CALLING ALL STAGE I SISTERS
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Welcome, Michgreg. I was just 40 when I was diagnosed. I know how it feels to be "young" with BC. You aren't ready to slow down your life for this, but then who is? Also not easy to deal with when you have a relationship in turmoil (I know). If nothing else, dig deep inside and pull all your strength together to show that you can't be kept down. Please post your dx so those who have been through this with the same dx can give you specific advice. Best wishes as you start this journey.0
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Don't have a lot of time to try and catch up today. Just wanted to pop in and let everyone know today is my one year cancerversary today. Not doing anything special. Hope everyone has a great day.
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Michgreg, I start rads tomorrow. (the storm destroyed the power in the rads building for the first 2 days) I felt that I destroyed everything. I was so upset, I told everyone to buzz off, took pain pills after lumpectomy which sent me sleep walking at 3:30 in the morning (an old habit) and fell down the stairs fracturing a facial bone) Ihad to have surgery.I have to move because of no $ and my whole co was laid off. But guess what! I'm mended, I'm getting some money from the state, I'll look for a job and I apologized to my family. It will get better. I force myself to see my friends. Being outside or cleaning the house at least one room works for me. Plus reading a Lot! If there is anything you liked to do as a child, do it now. Give yourself a break. My daughter told me not to worry about dating or getting married again, because "you already done it enough, Mom" Brat.
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HI GIRLS....i'M NOW 2 WEEKS POST OP AND AM GOING IN TO HAVE DRAINS REMOVED THIS AFTERNOON. i'M A WRECK....I'VE SAILED (SORT OF) THROUGH THIS FIRST STAGE, BUT NOW I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THE NEXT PART. i HAVE MY FIRST ONCO APPT TOMORROW AND IT JUST GIVES ME CHILLS TO THINK OF IT. I'M SOOOO TIRED OF THINKING AND FEELING ALL THIS...DOES IT EVER GO AWAY (at least for a little while??) I JUST KEEP TALKING TO MYSELF ABUT STAYING POSITIVE AND TAKING LOTS OF DEEP BREATHS. WISH ME LUCK!!
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Thinking of you maryclaire and hoping all goes well. Believe it or not there will come a time when you will have days that you don't think of it quite as often. I know it doesn't seem like it now but it will come. {{{{hugs}}}}
michgreg sending big hugs and a welcome your way. Gosh I am so sorry for anyone that has to become a member here but very glad you did find this wonderful group of ladies. They are just about the most awesome bunch of women I have ever had the pleasure to "meet". When you are feeling down or have questions someone here will be able to help you out. {{{{hugs}}}}
Sheila can't wait for you to get back home.
Ducky and granny so glad both of you are doing great!! Many prayers sent up for the both of you and all the other east coasters.
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maryclaire: Hi, you said you "sailed" through the first part. You probably felt pretty unsettled and upset until you knew exactly what your surgical plan was. You'll find that to be true throughout the whole process. The uncertainty is difficult and that's what you're feeling again now - you don't know what's going to happen at the oncology appointment. I'll bet once that plan is in place, no matter what it is, you'll actually be feeling better. I've read this over and over on these threads and it was true for me.....once a plan is in place you feel much more able to cope with it all.
Hang in there - you can do this!!!
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DUCKY----we must have posted at the same time yesterday...Gosh i was real scared....more for you then me actually.LADY LUCK was finally on your side.
JO JO----A big congrats on you ONE YR....hate that word but i wish you my dear sista many many more cancer free yrs...
Mich-the sistas ssaid it all.We are here for you...
Same goes for MaryClaire...It does get better...Both of you hang in there and hang with us.YOU BOTH CAN DO IT AND YOU WILL!!!!!!!!!
Miss you Sheila...
Thank you again sistas for all your good wishes and prayers.It helped knowing you were all praying for me/us/everyone on the East coast.
God bless.Hugggggggs K
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michgreg((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))) This is a great safe place to be with others who understand how you feel. Crying is good. Ask any questions you want and someone here will answer.
Granny and Ducky glad you both are OK and back on the boards. You were missed, it is not the same around here without you.
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Something to celebrate, Jo, so I baked you a cake...sort of.
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Meece - Thanks for the cake - it looks Yummy!
Maryclaire - I really does get better. It may not seem like it right now. Once you are finished with treatment and the doctor appts slow down to almost nothing it will seem strange for a little while.
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Hi everyone,
I haven't posted here on the stage 1 site yet. I'm stage 1 (to the best of my knowledge - doc doesn't do pet scans which as I understand it is frequently the standard of practice). I am finished with the very difficult early stages of not knowing what I'm dealing with, to a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, just finished chemo, and I assume soon to start tamo. I feel like I can read the stats and certainly I feel lucky we are stage 1. But even though unlikely I seem focused on the opposite stats of moving to stage 4. I love this site, but I click on a topic and it's a stage 4 topic and I didn't realize and I'm right back there, worried about distant metastasis. How do you guys go about enjoying this site without allowing your mind to creep over to stage 4? I really appreciate your thoughts and support.
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bcisnofun, please forgive me for asking, and don't answer if you don't care to, but our diagnoses were very, very similar. Was there a reason your MO suggested chemo for you? Did you do an oncotype score? My MO said no chemo with an oncotype of 15, and I do wonder about it.
To answer your question, of course I do wonder what will happen to me and my family if the bc comes back and/or goes distant. In the end though, thinking about that distracts me from the job of fighting this right now, and also from the happy task of living. I have a good friend who is a nine year survivor and she said it takes a good long while before you start each day thinking about bc. Happily she did get there, and she said to let time do its healing.
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Hi SAB - thanks for your thoughts. I agree with you and need to try to get myself to follow suit. I can't wait for the day that it doesn't really take over so much of my mind. My oncotype was 12. I know most info says if under 18, no chemo. My doc is a brain cancer survivor himself, so I think he tends to fall on the treat it agressively side. My 12 equates to an 8% chance of distant metastasis, and from the modeling it seems I might be able to get at least a couple more % our of chemo. He said if I were older, or had a heart problem, no way. But because I'm 45, and otherwise healthy, he thinks the benefit outweighs the risks. It was a very hard decision. I've gone back and forth on whether or not it was the right one. I'm bald and still recovering from my last treatment, so right now, I'm probably on the side that it was not a great decision. But maybe once I'm feeling better, I'll feel like it was the right one. Thanks so much for your post/reply
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Congratulations Jo. I dont know how to post pictures on this lap-tap.
Welcome to All new sisters.
Maryclaire.....I will be back this Friday and we can discuss our similar DX.
(((HUGS)))
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Sheila -Hope you are having a wonderful time. This has been quite a day for me.
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Ladies...............I know i sound like a broken record, but you ladies are the best............the love I feel coiming right through my computer is overwhelming................when I sometimes feel alone, and down, I come here, and all becomes ok again.................I mean I don't know how I would have gotten through these last months without you all.
Granny, I worried for you too, and I'm so glad your ok..............we really did kind of dodge the bullet, almost like the good Lord put his hand down into the center of the hurricane, and steered it away from us..............God is good......................hugs to my best friends.
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(((DUCKY)))
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just wondering if anyone is missing?????you know me Ducky...im like you I NEED SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT!!!!!!.
Im gratefull too.God is good.Thanks again from another broken record.Where would we be without each other?I would probably be in the nut house by now....
God bess everyone for everything.hugggggggs K
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Hi Everyone...
What is an oncotype??? Maybe I'll learn more tomorrow at the onco appt., but ya'll talk about oncotype of 12-18. Explain, please.
Thanks for all the hugs and well wishes. It really does help to know you are all out there!!
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Welcome to the new ladies to the thread... sorry you have to be here, but we open our arms to you and give you big (((((hugs)))).
Maryclair, the oncotype test is done using the cancer tissues from your pathologist. They send a section off to be tested to see what the markers are. The lower the number usually means that no chemo is needed. This all depends upon the Onc dr.
JO, Thanks for inviting us to your 1st cancerversary! Hooray!
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My NAme is Karen and I Have stage1, had lumpectomy on 8/25 along with a node removal. Waiting for results but thanks to Hurricane Irene they are unable to be in the Dr's. offiice. I believe i am going to have radiation but may need chemo, not sure what the test need to show for chemo. Is it if the node is not clean and something about margins?
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Karen, if there is node involvement generally speaking chemo is done. If no nodes are involved, there is a test called oncotype test that can be done on the tumor to see what the odds of recurrence might be. The lower the score, the less likely chemo would be required. My oncotype # was high @ 42 so I had chemo.
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karensimone: Hi Karen, I hope you get some answers soon. Believe it or not things will likely get easier once you're underway. Sometimes the waiting and wondering is more stressful than treatment, when you actually feel like you're making some headway.
Keep us posted!!!
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karensimone - Welcome to the club no one wants to be a member of. You have found the best bunch of ladies on the planet. The waiting in this game is the worst and things will get easier once you have all the information you need to make good decisions. Don't let anyone rush you into doing something you are not comfortable with. Hang out with us and ask all the questions you want, come to vent, cry, or for a good laugh. We are all here for you. (((HUGS)))
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Karensimone and Maryclaire, as has been said before, if there is node involvement it will usually mean chemo. Being a Triple negative, my onc said I would definitely benefit from chemo. So the stage and grade of your cancer play a big part in determining your treatment. TNs (Triple negs) don't usually have an oncotyoe done. My age also played a big part in the decision for chemo. At 40, the drs felt it was giving me the best chance for non-recurrence.
Chemo is no walk in the park, but it is doable, and it doesn't have to mean you'll be house bound or bedridden. It just means you are fighting the fight with as many weapons as you can.
Best wishes as you make this journey. At least you know that you are not alone.
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I was dx at 39, had BMX with no node involvement. My oncotype was 19 putting me in the low to intermediate chance for reaccurance, but because of my age and the gray area of reaccurance score I also had chemo.
Meece is right, chemo is no fun, but you do get through it and it provides, atleast for me, the thoughts that I have done everything I can to make sure that phase in my life was a one trip deal. Good luck.
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GIRLS...
Had my Onco appt today.....and I still don't know what course of action needs to be taken. Apparently, not enough pathology (ie, Oncotype, FISH and DNA) testing was done, so now I have to wait for 2 more weeks for results to know how to proceed. Dr also wants a PET Scan done. As you can imagine, I'm disappointed and frustrated that I have no definitive answer and have to wait another two weeks. I WANT ANSWERS NOW!! But on the up side.....I'm hopeful that all testing will come back and the answer will be....NO CHEMO NEEDED. It could happen???
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maryclaire - Our diagnosis are very similar and I did not have chemo. My MO did not even do an Oncotype DX test. He made his decision based solely on my biopsy path report. I do not regret my decision. I feel he is the expert and yes, he did lay out all my options. I know the waiting is the hardest part and reallly sucks.0
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welcome all to you who are new....it bums me out for I want for a day where there are no new diagnoses.....anyhow....the fear becomes liveable, some days I freak out, some days I actually forget about it for awhile. It hit me hard a couple of months ago...I call it the WTF wall....it all crashed on me and I freaked out.
Jo- I have been all over theplace doing things I put off ever since this whole thing started...so glad you hit the one year mark...and thank you for thinking of me buddy:) Next up fo rme is fatgrafting surgery for my new boobs next wednesday....I swear..before BC I had come to some conclusions: 1) no new boobs-live with mine the way they were 2) no tattoos 3) no liposuction...ahem....so now I have new boobs, will have lipo to suck out fat to fillout new boobs and then in a few weeks get tattoos to make the areolas! I mean REALLY Hahahahah life is funny when you think about it. I guess I should just o ahead now and dye my hair blonde now since I said I would not ever do that again......
hurry home SHelia.....we miss ya)))) but happy you are having fun
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annette - Just be sure to wear something with deep pockets on Wednesday. I think it is going to get pretty crowded in there - don't be startled if you hear a party going on in there - LOL! Amazing all the crap we have to go through and still able to maintain some sense of humor. Miss seeing you here - come back more often. Oh! Forgot to ask - what time should we be ready to go with you?
((((((((((((((((((((((((((ANNETTE))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
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