Canadians in British Columbia
Comments
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About regular mammos and missing them...
I have had people shake their finger at me when I tell them I had gone 9 years between mamms. Tut tut, you were a bad girl and didn't have a mamm every other year and look what happened, you got breast cancer, shame on you!
I have actually has this go-round with my mother who mutters under her breath that I should have kept up my mamms and I tell her DETECTION DOES NOT EQUAL CURE!! Somewhere in her mind FINDING cancer is the same as CURING cancer and my research tells me that just ain't the case! Also in her mind is magic thinking. Magic thinking says that by looking for something (cancer) you prevent it from showing up and that cancer only shows up to those lazy people who do not annually look for it. This is a belief held by many without them even knowing it. Examine your own thoughts. Have you ever said, "If only I'd had that mammogram..."
As I see it, in some cases, early detection gives you better chances at a better outcome. But in other cases early detection doesn't help. For some of us finding it early will stack the deck in our favour and others, no. So do not waste a sinlge breath beating yourself up over missed mammograms. The outcome of your cancer battle is dependent on so many other variables that early detection fades quickly in the treatment plan. Early detection is one bullet in the gun that fights cancer, but it is by no means the biggest bullet or the bullet that does the job. Breast cancer cannot be eradicated by early detection. If only it were that simple!
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Well said Runor.
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Early detection does not equal cure but it does mean easier treatment for many women. For the most common types of breast cancer, early detection can mean lumpectomy instead of mastectomy, avoiding chemotherapy and less lymphatic invasion.
It bothers me that the national goal is for 70% of women to have regular breast screening, and we have never achieved that. Only 52% of B.C. women who "qualify" for screening had a mammogram last year. Mammograms miss many cancers, but they find a lot too and are the best tool we have right now.
We also need new detection methods to detect abnormalities in dense breasts.
I do not blame women who miss their screening. There is confusion and the reminder system is not effective. It is wracked with debate about false positives and efficacy which is really about cost-savings.
But better treatment is also desperately needed. I support both better detection and better treatment for all of us.
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DearLife, I agree. Despite the debate about the pros and cons of mamms, they do seem to be one of the best tools we have right now.
However I disagree that early detection leads to easier treatment. Whether you have a lumpectomy versus mastectomy hinges on MANY factors, including your geographical location (many more women in the U.S. seem to have mastectomies for smaller tumours than here in Canada, U.S. does more mastectomies for DCIS than Canada) the opinion of your surgeon and doctors and even your own reaction and feelings. Age has a lot to do with lumpectomy vs mastectomy. Chemo and radiation can happen for early and late stage cancers and neither are 'easy'. So it is too broad and not quite accurate to say that early detection leads to easier treatments. It might lead, in some cases, to more treatment options, but early = easy is an oversimplification.
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good morning all! Oddly enough I came to the realization that no matter how many mammograms I had, or didn’t have, I was still gonna get cancer😟 so no point beating yourselves up for missed ones! I agree that in some cases treatment may have been less invasive, in the end though cancer seems to find its way back into us whether it started at stage 1 or stage 4...just try and enjoy each and every day!😃😃 when spring arrives for real, that will help
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Thanks Janky. I agree nothing about breast cancer treatment is easy and we still don’t understand why it recurs.
I also hope soon we will have Spring 💐!
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Janky, you are so right! If cancer is going to show up, it's going to show up whether you have regular mammograms or not.
Way too many of us think that being vigilant in some way safeguards us against getting cancer. It is a very sneaky belief that cancerless people often hold. They make a WRONG equation in their brain and it goes like this: I have a mamm every year, I do not have cancer, therefore having a mamm = keeping cancer away. And then to further their position they add supporting statistics: Runor did NOT have a mamm every year and she got breast cancer! But they blatantly leave out reams of evidence that would blow their theory up, that evidence being that you can eat right, exercise, wear pink, donate to boob charity, cut off your hair and make a wig with it, have no family history, have regular mamms and do self exams and YOU CAN STILL GET BREAST CANCER!!! The random nastiness of this reality is too much for most people to cope with, so they shut out the truth and cling to their belief that they DON'T have cancer because they are doing everything right and you got cancer because you forgot your mamm, stupid you, you did it wrong and no wonder you have cancer, duh!
The saying that 'early detection saves lives' is under heavy scrutiny and debate. It is a slogan, not a proven truth. It is a promotion, not a promise. It was written by an advertising agency, not a statistician. And despite this, having my own cancer when I had ZERO markers for it, out of fear I tell my daughter GO HAVE A MAMMOGRAM! Because it is better to find the monster and fight it with everything we have, than to not find it. The outcome of early detection is unknown. The outcome of no detection is certain. Mammograms (and upcoming technologies) are our first line volley in the war. Have a mammogram.
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Hi everyone,
Great conversation re mammograms! I had also read that in Ontario if you were high risk that an MRI was also recommended with your mammo. I was thinking of dishing out for a private one too if i can't get one included in my follow up care. My surgeon is doing my follow up care and he is an incorporated company so maybe more apt to order imaging? I have dense breasts (breast) too.
Sadiesservant - thanks for asking about how i know that chemo wasn't effective. I went from having two lymph nodes being positive on my scans before chemo to having 6 lymph nodes positive with macro invasion and metastasis outside my lypmph nodes. The original tumour in my breast did shrink from 2.2 cm to 1.6 cm - however the margins were clear before i did chemo so i could have done surgery first. Most chemo is not effective on highly positive hormone cancer (mine is 8/8 on the allred scale for both er and pr). Needless to say it was a mess when they went in there. Lots of studies are showing that for some chemo just causes the cancers cells to shed from the tumour and travel further along and set up camp. I think that is what happened in my case. No one told me that hormone positive cancer might not be treated effectively with chemo. It certainly didn't help me sitting around for 6 months having cancer sells circulate around my system while i was doing chemo. There is a forum on this topic if anyone is interested:-)
Cheers,
Roaming
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Roaming - do you have a link to the forum - is it here on breastcancer.org?
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MusicalMagpie,
I’m also scheduled for a mastectomy for a cancer that includes DCIS and IDC. Do you mind sharing what prompted the surgeon to do a mastectomy after your lumpectomy? Hope you are recovering well
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Anyone here have a mastectomy in the BC cancer agency building (600 West 10th). I have one coming up in the first week of May there
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ow long was the study Wrenn? And what was your time commitment?
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thanks for the info! not sure my pain is constant enough but might look into whether I would qualify. I like the idea of a game or meditation each day to distract
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I had the pain study come and set me up. I start Monday. It’s fun and actually the first trial I told the guys I forgot about my pain! It’s so immersive that you forget that your in the real world.
FYI.I told them my pain comes and gets worse at times. They said that I was ok to do it.
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hope everyone is doing well. Spring is finally here.
A question for ladies who has went thru chemo with BC Cancer. Do they do any test on usafter chemo to see whether they have got ride of all dedectable cancer cells?
Thanks
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Hi NVDobie.
Not usually. I believe they only do this if you have worrisome symptoms. I had a bone scan about 6-8 months after chemo and radiation but it was joint pain from Tamoxifen.
Best of luck with your treatment
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Wrenn, I think it was you who let us know about the UBC study. It is a study being done with the UBC School of Nursing in conjunction with the Simon Fraser School of Multi Media. I am almost finished week 2 and struggled with this week~~no spoilers but I had nausea from Sunday AM until Wed. AM and this particular Virtual Reality section set off motion sickness in a big way. Gordon, who Wrenn and probably Hugz4u know told me what to do and is totally supportive. I told him on the end of week 1 call, how blessed I have felt to be a part of the study. As Wrenn says, pain must be 4 or above on a scale of 1-10 as one of the criteria. Ashlyn, I too like guided mediation.
NVDobie, there really is no test to say whether there is any residual cancer remaining following chemo. In my case I had chemo then mastectomy and one node was still positive from the pathology done on the tissue taken then. Radiation in my case was certainly needed.
May each of you have a good weekend and maybe try to think of one thing to add that will make you feel good. I am going to try to do half an hour of weeding each day because it feels so constructive yet fun to clear small patches bit by bit.
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Mariane. I’m with you on the weeding! Satisfying!
The pain study might not suite me if you experienced nausea. I have been dealing with vertigo and dizziness on Ibrance so I think VR might make that worse.
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Marianne I asked Gordon if I totally hated a game could I do another and he hesitantly said, well just try to do it best you can but if you cant then ok you could switch games. You might want to confirm this if you want to switch games to make sure he's 100 percent ok with it. The butterfly game made me so dizzy and he said not to fly fast to the ground and that's was helpful.
Weeding is hard work but very therapeutic. I wish I was there to help. My garden is calling me to. Yes a half hour is about right to start gardening with lymphedema. Wear you hand and arm garment for sure and leave on. When you come in plop your arm up.Rest. Drink lots of water and dont do anything more physical with it so you don't flare. Have a good day. It's getting cloudy here. I won't buy plants till June 15 when they clear them all out cheap. That way the greenhouse looks after them for me and I get them to do the work!
NVDobie, it's kind of nerve wracking but once they set you free there are no tests unless you have symptoms. Mentally we can struggle with this and a counsellor can help you calm yourself. We always want to be in control doing all we can so yes I would like tests to beproactive. I know from experience, It's hard to wrap your head around this.
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Gordon and I spoke yesterday and I actually got through Wildflowers to the 28 minute mark.
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wrenn, hugs4u
Thanks for the insights. Wow. Sounds like Hope for the best approach. It is unsettling for me given MO design each patients chemo plan based on protocols and personal preferences or experience I assume.
How do they measure their own performance and oncologist treatment plan accuracy or mistakes vs. incidents?
Besides the chemo given before surgery, how do they know they picked the right combination and did what they expected to do, given each person could possibly react to the drug differently and tumor cells may react differently.
Symptoms often indicate beyond cellular stage, or taking strong hold in distant locations or local regional recurrence. A bit scary.
I don’t mind doing the tests on my own expense if there is such test available or creditable to evaluate chemo effectiveness.
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Can anyone in Vancouver recommend a good bra shop for a post surgery camisole? Having a single masectomy without reconstruction, so I need something that will support my 32DD size breast on one side but still be super comfortable on the other surgery side with nothing. Specific bra recommendation is good too
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Hi Walden
I didn't have a mastectomy but had a lumpectomy at BC Cancer Agency in February. The nurses and docs were great and everything healed well. I think different Vancouver surgeons use different operating facilities depending on availability but many seem to be at St. Joseph's.
Maybe someone who had an MX at BCCA can comment further.
Good luck with your surgery!
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Walden. Look up WEAREASEin the USA. Expensive with the exchange but Phyliss is so helpful.Youcan personally talk to her about fit. If you tell her your Canadian she might give you 30 percent off as she did for me She has cami that compresses the trunk if you have lymphedema there and also really nice area to stick your breast forms in. She spent much time making all her camis and products work. The black one ( I think 950 style) I have is so silky and nice that I can wear it as a tank. About 100 bucks but long lasting. The material is top notch.doesnt roll up. Everyone loves her Sydney bra. She has YouTube on how she designs each one. She cuts them high into armpit to compress this area if you have swelling. I can't say enough more than fabulous.
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Wrenn
Thanks! Will also look into meditation, as I need to find ways to manage stress and work life balance etc especially now with this.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend, weather is finally nice all over
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Mindfulness meditation is amazingly healing and healthful!!!!
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wrenn
http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/about/events/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-program
Is this what you referring? Too bad it is in Kelowna. :-(
Can you ladies tell me more about mindful meditation? Is it like specific style of meditation ? Like different style of Yoga
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I did mindfulness course at cancer centre on W 10th. I loved the walking meditation.
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NVDobie, yes it is the same~~MBSR. I took it in 2013 spring while still doing rads. They prefer you are not in active chemo treatment as I recall because it is 8 weeks, two hours each week plus a retreat on a Sat. towards the end. "grads" are invited to the retreats if there is room and I was lucky to have gone several times. There are also evening sessions one can go too also once you have taken the course. It was the best course ever say many of us and we had virtually no attrition. It is available in the community and costs upwards of $375. The woman who started at BCCA Vancouver retired after almost 20 years teaching but Melanie MacDonald who was on mat leave is back at it. She worked with Sarah for several years.
Wrenn and Hugz4u, I am in week 4 of the UBC study and I am doing the mindfulness exercises lying down after last week with motion sickness I am really appreciating it.
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