Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
-
Mikita - you have me convinced - I believe you're choosing the right path for yourself and God bless you! There are definitely other genes besides BRCA which will be held responsible for different kinds of inherited cancers..........and since you're Stage 0 - having a bi-lat mx will be a CURE for you (provided the post-surgical pathology reports find nothing else suspicious.) This will be a HUGE load off your mind - not having to worry about chemo! When is your date for surgery? I'll be praying for you..........in the meantime, keep your immune system in tip-top shape right up to the morning of surgery. Avoid everyone with colds - be selfish if you must - don't even shake hands with people unless you're wearing gloves! I've become such a germophobe........learning about MRSA does that to a person. Be sure to talk to your surgeons about all the preventative things you can do to reduce your risk of MRSA........including showering with anti-bacterial washes. You might even suggest to your sugeons that you see an infectious disease specialist - to be sure you're not a silent carrier (it's a simple nasal swab) - because you don't want to infect yourself during or after surgery. And please forgive me for my negative view of surgery - I'm sure yours will be just fine - you'll have all of your sisters here praying for you, me included!
Jan - Arimidex hasn't caused me any really bad SEs - except when the weather changes, I feel it in my bones more than I used to. Ramble away dear heart............I so enjoy your ramblings and those of all our sisters here!
Edited to add - Northstar I'm not sure why your avatar isn't working. Is the photo you're trying to upload too large? Maybe I left a step out - I'll go back and double-check what I wrote.
Marie - you are more than welcome to join us here - there's always "Room for One More"! (does anyone remember that Twilight Zone episode? THe one with the elevator? ...............not a very positive image for our forum here, but I say it because the Irish in me always liked that dark humor.)
-
Thank you all. I have some se's from Aromasin but not as bad as Femara.
Working on that avatar ..I have a few really neat photo's (not of me) that I took. I'm not great with technology.
Mikita I have only had one regret since surgery and that was I didn't do the double mastectomy. But looking back it would have slowed down my treatment and there were other issues. I think that your higher power helps you make the correct decision for you. In the long run, my decision was the best for me. Take care
-
Hi ladies....Just fell upon this thread tonight. I've been around a while since Jan. of 08 when for my 59th birthday I was given BC. No celebration but did celebrate my 60th in Jan.of this year. Had a lumpectomy , chemo and rads. Started Aromasin for 6 month and went off because of the painful muscle and joint pain It turns out that the drug was causing a elevation of the liver enzymes. I'll probably start Femara next week and I'm dreading the not sleeping and aches again. It's been a stressful journey so far and hopefully it all gets better with time.
I'm looking forward to sharing with the rest of you "old hens".
Hugs to all, Artsee
-
swimangel: I didn't see your post as being 'negative' towards surgery. You were just giving me your story and I honestly appreciate that. I want both views of this and I've had a mix of everything. That's what makes us all different.
My surgery date is March 30. I have a few more weeks. And I appreciate your prayers. I believe being on many church prayer lists has gotten me here so far. I prayed that God would send me to where I should be, then I just decided to go to J. Hopkins. If it's not the right choice, I ask him to let me know that too.
Great thought on the gloves, etc. I'll remember that, altho I think I'll just stay inside and avoid all those germs out there. (yea, right.. after 2/3 weeks, I'll be dying to go outside). Also, I have a 7 hr ride coming back home, so I'm dreading that.
-
HI everyone, I just registered, have been looking for this type of website to discuss various cancer related issues. Talk about being old, I will be 75 in March. Underwent double masdectomy with reconstruction in January 2008, Did not need chemo but did undergo radiation. Everything was going fine until the right breast became infected during radiation and had to have the expander removed. I am scheduled for have the expander replaced with an implant in my left breast in March. The Plastic surgeon is recommending the Latissimus dorsi flap for the right side but am very undecided about have it done. I am very athletic, enjoy golfing, bowling and yoga type exercises and am not sure how the latissimus flap will effect me doing this activity. Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has had this procedure and whether it has affected your physical activities. I am on Armidex and don't only notice a few minor side effects. Lizette
-
maire: Did you have mast on diseased breast or lumpectomy?
-
Hello everyone,
Although I've been around here for a long time, I just stumbled upon this thread. I've only read a couple of pages of posts so far, but I love the idea of having a forum for "older" ladies (btw, I'm not at all offended by the word "older"). I've never posted very much, frankly, because I always felt a little out of place, since I was usually older than most of the other ladies posting. I do feel that some of the concerns that we face are different from those of ladies in their 30's and 40's.
I was dx in 2003 at the age of 56; I just turned 62 a couple of weeks ago. I went through natural menopause at the age of 47...YEAH! In a few months, I will reach my 5-year mark on Arimidex. I don't think my onc. wants me to continue taking it, but it's scary to think about stopping since I was Stage III. I haven't had any really bad SE's, mainly stiffness in my ankles and really bad vaginal dryness.
My mother was dx almost 2 years ago at the age of 83. She had Mammosite radiation, which was wonderful for her. I think the grueling routine of going every day for six and a half weeks would have been very difficult. She had no problems with the Mammosite and is now taking Arimidex.
All the best to everyone,
Trish
-
When I was diagnosed I said off with their heads! I was not going to worry about recurrence. I would rather not have had surgery but it was just the logical thing to do. No regrets although I am really looking forward to reconstruction in 9-12 months. Tonight I ordered a mastectomy bra, a pair of protheses and a cami. I have been resisting this since my surgery on 12/19 thinking I will be having reconstruction and won't need this stuff but 9-12 months is a long time and I would like something to stick out further than my stomach!
Love to you all.
-
This is a wonderful website, however there are some forums lacking. I cannot believe i have heard all my twenty years of being a diabetic, how much it increased my risk for breast cancer, yet i have yet to find a spot on this forum about diabetics with bc!!!! I am a senior, was grateful to find this thread. Senior women have some special concerns and i like the idea of a forum just for seniors. At age 65, i am different from the younger women because i already am on lots of other meds, have joint issues to consider coping with drains and lymphedema, so this is something i need to think about in choosing the direction to go regarding rad, chemo, surgery. A lot of older women might not have support either. My daughter lives three thousand miles away and my husband is disabled. My friends have all died from cancer, honestly. My 87 year old mother is alive and married, my brother lives out of town. I have two good neighbors and two friends left. My one friend has bc. It has been one funeral after another since 2008. It's very dreary to deal with. My other gal pal just broke her leg at 68 from osteoporosis. Newly diagnosed, i am coping with Medicare constraints and lack of info about Medicare and bc. My husband is living and retired from GM, not a good place to be right now because he could lose his health care from Gm which supplements the Medicare. Who will inject my insulin after surgery if my arms won't be able to move? I need home health care..surely. Its awfully overwhelming. All these decisions to make and my questions get answered by the doc's office staff as if i were 30 years old. What if i don't spring right up after surgery? What if it's icy out and i cannot drive myself home? It ain't easy to have this bc as a senior. How will i walk on the ice if my arms are unabled and not capable of holding my balance? What if they schedule me during a March blizzard? How will my disabled husband sit thru hours of surgery waiting for me to recover? Who will drive him home?
OMG....and LOL....I need chocolate right now.
-
Hey folks, just discovered this topic--- good idea! Coming soon to Birthday number 62. After 32 years of fibroid cysts, aspirations, needle biopsies, yearly mammo/ultras, then 6 mo. m/ultr., finally heard the C-word in Nov. 2008. My choice with no need for discussion was double mastectomy, no reconstruction, and get on with the program. As it turned out, it was a good move since more troublesome issues found in both breasts. I'm now doing my chemo with 3 treatments of TC down and 3 to go. Many have talked about this as a journey--- what a trip it is! I've had my "blips"; I've also had so many blessings: wonderful husband, close family members and friends, and the numerous acts of kindness which so often flow in a small community. So far, all has been doable but to tell you the absolute truth, the future Arimidex with Zometa is as scary as anything else to me. I have not addressed with onc. yet since just trying to take things one step at a time. Meanwhile, I'll be peeking in and send you all best wishes....
-
Testing to see if my avatar appears. It was during chemo, which I finished oct 30. I have hair now, but often wear that hat, my favorite one.
-
Woo Hoo, I did it and only 1:15 am...
-
Artsee: Cluck Cluck! (and proud of it!) Maybe, if we're successful in getting our very own forum we could just call it "The Coop"!?!
Re: the q. a while back about doing chemo again, I'm so not sure. I'm scheduled for my last one next Monday and am so weary of it all now, I really don't know what I'd do if faced with the decision again. I guess alot depends on how much older I'd be than I am now (60) and how effective it would be. I'd definitely need to find a better place to get it, too! OMG I hope I never have to make that decision again.
Thanks again, Northstar... we need this place!
-
Hey Lemonjello! I am 62 with diabetes. I didn't know having diabetes increases your risk of breast cancer although it doesn't surprise me since it increases the chances of everything else!
I think you will be fine. I had a bilateral mastectomy on 12/19/08. Unfortunately, a rare occurrence happened and before I could leave the recovery wound I had to go back into surgery for a broken blood vessel. I think it was at that time that my expanders (placed in at same time as mastectomy) got infected because one month later I was back in the hospital to remove the expanders due to infection.
With my diabetes the plastic surgeon doesn't want to touch me until I heal completely - he estimates 9-12 months! Damn diabetes.
I, too, have joint issues and cervical/spinal compression, neuropathy and a host of other ailments and like you take a bunch of pills.
But I am still here. Look at some of the posts under support. You might want to call the American Cancer folks about transportation needs.
Sisters -- some suggestions to help Lemonjello?
-
-
Jo
In answer to your q about med. onc....I first found a BS surgeon, then saw a radiation doc and then a med. onco. I also have a primary care doctor but I see a family nurse practioner instead. So I now have 4 doctors.
A friend gave me the name of the BS surgeon and I made an appt. even before I got the results of the biopsy, just in case it was cancer, which it obviously was.
As long as I had to get cancer it came along at the right time...I am on Medicare and also have supplemental insurance. I have had no out-of-pocket expense.
-
achi, I am the same as you, er/pr negative and Her2 +++. I had dose dense chemo - total of 16 doses. It was no fun, but YES, I would do it again. The chemo did zap my tumor and I also had no node involvement. Maybe I am pushing my luck, but I am not doing radiation.
And yes, I have a medical oncologist who "walks on water". She has been wonderful and has an oncology nurse assistant whom you can call and ask questions, or leave a message and she does get back to you the same day (unless the weekend).
My ob/gyn was the one who wrote the mammogram order since I had found a lump and was due for the annual one. It was immediately followed by ultrasound and a biopsy was then ordered, for 4 days later. I heard nothing from the ob/gyn, so phoned the office to ask. The person who answered the phone said " who is your breast surgeon ". I knew at that moment I had cancer, but felt like I had been shot in the heart. But she could not tell me if I had cancer or not. I told her to have the doctor call me ASAP. When the doctor phoned me, she was very callous, told me the name of a breast surgeon and said she would fax the report. End. Period. I will not go back to that ob/gyn again, but will use my PCP, who is part of a Women's Health group.
Sorry this is too long a post - only on my first cup of coffee... HUGS, Nancy
-
*laughing here* it took me since 7am on my day off but I do now have a picture posted......for what ever its worth .....still laughing. At least I dont have time to write my usual long post now cause I *frittered* away my morning.....
What I see here....on this forum is an incredible group of women, who are strong, and tough and who are going to weather any and all storms that are thrown at us, because of our life experiences. We are strong and wise enough to help each other and some of the younger women if they need or ask. I read each and every post and find that though all of our concerns and fears are different, they are really all the same. We will support each other....respect decisions and freely give of our own life experiences to help each other....we rock ladies !!!!!
Now I really gotta go and be productive......if going to Target is productive
love to all
jan
-
Rebecca,
Yes I was diagnosed at 49 with Stage1 almost 2 breast cancer. They did the senital node biopsy and took 3 and saw they were clear. They felt that the cancer had not spread past the senital nodes. 5 years later however it seems it has. I thought my gall bladder was acting up and was certainly taken off guard when I was told I had severe liver cancer. Both lobes had large tumors and too many to count throughout. And then I found out it was also in my bone. Currently there are no signs of the cancer in my bone at this time praise God and the liver areas have shrunk some. Still going after that! Anyhow, this is a journey none of us want to take and it totally stinks. Thoughts to all of you and have a supervilous day! ??
Debbie
-
Jan you go girl. Thanks for the uplifting message! Wish I were at Target with you! But I will be tootling to Kansas City for my good ole chemo. Hey....that's okay... at least we have a chance to fight this silly disease.
Debbie
-
Mikita and whoever else is interested. I was taking progesterone because I had high estrogen and still wasn't in menopause. I was going to have a hysterectomy because of fibroids and just being fed up. My gyn noticed a slight bulge on my breast. He was super careful and sent me the next day for mammo and ultra (2 months before I was 'due') Then I went for MRI on both breasts. I now know they were suspecting lobular.
I had a SNB and lumpectomy one month later. The margins were not clear and I had one positive node so I had the option of mastectomy or another lumpectomy. After 2nd opinions by 2 surgeons, my gyn and a medical oncologsit and plas surgeon. I went with the mastectomy with no reconstruction.( for a lot of reasons but mostly because I wanted to get going with treatment)
The mastectomy proved to be the right choice. Margins were right up against the chest wall. So I did 3 rounds of AC . I couldn't do the 4th ...immune system was shot and I was hospitalized 3 times with lots of infections. ( I had a great infectious disease doc too). I have some bone marrow issues too. So I took a few weeks off and started Tax and Herceptin. I gave myself neuprogen shots for 4 days after each Tax and managed to keep my white count up.
After that I had 6 weeks of radiation and continued the Heceptin for 1 year. I was on a leave of absence from work for 5 months and went back to work at the end of Tax. I was able to work through radiation.
I was demoted when I returned to work...probably a good thing because it really changed my priorities. I have since been reinstated since my replacement screwed everything up.LOL. Now I leave my job at the office .( I used to work at home to get 'everything done') I guess the work thing hurt my feelings because I thought I'd forgotten about it. The only good thing was that they couldn't lower my salary...I saw a lawyer. My boss thought she'd get rid of me this way but I needed my medical insurance.
Herceptin was approved one month before I began this journey. It has made the difference I believe.
Aromasin makes me feel like I"m 80 some days.
I suggest physical therapy for all of you . I've had two falls and knee surgery and found that having therapy has given me back balance and strength. But I"m still here and I"m looking for the crocus. It will 4 years soon and life is different but it's still fun.
-
Jan, is today the one where we are supposed to be productive? eeek, if that is the case, unless making appointment for MUGA, Mammo, and surgical follow up count as productive. Oh, almost forgot, got insurance referral foul up fixed also. Whew, can I add cauliflower ear to my "ailments"... lol.
I will gloat a bit: 62 degrees, bit breezy, sunny and I have the patio door open -- air out this stale apartment. May all of you have a fantabulous week end. Hugs, nancy
PS, I am off to bingo tonight. Gonna win that jackpot cuz " mamma needs a new pair of shoes " !!!
-
Surprise...I can't believe I got one of my impatiens from last summer up. I like them because they are impatient. I'm not sure how I did it but it worked. I'll have to get a cooler picture but hey it's a start.
Maire.
-
Oh gosh, I hear ya Maire. Some days I feel older than my Mom and she has serious health issues. I don't know how much longer I can stand taking Arimidex........and then I'm scared not to take it.
-
Hi Northstar:
I hope they open the forum
as we all want to participate
Best....
Sierra
)another question for the gals here
Did any take HRT
or the birth control pill??
you can PM.. if desired
re: doing chemo again
can not answer until/if recur
tks
Sierra
-
I did take the b.c. pill but did not take hrt. Chemo again? I don't know. I pray I don't have to know.
-
I did take hrt, Estratest HS and natural progesterone. Neither of these was implicated in the Women's Health Initiative study, which my gynecologist felt was a very flawed study. She feels that hrt doesn't CAUSE breast cancer, but if the cancer is ER/PR +, then it can certainly FUEL it for years before it's noticed.
-
I took HRTs from 1992 to 2002..I stopped when the HRT cancer scare came out in 2002...I think it was cancer or maybe it was heart..heck I don't remember. I just know I stopped. Should never have started in the first place. Took HRTs because I was sexually active with someone I later divorced.
-
Hi Gals.....Jan (Samedaynurse) sent me over to this thread and I knew I'd found a place to "park" when I saw your comments on belly fat! LOL Do you have room for another grandma here? I'm 61, soon to be 62.
I was diagnosed in Nov. 2006 with IDC. I had an excisional biopsy which came back with unclear margins and then had a lumpectomy to obtain the clear margins. Those two surgeries sure messed up the holidays that year. I began 6 CMF chemo treatments in Jan. 2007 and had 6 weeks of rads to the surgical area. I have been taking Arimidex for a year and a half now. Hopefully it is working for me as I am not ER + but am PR+. My onc thinks it's worth the chance so I plug along. At first I had the aching feet and joints, especially the knee. Now I have occasional knee problems but I'm doing better with the rest. The joints in my hands have swollen so that I can not wear my usual rings. My primary care physician says it's Arimidex Induced Arthritis. They don't hurt so I guess I'm not going to worry about it yet.
I will reread all the posts to see what I've missed when I get a little more time. This thread is wonderful!
Rita
-
Welcome Rita and to all that I forgot to say hello to....hard to keep up, the board seems to be moving pretty fast.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team