MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
-
One day cookie free.
Cookie monster eating broccoli is like Hugh Heffner embracing monogamy.
0 -
Way to go with the will power Cookie! Ha,ha,ha! Don't do like Hugh!0
-
Faith - I would also do the bilateral mastectomy if I had any recurrence. No question about that. I think we all need to do whatever's necessary for our peace of mind. You are strong and have a great attitude, and I wish you peace and rest.
Kitty - I'm also triple negative, grade 3 IDC, and had a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation. Triple negative is aggressive, but responds well to chemo and the recurrence rate drops like a stone after five years. Feel free to send me a private message if you have any questions that I can help you with, and check out the triple negative forum as well.
Barbe - Congratulations to you! My hubby and I were lamenting how much we miss little ones at Christmastime. What a wonderful post-holiday gift for you!
0 -
There was so much on this thread to read, and I have yet to get caught up. I just wanted to say to Faithy, I am ticked! BREAST CANCER SUCKS BIG TIME! I wish that we were protected here, since we have all gone through this once. You kick BCs butt out of here! When I read your post I got a lump in my throat. It is amazing the connection we can make on this site.
Love you, Meece
0 -
Thanks for all the info ladis. I am reading up on triple negative B/C . I will be back to join ya when i find out all i can on this. I just want to beat this. With God and your support I GOT THIS!!! Have a wonderful day.Prayers to all of you.
0 -
Faith, I hate that you got this news. Love the quilt pic and what it represents. I've had the bilateral mx with failed reconstruction (infection) and am contemplating trying recon again in the spring. Sending you ((hugs)) and peace of mind with your decision.
Cookiegal, hahahaha!
I'm also trying to lose weight. The bald head (only slightly improved since August) combined with the no boobs and large waist and hips is really getting me down. My goal is to lose about 20 lbs before I undergo recon surgery--possibly in April. The only good news is that my eyelashes have come back. Eyebrows are S-L-O-W-L-Y filling in. WHY does the leg and arm hair grow like a house afire and the head hair takes FOREVER??? Just one more bc injustice. Agh...
0 -
I'm making stuffed grape leaves tonight. A Greek recipe. It's a nice and healthy, labor intensive (all that leaf rolling) meal. The kids might eat them, but I have a (store) rotisserie chicken standing by just in case.
0 -
I usually have trouble with motivation!! I ate so much just plain old fruit and so many salads that I am burnt out on the basics. I need to keep some really yummy NEW low-cal ideas. I do love butternut squash soup. thats one good recipe! I got that one online. Spinache and broccli soup are my second favorites. I find recipes and then low calor ize them as much as possible. I think variety is my weapon! I am constantly looking for new healthy recipes. Apperance is also a big factor to make you feel like you are eating "fancy" food.
0 -
Lydia, I notice you have just passed your first Cancerversary...Congrats! May this year start and continue way better than the last. So, what's up with that avatar? Is that you? In a windowsill? Holding a scimitar? Or, kind of looks like it's taken from inside a boxcar looking out? Would you be of the hobo persuasion? That's cool.0
-
Elimar..that looks yummy. The last time I made stuffed grape leaves hmmm I dont remember.
Its time consuming but I love it. Are you stuffing them with meat or the cold version with rice?
I will be waiting for Ups man maybe he brings me some
Hi Ladies!
Sheila
0 -
Faith-all I can say about your biopsy results is S**T! I'll send you my Foxtrot Union Charlie Kilo Cancer t-shirt to wear to surgery. Go ahead and get them both taken off and then get one of those t-shirts that say "No, they're not real. My real ones tried to kill me." It doesn't matter what your doctor thinks about your choice. He doesn't have to live in your body, you do. If your surgeon is male ask him if he would do everything he could to keep his balls if he had cancer in one of them, since taking both of them off would be an emotional choice. (Sorry, I get really mad at docs trying to tell us what we should feel).
cookiegal--Good for you! I have a "Desserts Out of the Garden" ccokbook--I think it has cookie recipes based on zucchini and tomatos and such. I'm going to have to hunt up that cookbook and see what I can do about my own sweet tooth and lack of veggie intake.
kitty--hang in there, keep reading and researching, Ask any question that comes to mind--someone here or on the triple negative thread will have an answer, I'm sure. We'll help you work to beat this thing!
barbe--I am soooooo hoping there is a grandbaby in your future--be sure to let us know when you find out for sure!
susu--what kind of recon did you have before? What kind are you planning next? I'm planning prophy mast with bilateral DIEP recon in June.
elimar--those stuffed grape leaves look yummy! I've never made them, but I have had the cold, rice filled kind. Didn't think I'd like them but they were surprisingly tasty.
lydia--I have motivational problems, too. I like salads but don't like to make them. I've found the pre-mixed salads in the grocery store are really helpful that way. I've got a Magic Bullett and can make some really, really good veggie soups rather quickly with it, and with endless variations. Great for last minute hot soups this time of year!
I had an appointment with a BS in Boston yesterday, Dr. Pories. There was an hour wait to see her, but the time with her was very calm, unrushed. There was one unique thing about this consult--when she asked if I had any questions I told her I did NOT want skin/nipple sparing mast, I want a "traditional" one. She listened intently while I said why, asked me if I realized how the scar pattern would be different (I do) and then said, simply, "OK, that's what I'll do." Just like that. Of course I started crying during this part of the appointment, and when I started to apologize for crying she handed me a tissue and said "Don't worry about it, you're entitled." She's going to get in touch with my PS and start the ball rolling for a June reconstruction date. I was hoping for the second week of June, but she has family plans and it will probably be later in June, but I like the way she was very upfront about her schedule, and I can respect her committment to family. All in alll I really feel good about this doc and am really getting anxious for recon time to get here!
0 -
Morning Middies! I actually went to the gym last night AND managed to drag my husband! He's the one with diabetes so dragging him is crucial. This morning is Yoga so I can go stretch gently and rev up my morning. It's a beginning class so I can actually keep up pretty well. With only half of a stomach muscle and a flat chest, I give my instructor lots to think about when it comes to my body movement!
More cancer crappiness, weight loss, slimming recipes, possible baby...our day is off and running. Be kind to yourselves today...
0 -
I would be sent to the dungeon (if we had one) if I tried to serve something so overtly green and leafy to my husband and daughters. There would be no "back-up chicken." There would be the three of them eating a chicken and me eating the fabulous stuffed grape leaves myself. And then I'd have the tomato and zucchini cookies for dessert...
faith - that's a cool quilt. Does it have little pillow things on it, like colorful buildings?
Nativemainer - SO great to feel good about a doctor!
Warning to Cookiegal and others - Girl Scout Cookies are about to appear on the scene. Thin Mints are probably the best health-wise (if you don't consider a "sleeve" as a serving size but stick with two or three). The "low fat" versions are sometimes also both high calorie and flavor-free - a total waste of treat calories. I'm a "dealer" (cookie mom for GS troop), but our girls are jaded early teenagers and last year the eye-rolling and the ever-changing desire to be noticed and then invisible made trying to sell cookies in public a nightmare, on top of the fact that no 13 year old can compete with a toothless Brownie for alluring cuteness and charm. We're stepping away from the sale this year, other than selling a few boxes to friends and family who are expect us to be their source...
0 -
Here's a question for you ladies: Dr. Jories said that she offers genetic testing for BRCA mutations to women who have a family history of pancreatic cancer even when there is no family history of breast or ovarian cancer. I have no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, but a strong family history of stomach cancer and an aunt who died of pancreatic cancer (all on my father's side). Has anyone else heard of this connection? I'm going to go do some research on this after all my appointments this week, but I was curious if anyone has already heard about the pancreatic/BRCA mutation link?
0 -
Nativemainer: I had the TE and implants done the same day as my bilat mx (which was 3/17/09). But on March 30 I developed infection in both sides and had all removed April 1. They left the extra skin/fat tissue for "the next time"...but sometimes I feel like I just don't want to go thru it all again. I would hate to get an infection and go thru removal again. I am somewhat confused about it all because I absolutely LOVED going braless this summer (no sweating under my breasts) and so was very cool and comfortable. The downside is that I look even fatter and dumpier without the boobs (which were 44D). I was reading the thread about women who did not chose to have recon and I was fascinated. I wish I was that sure of what I wanted to do. I have not booked my appt yet, so I guess I'll think about it some more. Suggestions or advice, anyone??
Interesting about the BRCA gene and pancreatic cancer. No history of BC in either side of my family, but my dad had colon cancer and his mother died of pancreatic cancer (so we've been told since there was no doctor to confirm, just relying on family memories--she died in 1956). My dad lived to be 85 but his mother died in her 50s.
0 -
Somewhere I saw something about a syndrome that included breast cancer and stomach cancer - but I don't think it was BRCA.... I'll poke around and see what I can find...
0 -
THIS was enlightening. It IS BRCA-related - and apparently cervical and other cancer risk is ALSO increased with BRCA. I'd only ever heard of breast and ovarian cancer.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
An excerpt:
"A woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer is greatly increased if she inherits a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Such a woman has an increased risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer at an early age (before menopause) and often has multiple, close family members who have been diagnosed with these diseases. Harmful BRCA1 mutations may also increase a woman’s risk of developing cervical, uterine, pancreatic, and colon cancer (1, 2). Harmful BRCA2 mutations may additionally increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, gallbladder and bile duct cancer, and melanoma (3)."
I need to read more on this myself. I've been hesitant to have BRCA testing because it seems SO highly unlikely that I have the mutation. I likely have SOME sort of genetic influence in addition to whatever unknown freaky lifestyle thing I did, but even genetic counselors say it's probably not BRCA. No family history of breast cancer other than a 75 year old maternal great aunt, I was young but within the "normal" range for people getting breast cancer, I don't have a pertinent ethnic background, and I had ILC. BUT there's a festival of colon cancer in older (around 70 years of age) adults on both sides of my mom's family, so perhaps there IS a link there. I don't think my insurance would cover it because I'm not shockingly young, but we're into a new deductible year here, so I'll see how it goes or how I feel as I read more about these OTHER cancer links to BRCA. Plan A is to wait until they add more to their genetic knowledge base...
0 -
Kleenex--
WOW! Thanks for posting that! I was thinking that teh doc had noticed a trend and was recommending testing based on her own patients' experiences, but it sounds like there is much more to it than that. I have Barrett's Esophagus and am at high risk for esophageal cancer, am considered at risk for stomach cancer due to family history, had a breast biopsy showing atypical ductal hyperplasia in myearly 30's. I'm going to have to talk to my mom--she's been doing ancestry stuff and knows more about Dad's side of the family than I do; I wonder if there is any colon cancer anywhere there? Hmmm, I've got to go make a phone call.
0 -
no surprise here I was a very successful seller of GSC's, my mom actually put the kebosh on my doing it in 7th grade and I was kinda pushed out of scouts.
But oh thin mints,SAMOAS, and the old tic tac toe peanut butter cookies were my faves.
The eddy's ice cream with samoa is my crack.
0 -
Kleenex, What year was that study published? I am BRCA 2+ and I flipped out a few months ago when I read an article about the higher risk for colon cancer. Here's the dialog between my genetic counselor and myself: (Personal info removed)
Hi Ann,
Just when you thought you were rid of me! I read in a newspaper article that the BRCA2 gene also has a higher than average risk for colon cancer. I'm aware of the increased risk for ovarian, skin, throat, prostate, male breast cancer and pancreatic cancer, but is colon cancer in "the list" too?
Thanks and take care,
LindaDear Linda,
Old literature suggested that colon cancer was part of BRCA-1/2 but more current does not bear this out. The colon cancer rate in the US is 6 % felt to be due to genes and our lovely fatty American diet. I would have you do the routine sigmoidoscopy and consider FIT ( fetal immunochemistry test) in the years in between sigmoid or colonoscopy. Your internist can order the FIT ( one sample of fecal material--no dietary changes to you ) to look for human blood in stool. Hope all is well for you and your sister. AnnThere is also the site www.facingourrisk.org which deals with BRCA 1 & 2 mutations. Lots of up to date info, too. My dad is a colon, kidney and skin cancer A$$ kicker so I was quite concerned about the colon cancer, since he is the gene carrier. At 83 he's still doing well...amazing.
0 -
It's on the National Cancer Institute website and up at the top of the article it says "date reviewed: 5/29/09."
I know there's a separate genetic test for hereditary colon cancer - perhaps that's what your genetic counselor meant by "genes" being one of the causes but not the BRCA genes? I'll keep poking around...
It's great that your dad is doing well at 83! My mom, with her impressive family history of ominous colon cancer, is in her late 60's and apparently much healthier than I am, seeing as how she has not yet been found to be harboring evil cells of any kind or even a suspicious polyp or bump...
Frankly, I believe that in large part they have NO idea why we get this or whether it will come back or show up somewhere else or as something else. Based on what "they" know, I had about a 1% chance of developing breast cancer. Must be lucky, I guess!
0 -
I'm a "fluke" too. A- blood when all my sibs and parents are O+ or A+. Somehow I got one of those recessive genes! BC at 47 which was triple negative, then a 1% failure rate for the TRAM recon I had. See my hand up? Yep, I was that 1%! Total failure. 7 1/2 months after ending chemo...oh, no, cancer again in the opposite breast. 2 mastectomies later and I find out...I am BRCA 2+. Well, gee...that would have been nice to know 2 mastectomies ago! Then it's off to surgery again to have every female part yanked out of me. Surgery number 6 was scar revision to bring it all down flat and I am DONE! I happen to like being flat.
I've read so many sites, books and articles on diet, exercise, genetics, environment, etc., etc., that I, too believe no one has any idea where this comes from. Someone writes an article or book about one thing then someone else writes about the same thing in a totally different way. It's like an ongoing game of, "Marco-Polo!" We may find a cure...or maybe not...
0 -
I'm A- as well - OMG!!! That's what it is!!! Just kidding.
So from YOUR story, if you were me, you'd take the BRCA test, wouldn't you? Because it's already obvious something freaky is going on here...
0 -
Faith, we are all here for you and you know that. I told my DH the other day, that if I had another dx of bc, that I would do the same thing that you are doing. I also want to be there for my grandchildren and I will do what ever it takes. You go girl. You have the knowledge now to make the right decision for you.
Juannelle
0 -
Kleenex, It was my second cancer that made me go hmmmmmm, something's not right. I asked my Onc for a second opinion, a bone scan and genetic counseling. The genetic counselor called me herself and did a very detailed family history over the phone. Because my first cancer was triple negative she was pretty sure I was BRCA 1+. Nope, test came back...BRCA 2+.
My parents both refuse to be tested, even though the geneticist is pretty sure the gene came from my dad's side. His mother had breast cancer, then my sister was diagnosed at 36. She's a 20 year survivor! After I tested positive, my sister was tested and she's also positive. Her 36 year old daughter was tested last year and she's negative! No guarantee she'll never get BC, but we'll take all the good news we can.
I have two daughters, two sons and three grand-daughters, so far, who will each decide when/if they'll be tested.
My dad's two older sisters died in early childhood, so we have no idea if they would have ever been diagnosed. For whatever reason, there's no contact with my grandmothers side of the family, nor do we know where they are. Family politics, I guess. My mom is one of twelve kids and there's no history of breast or ovarian cancer.
Even though my family history wasn't a blaring red neon sign, it was enough to get my Onc to recommend genetic counseling. For you to test, or not, is totally up to you and your doctor. If testing would give you some peace of mind, then do it. Knowing I carry this gene opens up a whole other world of fear and worry, but we now have the knowledge my family needs to make some important decisions...
0 -
I have a question regarding genetic testing. I do not have any history of breast cancer on either side of my family and neither does my husband. I have two boys, so I am not worried about them. However, if you were diagnosed at 27 with breast cancer and your mom and sister also had it wouldn't you want to know for your kids? The reason I ask this is because the nurse at my doctors office said she had bc at 27 and didn't want to have genetic testing, because she has two grown daughters now and didn't want to know if she had passed a bad gene on to them. I found that strange.
I am just curious. I guess in my humble opinion, I would want to know so my children would know to take extra precautions and would look for signs, but maybe that is just me. I know that it is Ok for someone not to have the testing, if that is their decision, I may just think about it differently since it does not run in my family and I don't have a daughter.
Juannelle
0 -
You know what? My mom reminded me that she has those funky colon polyps that increase the risk of colon cancer. So, from Dad's side--high risk of stomach cancer. From Mom's side--higher risk of colon cancer. From myself--high risk of esophageal cancer, already had breast cancer. So I should probably just go ahead and take out the ovaries, maybe the uterus, and then the GI tract from esophagus to rectum, then my risk of another cancer will be ZERO %! Of course, I'll be dead or next best thing to it, but medically I'd be in a good place!
You know what else? I'm giving up on all this figuring out the risk crap. At this rate I'll spend my entire life being screened for one kind of cancer or another. Foxtrot Union Charlie Kilo that nonsense. When they can do all the screening without using a needle I'll reconsider, but until then-Bah Humbug!
susu--have you considered a DIEP recon where the docs use your belly fat to rebuild the boobs? You might want to get a consult with a PS that does DIEPs and get the info. In the meantime, you don't have to do anything for the time being. See a good fitter and get a couple mastectomy bras and prostheses so you have the choice of doing without altogether or looking like you still have boobs. You can take your time doing research and deciding about future procedures. If you don't want recon you don't have to have it!
cookiegal--I love thin mints, and I do tend to consider an entire sleeve one serving! I remember selling Girl Scout cookies and hating every minute of it. it was soooo competitive, just like the magazine subscriptions sales for grade school fund raising. I lived next door to the middle of nowhere and was limited to the places I could walk to. No competition for the ones who lived in town or who's parents sold for them at work. Nowadays I the only time I see GS cookies being sold is at tables outside the local grocery store, and I can't remember the last time I saw an actually scout doing the selling, just adults.
faith--been thinking about you today. Sending hugs your way.
kleenex--getting gene testing is a lot like every other choice we get on this lovely little journey. Right thing to do for some, wrong thing to do for others. I'm thinking that, AFTER recon, I might sit down with a genetic counselor and go over all the family risks and my personal risks and see if I can get a clearer picture of what science knows and what it only suspects and then decide what, if anything, I want to do about any of it. But I really, really want that recon and I'm not going to do anything that even might put a hex on it!
0 -
Just re-read my post. I'm contradicting myself already. Obviously I haven't decided ANYTHING yet! I'm going over to the drinking thread and taking a break. And I'm sorry for rambling on and on like that.
0 -
Like my parents, the nurse may not want to be "blamed" if she and/or her daughters test positive. My older sister, who's never had cancer, doesn't want to be tested. She feels she's small breasted and could feel if she had a lump, plus she sees her doctor every six months. I think she's nuts, but it's her choice. Two of her sisters have had BC, plus our dad with 3 different types.
Because of our family history, my kids are in a high-risk category even without the test. If they choose to test, and if any are positive, there are recommendations they can consider. I truly am not sure what I would have done if I would have known my BRCA status prior to getting cancer. I still have to believe that my journey was this bumpy for a reason. We now know there is a gene mutation that could, not will, express itself...
0 -
*****I think that I have forgotten to thank our cookie for my very own thread*****
I feel like such a rock-star. Thank you, dearest.
I didn't want to take over the middies thread, here with all of my minute-by-minute updates, but I feel quite at 'home' rambling on & on & on & on, over there on my own thread.'
So if you want more than the Reader's Digest version look there.
Today was awesome.
I am exhausted.
Love to each of you!!
0
