MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Oh dear  !

Love your attitudes and thanks for the replies . When you survive your  house  and life crashing around you  it gives you a totally different perspective on EVERYTHING . We never notice how much of our lives and precious time we   waste on   "stuff " . I have not given up  on chemo  and  as it is one of the options  I know  I will have to ENDURE  it    my point is   Why   ? What does the chemo give me  ?   Extra time  ? All the research  and people I have talked to   have said  Yes the  chemo does destroy the cancer  YAY ! But in the process it destroys every  thing else as well . Is that  quality or quantity.How do I know  I would still have that extra time without the poison in my body  ? I have a friend that is  diagnosed  with  prostrate cancer  he was given  months to live    7 years later  and he is still here  .It reminds me of when I was a kid   and  my  foster mother   made me eat  brussel sprouts  to which   even  today I hate them ,but I still ate them  because  supposedly  they were good for me .I am   presuming that of course  once I finally meet  the oncologist that is going to give me all the options   I  will  change and   all my preconceived ideas  will be gone . I want you to know  that  I do appreciate this  maturer aged  forum   as I am pretty sure if I was younger  my attitude to this enemy within  would be totally different . I  hope  you all understand that I am speaking for myself   and  absorbing all input .There is definitely not  a closed mind here   just an enquiring one .

Vanstrada--to add my 2 cent's worth, pay attention to what your gut tells you as you evaluate the info the onc gives you.  I made the decision to have a lumpectomy and rads based on recommendations and the medical opinion that saving the breast is best.  My gut  wanted a mastectomy.  I wound up having a mastectomy anyway because of the side effects of radiation.  I decided to have a single mastectomy based on research and recommendations when my gut wanted both gone.  I was happiest when I followed my gut and had the other breast removed during reconstructions.  Sometimes what you will feel most comfortable with is not what the medical community thinks is what women should want.  If I'd followed my gut I would have saved myself 3 years of treatment hell. 

Lol I am depending on that input !

I figured that elimar, also with 2/2 nodes positive, they'd recommend chemo. But if vanstrada demanded a test....????

Eli- I never felt that bad from the Flouracil infusion. It was the Cytoxan that made me feel like crap and lose my hair. After the first couple of infusions I did need to eat crackers and take the nausea pills, but I think I got used to it. The 14 days of the Cytoxan were the toughest. I hope you do fine with it.

I had my 1st Post chemo check up today. It has been 3 weeks and all my blood counts are normal . I did have the left foob deflated today. It looks like a flat tire. My friend came with me and said it looked like a reindeer stepped on it.

CT and mapping tomorrow. I hope it has improved since round one 8 yrs ago. It seemed like the guy doing the mapping was taking his sweet time. I couldn't move for 45 minutes. I thought my arms were going to fall off.

Welcome to all the newbies. Sorry you are here, but we are all in it together. I am so far behind on all these posts. If I ever get a day off without an appointment I will be able to catch up.

Diana, a reindeer? Your poor boob. 

Lol I miss the like  button  too   !  Getting used to  my way around a forum  .

Having   the mastectomy as Sharon Osbourne said  was a no brainer  !At my age   I didn't have  any qualms or concerns about that  . Its just all this added stuff that is the challenge . In my naive  little world  I just figured breast off  cancer gone    and  Life goes on  ! All these tests  and   options  weren't even part of the picture !  Being sore 3  weeks later  and  flopping around because I can't wear my new   bra yet  is a adjustment  I hadn't counted on  but  I am getting there !Very early days  and   A work in progress taking  small steps gingerly  ! Marie waving from Gorgeous Gatton

e, yah I figured that, but no one only likes two options - do or don't do....sigh.

E-my lump was fairly pronounced for most of the time I had it, but eventually the skin heals & the it seems to reduce some.  Mine hurt for quite awhile as I ended up with a bleeder that caused ginormous swelling & I had to have a 2nd surgery, so I was painful for at least 10 days.

Barbe, I had severe changes from radiation that left several hard spots under my skin. Surgeon wants to see them in person every 6 mos, and I get an u/s one time, a mammo the other time. There have been other breast changes in the affected breast - all benign but two requiring biopsies. I am totally not worried about recurrence, I'm just very glad I have a doctor I trust to be proactive for anything that shows up. My rose colored glasses are only intended as a way of saying I have not thought I "have" breast cancer since the day of my last radiation. And there's no way in hell any post of yours could ever piss me off ... we may too much alike And for the record, I share the thoughts of "why not me?" and always did. I wasn't the least surprised when they told me it was cancer. In a totally odd way that I'm hoping someone else might understand, it was almost a relief.

Diana, I had my pocketbook stolen yrs ago and had to do that dance, and then jsut a few yrs ago had my identity compromised and had to do a harder dance! Both times it was just aggravating - lost no money, just many hours to fix. So I totally commiserate with you hon.

Marie, welcome to our room. I hope you spend lots of time with us. I totally agree that we are are responsible for our choices. I can't help but give my opinion though that to throw in the towel at 58 is a bit severe if you are otherwise a healthy woman. Chemo can be tough, no question about that, but I truly think the majority of us who had chemo would tell you that it is doable. If your doctor feels chemo increases your chances to avoid recurrence or a new occurence, please take some time and think about it, ask about it, talk about it. Just keep that door open for a while, okay? Whatever you decide though, we'll be here to listen and support. Also, there are threads which talk about holistic/natural options instead of chemo. I just don't like thinking of you doing nothing more at all.

Wave - I'm not the poster that Valjean was talking about, but I did develop LE 2.5 yrs after the end of treatment. I had 13 nodes removed (all neg) and radiation. Happy to give more info through PM if you'd like, including ways to minimize your risk as much as possible.

Eli, I've always thought you were a glowing force. Now I have proof

Eli, I am with you on that. The treatments were sometimes difficult, but most of the time it was anywhere from tolerable to OK.