The Hermit Club

Welcome newbies 

Hey mommy, jazzy and mags love the pix n the slipcover 

BB, that's funny! I hadn't thought of that when I signed up. You would think I would since I am "in the medical field" and know these abbreviations. Ah well, guess my brain was on other things that day.

Jazz, love all the moon photos. We kept waiting to see it when someone called from a block away saying how awesome it is. We had to jump in the car and drive up a hill. But it was well worth it.

Everyone else, thanks for the welcome. It's nice to be part of the group.

Mommy- most professors are a bit odd! Academia attracts the quirky. It is something I love about going to school, but can also be annoying. There is also the absent minded professor thing too. Some are better at organizing and helping students know what to expect. Did you get silabus for the semester?

Tomorrow is the start of October a month I just dread, all the bloody pink stuff and breast cáncer being talked about everywhere often by people who have no clue! There is even a woman in the UK who constantly appears on TV as she had preventative mastectomies and reconstruction..and its reported as "her breast cáncer nightmare" - she never bloody had it !!!!!! She was so stupid she even said "I never realised it would be so difficult to breastfeed after reconstrcution".......DUH She has money, a job, loving husband, two children and she got reconstruction when she never even had cáncer............ I seriously kid you not...............I could throw the TV out of the window when she is on, drives me M A D ..........

I have ben absent here for a while but still think about you..........I cannot even tell if I am in a bad place or a non place or what............I am still off pills, Onc has put me on tamoxifen but I don´t want to take it........I have had 3.5 years of feeling messed with, not reconstructed, cannot move on properly til I am, so I feel sooo resistant to starting another lot of pills with a high risk they will also make me feel like **** and then I feel guilty as people who do cáncer a lot more elegantly than me die and here I am moany minnie still here.......

Lilly- I hate Pinktober or "puketober" as some ladies here call it. I think raising awareness of the importance of mammograms/early detection, self exams and charities that actually help women through treatment are the most valuable. Too much use of the pink ribbon by many to market whatever they need to sell. And this year, there is a stupid thing going around on Facebook about going bra-less on October 13th in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Hello, how does that help anything? Total insensitive to women whom have lost their breasts to this disease.

Have you tried the Tamoxifen and had SEs or just worried you might not do well? The non-hormone drugs are not easy, no doubt about that. First six months for me on the AIs were really rough, got better with time when my body adjusted. I still have days where I as super achey and feel like $*&% and refer to those as my "arimidex days." I don't talk about it much to friends, because of course, everyone things I am "done with it" now.

I hope your new place feels more settled now and that maybe with time, you will meet more people and make some friends where you live. We get by with a little help from our friends. I expect maybe it is cooling down there now, starting to here too. I don't do as well with the heat anymore either. And I think everyone here is doing the best they can every day with whatever they have going on. We all have different ways of sharing and getting support. There is no right or wrong way through this. I hope things improve for you my friend.

I heard the Dr. Weiss who I think is the founder of this web page is going to be on The Today Show tomorrow. I hope to see her before I have to leave for the airport. I am so grateful for this web page that helps so many women in so many ways.

Anybody hear the latest news about calcium supplements not helping bones when you are older and even that they can cause problems? Funny how we are always getting lectured about doing things for our health that just turn out to be flat wrong.

Mommy- the church sounds like they do their recogniton mindfully. Helps those in the community to remember women with this disease.

tamoxifen is known to NOT work for certain lobular cancer cells but of course no tests to say who it is.......i was given two minutes to decide by an Onc who says there is no real difference between ductal and lobular........I think I would rather take anastrozole and hope its third time lucky.......wish I could choose between

Oncs

Jazzy you rock! No pun intended x

Oh, I'm so glad there are still people posting on this thread! I've been feeling so guilty about how isolated I've made myself. I know it worries my husband so I've been trying to rally and get out and do things but it's sooooo hard sometimes. I'm still only working part-time but that will be coming to an end in a couple of weeks and I'll be back to full-time. Just going grocery shopping or running errands can be daunting.

I started going to a support group but have even stopped going to that. And no one from the group has tried to reach out to me. I only went about 10 times but you'd think they'd shoot me an e-mail or something. They meet at noon on Tuesdays so I won't be able to go once I'm back full-time anyway and I can't find any other groups other than one that meets the first Monday of the month. I'm surprised there are no weekly meetings that meet in the evening for those of us who work. I live near a large city and those are the only 2 support groups I can find. You'd think with how prevalent this disease is, there would be more support out there...

Thank you for letting me vent a little.

Thanks, Jazzygirl! I'll keep working on myself and hopefully will find the energy and the will to get back out into the world. I wan't expecting this to be one of the "side-effects" of my treatment. I thought I would go into Warrior mode and start training for marathons, LOL. Maybe next year...

Ah Mags, but you did that road trip to the casino!

Jazzy, you truly have the gift of encouragement. Yes, I took that casino trip, and had a good time. I just can't do that all the time.

I don't really have roots in Albuquerque (though I can spell it!), I spent a semester at UNM before I decided college wasn't my cup of tea and took off for brighter lights (which weren't). My brother in law (who died in 2000) was from there. Other than that, I've driven through there a few times. It was southern New Mexico, Las Cruces, where I spent some years after my dad retired from the Navy, and where I graduated high school. I've been back 3 times since then, once in the 80's, once in the 90's, and once in 2008 for my 40th class reunion.

My friend Retha and her family used to go to the balloon festival. I've never seen it. But the century is young.

Thank you for thinking of me, and for your encouragement.

Mags- you are welcome. I always notice when one of the sisters is able to do something here that is a part of returning to some sort of normalcy. A sign you are recovering. I thought your trip to the casino (although it wore you out) was a good step for you.

And yes, I meant you had some roots here in the state remembering the southern NM conversations. The balloons will be here again next year and every year! This year's balloon fiesta ends tomorrow. They were finally able to do a glow last night.

Here is a photo for you!

Hi all! Been away for sometime. Trying to hermatize myself from the world. The last weeks have been challenging. Find myself lurking on these boards for validation of who I am. Clinical depressions has had a grip on me. I often visit the boards to stay connected but doing so under covered. Although this have been a better year less side effects on aromasin; I still get into the dumps knowing I am less visible to the world. Computers acting up so just wanted to drop in and say Hello. Love you and miss you all

DWill - hi......x

I lurk too as I am bored with how I feel in myself when i am being honest.....had really horrible day today, so HATE puketober sick of never getting any escape from photos of "brave breastless women" showing scars neater than I have ever seen anywhere else, bc everywhere and mutilated bodies in photos in the guise of something else.........God I am soooo boring