MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Raj20

Dear  lynneia.. you have landed in the hand of most supportive group. Dont, worry.. you just follow the treatment plan your doctor has set for you very carefully. Nowadays breastcancer is nothing but just like a normal desease. You can fight it positively with strong will power provided yourself not to breakdown. There are thousands of supporters in our group ... I am sure you will get all the replies .. at the right time. Dont hesitate.. to ask questions on your problem. Before I joined this group, you know I was always confused to think about future prognosis but now i got clear myself and very happy to go through every posts ,which has given me a new life and now I dont care for anything.

barbe1958

I like what raj said, but want to add, that you will probably have a melt-down or two. Don't knock yourself up over it. Let it happen and let the anger and sorrow OUT!!!

annettek

Lynn- we all are here to support you anyway we can...

Shaz...anything we can do we will...we all care

JeanH

lynnia,

We are here for you. it has been wonderful to have trhis group of strong women as a support group. they know where you are, they have been there and i love that they are at all stages of the journey. I agree that you have to keep as positive as possible and know you can beat this, but you will need to run through lots of emotions and you have to allow that as well. I too found telling my family hard especially my sisters, since i was not only telling them about me but bumping their risk as well. they (and my brother and mom have all been wonderful and adding to the support of DH & DS's.



on the node study it did only apply to lumpectomy with radiation.



3 jays- so happy for you!.



thanks for all the rad info. i have some time before the chemo phase is complete..sound like I need to reread the rad information.



on another note I thought Chemo stopped your period? is this a gradual thing? For some reason my body decided it would be fun to start that up again after 6 months...cramps the works....i was hoping a one time occurrence but its back again barely 3 weeks later....now I know why my back hurt last night....oh well it will make me stronger!



Jean

Sandeeonherown

Lyniea- I told my siblings in an email same as I told the 25 teachers I work with...started it off gently with "I have something to tell you..breathe first..."....it is scary for them for sure...makes their mortality a little closer to home for sure. So..buy a box of kleenex (I recommend 3ply! no handlotion int he kleenex though!) and let it out...this is scary stuff and deserves some howling, sobing, hysterical laughing and calm reflecting. You will certainly do it all...from wanting to talk about it to not ever wanting to talk about it again....we are here should and when you need us.

joyce1419

How do I do a search within a forum?  I stumbled on it once but don't recall how.

Anyone?  Thank you.

OG56

Ummm, chocolate looks so good I have been avoiding sugar since Christmas and have lost some weight just doing that..but here comes Valentines Day, my birthday and my anniversary all in a weeks time!

Went to Sloan a couple of weeks ago for my yearly MRI and sh%# a new area lit up and now I am back in the biopsy business, guess one of my ducts is dilated and Tuesday I have to go for a Mamo to see if there are micro calcification's. This is my contra lateral breast and I had a mamo 6 months ago (on high risk rotation) and all was well except for a 5 cm seroma. so, here I am in limbo again. I am heading home on Thursday for a 4 day visit to my new grandbaby that should keep me occupied some. I will keep you posted.

Linda

jo1955

Linda - So sorry you are having to do the biopsy thing again.  You will have to keep us posted.  Crossing fingers for B9 results.

elimar86861

OG56, sorry it's more diagnostics for you.  Hope it's a false alarm over something B9.

I'm sure I am not the only one who wants to start feeling like a true survivor, but can we ever get off the beastly merry-go-round?  All the follow-ups make me feel more like a B/C victim rather than a survivor.  How I long for the days of JUST a yearly exam!

jo1955

elimar - I would settle for the yearly exam and the occasional MO visit.  We are kinda stuck with a MO for the rest of our lives.

The last two days seems like a turning point for me and the roller coaster is starting to slow down.  Maybe soon I can get my feet back on solid ground.  Instead of doing the split dose of Tamox, I am taking it all at once and doing great.  Got out today and did some shopping at the outlet mall.  Spending more time in my sewing room being creative and less time on the computer.  All of this inspite of the fact I still have to go to the lung specialist on Tues for the radiation damage.  Haven't been thinking about it at all.  Hope when I am finished with that and the follow up with the BS I am done except for the gyn & MO. 

OG56

Thanks Jo and Eli and I second that wish! I just asked if I would still have to take Arimidex if I had a BMX and the answer was a resounding yes arrrrr! There is no escape LOL

jo1955

Linda - One way or the other, we are doomed to take a dreaded pill whether we like it or not.

I started with Armidex, then to Femara (flat out refused Aromasin after the first two)  and now Tamoxifen.  I asked my MO what would happen if I struck out on Tamox - thought I would be out of options and no 5 year protection.  He said he would find something I would be able to tolerate.  UGH!

edited to add:  HAS ANYONE HEARD FROM MEECE?  I haven't seen her on any of the threads for a long time. 

annettek

OG56- here is hoping it is benign, my friend. Waiting and testing and waiting is the worst.

lynniea

I received my path report It say,s Infilrtating ductal carcinoma so it is cancer.  I don't know what the rest means.  I need help with it if possible.  

jo1955

lynniea - So sorry to hear about the test results.  Infiltrating or invasive ductual carcinoma means the cancer has gotten outside the milk ducts.  You will need to find out the stage and grade before you decide what you will do next.  Hang with us and we will help you through this.

susantm

Jo, Meece posted on the "I come to the  Garden" (I think that's the name) thread today. She is in Hawaii now with her son, who is undergoing medical procedures. I haven't followed everything, but it sounds like things are going pretty well. She isn't able to post much there due to reception and internet speed.

elimar86861

lynniea, let us know what you don't enderstand from the path. report and we will translate if we can. 

jo, Meece finally went to visit her son in Hawaii.  He had a mini stroke some months ago, which led to docs finding a heart problem.  I am not sure if he is having surgery during this time or if she is just going to him and finding out what comes next.  Hope to hear about the trip soon.  Aloha, Meece!

jo1955

Susan - Thanks!  Guess I forgot she was going to Hawaii.  Have too much on my mind lately.

elimar86861

I typed that last one way to slow.  Susantm filled you in already.

jo1955

elimar - Thanks too!

marlegal

Someone posted about the Feb 8 news story on lymph node dissection ... it was not just for lumpectomy and radiation, it covered women who had chemotherapy as part of their treatment too.  Just wanted to be clear in case anyone was recently dx'd and wanted to have these facts.

Lynn, that dx was very similar to mine so far.  Happy to help answer any questions if you want to PM or email me in addition to posting things here on the boards.  We will all hold your cyber hands through this, promise.

Raj, good to see you...hadn't seen a post from you for a while

Jo, only out of curiosity, why no Aromasin for you?  I did tamox for 3.5 yrs till post-menapause, have been on Aromasin with no probs for a little over a year now ... should be off all meds by May, which will feel pretty damned weird, ya know?

jo1955

marlegal - I had such bad side effects with Armidex and Femara - my onc decided not to even try Aromasin. I have been on Tamox for a little over a month now and am doing good.  Only se is the toe joint pain which is doeable.

Sandeeonherown

jo- good for you re. taking the pill all at once without any hassle!!! Guess our bodies just need to adjust....might try going back to one in the am and see how the hot flashes go...but will wait until my dr. appointment on Tuesday and ask if there is harm in taking it in split doses as well while I am there.

Lyniea- hang in there. Many of us are just a few months ahead of you but we are a well-read bunch so....if we can help , please let us know.

jo1955

Sandee - I know I posted this before but will repeat.  When I asked my onc if I could do a split dose, he said by all means since I had the stomach problems with the AIs and I also told him I got this tip from all the ladies here.  I took 10mg for a week and the the split.  I got tired of splitting the pills and took the plunge for the whole dose.  If it did not work, I could always to back.

I don't see why your onc would not let you do the same thing.  Mine said it is just as effective in a split dose. 

lynniea

Thank you just you all being there is a comfort.  I just want to get the show on the road.  Why do they wait so long for appt.  I have MRI on the 16th, MO on the 21st, than surgeon on the 28th.  There is a support group the 3rd Tuesdays of each month at the Hosp where I will be going should I go.  God still has been good to me. I have a few more post till 50 can't wait till I can do as many as I want.  Sometimes I is good to just write what I am feeling at this time.  Thanks for letting me vent. They were talking chemo before surgery to shrink it .

Sandeeonherown

Thanks Jo. That eases my mind actually...my Oncologist said " See you in a year....if we need to. Otherwise, see you in three years when we will discuss whether to keep you on Tamoxifen or switch you to an AI"! At least I see my radiologist next month. Guess he will check on the scar, skin and shrinkage!...

jo1955

lynn - The waiting is always the worst.  Once we are diagnosed, we want to get things done as fast as we can.  Sometimes that is a good thing and a bad thing.  I went from dx to surgery in 10 days to tryinng Mammosite two weeks after that. Whew! No time to breath.

Sometimes it is good to go to support group in your local area so that you can meet with others in person.  I could have gone to one at my rad center but elected not to.  It was in the evenings and I did not want to make that long drive again.  This website has worked wonders for me.  

Bottom line - Going to a support group is a personal decision - you can go once and if you do not like it, you don't have to go back. 

elimar86861

Support groups...most of the "Cancer Centers" do offer this.  I went once and it was a nice enough group, but I was not motivated to go out at 7 p.m. for the meetings.  I have gotten too spoiled by the gi-normous support group right at my fingertips!!!!

Sandee, I have taken a split dose of Tamox. since Day 1 and that was over a year ago.  I just take one with breakfast and one with dinner or whenever.  I figure some are taking their 20 mg. all at once, so as long as I get my 20 mg. in at some point throughout the day, I'm good.  I can't say it cuts the hot flashes, because I had plenty; and I can't compare because I never tried taking it all at once.  There is NO harm in splitting the dose.  Let me know if your doctor says otherwise.

Sandeeonherown

Elimar- thank you for this information too. Yeah..taking them at breakfast and at dinner seems to be working for me too. Haven't forgotten one yet! and it has stopped the hot flashes almost completely.

I will indeed report Tuesday evening if she says otherwise. Cathy is a great doctor and if she doesn't know, she will find out for me. The pharmacist did not seem to think it was an issue but had not heard of people doing it so...all about educating those around you hmm? She was also great about looking up meds that do not go well with Tamoxifen (I had her check zopliclone and razadone as I had heard that trazadone was a no no...she checked a variety of places before calling me back to say they were both ok)..

jo1955

Sandee - As I read through the posts, I am seeing that a lot of the other ladies have numerous appts with their various drs - onc, rad onc, bs, etc in what to me seems like an extended period of time.

At this point, I am down to my onc every 4 months and the annual gyn exam.  The only scans, etc I will have is my annual mammo in Jul.  I am hoping at some point to go to every 6 months with the onc.  I am comfortable with that follow up schedule - that can change if the need arises. It certainly is a nice break from the zillion appts I have had in the last 5 1/2 months.

I see me doing the Tamoxifen for the entire 5 years instead of switching to an AI in 3 years.  I already know I can't take them.  As long as I am on something that is alright with me.