Has anyone started a forum for Chemo in Dec 2008?

I know.  I couldn't believe it myself.  I saw Dr. Love on the evening news today and SHE AGREED WITH THE NEW GUIDELINES!!!!!!  She said younger women's breasts are too dense to really show anything anyway and it doesn't make sense to waste the money doing mammos and biopsies. She said the new guidelines are more in line with European ones.  I've never been a huge fan of hers but wow, she just blew me away tonight.  

When I think of all the young women on this site with small children who might never have found their cancer if the new guidelines were in place, it breaks my heart.  Have you read Dr. Weiss's point of view at the link below?  The points she made about the task force justifying a 3% increased death rate for BC to save some money, just made my blood boil.

I'm listening to a debate now on ABC. Susan Love is saying mammograms don't catch cancer very much in women under 50 because of their breast density, and the increased radiation is a health risk. She's saying the issue isn't whether women get breast cancer or not below age 50, it's whether mammography is helping to find the cancer.

I don't know if I agree or not, since mammography missed my cancer until I hit age 52.

Yep! I think ultrasounds would be very time consuming, think about it how long it would take to perform complete U/S of both breast. The problem is that mammo do not pick up ALL cancer, MRIs don't pick up ALL cancer & U/S don't pick up ALL cancer. No screening tool is perfect but right now mammos is the only one insurance will pay for. MRIs are known for better results in dense breast which younger women tend to have. It's definately raising an issue but I think they should start discussing other screening tools. How about alternating between all 3? That way, every 3 years, you get a different type of screening.

I am the of 1900!  I found my lump with SBE at 42.  Because my OBGYN had me start mammograms at 38 for a baseline they were able to diagnose me early (Stage I) and saved my life.  My cancer was triple negative and grade 3.  No doubt, if I'd waited to 50 I'd be dead.  BTW, I had no family history of BC.

I am OUTRAGED!!!!!

I also found  the lump myself. I will teach my daughter self exam regardless of what the government will decide. As soon as she turns 16 I will take her for thermoscan. The insurance does not pay for it now but maybe in 3 years they will. 

My cancer was found at age 51, after 12 years of mammograms I was already stage 3 by the time the mammogram found it.

I was told that because my breast tissue was so dense that manual exams were useless. The mammogram could detect microscopic cancer that couldn't be felt. My doctors (I moved around and had several gyns) all believed that mammograms were better than SBE.

So I had a false sense of security for years while the cancer was growing.

Texas and Rayhope,  I had a similar experience with my ILC.  My dr. felt a small lump that showed up on the mammo.  When I had the biopsy done, it came back with ILC that never showed up and DCIS which was the small lump.  It was no bigger than a grain of rice.  I could not feel it.  I had an MRI which did show the ILC which was wrapped around the DCIS but not the other two areas of DCIS that were present in a different quadrant.  Those other two areas of DCIS weren't discovered until after the mast.  My BS was so happy that I decided to have the mast.  Without my dr's skill and that rice sized DCIS, I still wouldn't have been diagnosed.  I wonder if ILC ever shows up on US?

The panel has basically decided that there is no need to screen women who are under 50, without a family history or other risk,  unless they have symptoms--but if there are no breast exams and no mammos, how will they know what the symptoms are.  I don't understand it. 

The same to you Sonia and all the December Divas!!  We do have so much to be thankful for this year.

I am scheduled to have nipple recon done on Dec. 10.  I went back to the PS whose recon involves the pencil erasures and pepperoni.  I told him I didn't want the gortex and I didn't want just tattoos.  So, would he do a flap nipple recon for me.  He said yes.  Didn't even pause or try to argue with me.  Just said yes.  He said he could also do the areola tattoo at the same time.  I told him it doesn't look like he uses any artistic flair with them so I didn't know if I wanted him to do the tattoos.  He told he that he does use a "stamp" but he could do some artistic embellishment for me too if I want to go ahead and have the tattoos done.  After 16 months, I'm so excited to be to the end of the saga of the breasts.  And for that I am also thankful.

Have a beautiful day tomorrow! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

Mandy

Wishing a happy & wondeful Thanksgiving to everyone. So much to be thankful for this year. I've been cooking all week, we're having hubby's family over for dinner. This is my first time hosting Thanksgiving, very exciting, especially since I get to pick the time we eat, 5PM Instead of noon! LOL!

Firni, so glad that the plastic surgeon is willing to do what YOU want done. Glad you found the right one.

Cinda, I'm so glad you can laugh when you order pizza and not get grossed out!

I had my first chemo on Dec 10th and my hair was gone by Christmas.  This year on Dec. 10th I'll be having my final recon surgery and I have a few inches of completely out of control hair.  How far we have all come in a year.   

Enjoy the holidays this year Divas and your new lease on life. 

Firn 

Firni, that's great! Congrats on a new job. Hope you're having a great first day

Firmi, congratulation and take it easy. 

I hope everybody is ok.