Calling all ladies in their 20's

hi sparkle! Sent you a message!

Hi ladies, last month was crazy, so I didn't get a chance to check in. I traveled to Europe to see family in the beginning of October and have been busy with work from the day I got back. I did run my first half marathon on October 27th, but it wasn't pain-free! I had been dealing with hip and knee pain for a few weeks before and was trying to take it easy, but I just knew it wasn't going to be an easy run because of it. Well, about mile 3 (half marathon is 13.1 and this course was actually 13.3), both my knee and hip started to hurt. I pushed my way through it telling myself it's a temporary pain and managed to finish the race. Now I'm trying to take care of my hip and knee and hopefully I'll get back to a point where I can run another half marathon in February. That is, if I'm not pregnant! So my 2nd piece of news is that I have just 9 days left on Tamoxifen until I take a break to start trying for a baby. We started the process of wanting a family at the start of 2010, so it's been 4 years (but we had a molar pregnancy miscarriage in August 2010 and I was diagnosed with BC in April 2011). I'm hopeful that 2014 will be the year that we have a baby or at least have one on the way. I see my oncologist on Wednesday just to get that final approval, but I feel healthy and my last appointment went well when we discussed it. My fertility specialist said I should wait 6 weeks from the last pill before getting pregnant, so I am stopping the Tamoxifen at 2 years 1 month which coincides with the start of my next cycle. That would have us trying by the end of the year. So, we'll see how it all goes!

Hi KK,

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us! It's a big help knowing what to expect. I seem to be feeling normal now, other than the fact my heart rate is up. But it's not gone over 100, I'm just use to it being somewhere between 60 and 70. As for taking it easy, HA! That's just so not my style. Actually I kind of consider going to my job as taking it easy. Heheh. I think I honestly would have felt a lot better after my first transfusion if I wasn't trying to stay in ketosis but I just totally bailed on the whole ketogenic diet and now I am trying to stay away from processed carbs but eating whatever kinds of fruits and veggies I want. But I definitely have a lot to do and have gotten a lot done this weekend so I am feeling pretty good about all that. Now I just have to go sew a table runner and placemats for Thanksgiving and that will be another check on my to do list. Yay!

Hi Ladies! I can't even remember if I have posted in here or not I have been all over the place But I am 27 diagnosed on Nov 1st. I am having a radical right mastectomy on Nov 28th. Probably starting chemo in Jan.

I just wanted to say hello! I am a wife and mother. My kids are 4 years & 6 months. I like to connect with other ladies my age going through this.

Hi Mommy13,

I am also the ripe ol' age of 27 and had a 2cm tumor also. I was diagnosed August 19 this year and am 5 weeks out from my mastectomy to this day! It is slowly but surely getting better. I found out that I will need to go to physical therapy, as my arm is stubborn and won't raise as high as my breast surgeon would like, but I found out yesterday that chemo is not in my plans based on my Mammaprint test results.

I am a lurker-turned-poster, as the information I found on this forum after diagnosis was invaluable.

Sending you lots of good vibes!

ladybug- I had similar issues having my pain taken seriously. In July of 2012 I was experiencing discomfort in my left breast and underarm. My obgyn ordered a mammo, I made the appt, and upon going to the imaging place they REFUSED the mammo based on my age, did a half assed ultrasound which showed a "pronounced, yet unsuspicious, benign lymph node". The obgyn pretty much could care less and said if my pain worsened then let her know. I then followed up with a hemotologist/oncologist regarding the lymph node being pronounced but she just did blood work and wrote me off. Then October 2013 not only did the pain increase but after my period I found a huge lump in my left breast. The biopsy revealed that not only did I have cancer in my breast but also in the "pronounced benign" lymph node. Be persistent with your health. I was dismissed too and am so angry, but also at myself for trusting the doctors.

TS0521 - I would contact a lawyer. Doctors need to take this stuff seriously. It's not like it's never happened that someone in their 20s has breast cancer. I mean, look at all of us as living proof. I had a CT scan of the chest in November 2010 and the radiologist missed my breast cancer (because they were looking at just the lungs even though the scan clearly shows the mass). I found the lump 5 months later and ran to my primary doctor who I'm fortunate did not write it off. However, even with a doctor's order for both mammogram and ultrasound, they did not want to do the mammogram. I told them they will do what the doctor ordered and there's a reason it was ordered. So they ended up doing both. Then as I was telling them my molar pregnancy history and that I didn't want to take any chances, the radiologist in the breast imaging center suggested a biopsy when the images showed up as suspicious. If I hadn't mentioned that, I may have not had the biopsy that same day and may have had further delays in my diagnosis. I received my cancer diagnosis the day after my mammogram/ultrasound/biopsy. We have to advocate for ourselves, but we should also be able to trust our doctors to do what's right. I think we grow up believing doctors walk on water, but we have excellent doctors and bad doctors just like any other profession. No one should have to settle for a bad doctor.

Sparklekat - I could not work during AC. I was so out of of it for the an entire week each time and I needed the second week to recover. I'm glad it's not as bad for you, but just take it easy just in case since the fatigue does get worse with ongoing treatments (takes longer and longer to bounce back).

Hairless Stylist - I love your idea to do a photo shoot. We snapped a few pictures of me topless before I had my mastectomy but it wasn't professional. I loved my breasts too (I still have one and am happy I kept it). Are you having a mastectomy? In any case, my mastectomy was more than 2 1/2 years ago and I still feel perfectly womanly. I never hesitate to buy myself cute clothes and I'm loving my short hair (which I never had the courage to cut this short before - but chemo forced me into it!). With reconstruction, no one can really tell except for me and my husband. I feel fortunate that we have been together for a long time and were already married a few years when this happened. I'm sure it is more difficult for women who are still dating. I do believe that the right man will love us anyway. My husband does. He just wants me alive and healthy! Be kind to yourself and remember that you are still beautiful and every bit of a woman as before.

kk11 - I haven't been on here in so long. How are you? I'm doing fine. I wished my surgeon wasn't on sabbatical though. But things have been good! I'm happy it's now winter break!

How is everyone else?!

It's been a long time since I've been on here but I'm glad to hear everyone is doing good. I finished my reconstruction a few months ago and on one hand I can't say that I love the way they look but on the other hand I'm very glad I'm still here to see them. I'm still hoping that in the future they will offer reconstruction patients implants that can achi a little more projection and/or cleavage.

Lydia- welcome to the forum. I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis but hopefully we can all be of some help.

Hi all,

I'm 30 years old and I was diagnosed 4 months ago with IDC triple positive.

My mom was diagnosed when she was 43 with BC but we both are negative for the BRCA gene.

I was doing regular check ups since I was 17 and the diagnosis was a BIG shock for me. 

I was a wrack. 

I moved to the US by myself and I was with no family members, only with my boyfriend..and he didn't handle this good.

The doctors suggested lumpectomy but given my young age and family history they suggested the mastectomy option as well..back then, I wasn't able to decide,too many question marks,my boyfriend "forced" me to go back home for the chemo cause he thought it is too much to handle for one person..

So eventually I decided on lumpectomy, went back home and did 2 cycle of egg harvesting (the first one wasn't a successful one) and then started with ACTH .

Now I'm considering to do a bilateral mastectomy instead of the rads..

I'm afraid of the results..I'm single..was attractive (and will be again hopefully) and don't want to be embarrassed with my body..

The surgeon told me that a nipple sparing surgery is an option for me..

Please let me know what do you think.. 

@katnat:
sparklekat is right only you can decide what's right for you.
I'm 23 and I actually had the bilateral dmx w/ nipple sparring done when I was 21. I had a lumpectomy prior to that when I was 20 though.

@sparklekat:
I'm actually having trouble finding a swimsuit to hide my scar though =O lucky you!

@sparklekat

double bilateral mastectomy w/ nipple sparring (i wished i had my nipples removed though)
my incisions are a bit high towards my armpits (not literally) but i have to be careful of what tank tops i wear or my scars will peek through the sides (if that makes sense).

Yes on both sides. I had tumors on both sides. =[

i would probably estimate my incisions to be 5inches long (on both sides)..they do follow the curve of my breasts so that's good. But even then it somewhat pains me to see them. =|