Best friend (31) has breast CA
Just wanted to say Hi and introduce myself- and I'm sorry for everyone that happens to have to be on here....though I know also that I found this place. I had melanoma diagnosed 10 yrs ago, and have been cancer free for 4 yrs.
Anyway- my bff, 31, was diagnosed in February with stage 3, grade 3A IDC- 4 lymph nodes positive for breast cancer. What makes her situation even more terrible is that I had my first child 2 weeks before her diagnosis (my dau was born Jan. 24; Alison diagonosed Feb. 8, at 18 weeks pregnant). She had been trying to conceive for 3 yrs, and had to terminate her pregnancy. She went through ACT (is that what they call it....adreomycin; cytoxan/tamoxifen) and radiation, and is considered NED for now until she is able to have PET scans and such post-radiation.
My concern- I've seen her twice since her diagnosis (she lives in Denver, I"m in Chicago), and we're doing a "girls" weekend without our dh's and my daughter (whom she hasn't met) next weekend. All over the news, obviously, have been breast CA survival stories, one of which is a woman who was in a similar situation to my friend, but sought a 2nd opinion @ Mayo and was able to get to week 30 before delivering her baby and then aggressively starting chemo. I think everything unraveled with her so quickly that she did not get a 2nd opinion at a leading cancer center; both docs in Denver said to end the pregnancy. She is great in that she'll tell me she's envious that I was able to get pg so easily....but all these stories now, I'm dreading a conversation about how she's been hearing stories of waiting it out to deliver before having the baby. What can I say- nothing, really- there isn't anything TO say, it's so horrible.
Compounding this fact- I'm an onc nurse- work with "liquid" cancers, though (leukemias, etc) and have had pregnant women find out they have leukemia, and have worked with the oncs and OB's to try adn get the mom through the pg before starting chemo. Of course, some of these stories are sooo incredibly sad.....one or both of the moms/babies have died. She knew and had heard a lot of these stories throughout the years when she was diagnosed.
I guess I'm just worried, with all the breast CA hype bc of awareness mo, that she's going to be in a spiral of shame and guilt for not trying to ride out the pregnancy, or getting a 2nd opinion elsewhere.
It sucks for me, too, bc I have big time connections in the cancer world across the country, and was able to get her a 2nd opinion, @ Sloan Kettering, as to whether she should go through chemo post-radiation. (2 docs in denver disagreed.)
I don't even know what my question is. I just home I dont' say the wrong thing next week post- all this hype and these survivor stories similar to hears.....
Thanks for letting me vent away....I appreciate it....and hope everyone's loved one's are doing well.
Erin
Comments
-
Hi Erin, what a sad, sorrowful story. You know, if it was me, now that I am old, I have taken a little different approach to things like this. Just grab her in your arms, cry and tell her that you can have no idea what grief she is going through, but you love her and would do anything in the world to make things better. Don't worry about upsetting her, she is upset. Don't worry about making her feel worse, impossible to do.
So I would be honest, no Pollyanna pronouncements, like, "Oh you can get pregnant again!" She has heard this a 1000 times. She is grieving for the baby she lost, not the others she will no doubt have.
Then, after an honest face to face telling of your sorrow for her, let her talk. Just let her talk. You will know what to say when she opens up to you.
That's my advice, Shirlann
-
Oh, that is such a sad story with so many ironies. Not that my story is anywhere near your friends, but I do remember cringing each time someone would come up to me and tell me that they were "sorry". I didn't want anybody feeling sorry for me. I actually told one that she had nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. Later that week I received a card from a friend with the perfect words "If I could take it all away, I would". I think now that's what most mean when they say "sorry", not pity, but this just "sucks". Goes to show you that when you are in a bad place, sometimes it's hard to hear what other's are trying to say. I think Shirley's advice is right on the money. Tell her you love her, tell this all sucks, then listen.
Best to you,
lini
-
I can only ditto everything above. Just love her, and listen.
Hugs to you and your little one. Hugs to your friend and the decision she had to make to save her life.
Our hearts are with you all.
-
Thanks gals- fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I won't sugarcoat a lot of things with my friends. We've had the pregnancy talk numerous times- but all the hype about how oncologists managed to get their patients through chemo while pregnant I KNOW had to have made her question her decision. I've had the conversations with patients, too- but your dearest friend of a dozen yrs is a different monster.
Appreciate it....
Erin
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team