Dis Breast Cancer Survivors - GAGWTA!

[MNSusan]

What a cool surprise! I'm so glad it worked out.
Thanks to everyone for the Thanksgiving greetings - Happy Turkey Day to all!!

I do have a question...

I'm just starting my Christmas cards and was wondering... how did you tell people, and who did you tell, about your diagnosis? My family and very close friends know, and I don't want to announce it in a card, but thought a note to a few people might be appropriate. I'm feeling so positive that I don't really know if I should mention anything at all. On the other hand, I know some folks might be upset if I didn't tell them and they found out from others.

What did you do?

 

[denisem]

GAGWTA and Happy Thanksgiving to all...

Haven't posted much in the past month since I've been dx'd - as you all know it's a BUSY time gathering information and making decisions!

I've had a few bumps in the road - I had a 4 cm tumor and hoped to have a modified mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Unfortunately, I smoke (yes, I know - yet another reason for everyone to urge their loved ones to stop that nasty habit) and the plastic surgeon wanted me to quit for 6 weeks prior to surgery. As I didn't want to wait another 6 wks. for surgery, I opted for the mastectomy now, with reconstruction down the road. He did say I was eligible for either flap or extender in the future - hey, this will give me more time to weigh the pros & cons of each. Who knows...maybe I'll just stay my "natural" self.

Sooo...my surgery was Tuesday and I was home before noon yesterday! Everything went smoothly - after spending yesterday snoozing off the after-affects of the anesthetic and pain meds, I'm actually shocked at how well I feel today. Another reason to feel thankful.

The next hurdle is finding the results from the biopsy next Monday. Hopefully I'll follow in my mother's footsteps: she's a 16 yrs. survivor and still goin' strong at 87!

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for sharing their stories & experiences.

 

[MinnieM3]

Just a quick GAGWTA and Happy Thanksgiving! Our company has all finally left and we're done cleaning up. Whew! Lots to be thankful for!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[NHAnn]

Susan.....that can be awkward, huh? I did it in a variety of ways. Once I was scheduled for the biopsy I kept a pretty large group of family (I'm one of 8 siblings) and close friends updated via e-mail...was much easier and efficient for me to get all the info I wanted them to have out there at once. Except for my elderly parents. After I got the biiopsy results and made my decision as to my treatment plan, I drove down to Massachusetts for a visit and told them in person. Other than that, it was sort of a "networking" effort to get the word out. At work, and with different circles of friend/aquaintances (like the moms of DD's long time group of friends), I spoke to one or two folks and asked them to let others know, and that I appreciated everyone's thoughts and prayers and that I hoped they would understand that in the first few weeks after Dx I just didn't have the emotional or physical energy to let everyone know personally. I also sent personal notes and e-mails to some other folks that I wanted/need to know but that I did not have regular contact with. (Aunts, old high school friends, and my ex's mom (DD"s Nana), my bother's ex-wife (mom to 2 nieces of mine), etc. ). DO what feels right for you....I think a note slipped into a holiday card would be fine, you can word it to briefly let them know but also be positive...they will take their cue from your upbeat attitude I'm sure!!

Denise...you "sound" great! And your treatment plan/thought process sounds right for you. I thought all day today about being thankful too! I'll be thinking of you MOnday!

Hello MinnieM3!!

GAGWTA!!

 

[suzadrew]

GAGWTA and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

So much to catch up on....

Linda, my DS & I did the Stingray Encounter & it was our favorite part of the entire trip. I would strongly suggest it.

Denise, I'm sorry about your bumps in the road. I'll pray that you will have good news on Monday

Laurie, I'm so sorry for your SIL I will keep her in my prayers, and a big thank you to you for the prayer list you made. That was a wonderful thing to do.

Kelly, Only 5 days until you take The Kingdom by storm. I hope you have a fantastic trip.

Chris, I hope the MRI went well and you were able to have a great Thanksgiving.

Laura, I LOVED the idea of how you suprised the kids. I wish someone would suprise that way. Hmmm maybe I need to get my husband to read these boards.

Christine, I'm glad your biopsy is done and prayers for you that it will all be good results.

I haven't been able to watch the Oprah clip. I'm just not ready yet. I'm glad the link is there, maybe after my own biopsy - Which unfortunatly still feels like a million years away (Dec 7) I'll be able to see it.

To everyone have a great weekend!

 

[snappy]

Thanks everyone for the prayers for Claudette. The second opinion doc recommended the same surgery, so she went for pre-op stuff today, surgery Monday. I am going down to stay with my MIL. She wants to be at the hospital but she might not make it all day so I can take her to her niece's house while her niece (Claudette's DD) stays.

MNSusan, I called my siblings, mom, MIL, my close friends. I let them spread it to other family members, many of whom called me later. There were a few other distant friends I emailed. Only one couple who moved to Houston last year I told via Christmas card, and you know, they never called me. My husband saw them in New Orleans on one of his work days, they stopped by my friend's house. I don't know if they even asked about it, I 'll have to ask my DH, I just never asked him.

Denise, I am sorry you had to delay reconstruction. It is fantastic that you are doing so well after your surgery. For my self I think it was good that I did not so immediate reconstruction. You can then truly know if how you feel without reconstruction for awhile. For what it's worth, I think you need to be really motivated to do reconstruction, and if you really hate being one sided, hate the prothesis, etc., you will be able to tolerate the process that reconstruction is. For me, I don't really mind having one breast, I just wish my remaining one was not so heavy. I know I will end up having that taken care of, just not sure if I'll do reconstruction on the mastectomy side. The other thing I like is like you said, not being rushed into it, having time to research, talk to other patients, and schedule it when it is convenient for you. With everything going on down here, I am putting everything on hold.
I think you are on the right track. I hope you are able to kick the smoking habit without too much effort. Good for you.

Laura, what a wonderful surprise for you girls. I hope the weather is picture perfect when you go to WDW and that you continue to feel better.

Had a beautiful Thanksgiving at my sister's. She is very spiritual as well as musical. She played one of her guitars and had us all sing an antiphon she wrote. My prayer card was on the serving table by the angel and the Indian (my sis decorated in a Native American theme.) I took some pictures, I will try to post them, hopefully tomorrow. When I went through this thread looking for survivors' names, I cmae across instructions Linda provided once about how to post pictures, thanks Linda.

 

[donnabres]

Good morning all,

I haven't posted in a while because everything has changed again!!!!! I went for a cat scan couple of weeks ago, and they found spots around my spine. Last Fri. I did an MRI of spine. Got the call from dr. on monday to go over the results. There are tumors around my spine. It spread. He said that he was totally dumbfounded as well as my surgeon. All my other tests were good, and there was no indication that this was going to happen.
After talking to other oncologists, he has put me on a program of pill to shrink the tumors. He said that now it is treatable, but not curable. Tough to hear those words. The medicine I am on should shrink and hold the tumors, then I'll have the breast removed. Was told that this was best option because I would be on this for the long term.
It has taken me a few days to get comfortable with this information, but on Thanksgiving my daughter in law Melissa gave me the best present she could have. One of her patients at the nursing home she works at had breast cancer and it went to the spine 35 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is on the same medication I am on. I'm sure she's not been on it that long though. She said that when she saw the patients daughter she would ask more questions.
My only problem right now is that I am so tired. I know it's not the medicine, or physical, but emotional. I thinking positive, and reading all your stories helps me.
Thanks, Donna

 

[snappy]

Donna, I am so sorry you are going through this. What a tough November for you. My heart and hugs go out to you.

I am not surprised how tired you feel. Being diagnosed and then going through tests, waiting for the results, and then getting an unexpected result is truly an ordeal.

I remember you had a trip planned with your grandkids to WDW. Will you still be able to make the trip, at least a shortened one?

I am so glad your DIL Melissa had that news of one her patients on the same med. Thirty five years. WOW!!! May I ask the name of the med you will take?

Thinking of you, praying for you.

Also wanted to send a hug to Christine, Lessa, and ElitaB. The last two we haven't heard from in a while, hope you are both ok and had a nice holiday.

I hate cancer so much. I am glad whenever I hear of a new therapy or med that KILLS it. I find I get very excited when info on something new is released, even though it isn't something that will benefit me personally. I know it will help countless others, but that is not the only bright spot. I think the fact that the cancer cells are targeted and die gets me charged up.
I can imagine this quite well in my mind, maybe it's sick, but it seems that BC is evil incarnate.

 

[donnabres]

Yes, I will now be able to go for the whole trip. Leaving on Friday, coming home on the 11th. Hope I can keep up with them, but if I can't I;ll just have them bring me back to the house. I will look up the name of the meds I am taking. Haven't got it with me. I'm sure she wasn't on this for all that time. The Dr. said that he's had good results with it for many years, and when and if it stops working, then there are many more to try. He also said the good news was that every year they find more and more that work.

I agree I HATE CANCER. I have always been very healthy. No smoking, drinking, and watching my weight. I used to be very heavy for a few years after my 2 sons were born, but then lost and kept the weight off for many years. The last yr. and a half I have put on about 15 lbs. A 17 night cruise, 3 trips to WDW, and numerous other short trips did me in. And when I had a pain or ache, I blamed the weight.

Donna

 

[suzadrew]

Donna I am so sorry about your news. I hope you will be able to enjoy your trip. I am sending the biggest cyber hug I can.

 

[Christine]

Hey Donna--I'm sorry to hear of your "not so great" news. I just wanted to add something about someone I know. Now, she does not have breast cancer, but she is one of my "thyroid cancer survivor" buddies. Very early on in her thyroid cancer, she had mets to the spine. This is fairly rare for thyroid cancer, but it does happen. But it has been years and years for her (at least 15 years now) and she is going strong. They also give her some type of medication to keep the spine mets from growing and they have done NOTHING all this time. They just watch her carefully. So, I'm truly hoping that this will be the case for you. I know it's just one other "weight" that you didn't want.

As for feeling bad--hey, I'm right there with you. My surgery was 3 days ago and I am still not right. I don't even have a diagnosis yet, so God help me if that doesn't go well. I'm am very fatigued, shaky, and I've been having panic and anxiety for the last few days. I don't think it is because I "don't know" my results. I really, truly think it is some post-traumatic reaction from the stress of the last two weeks, the surgery, and probably the drugs used in anesthesia. I'm not doing much. My mom wants me to "go out" somewhere, but I really can't face all the holiday shopping crowds and it's really too cold to go out and walk. So, I'm trying to do little things around the house but I do get very shaky. The Xanax seems to take the edge off, so I'm pretty sure it's some weird anxiety.

 

[denisem]

Oh, Donna, I'm so sorry about your news - hopefully you can focus on your DIL's positive report to get through this.

Glad to hear you're continuing with your trip. I see you're from MA - I moved 1-1/2 hrs. north of WDW last year (after a lifetime in MI) and the weather here has been glorious. Nuthin' like a dose of Mickey and sunshine to perk you up!

Best wishes and prayers.

Denise

 

[denisem]

Christine - I'm with you. Just the thought of going out into shopping crowds right now would GIVE me anxiety attacks!

I know this may sound stupid, but I find it helps me to focus on "funny and light-hearted". No heavy/dramatic TV, movies or books (I'm re-reading the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - they're a hoot).

When all else fails, I resort to sleep. My two kitties are always ready to cuddle up and nap with mom!

Hang in there...

Denise

 

[MerryPoppins]

Donna, I'm so sorry to hear your news. I know that certainly wasn't what you wanted to hear right now. I also have known of ladies with spinal mets that did great, so try not to let this get you down. The meds they have are great. Try hard to stay positive and enjoy that trip. A good dose of Mickey Mouse can't hurt.

Christine, cancer is a real roller coaster. It's so normal to feel anxious and shaky and down. Just try to dwell on the positives as much as possible. My doctors say that a positive outlook is a big step to beating the monster. And remember that we're here if you want to talk.

Denise, I'm glad you are feeling so well after the surgery. I agree about light-hearted, happy things. It doesn't make much to make me cry anyway, and I have been more emotional since my diagnosis. The silliest things make me tear up. That Opra show was a killer, but in a good way. So upbeat, happy stories suit me just fine. Hang in there honey. We're pulling for you.

Snappy, it's been so hectic lately that I can't remember if I told you that I've added Claudette to my prayer list. (In fact, I add everyone mentioned on this thread when they are going through a stressful time.) I'm a huge believer in the power of prayer, so let her know that people she doesn't even know are praying for her. That thought gave me so much strength when I was facing surgery, so maybe it will make her feel good.

My Thanksgiving celebrations were great. Now I'm back home and trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm heading out the door to run a few quick errands before the OU football game this afternoon. GAGWTA!

 

[NHAnn]

Oh Donna....I'm so sorry about your news

.........My only problem right now is that I am so tired. I know it's not the medicine, or physical, but emotional. I thinking positive, and reading all your stories helps me.

I know what you mean....I think we all do at some level! The emotional energy expended leaves you feeling so drained and weary. If you're having difficulty sleeping at night, be sure and ask about a short term sleep aid, (I'd suggest asking for this before your trip.) I resisted such suggestions when they were made right after my diagnosis...and then had a bit of a meltdown right before I started radiation ...got a scrip for Ambien from my PCP. Only took a 1/2 tab a few nights in a row, to get me on track, I'll take one now and then now if I have a few rough nights in a row. 12 tabs has lasted me 5 months and I just got it refilled.
I'm happy for you that you are going on your trip....enjoy your family during this special time of year at a magical place!! I agree about enjoying postive, hopeful stories...on this thread and elsewhere....I thank YOU for sharing about your DIL's patient at the nursing home.

I have some pins that I mailed away for (had to get a bulk order though all I wanted was a few......they say "Cancer Sucks". (don't know if the DIS filter will allow that....but it sure sums up how I feel!!)

P and PD to all of you....
and
GAGWTA

 

[Amy]

GAGWTA! Sorry I haven't been around much lately - getting ready for Thanksgiving and then we leave for WDW on Dec. 7 (the band is going by bus and DS has to leave on Dec. 6). DH is really getting on my nerves; he never was very good at communication, but it's just getting worse now. All kinds of little stuff, driving me nuts.

Donna - wow! Lousy news. I know absolutely nothing about tumors on the spine, but from what some others posted, it sounds like something the docs can control with meds. I'll keep you in my prayers. You enjoy your trip to WDW and your grandkids; maybe I'll run into you while we're there!

Just wanted to wish everybody a belated Happy Thanksgiving! Try to keep the energy up during the holidays, and try not to do everything yourself!

 

[snappy]

Wow, lots of us heading down to see the mouse, Donna, Amy and Laura.
Anyone else? I hear early December is a great time to go, before the crowds get bad for Christmas but the weather is not hot and the Christmas decorations are up. We went for Thanksginving in 2002 and it was really wonderful. We were there for about 10 days and managed to get in a lot of time in the parks before the crowds came for Thanksgiving. The weather was amazing, cool and dry. We usually rent a house with a heated pool, did that time and we used the pool a lot. I was surprised how much I enjoyed being in the warm water. The heater was stuck on very warm.

DH and DS just got in from a trip to work on Claudette's house. They have almost everything out now, appliances (even the built ins, cabinets, walls, floors). Time for the mold spray and I guess to get a contractor to put it all back together again. DH felt really good about what they accomplished, Claudette's son and daughter were there too along with another SIL. You are not going to believe it but Claudette was there too for awhile. Her sister tried to get her not to come but she said I am not sick. I think she is trying to keep busy. DH said she was distracted. DUH!!!!

Thanks Merry for the prayers for Claudette. I will remind her of all the prayers from everyone. There is not a doubt in my mind that prayer moves mountains. It is the wind beneath our wings.

 

[NHAnn]

Wow, lots of us heading down to see the mouse, Donna, Amy and Laura.
Anyone else?

Me, me , me!! and DH and DD too I'm just a wee bit excited
We'll be there from 12/19 to 12/27 and are having breakfast at CRT at 10 am on Xmas day I know it will be crowded...especially the second half of the trip but I don't care

Hi Amy

 

[snappy]

Cool, Ann.

I know you will have fun regardless of how busy it is. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas. I am a bit jealous of y'all, but really glad for you at the same time.

Ann, do y'all stay on site since it is just 3 of you going? With a boy teen and a girl teen and our youngest DD staying in one room has not worked for us.
Even when we had just two kids during our 1994 trip we stayed in a condo with two bedrooms and a sofa bed. We each need our space.

 

[laurabelle]

~~~***GAGWTA sistas***~~~

Linda- I'm an idiot...no pics or video! I wasn't going to give them the surprise until Thanksgiving, but I got so excited I did it the day before and didn't even think of recording it...
I got your card! Thank you!

Dan- Happy Belated Thanksgiving! It looks like you're leaving for WDW soon! Have a wonderful trip!

Susan- I hated having to tell people...it's so weird for us and them! I was honest about that just told them hey, this is weird for me too, and tried to make them comfortable with it.

Denise- I'm glad to hear your surgery and recovery went so well! You have a great outlook, good for you sista! And yes, congrats to your mom...I hope you do follow in her footsteps. Praying you get good news.

Laurie- Your Thanksgiving sounded really beautiful! Praying that Claudette's surgery goes well on Mon.
I was in WDW during the same time 7 yrs ago, right before my dx. I came home and had my biopsy the next day. I haven't been back during Dec. since then and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the decorations and festivities...and celebrating the fact that I'm still here to take my kids to Disney 7 yrs after my cancer dx!

Donna- I'm so sorry to hear that sista. Yes, hold that 35yrs in your thoughts! I know I am for you too... Here's to the meds kickin' some bc butt! I hope you have a magical trip!

Amy- Have a wonderful trip! When is the band playing?

Ann- I would love to buy some of those pins from you! How many do you have? CRT for Christmas breakfast sounds divine! I know you'll have a great time regardless of the crowds.