Calling all TNs

Meadow

Cathy, sending you a hug. And what is this precious doggy's name?

Jen, Happy things with the house moving fast.

Second, thinking of you tomorrow, please update when you can.

Sending you all my love

Cathytoo

Meadow...his name is Scooter. Endless love and energy. Although, at the moment (midnight) he's all curledup next to me sound asleep.

dmp1960

Secondchance - sending LOTS of positive thoughts your way!

Cathytoo - your little doggie is GORGEOUS! I have a yorkiepoo and a morkie and their unconditional, pure love brings me more happiness and comfort than anyone will ever know. Hold that baby tight!

It's so nice to know that all of you wonderful ladies are out there. Many hugs to everyone - we're all fighting a very personal battle and hopefully we will all be stronger, kinder and better people for it.

Cathytoo

dmp1960...Hi Diane...Scooter is a Morkie and the smartest dog I've ever owned. Is your Morkie a barker? Scooter will come with his ball and bark until I throw it for him...over and over and over. He never gets tired. So much energy. I'm so happy that he kept the puppy Yorkie coloring. Put up a photo of your two babies. We live so close to each other we should have a doggie play date

dmp1960

Hi Cathy - I can't believe he's a Morkie! He looks just like a full-blooded Yorkie - that face is just adorable! I have such a weak spot for any type of Yorkie

Here are my girls - the black YorkiePoo is Hannah - she's 4 yrs old. The little blond is my Morkie, Holly and she is 3 yrs old. Hannah has always been black, even as a puppy. Holly had more Yorkie coloring as a puppy but as she grew, she got very blond. They both love people - Hannah is very reserved and cautious but loves, loves, loves to play with toys - I swear she has more toys than a little kid. Holly just wants to run and play all the time in the yard (and chase rabbits, squirrels or anything else that wanders into our yard). They are both the loves of my life! Maybe someday we can do a playdate

Cathytoo

dmp1960...they are the cutest little dogs I've ever seen. Showed the photo to Scooter. He's in love

Joy-Anna

Wow 1000 pages! I feel blessed to be amongst you survivors. I've survived 16 rounds of radiation, a double mastectomy and soon will have 6 radiation. Also survived the lab /hospital losing my tissue from the double mastectomy. Indeed, one day at a time. Love and hugs to u all. God bless.

Xoxo

CarolinaAmy

I'm heartbroken to hear of Kath's passing. That has knocked the wind out of me. What a terrible loss for everyone who knew her.

Cocker, I am so sorry to hear about Tessa as well. There is no pain quite like that loss, is there? Are you handling it well now?

I'm finally caught up on all I missed while our family was on the Disney cruise. It was wonderful, relaxing, and just what the doctor ordered. I was able to put aside my fears for that period of time, though I've been struggling again since returning home. I wish I'd never seen the studies about surgery-induced metastasis and increased recurrence for BMX without rads. I need to get this out of my head before I go in for surgery on Friday, since I do believe that the mind has a lot of impact on the body. I am praying so hard for a pCR, which would go far to put my mind at ease.

Lisaj514

I haven't been posting in a long time but now I need to and ask some questions. I am well but my older sister has just been dx with bc (she is 57, 58 in April, I'm 55). She has triple + (lump at 9:00 in L) with additional pagets disease (cancer of the nipple, rare, 1-2%of bc). Very diff from my dx(TN, no nodes, lx, chemo, rads). She initially thought it was going to be lx with rads but once path came back with Trip+ and nipple cancer it changed. She is very scared and feeling hopeless. She is now looking at bmx chemo and herceptin after. (No rads if mx and hopefully no nodes).She was just finishing tx for non Hodgkins lymphoma and actually had 1 more retuxin infusion left then this. She is fit, takes excellent care of herself, eats well, is thin, exercises... My questions are mostly regarding bmx. I told her to join this site and forums but I don't think she is ready yet and just too overwhelmed so I'm doing for her. I have also been looking on the trip pos forum and Pagets. She texted me today saying she " truly doesn't know if she can do this". I need to help her get through this.We live 5 hrs from each other so we text and call. She's on LI with a great cancer center, carol Baldwin breast cancer center. She was a great support for me during my tx.

How soon after your dx did you have bmx or umx surgery?, she will see ps wed and saw bs last week. She wants to wait till 4/11. The doc does surgery every other Monday so 3/28 or 4/11. She's had Mri and PET due to lymphoma they don't think lymph involvement but will do snlb. That will be almost 5 wks after dx. They say it's small <1cm but the 2 spots-lump near cleavage and then the nipple. I'm worried maybe that's a long time between dx and surgery

She heard bad stories about bmx and reconstruction, painful, complicated, many problems etc and I want to hear if any of you would do it differently now that you know what you know? What would you do different? Why?

She first was thinking of not reconstructing but now that bmx she wants to but afraid of the bad stories. What can, should I tell her?

She works as a speech therapist at k-3 school right near her home and loves her job and wants to return this year if possible (I don't think she should or can but she's thinking of maybe for end of yr cse mtgs etc) and definitely in sept. What are the mx restrictions for the first month?2months? I know drains and lifting etc. no lifting at school but elementary school kids. how soon did you go back to work? She will have chemo so there's that which I know all about.

She's thinking implants after expanders. Thoughts about Reconstr. She is thin and small chested.

I'm probably going to post this in a few forums. Thanks for listening

greenae

lisa

I am so sorry to hear about ur sister. She is lucky to have you. U can see below I am going for revision sx tomorro at NYU. So tonite I am prepping with cleaning and laundry. i had umx 8 weeks after dx, with a TE filled to 400cc when I awakened. It can be uncomfortable but was manageable with valium and vicodin for 1 week, then motrin after fills. Iwas filled to 600cc and went to PT 8 weeks after Umx, til exchange in july. I started chemo 4 weeks after sx. I have great docs at NYU, and would do Nothing differently. Some discomfort, a lot of time off work, but luckily, i had paid sick time. I work as a school nurse with PreK in an urban area, after 25 years of ER. I was 57 at dx. I look normal in clothes , am Very glad I had recon. Tomoro is a second reduction on my healthy breast and fat graftung around my 700cc implant. I stay fit with weughts and Spin, and had to not wxercise for 4 weeks after each sx. It was sooo overwheliming a year ago, but I wouldn't do Anything differently. You will support your sister and she will get thru this! Be sure she has a good team and hospital. To me, that meant everything; being able to trust them helped me to stop googling, which usually made me feel worse. And BCO has been a Huge help. Good luck and Hugs

Arlene

Cocker_Spaniel

Just catching up on a few posts. You ladies are talkative. That's good for us.

Jan hope you are feeling better now and your cold has gone. Yes my broken heart is mending to a degree but I still miss her so much. Only have Chloe and my big Maine Coon cat left now.

Meadow yes I do see The Voice sometimes and quite like it.

Those M&M ice cream sammies and choc chip ice cream sounds wonderful.

Cathytoo so sorry to hear about your husband. You have been through so much but I'm glad you have little scooter to keep you company. She is a beauty. No you don't have only two more years left. Nobody knows how long we have but without cancer we didn't know either. You have to keep going for your little girl. She needs you. Try to get out as much as possible, take delight in every little thing and laugh as much as you can. You will get over feeling so down but you have had a lot to deal with and it takes time to get back on an even keel.

Kath. So sorry to hear of that beautiful lady passing. Now in God's care and free from pain.

Second Chance thinking of you and hoping your PET scan is fine. Hugs. I notice you say your nodes that were positive were not removed. What was the reason for that and are you having them out soon.

Jenjen so excited for you. Two offers already. Did you accept one of them. Your two girls are beautiful as well and will enjoy their new home.

Tampa Whit welcome and absolutely ditto what meadow said. Hang in there.

BANR glad all is going well for you. Enjoy your spring. We are just going into autumn and I am dreading another cold winter. I have always enjoyed the hot weather.

Mike have a great vacation in Florida and hope you and Kathy enjoy Disney World. We took our girls there when they were small and loved it. Hurry back we need you taking not stalking.

CarolineAmy so glad you enjoyed your Disney cruise. What a holiday, bet you loved it. Don't look at studies if you can help it they only make you depressed and will bring you down. Most of these studies and Google have a lot to answer for. Hoping all goes well for your PET scan and sending big hugs.

Ally always thinking of you and hoping all is well. Sending huge big hugs.

Lisa so sorry to hear about your sister. It's no wonder she is scared and feeling hopeless. Bad stories don't affect everyone but the ladies on here that have had a bmx and reconstruction will help you more than I can as I only had left mastectomy. However, on saying that I wish I had, had a bmx as I don't like being lop sided. Hopefully she can get some help from the ladies on here and will feel a little better and more able to cope.

As explained above only have my little Chloe left now and although she has got out of most of her naughty stage (took a while and boy was there some doozies, like opening the recycle bin with her nose and taking out tins and chewing them all. I've never seen tins with so many teeth marks in them) she will only eat her food if it has cat food on it. Won't touch it otherwise. Apart from that I think she is missing Tessa heaps cause she doesn't seem so happy and only comes alive at the moment on her walks. She has a sweet face though and its hard to be cross with her. And she gives the bestest of cuddles.

Hope I haven't left anyone out. Have a great day ladies if you can and keep on fighting. xxxx

Lisaj514

Arlene and cocker, thank you so much for your quick reply regrading my sister. You girls are awesome. I want to give her positive stories and info. She CANT GIVE UP! She has to do this and get through it. We did, and she will, but she just can't see it right now.

How quick did you girls have your mx after finding out ? Does 5 wks sound like a long wait? T+ is aggressive like tn I believe

Arlene, I think we are hair sisters! These are my 2sisters. I'm in the middle (middle sister!) 2 months before my dx August 2013. I look different now with the "new" hair color and style. My sister newly dx is on the R and my younger sister on the L. We all have (well had for me) curly brown hair of varying degrees. Mine is now white and has gotten straighter the past few months. My sister will have chemo too so will loose her hair :-(

-(

Cocker_Spaniel

Lisa try not to worry, easier said than done I know, but she will start fighting soon. It's a natural reaction. I think we have all said we can't do this at times but we have done it and got through to the end. I remember saying to my surgeon I am not having chemo, I'm not having radiation and I'm not having my breast off and I meant every word. But then I looked at my daughter beside me with tears in her eyes and my husband and knew that I had to do it whether I wanted to or not. My surgeon just sat there and said I have booked you in for a mastectomy on..... and I said alright. She won't give up, that fight will kick in soon. Big hugs to you and your sister. xxxx

Edited to add I had my mastectomy within four weeks but my chemo started late as the oncologist (10 weeks after surgery) I wanted was on holiday. Also I can honestly say my mastectomy was not painful and I had no pain killers although they were charted. If I had anything it was a little soreness when I moved my left arm but that was all. That's the honest truth.

anotherNYCGirl

I have yet to respond to many of you, - but want to tell Lisa that I'm sorry that her sister is now dealing with BC. In answer to Lisa's questions, i waited a few weeks from dx to surgery, and then had to wait another few to start chemo. Recon is less complicated if radiation is not involved. I, too, am (was) thin and small breasted. Recon started for me at time of bmx. I awoke with TEs filled only to 100 ccs. Not comfy, but do-able. Fills were gradual and not painful. Exchange was not bad. (I did have some problems, but that was due to radiated skin from 14 years before.)

Long Island has amazing breast surgeons and recon ps. She has many good options. She just needs to breathe and trrrry to think clearly! Sending wishes for her to have as easy a time as possible!

I dont post often, but I read this board's posts alllll the time! Hugs to everyone here.

Secondchance15

Hi - thank you all for the prayers and positive vibes! I could feel it. 😉 While I wish I could say that my scan was all clear, it could have been much worse. It seems that radiation worked on the left side where the cancer and nodes were, with some areas that will have to be watched (slightly lit up, but could be due to post rad inflammation).

Lisaj514

thanks again girls! I edited my post to add pic above. Love love love my sisters! Awesome ladies they are. We just need to help the big sister through this. I like how yiu said no to everything cocker, that would be like my sister probably. I will share the good results with her. THat was helpful. I will talk to her tomorrow prob.

placid44

I had chemo before BMX, expanders, radiation, and exchange to cohesive gel implants. I'm quite happy w the look, especially in clothes. No sensation, which is difficult. I got Vinnie Myers nipple tattoos and they look very real. I found the expanders placement painful, but manageable with painkillers and worth it Best of luck to her.

jenjenl

CarolineAmy - i'm such a dope i thought it was this past Friday!

Secondchance15

Hi! Thank you all for the prayers and positive vibes - I could feel it! 😊 While I wish I could say that my scan was all clear, it wasn't, but it could have been much worse. Radiation seemed to do well on the cancer side, with just a couple of areas we'll need to watch as it wasn't clear if the mild uptake was due to post rad inflammation or not. The biggest surprise was a new axillary lymph node found on the contra lateral side. So, looks like more surgery and radiation at the very least. My onc believes that cancer had been there for a while due the location of the tumor, and that chemo had kept it subdued, but now that I'm 5 months out from chemo, it has the opportunity to grow. I look at it the same as I did with the PET results after surgery that found 3 nodes active for cancer that were not known before surgery, and thus not in the surgical field. If we hadn't found them, I would have gone about my business thinking everything was OK, then would have distant mets soon after. This allows us to address it before it has a chance to do more harm. I'm keeping the positive thoughts going! I'm so thankful that there are no distant mets, especially considering the aggressiveness of this cancer and that I've been dealing with it for over a year now.

It's so frustrating when you are fighting so hard to just get knocked down again. But, it's time to get back up again, put my fighting gloves back on and start swinging! 💪🏻

Cocker - I had surgery which removed 21 nodes, but PET found a deep axillary node that was not part of the bunch that were removed, as well as a sub-pectoral and internal mammary node that were all positive for cancer. So, I went into radiation with those positive nodes, and they hit me extremely hard in those areas to make sure to eradicate the cancer in those nodes, in addition to total breast radiation.

Meadow

Lisa, Your sister is so lucky to have you. It is hard to be support for someone who is down in spirit when you love them so, isn't it? She has been thru so much already. I would think if she is very motivated, she can return before the end of the year, I am wondering if she can return half days at first? Then transition to full days? I sub teach that age group frequently, I just think back to my own recovery, and as I substitute teach, I was able to just take that time off, but if I had to return or wanted to return after 6 weeks, I could have. There just isn't a lot of school time left before the years' end. Because of her good fitness, not overweight, etc, she will recover fast, I think. The first few weeks are tough, with the drains etc....you remember. Is she thinking about recon like a one step procedure, with implants? My heart goes out to her. But please tell her for me that she can do this!

Arlene, hugs to you for tomorrow. Hoping you have a very successful surgery. In your pocket for tomorrow!

Those puppies...the warm my heart!

Meadow

Secondchance....poo. Thank you so much for the update. I am sorry you did not get the all clear....this time. But youwill. Just will take a bit more treatment. Does your team think any more chemo is needed? Hang in there!

Cathytoo

Cocker...thank you so much for your understanding and encouraging words. It's so wonderful to have so many shoulders to cry on here. And, smiles when things are good. Just so happy I found this site. Today I was talking to a male friend, telling him how women always come together offering support and strength. I think he was jealous he wasn't a woman. LOL

Second Chance...wish your scan had been perfect. But, there's always next time. ❤️

To Everyone...we need to stay positive, focused and forge ahead.

greenae

Thank you, Meadow! I am calm and all ready for tomorrow.

Sending hugs to all, thanks for being here!

Meadow

Missed you Another!

Cocker, glad you are feeling a wee bit better. Still hurting I know.

Cocker_Spaniel

greenae will be thinking of you tomorrow. Had to laugh at your earlier post, so glad you look normal in clothes.

Lisa your sisters and you are so beautiful. Have some faith, your beloved girl will start fighting soon.

Cathytoo I think most women understand each other through tough and stressful times and those that don't are hardly worth a thought. Big hugs to you that you find peace soon after losing your husband. That beautiful little girl will help you.

Secondchance I can so understand your frustration. Cancer really does suck the way it creeps in. Hopefully this further surgery will help resolve it once and for all. As mine was microcalcifications and lots of them I often wonder how long the devils have been growing but suppose I will never know. Big hugs to you my friend.

BanR

Have been having some issues logging into this site...the site works well in my Mac but in Windows environment, a pop up malware comes up every time I log in. Will check once again in a day or two. Have anyone else experienced this issue in the last few days?

Extremely sad to hear about Kath! Yes, this news took me back to the recurrence/ mets scare, the moment I read it. And each time someone passes away of cancer, a part of me sinks.

Cathy and everyone else... I have noticed something. TNBC follows after years of personal crisis... Is there a link?? A particular site does mention a link between stress exposure/ exposure to social isolation and alteration of breast cells leading to TNBC.

Cocker_Spaniel

BAN I think there is a connection with stress and breast cancer. Most of the ladies on the earlier sites had, had some stress in their lives and sometimes you don't always recognise what you are going through as stress. I feel it alters your immune system in some way. Only my theory though.

StefLove

secondchance, thinking of you! a slight bump in the road but you'll get through it!

cathytoo, sending hugs too. I fall into the same spiral as well when I hear bad news like this. I can't get that feeling out of my mind for a bit but it does go away if I preoccupy myself. anything can trigger it and it drives me crazy! but we're all here for each other to vent and rant and cry!

lisa, i can't give any recomendations since my treatment was totally different but thoughts and prayers for your sister and family to get through this as quickly as possible! you're all beautiful!

Ban, 100% think there is. I know I've told my story a little on here but was 34, the sole caregiver of my mother with dementia, working full time. A year prior I picked up my mother and all our things and moved to Florida for my dream company. The stress of moving and dealing with things with my mother without any family or friends around I think did a serious number on me. Mom is now in an assisted living memory care facility which has helped my stress a bit but I'm still stressed. hopefully not as much as before though. But do I think all of this caused TNBC? Yes, without a doubt.

Cathytoo

BanR...It's so interesting that you mention a link between stress and TNBC. I never had a bad mammogram but I found a lump seven months after my husband died. When it was confirmed to be malignant, the radiologist asked if I had suffered a big stress recently. I told him my husband had died seven months earlier. He said so many women develop breast cancer after a huge stress like that. But, you mention a link between stress and TNBC specifically. That's pretty depressing news.

Curlyq1974

So very interesting the concept between stress and cancer. in October 2010, I started the worst job of my life. Stress over the top! Not to long after starting the job from hell, I started finding lumps and bumps. Benign at the time... Then my son, ugh... my greatest joy and greatest sorrow wrapped together... really started to test me in ways that are not good. Stress thru the roof! Diagnosed December 2013.... My MO has told me over and over and over... NO STRESS! So easy to type... so hard to practice!!! But I have been giving it my best effort. And when the job from hell starts to get to me... I remind myself, not worth dying for... but so very, very interesting....