MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

barsco1963

Katlebbie - ((hugs)) Sorry that you are dealing with so much. Glad those polyps were found and taken before they could cause any trouble.

Sending best wishes to you for better days ahead.

Loral

Katlebbie,

Furfriend2

Loral,

I love this and it soooo holds true for us on this board. All the best!!!

NativeMainer

Love the new header pic, but it makes me dizzy!

Momine

Ha! Lego Escher, two childhood faves in one.

elimar86861

Correct, Momine. That IS a Lego representation of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher's "Relativity."

In case anyone wonders what that has got to do with B/C, all I can say is who hasn't felt like they had days of not knowing which end was up?

Momine

My brother is a lego freak. He is one of those people who buys it for his kids so that he can play with it himself. He also works on the lego commercials every year. Not so strange, since it was almost the only toy we had as kids, except for art supplies and brio trains.

Katlebbie

Barsco, Loral and El thanks for the support and the advice, I needed it! My primary doctor put me on steroids and a muscle relaxer today she is hoping it helps with all three conditions. I go back in a week if the shoulder and back are not better I will need a MRI which I agree with. The biopsy is the 25th so now I wait.

El~ I love all of the wonderful headings you post, where do you get all those wonderful ideas? How are you feeling these days?

Thanks again Kat

elimar86861

Thank you, Kat, for the compliment. There's no accounting for taste, and I don't claim to have any, so I just post what I like up there (which I just find on image sites) and everyone else is welcome along on the ride.

I have to say that, after reading the horror stories of the "potty training" which follows the reversal surgery, I thought I might have months and months of adjustment. However, here it is only a month after my surgery, and I am doing very well. In the past two weeks I have used very little Imodium, like maybe a half tablet just a couple times. Part of that is that I am in my home, so never too far from a bathroom, but I am rarely out of control anymore. I think I was reading accounts of people that lost larger segments of intestine because, overall, I am doing great by comparison.

Hope those meds bring you some relief pronto.

barsco1963

Eli - glad that you are in control and doing so well. You are once again proving that you are an overachiever.

NativeMainer

WTG, EL!

Anonymous

hi ladies! Time for me to jump from the shadows into the light of this thread! Hoping you're taking new members. Probably started lurking around Halloween - my 1 year anniversary of my 2nd mx. Started BCO shortly after DX, needed the threads to get me thru the info and surgeries, then found the games which continue to occupy my time and brain. Now it's been time to find the "new normal" phase. I find this thread very interesting. Btw, I'm at the upper end of the "age range" but who cares? Have been told I can pass for the lower age range (well, at times). I love the Lego pic at the top of the header - I can relate as I often feel like I'm going in circles!

Momine

2nd time, welcome! We are always happy to have fresh blood (muaw!) and we are not picky about age

Katlebbie

I'm happy you found this site 2nd It's full of wonderful ladies who do not judge they just give laughs and advice and they have this wonderful support that is full of pocket parties so you are never alone.......something I needed to remember. Loral's post about strength is helping me get through some rough times right now along with the others.

Maddy my brain is so fuzzy right now from everything and google researching but I will get back to you and email you this weekend..... I promise You hang in there girl ......... many (((HUGS))) I don't think you have been getting enough of those lately!

elimar86861

Welcome, 2TA! I am going to assume that you grew a brand new primary and did not have a recurrence after 16 years, right? Apparently the Cancer Gods (Demons!) felt sorry that you missed out on the joys of the hormonal drugs the first time around. So, what happened with the Arimidex? I see you made the switch to Tamox. Did you go without left recon. all those years? How are you liking your recon. results now (and feel free to comment on any residual hardness, as we have been on that topic recently.)

barsco1963

Welcome 2ndtime - Glad to have you aboard regardless of where you fall in the "age range". We are all here for each other, to share, support and encourage.

Loral

heartnsoul76

Haha, that's a good one Loral!

Good news! My brain MRI came back fine! And yes, now that it's all over I'm glad that I did it.

Momine - sounds like your brother found just the right job for him!

Elimar - congratulations, you little over-achiever, you! I'm so glad the old normal is almost back.

AIM HIGH EVERYONE!

macatacmv

Look what I found in NYC. They were fenced off in Battery Park with a sign reading "being renovated". Boy did I embarrass my kids by 1. laughing like crazy 2. taking pictures of them. Can any one relate? Talk about non squishy boobs.

Thanks for the sentiment loral, since we were in NY celebrating my bday. We had a great time. I definitely did not act my age. (except when I had to go to the hotel every afternoon to take a nap.)

I also survived my sleep study night and shopping for new jeans. lol! The topics we have been chatting about are certainly important for things going on in my life. I had my personal shopper with me, my DD. She is a great clothing critic, but also pushes me beyond my comfort level sometimes. I came home with some "cool" new outfits. I am still trying to get the sticky areas off my body from the tape that held on some of the wires from the sleep (not) study.

Next week I have my mammo appt and see my BS PA. I am not going to worry about it. What ever it is, it is. Last year I was a nervous wreck.

macatacmv

oh, hns, that is great news!!!!

eli, glad it is all coming out all right. (snicker, snicker)

Also, we went to the Lego store at Rockefeller Center. It was amazing!! My son was mesmorised. He is 28. lol

Katlebbie

Macatacmy....OH MY that is just too funny! How could you not laugh or take pics. Makes my not so squishy girl feel pretty soft right now!

Loral, that is great, I usually tell everyone I have the Peter Pan Syndrome .....I'm responsible but I refuse to grow up!

Great news Heartnsoul I'm very happy for you!

Katlebbie

A post it that I will live by! Thanks again everyone for your support!

macatacmv

yay! picture posting is so much easier! The mods said the donations in memory of marybe helped make that possible.

i'm so sad about veggy. ok, so no emoticon for sad?

Valjean

heartnsoul ~ Absolutely wonderful news!! So very happy for you!

Welcome 2TA!

E~ I've been wondering how things were coming along. Getting back into the flow of normal...... Hallelujah!

Geez, this current HOT flash is awful right now! And was I the one that said I might consider taking this AI past five years?!? Did I actually say that??? And my hand was hurting so badly today from what I have self-diagnosed as Carpel Tunnel that I actually considered wearing my brace during daylight hours. I am definitely wearing it when I go to bed, which will be soon as I just realized what time it is.

Macatacmv ~ I agree, the loss of veggy is very sad...........

 

Momine

Loral, my onc had a young assistant who was my main doc during chemo. Her motto was "live your life!" and it was good advice.

Anonymous

thanks ladies! I appreciate the welcome! Need to stay her and play.

HNS, best news! I hate we continue to have to take all these health-related tests, but sure love it when the results are good news.

ELIMAR, you nailed it perfectly! 1 mx and chemo was enough the first time 17 years ago. No way I would consider recon and glad for that (wasn't pleased with the surgeon at that time and knowing what I know now, so grateful not to take that journey with him). Annual mammo August '12 was quite the shocker! Reconsider it my cancer do-over. Totally new primary (which I saw as good news compare to a recurrence - the odds are so very slim, so go figure! Wish it worked the same with the lottery!). This time, much better docs (mostly women as it turns out) and the process was to see them all docs prior to surgery. Hadn't really made up my mind about recon, but my PS's personality won me over, and that was one of the best decisions I made (the other being to opt for a mx over lumpectomy as there turned out to be a second smaller yet-undetectable spot of cancer lurking). Didn't completely realize how difficult the recon process has been, if I did, I might not have gone thru with it as I'm a total wimp, very squeamish, with a very low tolerance for pain. So much from my medical team, my BCO sisters, and I requested a "breast buddy" from my cancer center - they all helped get me thru where my family and friends have been of little help and support. The Anastrozole (Arimidex) issue: strange Gi issues: terrible cramping follow by an IMMEDIATE need to use the toilet plus even though my MO says he never heard heard if it, I would have huge cravings and the need to eat (almost a compulsion) to eat past 10 or 11 every night (and with that, of course, related weight gain). It was strangely awful! Never had that ever, even pregnant. Feel lucky to say I'm having few SE's from Tamoxifen, the most annoying is slight loss of memory...

Uh, so, was I saying.....

Anonymous

macatacmv, great photo, so happy you enjoyed the trip! I was actually raised outside of NYC as a child, haven't been back in 45 years so nice to be reminded of my childhood. Wonderful your DD was your personal shopper!

Loral, thanks for the reminder!

Kat, your most important focus right now is you! Plenty of time to catch up later, I'm not going anywhere

Again, thanks for the welcome, Momine, Barsco and Valjean, nice to feel welcomed and accepted!

So, back to my BC journey. Yup, about 15+ years with a clumsy, bulky prosthesis. Don't get me wrong, during that time I preferred that method to recon. I had the greatest shop and form fitters but I have to admit it was also slightly depressing to not be able to walk into a store and just buy a bra, it was a small ordeal to have to go to PCP for check-up, medical authorization and then have a very limited selection. Plus, those dang forms were heavy, hot, sweaty, annoying and often times uncomfortable - couldn't wait to get home to get a load off my chest each day, literally! I grew accustomed to my "half-chest" over the years. Now, for years my DD needed Victoria's Secret for bras (very slim and well-endowed, she didn't get that from me!), she couldn't buy bras either from any old place (she's like a 28 DDD), I was a bit envious she got the pretty stuff and mine were more old, industrial and functional. So, I'm now just a year past 2nd mx/1st part of recon, had 2 other surgeries (exchange plus needed to remove excess skin/"mud flaps" from both underarms, not so much cosmetic as slight lymph fluid build up causing pain and manual lymph drainage to help ease the pain), and still needing PT as last surgery PS removed a considerable amount of scar tissue I'm told. My foobs (can't bring myself to call them breasts yet as they still don't quite feel like a part of me, I know that will come in time) feel soft and squishy, my PS never recommended massage and have finally formed a nice shape (last surgery she had to do pocket work and this caused a flat edge which has since shaped up quite nicely). PS is quite the perfectionist and we're both pleased with her work. (My only minor complaint is I wish she would have had me cross my arms over my chest to see how far I can reach as the incisions on my back actually extend about an inch past where I can reach to apply scar cream and my DH and DD are of no assistance here. Scars are healing nicely, except for the last inch! Ok, sorry probably TMI!). For me, beats the removable boobie! Just didn't have any idea the process would take over a full year (I'm sure I was told, I just didn't think it applied to me).

Sorry if I bored or lost anyone along the way!

Momine

2nd, no, not boring. I actually find it quite interesting how differently everyone deals with the boob-loss. Lots of variables there.

Because I had a BMX, I don't need a prosthesis to "match" a remaining real boob. So when I wear fakes, I wear small, lightweight things (not silicone). I tried some different silicone things, but the weight of them would stretch the bra and the foobs would sort of creep below the bra band. I may be 50, but I will be damned if I wear foobs that make me look droopy

Anonymous

hey, Momine, you're still young so I understand the non-droopy thing (at any age, really). Reading back over what I wrote, I hope it didn't come off as insensitive, was just trying to explain what I had gone thru. Since I was a full 38C/D and it was umx, I had to have them match, it was very obvious when I didn't wear the (heavy, bulky) form, and I was actually quite concave to boot! If I wore the lighter forms, they rode up my chest and I looked horribly imbalanced! I was a comedy-sketch in a swim suit! My PS said it would have been more difficult to match the 2nd umx/recon if I had recon years ago on the single one so I'm really glad about that decision. I finally look more normal (but smaller) than I did probably 20 years ago.

Momine, what part of the world do you live in? I vaguely remember reading something a while back but can't find it now. Just curious

Momine

2nd, no, not insensitive at all.

We live in Greece, but I am actually Danish, and I also lived many years in the US.