STEAM ROOM FOR ANGER

I had not heard this yet about the Florida Governor's wife. But he is anti-science about Covid. Now, he will need to rely on science. Ironic.

I do not want this for her. For anybody.

Cancer is the worst all around. Do not want anyone else to suffer if they do not have to. Makes me mad when you can't get your own family to do their screenings for their own good so it is caught early too because they are afraid to get a a mamogram! It is is not that bad and cancer is sure worse!!

And having a mammo doesn't always find it. I think people forget that and assume de novo patients didn't do their due diligence - which truly pisses me off! (This is expressly NOT directed at anyone in this forum!)

Exbrnxgirl - My mammos , including some 3D, were always on schedule and clear. They only found the cancer, because I was diligently chasing some slightly wonky liver enzymes, that I think some would have blown off, especially being "between PCMs". By the time I had a biopsy, I was fully expecting liver cancer (based on liver u/s and MRI), not bc.

Breast imaging center (2 weeks ahead of schedule) did u/s only after requiring a copy of the PET-CT imaging. Only then did they confirm a lump that lit up slightly on PET-CT; it was small, very low against the chest wall in the 6 o'clock position. Even on manual exam, GYN described it as "very subtle". I only successfully found it once or twice.

Mammos help a lot of people, but they aren't the perfect tool most people think they are (as I used to believe, myself). So, I'll join the "Stage IV needs more" corner for Pinktober.

Been pondering Mrs. Desantis all afternoon. She may not want the entire world to know about her breast cancer. It is a personal thing. I sure to do not tell everyone I meet I have one boob now and had one chopped off because of cancer. The whole world now knows about this and she has a long road ahead now. I feel for her in a lot levels right now as a result. She deserves the privacy to make her own decisions about her treatment and her husband needs to not tell everyone.

sbelizabeth - Thanks for your well worded stmt about "not fighting hard enough". Do peope say this to folks with glioblastomas? Sometimes, no matter how many attempts we make, treatments fail us. I saved your words as they were so concise and truthful.

This place has provided me with so much knowledge on bc. I was one of those people totally oblivious, even after my younger sister was diagnosed stage IV at age 50. Fingers crossed for good/stable scans she has this week, btw. I feel like a real shit sometimes complaining here, yet reading what you all go through is primarily why I'm health anxious around imaging and appointments. As far as celebs w/bc, I'm not sure even they know what we know. Maybe they just show up and do what their team advises them to do? I'm sure most don't though. They learn about their disease. It would be something to see one of them start spewing out their stats during an interview. Unless the reporter was a patient his or herself, they too have no clue. None. Shame.

I must be an old grouch. I remember that Fran Drescher had cancer and always seeing the words battle, survivor, fighter, etc. used about her, and how she is a spokesperson and has written a book and articles. So I finally googled her. She had stage 1, grade 2 endometrial cancer, which she always refers to as uterine cancer. Some doctor on her site says they're the same. My doctor who did my hysterectomy said it's endometrial until it breaks through to the uterus. Mine had a small invasion to the uterus, but it never occurred to me to call it uterine except when people don't have a clue what "endometrial" means. Anyway, Fran had surgery (a hysterectomy) and went home. Like me, she had no other treatment. Maybe it's just me, but I just can't call myself a survivor for having an uncomplicated surgery. That hysterectomy wasn't life-threatening and the cancer was early stage. I didn't "survive" a damn thing. Can I say "experiencer" since I experienced cancer and surgery? I didn't fight anything, I didn't battle anything. I mean, good for Fran for talking about it, but I think over-expressing her experience can also scare people when she uses or accepts terms like battle, fight, survivor. There's a fine line between yay, some celebrity is sharing their experience, and boo, they're making it sound worse and more dramatic than it was.

Alice, I'm with you because I hate how some really over dramatize their situation. I'm also seeing a lot of drama llamas on social media making their disease sound way worse than it is.

My favorite cancer celeb? Suzanne Summers…NOT! She keeps saying she had whole body cancer as well as bc, which was her initial dx. I have no idea what that means but she’s made a pretty penny writing and speaking about it.

and an opportunist!

My top breast cancer drama queen is Sandra Lee. She has created an industry out of her "breast cancer journey". She had DCIS, a BMX and reconstruction issues.

Even though I get mad sometimes about things I am not not a drama person at all. In fact because of the medical stuff we've been through the doctors think we should be put in a rubber room sometimes because we are NOT freaking out about stuff when they think we should be.

oh the first haircut after chemo is big for many - I remember mine in 2018 went badly & I posted about it here. I think for many it's the first step of feeling like things are going back to normal. My cancer was having a laugh probably, given that I'd soon get mets & will probably die bald but at the time, it seemed like turning the corner, closing a chapter...