Long-time Lurker, First Post

Ladies, thank you for the welcome!

Mary625, I've never thought of myself as able to provide much in the way of inspiration, but I'll do what I can.  karen1956, your posts were some of those that gave me comfort and hope when I first started reading here (similar dx) and you continue to do so.  elizabeth1959, I hope the endocrinologist is able to help you; I agree, there are so many things I wouldn't have had a clue about but for this forum.  And if I am interpreting your screen name correctly, we are the same age.  jennyboog, LOL.  No more voyeurism!

maryannecb and YATCOMW - wow, almost eight and nine years out (and karen1956 at seven).  mary625, tomorrow it's two for you!  elizabeth1959, I understand what you wrote about how to live with the fear.  I don't know, because I don't have that down yet and maybe I never will.  But I am slowly, slowly becoming able to give it just a little less energy every day.  hopefor and kar123, we're above ground and I hope we all stay that way and out in the open for a long time! I hope we'll have to ask ourselves if the creaking we hear is our rocking chairs, or us.   lily55, I expect I'll hang out some in the ILC thread, too.

One of the fun things about signing on:  avatars!  Pink boxing gloves!  Yeah!  Lots of animal lovers here ... lily55, is that your kitty?  I have a big fat gray tabby guy who provides excellent feline supervision.

Since diagnosis, I have felt that I have had no sense of personal privacy - we have to talk to so many people during and after.  So many health care people, for some of us our employers, all of our various communities - about our situation.  All of them care about us and want to know how we are doing, and we have to tell them some things so we can interact with them while we go through this.  I am eternally grateful to all of these people.  Yet, it's tough to come up with normal-world descriptions and metaphors for cancer-world experiences and sensations, and dealing with others' fear of what is happening to us.  But I haven't really wanted to talk to anyone until I had enough solitude to process this experience for myself and enough mental/emotional bandwidth to express it.

So, ladies, consider yourselves forewarned because now that I'm here, I might be talking a lot. 

Hi, melmcbee, and thanks for the greeting.  Another Lobular Lady!  During treatment, it felt impossible to see more than about 15 minutes into the future.  I, too, so appreciate the long-termers' continued presence here.

mary625, congratulations!

I have some chronic problems with pain and fatigue post-treatment, which were a tremendous surprise to my MO given the shape I was in when I was diagnosed.  That said, I feel better today than I did a year ago, when I was two years out.

As long as the way is forward, even though it's a millimeter at a time, I can deal.

Good for you for taking them in. Life started out rough for them, but they won the lottery when they came to live with you!

Thank you, Gitane. And here you are, eight years out! Congratulations.