Ladies in their 30s
Comments
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Lia13 - Hang in there girl. Shari0707 mentioned wanting to hear from someone further down the line, so I thought I'd post.
I finished my treatment nearly two years ago, but reading your post Lia13 brought it all back. Just like you I wanted to know more, but it's hard for us to become experts in BC overnight! I think one of our problems is that Docs are now duty bound to warn us of potential side effects which then loom large in our imaginations. However, they don't have the time to explain likelihoods and complex physical processes, so we don't have a realistic context in which to slot this information...
Like you, I was horrified at the thought of having a hard lumpy breast after rads (I had 15 general and 5 boost). Obviuosly I can't speak for everyone, but my breast is just the same as the other one two years on (apart from the scar of course!). I know it's sometimes hard to be grateful, but I just thought to myself I'm lucky to still have a breast at all, so even if the tissue changes, at least it's still there! Often our fears are worse than the reality. Looking back that 10 months of treatment seems like a long distant memory, truly. It's all sort of condensed into a little blip - our minds are very good at remembering the important stuff and discarding the rest.
Don't forget, the treatment tires you out! Give yourself a break - I can assure you you will feel better, both physically and mentally, in time. Life goes on, and it's bloody brilliant. Grit your teeth and you'll get through it - it will get easier x
P.S. On a practical note, I would really recommend using aqueous cream every day while you're having radio. I am very fair skinned so they told me it was very likely my skin would be temporarily effected. I applied it every night and my skin was fine - the nurses seemed surprised! Good luck ;-)
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You know, it really ticked me off on the TV show Today, they had a speaker talking about BC, and said, women really don't need a mammo until 50 years old!!!! what a shocker and just had to share that....
She also stated about prostrate, they just got on the market, a chemo drug for this, said, its not actually to cure, but what got me was, the cost for one treatment was $97,000.00, OUCH, don't even think insurances would cover that...just had to give you guys an FYI.
hugs
Ter
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Ter, funny you mention what was said on the today show. I'm in Australia and just now a TV commercial was advertising mammo's for over 50 as this is the age that it 'hits' more and more towards 70plus...ummm really.!! they should come on here we are living BC and we are well and truely under the age of when mammos are needed hey...makes me furious!
ahh vent over...lol
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i am currently 33 but found my cancer at 26, dx at 27. i have had two kids after cancer and all the treatments.
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Anyone in this group on tamoxifen? I've been on it for 3 weeks now. It's difficult to be 34 and in this menopausal state. It's getting me down.
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miss302 - your story gives me so much hope. I too am TN, just finished chemo almost 5 wks out and have completed 8 of 25 rads. I was pregnant when diagnosed and I wonder will I ever have any more children, or even live to see my daughter grow up. To see you are 6 years out & had 2 children post tx gives me great hope. Thank you so much for sharing xx
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Hi, Everyone--
New to the forum and wanted to post a quick note to say hello! I'm 39 years old and was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in November of 2012. I have no family history of cancers, let alone breast cancer. I am an otherwise healthy young woman who thought she pulled a muscle in her chest. My tumor was HUGE: 7 cm X 4.2 cm. I did 5/6 rounds of TAC chemotherapy and had a rare pulminary reaction to the chemotherapy treatment. The possibility of another reaction to the TAC outweighed the benefit of the final round of chemo, so I was sent for surgery. I had a double mastectomy just a few weeks ago on April 29, 2013. My tumor was still greater than 4 cm, but the surgical oncologist said that it was "dead" and "dried up". The pathology demonstrated that less than 1% of the tumor was viable cancer and was identified as "cells" in the report. 23 lymphnodes were taken and ZERO were identified as viable cancer. I'm awaiting physical and occupational therapy and radiation. I also elected to go forward with reconstruction and have skin expanders in currently.
So far I'm playing the harp and the Native American flute every day to keep ahead of the pain, help with breathing, relaxataion, and to stay ahead of lymphademia of which I have no current symptoms. Things I'm looking forward to are farm chores and riding my bike.
I'm looking foward to meeting and chatting with everyone.
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Doragirl sorry you're stuck in menopausal. I took tamoxifen and had to stop. In the time I stopped and before I could have my ovaries removed I had a major bone met develope. I know it sucks,but hang in there. I'm on femara and the hot flashes are way worse. I wish I could have stayed on tamoxifen. You can do it. My friend only has 6 months left of her 5 years worth. She started at 34 also. It's crappy that we even have to deal with this mess. Some days just bite. So thanks for ranting here. I wish I knew how to cheer you up, so here is a big hug and a smile. Chin up you've made this far.
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Hi
I am 36 and just diagnosed with cancer, though my biopsy reports r not back yet still my doc says it is cancer. I am totally shattered as I have 2 small kids 3 and 5. Just don't know what I'm gonna do0 -
Seebha - so sorry you have to be here. I was 37 at diagnosis, with a then almost 2 year old and 4 year old. I remember the shock and fear. The beginning is so hard. But almost one year later and through the bulk of my treatment, I can tell you that it gets easier. Right now you need to focus on getting your questions answered and making the best plan you can with your doctor. Try to remember - one step and one day at a time. All the ladies on these boards are here to help you too. Good luck and big hugs.
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Seebha, sorry you are here. Ramois is absolutely right. You will get through this. It's not fun, but you will get through this. We pull together the strength we need, when we need it. I am 38, separated with a 6 and a 9 year old. It's been a difficult road. Rally your support around you - friends, family. And learn to ask for help. Take all the help you need right now and remind yourself to focus on you for now, while you go through this. Kids are amazingly resilient. My boys are great at taking care of me for their age. Absolute sweethearts. You will get through this and one day, this will just be a bad memory.
xo
curly0 -
Seebha- I feel for you. Ill never forget that day this past November when I was sitting in office at mammogram center hearing the radiologist say in the other room "look at this area and she's under 40". I was by far the only one "under 40" sitting waiting for results. So I knew it was me. That being said, pathology was much better than they lead me to believe it was going to be that day. I didn't know that for a few weeks so the waiting was hard. I still had to do something about it but don't let your mind wander farther than it should. Even 6 fast months later things are do much better. It was a week after my 37 th birthday and have sweet children 9,7,4. They are amazing and handle things better than us adults. I do kiss them extra long at night now though!
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Hi everyone. I'm new to the discussion boards and wanted to introduce myself. I'm 34 years old and was diagnosed in April. I have young kids (ages 2 and 4) who are my entire world so I'm ready to fight like crazy to be here for them! Had BMX in May and scheduled to start chemo on Monday! It's been a whirlwind so far but I'm thankful to have found other women my age to chat with. I wish you all well and look forward to getting to know you all!
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Hi Rachel.. I am 31
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Hi Rachel
i too was diagnosed at 34 with one child aged almost 3 at the time0 -
Hi girls! I don't think I posted here before. Im 33, Diagnosed February, had bilateral mastectomy on 3/22 and am currently on round 3 of 4 A/C treatments and then I move on to weekly Taxol and Herceptins for a clinical study I'm in for Herceptin for her2 "low" patients. Rachel, it looks like we have very similar stats!
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I have a 1 1/2 year old daughter named Harper and I will kick this cancer's ass so I can be around to bug her to get mammograms starting at 20!!
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Nice to "meet" you ladies!
JennaJMU, we do have very similar stats. I am actually considering joining that same clinical trial as my Her2 was 2+.
I was supposed to start chemo on Monday but I'm having a last minute desire for a second opinion...just so that I feel 100% confident. I really like my MO and trust him but I have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I should get a second opinion just to be sure. My husband thinks I'm crazy. But it should only delay the start of chemo another 2 weeks so I think it's worth it for peace of mind.
Did anyone else get a second opinion on their treatment plan?0 -
I did.. Made me feel better that they both recommended the same plan...and never spoke to each other
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Thanks Shari0707!!! I think they will say the same thing as well and that'll just give me such peace of mind.
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What's their plan for u
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4 cycles of AC and 12 cycles of Taxol.
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That's what is recommended for me too. With our similar stats, it's good to see the docs are on the same page treatment wise. Where are you being treated?
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Einstein Montgomery. How about you?
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Penn State Milton Hershey
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Hi!! 35, tn and start chemo Wednesday. Ac and taxol. Anyone have any good advice or things I must pick up on my shopping list??
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Good luck to all you ladies starting chemo. My main advice is to take the meds when the nurses tell you to. Don't wait to see if you feel sick. I always made sure to have Apple sauce and dry cereal - like Kix and cheerios around. And if you get a craving for a particular food - go for it. Also - hydrate, hydrate, hydrate (and when you think you've drank enough - drink some more!). Finally - don't be afraid to ask for help and treat yourself to as many naps and lie downs as you need. This is the time to focus on you. Chemo is doable. You'll get through. Good luck and lots of hugs!
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Thx.
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What precautions should I take during chemo specially with kids? Am I going to be in bed all the time during chemo or can I drive and do the normal things of my life
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seebha - it will all depend on how you react to chemo to be honest. I kept up with most of my normal life - except that I'd take 2ish days around treatments to not do much of anything except lounge. I did stop going with my kids to the pediatrician. Made my husband do that, as it just didn't seem like a smart thing to do. And he also went with them to any birthday parties that were full of kids and their germs. But for the most part - I continued to drive my kids if I was sticking local around town - school and errands. If we were taking longer drives, I turned the responsibility over to my husband. Mostly because you really should force yourself to slow down and rest up. At home - I stopped eating food off their plate that they hadn't finished and I stopped letting them try things from my fork or cup. If they were sick, no lips kisses. My husband pitched in a lot in terms of dealing with the 2am sniffles and sneezes so I could avoid the germs. But I did my part. I got one cold during chemo and it lasted about a month. My oncologist basically told me to live my life. Just do what I normally do, but remember to rest. And if you wind up feeling like you need to be in bed a lot - invite them in for snuggle with some books. My 5-year loved to come lie down with me when I was resting. They are more resilient about this than we are. You'll get through. Good luck!
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