Positive Girls Club

YIPPEE indeed, Renee! That's a wonderful positive! Congrats!

I'm in! I'm an old bc patient but a perpetual optimist! My good news is that my hair is growing in well - started a photo record of it - going to post it soon!!

I love this idea!!

Ginney

I am hoping we all have many good things to celebrate! We will take what we can get. The last of my endless test results came in from my CT/PET scans. Except for two more nodes, ALL CLEAR. Onc isn't worried about those as I start chemo on Tues 2/20 and radiation after to zap any leftover cancer cells. Please send me happy thoughts on Tuesday morning as I am still quite scared. Hearing about others doing well in their first session helps a lot though!

Hi All,
Well, I'm new to this forum, but not BC...Had DCIS in 2003, two lumpectomies (first one didn't get enought so margins weren't clear), then radiation. This years mamogram caught more ishy stuff (I don't have my report handy so can't give you the exact diagnosys, but I know biopsy found one spot is another non-invasive DCIS, another spot is an invasive something or the other). I'll be making an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow and will get more information then, but I'm pretty sure I'm looking at at least a mascetomy.
For a bit I was beginning to think I was nuts because I felt all this was something that while I didn't necessarily want, it is also something that I just need to take care of and get on with life. My biggest problem right now is dealing the the people I give this information to. They seem to be taking it worse than I am, then I get to thinking maybe I'm not taking it as serious as I need to. I know THAT'S silly, but there ya' go...
Anyway, sorry this is so long, but you can add me to the PGC (I actually told my husband I was going to get a tatoo on my right breast to find out if I liked it or not...If it didn't it was going to be taken off anyway - I'm really not going to do that but you should have seen his face

Sign me up!

In following the thought process, my girlfriend had a friend who lost the battle with bc. However, she shared that her friend would get upset with people around her when they took it so seriously. She said it was HER cancer and how she dealt with it was how it was. She was upbeat and optimistic throughout. I think people are still scared of it and are not sure how to handle it. I think those around us need to take the lead from those who have it. Other than panics occasionally, I am quite sure this too will pass and I will beat it head on with a positive attitude.

Besides, its attitude that gets you through the bumps in life. And who wants to be a serious old grumpy butt through this challenge. Not me!!!!

charlie

It will only make us stronger!

Hi Charlie, I saw on another thread that you have surgery this week. Mine will follow yours by a few days (2/26), so we can compare notes and cheer each other on!

My attempts to stay positive have not all been successful in this first week post-diagnosis. But yesterday my DH took my hand and asked if I wanted to spend the next several months feeling panicky and sick, or if I wanted to bounce back from this round of bad news and try to enjoy every little bit of life. And even though I prickled a bit (was he trying to say I should enjoy the time I have left? that doesn't sound very positive!), I had to admit he was right. Breast cancer aside, no one knows what the future holds for them, and I DO want to embrace every moment. Maybe that's what people mean when they say this terrible experience makes them better, stronger people - it teaches us to savor every day, not take our families for granted, and protect what we love the most.

I have been feeling very positive from diagnosis on 2/7 until today. Lumpectomy tomorrow and SNB. Today I feel alone and afraid. I live alone and am nervous about that. Wonderful friends etc...but just started a new job 3 months ago - so no paid time off, no benefits...cashing in my IRA to live on for a while....

Thank you all for posting and for sharing...

Live well,
Holly

Holly,

I will be sending positive thoughts and prayers your way tomorrow.

Hugs,
Sue

I feel the need to vent today! I know that my mastectomy was only 11 days ago but I am already getting tired of being sore and stiff! My incision has started to weep a little and I have to go into the doc's tomorrow just to have it checked! I am also tired of looking down at 1 boob! I know that this is temporary since I will be having reconstruction sooner or later but I'm tired of it already! I can't just get up and run out the door anymore! I have to make sure my stuffed "boob" is even with my real, droopy 42 year old boob! Thank goodness I am not a DD (just a and I have to worry about making that look even! I am also premenopausal so these past few days I have been so bloated that I can't button my pants. I'm not used to this because I was on the pill until last month when my bc was dx'd. This is one time in my life that being a woman is not fun!! I want to get off this bc ride and rejoin the rest of the world! I know I will feel better tomorrow, if not before then but I just needed to vent. My first appt with onco is this thursday and I'm a little nervous about that so I think that's adding to my grumpiness! I know I will get out of this and I'm sorry to vent to all of you because I'm sure there are plenty of you gals who are feeling much worse than me and I apologize to all of you!! I will be back in positive mode any time now!!
Thanks for listening!!
Pam

Holly and Kimberly, I hope you both did well today. Pam, I think you're doing great, and if it helps sometimes to grumble and gripe, well go ahead! It reminds me of when I was giving birth to my son (a 9 pounder, no drugs) and in the late stage of labor I said to the midwife, "I just can't do this." She replied, "Yes, you can! You're doing it right now!" That's what I want to tell you, too: You're doing it right now, and you're gonna make it!

I have some good news to share today, too. I saw my surgeon for the first time since my lumpectomy (he's been on vacation), and it turns out that the three positive margins I have are really just one close margin, sort of at the intersection of the three "sides" of the tumor. AND, the surgeon said he wouldn't even go back for that (it's b/t 1 and 2 mm) except that we have to do the SNB anyway, so might as well take a bit more tissue as "insurance." He thinks the nodes will be negative, and he said to disregard the stats that say that women dx'ed under age 35 have a lower survival rate (he recently published a paper on that very topic). "So I don't have to panic?" I asked him. "I don't think you should be panicking at all," he answered. For the first time since my dx, I truly, deep deep down feel positive and hopeful.

Alright fireba! What a cool surgeon! I'm so glad you had a positive visit.
Lisa

Laissez les bon temps roulez!!!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Lisa
2.5 yrs in NOLA as a teenager