MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

homemom - I'm starting at the Y on Tuesday for their Live Strong program.  You should check it out! By then I will be at 24/33 rads.  

Ladies, thigh gap may be the rage among the young and near-anorexic, but speaking from personal experience, it's not all it's cracked up to be.  My legs, while long, have always been on the skinny side, and now that I'm (ahem) getting older, I really notice just how disproportional they are to the top half of my body.  Especially in short shorts, which I now only wear in my home.  I'm in the Bermuda years!  My eldest daughter has my husband's beefy thighs (but very muscular) and envies my "gap."  I'd prefer it if my legs were not so "toothpickish."  Can't wait to see what happens when menopause fully hits... Thank goodness that getting BC has made me accept myself as I now am, with increasing flaws.

On another note, I went for a mammogram yesterday, AND AFTER TWO X-RAYS SHE LET ME GET DRESSED TO LEAVE!  Righty always was my favorite.

Dexter!!! I love it elimar! but please be careful, and never let him escape to breed with other rodents he might find in the wild!! i can tell you love him already!

Snsane, you described my body exactly. like near rotund with stick legs n arms, sorta like a childs drawing!

why am i using so many of !!!!!

YaY!!! for good test results! elimar, some of my nodes are all swollen and hard, i cant even believe i have any left on that side, i thought they dragged em all out!!!

HomeMom, sept 5 is my belly button birthday, and i can't think of a better present you could give me than it being the last day of that life saving poison for you!!!

women on bco saved my sanity yesterday. thank you.

joining you, both in the happy dance!!!!!!

it always takes so long to get pets trained to where ya like em, that they croak soon after.

Dexter!!!!  Needs a sister, name her Deb!

Welcome dogsneverlie - you have found a place akin to the company water cooler. lol Lots of great conversation, information, support and encouragement from some pretty terrific middies.

sns - crazy that you had to go through surgery to find that your rotator was just fine. There is no guarantees is there?

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a bco sister in person yesterday. We have communicated here and over the phone, but was so great to finally meet outside of the virtual world. She is only a couple of hours away so I am sure we will see each other again.

Happy to hear that all seem to be doing well and test results are encouraging.

Hey Barbe - was just checking out where Alliston is - My sister with whom I was staying is in Stayner and the bco sister I met is in Angus. I didn't realize you were so close! Will definitely touch base with you next time I am in the area - sorry I didn't get to checking prior to this visit.

I met one too, a couple of days ago. I am so socially awkward still, i think i scared the crap  out of her at first. but she seemed pretty sturdy, and after a few minutes, it wasn't so weird at all! she'll probably never call me again, though... It was nice though, for a little while there we were both just talking like crazy! it's nice to talk about other things once in a while, but i don't think i can ever be done talking about bc, though. How about the rest of you? Did it feel strange at first to meet a sister from here? could be i am just a nut job.

macatac, i did notice that one! cracked me up!

lol.  Im imagining on BCO friendship board. 

BALD MADONNA SEEKING ESCAPE. 

45 yo married lady seeks friend to help me escape from DH for occasional cocktails. Just so we have lots to chat about: Must be stage I or higher.  Prefer  left  breast idc.   ER/PR negative a plus. 

LOL!!!

"kathec, note how small our social skillset is up in the header! "

too funny macatacmy!!!!

Hi buddies Finally got to read a couple pages of recent things. Glad to see things going well for so many of you.

Meeting others through bco - I met a few local gals from the chat rooms (that's where I spent most of my time after dx...hadn't found the Boards at that point) and we did the non-stop talk like we knew each other forever thing! We go to lunch or dinner at least once a year. Then 2 yrs after dx 27 of us, most of whom never met before, went to Vegas for 4 days. It was one of the best trips I ever took in my life. I've since been to FL twice and Virginia once with bco women, and last year joined up with the TaTas Vegas group from the Boards, about 30 of them. Going again 9/25-9/29 with them to Vegas this year. It was like meeting 30 friends/family. I've been looking forward to this year's trip since I got home last year!

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post ever on any discussion board.  A friend recently told me about this site and I thought I would check it out.  My journey officially began on December 22nd, 2013 when I went for a routine mam.  Got a call on January 3rd to go back for a second which I did on January 24th, 2014.  Got a call a week later and scheduled my appointment with breast surgeon.  Went for ultra-sound and biopsy and was diagnosed on Valentine's Day with breast cancer.  Estrogen+ Progesterone- Her2- +1.

Originally scheduled for left lumpectomy, radiation and hormone drug therapy.  That plan quickly changed after the MRI when my surgeon told me that she was not comfortable with margins and how my breast would look after the surgery. After weighing the pros and cons I decided to not take any chances and went for the mastectomy.  Had the surgery in April along with sentinel node dissection.  The results on the nodes during surgery were negative so the plastic surgeon started the reconstruction process and inserted the expander.  Got a call a week later from my BS and the final pathology indicated 1 out of the two nodes were positive.  Back to surgery in May to remove the rest of the nodes left side (total of 6 more) and all were negative.  Since I had one positive node, I was now faced with having to go through chemotherapy which I was hoping would not happen.  I was devastated as you can well imagine. I remember how numb I felt after meeting with the oncologist and oncologist nurse to discuss the treatment protocol and all the side effects -- everything that I had to consider (4 A/C followed by 4 Taxol). I also remember telling my husband upon leaving the facility that I did not belong there. This was not happening to me. We were both depressed at that moment.

I was out of work for a total of six weeks during the surgery process and went back end of May. I have a demanding job and I travel 3-4 days a week. Started chemo on June 4th. Lost hair after 1st treatment and just before 2nd treatment. That was difficult. Only wear wig at work as I cannot stand having it on my head!  Finished A/C and had my first Taxol treatment a week ago.  I am still working a full schedule and traveling except for the day of chemo.  It is getting harder and harder with each treatment.  I feel grateful that my side effects have not been severe, (had nausea and fatigue with A/C) and after my first Taxol have had significant pain in lower extremities and praying that does not continue through next 3 treatments.  I still have to finish reconstruction hopefully before year end and I will go on hormone therapy for 5 years so I continue to be a work in progress. Still scared, nervous and wondering how I will feel when this is all behind me.  I am turning 58 next week.  Thanks for listening and feel free to offer any advice since I am new to this whole sharing concept.

Thanks, Momine -- I have my next treatment next Friday and plan to discuss the pain with Onc then.  It lasted for several days and I am just now feeling better.  I have a high tolerance to pain and it was beyond what I could take.  I'll take all the advice I can get at this point.  Took me 6 months to come to full acceptance which I now think was totally crazy.  Only now feel comfortable talking about what I am going through.  Hoping I am not the only one who has traveled this path.