Ladies in their 40s
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Bluewillows, hang in there and try to stay positive. I know many that had something suspicious on MRI and it turned out to be nothing. I will be thinking of you and saying a prayer for you. Kim
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Blue, nobody should have to go through this once, let alone twice. All I can say is something that helps me. Let yourself feel all the anger, sadness, frustration, self-pity, whatever you need to feel. But give yourself a deadline. Then take a few deep breaths and know that you can do this. It will suck and there will be times when you feel like you can't do it. But you did it once. And we're all doing it. And there are a bunch of remarkable women here for you.
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bluewillowskys. No one would ever judge you for having a bad and emotional day. It is understandable to always watch over your shoulder for something bad to appear. But your right this disease has affected so many so unexpectedly that why wouldn't we be feeling this way. So sorry that you have to go thru this again so soon after trying to recover. One can only hope that we make it to the finish line with such grace. Hopefully you get your answers sooner rather than later. It's sometimes the waiting is the most unbearable for us. The unknown. Hugs.
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blue, hope the results are good, many times biopsies come back benign. Keeping fingers crossed for you. And vent all you want that's what we are here for
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Hello, ladies i am new to this group. i used to be in the 30's group. I will be 40 this july 7, i would like to join you ladies. i have 2 kids ..11 and 8. my son will be 12 this july 2 and my daughter will be 9 in mid aug. Blue,they found my 2 lumps on MRI . first one on my left and when my chemo end MRI found anothr one on my right breast and both times were benign. i am praying that yours will turn out to be benign also.
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Thank you ladies for all the support.....im already tired of hearing people say " it will all be ok , dont worry"......thats easier said then done....i wish my partner was able to be here instead of working so i could have the biopsy sooner....but she really wants to be here since she wasnt the last time. Im curious how often the MRI gives a false positive on your first one? My mammo in Feb. was okay....
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Hi soriya,
Welcome to the group, and nice to "see" you again! We had communicated on the ladies in the 30s group when we were both recently diagnosed. I hope you are doing well.
blue - I know it is very hard not to worry, but worrying really does not help. If it makes you feel better to wait for your partner, definitely do so, but if you'd rather go get this done sooner and get it over with, maybe you can gently tell your partner that you really would like to get this done as soon as possible, and hopefully she will not be mad about you not waiting. MRIs do have high false positive rates. I am wishing the best possible scenario for you - B9!
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Soriya,
You've graduated to the 40's! We all just keep on getting older, don't we? I guess it beats the alternative!
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Hi YoungTurkNYC, nice to see you here again Thank you Monis and Youngturk!
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I thought the results announced from the SOFT and TEXT trials would be of interest to our group. Please see the link below to cancer.gov.
http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/newsfromnci/2014/ASCOSOFTandTEXT
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Hi YoungTurkNYC,
Thanks for posting results of the SOFT trial.
I'm just 49 and on tamoxifen without ovarian suppression. My estradol level is very low and I think I've been pushed permanently into menopause. I'm wondering if these results will speed up my changeover to an AI, I've been fine with tamox and nervous about effects of AI.
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momwriter,
Other than joint pain and occasional hot flash, Femara has been very gentle on me. Perhaps you will give it a try once your onc determines you are fully post-menopausal. It is very possible you will have minimal side effects. You will not know until you try as these drugs appear to have different side effects on each person. I am 42 now.
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Has anyone gone through "chemo pause" then have their period return once chemo was over? How long did it take for your period to return? I'm almost half way through chemo and am not getting my period. But I know there is a 50-50 chance of it returning when I'm done. The hormone therapy I do will depend in part on whether I am post-menopausal or not, so I'm just wondering how long after chemo ends will I know?
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Hi there. Mine returned after four months.
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Mine was just about to return when I had my oophorectomy only two months after the end of chemo. I know that my period was about to return because my ovaries each had a corpus luteum which indicates a release of eggs from both of my ovaries (and an imminent return of my period). I am in the camp of "I am so glad I had them removed". I know it is not easy on everyone, but it has been largely without side effect for me. My onc actually ran a clinicial trial on the return of periods for women. In the very early 40s, your chances are 50-50, but as you get older the chances drop. Also, just because you do not have your period, it does not mean that you are post-menopausal. Blood tests have to be run to determine this definitively.
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Yes, my MO and my ObGyn said that even though with the chemo and the hormonal therapy your period might stop, it does not mean you cannot get pregnant, so birth control is still important. Even though the chances are greatly reduced, I wouldn't take any chances.
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Finished chemo. Now having issues with numbness in feet and hands. Any suggestions on what to do or take.
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Gonein40 - give it a few months. My peripheral neuropathy actually got worse after chemo before getting better. Right now, it is almost nonexistent one year after last infusion of chemo. Do not take ALC - it was proven to actually make peripheral neuropathy worse. There are also new ASCO guidelines and what to do about peripheral neuropathy. I have included some links below.
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YoungTurk,
Thanks for the positive words. What exactly is Femera? Is it an aromatase inhibitor? For some reason I thought it was like tamox but I was probably wrong.
Thanks!
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Yes momwriter. Femara (letrozole) is an aromatase inhibitor. Also, there are several aromatase inhibitors. If one of them is giving you trouble, you can try others to find one with the least number of side effects for you. Letrozole is the generic version of Femara. Due to past experiences, I never use generic. Some people do not have trouble with the generic versions, but I do. Knowing the pharma industry a little bit, the branded preparations have higher standards than most generic preparations.
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YoungTurk, Thanks for explaining! I'll have more info in my arsenal for my next conversation with my MO when I see her in July.
Thanks!
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I am 7 months out of chemo, still no period. i thought since i dont have my period i wont get pregnant. i did not use any protection. so sorry ladies too much information here.
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Blue, big hugs to you. I am sorry you have to go through this again. I was very anxious in the fall after finishing treatment since I am being followed for some lung nodules. My mo put me on an anti-anxiety drug and that has been tremendously helpful for me.
I am 1 year post chemo and my period has not returned. I saw my obgyn in the fall and she thought it would return. My mo just did the blood test and I am perimenopausal. I am 46 and had regular periods before chemo.
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I asked my family dr to run lab bloodwork to see if im menopausal as i have had very irregualt cycles ever since the year i was on tamoxifen....Dr says theres no need to run the bloodwork since Im not trying to gte pregnant...whenever my cycle stops...it stops.....She has my info on being er+ so you would think she would undertsand my wanting to know where my hormone levels are at....but nope
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I finished chemo in Feb. My check up with my ob was in April. He ran my levels because even though I was brac negative he wanted to see if I was still producing lots of estrogen. My level is very low now but he said that can always change. I have a question, do most people experience hot flashes for years, months or will I have these forever? I forgot to ask at my appt and I am curious. One day, I may actually sleep through the night…. a girl can hope!
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Goldie8469,
Everybody is different, but the hot flashes do go away in most women. So hopefully soon!!
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Hi! I was dx at 40 (am almost 43 now)....had chemo, rads and now on Tamoxifen since Dec 2012. Started having VERY heavy periods (like changing super absorbent tampon every 45 minutes) in February, March, then skipped until May (which is unusual for me). Had a endo biopsy to see if all was alright and it was, thank goodness! They say either I am in "transition" or it's the tamox thickening my lining. I was also wondering why they just don't check my hormone levels. Seems obvious to me but there must a reason. Maybe they fluctuate all the time and isn't very reliable?
Michelle
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Got my biopsy results. I have no cancer, but have a papilloma....anyone familiar with these and what treatment is typical? Does it increase my chance for a cancer recurrence or new cancer?
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yay no cancer! That's awesome, sorry I have no clue about the rest
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blue - that is amazing news! I'm sorry I can't help on the papilloma question either
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