Success Stories!

HoneyBeaw

All you ladies that are 8-9 yrs out . What secrets do you have you can share . Any special diets, exercise . How do you keep that positive attitude. Does BC still consume your everyday or does that get better ?. Any tips, in-site you can give would be so appreciated .

Thanks

ruthbru

Here are some of my tips: Food, I love food and eat what I want, but I do keep my weight in a normal range and try to eat relatively healthy. Exercise is a great natural mood enhancer and is the biggest non-medical thing you can do to REDUCE your chance of recurrence. I am very, very committed to exercise (if you want to have some exercise buddies, check out the Let's Post Our Daily Exercise thread on the Fitness Forum, a great group of ladies at every stage of treatment & beyond, and every fitness level too). Shop; go buy a new wardrobe, get a new hairstyle/color, when you look good, you do feel better. Travel; go some places you've been wanting to see and do things you've been wanting to do. Commit; sign up for a class, join a choir, learn Chinese, volunteer, when you are busy doing/thinking of other things then there is not as much time to think about cancer. It is also a good time to get OUT of things that you do not want to be doing any more! Schedule worry: decide how much time you will worry about this (one hour a day or whatever) and after that you have to go do something else. Relaxation techniques: I have quite a few Ocean Waves, soft music etc. CDs that I play, also a self hypnosis stress reduction CD that works remarkably well. Other things: I rarely drink alcohol, and if I do indulge, never more than one or, at the most, two drinks in an evening. I also take a daily low dose aspirin, which may reduce recurrence risk (check with your doctor before starting that).

It is weird because at first cancer and thinking about cancer consumes you; but if you are busy living an active and interesting life; one day it will be noon, or bedtime, and you will (much to your surprise) realize that you haven't thought about cancer all that day. And time will eventually give you a physiological distance....kind of like childbirth maybe, I remember that it was painful but I don't remember the pain itself.

lrwells50

This is a great thread!

My mother was diagnosed in 1974 at age 56 and had a radical mastectomy and radiation. 8 years later she had it in the remaining breast, and had another mastectomy. She died at age 86 of complications from COPD. I wish I knew what kind of cancer it was.

Kiascia

bump

Nico1012

Very wise advice, Ruthbru. Thank You for posting.

Nico1012

Bumping for Brenda ~

Srh242

bump

Nico1012

Thank You, Srh242, it is so important to keep this at the TOP

Srh242

yes bum

pure0323

bump

Srh242

Bump cause we all need Hop

HoneyBeaw

Bumping.............please post your stories

Carmelle

bumping...

Nico1012

Diagnosed in April '08 ~ Stage 3, ER Pos, Her2 Neg, 5 Positive nodes, chemo and rads ~ 9 years out and still going strong!

HoneyBeaw

Nico

Thank you so much for posting.....its gives us all hope............Me hope of watching my grandbabies grow up

Tpralph

Nici love hearing this and keep going please!

tzoul

thank you all for your posts

please do not forget to mention survivors with many nodes positive

it would be very helpful....

beach2beach

Bump for everyone who needs to feel positive on this 1st day of August!

Srh242

Bumping up

Carmelle

bumping!

Nico1012

Bumping for Conceta ~

gwendolendenise

Love this! Every time I feel a little down I come here to read stories. Gives me so much hope! God bless all your ladies

Nico1012

gwedolendenise ~ We are all about HOPE here, please stop back and share your SUCCESS story with us!

AliceS

Have a neighbor who was Estrogen positive with 19 nodes involved in 1989 (28 years ago). She beat the odds as her doctor reminds her every time she goes for her annual. BUT--statistics ARE getting better and more people ARE beating the odds with new treatments.

Also, have a friend who is HER2 positive, -er -pr (like I am) also known as Her2 neu and stage 4 (15 nodes infected from the beginning) with spots on her liver and in abdomen. She's on Herceptin, Perjeta for life and has rounds of Taxotere twice. Kadcyla only kept her NED the first couple of years (before Perjeta) Diagnosed 2010, right now NED. Her oncologist is the same as mine, but she also goes to MD Anderson every 6 months and has PET scans regularly. Feels great, very positive, involved in many outside interests and volunteering.

Tpralph

Thanks for sharing that Alice!

Runnermum

Love these stories! Need to share our families success story...my maternal grandma first diagnosed with breast cancer in right breast in 1970. Had a masectomy. 13 years later in 1983, found cancer in left breast. She was 64 at this time. Again had a masectomy. No chemo, rads, etc. either time. My Grandma lived to age 93! And passed away from old age in 2011. She was stubborn and feisty and so am I!

live_deliciously

awesome. Stay stubborn and fiesty. Keep the beast at bay....

ToughCookie101

Thank you all! I was recently diagnosed at 33, these are the kinds of boards I need to stick to

DxAt37

that’s the best thread yet!

I am newly diagnosed and it gave me so much hope

HoneyBeaw

Tough cookie

I agree, stick to the positive boards. Some of the boards can scare the crap out of you and while I hate to say it some can just be so negative.. I love the long time survivor boards, only wish more would post on them as they do give me so much help. But as others have said many long termers are out there living life and just don't think about these boards anymore .