MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
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Macatacmy....OH MY that is just too funny! How could you not laugh or take pics. Makes my not so squishy girl feel pretty soft right now!
Loral, that is great, I usually tell everyone I have the Peter Pan Syndrome .....I'm responsible but I refuse to grow up!
Great news Heartnsoul I'm very happy for you!0 -
A post it that I will live by!
Thanks again everyone for your support!0 -
yay! picture posting is so much easier! The mods said the donations in memory of marybe helped make that possible.
i'm so sad about veggy. ok, so no emoticon for sad?0 -
heartnsoul ~ Absolutely wonderful news!! So very happy for you!
Welcome 2TA!
E~ I've been wondering how things were coming along. Getting back into the flow of normal...... Hallelujah!
Geez, this current HOT flash is awful right now! And was I the one that said I might consider taking this AI past five years?!? Did I actually say that??? And my hand was hurting so badly today from what I have self-diagnosed as Carpel Tunnel that I actually considered wearing my brace during daylight hours. I am definitely wearing it when I go to bed, which will be soon as I just realized what time it is.
Macatacmv ~ I agree, the loss of veggy is very sad...........
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Loral, my onc had a young assistant who was my main doc during chemo. Her motto was "live your life!" and it was good advice.0 -
thanks ladies! I appreciate the welcome! Need to stay her and play.
HNS, best news! I hate we continue to have to take all these health-related tests, but sure love it when the results are good news.
ELIMAR, you nailed it perfectly! 1 mx and chemo was enough the first time 17 years ago. No way I would consider recon and glad for that (wasn't pleased with the surgeon at that time and knowing what I know now, so grateful not to take that journey with him). Annual mammo August '12 was quite the shocker! Reconsider it my cancer do-over. Totally new primary (which I saw as good news compare to a recurrence - the odds are so very slim, so go figure! Wish it worked the same with the lottery!). This time, much better docs (mostly women as it turns out) and the process was to see them all docs prior to surgery. Hadn't really made up my mind about recon, but my PS's personality won me over, and that was one of the best decisions I made (the other being to opt for a mx over lumpectomy as there turned out to be a second smaller yet-undetectable spot of cancer lurking). Didn't completely realize how difficult the recon process has been, if I did, I might not have gone thru with it as I'm a total wimp, very squeamish, with a very low tolerance for pain. So much from my medical team, my BCO sisters, and I requested a "breast buddy" from my cancer center - they all helped get me thru where my family and friends have been of little help and support. The Anastrozole (Arimidex) issue: strange Gi issues: terrible cramping follow by an IMMEDIATE need to use the toilet plus even though my MO says he never heard heard if it, I would have huge cravings and the need to eat (almost a compulsion) to eat past 10 or 11 every night (and with that, of course, related weight gain). It was strangely awful! Never had that ever, even pregnant. Feel lucky to say I'm having few SE's from Tamoxifen, the most annoying is slight loss of memory...
Uh, so, was I saying.....0 -
macatacmv, great photo, so happy you enjoyed the trip! I was actually raised outside of NYC as a child, haven't been back in 45 years so nice to be reminded of my childhood. Wonderful your DD was your personal shopper!
Loral, thanks for the reminder!
Kat, your most important focus right now is you! Plenty of time to catch up later, I'm not going anywhere
Again, thanks for the welcome, Momine, Barsco and Valjean, nice to feel welcomed and accepted!
So, back to my BC journey. Yup, about 15+ years with a clumsy, bulky prosthesis. Don't get me wrong, during that time I preferred that method to recon. I had the greatest shop and form fitters but I have to admit it was also slightly depressing to not be able to walk into a store and just buy a bra, it was a small ordeal to have to go to PCP for check-up, medical authorization and then have a very limited selection. Plus, those dang forms were heavy, hot, sweaty, annoying and often times uncomfortable - couldn't wait to get home to get a load off my chest each day, literally! I grew accustomed to my "half-chest" over the years. Now, for years my DD needed Victoria's Secret for bras (very slim and well-endowed, she didn't get that from me!), she couldn't buy bras either from any old place (she's like a 28 DDD), I was a bit envious she got the pretty stuff and mine were more old, industrial and functional. So, I'm now just a year past 2nd mx/1st part of recon, had 2 other surgeries (exchange plus needed to remove excess skin/"mud flaps" from both underarms, not so much cosmetic as slight lymph fluid build up causing pain and manual lymph drainage to help ease the pain), and still needing PT as last surgery PS removed a considerable amount of scar tissue I'm told. My foobs (can't bring myself to call them breasts yet as they still don't quite feel like a part of me, I know that will come in time) feel soft and squishy, my PS never recommended massage and have finally formed a nice shape (last surgery she had to do pocket work and this caused a flat edge which has since shaped up quite nicely). PS is quite the perfectionist and we're both pleased with her work. (My only minor complaint is I wish she would have had me cross my arms over my chest to see how far I can reach as the incisions on my back actually extend about an inch past where I can reach to apply scar cream and my DH and DD are of no assistance here. Scars are healing nicely, except for the last inch! Ok, sorry probably TMI!). For me, beats the removable boobie! Just didn't have any idea the process would take over a full year (I'm sure I was told, I just didn't think it applied to me).
Sorry if I bored or lost anyone along the way!0 -
2nd, no, not boring. I actually find it quite interesting how differently everyone deals with the boob-loss. Lots of variables there.
Because I had a BMX, I don't need a prosthesis to "match" a remaining real boob. So when I wear fakes, I wear small, lightweight things (not silicone). I tried some different silicone things, but the weight of them would stretch the bra and the foobs would sort of creep below the bra band. I may be 50, but I will be damned if I wear foobs that make me look droopy
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hey, Momine, you're still young so I understand the non-droopy thing (at any age, really). Reading back over what I wrote, I hope it didn't come off as insensitive, was just trying to explain what I had gone thru. Since I was a full 38C/D and it was umx, I had to have them match, it was very obvious when I didn't wear the (heavy, bulky) form, and I was actually quite concave to boot! If I wore the lighter forms, they rode up my chest and I looked horribly imbalanced! I was a comedy-sketch in a swim suit! My PS said it would have been more difficult to match the 2nd umx/recon if I had recon years ago on the single one so I'm really glad about that decision. I finally look more normal (but smaller) than I did probably 20 years ago.
Momine, what part of the world do you live in? I vaguely remember reading something a while back but can't find it now. Just curious0 -
2nd, no, not insensitive at all.
We live in Greece, but I am actually Danish, and I also lived many years in the US.0 -
Welcome, 2TA!
Hooray HNS!
OK, I'm looking at that pic and all I can see is boobs.I'm sure they really aren't boobs, are they??????
What they don’t tell us, or we don't hear, about recon is amazing, isn't it?I took the info that recovery from DIEP was easier than from TRAM and turned it into recovery from DIEP was easy, boy did I deceive myself good!But I I am very, very happy with the results! Anything is better than the 48 DDDD on the right and nothing on the left thing. Talk about back aching! Hated the hot, heavy prosthesis that required a bra built by engineers.0 -
Oh my you girls are a chatty bunch. Is good to know that everyone is doing well for the most part.
hns - SO very happy for you that your MRI has come back clean! Yippee!
mac - A belated (or early) Happy Birthday. I tried to google Battery Park to see just what that pic is all about, but couldn't find any info on it in particular. I am sure that you are not the first (or the last) to stop and take a pic of whatever it is. Glad that you enjoyed your trip to NY - somewhere I would love to go someday.
DH is waiting for me so I better get a move on.....heading out for a walk in the bush before the rain hits. No sense looking for morals today- wrong time of year for that nonsense - lol
Happy Sunday everyone!0 -
All this recon/prosthesis boob talk reminds me of my experience over a year ago. I was invited to a very upscale wedding (I bought what I call "stripper shoes" and everything) and packed my dress, shoes, etc. among my protective equipment that I use for work (steel-toed shoes, jeans, vest) so that I could spend a glorious weekend frolicking on the other side of the country after working nearby. I had my mastectomy and TE placed in May, and let's just say lefty was in a pathetic non-boob state in June. But I suited up and stuffed a sock (never even did that in high school!) into my bra to try to even things out. My dress was not low cut, and I was horrified when I noticed, after the ceremony, that my stuffing creeped up my neck and almost out! In a panic, I teeter-tottered away to find the tiny bathroom at the church and readjust. I'm sure all umx-ers can relate!0 -
Staynsane, LOL, I call them hooker shoes. I also bought a pair this summer for a wedding.0 -
Staynsane ~ great story! It reminds me of what happened shortly after my bmx, had the TE's , no fills yet, it was summer and my three children all played softball/baseball. I never missed any of their games so here I am, the middle of summer, end of June, hot and humid, in the high 90's flat as a board and in a dilemma on what to wear to the game. I was still too sore to wear a bra or stuff so here I am walking to their games in a long sleeved wind breaker, all I kept hearing from the other parents (who didn't know about bmx) was boy aren't you hot??? Just kept saying NOPE as the sweat kept pouring down my face.
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Kat - how awful that you would have to suffer through the heat. I know some women are ok with going uneven in public. I have likened it to someone with an amputated arm, hand or leg. They don't always have a prosthetic to wear and it is completely acceptable. Why not go without a foob?
In the beginning thought that I would chose the reconstruction path. But after reading about how involved it could be and all of the surgeries that might be necessary without guaranteed success, I decided that half flat wasn't half bad. (no pun intended but it did work out nicely - lol) I am a small A cup so when wearing a t-shirt, it isn't really noticeable.0 -
Barsco, Thanks but back then, 19 years ago I didn't have any support like BCO I was pretty much on my own. I really didn't tell anyone but immediate family what was happening. I was also just a week or less post bmx so I was flat and just didn't want to deal with the staring. I was ok with the wind breaker and now looking back just smile.0 -
HnS, Just knew they wouldn't find anything in that head of yours (har-har!) Seriously, I am proud of you conquering your anxiety of these scans (even if that was half you/half Zanax) and I know you will be in a better frame of mind now, going into the holidays.
Mac, Ha! Those wacky New Yorkers! We've all heard of the twin towers, but who knew they had twin hooters in Battery Park.
Interesting to read through everyone's choices for recon. (or lack of.) I always said that I'd probably just go flat, if it came to that, but I still think I would want both sides to match and I don't think they do prophylactic Bmx just based on looks. So if I lost one, I might resort to a part-time foob if I wore something form fitting. In loose clothing, I'd be like Barsco with the difference not being all that noticeable. It's easy to speculate, but I really have no advance idea on what I would do. Having had just a little old lumpectomy (for 7mm tumor,) I have to say (using hip phrase of the moment) that recon. is not in my wheelhouse.
p.s. Momine cracks me up. Every now and then she says something so slang-y or so idiomatically American. That charms me, Mo!0 -
Anyone find a way to center the pictures we post yet? Mine always want to go flush left with the margin. My opening post is still a mess. I can't make a space between two pictures either. You all know I like my picture fun and this is driving me crazy, interfering with my OCD sense of visual balance.0 -
Eli, no idea, sorry!0 -
Momine, I was giving you a thumbs up! No need to apologize. Unless that is your humor, being much drier than I thought.0 -
Eli, lol, no just a misunderstanding. I was apologizing for not knowing how to center pictures.
Thank you for the compliment. A lot of people find that funny, apparently because my written English generally comes across as a bit prissy and uptight (probably because I am a little more careful than a native-speaker would be). Then when I use slang, it seems funny.0 -
Here are the hooker shoes (uncentered )
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Testing for Elimar
I don't think it worked
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I've tried various ways to line up pics side by side without success.
Sheila - Nice!!0 -
Can't center pics. Can only align either to the left or the right. But I was able to resize the test pic which I couldn't do yesterday.0 -
Momine ~ love the hooker shoes I bought a black pair last year for a Christmas Party!
Great pictures even if you can't center them.
The ocean pictures makes me miss Mexico my last vacation 3 years ago.0 -
ahh.....yes, Mexico! I've been in San Felipe since Nov 1 and loving every moment! Not looking forward to returning to CA for the pancreatic surgery in December......but at peace with it. Thee pic is our sunset at the San Felipe casa.
Welcome to the new ladies!
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I can only guess that the boobs in Battery Park are some sort cannon balls. I heard the whole story of how Battery Park was built to repel invaders. I can't remember which war. My DS is a military history major.
I don't know about the centering of the pictures. I am just happy when something shows up on the page. But have you noticed that there are little align boxes and indent in and out boxes. Do they work with pictures?
I for one am impressed with all the "work" you do, eli.
So all my text just got very small. I have to figure this out before going on.0 -
chacha - That sunset is amazing! I thought we had great ones here by the lake.0
