CALLING ALL STAGE I SISTERS

annettek

welcome to everyone new...damn, I wish nobody new ever had to come here, but since you had to, we love ya already.

FireKracker

Pinktober is here!!!!!!!GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....hate hate hate it.....find a damn cure!!!!find the damn vacine!!!!!!!stop with the 2% for research!!!!!!Where is the rest of the $$$$$$$$$.BC sure does suk.end of rant.

odie16

GO GRANNY!!! Woohoo!!

jo1955

Granny - Calm down now.  We are doing all we can to help find something to put a stop to this damn disease.  You are just making your blood pressure go up.

samsue

I'm with you Granny.... I'm sick of the pink. The adv. say they'll donate % of sales to BC research but in reality they just want to sell their clothes, shoes, cars, ...... I've walked before and raised money but the pink thing is so different now. It's all about retail sales.

sheila888

I always loved PINK Color.

I still do but i don't associated it with BC.

I donate to St Jude Children Hospital whenever I can.

imagine we are grown ups and understand it but these poor little children sorry

sheila888

granny.....Please take a deep breath it's too humid to get excited.

(((♥HUGS♥)))

rachelvk

I've told a good number of my acquaintances about my bc - bracing for October. I'm thinking of sending out a blast email, in part to let some other friends know, and include a line about how if they really want to do something for me or in support of breast cancer research, take the money they would spend on a tee-shirt or shoes or pink whatever and donate it directly to a research organization. Anyone know of any they really feel does a good job with % on research? American cancer society?

FireKracker

NOT AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.....I see you are in NJ.Rachel...well so am I.Breastfriendsforever is one that i know help the people withe $$$$$$.people who have no where to turn.Fact is they helped a friend of mine with elect bill,gas for car.This was a lady who had no insurance or any money.2 kids started it.check it out.they are located in Middletown NJ.I made donations there.They also honored my Dr. with a chuge celebration.wonderful wonderful group of people.

rachelvk

Thanks for the suggestion. My radio show (now on hiatus) focused a lot on non-profits, but I only did breast cancer groups twice. Once 2 years ago, and then last week, when I 'went public' and did an interview with someone from Komen of south/central NJ. I know the organization gets mixed reviews from many of us here, but I figured it's well known and the show at least helped me bring some of the things we all talk about here to the public a little better, hopefully, than some of the other messages floating around.

mimi1964

Hi to all the newbies!~  to mom of 3... my best friend (who is an RN) had a mastectomy last year and her docs did not opt to give her rads or chemo, they only put her on Tamoxifen.  That is pretty standard for stage 1 I think in "most" cases.  She is doing quite well and is nearing the end of her reconstruction.  She just had her nipple sharing done and all she had left once that is healed is her tattooing for her areola. 

I on the other hand was a stage 1 and had a partial mastectomy and rads with reconstruction last Dec. and mine will likely not be finished to after the first of the year.  I started on Tamoxifen and now take Arimidex. 

To all you wonderful ladies that will be getting your mammo's in Pinktober good luck!  I will be saying a prayer for you.  I don't get mine till November thats just the way it falls.  I hope to have a new job by then. 

Anonymous

I am going on my facebook page and asking everyone who is buying a pink shirt, armband, hat, etc. in "Pinktober" to donate the money to St. Jude Hospital instead. I live nearby and they do God's work for those wonderful children. Thank you seyla for the suggestion and support. Does anyone know an organization in Tennessee that helps women who can't afford their treatment? I would like to donate there too. I had to switch AI's twice and I gave my unused meds to my onc. nurse. She knows an organization that gets meds to women who can't afford them. The dr.'s office doesn't advertise this service but I had heard about it and asked the nurse privately about it. I have to agree that more needs to be done to find a cure instead of making it a "celebrity feel good" cause. Maybe we should become more aggressive in demanding a cure instead of "awareness".

momof3infla

Thanks Mimi!  So glad to have people to talk to about all of this.  I have 4 fills left on left TE.  The right one goes back in after Thanksgiving (had an infection and had to wait 6 months to try again). 

cricketdevine

Wow this said stage 1and 2 .. well anyways how is everyone.I hope i am in the right chat room new to all this. My name is Jamie and I live in Wichita, Ks . I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in July . I have went through the  rough  red devil stuff now they are saying next week It will be easier. I hope so cause I have to go for twelve weeks straight. does anybody have any advice they can share how to make it through 12 weeks this next round

o2bhealthy

Cricket are the next 12 weeks Taxol or Taxotere??? I had taxotere and found it to be...ok...lots of body aches like the flu and I still have some residual neuropathy in my feet.   The best advice I can give is to drink LOTS of water/gatorade/vitamin water to flush the chemo through your system.  I also chewed on ice/sucked on ice pop's through out my infusion's and had very little mouth issues.    Best wishes on the next 12 weeks!

Eph3_12

I 2nd Michelle's advice Cricket.  I took a 44 oz cup of ice chips into chemo with me each time.  I had no mouth issues (I did have some taste issues, but I don't think the ice would prevent that).  And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate & pee, pee, pee!  Get that stuff out.  Good luck!

jo1955

Welcome Cricket - Sounds like you are already getting some good advice.  I did not have chemo so I can't help you.

sheila888

JoJo702

Hello to my fellow stage 1 sisters.  I had BMX and did my first chemo A/C dose dense today.  Getting a neulasta injection tomorrow.  Someone has already warned me to get the Claritin and take it before I get the injection.  Anything else I need to know?

sheila888

Hi JoJo....I did the same TX AC DD and Neulasta the next day.

Drink plenty of water to flush the red devil out of your system.

HUGS

Joan811

Hi all, 
My thoughts are with those who are new here.
I got my onco score yesterday - 13 - on the low side, thankfully.  My oncology group uses a lower number for intermediate.  I was told because I am on the low side of intermediate numbers that I can choose chemo or no.  There is a 7% chance of recurrence in 5 yrs. with chemo and a 9% chance without chemo.  I would get CMF x 8 every 3 weeks followed by rads and arimidex x 5 yrs.  I am leaning toward just the rads and Arimidex.
I was supposed to call with my decision today but cannot do it yet.  I will try to figure it out tomorrow.  Sometimes I feel like this isn't happening.

Sherryc

Joan my score was a 23 and I did not do chemo.  My recurrance rate is 14% without chemo.  Chemo would have only helped by 2-3 % which my MO did feel was worth the SE's.  I went for a second opinion and that MO told me the same thing. So I feel OK about it.  Every now in then I go what the heck did I do the right thing.  But then I get over it.

JoJo702

Thanks Sheila!  I'm drinking lots of water and spend alot of time in the bathroom!  LOL!

auntienance

Hi Joan, my oncotype score was 26 (17%). I elected for chemo which I begin Monday. It was a very tough decision to make. If my score was as low as yours, i'm not sure I would make that same decision, especially given my tumor type (tubular). In the end I felt that any reduction in risk that I could get was worth going for. This whole experience has been surreal. Oh how I wish it was all a bad dream!

Joan811

Sherryc - thanks for telling me about your treatment decision.  It all helps to put it in perspective.
It looks like you are approaching a year since your surgery.  Hope you are doing well. 
Auntienance - Thanks for your story.  I know what you mean about lowering risk. Do you know what chemo you are getting?   Everybody has a different experience, and I hope yours is uneventful. 
I hope a year from now we can begin to look back at the BC experience as part of our past.

auntienance

Joan, I'm getting TCX4.

SAB

Onco score of 15, no chemo on MOs advice.  Very small benefit from chemo...  So, instead I started exercising again cut out sugar and went mostly vegan.

bcisnofun

Hi - oncotype 12 with recurrence risk of 8%.  Very very tough decision for me.  MO suggested we do it due to my age and young child.  He was honest - probably only a 2% benefit.  In the end, I did it knowing the risks and benefits.  Lots of people would disagree with that decision but it was mine to make for me, just like yours for you.  AC x 4, done 5 weeks ago.  It wasn't fun but do-able.  Impatiently waiting on hair to grow back.  Also cut back on sugar, more green tea, exercise, etc. 

Sherryc

I also took the advice of all my Dr's to exercise and cut as much red meat out of my diet as I can.  I now eat lots mor veges and grains and cut out sugar.  However rads was hard on me and left me with permant nerve damage so I will be doing a BMX with DIEP reconstruction.  Since rads I am not a candidate for implants and since I decided to become so healthy I lost weight and now do not have enough belly fat for my reconstruction.  So trying to stay away from exercise (which I think I am addicted to now) and drinking lots of ensure trying to gain my weight back.  Urggg if BS had just given me this option in the beginning I would be finished with it all by now.

zumbagirl

I went to the radiologist yesterday, to set up apts. to begin radiation, and he read my diagnosis, and I had it wrong, all this time, I thought I was stage l and he said that I was stage lla, I thought my tumor was 1 cm and it was actually 2.1cm. I know what happened , back in May, when I met the oncologist and he was talking about everything, I had a melt down in his office, and clearly heard him wrong, and I never heard my diagnosis read again until yesterday. It was an interesting and informative visit with the radiologist.