61 and facing who knows what....double mastectomy

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  • lorithelion
    lorithelion Member Posts: 17
    edited September 2012

     I am trying to understand what "Age appropriate issues are" I thought  we were all in the same boat regardless of age.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2012

    Thanks,

     I woke up this morning feeling blue. Had the oddest thought, " Yep, I still have breast cancer."

    Since July 27th I have been in a state of shock. I think. So this morning I am going to get up, clean up the house and commit to going for a walk. I realize sitting around in a stupor isn't going to help at all.

    I realize after all this feedback I do need to go to a breast specialist.

    I look forward to the phone consult tomorrow as a step in the right direction.

    Hope everyone here has a good Labor Day.

    BEth 

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited September 2012

    Beth, I'm so glad you're going to go for a walk. I have found exercise is one of the best things I can do for my moods. I used the treadmill daily while I was on chemo. There were days I really didn't feel like it, but boy it felt good after I did it.

    Good luck with the phone consult. I agree a breast surgeon is the only way to go.

  • Infobabe
    Infobabe Member Posts: 1,083
    edited September 2012

      lorithelion 

    Where do you see "Age appropriate"?  In what context is this?

  • curveball
    curveball Member Posts: 3,040
    edited September 2012

    @lorithelion, I didn't see age appropriate either, at least not on this thread, but treatment can differ at various ages. Assuming that anyone just diagnosed with breast cancer is seeking treatment that will get rid of the cancer now and prevent recurrence during the rest of their lifetime, the treatment that is necessary to do that for someone who is quite young at first diagnosis will I think be more aggressive than for someone who is a good deal older, because the number of years that cancer has an opportunity to come back in the young person is much greater than for an older person. For example, I've also commented on another thread, which was started by someone who is newly diagnosed at age 27. Even if our diagnoses were exactly the same in terms of tumor size, node involvement & so on, I would expect her to get different treatment recommendations than I have been given, because she has, potentially, about twice as long still to live as I do. She's pre-menopausal; I'm twice her age, and if I wasn't menopausal already, probably will be by the time I finish chemo. Assuming we are both receptor-positive, I would expect us to have different hormone treatments because of the difference in our ages. Infobabe is twenty years older than I am. It was perfectly appropriate for her, at age 76, to forego radiation after lumpectomy, but (even if I had had DCIS and not IDC) I'm sure that if I'd chosen LX rather than MX, my doctor would have advised me very strongly not to skip the rads.

    I guess you could say, we are all in the same boat, but some of us have been sailing longer than others.

  • lorithelion
    lorithelion Member Posts: 17
    edited September 2012

     hi infobabe and curveball,it is written under '' Forum: "older" women with breast cancer. I guess I just took offense at the phrase "age appropriate issues". I am sorry. I must have mis-interpreted it.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2012

    I have no idea where to post this, so I just decided to post this here.

    Had a strange experience at the grocery store tonight. I call it " Pity Face"

    Feels like it did when I was suddenly widowed 7 years ago. I felt the dread of going to the grocery store out of fear that I would run into someone in my community who would have heard the news about my breast cancer diagnosis.

    I realize one of my biggest challenges right now is NOT to retreat into isolation because of my breast cancer diagnosis.

    Flashback to 2005...

    Beth 

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2012

    Yippee, have an appointment with a breast surgeon in Seattle next week !

    Beth 

  • Infobabe
    Infobabe Member Posts: 1,083
    edited September 2012

    Beth1951 

    Good, for, you!!

    Now you can chart a course you can be confident about. 

  • ermichiel
    ermichiel Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2012

    Hello Beth:

    I'm a 65 year old woman who was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer on my 65th birthday - February 14 of this year.  I underwent a double mastectomy (the right for the cancer, the left to leave the worry behind).  Micro tumors were found on the right side so the lymph nodes were removed on that side.  I developed a mild lymphedema that I'm treating.  The micro tumors were genetically tested and based on the results I was able to forego both radiation and chemotherapy.  I was back at work fulltime in 4.5 weeks.  My family and employer have been tremendously supportive.

    Let me tell you what I didn't do.  I didn't have reconstruction.  I don't wear a prosthetic.  I go flat and natural.  It is wonderfully freeing for someone who had large, heavy breasts and whose first action upon coming home was to take my bra off.  I've had no negative reactions from my family or friends or anyone else.  And my body image and self esteem are just fine, thank you.  I did find it interesting that when I made the decision not to have reconstruction either now or in the future it was my doctors and the women in my life who reacted negatively out of fear of the emotional toll they assumed the loss of my breasts would take on me.  However, the men in my life - from my sons to my male friends and colleague, applauded the decision and supported it.  Believe me when I tell you that we women worry far more about what our breasts mean to our appearance than do the men in our lives.  

    I believe that as you get older the way you look at life changes and so do your priorities.  Our response to breast cancer and decisions about treatment need to evolve accordingly.  I have 4 adult children (the youngest turned 40 on the 25th of this month) and 10 grandchildren. Having sacks of silicone hanging from my chest either under or over my skin was not going to "preserve" my sense of feminity.  I have 14 people who one way or another owe their existence to my womb who do that very nicely.  But I live with and am the primary support of a daughter who is disabled and two of her children, one of whom is special needs.  So priority number 1 for me was being able to get back to work as soon as possible, to have a short and uncomplicated recovery, which was particularly important since I am a diabetic.  Priority number two was avoiding the need to worry about recurrence, undergo chemo or radiation if I could avoid them because of the high risk that these treatments would themselves result in cancer later on,  and to avoid the need to put myself through additional surgeries later in life.  I will never be any younger, stronger, or healthier than I am now.  Priority number three was the desire to stick around long enough to dance at my grandchildrens weddings (the oldest 3 are 20 but the youngest is only 2, so I have a while to go) and to hold my great grandchildren in my arms.   If I am honest - that was actually priority number 1.

    Breast cancer was just one of those things that happen - not the end of the world:  something that could be dealt with along with the other health challenges that come with aging. I take medication to control my blood sugar and I take an aromatase inhibitor to deal with the cancer.  The only issues that I have with the latter is that though I did not have hot flashes during menopause (the only symptom I DIDN"T have) I get them now, plus I've seen both my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers rise (a side effect of the AIs that doctor's sometimes forget to tell you about) - so I now take medication to control those.  I tire a little easier - my surgeon told me that it would take me about a year to feel completely recovered - so I nap as needed.  But I am resigned to the fact that I will never see 30, 40, 50 or 60 again and that's not bad.  Being a "wise woman" has advantages and privileges that are not accorded to youth.  Among those privileges is the right to look in the mirror and see beauty in our wrinkles, cellulite, and other miscellaneous imperfections because we've figured out that these are the "battle scars" that demonstrate that we've LIVED.  The other is the privilege to make our own decisions, disregarding the pressures that others may try to impose to conform to a certain pattern or vision of what a woman is "supposed" to look like and looking inside ourselves to make the decisions that make sense for us along given our age, health, family needs, and personal priorities.  

    If you decide on reconstruction - I wish you good luck.  But I hope that you don't feel that you HAVE to in order to still be able to look at your reflection in the mirror and feel good about the woman you are.      

  • debjoisme
    debjoisme Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2012

    Beth, hope things are going well for you :). I am 57 and my first DCIS DX was in 2009 when I had a lumpectomy and 5 weeks radiation. I also did the genetic testing for my daughter and sister, as my mom also had breast cancer. It came back negative, so I thought things were finially going my way. Zoom to Sept 2012 when I went for another mammogram. The dark shadow was back, same breast, same exact place. Ok, now I was mad!! Had double mastectomy on 10-9-2012 as I was not going into battle again. Lymph nodes came back negative so no chemo, thank God. When we are faced with roadblocks, we dig deep into our soul for answers. You know your own body and mind, so any decisions you make, will be the right ones for you!! I had a couple of boo hoo moments along the way, but again you must allow yourself the freedom to cry and then move on. Build yourself a great network of friends and family around you...mine are wonderful, and they know just when I need another hug, and they give me the gift to vent when I need to.My prayers are with you, and remember you are a strong woman ( we are older and wiser). Hugs to you....Debbie

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