Ladies in their 30s?
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Kjones - I'm sorry that they haven't figured out where your pain is coming from
I hope they can find an answer soon.I definitely relate to your post about being a bit jealous of older people. I have struggled a bit with both my mom and mother-in-law for different reasons. My mom just complains about being old all the time (she is 55) and it's so frustrating. First, she is not even what I would consider old and second, it is highly unlikely I'll ever see 55, so it seems a bit insensitive of her to complain about that to me
My mother-in-law has stage IV breast cancer too (she is doing really well and currenty NED from faslodex) and I get frustrated because she always makes comments suggesting that she knows exactly what I'm going through. But she doesn't. She didn't have chemo, radiation, a mastectomy or a hysterectomy and most importantly, she got to see her son go to the prom, graduate high school, graduate college, get married, have children of his own. All things I'll never get to do. We may have the same disease, but it is taking away SO much more from me due to my age It is not her fault and I know she is just trying to commiserate with me, but it does make me sad and sometimes a bit angry (or maybe jealous is a better word) when I think about it. I feel like a terrible person when I think like this, but I just can't help it.I also randomly stare at old people out and about in town and want to start crying because that will never be me, especially if it is a cute old couple where the old gentelman is opening the store or car door for his wife. That just makes me sad for the hubby.
Cancer is hard.
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kjones- i'm feeling some of that anger too. i had a 70+ woman see me with my cane (which is because of the hip replacement i needed for the pathological fracture from radiation to my femur tumor) and make a comment complaining how her sciatica gets so bad on some days that she has to use a cane. i told my husband she was luckily i didn't her with my cane for complaining about something so minor.
brandall- thanks for thinking of me. my pet was rescheduled and the hip area where my original mets was found was perfectly clear! however, the one subpectoral axillary node that lit up in january when my bone met was discovered still let up. my MO ran it by the tumor board and the unanimous consensus was to rescan in 8 weeks and then move to biopsy and possibly surgical removal pending biopsy results. they said it just doesn't add up that the rest of the scan was clear and my tumor markers fell from 60 to 14 and the lighting of this node would be cancer-related. makes me nervous to wait, but i am encourage by the rest of the scan and the tumor markers. what a coincidence that your MIL is experiencing stage IV BC too, but i can understand how you feel. before BC, i really don't remember envying anyone, and more frequently than i would like to admit, i find myself looking upon a stranger who is older or who has older children and feeling incredibly jealous that they have gotten to that point in life.
on a positive note, my treatment is fairly easy to tolerate at this point, and i'm recovering from the hip replacement well. i am looking forward to celebrating my son's 2nd birthday tomorrow and will try to be present in the moment rather than sad or stressed about how many more birthdays i will be able to celebrate with him. even if i don't post much, i would like to thank you ladies for your support, advice, sharing, and simply for truly "getting" it.
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Just wanted to say hi. I was 33 years old when originally diagnosed in Oct 2008. Mets to liver and bones in Jul 2010. I'm so thankful for every day with my awesome kids who are getting ready to turn 6 and 9. I was NED for the last couple years. New mets to the liver now. Getting ready to start new treatments on Tues and can't wait until next scan. I've met and connected with far too many of us in our 30s. It is time to put an end to MBC! Until then, it is nice to have support from others who know what it feels like. I wish you all happy and healthy days... :-)
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Brandall-- I understand what you mean about the comments from prople. Try not to stress over your tumor markers, but I know thst is easier said than done.
I am currently in key west which crosses something off my list. I'd never been. I've been traveling a lot which has been good, but I've also been in a weird head-space so I backed away from the boatds a little bit. I read everyone's updates, & you all are in my thoughts so often. I think I'm in a better place to participate more again0 -
Please excuse my typos in the last post. I'm writing from my phone
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Hello all! 33 year old mother of 3 here. Stage IV with bone mets. Just diagnosed with stage 4 in January of this year so still trying to figure this out. My only therapy right now is Arimidex which I take once a day- seems weird to take a little bitty pill and expect it to kill this beast of a disease. Anyway, my onc just rechecked my tumor markers last week. She checks my CA15-3 which was stable, but she also checked my CEA levels which had multiplied x4 since February of this year. She hopes it's an error, but not sure. She said we would wait and check them again in a month to see what they do. Then if it is still that high we will do a PET scan to see what's going on.
What is your opinions? I'm not really comfortable with waiting a month considering my cancer is high grade and grows quickly. I'm thinking about calling and asking to go ahead and either do a scan or repeat the blood tests. Any opinions or experiences with this? CEA rose from 7.3 to 30.0!
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Dear OneStep, as you have already gotten rid of your estrogen factories, I can guess why your MO is relaxed enough to wait a month.
Maybe & hopefully it's just a flare. Also for many TM's are not reliable. Hope you are one of those.
With all the therapies you have been going through the past year, you can feel confident you are aggressive enough so far. AI's are tiny pills, yet as effective as chemos for many. Again hope you are one of those, to stay on AI's for long..
hugs, Ebru
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Hello all. I am 36. Found out had cancer at 34, turned 35 a month after. Started at stage 2B-3A until first round of chemo showed was stage 4 because area's couldn't be tested & showed reaction from chemo. I am not online much. Regular every 3 week treatment tomorrow. My final scan had showed NED after completion of chemo, surgery & radiation accept a spot 3.5cm suddenly showed up from chemo nowhere on my ovary & get results of ultrasound tomorrow. Hoping NED.
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I never see anyone close to my age at my doctors office getting treatments.
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Kellygrl77 - Like you, I never saw anyone my age getting treatments, but at least this board has a lot of very helpful people who know what it is like to deal with this at our age. Hope that you are still NED. Please let us know.
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Welcome CrystalH Onestep and Kelly
nbnotes- Have FUN! um yeah never mind my typos i am just too lazy to go back and fix them most days
Onestep- TMs arent always 100% spot on, and i agree if your dr is confidant waiting a month then breath easy.
Kelly- I never have seen anyone remotly my age at the Drs getting treatments- i've seen ppl my age with their parents though. I just smile at them sorta as a boost
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Hi I am 3o and was diagnosed Stage I with 27 and Stage IV with 30. Mets to liver and bones. I have a girl 5y and a boy 3y.
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Katja- Welcome- are you still doing the Adriamycin and Cytoxan? Your children are roughly the age mine were when i was dx'd 3 years ago! Where abouts are you at?
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I posted this on the main site but just wanted to pass this along here since there seems to be more moms here. There is a non-profit called inheritance of hope that serves families who have a parent with a life threatening illness. They send them on legacy retreats...either to New York City or to Disney. My family just got back and it was just a wonderful experience. No stress and very easy to relate to all 14 families there with children. Now I feel God wants me to pay it forward and fundraise so that other families can have that experience! Just wanted to share. Also, I'm anxious for the next round of scans because it will be 4 months out from chemo (still on h/p and tamoxifen)...these scans will dictate next steps for liver and breast! Keep on keepin on ladies!
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Hey ladies...hope everyone is well. Have not been on in a while due to being lazy(hate using phone..lol ) and not having internet in the home. Tornado knocked down the tower my internet uses..no idea when it will be fixed. No worries though the tornado was not near us. Finished chemo 4 weeks ago....just got cat scan results...everything shrank apparently...but cancer is still there. :-(
I know how unrealistic it is, but was hoping it had all just disappeared....lol.
I have appt with surgeonnext week to schedule bmx as well as hysterectomy. I plan to kill 2 birds with one surgery. Any advice? little nervous....feel like maybe no longer going to be a women.
O well.....plan on being here with my babies as long as possible.
Hope everyone is doing okay. Hugs to you all.0 -
Good idea Jenna, get rid of those c-bugger factories! One operation is better than 2 definitely..good luck with it.
hugs, Ebru
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Hello!
I am not 30..yet
but 28 and I have also been looking for those who are in the same boat.About me:
I'm a 28 y.o with mets to bone. I was originally diagnosed in 2009 at 23 with stage IIIA breast cancer, had chemo, herceptin, zometa and tamoxifen. After three years tamoxifen "failed"- as my oncologist described it and I found out that the cancer spread all over my spine. I took xelota for 6 m.o which helped keep the cancer under control but now ( after 3 months of being off of xelota and only taking herceptin and zometa) my oncologist is suggesting the removal of ovaries.
I am terrified!
My questions for you and others who have stage 4:
I was wondering if there is anyone out there that can share their stage IV experience?
How has your prognosis changed since the removal of ovaries?
Thanks and God bless
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mygodisavow…- so sorry that you have to join us all. i found myself feeling sorry for myself being initially diagnosed with BC at 33 and mets at 35. Can't even imagine how you feel when you are so much younger than me and are forced to make such difficult choices. i only recently found out that i was stage 4 (in late Jan/early february of this year). At my Stage 2 diagnosis, I did chemo, a year of Herceptin, and was on Tamoxifen for almost a year when we found the mets. It is now recommended that I have the ovaries out because of my ER+ status. In the meantime, I am taking Zoladex, which my MO said gave me the ovary suppression benefit until I had the surgery. (I am recovering from hip replacement from a pathological fracture following radiation for the bone met, so they didn't want me to feel rushed to have the ovaries out). I was told that for me, the benefit would be the further reduction of estrogen in my system and putting me into a menopausal state, which could allow for use of an aromatase inhibitor rather than Tamoxifen. I am not BRCA+ so in theory I am not at increased risk for ovarian cancer; however, in BRCA+ ladies, I know that they benefit from the reduced risk of ovarian cancer as well as the estrogen reduction. My childhood best friend ironically was diagnosed with Stage IIIa breast cancer 3 months after my initial diagnosis when she was 35 (makes me wonder about environmental). She had a prophylactic oopherectomy at the time of her tissue expander exchange surgery. Obviously there are bigger issues than the actual procedure itself, but from what my Gyn explained it is rather simple and well-tolerated. My friend said that the actual procedure was very easy to handle. She had some soreness and bloating but was able to go back to work a few days later (despite having the implant surgery at the same time too). Hopefully some of the other ladies will chime in about how prognosis has changed. I only know that this route was suggested when I was adament about being as aggressive as possible in keeping this disease away. Good luck to you...
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Hi I am 38 and diagnosed stg.IV when I was 32.
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Sadly welcoming you Mygodisavow. My first cancer (though not bc) was way back when I was 15. It's hard to deal with it so young. And now with mets, it's certainly a different league.
I was on med-induced menapouse for a while, so cannot help you with the ooph experience. But as far as I have been on the boards, I have read many stories of gals with no major problems after the operation, which, if done laparoscoply is not too bothersome for some (again not my experience but the ones I have read on the boards so far). Hope others will chime in with personal info.
The first couple of months was terrifying for me as I have an 8-year-old. But there are quite a few therapy options, so it becomes a part of your daily life & you adapt to your new normal in time. Now after 1,5 years upon dx, logging on the BCO is like visiting youtube for me. Checking on friends, seeking & offering advice, etc. I already retired on disability for my job required sole brain work, so with chemobrain I had to give it up. Know what? I explored life has so much to offer than my job. So that was not too traumatic for me.
If you really look after yourself with the right diet, exercises along with your treatment & not overuse your daily energy, you can / hopefully will will carry on with your "new normal" daily life for longer than you think right now. Been there, can guess your horrid thoughts right now
. Glad for you, you found a great source as BCO with lots of up-to-date info and the boards with the lovely ladies, in fact sisters (we call) as we become a family after some time. We laugh & cry together. Sharing what nobody else around can get (cos they aren't in your shoes) is like nothing. You will see in time with experience. Just a little patience dear to suck in the news.. We are here for you with our huge virtual hugs.Ebru
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Hello mygodisavow and Julia97. Sorry that you have to be here, but it is a helpful place to be! mygodisavow, I had a total hysterectomy on March 20th. Mine was done with the assisted robot technology. I haven't really had any problems so far except hot flashes. But I'm also on tamoxifen which causes hot flashes too, so I'm not sure which one is causing them. The hot flashes are annoying, but not terrible. I dont think I can answer your question about it changing my prognosis. I would love to say that it is going to give me some more years (and that is the hope!) but I just can't know for sure
Julia97 - 6 years with mets is not too shabby. What kind of mets do you have? I'd love to hear more of your story
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Hi I am 36. I was diagnosed at 33 years old.
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Hi I am 36. I am diagnosed at 33 years old. I have 3 childs 19, 8 and 3 years old.
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I was diagnosed stage 3 in 2009 at the age of 34 then diagnosed 2010 as stage 4 due to a single brain met. Now a stage 4 survivor for 3 yearse and intend to be for 30 more!
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Hello everyone!! Hope you all had a great weekend. We are a little bummed...puppy has been missing for 2 days. We put up fliers, but have not heard anything. My kids have been sad all weekend.
Welcome to all the new ladies...sorry you have to be here.
Katja83 - i have a boy and girl as well. Hope you are all doing okay.
Kellygrl77 - i never see anyone my age at dr's either. How did your test go?
mygodisavow -Welcome. I love your puppy pic..very cute. He looks like lots of fun...i was diagnosed stage4 from get go in dec2012. I started chemo in Jan 2013.(TAC) I have mets to bone only-ribs spine and pelvis. I had radiation to spine and pelvis. I am in process of meeting with surgeons /scheduling bmx and hysterectomy. Currently on Tamoxifin. I have 2 chldren and a great husband. I hope to see grandkids one day.
Julia37 - welcome. There are a lot of great girls here. Hope you are doing well and to here more from you.
Andrea77 - Welcome. Hope you are doing well. I have 2 kiddos and mine are stairsteps....lol 10 and 11. Can't imagine having a 19 and 3 year old....lol.
dharmamama - welcome. You are here with a bunch of Great girls.
Brandall, Ebru, Texasrose, nbnotes and cjrt- hope you are all well. love and hugs. Jena0 -
Welcome to all the new people on this thread, but sorry you have to be here! I have been off for the past couple of weeks because I crossed off one of the things on my bucket list: an Alaskan Cruise! Plus, I got to spend a little time in Seattle. It was such a wonderful trip!
Hope everyone is well!
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Any of you that have had reconstruction have opinion on deip vs implants? I am freaking out. Imet with plastic surgeon today and now i have a million more questions. I will try reconstruction forum,but wanted to see if you guys had any thoughts. Everytime i think i find a little normalcy, i get knocked back down. Never thought i would be having boob job. Cancer sucks. :-(
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Nancy- Sounds like a great start to summer! How nice! And probably a nice change of weather too! It's a hot one already here in FL.
Jenna- I had my reconstruction with tissue expanders to implants. I was not a candidate for DIEP so I didn't bother researching this option much, though I know this is a more involved surgery. I do know an aquaintence that had this done though. I met with 3 different PS before decided on the one I went with. I had immediate recon at the time of the mastecomy with tissue expanders and then had my exchange surgery to permanent implants. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. Feel free to also PM me if you want.
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Hi ladies! I'm so glad to hear from you. I get nervous when you are gone too long
I hope you had a great vacation nbnotes! I want to do an Alaskan cruise someday! Are the northern lights out this time of year? I would love to see those!J1e1n1a - I'm afraid I don't know much about reconstruction. I'm pretty sure that I'm not a candidate for implants since I had rads done to my left chest wall. I've met my deductible and out of pocket max already this year, so I kind of feel the clock ticking. If I'm going to do reconstruction, I should do it by the end of the year. Ugh. But then I wonder if it's just like painting a sinking ship. Plus I still have one breast, I certainly don't want them to make the new one look like the old post child-bearing saggy one LOL. Decisions, decisions, decisions. I do HATE the depression on one side of my chest though. You can totally see it with whatever top I wear, unless I'm wearing a turtleneck and I feel like people stare
I'd love to know what you decide.CJRT - Hope you are doing well!
I'd love to hear updates from all the other young people too
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brandall- thanks for thinking of me! i've been doing pretty well. recovery from the hip replacement has gone well. feeling good overall and tolerating treatments well so far. have another pet scan mid-July and praying to maintain the status quo. we scheduled a 2-week vacation for the end of July, which hopefully doesn't get disrupted. hope you are feeling good and enjoying the summer with your kiddos. mine are close in age to yours- 5 and 2. my oldest is starting kindergarten this fall. can't believe how fast time flies by!
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