Any 40-ish survivors?
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Meegan - I am so sorry. God, that just sucks. I can't remember - was this is the same breast that you had the earlier cancer? Hopefully you have caught it very early.
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yes, same breast. Different quadrant, so BS does not think it is a recurrance, rather a separate occurance, that is why she is recommending a mast now. Just trying to read here on the recon info before I look at any threads.
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Meegan...I am so sorry ....I really thought we would hear it was scar tissue or something else and was hoping,hoping that would be it. Please keep us posted and I know you have much to decide...please know we are here if you need us...
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Meegan - am I so sorry. Sending you {{{HUGS}}}. We are here for you, let us know what we can do to help.
With regards to MX and reconstruction, that is such an individual choice, and you are correct, a few decisions need to be made in a short time. After you meet with your doctor to discuss what needs to be done to fight the cancer, the best thing to do is to see a plastic surgeon, who will work with your breast surgeon, as soon as you can to find out what options are available to you. Not everyone is a candidate for DIEP or TRAM. It was not an option for me, so I had to make a decision on whether to start the implant process with my BMX or wait. My PS said for me the best results would be to place TEs when I did the BMX and not do the immediate reconstruction with the Alloderm. So I went with TEs until I got to the size needed and then exchanged for saline implants. I did not do nipples and see no need for tattoos at this time. But that is me. I will also need a revision on my non-cancer side soon (I am slightly lopsided and don't want to wear a bra all the time to hide the fact). Revisions are not uncommon from what I have read.
I believe whipplemom on the Exchange forum has a list of good plastic surgeons for implant reconstruction if you need help looking for one in your area.
I know others have done different types of reconstruction. Definitely look at the NOLA thread.
Once again, I am so sorry this is happening to you.
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ugh! A new cancer?! You're still on Herceptin, aren't you? I'm so sorry, Meegan. Take your time with your decisions. We're here.
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Thanks, I will look at NOLA thread, what does NOLA stand for anyway? Besides New Orleans?
Anyway, it seems since I had Rads already I might not be a candidate for implants, only own tissue. Meeting with PS on Monday, so will see what he says. Will be reading here over the weekend, looking at the threads, have to leave now to go to wake...
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Meegan - Betsy (aka bdavis) would be a great person to connect with. She is on this thread also and I believe she went to NOLA (Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans) for her reconstruction. From what I have read it is considered by many the best place for reconstructive breast surgery.
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Oh crap Meegan!!! Kind of takes your breath away when you hear those words again...
I had BMX with TE and implants...whippetmom is a great resource if you are looking at implants...NOLA would be my choice for any surgery using your own tissue (I have been thinking when it is time to swap out my implants going for DEIP). make sure you research each procedure if you want to use your own tissue as each has it's own risks and possible complications.
sending hugs of peace and calming for the weekend...
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Hi Everyone,
Thinking of all you ladies tonight. I will be on my way to visit some very old friends tomorrow. I will not have access to the web until late tomorrow...I will check on you girls. Thought I would share ....I just had my eyes checked and had to get a stronger prescription...which means now I can't see to type with contacts...so it is readers with contacts---- glasses when not wearing contacts...except when reading ...then glasses off no contacts... How old am I again???
Will keep thinking of Meegan...I know things will be ok..just have to get through this part first...One of the girls somewhere on here...think she's on the 5 year and out thread for stage 3 --her motto is FISTS Up..so that's my mindset tonight..FISTS Up !!!
Hope you ladies don't mind my two cents again...
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ProudMom_Wife - thanks, yes I PM'd Betsy earlier today, but this weekend is her 2 day walk so I think she is not around. Am hoping for good weather for her! Can I ask why you (or women in general) need to get Rads? I always though a mast = no rads? I know I needed Rad b/c I had a lump. Is it if you are node positive?
Seems after a year, I still have a lot to learn.
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I was just saying how I don't know ANYTHING and I feel so dumb about the whole BC thing. There's just so much to learn.
My onc said I would get rads if any nodes were positive. At my BMX they did a sentinal node biopsy and it was negative, so I am not doing rads. I thought that rads were recommended when you did the lumpectomy rather than the mastectomy. Y'know what? I don't know. I remember them saying lumpectomy and radiation OR mastectomy, but then if my nodes had been positive--even with the mastectomy--I would have had rads. Okay, I'll stop rambling. I just don't know the answer.
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Meegan - I am so sorry this is happening again for you. Please know I am thinking of you.
I've had a mastectomy and am still getting rads. It could be because of my nodes, I'm not sure. Immediate recon wasnt an option for me as they didn't recommend before rads as they wanted to get my chemo started quickly, not wait for the longer recovery time that mast+recon takes.
We are in Melbourne and having a lovely time. Only 2 nights left until we fly back home to NZ. It's nice to get away
Thinking of you Meegan. Hugs.0 -
As it was explained to me, Radiation is used to clean up any residual cancer cells which might have been missed, even with a mastectomy depending upon the pathology. It is used for local and regional treatment. Chemo is systemic, whole body treatment. So depending upon the pathology, if the tumor was larger than 5cm, 4 or more positive lymph nodes, lymph-vascular invasion, etc... radiation may be recommended.
I fell into the grey area with my pathology with 2 positive lymph nodes, everything else was good in the report. I refused the Axillary Lymph Node Dissection and was OK with the idea of rads to the lymph nodes based upon studies I read. However I did not want to radiate my chest wall. It was left-side and I felt the pathology didn't support it, and so did my MO and others I consulted with. ROs were split on it because radiating only the lymph nodes and not the chest wall went outside the 'standard'.
If you want to read the guidelines which I think most consider to be the 'standard of care' for breast cancer treatment check out the NCCN Clinical Practice Guideline on the internet. It is free, you just need to register. For me, it helped me to understand why my doctors were recommending certain treatments and helped me to discuss options with them.
Hope this helps. It is so confusing and the 'standard of care' keeps changing as a result of research, discoveries and clinical trials, which is a good thing. Hopefully they will have a cure soon. I am hopeful considering how quickly things changed from the time I was dx to now, and I was dx a year ago.
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Meegan - I'm so sorry. I'm thinking of you and sad that you have to go to a friend's funeral and deal with this news at the same time. I did a bilat mast and like profbee, I too am very thin - stomach not an option. They used my lat dorsi muscles from my back and it all went fine. Foobs look good, back looks good. Just another option. Please let us know as you get more information.
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Hello all..
Not sure if I am considered a survivor yet but I am 40 and appear to have the worst of treatment behind me (I hope). Had BMX last month and am set for my exchange surgery end of next month. No chemo (PTL) and only hormone therapy for 5 years.
Not sure if I meet the criteria for the group but wanted to say "hi" just in case.....
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Of course you are welcome odie16!!!!!!! Great to hear you are doing well. You will find the ladies here very informative, funny and loyal. So glad you don't need chemo!!!!
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Thanks so much for the welcome Rowan47..
As for no chemo, me too!! Whew!!! Bad enough I failed my very first baseline mammy to start this journey...ha ha
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(((((Meegan)))))), gentle hugs to you. I am so sorry to hear about your new diagnosis. You know we are here for you. Many of us have had mastectomy surgery and some reconstruction. You should be in an area where you can get several PS opinions on reconstruction if that is what you deceide is right for you. Have you gotten back with you onc yet? I had BMX and no rads, I had positive SNB and had I not done axillary node clearance, or if they had found another positive node then rads would have been recommended.
odie16, welcome to the group. We are crazy, so get ready. You will be amazed how you begin to think of this group as friends.
O2bhealthy--just curious, what are you thinking about DIEP??
Hi to all, good to see some of my Jan chemo buddies.
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Thanks for the welcome Christine47.
These boards have been a godsend for me since diagnosis to help me feel in control and have some idea to advocate my care. Bring on the crazy and I look forward to joining the family!
Meegan - I am so sorry for the new diagnosis and will help you thru in any way I can.
Sending warm thoughts to all...
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Welcome Odie!!!
Christine I have put on 40lbs since dx and figure it I cannot lose it in the next 10+ yrs I might as well get rid of these heavy bags of silicone and replace them with my lovely tummy fat
Honestly...for the most part the implants are ok...I can feel them rubbing against my chest wall every once in a while and it kinda creeps me out. They are heavy and I cannot go more then a hour (vertical) without some kind of support/compression unless I want to suffer...sometimes I can sleep without support but not often. I guess I just wonder if live tissue might be better but then again all the surgery sounds scary and thats why I went with implants in the first place...call me conflicted 0 -
Hi Everyone,
Hi odie16....welcome and hope you enjoy this crazy,wonderful bunch here. So good no chemo...
Safe Travels to you kiwimum...hope you are well and had a great time
You too mamachick....hope your brother in law behaved
meegan...I also had BMX..I did have rads but with TE's already in place...I'm sure you will make the best decision and we are here too if you need us...seems each one of us could shed a different light on the surgeries etc.
I visited with a few old friends this weekend....did a little more BC talk...My friends never self check....I didn't either...I hope they will now. I didn't dwell on it long but hopefully there will be 2 more self checking women...Some of them didn't even know about my dx ..my dx has been quiet too.
No word from Ellen yet...I have my cell phone on so she can give me a buzz when ever she's up to it...I have my tattoo picked out for the after show party!! Lol
Have a good day
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Welcome, Odie!!!
Just got home from a whilrwind drive 6 hours see in-laws, stay overnight, drive 6 hours home trip. ugh. I've got to make a quick grocery run or the boy will be eating uncooked macaroni for lunch tomorrow. LOL!
O2b...damn. I'm hoping the implants feel better than the TEs. I just don't feel like they are part of my body at all--and they're just so hard and don't move at all...yuck.
Ciao for now!
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profbee - implants are way better then TE's...I had 80% relief when I woke up from my exchange and that says a lot since I was dx'd with CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) shortly after my exchange surgery and had had CRPS since my BMX! The CRPS has been resolved (with meds) however I also have LE in my back and chest and both arms...that is where most of my discomfort comes from. I actually started accepting the implants as a part of me about 6-8 months after the exchange and I hardly notice them on the good days but on the bad flare-up days I get really cranky and if really swollen, I am hypersensitive. I think you will be thrilled with the difference of TE's to implants! Don't listen to cranky me...yesterday was a one of those bad days
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I hope to find out more tomorrow when I meet with PS. Thanks for all the hugs and thoughts.
Kim - I can't believe Ellen hasn't called yet!
KiwiMum - Hope you are enjoying your holidays!!! I went to Australia once and loved it, thought it was so beautiful. We stayed in Sydney and up in Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef. Did not make it to New Zealand. Don't know if I mentioned though, NZ is where my sister went on her honeymoon, there (winter) and Bora Bora (Summer).
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Meegan, I've been on a retreat since Thursday....I am so sorry.
I was with 40 retreatents and 30 team members - all women, no drama, lots of prayers and stories....it was so much like being with all of you!
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O2b...thanks so much. I'm looking forward to the exchange.
Meegan--lots of love...will stay posted for your update.
Sagina...glad you had a great time!
Been a LONG weekend...we drove to NY (over 5 hours) on Sat and back on Sunday. We needed to see my in-laws. My father-in-law has been dx with Merkel Cell Carcinoma--a ridiculously rare and scary skin cancer. So, not good there. Came home and it rained in the kitchen...so plumber, no water, insurance claims, new ceiling in the kitchen and giant bills await. Did I mention that my car (with 200,000 miles) runs fine but can't pass inspection due to a computer glitch that is more expensive to fix than my car is actually worth?! Feels like there's a little dark cloud over our house. Need that vacay more than ever!!!!!
Calgon, take me away!!!
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o2behealthy - thanks so much for the post - just what I needed tonight. I have my exchange surgery tomorrow.
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Thanks for the welcome Profbee. Sure seems like a dark cloud following you. Hoping things get better in your world soon! And let me say, I too will not miss my TE's. I am certain they are made of the same hard plastic as milk jugs and not comfy at all. Luckily I get rid of mine next month.
o2Bhealthy - Thanks for the info on TE's vs implants.
bcisnofun - best of luck on your exchange tomorrow...
kmur - fyi, I too was not good at the self check thing. Heck I had cysts so I am not sure I would've known the difference... Hope Ellen calls you soon... Would tivo that show!!!
Hugs to all and good night!
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bcisnonfun, good luck tomorrow. I am happy with my implants. you will do great.
o2Bhealthy- I have often thought that I would do a tissue transfer surgery when my implants expire (hopefully that will be awhile, and maybe by then the surgery will be easier).
Profbee, oh dear, your luck has got to get better this week, sending good thoughts.
Meegan, thinking about you, hopefully some answers tomorrow at your appt. Stay strong. Have you spoke with your family yet??
kmur, you know Ellen will call. It works for me if it takes her sometime to get back to us, I will have more hair. Maybe everyone will be done with exchanges too.
Tummy looks and feels much better now that I am 2 weeks post lipo and fat grafting. No lumps from fat, but looks like maybe I have lost a bit of the volume I first had. Time will tell.
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Hi Everybody,
Good luck with exchange bcisnofun...many of us found this surgery to be easier .Hope you find the same.
profbee...ok enough cloud already....lets hope it moves on and I really hope your father in law will be ok and they have found it early.
odie16...the implants ( in my opinion) feel way better than TE's...much more comfy to sleep too.
meegan...Hope the PS has all the info you need today to make your decisions. Thinking of you.
Christine...I think I have lost some volume also...not much but some...my next appointment is in about two months so we shall see....
OK for Pete's sake....the hot flashes had kind of settled down for a bit,,,not gone just settled...but they have come back now....I don't know about you all...but I really have not slept ALL night in forever...I really can not remember the last time I put my head on the pillow--fell softly to sleep---then pleasantly awoke (is that correct grammar) to the sound of the alarm after my eight hours of blissful sleep......I want someone to hit me upside my head before bed...maybe I will sleep then....
I hope you all don't mind ....I found this quote and thought it was kind of funny and nice ...
I know God won't give me more than I can handle...I just wish he didn't trust me so much...Mother Teresa...
Have a good day everyone
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