PLEASE HELP

Welcome Chantal - this place is GREAT. What was the path? There are so many treatments out there now so don't give up. Also, the Chat Room here can be very comforting w/ lets of info.

On a side note, not all share this info, but good to know. If you are on pain meds after surgery, make sure and take stool softeners and/or laxatives, no BM after a couple of days can be another discomfort you don't want to deal w/.

Best wishes

Hi,
I was diagnosed with papillary breast cancer in Jan 2007. It, like medullary cancer, is not seen very often & is considered one of the better cancers to get. My cancer was totally cut out (then radiation & daily pill), and now I just get regular checkups. If I had to get a cancer, I guess this is the cancer I would get. All my best,
Lisa

your aereolas come in all shapes and sizes, just as breasts do. Generally, whatever hand you write with, that side breast will be bigger. I still don't understand allot of the terms and abbreviations either. I asked Dr. Edge about them, and he said that some of them can't be determined until all the testing is done, completely.

I know allot of the women who already posted said you'll be fine, but when I first found out, I cried every time I heard that from someone!! We all have our own journey, yours will be your own unique path. Even if you don't feel fine right now, try to find things that calm you and keep you focused.
That was the hardest thing for me to do, but it helped me the most. Keeping my life as normal as possible! Doing what I would normally do... you know, the regular routine..
The shock of being told you have cancer is horrendous. But I have found, that the more I focused on my LIFE, the less I focused on my cancer. It was some advice I got on these boards.. and it's really true. You have to KEEP going forward. I do sincerely wish you the best.

Just had my port put in this week. The port is surgically put into your chest, between your clavicle and your breast. In order to access the port, the chemo nurses find the port under your skin and stick the IV needle into it. My mom has had a port in for five years and has had it accessed hundreds of times, and she says the prick is very tolerable. There are also numbing sprays the nurses can use if the prick bothers you. When chemo is done infusing, the nurses take the needle out, flush the port out with heprin, and you're done.

You poor babe. I remember oh so well those first days and weeks. Terrifying. Feeling frustrated, helpless, confused, all normal. These boards are a tremendous help. And the more details you give, the more we can help. I do not have a port and I finished chemo. Still getting a drug every 21 days in an IV.

I had my lumpectomy done on a Thursday and was back to work on Monday. You can do this, just put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. And make sure and take at least 1 person to ALL of your dr visits. I don’t remember half the things they told me, but my husband and mom were there and they remembered.

Like what was said above, normalcy. Keep to your daily routine as much as you can. For me it was continuing to work fulltime and going to they gym. Family and Drs thought I was nuts, but it was part of my normal. And everything you feel is ok.

Big hug,
Issa

CRC...The prospect of losing my hair, along with all of the other trauma bombarding me at the time, was so terrifying to me that I initially refused chemo and said I'd have a bilateral mastectomy even though it wasn't recommended or indicated. Chemo was though and I continued to be really horrified at the thought of it...until it started to happen. One day, about 2 weeks after my first infusion, strands started coming out in my hand and, for some reason, instead of freaking out, I went into a total take-charge mode, drove to my wig lady's shop (had already picked out and ordered 2 wigs even though I secretly hoped I'd be the exception and not really need them) and had her buzz my hair. I was actually rather pleasantly surprised that the shape of my head was so attractive....but not pleasantly surprised enough to go bald in public! One of my wigs was in and I put it on and never looked back. Truthfully, the buzzing was an empowering experience, I think because I controlled that decision.

Now, 2 years later, my hair is finally back (I was bald as a golf ball for 6 months), styled & beautifully highlighted, and just brushing my shoulders. So I'd say that the only way past the fear is to walk through it. I know it's hard to believe, but it's really not as hard as you imagine. At least that was my experience....

~Marin

I agree with above. Hair loss was the WORST part for me. I remember thinking after mine was over how different the whole experience would have beend without the hair loss part. I felt naked and exposed. But, 2 years later, you couldn't tell that it ever happened.

Good Luck!!! Shannon

Yes, the hair loss is the worst. I remember sitting at my kitchen table crying on the day that I started to shed. I didn't think I would be able to get through it. But, I did. I was so relieved when I was spun around so I didn't have to watch myself being shaved. I think I would have lost it. I still in the midst of chemo and still bald, but I wear my wig everyday. In fact, just this morning I was thinking how easy it was to get ready for work now that I didn't have to do my hair. I can't wait until it grows back though.

When you get through this, you will look back and be proud of yourself for how much you endured and how strong you actually are. Best of luck to you!