Kiwi ladies who need encouragment, but all welcome.
I did start a thread for kiwi ladies, and another lady suggested we start one in the community support. this is just an encouraging and support thread for any kiwi and anybody who needs support, and bring kiwi women together, so do feel free to join in.
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Great to see, I often look on this site but never post. Currently taking 6 monthly zometa for 3 years. 2 years out from op this week. Boy what a ride. Take care everyone
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Hi Kiwi women,
Love this site and have learnt more from here than from my onc, lovely man that he is.
Stage 4 from Nov 2007 and doing Femara at the moment, plus aredia.
Would enjoy a thread for us from this end of the world
In Palmerston North, married with 2 grown girls and loving life.
Hope being stage 4 doesn't mean others are afraid of me, find that a bit weird but it does happen.
Moira
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Hope all you lovely kiwi ladies know you are welcome in the aussie sisters thread where some of your compatriots already participate. We are looking to see if the mods can move us to some sort of australasia thread as we are currently in the chemo forum. We have many who are well past chemo, some currently in treatment and a good all round selection of nice peeps of all stages to chat and share support with. The more the merrier
Hope to see you there or perhaps in an entirely new forum if the mods feel justified in allowing that.
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Hi there Moiralf, i am in Palmy too, nice to see some ladies joining in and welcome anybody. yes Lynda, i totally agree, we need to join forces and have a joint thread between us Australasian ladies. I am friends with an Aussie lady Chrissieb. she is so lovely and encouraging and informitive. nice to see you post in Lynda. the more the merrier.. as you say. Hi to you Kiakaha, lovely to hear from you. take care. 0
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Hi Girls. I just posted on the other kiwi thread!
It would be nice to have our own thread or an Australasian one, I agree
(gets a bit confusing having 2 kiwi threads!- or is that just me....)
Nice to meet you all
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That one, we started but, it was suggested we move into the support area as that what it is mainly about. nice to see you KT 1966. and any family who needs suppport too are welcome. we all need for sure at some stage. take care ladies. 0
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This thread is just a support thread for any kiwi women to come to if needed. we all need each other from where ever we are from, Australia, USA etc and though i will come here, i will also visit other forums and post where ever i want to. it is open to all the community as a help line, venting line, i have had a terrible day line. or to just say hello. i love it here on breast cancer org and just want to be an encourager and listener. would love a combind forum for us and our australian sistas, guess thats up to the mods. but do feel free to join us here when ever you need to, its just an extra support thread.
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Hi all
I post on the Aussie thread as well and they are trying toget their thread moved over to this site. Have been around BCO for a while and have used it as my support group. Tried to start a thread way back but not many of us here then. Like Midnight I will pop in here as well as chat to friends on other threads. Have made wonderful friends through BCO.
It's five years for me, all fine other than having had some hiccups along the way. I retired early from teaching as I have rheumatoid arthritis as well the BC. And I live in Auckland so if anyone is ever up this way I am always happy to have coffee.
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Hello all
Well we've all moved. I did ask the mods to call this an Australian and New Zealand or NZ forum. Hopefully they'll make the change soon. I did explain that while we are all fairly close, we are two seperate countries. lol
Please feel free to contribute to the Aussie Sisters thread too - all are welcome.
Trish
xoxo
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Sometimes the different countries thing isn't quite grasped by people in other parts of the world :-) Hopefully they can rename it to include Aus and NZ. Especially since some of us span both.
Jenn (Auckland girl in Sydney)0 -
That is cool news, yea i think we are united in our illnesses, we can be as a united group in here, thanks for doing that Trisha Ann. I love you ladies over there, i am hoping alot of kiwi women join, because i think and i am. are quite reserved, but they have an avenue and a support team between us all. according to stats, for a small country like ours here, seven women every day are diagnosed with BC, quite alot really. I was actally quite blase about when i was having my mamo, i wont get that, attitude, and when they rang up and said, hey they had found something concerning, i had to get to reality pretty quick. I was more concerned about cervical cancer as i had problemd with polyups, but breast cancer, no. my great grandmother died of it at 52 many years ago, they did not have what we have today mamos etc, more a less on their own, so you never know and as i was told further down the track. if i dd not do that mamogram, i would of been terminal by Christmas just gone, even tho tumour was only 1.4cm, it was particuarly nasty, AT first i actually rang up about my pills enquiring whu they had been decreased and nurse asked me if i had followed up on mamo and no i had not, so with a big nudge, i did it and it paid off and she saved my life really as knowing me i would of put it off. excuse the big story line, but that is how it was. mamos do save you if done early.
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Neat to see a specifically Australasian area!
I wonder how many kiwis (and Aussies) are aware of BCO? I know I only found it 8 years after my diagnosis when I was looking for answers about tumour markers as mine were going up. I'm glad I found it because its a great place to find info and support.
Midnight, your cat looks a lot like my older (12yrs) one- he has just a little less white on his front. Our new kitten is another ginga, but a mellow colour (not bright orange, not that the other one is...) with no white.
Looking forward to the long weekend, nice for the kids to have an extra day too
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No have not heard of that, interesting. i will check that out at some point. that cat is named Sparky. he was actually dumped one easter weekend at last place we lived in. gorgeous little kitten and he is verbal, like he answers you back lol. and he has got so fat, i think he goes to his mates next door and flogs their food and then comes back eats here, Hubby says, typical teenagers, eat and sleep and bugger off all day with his mates lol. he is lovely and fluffy and a god neck warmer if he stays put. good to c u
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Great to see we have finally got an Australasian thread even if we have not quite got the name we want yet. I came across BCO by accident but have found the information, encouragement and support brilliant. Without this forum I think I would have lost the plot over the last nine months. Great idea Midnight and hello to all of you
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Hi Midnight! Just thought I'd pop in and offer my encouragement to all.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Hi all. Hils, the name was fixed a while ago. Its now the Australian and New Zealand Breast Cancer Survivors forum which is pretty sweet.
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Hi Lyndal - sorry my statement re the name came from a previous post and I did not check the actual name of the group, long day at work thats my excuse
Great to see that we have a place to hang our hats, which is excellent0 -
chrissy you come and join us when ever you want, lovely to see you, cheers.
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Hi ladies
Another Kiwi here - based in Auckland. I'm just over a Year past diagnosis and surgery. I was a few weeks past my 40th when diagnosed.
I've had MX, 16 rounds of chemo, 25 x rads and finished up in Dec 2011. It's now 5 years of Tamox for me.
I've found BCO a great source of information and made some great US based friends.
It's nice to have a place for us ladies on this side of the world.
Nice to meet you all.0 -
Great to see Kiwis finding this place.
I am in Auckland as well. Must get dressed as there is an invasion of family today and we are off the Featherston tomorrow for a family wedding. It is also my sister's birthday tomorrow so must organise something for lunch today. This sister lives with us - difficult at times, well her family are but that's a long story.
Kiwi we have similar Dx I see.
Big hugs especially to those still in treatment.
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you have a great time at your wedding, and hope things go well. and your sis has a lovely Birthday Alyson. I got results back from my mammo other week and not the result i had hoped for, they want to another different kind of mamo picture as they see changes on the (r) breast this time and i have to do that June 12 at one pm. was hoping it was clear as we all do, it could be ok, but she said they were concerened about a certain area, but could not go into it more until they know. another WAIT. BUt they are pretty on to it in Palmy, if i still lived in Whangarei, you would not be as lucky, i know of alot of women who have been waiting and mucked around, but once they in there, its very good, never mind, this last bit of news it does bring insecurities tho. , , . Any way everybody have a good day, and KiwiMum it is lovely to see you, you have had alot of things to deal with your BC, i hope you are recovering nicely, iam on five years of Tamoxifen as well. Take care and welcome.
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Hi Midnight Will be thinking of you on June 12th, sorry you have to wait, waiting is the pits buty it sounds like you have a good team at Palmy. Hope you all have a great Queens B'day weekend and the weather is good for all of us.
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you to have a great wekend Hils, and i hope the weather stays good, has been dam cold down here. but today was alot better, we have only 7 like at lunch time, today was double that, but now dropping., catch up with yas later,
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Alyson, yes similar dx - but I am thrilled that you are 5 years out and going strong!! It gives me hope.
Midnight - I'm sorry about your new "challenge". This BC gig is the pits! I will be thinking of you.
I have a busy Q Birthday ahead. My Gran died this week and her funeral is on Saturday in Napier. My youngest has Brownie camp, starting Saturday morning for 2 nights/3 days. I'm going to and from Napier same day and then doing mummy help at camp Sunday, Sunday night and Monday. Phew, I feel tired thinking about it!
Has anyone got anything fun planned? Relaxing sounds good!0 -
Wow kiwimum, sorry to hear about your Gran. Just reading what you are getting up to over the weekend makes me feel tired.
I'm off to Rotovegas for the weekend to take some time out and hopefully go to one of the spas after a days mountain biking. Looking forward to it and hoping the weather is good for all of us.
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Sounds fab Hils. Have a great time. Mountain biking followed by pampering sounds like heaven!
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First time writing on any forum though I have been reading this one for a while. I found it somewhat cathartic to follow other women's journeys and see myself in them too. I had a mastectomy and DIEP reconstruction on the right side and a reduction on the left, back in January, and have nipple reconstruction and tidy up of scars in a couple of weeks. It has been a roller coaster ride few others can relate to unless you have been on it, which is why I think we can offer so much to each other here.
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Hi SuzyBlue. I've not yet ventured down the recon road yet.
Some questions.
Are you in Auckland?
If yes, who was your surgeon?
What was the recovery time?
I've seen a surgeon for a consult but he was talking Tram Flap. From what I've read on here Diep seems a better alternative. Your thoughts? Not sure why he recommended Tram.
Did you have medical insurance or go public?
Hope you don't mind the questions. Thanks.0 -
Hi KiwiMum, yes I am in Auckland too.
My Surgeon is Ashwain Chunilal and he is fantastic, I could not have asked for a better guy. He is based out at the Manukau Super Clinic but also works from Middlemore Hospital where I had my mastectomy and reconstruction and he also did a reduction on my left breast at the same time. There was never any question that he would not try and get them looking the same and I was very relieved I was not going to be left with one looking 30 and the other more like 60! (I am 49 and breastfed 4 kids so they were not in good shape haha).
I went through the public system and I do not have any complaints at all. The surgeons are by and large the same and I was told my waiting time would have been about the same too. Three weeks for the partial mastectomy and then three weeks after finding out I needed a full mastectomy. The first one was done at North Shore Hospital.
I was told that I did not have enough flesh for the tram flap and surprisingly enough to me it was also borderline whether I had enough for the DIEP flap either, but obviously he came up with enough in the end and he did not need to take any muscle which meant my recovery was quicker and I dont have to worry about hernias.
You do end up with a very large scar across your lower abdomin but it is fairly low down and not visible under clothes. I also have a flat stomach that I haven't seen in 25 years pre kids so that is a bonus. It was a 9 hour operation all up and I was in hospital for 5 nights. I was not able to drive for 6 weeks and for the first 2 - 3 weeks you can not stand up straight as the skin across your abdomin is very tight. The pain was pretty minimal, I only took panadeine at home, and really I was back into normal life in 4 weeks apart from driving.
Maybe your surgeon is recommending the Tram flap because it is not such a big operation? Personally I would think not having to remove muscle is an advantage but you would need to weigh up the pros and cons of each. Also I was told not all surgeons can perform the DIEP because it involves microsurgery which is why it is done at Middlemore.
Hope this answers some of your questions. Feel free to ask anything else that might help.0 -
Good morning all. Another sunny day, yippee (cold tho)!
Kiakaha, I see you are having zometa. I'm having it once a year, only had one so far & it was awful. I was vomitting for 2 days as well as the flu symptoms, aches etc. My next one is due in 2 1/2 months so I'm not really looking forward to it. I will have anti-nausea meds on hand tho...
I have a pretty quiet weekend planned- my son has a sleepover party (at someone elses house-phew) and hubby is coming back from Aus for the weekend. (He's working on the GC at the moment, and no, not on the TV show the GC)
Hope you all have a good long weekend & get some relaxing in there somewhere
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