MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

lynniea

 Thank all of you for my prayers.  Last night I went to support group at the hospital I will be at.  I did a lot of crying but they all were very comforting.  I told them about this site and how it helped me through the first rough days.  At the end they handed a homemade lap quilt that was made by a local quilters club.  This weekend my daughter and I are taking a trip to Maine where I will meet my sister cousin and niece which goes to school there.  I wanted to see them not knowing when able to go up north after I start my treatment.

walker2222

Sandee - I am there with you on keeping your privicy.  The day I found out about my biopsy, I told a coworker right before I left work, thought she would keep it privite had asked her to pray for me since we were in a bible study together.  She ended up telling the first person she saw and the ball started rolling.  My boss even called me and asked me who I told.  It was unbeliveable.  She no longer works here.

I did do the Susan G a couple of weeks after chemo and asked the women I knew that was diagniosed right about the same time as I was to sign my hat (under the bill) so I could have them walk in spirit with me.  Would never put a name on my shirt without permition.

Loved the phone booth, love seeing people on candid camera stuff.

Lynniea - keeping you in my prayers.

Sherryc

I like the private thing much better.  I live in a really small town and everyone knows eveyones else business.  You can never keep secrets here.  Even though I only told a small circle of people I feel like the entire town knows.  I even ran into an old school teacher of mine at the grocery store and she told me I looked really good.  I said thanks and she said you know this town gossips is there any truth to what I heard about you having bc.  I told her yes and what was going on and she laughed and said honey they told me you were on your death bed.  I asked do I look like it and she said no.  I asked her to please go tell this person I was not dying.  I ran into her this last weekend and she asked how I was and made a joke about the gossipping.  She is a sweet lady I have know since I was a kid. But some privacy would be nice.

jo1955

Sherry - I manage a 55+ community and all they do is find things to gossip about so I had absolutely no privacy.  When I was diagnosed, 98% of the people were not here yet and still they knew.  I was flooded with calls at a time when I was not up to going over the story numerous times.  Fortunately, the calls came in on the office phone and my assistant manage just told them I was fine and recovering.  I went from having no surgery to on my death bed becasue I had cancer to who knows what.  Seems no one got the story straight and I did not feel the need to correct them.   I was not worth the effort.  In this place there is no privacy and that sucks.  

walker2222

I AM DONE, can I say that again, I AM DONE with rads.  No more photons or electrons being zapped into me.  I brought the techs cookies my DS made for me last night since I was so tired.  Dinner out tonight.

Skin is looking a lot better with two weeks on the silver cream.  See the RO next month then adios amigos.

Sherryc

mjbmiller-CONGRATS AND DOING THE HAPPY DANCE FOR YOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad you will be able to take a break for awhile.  You have had a rough ride sista.

jo1955

mjbmiller - DOING THE HAPPY DANCE WITH YOU!

                               

PauldingMom

So much news! Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather. Love ya all and miss you too.

Pink Hugs 

Meece

Good to see you, PM!

elimar86861

mjbmiller, Yay!  You made it through rads.  Morre happy dancing...

                                                     

elimar86861

That cow's udder does not look right!  Well, don't they radiate our milk now?  Eeeek!

Meece

Maybe she should be doing SBEs.

BarbaraA

{{{PAULDINGMOM}}}} Bigs hugs to you!

Doing the happy dance mjb!!!

Eph3_12

E-cow's same color as you!

jo1955

Maybe they are dance partners and wanted to dress alike?

marlegal

Jo, soo glad to read your news of visit with lung dr ... score one for our side

Sandee, you are 100% entitled to feel any way you want about anything to do with BC. It is an extremely personal thing with each of us. During the first year after my dx, I wanted no pink on my behalf, no runs, no names on shirts, and I didn't participate in any public events.  After that first year though, I found that little by little I was really touched when someone would wear my name on their back, and I wanted to do our local run, and I got involved with some BCO activities.  But that's me, and it was in my own sweet time. If you can find a way to get word to those you think might crowd your space, I say by all means let them know.

Heart and Jo, I graduated in 73 too!!

Meece, scrum for sure - that sucks

jo1955

1973 was a very good year.  It was also the year I got married and have been with the same DH for 37 years.

Meece

I was in the fourth grade that year.  Can't think of anything more memorable than that.

JeanH

Happy Dance for MJB

Jean

JeanH

Lynnia, Enjoy your trip to Maine, so glad the support group helped.



Well ladies the head is starting to tingle, I guess that means I start to go bald this weekend. Sooo... cramps, chemo and going bald, all this and more this weekend. Am I a girl who knows how to have fun r what



{{{Hugs to all}}}



Jean

Sandeeonherown

Thanks for all the feedback ladies. Marlegal....yeah, I suspect I too will do a run in a year or so.....I am actually seriously considering getting another small tattoo...pink ribbon in fact, when I get my 6 month mammogram in June...hopefully a celebratory tattoo...but it will be somewhere I choose...whether hidden or out in the open for all to see....June is my goal....I can get to June...

I will likely be voluneering for the BCANS (breast cancer association of nova scotia) in some capacity int he near future...but again, it will be with people I choose to talk to about it...I know I will come around to being an advocate and a voic ein some way because that is who I am about everything...but I need to 6month marker to be clear first...I need to know I am cancer free....and until I know (being that I had 'lobular features and therefore there is a 50% chance of it hanging out in the other breast as we speak)...well, I just don't want it out there....

perhaps if I didn't work with 150 foreign students who concdier me their home away from home mom....just don't want that....

 Lyniea...so glad you went to the support group. it can certainly help....yay you!!

walker2222

Thanks everyone



Eli - cow is hanging a bit low but we all have our own problems too

Kleenex

Interesting - I would agree that while I don't necessarily keep the breast cancer diagnosis a secret, I do prefer that the information comes from ME. I had a friend who was diagnosed the year before I was, and she came right out and told us. She was an amazing resource for me when I was diagnosed, and I always think it would be a good thing if I got to do that for someone someday. But being in a small town environment or having lots of people share an embellished version of your story would be very irritating. As it is, I'm sure people are checking out my breasts... Someone also commented on my hair about six months after my diagnosis - I didn't have chemo, and it was past shoulder length, so it was bizarre that she thought it was new hair. I suppose perhaps she thought it was a bad wig - I do like me some hair spray...

LOVE the picture, Elimar!

Sandeeonherown

Kleenex...yes that is it ...I want ME to tell people when I want to tell them...know I can't stop the rumour rain etc but...well....for example, we are going on a school campin gtrip this weekend and because of my back I am not supposed to cross country ski , or skate or snowshoe( CRAP!!) so I said ' well, I will just have to sit by the fire and read...oh well!" . someone added ' and drink hot chocolae with lots of baileys' to which I responded without thinking "nope..not supposed to drink alcohol because of the breast cancer '....since it was with work people who all know, they went 'ok yeah  I guess' but I realize that when I do talk about BC....I talk about it very matter-of-factly...no real "I am terrified every day" emotion at all...just wouldn't do at work , you know?....and really ....no one who is not going through it really wants to hear about it because if I am talking to them, it is because they are my friend...and it scares the crap out of them....so...thank god for this discussion board!

lynniea

 Thanks all I decided to go see my sis, cousin and niece since when I start treatment I wont be going to far from home.  I am sitting here with my new quilt the support group gave me.  It keeps me warm and reminds me of the people who where there. 

jo1955

I, too like to be the one to talk about ME.  When I was first diagnosed, my assistant manager was telling the residents all about me and that pissed me off big time.  She was giving out the wrong information and besides it was not her place to do that.  I told her in no uncertain terms to keep her mouth shut and if anyone wanted information they needed to come ask me.  I decide what people know and don't know.  I will get off my soapbox now - sorry to rant & rave about this but the issue still makes me angry.  

walker2222

I am open to tell my story to other people, but it is My story to tell.

jo1955

mjb - You hit the naill on the head - I could not have said it better.

Sandeeonherown

and yes....I think that is it...if I want to tell my story, I will...then feel free to ask me questions or ask how I am later...it means you are part of the circle of people I trust to know....and I ambranching out a bit...telling people who genuinely care abou tme but whom I do not see often...but it is MINE right now....as mentioned earlier....I am sure I will let go of it with time but right now....7 months in....nope...still mine.

elimar86861

I think my Dx seemed so unreal to me in the beginning, I needed to tell people I was barely acquainted with (like my regular grocery store clerk) just so it could sink in for me.  I would have freaked out,  though, if someone I had not told myself brough it up or made a comment to me.  Luckily that did not happen.

Kleenex, I kind of like the wayward looking lady, second from left, in the "Welcome" photo.  I realize I am probably the only old movie buff here who thinks she might be a character from the classic, "The Snake Pit."

                                                   

They just don't make insane asylum movies like they used to.  Just throwing in some late night randomness.