Lets get to know each other :)

NoH8

Thanks for the info Waiting. Does Von Willenbrand disease only effect females in the way hemophilia only effects males?

LG- how was your round? Tiger missed the cut off in the British Open, so however your swing was, you are in good company!

waitingandanxious

No, I think it affects both females and males equally, but that is a good question. I'll doublecheck that.

Lovegolf, thanks for the offer. My partner is doing well. I just have precancer so we are not getting too upset at this point - just taking care of it and hoping to move back to normal and not worry about doctor's appts and hospitals and surgery and stuff like that. 

Lovegolf

It took a few holed to feel good, but by the back nine I was going good. It was just nice to be back out playing golf.  I hope everyone had good weekend.

Ab

dswope

Waitingandanxious - I have a very supportive partner, & a very compassionate daughter, but without this community my journey (so far) through this cancer crap would have been much more difficult.  To have so much support from women who have the same DX, and know what you are going through is invaluable.  Hang in there.

Golf - Hi!  How'd the golf go?  Glad to here you are doing so well.  My partner was all about Tom Watson winning this weekend......I try to act like I care!!!!  I'm one of those "wrap the club around a tree" temperment golfers so, I stay away!  Hope it was good for your spirit.

Hope everyone had a peaceful weekend.

Deb

TorchSong

Hi all!

Dropping to see how everyone is...

It's true, the worst thing about the beginning of this journey no one wants to take is the waiting...Patience is not one of my strong suits. Hang in there!

 I am proud of myself. My ex is now seeing someone new--we had agreed to let each other know when we started dating again, as the circle we move in is pretty small, and neither of us wanted to be surprised by someone else's chance comment--and she did. Well, they were both there, together, at a church conference this past weekend. Now, I know I don't want to go back to that relationship--we really do work best as friends, we want different things out of a relationship, we love each other, but it's got to be as friends--but it still was tough to see them together. On the other hand, she did tell her new interest that I am very important in her life and will continue to be an active presence, and that we still love each other--and she (new girl) would have to accept that, which she does.  So, anyway, it went much better than I was worried it might. We all behaved like adults (and of course, people were watching for some drama, which we denied them). The three of us sat together, ate together, were friendly and laughing and got along great...

I do love exploding people's expectations.

Now off to a week's vacation in Washington DC, visiting friends and family--pure fun!

Hugs to all!

Martha

dee1961

Have fun Martha, I'm glad to hear you are doing okay. Take care 

vkfrainbow

Judy had chemo to shrink tumor and nodes FIRST.  Then surgery. Radiation just finished up on July 6th. Again, she was blessed with only minor blistering the first week afer rads stopped.  Very little right now.

Task at hand:  fill 'er up!  Aug 5th appointments with boob surgeons and hopefully get her expanders expanding again.

dee1961

Hi Val,

Glad to hear Judy is done with tx and doing well

Good luck with the expansion, hopefully there won't be any problems with that.

Take care!

dee1961

YOOO HOOOOOO! Where did everyone go.? It sure is lonely around here

TorchSong

Hi Dee!

I'm back in town after a week's vacay...maybe others are off somewhere too? 

I managed to wear myself out. I thought i was recovered enought to do all the thigns I wanted to do, but, well--no. So now I'm trying to get rested up because next week is Pride week here and I'm pretty busy with that! Not as much as previous years, when I was hyper-involved, but I am active on the Pride board and the church has a booth and a worship service and an entry in the parade...

A friend has a cottage about an hour out of town, and three of us are going out there Monday for a day off--it's a holiday here in Canada. I will sit around nad read, eat good food, and maybe sleep even! 

On the BC front (oops, sorry for the bad pun), my radiated breast feels firmer and stiffer, so to speak, than the other. Has anyone else experienced that and if so, how long until it feels normal again?

Oh, and there's a glimmer of hope on the romance front--someone I've known (a different someone from earlier posts) and I had coffee on Thursday and there was a bit of a spark. We're to have dinner next week or the week after. Here's hoping!

How are you doing, Dee? And Golf, what's up with you and your honey?

Hugs all!

martha

Lovegolf

All is well..i am working too much. Have cases on trial calendars so BUSY. Honey is doing much better. More later.  Hope everyone is ok

dee1961

Hi Martha,

Doing okay thanks, still having a fun time with the tissue expanders NOT

Other than that same old, work, eat,sleep. I wasn't able to take any vacation this year due to taking all my time for surgeries and such, so I can't wait until January. I WILL be taking a week off first thing. Looks like the Lesbian threads have not been very active lately. Hope everyone is out having fun! Take care! D~

Lovegolf

D

Sorry you are able to get more time off to take care of yourself. All is well here back to being busy with work...amd so glad I am able to do so.  Hope everyone else is doing great....Hot summer here.  

dee1961

Been very mild summer here in Columbus Ohio, have had very few HOT days. We could use a tad more rain though. Hope everyone is doing okay.

dee1961

Where did everyone go to? Hope you are all having a fun summer!

TorchSong

Hello Dee! I'm here!

Just starting to feel back to my "normal" (i.e., pre-dx) self. Cancerversary coming up, though...

Pride was tough this year--from Friday night through SuUnday night, pretty much flat out. Although I did have a date Saturday night, which made things a lot better :-)

Hope everyone is well!

dswope

Hey Dee,

I'm still here too!

I just composed the longest post I've ever written, decided to preview it, hit the back button, and it disappeared!  Darn it.  I'm at work so I shouldn't spend much more time doing this! 

I miss hearing how you are all doing.  I know we all have lives to lead, however hearing from and about our journey's is an important part of it for me.

I've just finished my 2 regime of CMF, 4 to go.  Not nearly as bad as I let myself imagine.....seems to be the case with me!

Hope you are as well as can be.

Torch, how nice for you to be getting some normalcy back into your life.  Good luck with the dating!

NoH8, I have been reading some of your posts on the thread about "on-site" bickering and banning people from the site.  Great advice.  I had no idea that kind of stuff happened here until I started "lurking around".  I would have been so disappointed had I come across that when I was first diagnosed and was looking for help.  Hope it stops.

Golf, working too much?  How's your partner?

Deb

dee1961

**************************** ROLL CALL-JUST CHECK IN TO SAY HI *****************************

Hi Deb,

I am happy to hear that your treatment is going along without alot of problems for you

I am still in the reconstruction mode, just waiting to get the fills done so I can go in for exchange. I think it will happen some time in November..Thanksgiving foobs..LOL Not alot going on here just work,ea, sleep, you know? I have been struggling with wether or not to take the Tamoxifen. I go back and forth with it. I think I will at least try it starting this weekend...maybe

Martha-One year coming up soon-CONGRATS!

Amy-Where are you ???!!

Golf-How are you and partner? Take a break from work

Val-How are you and your partner?

Hello to everyone I missed. Take care !

Dee~

Lovegolf

I had busy few weeks with trials  A little slower now.  Am feeling good. I still have "hot wire" nights sometimes where it feels like hot wire across my chest.  They are getting less frequent and Dr says will as time goes on.  Am going to working on Komen event here set for April.  Last year was first for here We will kick off and start that in Oct. since it is BC month.  Partner is going better not any more events. 

Martha glad to hear the social front is looking up. 

Deb hang in there you will get to the otherside

Amy  are you ok???

Dee sorry to hear the reconstruction is not going as well as hoped. ...but here's to "turkey" boobs in time for the holiday.

Ab

simmonba

Hi everyone - just introducing myself - 43,married to a transwoman for 15 years now (including thru her MTF transition), 2 daughters aged 10 and 7, and another Canadian. 

Martha:you might have seen us in the first-ever Trans March at Pride this year, Friday night!

Here's my question: I am thinking about various reconstruction options and I'm not sure.  My lovely partner says "It's easier than you think to get used to living with an unusual body situation."  And she would know. 

But: if any of you have wisdom to share about your decision-making on whether and what kind or not of reconstruction, I would appreciate it.  I had a left-side mastectomy in May and have a prosthesis which looks fine but is hot and heavy at this point.  As a DD-sized woman since my early twenties, I think longingly of a nice B-cup bosom....but more surgery, I'm not so fond of...Tx very much.

sftfemme65

Hi everyone...just checking in.  Its been a while.  I went for lab today, I have my 2nd 3 month check up next friday...think great thoughts for me, ok?! 

I have surgery in 10 days!  Exchange for these hard expanders to hopefully....soft, nice boobies!!!  I am looking forward to it.  It really has gone by pretty quick. 

Barb, I had a left sided mastectomy in Dec 07, I had no intentions of doing reconstruction at all but after completing lots of chemo I decided to have the other breast removed and expanders put in (march 30, 2009).  It hurt like hell for 3 weeks I believe and then started improving.  Pain meds of course helped and now Im full and awaiting my exchange.  The surgery was fine, the recovery is the bitch part lol.  BUT its not all bad and in fact I have to tell you it was fun watching my chest go thru puberty all over again...just alot faster lol.  These expanders are hard and sometimes uncomfortable but I have a nice chest in clothes and great cleavage.  Im very happy I chose to do this.  if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Teresa

dee1961

Hi Teresa,

Congrats on your upcoming exchange, how excited you must be!

LOL..I know what you mean about the going through puberty thing, it is pretty awesome the things they can do these days. I have had non stop pain with my expanders and haven't been able to take pain meds for over a month now. The pains meds are causing me to have asthma attacks. I will have to talk to my PS on Monday to try something else. Anyhooo, please let us know how your exchange goes, I am so happy for you

Take care,

Dee~

dswope

simmonba,  I had a total mast as the first part of my treatment.  No reconstruction....decided I could live without them, and couldn't face the possible months of more pain.  It's been 3 months now, I've healed (although it's not very pretty), and must say I'm having a great time not wearing a bra!  I haven't been to get the store bought foobs yet.  I probably will eventually, just to have them.  My partner doesn't have an issue with it, my co-workers know the situation and are used to me looking this way.  I admit there are times when I feel self-conscious.  The first thing everybody does, if they haven't seen me since the surgery, is look at my flat chest!  I think that is totally natural......curiosity of the unknown!  If you make a big deal of it, so will everyone else.  I treat it like I had no choice, and according to my surgeon & onc I have a much better chance of no recurrance this way.  Anyway, recon is a personal choice.  Good luck to you.

Sorry for rattling on like that!

Nice to see this thread up and running again.

dee1961

Hi Barb,

Welcome !! Sorry I didn't see your post before. I had bilat mastectomies with immediate reconstruction. Not sure why they call it that, because these tissue expanders can take months to expand the muscles and skin enough for the implants. I have had alot of pain with this process, but alot of women do just fine so don't look at me as the norm. I decided I would have reconstruction before I even had the mastectomies. I just couldnt imagine going through my life without breasts, fake or not. I know in the end, even after all the pain, I will be happy that I stuck it out. I was also a DD before surgery and am aiming for a D cup. It may not take you as long if you are going for a B. It is a personal choice whatever you decide to do. It sucks that we had to make it under such a frightening situation. Good luck to you!

Dee~

Anonymous

(((Amy)))

I haven't been here for awhile but I wanted to say how sorry I am about your kitty...I know they mean the WORLD to you.  Hope things are okay on your end.

Hugs

Peggy

Lovegolf

simmonba

I had a double MX on 5/1 and had no reconstruction.  I know I made the decision for me.  I was most concerned with GET THE CANCER OUT get the cancer out now!  I had lumpectomy 4/17 with 3//4 margins DCIS.  I did ot want to add anything else into my body . I can only tell you like all decisions you face with BC Mx or no Mx etc it is your decision.  Hang ing there.

Do we need to send out search party for Amy???? 

Anonymous

simmonba - no, I was talking about Amy's kitty she lost back in May...it's been awhile since I've read this thread...

sftfemme65

Deb,

Im really surprised your onc and surgeon would say you have a much better chance of no reoccurance with no reconstruction...thats a very odd thing for them to say since reconstruction doesn't effect your chance of reoccurance, cancer cells do.  I absolutely know for sure that my choice to have reconstruction did not increase my chance of a reoccurance at all and I would hate for anyone to believe that they are risking their health because of it when there is no medical truth to that. 

Dee, my surgery is monday and Im excited but nervous too.  I had a tough time with these expanders too but the pain has stop since I quit having fills 2 months ago.  It was rough but Im very happy with my decision and I hope the new girls look ok.  I will post after my surgery and let you know how it goes.

Teresa

dee1961

Hey Teresa,

So happy to hear your tissue expanders will be gone on Monday! I'm so happy for you but also jealous...LOL I still have about three more fills to go, so I think it will be sometime in November before I get mine out. Good luck on Monday, you will do just fine..let us know how they look and feel (gotta be sooooo much better than the TE's) Take care and best wishes to you,

Dee~

TorchSong

Hi all--

Slow day at work so catching up here lol

Glad to hear folks are OK and yay for those feeling better nad finishing up. I had a lumpectomy and so know 0 about recon...

Yes, I am seeing someone now, an amazing, gorgeous, bright, sexy woman who, for her own reasons, needs to take things very slowly, which is what I need right now. I'm a little--OK, a lot--self-conscious about my body just yet--hair still very short, scar from chemo port removal still pretty raw, burn scars still from radiation, etc. She, however, told someone (who promptly passed it on to me) that she thinks I'm "beautiful." How's them apples, ladies?! I'm loving it...

Church is staying open... We may be doing what's called a "cooperative parish" with another denomination--two or more churches working in partnership but still independent.

 Simmonba, I didn't get to TO Pride this year--I'm in Windsor and very involved with our Pride here--that was what I meant. Always great to know someone in TO, though and congrats to you and your wife!

Hugs to all!