Any 40-ish survivors?
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Gina.... I forgot to say I'm so glad the retreat was enjoyable....you are funny....I think I understood you to mean when you get that many women....no drama is unusual but very nice????? Lol ...if so I think I know exactly what you mean and if not...I'm sorry for putting my thoughts to your meaning????
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Hello everyone!
I'm very late joining this group but thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 41, diagnosed almost exactly a year ago. Had a single mastectomy (no reconstuction), dose dense ACT, and 25x radiation and now Tamoxifen. Blogged and Vlogged my way through it all, if you're curious you can see/read my story here.
Tomorrow I have my first mammogram and ultrasound since I was first diagnosed and I am NERVOUS, especially since I've noticed some thickening and puffiness lately near my mastectomy scar.
Other than that, doing great. Hoping the same for all of you.
Amy
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Hang Girls this might be a long one!!!
Meegan-I am so sorry!!!!! You have been in my thoughts and prayers and will cont. to be there. I hate that you have to go through this again. I know you saw your PS today and I may be a little too late. But I had a BMX with TE's, since it was bilat. my PS told me he doesn't like to do the flaps due to having to take too much abd. muscle and then they would be weak for the rest of my life. Had plenyt of belly to use too. Kind of wish we had of done it that way. I will say that implants are much better than TE's. I also know of a lady that is in your same situation. She was just diagnosed in the 2nd breast, had radiation prior and just had a skin sparing BMX. They are letting her heal due to the radiated skin and in 6 months then will place the TE"S and then recon. I had no radiation even with 3 pos. nodes. I was told that they took everything and didn't need to. Had chemo though. Hope you got more info today.
Welcome-Odie and AmyK. AmyK have to say I love your pic. Will be thinking about you tomorrow. It is hard to get those tests done after such a long year.
bcisnofun- I hope all went well today and that you are comfortable! I think that I read you were having recon. today!
Beach was much better than I thought. Brother in law was much better than usual. He bothered unsuspecting people on the beach instead. Told my husband I felt like I had another child. Was worried about him bothering so many people. I realize now that family outings are even more fun now after BC dx. Don't get me wrong I love my DH and kids, but I find that I don't sweat the small stuff anymore and don't care who sees me doing cannon balls into the pool or digging really big holes on the beach. See PS tomorrow. Hoping to be put on the books so I can join Kim and Christine in the ranks of fat grafting. Take care all!
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Kim~ you are funny too! I think I meant that on a retreat the drama is left at home, I mean 70 women together you would expect some eye rolling, but nope, none it was so peaceful. I felt sorry for some people there, that well, don't have cancer, cause they can't get to know everyone here. So for me being on the retreat and bonding with women without any girl drama, was a lot like coming to the boards for the same thing. I get to share, and listen, and pray, and cry, and laugh without petty drama.
AmyK, we have same week dx dates - I get my mammo week of thanksgiving, fully expecting an Ultrasound - I mean with all the trauma the boob has had this year, and under my arm, well, if I get out of there without an US, I"m buying a lottery ticket!
Profbee~ wishing your dark cloud moves away from you and heads toward the south, the heat will ZAP it!
Stacey~glad the beach was fun, and as long as your BIL was bothering someone else, he was leaving you alone! lol.
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Hi Everyone,
See Gina...I was putting my thoughts to your words!! I really am so happy it was a peaceful time ..gosh knows we could all use a little peace. I don't have any drama at home with all boys...so that's how I got to thinking woman drama!! Lol
mamchick...how great your time away was so nice. You know I feel much like you do...not much gets under my skin these days...I'm just happy to plod along doing my thing!! We will welcome you with open arms to our little world of fat grafting. BTW.. I'm jealous ....I would have been cannon balling too!!
Welcome amyk....the women here are just a great bunch of ladies. I should warn you of the crazy topics that come up...one just never knows from day to day where the conversation may go...lol but welcome and I look forward to your posts.
Talk to you all soon ....
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Saw the PS today, as expected, he is recommending against implants due to the prior Rads - I'm okay with that. He can do either regular TRAM or DIEP, the choice is mine, so now I have to research and decide. Although am already leaning heavily towards DIEP. CAT and Bone scan scheduled for Sat. so now just have to meet with BS. Waiting for nurse to call.
My mind is going, so I forget what I told who. So sorry if this is repeating, but yes we did tell the kids Sat. night and thank goodness for the 8 year old. First he said, I don't want you to get nauseous again Mommy (pause...) b/c then I get nauseous. Then he said, Oh - more chocolate covered strawberries! (We got a lot of Edible Fruit arrangements). Leave it to an 8 year old to find the bright side.
Also, for those who had Lump, I would definately push for annual MRI's as this could not be seen by the mammo or the ultrasound.
Finally, where is Burley? Haven't heard from here is a while. I want to congratulate her that we are over 60 pages!
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Meegan for the sake of not going back pages, was the MRI scheduled just because?
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No, I insisted on it as the annual follow up. Had the 1st annual post dx mammo in Aug, saw the BS after and she agreed to do annual MRI's. Obviously we didn't expect to find something in the first one!
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Meegan, I am so glad you did push for that MRI. It's a lesson for all of us.
Kim - I am so with you about the hot flashes. I've not slept through the night for months. It's hideous. I've started Tamoxifen today so am prepared for this to increase.
We got back from Melbourne last night and had a great time. We enjoyed our time with family and also enjoyed sightseeing etc. It was so nice to get away from everything.
I have a week's break this week. No chemo, no surgery, no tests, nothing! Next week I start rads but an enjoying the break from treatment.
Welcome to the newbies (AmyK and someone else). Sorry I can't read back a page or I'll lose this post. Gotta rush into a meeting.
Hugs.
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I am with Kiwimum and Kim on the hot flashes. Would love to have one night where I sleep unaided the whole night through. Hot flashes are better, but menopause and chemo has kept them coming, just less frequently then in the past.
My Onc. told me that if I didn't have at BMX at the time I would be looking at a life of mammo's every year with and MRI thrown in at the half year. I guess he is more agressive then some.
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Hi Everybody,
Well,I'm not happy you all have hot flashes too but at least you know what I'm talking about. It has been a very long time since I'v slept all night. I do have a script for sleep aid,but it makes me feel funny and I just don't want to take more drugs....
kiwimum...I hope the tamox. will be no problem and YAY for you with no chemo/appointments ...isn't freedom great. So happy for you to have this break. Rads are not really any problem...just going each day I guess. Have the taste issues gone now??? You didn't have any mouth issues ???
Meegan...I am glad you have been given some options. I will be hoping for good test results so you can kind of get on with it...that was sweet your little one thought of the strawberries...seems good they can think that way and not like us adults
Tonight I will try to get to bed a little early....ask someone to conk me on the head...I'm sure my son would like to conk me on the head from time to time ....Take care all
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Meegan, glad you are getting your appts lined up and gathering information. Always made me feel better to be getting things done, felt more in control. Looks like many ladies are thrilled with the DIEP surgeries, hard up front, but then you are done. I am glad your children are looking at the bright side of things (chocolate strawberries), you certainly don't want to "sugar coat" the situation, but letting them still be kids is important. What a balancing act it is to be a mom and feel bad too. How many children do you have? My boys really put life into prospective everyday.
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Kim - my taste issues usually only lasted a few days. I've not had any mouth issues thankfully. Good luck sleeping tonight.
Christine - it's interesting for me to read about everyone's different recon experiences. I don't think it's an option for me until at least 6 months post rads. Whenever I mention it to family and DH they brush it off as non essential and for me to focus on getting through now. Whilst I agree with getting through the now, it is essential for me. I hate only having one breast. I definitely want two breasts again ... I'm 40 not 80!
I heard today that Guiliana Ranic on E! Channel has been diagnosed with BC. I hate this disease and reading that another lady has to go through everything we've gone through. Hopefully they've caught it early and she can put it behind her one day. I understand it was found because they gave her a mammo as part of a health check before her 3rd IVF.
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Meegan...that was too cute what your son said. I'm sure he was tryin to think of something happy to say for you too--what a thoughtful, sweet boy.
With the rads, if I needed them they would have done them with the TEs in. So, it would have taken way longer to get the exchange surgery done, but I would have had the TEs in place. Funny how the recommendations are different in different places.
Kiwi...I heard about Giuliana Rancic and I felt so bad for her. Then I felt totally stupid for feeling so down about a famous person I don't know. But I do--poor thing was already having fertility issues. (We had 3 miscarriages, so I know how hard that is.) Thank goodness her doc had her go get a mammogram and she didn't wait four more years for the 40 year old recommendation. And I just read an article yesterday saying it should start at 50. ugh. Was it on this board a long time ago that we said we should have t-shirts that say "If I waited until 40, I'd be dead." I hope more people get things checked out early and don't think that just because you're not 40 yet it can't happen.
Cloud is receding a bit here...the plumbing thing is not a BIG deal...then hubby replaced the toilet upstairs (we found all this mold under the tank of the toilet---glad to get rid of it! YUCK. Who lies on the floor and looks up at the underneath of their toilet tank? G-R-O-S-S.
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Hey Everyone.....
Kiwimum...that is great no mouth issues...I did with the taxotere...but again everyone is so unique.
profbee ..so good the cloud is floating on to some other place...you don't need any more clouds right now. If it didn't take so much time to type ...I would tell you about my miscarriage too. It happened just a year prior to dx after years of trying for number 2 child...I really thought I could not get pregnant...I still think that could have been what set my hormones out of control...I could be wrong though...well..probably wrong...I guess you just don't know what the cause is..
You know ..I said boys are not "drama" but ....picture day is upon us so ...time to buy clothes and oh my gosh...I will be off to buy something not striped/checked/baggy/straight/preppy/no way pink/purple/orange...so maybe something blue or black???? Wish me luck and I will let you know how it goes...Oh and did I mention...he doesn't want to actually shop for the clothes??/ The clothing fairy will buy them Lol..... Please know I am mostly joking...I like to dress him ..but just funny how when middle school days are here..they get so funny about all that.
Good day to all of you...
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Kim~ too cute, and what a shopping list for the clothes fairy!
Profbee~ I read that too from the US Prevention Center so here's what I posted on my facebook last night~
whoa, the US Prevention Center wants to recommend mammograms starting at age 50 - Just what are they trying to prevent - women from living? If you know someone under 50 that has/had breast cancer raise your hand and wave it fast, since they aren't listening perhaps they will see. ~gina
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Hey guys. Hope everyone is doing well. I told myself last time around I would not engage in any of the ridiculous banter about early detection and positive prognoses, but I did it again and am once again pissed off at this board.
This has nothing to do with anyone in this thread, so no one take this personally. I am tired of the chip on the shoulder attitude here. It angers and depresses me. I really do not want to be one of these women whose lives revolve around cancer. I want my normal life back and do feel like I am headed toward that, slowly but surely.
I think I am going to take a break from the board for a while. I will check in every once in while to say hi as I love the women in this thread. But I think I need to have some time where I am not focused on cancer.
For anyone who would like to chat on Facebook (again no mention of cancer on my page) about life and not cancer, I am Lisa Richardson in Atlanta. I am friends with Betsy so you can find me through her friend list too.
You all are great! Please stay positive and funny and do not turn into the cynical and bitter type that seems prevelant elsewhere on this board.
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Lisa I understand the need to take a break from cancer but I keep coming back to bc.org...I try to avoid threads that are negative or bickering.
Heading out to my annual PAP (last one was in 2009 right after my bc dx)...this is the same doctor who told me I had BC and then ThyCa 18 months later...I am now a week out from my one year ThyCa dx and 2 yrs 5 months from BC dx...I cannot seem to stop the anxiety from rising...I keep waiting for the other show to drop...GRRRRRRRRR!
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Hi Lisa, I hope my post wasn't negative for you, I really didn't mean it that way. I agree with you, I had the privilege of meeting someone from this board who is stage 4 and only 28. I really started to think differently about the whole awareness stuff, and in a good way, for really young women like her....
I take life with a grain of salt, try to walk in other people's shoes, and find my strength in mine and other's laughter. Life is too short to complain about it, and negativity takes way too much energy that none of us can spare. We need the energy for the good stuff life offers.
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Gina - Absolutely nothing to do with what you posted. To tell the truth, I have not read back through the thread and am not even sure what you posted.
There are a number of people on this board - again, no one in this thread - that will always see the negative in something, no matter what and even if it is the opposite of what they said on a different day. It is both infuriating and tiring. And it is not how I choose to work my way through this diagnosis.
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Lisa! I KNOW just what you mean, and I agreed with everything you said 100%. I'll miss you if you're not here...but yeah...I learned that I cannot just see what people are posting in "active topics" because someone will drive me batty. We love you!
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Hi All,
Lisa...I hope you will at least come and laugh with us...so often you have been one to make me laugh with your stories....I know I will miss you.
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Hi Girls!
I've been away for some Jewish Holy Days, then became frozen with fear about my biopsy tomorrow and hyst/ooph next week. I'm still pretty frozen, to be honest, but have to do something about it. Of course, because I'm removing them next week, my period had to come on a week early and heavier and more painful than it has been in months.
Hmmm, can I even get a biopsy tomorrow? Maybe not... Not that this is a good thing...
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It's me again... Lisa I just had to make sure my views have not caused your decision...I do try to joke and carry on...you were on this thread for so long so I just want to be sure I have not caused any bad feelings for you...
Eema...I have missed you and I don't know the answer to that question.
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Christine, I have two kids, my dd is 11 (sixth grade - 1st year of middle school) and my ds is 8 (2nd grade). I will have to e-mail their teachers again... My ds teacher is also an advisor to the newspaper which my dd was editor for last year, and my dd had her, so I had included her in the e-mail to the school last year, since it was Sept the teachers did not know my kids yet, so might have been hard pressed to notice any change in behavior...
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Hi all!
Just a short note to touch base with you all. Sorry to hear your sadness about the miscarriage Kim. I too have only one child, as you probably know. I would have liked another, but depression issues and OCD made it difficult. Hugs to you and your son. We all have uniforms in school here, so don't have the trauma of choosing clothes day after day - makes things a lot easier! We also don't get mammos till 50 here as a matter of course ( I think they were supposed to be lowering it to 47, though, not sure if they have.) - it's way too late, anyway. So many younger women are being dx'ed now. So - that shows the importance of checking yourself, every month!
I'm sure you'll be fine with the biopsy tomorrow, Eema. It is a frighening thought, though - hugs to you. Sorry, but which bit are you having done, if you don't mind me checking? I haven't read the posts carefully, as usual. I had a hyster. 2 years ago after a prolapse. It was a vaginal one and absolutely fine. Everything wasn't hanging out of my body, though, before you get a gross mental image! I guess your's will be more invasive. Good luck to you.
Hi Lisa - I understand why you are taking a break from the boards if people have been bitchy and depressing. We're not like that on this thread, though, far from it! I try not to get down about my dx, esp. as I seem to be a stage 4 in the US - stage 3c in UK - thanks, guys! I must say, most of the Stage 4ers on that bit of the boards aren't miserable and moany, but they would have every right to be! If you are well and getting on with life, what's the point of feeling "Oh, poor me, for getting cancer" - live with the uncertainty in the future and get on it!!! I don't always practise what I preach, though. Hope you'll drop in now and again.
Sarah xx
Sarah x
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Hi Everyone,
Ok this may be a long one...you won't hurt my feelings if you skip me .....
Sarah...thank you for your kind words about my miscarriage...it was a few years back so I am ok with it. In my case we had tried for so long,I didn't take fertility drugs to make it happen,but after years we just thought it was not meant to be ...then it happened. I carried for only 7 weeks,but that was long enough to have the body begin to change with hormones and so on. SO ...I do wonder sometimes if this sudden change back and forth could have added to the breast cancer dx?? I know I will not know the answer. My PS was talking also about the number of younger women she sees with breast cancer...more and more....she even mentioned hormones in milk and animals....I just wish someone would come along and just get it all right and no one would have to go through this...
On a lighter note...the clothing fairy scored today!!! We also have uniforms ..which is great...but picture day is free dress and ( complicated) if you have a boy who thinks dressing up is a nice pair of shorts and a non-white T-shirt.....He really does crack me up though. Now I just have to get him to try everything on ....
Meegan...Your little ones just sound cute...your little guy ...it is probably good to let teachers know as they can be on the lookout (or better understand) changes in mood or work habit..you are a smart girl....I hope all continues marching on for you..I know it is not where you wanted to be...hopefully we can bring some cheer and a listening ear too. Hope you don't mind me saying all that.
Ok I will stop now...I'm sure I still didn't touch on everything I would say if we were all talking and you all would better understand my meaning if we were face to face
Lisa...I just looked at the other thread you may be speaking of...I will have to google her...I'm afraid I don't know who she is and I have not heard of her in the news.
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Lisa- I will also say I will miss you too, but completely understand. I got off of here for a while because I felt like I was still focusing too much on cancer and not enough on life. Had finished all treatments and just needed to get back to a norm. And I still have to watch which threads I read. Check back in once and a while to let us know how you are doing.
Meegan- your kids are each one year younger than my oldest 2. My ds, 9, sounds just like yours and finds something funny in the midst of it all.
Eema-was wondering what happened to you! Was not surprised to see a post of yours over in the Pinktober thread from a week ago. Sorry to hear you have all these procedures coming up. Had the hyster/ooph. 6 months prior to BC dx, can say it wasen't too bad recovery. I had it the hard way too. Incision. I will say that I was having a lot of issues before so felt so much better after. Glad that is done due to just recently finding out that I am BRCA 1.
Okay decided that I need to change my name from Mamachick to Big Mama or Broad Mama. Saw PS today who informed me to fix my problems we need to go to the new and even bigger implant that is coming on the market. 1000cc. He says right now my chest is just absorbing the implant because I am broad and flat. (Looks as though I only have in 500cc's. ) I already knew this, but it is funny when your PS now informs you of it. Unfortunately this wouldn't change much if I lost weight. So now I am on a holding pattern for another 4 weeks to see if they are even making the implants yet. He says he will change them out, sew in my pockets some, and fat graft all in the same day. Asked about tattoos and mentioned Earleen in Asheville, NC and my PS nurse is very interested in seeing them. She thought that they sounded great, so I have pretty much decided to wait and go there in the future. So Christine and Kim let me know when you want to do lunch! lol
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Thanks all. I am not disappearing. I just think it is best if I scale back the time spent here. I don't think it is healthy to be around all the anger and bitterness. As it is nearly impossible for me to just ignore the BS, it seems best to just not be here to see it. I will still check in and again feel free to FB me.
Hope you are all doing well. I am crazy busy at work and it is only going to get worse for the next few weeks. Good news is my back is about 98% better. I finally am sleeping thru the night. Thank God because the sleep deficit was starting to get to me. We got our trip to cancun booked for February - so looking forward to that.0 -
Hi Meegan... I did reply to your PM, but now realize I had not read of your recurrance, so that explains my confusion... Well... that just SUCKS... I sent you my home phone number... please don't hesitate to call... I have learned so much about DIEP, TRAM, Lat flaps, what to look for in a doctor and what to avoid... I personally couldn't be happier... and am not done yet. I had my MX and hip flaps July 21 and DIEP on Aug 23 (due to a complication) and have no pain in breasts, abs or hips (had a few donor sites)... please call me.
So... yes, I had my big walk this weekend... I managed to eek out 23 of the 39 miles, and oddly enough, I couldn't do more due to plantar fascia in my foot... had nothing to do with my couch potato behavior over the past 3 months.. but who knows, had my feet allowed me to walk the full 39, I may have had joint pain or blisters... All signed up again for next year. The finale was so emotional for me.. They gathered all the 450 survivors to walk in together and some women were signing a t-shirt for a family who just lost their 18 year old to BC... So we all walk in passing by a cheering crowd up to a stage... Reese Witherspoon was the speaker... and she was great. And they played a video that had blurbs from different people, many children who had lost theirs moms... I was totally choked up.
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