2013 Survivors!!!
Comments
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Well, dang. Here I am in another party and it looks like I am the only male guest. (Getting breast cancer is not the way I would recommend to meet women, I assure you.)
I am now a little more than a year out of chemo and things are going great. I think I am going to make it ... at least for a while. Looking back, I think all of this cancer crap was harder on my wife and kids than it was on me. I am just glad to have gotten through it. I guess as a testament to my confidence in my treatment and future, I opened a new law firm on January 1 and things are rolling along just fine.
I would have to say that the whole "wrestling with my own mortality" question has certainly changed my outlook on things. I am a whole helluva lot more relaxed about things than I was before. The little stuff doesn't bother me and the whole category of "little stuff" is much larger than it was before. The only things that are important to me now are family, friends and health ... in that order.At this point - aside from the quarterly check-ups I have to get for the rest of my life (I'm BRCA2 positive) - I am ready to put the whole experience behind me and chalk it up to another element of what has been a pretty interesting life, so far.
This next birthday (55) will be a biggie.
Glancing up at the left-hand corner, it looks like I need to update my profile picture here, too.
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Hello Charles, sorry to meet you under these circumstances. Male breast cancer isn't as common, but sadly you are the 3rd I have "met".
So glad you are moving forward with the rest of us and good luck with the law firm!
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Well thank you, Lost. The firm has been a lot of fun.
I can't say it's a lotta fun to meet people under these circumstances, although I've met some terrific people here. I am pretty convinced that sort of adversity makes people reassess things and that tends to make them more thoughtful and accepting of others. So, all told, it weren't such a bad thing.0 -
Juneau- Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Hope you have a great day Love ya girl.
marian- Happy belated birthday to you. Hope you had a great one as well love ya!
Welcome Charles to our group! I have met several men that have been diagnosed with BC with working at a local hospital. So glad you have made it this far to be with us. We are a very chatty group as Scottie (our house cheerleader) will tell you.
Embok- anyone is allowed to join our weight loss group, you can PM Tazzy and tell her your starting weight. Good luck on your weight loss endeavor, we are all here for you.
Went to bed last night at 830, guess i was more tired than I thought. I slept all the way up until 530 this morning. Hubby says I kicked him out of the bed before he even got into it. hmm wonder how that works?? Then makes me think did I talk in my sleep, once I'm exhausted and take my sleeping pills, I never know what's going to come out of my mouth.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Better get off the computer so I can work, one of those things we have to do right?
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Welcome Embok and Charles...this is a great place to hang out for laughs and support. Has been my rock during all this.
Happy Birthday Juneaubugg...hope your day is amazing...just like you!!
Where does the time go? I am almost 6 months out from diagnosis. See my MO tomorrow for a check-up. Bet she comments on my weight as I think I may be up a bit since I met her in October. BUT, I am working on it.
It's a beautiful sunny day, though friggin' cold, here in eastern Ontario. Make it a great one!
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Juneau.....Happy Birthday girl.....the eyes of Scottiee will not be upon you today...even I'm not THAT heartless.....enjoy what ever your little heart desires...💃
Charles....welcome.....good luck keeping up with this bunch ....lol
Chrisrenee .....gotta luv ya .....your sense of humour gives me a chuckle every time ...lol
Taking my baby boy (26, if you remember but still my baby) to the cardiologist today to
hopefully get some answers regarding his abnormal ECG.....will keep you posted.
Mcook ....how's your eye situation??????
Ok ....time for my second cuppa ....hi to everybody else ❤0 -
Scottie- I forgot to tell you congrats on your appt the other day! I'm so happy for you, those damn things scare the hell out of me. Keep us informed about your baby boy today. Thoughts are with yall! love ya.
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Juneau - wishing you a very Happy Birthday today!
Scottie - thinking of you with son's appt - keep us updated
Lost in mo - good to hear from you again
Outdamnedspot - will be with you at your appt tomorrow, re: weight - working on it is all we can do
Embok - I enjoyed reading your responses to everyone, be good to yourself. We have a breast cancer supportive care foundation here where the appointments with the physicians are one hour - they talk about what's going on physically with us but are also very interested in how we are doing emotionally/psychologically and cognitively. I go once a month for an appt and have found it really helpful
Charles - adding my welcome! I will be celebrating the same big birthday as you this year. Congratulations on your law firm, glad things are going well with it.
This a.m. is my BEAUTY exercise program - today is yoga, I am looking forward to it
Tomorrow I go for my first rads treatment
Hope all have a good day!0 -
Welcome Charles - as everyone has said... sorry you have to be here, but really you wont find a more chatty, knowledgeable bunch on women. Wise words you say !
Scottie... in your pockets again for your sons cardio appt. Keep us posted.
Juneau: Happy of happiest birthdays - you're a very special woman and deserve to be spoilt today. Birthday hugs and kisses coming your way.
Hello to all I've missed saying hello to. Have a wonderful Wednesday...yay!
Hugs xx
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Thanks everyone....will keep you posted.
Websister....with you tomorrow ...I have to say once you get over the first one ...you'll
be fine. I initially found those huge machines so intimidating plus when the techs left the room, I felt so alone....just a heads up....if you can get past that, the worst thing is just the time involved getting there every day and the set up time.....what am I saying, you're a nurse....I take it all back....but will still be there with you..❤
Outdamnedspot....I'm with you tomorrow also....❤
Tazzy, can't believe you didn't comment on how "nice" I was to Juneau about her birthday today...geez....you guys have to stop focussing on all my "negative issues"....lol0 -
Websister...thanks getting in my pocket! I will be in yours as you start rads tomorrow. Looking back I can honestly say, it wasn't so bad, though I was very happy not to have to make that trek to the hospital every day.
Scottiee...Thanks and good luck today with your son's appointment. Our daughter goes next Friday for her cardio appointment. I wish I was closer, but she has assured me she is okay and to save the trip if there is further testing etc. Hard not to worry.
Time to get out and enjoy the day. Will check in later to see what I might have missed.
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shianne, weird. I had a chemo flashback sometime in the last week. I sort of wondered if my period would start because the chemo used to shut down my ovaries and a woman's ovaries stop producing estro and progestro right before the menstruation starts. it felt kind of similar but I've had chemo more recently than a period so it felt like a chemo-flashback at first. I don't know if I'm making any sense but it was not cool to have that flashback.
ok, my weightloss honeymoon is over. My body seems to have adjusted to the tamoxifen at least appetite wise and over the last couple weeks I have to be vigilant to maintain and not gain. 30 minutes/1.5 miles on my elliptical beast yesterday… it must be harder than walking because I can do 2 miles in 30 minutes if I'm on a flat surface. I hope it's harder...
juneau, liefie makes a good point about taking care of the contents inside. I wish I had some real technique I could impart for doing just that. I was having an awful week last week - I got glutened so I felt like shit physically and that makes a huge difference in my emotional state. I couldn't even stand myself, my saggy non-surgeried left breast, my all-fucked-up-still-a-bit-sore-from-rads lumpectomy breast, my "pixie" hair I didn't ask for, my new wrinkles from skin changes from chemo and tamoxifen, my flappy underarms and thighs loose skin, my ugly rash breakout from the gluten. I also couldn't even stand the pity party I was throwing for myself internally - it was a conundrum. I was very angry how expensive and inconvenient my diet already is and with all my effort I still get hit sometimes. If there was something my Dr could give me to help me through those glutenings I would take it. (I better ask. It might be - duhn duhn duh - steroids.) Finally by yesterday, I was feeling better and I didn't loathe what I saw in the mirror. No magic bullet - I'm pretty sure it was mostly just my autoimmune disease calming the fuck down. Does Crohn's send you through rollercoasters too? If I do reconstruction I am absolutely going to consider having my thighs lipo'd and reshaped at the same time but I am not going to jump into it right now coming off a hatred bender… oh, and this just shows how far behind I am in the thread - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
embok, as you can see, I'm no great example. I have had some really good days post active treatment but also some very bad. I heard some great things about nutritional therapy from some ladies in my local support group. Like, they went to a Dr or nutritionist who ran a bunch of tests to see what nutrients they might need and then took good (but pricey) supplements for a couple months to help with energy. It doesn't do all the emotional work but having had a malabsorption syndrome my whole life, I can tell you that complete nutrition often helps. "two knife fights and a poisoning" Hah! How about two knife fights and a 6-month (or 3 month or 5 year) poisoning? it has a ring to it. I like that.
melissa119, I have my first follow up with my RO today (Weds) too and I had a nightmare about it last night. I think seeing my MO next month will be even more anxiety inducing, particularly if I have a mammo before that. Good luck!
Hi Charles, Belated Congratulations on finishing chemo! It's so good to hear from people doing well that far out from treatment.
and (((hugs))) to all I've missed0 -
oh, I almost forgot to ask, eye problems: I hope everyone's eyes are doing better! I am having lots and lots of styes post-chemo. Is this normal? it's not the follicles, the styes are closer to the eye than that. is it chemo/menopause? Do I need to watch out for the blockage some of you have been having? My right eye is uncomfortable as we speak and it seems like it's the tear duct on the inside upper lid. What type of Dr do you recommend if I decide to go to one? any eye-washes that are helpful?
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Juneaubugg, a very happy birthday to you and eat whatever you want; Scottiee won't complain on your special day and I see she is already being nice. I did what I wanted and after all it only lasts a day!
Scottiee, do let us know when you get home is there is any news.
Charles and Embok, two lawyers now on this thread! Welcome.
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Happy birthday Juneau!! Enjoy and celebrate!!!
Thanks everyone for being in my pockets today. I just left the MO for my first 3 month follow up. First they did blood work then I went up to her office. She came in and said my counts all looked great and they had to wait a couple days for the rest of the results but she saw no reason they should be anything but good :-). She did exam, asked how I was feeling and said that she at this point considered me cured! I asked about recurrance and she said if I hadn't done chemo it would have been 20% but with my chemo I brought it way down to under 10%. She said it will never be 0% but she believes it will not come back! She said I should keep that new word in my head...cure... And throw that other ugly one out! And she doesn't believe in regular scans. Insurance doesn't cover them and for anything under stage 3 they are not recommended. She said my breadt surgeo, plastic surgeon and her are all on the same page so that made me feel good. Anyway now another 3 mo til I see her. Exchange surgery 3/19. Going out to celebrate this weekend!
Welcome to everyone new! These ladies are a great bunch of women!
Have a great day!0 -
Allurbadday, I had a blockage in the tearduct which caused me to 'cry' all the time. Surgery last week was really easy, done by an eye surgeon in the OR under local anaesthetic. Had to ice eye for a few days, and the 2 small sutures are coming out today a week later. Eye not running anymore and no more swelling - mission accomplished!
Embok, you are most welcome here! All you have to do is post, and you are accepted. Welcome to the weight loss group too. The more, the merrier!
Charles, welcome to you too. Interesting to have a man in the mix, and glad to hear you are doing so well healthwise and in your new law firm.
Yes Scottiee, let us know what's going on.
Juneau, enjoy your birthday!
Websister, in your pocket for first rads tomorrow. You will breeze through it, I'm sure.
Can't respond to everybody, so best wishes to those in treatment, whatever it is, and to those struggling to find a new normal that they can live with. It will come. Keep calm and carry on!
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Melissa...congrats on the good news. Another hurdle mastered!
Charles and Embok
..welcome...nice to have lawyers among us...we have a male doctor as well. Haven't heard from him in ages tho...he's a busy man.
Scotttiee...hope the results show nothing serious.
Outdamnedspot...can just imagine how worried you must be..your DD sounds like she has her head on straight. Never borrow trouble...yada yada!
Juneau...have the happiest ever
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Welcome Charles!!!
Allurbaddays.... You made perfect sense to me lol. Also, the eye thing I have as well. The only thing I found that worked for the "sty" was ice and rubbing a gold ring along the edge of the lid. It's an old wives tale but I swear by it. They water and feel like a film covering the lens constantly. I think it's the lashes, lol. They are transitional right now, falling out coming in so the irritation is causing all this (remember how our scalps felt when hair was falling out?) I'm hoping it resolves soon!!
It's another snow day here for the kids so mine has been home 5 days in a row and driving me up the wall lol not to mention that I'm in the middle of a down period (meaning I want to be alone to rest and sleep so my body can recover). Ahhhh, I keep telling myself soon he will be all grown and gone and I'll miss him. Pffft..... Lol0 -
Melissa love that word cure! Glad your 3 month follow up went well.
Welcome Charles. This is a fast moving thread!
I have my first follow up with my RO on Friday. I think they just want to make sure that my skin is healing up nicely. Websister good luck with rads, it will go by pretty quickly.
Allurbaddays did you schedule your mammo? I was nervous about mine, but once it was over and done I was glad to have it over with. Also can sympathize with the honeymoon being over. I'm thinking that it was radiation that was helping to lose the weight because your body was always trying to repair itself. So I'm back to watching every single calorie that goes in my mouth.
Scottiee thinking of you and your son. Let us know how things go.
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Allurbaddays, I looked up my eye surgeon. He is an opthalmologist who specializes in eye surgery as well as plastic eye surgery. He also teaches in the medical faculty at UBC in Vancouver, so he must be good. Find the best one you can get - you don't want to mess with your eye.
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holy moly! I am trying to catch up on post but at work so I am going to have to make this quick but needed a mental break before I go batty!
First of all? Any of you hiring:) HA! I have been doing this job for so long and it is time for me to move on to a new challenge. Especially realizing that I can't continue working 18 hours a week and stay healthy. I am not even kidding about the hours as it is a tough job which I love the challenge but I just want something new. I want to come home at the end of the day not totally exhausted from the mental challenge of trying to keep up anymore. I am great at my job but time to let some new kid have the reins for a bit:)
Plus I need to start running! when I get home at 6:30 every day and leave at 5:15 my free time is limited. I want career but also a life. Maybe they will just can me so I have to make a change:) Good thing is I am so busy that I don't even have time to think about BC during the day but this is what probably caused me to delay getting checkout in the first place when I found my lump for months because I just could not "find the time"
I know I need to make a career move but dang that is time consuming too. So I am so in for the retirement home idea. I will cash in my retirement and just roll the dice maybe?
hell some days it is something I really consider, what is the worst that could happen? ok so probably not the best financial move.Ladies - here is the deal about my man adam L. Hand off! I have first dibbs
Maybe that is my ticket because I am sure after dating the Victoria Secret models he would love my new fboobs etc. oh well I better get my ass to bed and man we need a way we can open a forum to chat at night so we can just type there once and while? what do you think? Has anyone tried that?
Hope everyone one is having a good day and I hope Bday girl Juneau is dancing on some tables and going to share with all of us.
need a stress reliever today big time.. sad is I think chemo was easier than my job some days. Very Sad huh! at least it forced me to slow down and relax!
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Welcome Embok, Shianne and Charles! I'm having trouble keeping track, so I'm sorry if I missed any other new people.
Charles, I saw your post on a different thread called "High-Risk Women" pointing out that, uh, men can be at risk, too! In the first breast surgeon's office I went to, everything was pink. The walls, chairs, even a binder of information they handed me was pink (no, it was not full of women). I thought about how much it would suck to be a guy walking into that office.
Juneau, Happy Birthday, and your new pixie cut looks so cute!
Scottiee and outdamned spot, hoping for the best for your son and daughter respectively!
Melissa, sounds like your follow-up went well, congrats!
Mccook, your job sounds cool, but it does sound like hard work. I have always wanted to get up close to those big windmills and see how they work.
Allurbaddays, it does seem like blocked tear ducts are a recurring theme on these threads.
Websister, congratulations on starting rads! The sooner you start, the sooner you're done with it! It's like your senior year of high school.
Hope everyone else is having a good week!
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Welcome newbies. Charles - my colleague's Dad went through breast cancer too. We forget you men are out there dealing with this too... Welcome to our club here.
Melissa and anyone else who received good news (I can't keep up...) - congrats!
websister - happy for another rads countdown buddy. Good luck tomorrow; will be in your pocket.
All you rads grads out there - were you getting tired by txt 10? Yesterday and today I am feeling pretty tired and feeling like I need to turn to caffiene... While tired is a state of being for a full-time working mom of a 2 1/2 and 5 year old, I feel more tired than usual -and can't say my sleep hours have changed more. I thought rads exhaustion wouldn't kick in until later. Guess I really need to get my act together and start going to be earlier. Problem is I'm trying to make up for my two lost work hours every f'ing day by sitting down at my computer after I get the kids to bed. So by the time that happens and I've spent a little wind-down time in front of the boob tube with my hubby - it's pretty late. Sigh... I'll just keep reminding myself this is time limited - and absolutely way better than chemo was.
Hugs and love to all!
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oh - and happy happy bday juneau! love ya!
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Ramols - I believe it was about the two week mark I was told to watch out for. The thing to remember is that as fatigue takes time to start it also takes time to resolve. And like you so wisely pointed out rads IS a limited time. Not to mention going everyday and you probably fighting weather. And 2 little ones. Are you going to get the midwest storm? Cold here, off & on rain and stormy tonight. Had lots of sleet this morning. HOPE rain makes my goatie hay cheaper.
Make sure in your diet you're eating enough protein as that is cellular building blocks. I got a lot of mine through Greek yogurt since I could at least keep it somewhat cool in a lunchbox on the road. And, it goes without saying, to rest when you can.
Juneau - Have just the bestest birthday. I can almost if I squint see you dancing on that table.
Liefie - I love your wise advice and your writing style. If you ever need a job???
Websister - is tomorrow your rads starting date? Are you on the 16 day program? I wish they did that here. Getting there, undressed, dressed again, collecting stuff from locker was longer than tx except on Mondays when they did alignment Xrays.
McCook - what kind of job do you envision? What do you like to do? (unfortunately lying on the couch with TV on doesn't seem to be job description, LOL, wish it was I would be there Oh like right now) How did you get into wind turbines? A few here but mostly just individuals. A little further north is much more open country and there is a turbine farm up there (on a very high ridge for mostly flat Texas.)
Charles - welcome here. We can get raucous at times. Beware.
Scottiee and Outdamnedspot - Prayers for your kiddoes and their resp. doctor's appts.
Melissa - Congrats on the great report.
Welcome also to Embok and Shianne.
Eyes - Not sure I can wait until June for my yearly optometrist appt. Going with DH on Friday to his (not that he needs me to accompany him, having a town day - Lowe's, insurance agent, maybe lunch) and kicking myself I didn't make one for myself. I don't have vision insurance so don't need to wait for a "year". Last June he commented that I'm getting cataracts but glasses not really needing updating. And I do believe he would be ontop of changes with AIs as his wife is a BC survivor. I will have to quiz him more thoroughly now that it will be approaching a year more or less on it.
Know I have missed many. Hoping all are having a good Wednesday with minimal SE's. I'll steal Ramols' line and tell everyone to get some "happy" today.
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Ramois, I have bitched and moaned about this in a few places, so forgive me if you have seen this before, but the fatigue kicked in for me the frst week of rads and now it is kicking my ass. A nurse told me patients who have had chemo experience more fatigue from rads. I will finish regular treatments this week, and I am hoping the fatigue will be better during the boosts next week. Sounds like you may need to cut back on your activities a bit, if you can find a way.
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Oh stride, I hope not lol. I start rads next Tuesday, I finished chemo Dec 11. I'm so tired already (still?) I can barely get thru the day. I think the problem for me is the peripheral neuropathy wakes me up a few times a night so I'm not getting a solid nights sleep.
Oh such fun!!0 -
Thanks to all of you for the kind words of welcome.
Stride, you're right. I got my "man-o-gram" results in a pink folder (WTF?) when they came back. Fortunately, my oncologist hates "branding" people's cancers with pink ribbons or yellow wristbands as much as I do. I'm also her fifth male breast cancer patient, so she understands.
The whole male breast cancer thing added an interesting dimension. I am not offended by by people being surprised, but it does pain me when I hear stories of men ignoring lumps and other signs and - much worse - when medical professionals don't take those signs seriously in men. I think the word is getting out, though.
I wrote a piece last year for the Huffington Post on the subject and the response was terrific, especially the email from a guy who decided to get that lump checked out after reading it.Anyway, I appreciate the kind words and will check in every now and then. My best to all and to all a quick and painless recovery.
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Charles- hello
I read your article and thank you for sharing! I can only image the shock and awe you get from others when you told them you have breast cancer. But for all of us survivors we know that cancer is cancer all the emotions and etc that come with it. So glad you joined us but can we still gripe about our significate others from time to time:) jk
welcome to our chatty loving group! I am glad you shared your story and that it helped someone and probably many other unknowns to get checked out!0 -
Hi everybody....just a quick post to stay my son's appt. was cancelled at the last minute....a little miffed as I took the day off to be with him. He has a new one scheduled
For next Wednesday.
Outdamnedspot....I guess we will be checking in at the same time next week. So frustrating.0
