Ladies in their 30s
Comments
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I was diagnosed one month before my 35 birthday; I discovered the lump while on my honeymoon. I am now a one year survivor. I did lumpectomy followed by four weeks of radiotherapy then 10 months of Tamoxifen, which I stopped last week because I want to try to get pregnant. I have to admit that stopping Tamo is keeping me nervous!
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Hi Carol, congrats on your 1 yr n many more!!!!0 -
Ladies,
May I join you here? I was diagnosed at the age of 40 (last year; now 41), but the wonderful ladies on the 40-60 (middle aged women) thread are mostly retired and have no small children at home. I work and have 8-year old twins. I feel that I fit better on this thread. I apologize if I am intruding. I was diagnosed last year with Stage II BC, but am by no means a newbie to BC since my mother has been fighting this disease since 1992. (I was only 20 at the time she was diagnosed and she was 45). She was diagnosed at Stage Ia, and went to Stage IV in 2001. She is still alive after 12 years with Stage IV disease, and doing as well as can be expected. I am at that point in my treatment where I am supposed to be able to leave it behind me, but I can't. I just wanted to introduce myself, and I hope I am not intruding.0 -
welcome youngturk, 41 yrs old, you are young. i was diagnosed about a month before my 39 bday. I have 2 kids-boy 11 and girl 8. somehow this thread seems to be quiet too. I dont see that many girls come here that often anymore. I guess they all have busy schedule with work n kids. Hugs!!!0 -
Hi Soriya,
Thanks for responding. I am so sorry you got diagnosed a month before your 39th birthday. I wish health to you, first and foremost. Perhaps we can get the thread going again for all of us younger ladies, whether or not we have young children, and support each other.0 -
Young, I kno that one thing that scared me a bad memory when my 40th bday coming up next yr. yes i hope the girls come back here again and have this thread going again.0 -
hi ladies! I agree would love to get thread going again. Welcome young! Sorry you have to be here but it's a great group for support.
I also have two young kids. Ages 2 and 4.
I'm in the final weeks of my chemo. Only 3 treatments left and then on to radiation. I can't believe my whole summer was spent in the chair! Crazy. But so glad it's almost over.
Hope everyone is doing well. I for one cannot wait for my hair to grow back. I'm so tired of wigs and scarves and just want my hair back!0 -
Hi Rachel, sad summer for me too. i usually go camping and travel during summer with my husband n my two kids, but not this summer due to my treatment. I will have my TCH #5 tomorrow, not looking fwd to it at all. i will be tired n no appetite at least 6 or 7 days. Every treatment i feel so sad n depress. I will have one more TCH #6 the end of Oct, then surgery. And 1 yr of herceptin. Talking about surgery I am still debating if should go with MX or LX. Hard decision.... (Hugs to all young moms)!!!0 -
Hi All - I keep this thread on my radar and would love to see it more active. I was diagnosed at 37. At that time I had a 4 year old and 2 1/2 year old. It's been one year and four months since my diagnosis and I feel as though I am finally nearing the end of my journey. Next week I'll have my last herceptin treatment. It will be weird to walk out of that infusion suite for the last time. For those of you still in the thick of active treatment - I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I remember when I was in it I didn't think I'd ever see it. I was like you soriya - i'd get pretty down during my treatments. But I made it. Hope you all feel as good as you can. Rest up!0 -
Hi Ramol, Thank you for taking time to come back here. how are you feeling right now? How do feel knowing that you are no longer have anymore treatmen?0 -
soriya - hope your # 5 TCH goes well! Strangely, I found 5&6 mostly easier than the first four . . .
Hugs!0 -
thank you Mckathrine, i hope so too. i took steriod med around 5pm now i cant sleep.0 -
Soriya - physically I feel pretty darn good compared to where I was this time last year! I'm able to run around and play with my kids, go out and do stuff all weekend long without being utterly exhausted, and I'm back to my regular work schedule that includes commuting into NYC once a week. Between the two surgeries and radiation I have some residual shoulder, range of motion issues, but am getting some PT for that and feeling it work itself out bit by bit. Mentally - well, you know how it goes. Some days good some days bad. I'm simultaneously thrilled and terrified to be nearing the end. As much as I hate going to the center, it is comforting to know I've been so closely watched by so many doctors for so long. To have that security blanket taken away is a bit scary. But I'm hoping it should be liberating in some way. And mostly - I'm just thrilled to be here and able to get back to mostly myself, or whatever this new norm is. I try to take pleasure in the simply daily things in life - just appreciating that I'm here to see them. Even a trip to the ER to get my 3 year old's forehead glued up after a bad spill this weekend was kind of like a joy for me. To be able to be here to experience that parental rite of passage - when I very possibly could have missed it... I just try to "find my happy" every day to remind myself that the fight for the past year and change was well worth it. Chin up!0 -
Hi Ramols, i heard a lot about women get depress and scared when their treatment is over for at least 1 to 2 years. I guess that normal or it depend on individual. But since we have small kids maybe we dont have much time to be depres that long I HOPE. Yes scared that will be on the back of our head, hopefully it will go away in time. sorry to hear aboutyour 3 yrs old ER trip, I hope evrything ok.
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Hi Soriya,
You are nearing the end of your infusions; there is definitely a light at the end of this tunnel. It has been almost exactly one year for me since diagnosis. Since I am no longer on chemo, there are actually times I find it more disconcerting than being in active treatment. I saw you were struggling between mx and lx. This is of course a very personal decision. However, for me, I went with bilateral mastectomy (one of which was supposed to be prophylactic). And guess what - they found DCIS in the "prophylactic" breast. (And I had two tumors in the invasive cancer breast as well as extensive DCIS). Mammo, sono, MRI and PET scans did not pick up the DCIS in the prophylactic breast. So, I was so happy that I had both removed. In my opinion, as much as technology helps us, sometimes it fails. I think we all have to make our decisions based on what we will regret more. If you do not go for a mastectomy, and you get a new primary in that breast, will you regret not having removed it? Or, will you regret more removing the breast now, and living with implants or other reconstruction method (if you choose to have reconstruction)?0 -
Hi Rachel,
My hair started growing back one month after my last chemo infusion. You are almost there!0 -
Ladies,
I also want you to know all the decisions I made with respect to my health were colored by what happened to my mother. She went from Stage Ia to Stage IV. She had an initial primary in one breast. She had mx and full axillary dissection. Then, four years later she had a second primary in the other breast. (Both were Stage Ia). Then, she had a mx and full axillary dissection. Both of her tumors were less than 0.5 cms. Then, four years later, the cancer came back metastatic to the bone. At the time she had her mastectomies, she was told she did not need chemo, and that she would never have to worry about this disease again. So, I am a believer in aggressive treatment. We also hit her Stage IV cancer very aggressively, and she has been living with it for over 12.5 years. I am also a believer in using both conventional and complementary methods. So, what I believe in may not be exactly the right decision for everyone. But I wanted everyone to know what my background is, and why I made the decisions I made. Also, my mom and I are negative for BRCA mutations. My mom was tested before I was diagnosed, and when she came out negative, she was told, it was probably a random BC that she got and not related to genes. Of course, this also put me into a false sense of security. Now, my onc says our BC is definitely genetic, just not a mutation that has been discovered yet.0 -
Hi Ramols,
I also try very hard to focus on the positive, and do feel extremely fortunate for all the good things in my life. I even feel fortunate that I had access to treatment, where many others do not. Every day is so precious. It is very hard to find a silver lining for cancer, but if there is one, for me, it is the realization that I cannot waste my days as they will, some day, come to an end.0 -
HI Young, I have no BC family history.MY mom is 68 yrs old. MY dad is 80 no cancer. My older sisters 45 n 50 yrs of age doing well no cancer (knock on wood))...unforturnately i am the unlucky one. BC out of no where. i have my mine set in MX, i heard a lot about MRI n pet scan can did not pick up small size tumors. But i am nervous about the recovery n infection.0 -
Excuse me breaking in here, but we are looking to show your faces, names and quotes at our fundraising event in October (www.rockforbreastcancer.org), and would love your help. This event is one of our largest fundraisers of the year and we'll be joined by hundreds of generous donors.
Specifically, we will have two projector screens up during the event, and want to show the people attending the event YOUR faces--- the women of our community, the women who use and rely on BCO ! Having the opportunity to share your photos and quotes that night will reinforce to our donors, in a meaningful and personal way, just how vitally important their contributions are to our community.
For this, we are looking for people willing to share a photo of themselves (either alone or with family, friends, pets, other BCO members, etc.), allow us to use your first name, say where you are from (it can be from anywhere in the world!), and give us a quote on how important BCO is to you. We are looking to have at least 40 people and have (only) a few weeks to work on this.
If you are interested, could you please email Melissa at mjenkins@breastcancer.org, with your photo, first name, where you live, and your quote? Also, PM us if you have any questions!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping us!!
Melissa0 -
Soriya,
We are young, and many of us were otherwise healthy prior to diagnosis. I think there is a small risk of infection (about 1% to 2% of cases). I recuperated really fast from my bilateral mx. Now, is it a walk in the park? No. I am still vascillating between being happy about and regretting the fact that I had reconstruction. Honestly, most of my issues after my bilateral mx stemmed from reconstruction rather than removal of tissue. (No major issues; more in the discomfort vein). For instance, I had tightness of the chest after tissue expander placement, and initially, I did not like how the tissue expanders (and then the implants) felt in my body. However, I am also happy that when I woke up from my bilateral mx, there was something in the place of where my breasts had been, and it was not very hard for me to have lost my breasts as a result. Sometimes, it is still hard to sleep with the implants (except on my back). Whatever decision you make, I really hope that it will be the right decision for you. Do what feels right to you, and then do not look back or second guess. I think deep down we all know what is the right decision for each of us. For me, at this young age and with two small children, fighting cancer as aggressively as possible was more important than anything else; and that is why I went with the bilateral mastectomy, and do not regret that decision for a single second.
Young Turk0 -
Hi all, I was diagnosed summer 2013 ,had double mastectomy at my birthday! sep. 17th. and i turned 37 at that day.My pre op diagnosis with a core biopsy and MRI and ultra sound and Mammo was DCIS. my Post op diagnosis is IDC stage II invasive BC.guess no one saw that 2.2 cm cancer there.I was being monitored each 6 months by a very good surgeon for the past 6 years, she just missed my cancer...so I lost that precious time and gonna have my first visit with Oncologist this friday . I am a stay home mom of 2 , have a 4 years old daughter and 13 year old son.I did not see any newbie here,any 2013 diagnosis? i'm really worried that a whole body scan put me on satage IV all of sudden.since the first diagnosis was DCIS. my doctor did not order any other screening.I'm just so sad because of my daughter who constantly asks why cant you be the old mom who was very different??? I still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. may be if they confirm my stage things get easier.... please pray for me.0 -
Hi Setizand,
I am so sorry that you had to face a BC diagnosis, and had to have your double mastectomy on your birthday. I hope your scans all come back clear. As you can see in this thread; my mother has been Stage IV for over 12 years and she is still living a really good quality of life. So, even Stage IV breast cancer can be treatable and manageable. But I truly hope that it never ever gets there, and each and every scan you get is clear. My diagnosis was really hard on my kids too, especially because my family does not live near me, and my husband works in a different state! So, through it all, there were many moments when I was entirely by myself, and my children were very upset about my situation but I could not be there for them; I was barely there for myself. Now that I am through treatment, they are feeling much better. You will get there too; and do not feel guilty about anything. If we do not take care of ourselves first, we cannot take care of anyone else.
Young Turk0 -
HI Setizan. this cancer is suck, why we always had to find out around our birthday? Our birthdays is supposed to be the happiest day of our lives but now when our bday is here will only remind us of those scary memmories. I pray for you come back with a clear scan. Most likely will be a clear scan. I want to go back to be n old mom too. Before i was diagnosed with cancer i was very active person, always take my kids to places biking n hiking with my husband. Now i just stayed home i didnt go anyway beside take my kids to school n groceries shopping. I would go to my in law places sometime so my kids can spend time with their cousins(they very close). (hugs)0 -
TCH #5 today, already hit me, barely can eat anything. Will get my shot tomottow morning.
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So sorry Soriya. This too shall pass. I was not on TCH, but I was on ACT. But AC destroyed my entire digestive tract. I also could not eat anything. Even tomato, honey etc. burned me. I only ate bread, mashed potatoes, yogurt, literally. This too shall pass. You are very close to the end of the tunnel.0 -
I just turned 34 yesterday! I know odds are against me, but I'm determined to have many more birthdays!!! I would love to have a 40th!!0 -
Happy belated birthday Bethcon and many many more!!!!0 -
Young TurkNY
Thank you for the very heart warming post,I already feel better reading it.Hope you and your Mother have a long healthy Happy life.and it is very nice to know you.
Soriya 123
First I should say we live really close ,OH my God,I'm from IRVINE.So happy,then I want to say Thank you for giving me hope.I feel blessed to have sisters like you guys.
Love you all-Setizand0 -
Young, yes one more to go, then will be herceptin only.0
