MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Hello everyone! It has been awhile since I've posted on this thread. In fact, I don't get to BCO nearly as often as I used to. You know, I remember early on in this ...... gosh, I so hate to say **journey** .... I'll just say, I remember gals here saying they don't think about what they've been through, this SFBC thing, every day.... the days just pass by & they are so busy doin' their thing, they just DON'T...... And I guess that has been me for the last several months.

My 6th year cancerversay was last Nov 5th & I didn't even think about it that day. I went to lunch & shopping with a couple of special friends & we had a wonderful time. I didn't think about what the significance of that day was until a few days later. How cool is that?!? I had a beautiful Christmas with my daughters, SIL's & Grandchildren & loved the smell of the cold, snowy air & am awaiting the arrival of the leaves & flowers of spring.

I passed my Feb 20 date of beginning Aromasin, of which I have been on for exactly six years now. Doing well & hope to continue to. I see my MO every 6 months with my next appointment April 1st. I had my labs done a couple of days ago & am keeping my fingers crossed that all is well with that.   

Life does move forward. I lost my Mother 37 years ago.........so far, that was the worst day of my life..... You hear this often, but it is true... she really was my best friend.... And guess what I did that day......I celebrated my life by having a very long conversation with a dear friend....laughing....sharing.....just living. And as this friend said to me, that is what she would want, me living.

So, it does happen. We move forward because that is what we do.

I think of all of you; I do see some of the great gals (friends) here on FB & we share there. It saddens me to see the new gals (& guys) here.... welcome. I am glad you found us.

I have made some lasting friendships here, I do know that. And I wish that for all of you here, as well. I will continue to **pop** in every once in a while, if not to post, then to at least check out Elimar's pic at the top!!

Ô¿Ô 

So far this site has helped me pretty much keep it together, and it has answered most questions i have had, plus some i didnt know i had [ like silky satin pj bottoms to slide out of bed ]. im concentrating on being ready and able for the surgery.

Telling my loved ones was horrible, but now thats done i feel much better. i had to practise saying "i have BC "

Thank you all for the welcome

Health to all

Daylily, make sure you have some button-front shirts to wear, as you won't be able to pull anything on over your head for a while. Also, you won't be able to shower until your drains come out, so some facial cleansing wipes that don't need rinsing are easier for sponge baths than a facecloth and soap. I loved my satiny pj's too!

Best of luck for your upcoming surgery !

I LOVE how we help!

E, I'm reading a book called Time is A River. by Mary Alice Monroe. It's about fly fishing & BC recovery. It talks about Casting for Recovery which you and I weren't successful in getting to go to (I still want to learn to fly fish especially re-fueled by accidentally picking this book up at Barnes & Noble in the sale row; started it have to finish) I think this up-coming season is a great time to learn it!

I love how we help, too! A lot of this info is good to know for anytime in our lives. I had a lumpectomy and it didn't take me long to realize I needed a pillow for that seat belt. Maybe seat belts are more adjustable in newer cars than they are in my old one, but after a while mine works its way up to my neck and starts choking me. I have to pull it down every now and then. I think, if I had a wreck and it was on my neck it would snap it! Aren't I little Miss Sunshine?

Eph, I would love to learn fly fishing too! I'm sure you have actual edible fish in Oregon, but there is a river that runs through Atlanta that my brother fly fishes (?) in. He said he just throws the fish back but that would be so fun and relaxing! I remember Sherry who used to come here was able to do that with the Casting For Recovery people and she loved it! I wonder if we're too far out from cancer to participate now?

I just had a breast MRI and everything looks good, so I'm thrilled about that! It's just that it was ordered because my side boob is pink and hot. My BS, who ordered it, said it will rule out a malignancy and an infection. So now he's perplexed and is sending me to his dermatologist. I think it might be related to the radiation booth I had to stand in for about a minute or two at the airport recently. The pink area is the same area that had the 6 extra boosts of radiation. I think the skin may be especially fragile there and susceptible to a dermal reaction with extra radiation. But who am I to say. Hopefully, this most excellent dermatologist I'm going to see will solve the problem once and for all. And as long as it's not a malignancy I can cope. Honestly, I was changing the whole course of my future because of this pink spot. Since my BS was dismissive of the likelihood of it being an infection, I was afraid he was fairly certain it was a malignancy. And on top of that I just quit the Tamoxifen in October so I was freaked out. Ugh, it's amazing how fast you can sink back into that dark place when something scares you again.

Go for the power recliner, DayLily!!  Park it in front of your TV and you are all set. Have a tray table next to you for snacks and drinks and the remote control,, books, laptop, phone etc.   Do you have a way to hold up the drain(s)? You can pin them to your shirt, or to a lanyard around your neck.  A male friend of mine used a nail pouch from Home Depot to hold his. It is just this little apron thing that had 3 pockets (he had 3 drains so it was perfect) and it costs like $2.    It can be uncomfortable to just let them dangle, and putting them in pants pocket is ok,, as long as you remember them when you pull your pants down!  I had a camisole from TLC that had drain pockets,,, it also had foob pockets and soft foobs which I didn't use,,, I just wanted the drain pocket.  And it opened in the front with velcro so really easy to wear. I had two of them and lived in them. They are a little pricey,,, $50.   I didn't know about the nail pouch when I had my MX done or I would have used that! My friend was able to easily hide the nail pouch under his button-down shirts, not tucked in.

DayLily,

I didn't rent a recliner. To the ladies that did, did you still have to have numerous and various pillows (your fortress) with a recliner?

I had a bolster cushion and an assortment of many small pillows and a bed tray. The numerous small square pillows, rolled pillows, rectangular decorative pillows- I just wandered around my house pre-surgery and grabbed all manner of bizarre pillows. They held up my elbow and braced my body in various non-chest areas. What hurt was MOVING. You'll find the most comfortable position. I kept my bed tray in the bed beside, not across me to hold my breathing dealie they give you to inhale into, my meds,WATER, Kindle reader, food etc. I slept- a lot.

Frozen pea bags were useful as well for swelling.

I used an elastic drain minder belt with velcro tabs. I could hide it easily under street clothes. I could easily sling it around my neck for tub bathing from waist down. www.promedicsproducts.com

Welcome, beergirl63. With a name like beergirl, you will probably get along fine here! Sorry that you are having a recurrence, that is truly sucky. There are a great bunch of gals here- as long as you don't talk about the weather!

HAHAHHAAHHaaaahaa!!! Ok, I am nearly an idiot today, slept in, and am on y first espresso, but what is TAH-BSO?

Yikes!

Beergirl--welcome to the Middies, and so sorry to hear about the recurrence.So not fair after all you did 6 years ago.

Eph3_12, beergirl63 and heartsoul76 - good news from Tiffany L. Greene, Program Department Assistant, Casting For Recovery- the only requirements to attend a FfR retreat is that you are female and a breast cancer survivor. She also says it doesn't matter how many years you have been in remission. I guess you just have to be unlucky enough to have had bc and lucky with the lottery to be accepted. It does look like a number of the retreats are limited to residents of that particular state, and the the Canadian arm of the organization is not active. :-( Flyfishing is awesome and time spent in or beside a river is good for the soul.

www.castingforrecovery.org

Thanks for mentioning "Time is a River" Eph3_12. I will look for it. beergirl63- best wishes for good news this week.