Just need to chat

CancerWarrior3

If you are a lesbian breast cancer survivor, then lets talk. Share your anger here! Share your story here! We are a minority and we have voices, yet we keep quiet and to ourselves. Come out ladies, I want to play!

A bit about me: My BC diagnosis and treatments were in August of 2008. I had a double mastectomy, without reconstruction, and as of today my BC is in remission. BUT, in Dec. 2012, I was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma (Soft tissue Bone cancer) located in my T1 and T2 vertabrea.

I have undergone all the chemo and radiation therapies that my body can tolerrate, and now the tumor is calcified and stable. There is extensive bone and tissue damage, that causes me sevear nuropathy and pain on my right prominant side, but I am here today. I am healthy, walking, mentally strong, and I feel so very much alone in my fight.

I do not know any other lesbian cancer survivors, and I am so needing community the support, and understanding of our fight!

kiwival

Yes, I am also a lesbian breast cancer survivor - diagnosed 9 October 2012, lumpectomy 9 November 2012, the radiation therapy in the New Year, followed by Arimidex, which I stopped taking because of the side effects, and now Tamoxifen, which I have also stopped taking because of alterations to my mood (for want of a better word).

I was already taking 3 Fluoxetine a day, and the doc has now added Nortriptyline 10mg a day to try and give my moods a boost.  I tend to isloate when I am not feeling in a good space, and often feel I have no one to turn to who would understand - and this is also part of my not feeling in a good space.

CancerWarrior3 - sorry to hear you have also had to deal with Soft Tissue Bone Cancer.  How does the bone and tissue damage impact on your life after all the treatments for it?

Best wishes to you.

surlytits

Hi sisters in the BC dance! I'm sorry we have to be in this club, but I'm glad I'm not alone. As a community, cancer is hardly talked about, as we have so many other issues at hand to work through, and I personally haven't had any close friends or partners who've done this dance. Especially not in their 20' s & 30's. I have had a few friends 'come out' about their cancer dance after I 'came out' with my BC dx at the beginning of the year.

After I came out (because it really did feel like coming out again, the fear of people knowing, the anxiety of what the future holds, the worry of rejection, and the spotlight of attention turned my way after people knew), I decided to blog my experience. It gave me a place to offer to others in my boat who go home after dx, and immediately Google lesbians with cancer, queers with cancer, and not turning up a lot of information or community. It's been a good experience, the blogging, as I process best through writing, and hope that it helps others in a time of need to not feel so alone.



I was dx with IDC stage II/grade3 with lymph node involvement at first. They've been following minuscule spots on my lungs, and after a follow up when I finished chemo and they shrunk, suggesting the spots responded to chemo, my onco informed me that she's pretty sure they're a metastatis of my BC. So now my dx is 'presumed stage IV. It still seems unclear if they responded to chemo, or they're a long standing infection that's been healing due to my holistic alternative cleansing and detoxing I've been doing since dx.



I just had surgery and am healing well. Just got my drains out today- wow does that feel better! I'd love to talk to other lesbians about how mastectomy has impacted your body image? I came of age in a community where a lot of dykea were transitioning to become men, and so many of my friends and acquaintences had top surgery. And I've been to women's music festivals where topless, post mastectomy women bared their scars proudly, so in some ways I feel like I've had experiences where breast removal, both by choice and necessity, has kind of normalized the experience of breast loss through my community. I wonder if anyone has had similar experiences?



So, next on my path is radiation, which I'm not really looking forward to as I worry about long term health problems related to rads; however, if I've already chosen the aggressive route, I will follow the regimen of care and include healthy alternative practices to lessen the damage as much as possible.



I've been incredibly blessed by the incredible amount of support from my friends and community, but I definitely feel isolated in the experience. Thankfully I've found a few ppl to talk to who've been here, but I'm always open to talk more with BC sisters!