Stage 2 Sisters Club
Comments
-
Ruth, so sorry you had to have that surgery, I just found this thread and I had mine in January. As for getting out of bed, I got a king sized sheet, folded it diagonally and tucked about a third of it under the foot end of the mattress. I needed it to get up and recline safely, but maybe most don't. In my case, I had to be super careful, at least in the first couple of weeks because they cut the **** nerves something crazy. In fact, it's still numb after the bikini line surgery so they just put in my Nuelasta shot near that, no sting. Stupid me though, my OBGYN told me that keeping an ovary extends your life but there is a better chance for BC. I decided to keep it because the surgery was cheaper. Fast forward 5 months, BC fast growing. Now I have to go back and have a ovaryectomy says my HO (hematologist/oncologist.
Good luck with your recovery!
0 -
My hysterectomy was done vaginallyst I don't have any abdominal nerves/pain/stitches etc. to contend with. As long as I just walk for my exercise and don't pick up or push around heavy things for the next 6 weeks, I should be fine. So sorry you have to go back for more surgery
0 -
Checking in for July! Ruth - hope you are doing well after your surgery.
Nisa - thinking of you, hope all is well.
I'm at the camp again for the weekend and heading to Syracuse for an outdoor Boston concert at Lajeview amphitheater. It's one of those rare warm, sunny days in central NY. Glad to be here since it's raining back home in DE!
I'm feeling well. My first Zometa infusionis scheduled for end of August- same day as my BS checkup. I also meet with the PS to discuss more fat grafting scheduled in Sept. Hoping it's my last surgery. Ooph scheduled for the same day.
Husgs to everyone.0 -
Enjoy the concert, Grandma3X. I am doing good; taking short walks and long naps
.0 -
I'm new here...scared and on day 14 of AC-T. Losing my hair today. I'm a teacher and today is the first day of school and I had to take a leave of absence. Just needing some support I guess. It's shocking how quickly can so drastically change.
0 -
Hi dinahmagic, sorry you have joined our club. I, too, took a leave of absence from teaching for a year when I was diagnosed, not for chemo or radiation, but for profound depression after being misdiagnosed. After the fog lifted, thanks to magnesium, counseling and this site, I was able to enjoy the time off and even took a 3 week camping trip with DH. It is scary how things change so quickly, but as soon as you come to terms with it (in your own time), you will be able to move forward. Stick to the forums here that help you in your particular journey (exercise and reconstruction helped me) and we will support you. BTW, when I returned to teaching I had more energy and felt rejuvenated after time off. Take care. You can do this!
0 -
Hi everyone, I guess I should introduce myself. I am a long time lurker and have recently decided to join in and post. When I was diagnosed, I found this site and literally was on it almost 24 hrs a day. For some reason, reading about others kept me sane (as much as possible, anyhow, lol). Knowing that people survived and thrived kept me looking forward and I especially liked the exercise thread since the one thing I did through my depression was walk almost every day. (Shout out to ruthbru, Claire in Seattle, et al!). When I decided to have reconstruction those threads were invaluable. Advice from people like nihahi and sbelizabeth ensured that I was prepared for surgery. I am alsointerested in the Arimidex thread since I will likely be on it for 10 years, at least. I just want to thank everyone here for all of your support (whether you knew or not) and I hope that I can help people along the way, as well. Nice to meet you!
0 -
Dinahmagic - I clearly remember that 14th day of my chemo when my hair was falling out and finally I went to get it shaved off. A couple of wigs got me through that difficult stage. I hope you find what will help you. I wish you the least SEs possible and I am sending a warm hug your way. We are here for you.
Peregrinelady - Hi and nice to meet you! Nice to see your voice joining the bunch. Like you, I walked through my chemo and have been fast-walking since - and all thanks to Ruth's example and encouragement. Glad you are back to work and keep moving away from your challenging year.
Love to all, Nisa 🌷0 -
Hi dinahmagic, so sorry you have found yourself in this club. I am a teacher too so now hard it is to not be at school. I would say to do as many 'normal' things as you feel up to, as I found keeping occupied helped me mentally anyway. This will be a tough year, and you just have to get through it; but life will get better again with time. After my 'cancer year', I had 5 great years of teaching & am now enjoying retirement (or I should say semi-retirement because I still sub at my old school on a regular basis. It is still fun for me!)
Hi Peregrinela! Come back over to the exercise thread and actually post
(the 'Let's Post Our Daily Exercise' thread on the Fitness Forum, all are welcome! A great group of ladies at all stages of treatment & beyond and all fitness levels too). 0 -
Thanks for the welcome, Ruth and Nisa. I will head over to the exercise thread and start posting. Of course, that means I will be held accountable!
0 -
0 -
Thanks for the support everyone. I'm doing better but it really is one day at a time. I have my next infusion on Thursday (AC). It's good to chat with others who are going through this. Hugs to you all!
0 -
Welcome dinah! So sorry you need to join us.
0 -
Hang in there, Dinah!
0 -
Hi ladies, hope you all are doing well. Dinah, hang in there with the chemo. You really will get to the point where you see the light at the end of the tunnel. But you're on the right track...take it one day at a time.
Well, I 'm saying goodbye to Aromasin and the PALLAS trial. My back and knees just can no longer tolerate. I was at the beach about a month ago and I literally couldn't lift myself out of a beach chair, I couldn't even bends my knees to crawl on the sand. That was the last day of Aromasin. Plus the constant weight gain despite dieting and exercise have left me waving the white flag.
Guess what? I dropped 9 lbs since then without changing one thing.
Today was my first day on Letrozole (Femara) and my oncologist hopes this will be kinder to me. Let's hope so! As I told my oncologist, I will gladly go back to Aromasin if my joint pain and weight gain persist on Letrozole. We both agree that going without an AI is NOT an option for me--I was 100% PR/95% ER.
The kids are back to school next week and I'm more anxious than they are. Good Lord the summer went by so fast and between sports practices, bands practices, picking up school supplies and readying myself for the steady stream of PTA, booster and other meetings, I need a new life on a tropical island....alone.
Peace and blessings everyone
Opt0 -
Good luck with Femera, Opt. Can I join you on your island if I promise to just sit there and read a book?
I am making a good recovery from my hysterectomy. Walking a lot, napping a little, am back to driving etc. etc. Three weeks of recovery down & three to go.
0 -
Ruth I hope you are still doing well.
Opt4life- how are you doing on Femara? I have been on that drug for a year and a half with no significant problems. I hope it is treating you well.
I had my BS and PS appointments today and also started on Zometa. I have a nagging pain in my back but the BS thinks it's just muscular. If it continues she'll order a CT. I really hate going down that road - I have terrible scanxiety.
My fat grafting and ooph are scheduled for Sept. 22. At that point I'll call it quits as far as my foobs go. I can live with the rippling and lopsidedness.
Hope all is well.0 -
I am doing very well, thank you. I would say I'm about 85-90% back to normal. I am walking like crazy but not doing other exercises (or housework) until I have my 6 week post-op appointment next Tuesday. I am very, very glad I had it and very glad I did it is the summer! Speaking of summer, DH & I are going to visit family in the Twins Cities over Labor Day. We are going to a Vikings (football) pre-season game on Thursday, a Twins (baseball) game on Friday, and then heading to Wisconsin for a reunion on my mother's side of the family. So that will be busy and fun!
Maybe you should try yoga, grandma3X. I get a nagging pain in my back when I DON'T do it.......another reason I will be glad to be cleared to exercise.
Hope none of you, or your families, is in harm's way with all the terrible flooding. I just donated what I could to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Fund.
0 -
Hi everyone.
I finished all my treatment the end of April but in the last few days my chest wall and lower sternum is sore and actually sore to touch. I had a clear xray in may and all my bloods are normal does anyone know what it could be? I am so upset as I have my cousins wedding tomorrow and of course this is really throwing me into a dark place. I like to add I had radium to chest wall and lymph nodes. I tried updating my profile but does not seem to be saving it. Thank you
Sabina
0 -
Hi all - just wanted to introduce myself. I am 2 years cancer free. I am doing very well physically. I had my last reconstruction surgery in July. I had a uterine polyp removed in August - probably caused by the tamoxifen. But I still struggle at times with my diagnosis. Originally they thought I would be Stage 0 or 1 and a lumpectomy. That was not the case and I ended up Stage 2 with a mastectomy. The whole experience still seems surreal....2 years later. I guess I am wondering how long does it take to "accept" what has happened to us? I think part of my problem is I was a healthy person - rarely sick, physically fit. I went from that to life threatening disease. I still can't wrap my head around it. I am not mourning the loss of my breast but more mourning the loss of my past life. If that makes sense. I was kind of living a carefree life and that seems to have been taken away.
I am just wondering if any of you feel this way and does it lessen? I am hoping with time I can move forward. I guess I feel a bit down at times.
Thank you everyone. I will try to get to know everyone here.
0 -
Hi Suzanne
I am totally on the same wave length as you. I look down and I miss my boob and my life before BC. The only way I can deal with is look at all the people that survive this disease and say to myself that will be me. I was also initially stage 1 but nodes came back with micromets in them so pushed to stage 2A. I am hoping in time my fear will ease.
Sabina
0 -
Suzanne, I am one month out of radiation. I still have my boob (lumpectomy) but the radiation changed it. It's like it's getting hard rocks inside. There is lots of scar tissue and I think the radiation made the scar tissue harder and more painful. I used to be able to sleep on my stomach. Not anymore. Hurts too much.
I know what you mean about being healthy one minute, then boom! you get sucked into the vortex of cancer treatment and when it spits you out the other side nothing is the same. I think this is what every single cancer person (I HATE the term survivor) deals with. The staggering blow to life as you knew it. How to walk forward while you feel completely disoriented.
I am trying to find my way too and not having much luck so far. Some times I forget about cancer and act normal, but then when I am reminded the crash is so awful. I hope this goes away. I resent what cancer has doen to my mind even more than what it has done to my body. I hope you find your way soon. I hope we all do!
0 -
Thank you Sabina and runor for your replies. I think part of my struggle is with being "Stage 2". I know a lot of people who have had some form of BC but no one else had positive nodes. I had 3 positive nodes out of 12 - very little amount of cancer in each node but still. My mass was 8 mm. I went for my annual one year and one day after my last mammo. It just seems like I did everything right and BAM - stage 2.
I know I have to move past this. I am very grateful that it wasn't worse. And my treatment has all gone smoothly. I got it all - chemo, radiation, numerous surgeries. I feel well. I have to focus on the positive.
Cancer also pushed me into menopause (well chemo did) so I think I am dealing with that change as well. I am 52 so that was going to happen anyway.
I also worry about everything I put into my body - will it hurt me? will it cause a recurrence? The whole thing is mentally exhausting. I try my best and just have to accept it all. Sigh.
0 -
Hi Suzanne
I am totally on the same wave length as you. I look down and I miss my boob and my life before BC. The only way I can deal with is look at all the people that survive this disease and say to myself that will be me. I was also initially stage 1 but nodes came back with micromets in them so pushed to stage 2A. I am hoping in time my fear will ease.
Sabina
0 -
Hi Suzanne
Yes that's my issue as well, I know a few people with BC with even bigger tumours and all clear nodes. My tumour was only 16mm but still spread again like you it worries me. I suppose in time it will get better, I am also going into menopause due to chemo and hormone therapy.
Sabina
0 -
Suzanne - I feel the same way. I was considering therapy to see if I could move past this feeling of doom, but then started a meditation program called Headspace. I think it is helping. The program was offered for free by Ford Warriors in Pink. I don't know if the offer is still available but it's worth a shot.0
-
Ruthbru- thank you for recommending yoga! I'm not very flexible
but looking into it. They used to offer it at work. Maybe I can get some of my coworkers interested in starting up again 0 -
I'm still undergoing treatment at this stage. I too am worried about the future. I know I should be living in the now but can't help but wonder if it's really going to be gone. I had two lumpectomies as I had cancer in both breasts at the same time. I look at the scars in the morning and wonder how did I get here. They're a constant reminder that I had cancer. I don't want this cancer to define me but I accept that it is indeed a part of my life. That it is a defining time in my life.
I see people here on this website that had no node involvement and within one to two years are now stage IV. I also know people who've gone through this twice and beat it. I think the further out we get from our diagnosis the better we will feel.
I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would get breast cancer. It just wasn't on my radar. Statistically I would have thought yes, maybe skin, colon, but not breast. I wonder how much damage is being done with the chemo, then radiation, and then hormone therapy.
I try not to go to that dark place but those thoughts creep in every now and then. My friend says: "Just don't go there."
0 -
Howdy ladies, I hope everyone is doing okay heading into this holiday weekend.
Kids going back to school is exhausting--I'm sure those of you with school-aged kids can surely relate.
Grandma 3X, I'm doing okay on the Femara. One thing I notice though is that my cancer side ankle seems to be swollen all of a sudden. I've always had a problem with my ankles swelling especially during warm weather and if I am not walking or exercising as much as I should. But my fitbit is registering 10-18k steps a days so I'm moving. Coincidentally (or not) the swollen ankle syndrome started with Femara. Otherwise, no difference at all--knees still hurt and hard to rise out of a seated position, but once I get going I can power walk with the best of them.
Suzanne, I totally get the node positive thing throwing you for a loop. It is really scary at first to know that cancer has spread beyond the breast. However, I have really really made strides in not worrying about that which I cannot control. I try to think of my nodes as doing their jobs and statistically the math is still on our side. My breast surgeon's advice to me immediately after giving me the report on my nodes was that 'your AI regimen is now more important than ever'. I recall those words every time I think about my nodes and it provides some comfort that there is something we can continue to do to lower our recurrence risk. That and prayer works for me.
Peace and blessings all
0 -
Thank you ladies! All your responses are helpful knowing that I am not alone in my struggle. Like I said, all the people I know with BC are stage 0 or 1 and when I say I was Stage 2 - their eyes get wide and I hear them suck in their breath. Well - maybe that is an exxageration but that is how it feels.
Grandma3x - I have been thinking maybe I need therapy or a support group of some kind. I have tried yoga and not sure that it's for me. Maybe i should give it another go or try a different class.
I think my worry and anxiety comes and goes. Sometimes I don't think about it at all and other times I seem to be obsessed with BC thoughts. My husband told me "you are cancer free until someone tells you otherwise" and I remind myself of that daily.
I wonder if Tamoxifen has contributed to my mood. I just don't feel that happy feeling much anymore. And I should - I have a great life - husband, kids, job, etc. I am really blessed in so many aspects in life. I just feel blah.
This too shall pass as they say. I am a teacher and school starts Tuesday. Maybe it will be a good distraction and get my mind on other things.
Thanks again ladies! We are all BC Warriors - not survivors - I don't like that word. Sounds too weak. I like Warriors better.
0
