Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

ChiSandy

Welcome aboard, WorryThePooh!

IllinoisLady

The powerful potential behind change lies in the possibility that each new beginning will bring us greater joy and freedom than we have ever known. Whether or not that actually happens--whether or not we continue to grow through the cycles of our lives--is largely up to us. We play a part in what happens by choosing how we see our changes, our beginnings, our endings. We can see each ending as a tragedy and lament and resist it, or we can see each ending as a new beginning and a new birth into greater opportunities. What the caterpillar sees as the tragedy of death, the butterfly sees as the miracle of birth. -John Marks Templeton

IllinoisLady

WorryThe Pooh from Sydney -- welcome and glad you found us. Do feel free to jump in here. We do have issues apart from the younger ladies which is how and why we started. We are not nearly as many as some of the other BC.Org threads, but it likely has helped us bond a bit more. I/we worry ( calling Anne - I think I'll do a pm later ) if we don't hear from someone for a bit.

Hope to hear more from you soon.

carolehalston

Welcome, WorrythePooh. I wish you didn't qualify to join us but it's interesting to "talk" to women from other countries. I visited Sydney a few years ago and enjoyed the experience.

Today is a beautiful day, but warmer than yesterday. The a/c is back on. I spent some time today going through mail and discovered a letter from our secondary insurance company explaining that we qualify for some reimbursement on Medicare premiums. So I spent some time on line doing research, printing out forms and filling them out.

Jackie, I can sense how eager you are to get back to normal use of your arm.

Happy Sunday to all.

Lvthview

Hello! Just found this Forum...had posted this on “side effects" forum but as I was diagnosed at age 63 in May of 2018, wanted to get any of your opinions I could from here.

So I would like to bring up several issues that have bothered me with this whole journey on AI's. I had side effects on both Letrozole and Arimidex and am now trying Aromasin. I know our Dr's like to suggest trying a different type once side effects happen, with the hopes that a different drug will have less harsh results. Here's my conflict with that. What ALL the estrogen blockers do is deplete us of estrogen...and it is that lack of estrogen that causes these side effects. Menopause symptoms on steroids so to speak. While they may be chemically different, I feel like trying a different one is almost a "distraction" from the actual problem with all of these drugs...which is depletion of estrogen...which while potentially helps avoid a recurrence if we happen to still have a cancer cell lurking, is depleting us of what normally helps protect our hearts, joints, brains and bones. So, to me, there is no great choice when deciding to take these drugs, or not. I also have a higher than ideal BMI and have been exercising, eating clean, intermittent fasting...and virtually impossible to lose weight. I have even read these drugs aren't as effective if your BMI is higher than should be. Not sure if that is correct or not but makes sense to lower your weight to help lower estrogen from fat and yet hard to lose on these drugs. While I had a low grade, Stage 1A, 1cm tumor with no node involvement...my Oncotype score was 24. Had a double mastectomy to avoid radiation and no chemo due to score (barely making the cut-off).

This decision to stay on AI's or not has been the hardest struggle for me of this whole journey. Thanks for listening

WorryThePooh

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

IllinoisLady

Life is never going to give up on you because there is something important for you to do. One of the primary purposes and processes of life is the development of character. Your character—your nature, the distinctive qualities of your essence, what makes you you—is developed through experience. If you do not understand that character development is an important process of life, you may be tempted to give up when things get rough. . . . When life detects that there is an opportunity for you to advance the nature of your character, it will send the perfect situation and people your way. Your job is to respond to everything in a manner that develops and strengthens your character. -Iyanla Vanzant

carolehalston

Lvthview, your analysis of the issues in the Take/Don't Take decision is quite clear to me. I took arimidex for 5 years but had the doubts you express. I wondered if the harmful side effects were less than the benefits. In the end I just acted on faith that the bc experts were right in advising me to take the med.

I was not overweight when I was dx'ed with bc. But I gained weight and still struggle with losing weight after the 5 years on arimidex were over. I assume that aging is the big factor now and the reduction in activity that comes with aging. When I was younger, I hardly ever sat down during the day. I was busy, busy, busy doing something. Now I'm not as busy. I'm not as interested in the many chores that kept me busy, like gardening, housework, tennis, golf.

I will be interested in the feedback you get from other women on this forum. Sandy has a wealth of medical knowledge. As in all things relating to health, one size does not always fit all. Good luck to you in making your decision.

Wren44

My only side effect from anastrazole was being cold all the time. Most people get hot flashes if it affects their temperature at all. I took loratidine (Claritin) for the aches and pains - along with allergies and didn't have any. I took it for 5 years and did not notice any weight gain. Perhaps I'm an outlier, but I agree that the people without problems don't post much.

MassGirl55

Hello Everyone - I'm new to breast cancer but thankfully I'm old enough to join this wonderful group. I'm 63 with DCIS, Intermediate in the left and ALH in the right. I'm scheduled for surgery on October 30th and will start radiation at the end of November or first part of December and then hormones. Because I'm very small boned (no bone density scan yet) the surgeon is thinking of putting me on Tamoxifen. I don't want to take any estrogen blockers for the same reasons Lvthview talked about in her post. I asked about taking the medications every other day and the doctor said that was fine and that the first 3 years are the most important! I'm nervous about radiation - fingers crossed I'll only need 15 days worth but so many ladies post that they need 30 rounds!! Anyway - I still have a week to enjoy our lovely fall weather. Off to see Downton Abbey with some friends tomorrow; heard that it's a wonderful movie.

IllinoisLady

I had anastrozole which is generic for Arimidex. I did great while I took it. Once, after a couple of yrs. it became generic I also seemed to have done fine. No wt. gain, hot flashes etc. I did however develop towards the end of my five yrs. that I ( not sure just when it started ) would get angry much easier than I had previously. I can't say it was all due to the anastrozole since I've never gone back to my previous temperament. I stopped taking it a month before my five yrs. were done. I felt like if I didn't have myself "covered" one more month wouldn't make much difference. I'm much better about getting agitated now, but still notice some so still have no idea how much the anastrozole may have affected that if at all.

ChiSandy

I haven't had bad SEs on letrozole. Now the Breckenridge generic is the only one my pharmacy can get. I did gain quite a bit of weight, but I'm pretty sure the pity-parties I kept throwing myself (rationalizing that nobody ever said on their deathbed, "damn--I wish I'd never tried the tiramisu") and indulging my carb cravings to make up for limiting my wine intake, plus lack of exercise after a few injuries, were to blame. But then I lost all the weight I gained, plus another 20 lbs (and counting) via first Invisalign geriatric orthodontia (can't eat with the aligners in, and have to brush & floss before putting them back in, so snacking was too much of a PITA....mmmm...pita...) and then the near-keto diet the hospital's bariatric program put me on per my MO's orders. Inadvertent intermittent fasting (to stave off GERD, I no longer eat w/in 2 hrs of bedtime, and as I am a night owl I usually sleep in) has also helped.

Today I crossed the BMI line from "obese" to "overweight." I am now in L and even some M t-shirts and back to shopping in the Petites rather than Plus Size departments. This is the least I've weighed in 22 years!

I have small bones and a developing dowager's hump (kyphosis), so it was no surprise to discover I have osteopenia. (So did my mom, grandma and maternal aunt). So I had the series of 6 Prolia shots over 3 yrs. First followup DEXA showed slight improvement from my pre-letrozole density baseline; we'll see next month which drug "won:" letrozole or Prolia.

I had the 16-treatment targeted stronger rads protocol. My RO had just finished participating in the study that found no difference in overall survival in women >65 between that protocol and the usual 33-treatment whole-breast regimen. As I was nearly 65 at the time, he said I was a candidate. Extremely minimal SEs from it: it did enlarge my tumor cavity seroma from 10cm to 20cm before it eventually resorbed; got some redness, hardening of the nipple & areola, and eventually a mild "tan" (which now faded) of the radiated skin--but neither itching, pain nor broken skin. No fatigue either. The latest stats are that recurrence risk is slightly higher, but overall survival is still exactly the same.

I've found myself suffering fools far less easily these days, but it's not the AIs--it's realizing I've earned the right to express rather than suppress justifiable anger. I find it quite liberating to speak my mind rather than hold my tongue.

pingpong1953

Here's an "older woman" topic: I'm home from the hospital minus my gall bladder. All I have to say is a great big "thank you" for laparoscopic surgery!

Wren44

PingPong, Good to see you posting. Yes, it's nice when they can do surgery without cutting you from pubes to throat. Much easier recovery among other things like less scarring.

ChiSandy

Oh, yeah--a lap choly is SO much easier on the body than an open one! Had mine out in '94--was hanging out on my deck with a cup of coffee the next day, schmoozing across the fence with my neighbors. (Had to give up my World Cup ticket and send our son Gordy in my stead, because Bob didn't think I'd be able to handle the hike from the parking shuttle to Soldier Field; he was likely right). Four days later we went out to dinner to celebrate our 23d anniversary. But the surgery will be forever entwined in my memory with OJ Simpson, because the afternoon I came home my mom & I were glued to CNN watching the Slow White Bronco (and I don't mean John Elway).

Your "phantom" gallbladder will serve as your "fat cop:" if you overdo the grease, it'll let you know (in a different way from when it was still part of you...let's just say "less painful" but more...uh..."musical").

Jack-Bear

Not old woman thing!! My daughter has had her's out a few years ago. Better not call her old. She's still got a few more years before she has her 20 in. Snd she was 25 for boorcamp. That's supposed to make you feel better! Or laugh.
NancyB ♥️

ChiSandy

I was 43, so right between Jack-Bear's daughter and pingpoong. (First attack was at 37, but tests were inconclusive).

IllinoisLady

The peace of one individual is small. The peace of many people together is big. When we see ourselves as separate from our community and from nature, then violence and strife arise. It is only when we understand our part in an overall unity that there is the possibility of peace on a large scale. -Deng Ming Dao

MCBaker

I had a colonoscopy last week. My previous one was my first and second. Because of diverticulosis, my prep wasn't good, and I had grown a goodly harvest of polyps over the years. Including a nasty one. For the repeat, I had to do a rigorous prep, with two gallons of the nasty stuff. This time, it was a week of Miralax, then low fiber, then no fiber, then a gallon of the nasty stuff. This time the prep was adequate, and he harvested only two tiny ones.

I finally got a regular bra, it doesn't fit quite right, was only Wal-mart. Hopefully I can get to Soma in Milwaukee and get one that fits. I now have cleavage, and a decent-size chest. A lot of pain to go through to get it, though. First mammo comes up at the end of November, so close to Thanksgiving. I only have a couple more Herceptin infusions to go. Then port removal. Don't need hormonal therapy.

I got a dog, Shih-Tzu and Yorkie, they call them Shorkies. He is a big guy at eighteen pounds, but athletic, not fat. He is black, with sprinkles of white throughout and a white streak on his chest, and a brown mustache. I am feeling a lot better, and I know he has a lot to do with it. I am writing again, and he senses when I am getting tense and frustrated, and distracts me.

I have been keeping up with reading.

ChiSandy

Just got a letter today from the alternative holistic doctor who certified my medical marijuana ID application: she's had to close her practice due to being diagnosed with an aggressive gastro-esophageal cancer. She is all about fitness, keto-pescatariansm/veganism and non-pharmaceutical healing, and I wonder if not availing herself of conventional pharma remedies for GERD may have contributed to her cancer--or even smoking or vaping cannabis had inflamed her esophagus. Then again, most of this stupid constellation of diseases known as cancer is probably due to a cosmic roll of the dice anyway. Wishing her all the best, and hoping she beats the odds.

IllinoisLady

Glad you got your meds Sandy. I'm with you. I think too much of a good thing can go into not so good. Holistic and some non-conventional is okay but I believe as well in a balance and any time you are doing non-traditional type therapies I'd likely want to have a bit more testing done -- just to be on the safer side. Then again -- we have made so many strides, while at the same time finding yrs. later some things were really harmful -- like some pesticides and food additives. I doubt anyone should feel tooo safe. Also we now go into other phases to worry about with climate issues. I hope your Dr. can/does get well.

MCBaker yay for you and having a good colonoscopy. I don't clean out well either and neither does my Dh. I hope when I take my next one ( very stalled due to the broken arm, that I do better. I wonder about it since the Dr. who will do it gave me the same prep that Dh had when the same Dr. did his earlier this yr. Here's hoping you keep having good ones from now on.

Also, good for you getting your companion. I love all animals and think it is some of the best medicine you can have. They are much cheaper than a therapist too.

Yogatyme

IllinoisLady, not only are animals cheaper than therapy, they are completely non-judgmental. 😻

Taco1946

Just here screaming. I have lost two friends to this F___ING disease in the past five days.

CindyNY

Taco1946

That brings tears to my eyes. Words don't provide much comfort, but I am so sorry for your loss.

Beaverntx

Taco, scream away!!! We all can identify.

ChiSandy

Mary, congrats on the good colonoscopy! Now go eat all the fiber you want.

Just found out that another friend of mine--a well-known L.A. singer-songwriter--has squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. They caught it early, but still no singing for months; he just released a new album and now he can't tour to promote it. Gordy & I were supposed to see Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul at House of Blues tomorrow night, but that tour's been canceled as well: Van Zandt has a nasty bacterial sinus infection that also inflamed his vocal folds.

But I have good news about my lump: IT WAS JUST MY SEROMA! (Took one exam, two ultrasounds and a spot mammogram to confirm it). Apparently, as it has shrunken from 20cm down to about 5cm., and the fat inside the fluid has continued to "necrose," the scar tissue over it has gotten denser and harder. I didn't feel it before, nor did my MO, because when she examined me last month I was 8 lbs. heavier. My surgeon & the radiologist showed me the films from 2016, 2017, 2018, last June, and now. The shrinkage is pretty dramatic--and the particles of debris have gotten smaller too. My surgeon told me that I won't need to see her or her partners again unless something's wrong; but when I've decided I've lost enough weight she'll refer me to a plastic surgeon to do the left reduction/lift.

WorryThePooh

Taco1946 very sorry to hear.

I think one day there will be a cure for this awful disease. I've read they are working on a vaccine for breast cancer.

ChiSandy, that's great news about your lump, what a relief! Sorry to hear about your friend. I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed right next to my eye a few years ago, had to have a skin graft. I have to be very careful in the sun.

april1964

ChiSandy, when one looses weight is it possible to loose weight/fat in the breasts ? I’m very overweight and would like to loose weight all over including breasts though they are a different size from each other from surgery and radiation.

petite1

Puffin2014. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have osteopenia in my hips, so I am borderline to start. The last scan was in Feb. 2019. I have not been back to the gym since surgery, but have been walking 30 minutes a day and using my pedals. I had my simulation yesterday and will get my radiation schedule by the end of the week. I will have it 5 times a day for 6 weeks.

IllinoisLady

I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. -Max Lucado