Thoughts and wishes for the New Year?

"I bring you tidings of great joy"......for me, these words encapsulate the season. I have always found winter to be extremely special with the purity and stillness. I love being outdoors and draw a lot of my strength from winter landscapes. What I saw during my 12 mile ski last Sunday.

On the other side of treatment, I have nothing but gratitude for these extra years. A lifelong friend and cousin was not this fortunate; nor was the man who was the center of my life for a number of years. I am able to do everything I did prior to treatment, although of course, I do have some battle scars (along with a couple of sports injuries).

Cancer did change my life. I would not be doing the most important work of my life without having had a trip through cancer myself. I appreciate the things I do have a lot more too. Most of all, it made me determined not to squander the time I do have on this earth.

My advice to those going through treatment is: MOVE!!! You may not feel like moving, but the best thing you can possibly do for yourself. Exercise gives you the strength to go forward, sharpens your wits, and gets you out in the world. The only downside is that you look better in clothes, so a lot more tempting to indulge. Thinking about the one-of-a-kind midnight suede midi coat I just snagged.

I thought I deserved it. Another message: you are worth it. Make sure you surround yourself with items that bring you joy. Ditch the stuff that is just OK, unless essential for living your life. (Such as my car window scraper - functional is just fine here.)

I am greatly looking forward to 2017. A lot of things came together in 2016. I will kick things off with a major ski, and then a planning day as need to hit the ground running. Not to mention, a wonderful meal with champagne (served in Waterford flutes).

Wishing everyone peace and joy this holiday season and a wonderful 2017!!! And don't forget to indulge in that extra piece of fruitcake*.

Because this season will only happen once. Blessings and much joy to everyone here!!! - Claire

* You can use those fruitcake (or decadent hot chocolate) calories to fuel your long winter's walk or recover from sledding along with a spot of tea....your choice

Hi Lucy,

I was diagnosed at the beginning of October with IDC Triple Negative with a very aggressive growth grade. My surgeon and oncologist both gave me a very good prognosis if I follow the protocol - which I am doing. I had a lumpectomy followed by the AC-T protocol and will need to do radiation too. I am through the AC part and getting ready to start the T. Interestingly, I found out one of my colleagues had the same exact cancer as I and she is 4 year-post and cancer-free and doing marathons and iron-woman events! My doctors all tell me triple negative actually responds extremely well to this treatment and the outlook is great. I opted for the 'western medicine' they prescribed after researching other options and am glad I did. My doctors actually provided me with comforting statistics that helped me know I was doing the right thing by selecting to undergo treatment. Now, the statistic of those who go without treatment - that is another story... It sounds like you have a medical team you can trust and they should be able to provide you with the statistics to help you. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I have a somewhat different kind of new year wish. I apologize if it sounds harsh. I wish to leave behind people who have hurt me during my second diagnosis/treatment and people who have disappeared. It's time to move forward and beyond the selfish, little-minded cowards in my life.

Amazing scene, Claire! And I think I was there only one month ago.

They do camping here in the snow, but I think I will give that one a pass. I would be up for hut skiing sometime though. Will let you know how the vineyard (visiting some of the grapes of wine I imbibe) plus Cowiche Canyon skiing goes. I leave tomorrow, returning on Christmas Day. I will be drinking the rare Columbia Valley Cabernet I got as a present.

I wish I had a bit more free time over Christmas and New Year's as the best skiing in years. I have a season pass for Nordic. Will hit the trails on the way back to work up an appetite for Christmas Dinner.

So many cool things to do, so little time. - The Northern Claire

Give Love on Christmas Day!

I'd like to thank all the men and women who post their experiences and information on this web site. I especially appreciate the more scientific/technical posts I've read from JohnSmith, CP418, BarredOwl, SpecialK, Voraciousreader, and the many others who dug up and passed on information that has been so helpful to me during the past 6 years.

Hello everyone! Happy Holidays to you and yours! I am a 3x DCIS Survivor...'98, 06, '16. I just had a bilateral on 12/06 with the start of reconstruction. Thank goodness for my diligence in never missing one appointment in 18 years since I started this journey. I wanted to thank everyone for sharing their posts, their pain, their souls! I appreciate hearing your stories. What an amazing forum of strength! I continue to FIGHT LIKE A GIRL! May every happiness be yours throughout the new year! God Bless you all! We are warriors! We rock!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Patti

I am four years out now and will say each year brings new awareness of better ways to take care of myself. It takes awhile to just get through all the post feelings about having had cancer, going through check ups, letting go of the worry that every little ache and pain is a sign of progression. And most of us have to find ways to cope with some level of SEs afterwards, whether from chemo, surgery, recon, AIs, etc. It really takes much longer than you can ever imagine, but you do adapt physically, emotionally, and more.

I have become much better since I went through dx and treatment about saying no to others and yes to me. We women live in a world where we are expected to do so much, from taking care of a home, raising a family, making a living/contributing to a family income, taking care of elderly parents. I am better about making sure I get regular exercise, good nutrition, regular sleep and make sure I take breaks to just enjoy life. I am constantly redefining my boundaries with the world and those in it. I am learning to be my own best friend.

This site has been a lifesaver to me and many other women. I have known at least 4 women in my community that have been diagnosed with bc since I was in 2012, including a relative just this past week. it has made me aware just how much of a reality this is for far too many women. The first thing I do when I hear of some getting the dx is to reach out and say "you need to know about BCO."

I never felt that cancer was going to define me, but it has changed me. It has made me more mindful of who I am and the world around me.

Thank you to BCO for being here for all of us!

Lucy, you are in the right place.. when I was dx in August, well, I don't have any family, but i found "family" here.. and wonderful support.. I blubbered, didn't know what was coming... I was going to 'die'... I didn't, found groups here that support even the things you like to do.. I've finished my rads and am 3 weeks out.. and if it comes back again it will have to take a number and get in line.. way behind all the other things I want to do.. I wish for a Cancer Free future for All of us..

Lucy, I don't have answers for you..just hugs.

Claireinaz, I am with you on the Maddening roller coaster.

Jazzy, What you said was beautiful!

Ever since my active treatment ended over a year ago, I have felt like I have one foot in the past, and one in the future. I'm still in limbo..physically, mentally, emotionally. In 2017, I hope to find myself.

Thank you BCO community..you help in so many ways!

One woman wrote here that if one is wearing a bra with one falsy one can get back deformity and pain from the different weight on each side. I was wearing a bra on both sides with a special falsy that is selected to equalize the weight of both sides to be equal. That bra was very comfortable and I never got a backache. However, I had my second breast removed about a year after the first surgery and somehow I was no longer comfortable with much weight on either side and more and more I am simply wearing a chamese with a tissue stuffed into both sides....and my expensive falsies ( cost over $200) are resting in the plastic cup cradle. As long as I am at peace with my arrangement that is important. That peace has only recently come to me after anger over the entire breast cancer diagnosis after many years of mammograms with nobody telling me I was at increased risk and should have an occasional Ultrasound due to my mother had died from breast cancer and I had dense breasts. I am now three years into the aromatase inhibitors and only this Fall I was a happy person again - so give it time- you might also evolve!

My thoughts and feelings approaching the new year are terribly mixed at the moment. I'm tired and worn out because I've been a little shy on oxygen today. Add to that the gray sky with only intermittent sunshine. So, I will fall back on what I wrote for my friends on facebook about 3 weeks ago when I found out about my life sentence.

To cheer you all up a little at this stage, I'll tell you my plans for the coming year. I won't call them resolutions, because I can't seem to make them stick. Anyway, first, I will get rid of the stuff about the house that plagues us and seems to take over the sofa most of the time. We need a place for the family to snuggle. Second, I will laugh about something every day. (That's not hard because I already laugh often.) Third, I want to be invested as a Master Guide. I've been the director of the Elkhart Pathfinder Club for three years now and have thoroughly caught the Pathfinder "bug".

Pathfinders is a worldwide organization with local clubs, a little like Scouts, except that we are a church group that includes boys and girls from grades 5 through 12. I'm not really a "kid" person, nor am I into camping, but it has turned out to be a lot of fun and I'm developing organizational and leadership skills that I didn't know I had.

I hope this experience gives me a better understanding and greater sympathy for others. It seems that there are two people in my family now with "life sentences" - my brother and myself. Of the two, I have the greater freedom. He lives in a correctional facility with a couple of thousand other men. Life goes on and he gets forgotten by nearly all but his immediate family. I am home with my family and we can do what we want and go where we want, provided we take my medical needs into consideration. I still think I've got it pretty good.

Now that I've written myself into a more cheerful frame of mind, I'd like to wish each of you a blessed New Year. The sky is still gray outside my window, but the sunset is absolutely gorgeous!

Raewyn

Why2015,. I am so sorry you had to go thru all that..And with no family...I am 80, no support at all..All alone with this too......So I decided not to do radiation. I hope I am not risking a recurrence. Will pray for you tonight and if you are young, a year from now, I bet you will feel better..And will find a perfect man for you. God Bless.