MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

marlegal

Chacha, we'll jump in your pockets tomorrow for the visit with MO. I'd definitely ask more about the mammo, could be there's a very good reason for it and that it would affect surgery, but you're still entitled to know. I hope others may answer that one ... I wasn't in that type situation, so I don't have firsthand info.

Beckers, accept that you're human and you're allowed to love Mom while she drives you nuts I hope she's out of the hospital as soon as possible so the two of you can have a good talk. Hope hub doesn't have to stay long in OK and gets back to you safely.

Hugs all

Beckers

Thanks for prayers and well wishes. Mom is on way home. Still can't stand very well as her legs are weak.



Jill, they did mammo on my other side and they found calcifications, which ended up being DCIS. So, I also had a sentinel node biopsy on that side as well. I couldn't imagine that it would delay your surgery. I wonder if it is standard so they know if they should do SN biopsy because once the breast is gone, that will no longer be an option. Just my two cents. I see you are from Rancho. I used to live off Baseline and Cherry in No. Fontana.

bcbarbie10

Beckers, im glad your mom's better. Having ageing parents is tough. Sometimes i look at people in church and wonder how many if us deal with them. Always, always i pray for my mom's health. But she's so stubborn. I want to run to her and hug her and run away from her all at the same time.



Maybe a part of me just feels guilty she's still the one looking out for me when at this point it should be the other way around.

Momine

Chacha, I had a prophy removal of my left breast at the same time they removed the diseased right one. Before surgery, they did a careful ultrasound of the "good" breast and marked it up where there was anything unusual at all. It was to guide the surgeon as to which sections ought to be biopsied. They also took the sentinel node, just to be sure.

Beckers

Bcbarbie, I think they never lose the instinct to mother. My Mom showed up every day of the first 5 or so that I was home after surgery. I tell my Mom she's so critical but to her she's "Still a Mom" --- as she tells me. I'm sure your Mom would do whatever she is able to help you. Once a Mom, always a Mom I suppose.

elimar86861

Chachamom,  Hopefully you will be all settled in before your surgery.  Not sure why they want to mammo you, but what Momine says about the ultrasound makes sense.  Could be for the same purpose.  Good Luck tomorrow on the CT results.

Beckers,  I'm glad to hear your mom did not have to stay in the hospital long. 

Anonymous

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!  My MO appt went well today!  My CT scan showed no "changes" on the lesions they've been monitoring.  I asked how often this would have to be done and she said I'd need another followup CT in 6 months....but possibly no more after that if it remains stable.  YEAH!  I asked her about the mammogram and Beckers and Momine YOU win the prize!!!  She said if anything is found they might do a sentinal node biopsy....but likely all will be clear.

So.....pocket party please for Monday's mammogram.  I didn't think a mammo would be such a big deal.....but I'm looking foward to when BOTH boobs are gone and replaced with the Belly boobs!  lol!

marlegal

Chacha, I'm so happy for your good news I'll definitely be in your pockets for Monday ... it'll give me somewhere to hide on my least favorite day of the week.

A little out of the ordinary, but if those of you so inclined would say a prayer for my daughter ... she's due any day with our first grandchild. She's had a great pregnancy, so no special reason for the prayer request...just a nervous mother wanting everything to go well for Shannon and their baby. Thanks!

elimar86861

marlegal,  How exciting, the first grandbaby due anyday!  Will you be at the birth?  

elimar86861

NEED TO KNOW --- Am I the only one this is happening to?

When I post, I get the perpetual "connecting" signal, and it never connects to the page where my new post should be.  But if I go back and enter this thread again, sure enoughm there is my new post.  Anyone else get this?

Kd6blk

I had my surgery pretty soon after my diagnosis and at the time of surgery there was no markup, xrays, or anything day of surgery. I had a cancer side and an okay side, both were heavily gone over after surgery. It is facinating how different everyone's experience is. 

What is a pocket party? 

Beckers

It's happening to me to Elimar but eventually posts it.

barsco1963

Chacha - count me in on the pocket party! We'll be there to wish you all the best and to make sure that everything goes well for you.

Kd - a pocketparty is a virtual party where we all "jump in the pockets" of someone who is having scans, tests, surgery etc for company & support. No one has to go it alone here. Snacks and drinks are encouraged (there will always be cheetos) as there are no calories to worry about. Anyone can request a pocket party (PP).

marlegal - very excited for you on the arrival of your first grandchild. Praying for a safe arrival and that you will soon be spoiling him/her to no end.

elimar86861

Barsco1963,  That is the best description of a Pocket Party so far, especially the "No one has to go it alone here" part. 

 I just wanted to get in a final post about that IPL laser procedure I had done for my mammo-caused broken blood vessels (petechia) on my rads-side breast.  It's now two and a half weeks later...what had been bruisy, purplish spots have now faded to blotches of pale pink that are definitely better than the reds dots, and which could easily be covered with body make-up if I decide to pole-dance or anything.  I think, and hope, they will totally fade to nothingness in a few more weeks.  Even tho' it was just for my personal vanity, I am happy to have spent $50 to have this procedure.  I have my scar as a reminder, I didn't need extra spots.

I may not have to get any more red dots, since my breast center is supposedly getting ultrasound screenings within the next year.  Gimme some o' that!

p.s. Beckers, I waited over a minute on this post and it did finally "connect" to the page with the new post.  

Anonymous

Elimar you crack me up!!! (pole dancing)  I've had the same issue with posting....if I leave the thread and come back, the post is there....but if I wait for the post it doesn't happen for  (yawn) ever!

Thanks for the pocket party on Monday!  I'll wear big pockets so there will be plenty of room for margaritas and mariaches!

barbe1958

Marlegal, just wait until you hold your first grandchild!!!!! It's just surreal!!

Here is a pic of me holding Zach who is now two!! My daughter had an emergency C-section while in labour. We weren't called until a couple hours after he was born.

 

marlegal

Eli, thanks for the good wishes. Yes, unless the baby comes really quickly, I will be there with dd And all posts seem to be taking forever to go through, I've noticed that too. Resulted in a lot of people double-triple posting 'cause they thought it wasn't going through. NOTE TO ALL - watch the status bar at the bottom - take a walk - it will post!! And I literally laughed out loud about the pole dancing!! So happy the procedure was worth it. I didn't have that particular problem, but I'm sure many have and by telling us about this, you are - as usual - helping a lot of people.

Barsco, thanks - I can't wait to shop for this child - they didn't want to find out the baby's sex ahead of time, so I'm holding off my first mega shopping trip!!

Barbe, what a picture that is! I love it - and I cannot wait to post a similar one I laugh at dd's "plans" about when she'll let me know she's in labor. She's a thoroughly modern millie - thinks that by reading enough, she'll be prepared. I've done my mother's best to not let her know that babies don't read the same books. She'll learn, just like we all do We're only 40 minutes away, unless I'm at work when things happen. I'm parking my ass at the hospital as soon as she has a labor pain. I'll be there before her, no doubt

Eph3_12

Pole dancing---such a visual in my head!!!

Beckers

How do you put pics in posts?



Who's pole dancing? :-). Pretty sure I would slide down on my head!

Momine

Stop with the pole dancing! I keep getting an image of myself, dancing on a pole with no tits and the picture is cracking me up (yes, ok, my humor is a bit strange).

Beckers

Lol!!

barsco1963

Eli and Momine - lol. There is a commercial on tv (not sure if Canadian or not) about a middie learning pole dancing and not doing very well at it. It cracks me up every time I see it.

elimar86861

Pre-empting the Pinktober Revolutionary doctrines that will be abounding on this discussion board, I thought I'd get my thoughts in one day early. 

I don't hate pink.  As a color, it is nice enough.  I wear pink clothing as much now as I ever did, which is not very often as I just don't have the coloration for it to look flattering.   I kind of agree with people who think that some of the "pinkifying" is trying to put a cuteness/cleverness on B/C that ends up trivializing it, but I find some of the slogans funny anyway.  I can't help it.  Now, the anti-Pinks have their own backlash of sayings, and they are even funnier.  The first time I saw the expression 'Focktober," I thought it was simply clever. (It was in Barbe's signature line.  Did you coin that word, Barbe, or where did it originate?)

Pink branding doesn't annoy me.  I can turn a blind eye to it most times, except when it is paired with really funny products, like garbage dumpsters or anything worn on a toolbelt.  Then, I laugh a little.  I don't buy things specifically because they give a nickel to some B/C organization.  I don't avoid them either, out of any righteous disgust over pink-sploitation.  I still shop under my prime directive, to buy for value.  To get that good deal.   If I shopped in a strictly political sense, I don't think there would be all that much I could purchase that didn't exploit (or even harm) someone or something in the global community. 

I don't hate awareness.  In fact, I love awareness.  I love it in the sense that I feel that action almost always follows thought, therefore getting ideas out there is necessary leading up to eventual action..  But in the scheme of B/C, awareness really is just the tip of the iceberg and I can understand how disappointing it is to find out how much money goes for awareness, and rallies, and PR, etc.  I think we'd all like to see a larger portion being used for research toward a cure.  (However, the cynic in me thinks that even if more $$ went to research, there would be some scandal of misappropriation or misuse before very long.  That's just me.  I'm not the best cheerleader for human nature.  I've watched too many 20/20 exposes.)

The Pink Revolution is near and dear to some on BCO.  It has become a cause.  If this applies to YOU, that's cool.  Everybody has got to have something.  There are other things that rankle me more.  I guess I just feel more like an observer to Pinktober, than a participant.  Ditto for the backlash movement as well. 

In my pics at the top, you may very well see themes of pink sisterhood this month.  I 'll post those in any month, if I like them.  Hopefully, no gag reflexes will become activated.  Well, don't have much more to say about Pinktober, just that I hope it never overruns all the fine spookiness to be found at the end of the month.

                                                                                       

Eph3_12

Well said E. I agree wholeheartedly with your position(s).  

marlegal

If any of you are my FB friends, you may have seen my post last night ranting about Pinktober. Eli said it much better though

elimar86861

marlegal, I wish you would repost here...just 'cause I won't get a chance to read it otherwise.

Oh, and anyone reading here, don't feel like you have to have the same opinion as I do.  I'm really kind of sitting on the fence.  If you are fed up with Pinktober and absolutely hate it, I would be interested to know the specific reasons it galls you so.  If you love the whole idea of Pinktober, and are out there all month showing a commitment to pinkness, you can tell about it here.  I just want to say, EVERY WOMAN who has Breast Cancer has earned a right to HAVE an opinion about this ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!  It's a long month.  Who knows?   We might even change our minds in the course of the next 31 days.  Several times, even.

I like that pink brain in a jar so much, I almost want it for my avatar this month!   Or maybe just keep it in my "icon row."  It's SO symbolic!

Cindyl

I love pink.  Always have. Was a girly little girl and never outgrew my love for hot pink.  That said, it burns me that people use "my" color to sell their products and claim they are supporting breast cancer (whatever the h*ll that means) when they are really just selling a product.

 That said, I have nothing against "awareness"  Strange as it seems to us now, living as we do in the all awareness all the time zone, there are people who don't think they need to do self checks or to see their drs, because "I don't have a family history" or "I eat right and exercise" "I'm too young" or whatever it is we tell ourselves to convince ourselves we aren't at risk.  This time last year, I was one of the unaware.  I'd had a lump, and a mammogram, but was assured everything was OK, so I was going along all blissfully ignorant... 

Beckers

I'm on the fence. I was saved by a mammo and it appears that breast cancer has come a long way in treatment and survival. But....I am no expert. Maybe I will feel differently next Pinktober or if I progressed. Still too new to all this maybe. I am going to support my PS and be in the photo shoot with him tomorrow wearing pink for a magazine cover. I liked the color pink before BC. Hopefully I don't get sick of it. )

elimar86861

Let it out, ladies.  I just never get tired of reading how others feel about Pinktober.  The awareness thing might rub us the wrong way at times, because we were forced to become hyper-aware real quick, upon getting that Dx, but Cindyl makes a good point that there is still a lot of ignorance and misconceptions out there.

Beckers

Honestly, I didn't make the appointment a few years there when my primary doc referred me for mammograms. I prioritized it off the list because of being younger or no family history. I can't imagine what would have happened if I didn't go this time!!!! I wasn't even good about self exams. My tumor grew from 7 mm in Feb to 1.3 cm in April.