covering with a towel for modesty? Well, for the rads I am about to get now, it is literally DROP YOUR DRAWERS. Just had the dry-run today and they even said I could keep my shoes on even, just hike the drawers down. I know it seems kind of weird, but I have to say it is quick this way.
I got my same (favorite) tech from last time and as he led me to the room he pointed out it would be about the same as before except we are using a room at the opposite end of the hall this time. My reply to him was, "That's o.k., because you are working on the opposite end of ME this time." Har-de-har!
Cancer could be quite hilarious if it wasn't for all that life-threatening business.
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Just for the record .Why is it automatically assumed that I have quit and thrown in the towel,closed off all options ,am stubborn , etc ,etc just because I hate the thought of poisoning my body ? Most of my life I have researched and studied and learnt how to avoid chemicals and finding alternatives attempting to living a healthy life so I can enjoy it . Now i just have to sit quietly and give permission for this awful toxic poison to be administered to me ? That sucks big time and goes against everything I have learnt . So yes I hate the thought but at the moment supposedly I am in the position of LOOKING into all my options .6 weeks from diagnosis to this point is not long in the grand scheme of things . I see the oncologist next week and they will tell me what they think is the best for me and what is available .And just for the record in the disaster at Grantham there were many times when my husband and I should have died in fact at one stage we said our goodbyes to each other as when the helicopters went away we could not see how on earth they would rescue us ! They had to go away and sort out their options as to what was the best way to save us ! Having been diagnosed with cancer is soooo much like the tsunami that hit us with all that implies . Life is very precious to me and i have no intentions to just throw it away .This is why I am on this forum looking for knowledge so I can do what is the best for me and hopefully making the future treatment of cancer better for my daughters and granddaughters. Have a nice day .
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Thanks for all the advice and wishing you all the best futures you can achieve .
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How do I leave this group ? I have been to my profile and I can't see how to leave ?
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Eli: You make me laugh! I'm joining you in the happy dance.
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vanstrada: Click on one of the blue bars (e.g. All Topics, Active Topics, My Favorite Topics, etc) on the left hand of your screen to leave a particular discussion.
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Eli - hooray for the good news - dance away my friend! Your sense of humour in all of this is fabulous! (working on the opposite end of ME-lol) I hope you never lose that.
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vanstrada54, Should you happen to still be around...I don't think anyone had made those assumptions of you. You struck me as someone who did not, as yet, have all of the information you needed about treatment options and perhaps wanted to hear the real stories and real choices that had already been made by women who had been in your position recently. We ALL know that chemo is poison, believe me. Cancer is a near-relentless disease. Is it any wonder that it takes some awful, nasty stuff to fight it? If you want a kinder, gentler way to attempt fighting it, maybe something on one of the alternative threads would suit you. The successes of those remedies are spurious, but all things are possible in a never-say-never kind of way. You already know that no doctor will advise you in that direction. Hope you find what you're looking for. I wish you nothing but clarity in your decision making.
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Eli, glad to hear the good news on lymph, liver and thyroid.
Vanstrada, it is very hard to submit to the poison, nobody is going to argue about that.
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I want to be cut, burned, and poisoned said no one ever.
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Eli- glad everything else is fine. It's nice you still have your sense of humor. It's how we get through it some times.
When I went to my MO on Thursday(after boob deflation) the nurse wanted to weigh me. I said,"how the hell could I have gained a pound when I just had my boob deflated. The girl at the desk couldn't stop laughing.
There is one thing that BC can't rob us of and that is who we are inside. It has changed our appearances and has on occasion broken our spirit, but we are still who we are. We do see things through a different set of eyes now, but I refuse not to be me.
I made dam decorated Christmast cookies at work from 7-4. I have to do it all again tomorrow. One lady came in and bought 141.00 worth of cookies. I work in a very wealthy area. George Bush Sr's summer house is just down the street.
My mapping went ok on Thursday. Much quicker than it was 8 yrs ago. I did have to get 2 new tats though. Now I have 5. Trial run on Monday and then I start radiation on Tuesday. I just want to get it done with. I did take 2 xanax prior to the scan. I probably should have just taken one. When I got to work I was still a little loopy.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
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Elimar, Thanks for your input. I'm still in the not sure what I feel about all this stage. How do I sign on to adjuvant online without being a medical professional?? Thanks again.
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LorAll, everyone handles the side effects differently whether from chemo or from rads ... but we DID handle them. I just can't see myself going through life wondering "what if I hadn't done that" if my doctors recommended a course of treatment. I'm sorry, don't mean to be harsh, but we're honest in here.
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E ~~ Yip, Yip, Yipee!!!!!!
Love the good news.
Hang in there gal!
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I am new to the forum but was very inspired by your post. thank you.....I just had my biopsy and get results in a few days
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Dianarose - I agree with your statement. With spirits broken and physical appearance altered, we are still the same person on the inside. We need to be determined to not let cancer take that away.
Welcome jabal - Sorry that you are here, but you will find great support, encouragement, lots of laughter, tears and incredible knowledge from everyone. Best of luck for good results on your biopsy - let us know how you make out.
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Jabal: Welcome, and I'm hoping you'll get good news from your biopsy.
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LorAll, Sign on that you ARE a medical professional. Yes, really. I was able to get access that way. It's the kind of little white lie where you will not really morally compromise yourself or wind up in hell, so don't worry.
Jabal, We will be very happy if your results turn out B9 and you don't have to become a card-carrying member around here. You are welcome to pass your time with us...we all know just waiting to hear is sooooo nerve-wracking. Do you have family history of B/C?
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