Aa
It's definitely breast cancer
Well Girls, The Dr. called me this afternoon and told me the bad news. I honestly was quite well prepared for it especially after all the information you wonderful ladies have given me. I have not cried - but I'm sure I will. I was eerily calm when he told me. My husband was on the extension and heard it all too. He was very shocked. He never thought it was going to be bc. His mother died of it 23 years ago. I'm worried about my parents - they are alot older and my dad's mom died of bc, I hope this won't freak them out.
I am glad that I know now. Like you all have said -it's time to get tough. I was instructed to call a plastic surgeon and and oncologist and now I am waiting for them to call me back to make appointments ASAP. I want this poison out if me! The dr said something about chemo first but I asked him if I could get a bilateral mastectomy before that. I guess we will have to discuss it further. He was very kind - this kind of thing seems to be so matter of fact nowadays. A friend told me 1 out of 3 women will get bc. Its truly unbelievable. I feel numb. I just want to live long for my children.
The dr says he thinks I will be ok. What does that mean? Is it a 50/50 shot? I know- be positive - don't look at the negative. Just be glad I found it right? I just can't believe that in a matter of a week that my life has turned upside down. That I am fighting for my life. It doesn't seem real. I can't believe that the breasts that fed my children could betray me. So weird. I remember as a little girl watching "Dallas" with my mom and Miss Ellie was diagnosed with bc. I asked my mom what the big deal was. She told me that as a woman it is. I didn't understand then. Isn't it odd that that sticks in my mind.
I want to thank all of you that have responded to me and told me your stories and given support and answered my questions.It gave me some topics to bring up to the dr.
I am still scared of course. But at least now I know.
Jen
I am glad that I know now. Like you all have said -it's time to get tough. I was instructed to call a plastic surgeon and and oncologist and now I am waiting for them to call me back to make appointments ASAP. I want this poison out if me! The dr said something about chemo first but I asked him if I could get a bilateral mastectomy before that. I guess we will have to discuss it further. He was very kind - this kind of thing seems to be so matter of fact nowadays. A friend told me 1 out of 3 women will get bc. Its truly unbelievable. I feel numb. I just want to live long for my children.
The dr says he thinks I will be ok. What does that mean? Is it a 50/50 shot? I know- be positive - don't look at the negative. Just be glad I found it right? I just can't believe that in a matter of a week that my life has turned upside down. That I am fighting for my life. It doesn't seem real. I can't believe that the breasts that fed my children could betray me. So weird. I remember as a little girl watching "Dallas" with my mom and Miss Ellie was diagnosed with bc. I asked my mom what the big deal was. She told me that as a woman it is. I didn't understand then. Isn't it odd that that sticks in my mind.
I want to thank all of you that have responded to me and told me your stories and given support and answered my questions.It gave me some topics to bring up to the dr.
I am still scared of course. But at least now I know.
Jen
Did you have radiation or do you need it now? The oncologist I saw told me 6 months chemo then mastectomy and hercepton and radiation last followed by 5 years tamoxifin. Is that what you did?
You are so positive and strong and funny - you and all these other ladies know what Im going through. I feel like I cant even talk to my best friends - they have no idea how i feel
\\
Love you guys
Jen
You are so positive and strong and funny - you and all these other ladies know what Im going through. I feel like I cant even talk to my best friends - they have no idea how i feel
\\
Love you guys
Jen
glad all seems to be coming together for you!! yes, i felt the same way re my doctors..it was a sign from God. Mine happened to be a client of mine...right before surgery, I asked him if he loved his kitchen...and he said yes...then i said...do you REALLY LOVE your kitchen??? he looked a little perplexed and i said, well if you didnt, im not sure that i want you cutting on me....lol...he just gave me a big hug and smile and said yes, he LOVED his kitchen....lol...i felt completely at peace!!
Stay strong sweetstuff, youre doing great!!!! and when the boogie man blues come, just start singing...''one foot in front of the other....and soon youll be walkin thru the doooor.."
xo, darcy
Stay strong sweetstuff, youre doing great!!!! and when the boogie man blues come, just start singing...''one foot in front of the other....and soon youll be walkin thru the doooor.."
xo, darcy
I am so glad to hear that you are finding help that you are more confident in.
I didn't need a wig until about 14 days into Chemo. I had fairly long hair so I found a local beauty salon that would cut it close to my scalp for free and donated it to an organization that turned it into wigs for kids with cancer (Locks of Love). Your hair needs to be at least 10 inches long to qualify. So I had a "boy's cut" but a little longer in front that I wore for about a week before the hair started falling out. Having short hair fallout was less traumatic than if it had been long and I felt good that I might have helped a child.
It sounds like Cooper is the sort of breast center that should have plenty of info from the American Cancer Society. They gave me my beautiful wig through a program with the Susan B. Komen foundation. They also sponsored classes with free makeup and gave us scarves too. There are a lot of folks out there waiting to help you.
I didn't need a wig until about 14 days into Chemo. I had fairly long hair so I found a local beauty salon that would cut it close to my scalp for free and donated it to an organization that turned it into wigs for kids with cancer (Locks of Love). Your hair needs to be at least 10 inches long to qualify. So I had a "boy's cut" but a little longer in front that I wore for about a week before the hair started falling out. Having short hair fallout was less traumatic than if it had been long and I felt good that I might have helped a child.
It sounds like Cooper is the sort of breast center that should have plenty of info from the American Cancer Society. They gave me my beautiful wig through a program with the Susan B. Komen foundation. They also sponsored classes with free makeup and gave us scarves too. There are a lot of folks out there waiting to help you.
I had a Mugga scan today on my heart - at 8:00am. They had
to inject me with radioactive stuff. yuch
I have a cat scan and a bone scan on Mon. Thurs I have an mri and a chest xray.
then I have to get a lymph node injection at 3:00 so I can have a lymph node biopsy
done Fri - out patient surgery-they are knocking me out for that.
Really fun trying to organize sitters. -Mostly my mom and sis in law - probably hubby
too.
But.... here's an interesting thing. I was looking online for places near me
that specialize in breast cancer. I found Cooper Hospital in NJ has just such a place.
So I called and a nurse coordinator (Ann) called me back (last week?) and said she
would call me with an appointment to see someone. So Wed I had been on the phone
all day making appointments and I was just spent (and still very upset - my parents
had to come over to be with me I was so bad) and this nurse called me with an appointment for yesterday. I told her who I had seen and what they said and that I couldnt bearto make yet another appointment - I told her Id call her if I felt like seeing someone else. She was cool - not pushy.
So yesterday she called me again - but this time she had talked to another oncology
nurse who - it so happens- is really good friends w/my sister. The nurses name is
Sue and Ann told me that Sue was telling her about "her best friends little
sister" and she mentioned some of the drs names I had seen. Ann said - "I
know her!" So she called me back - and this is weird too- I had gotten the
name of the chief oncologist breast specialist Generosa Grana from my dentists receptionist.She got her name from one of their patients who went through this and LOVED her.
So for some reason all this felt like it was a sign from God. - I really got a great
vibe from this nurse Ann. For her to go out of her way and call me back like that
- I'm sure they arent hurting for business. Plus they are just a center for
my particular problem. And they have offices close to me.
I looked up acredited medical places -someone on the net told me about it- and only
Cooper was in there. Dr Grana is on the net - she apparently is well known.
So I have an appointment with Dr Grana on Monday the 16th. I am hoping she is the
one for me. I have talked to other women (my pre school owner in fact who had a
tumor in her face 20 years ago and is great now) that say I will know when I've
met the right dr. I'm sure the drs I have been seeing are very good and they
are nice and all - but I would really rather go to a woman - and her breast surgeon
is a woman who only specializes in this.
So Im holding up ok - trying hard to be ok for my kids - I always think of my babies grown up too.
Jen
to inject me with radioactive stuff. yuch
I have a cat scan and a bone scan on Mon. Thurs I have an mri and a chest xray.
then I have to get a lymph node injection at 3:00 so I can have a lymph node biopsy
done Fri - out patient surgery-they are knocking me out for that.
Really fun trying to organize sitters. -Mostly my mom and sis in law - probably hubby
too.
But.... here's an interesting thing. I was looking online for places near me
that specialize in breast cancer. I found Cooper Hospital in NJ has just such a place.
So I called and a nurse coordinator (Ann) called me back (last week?) and said she
would call me with an appointment to see someone. So Wed I had been on the phone
all day making appointments and I was just spent (and still very upset - my parents
had to come over to be with me I was so bad) and this nurse called me with an appointment for yesterday. I told her who I had seen and what they said and that I couldnt bearto make yet another appointment - I told her Id call her if I felt like seeing someone else. She was cool - not pushy.
So yesterday she called me again - but this time she had talked to another oncology
nurse who - it so happens- is really good friends w/my sister. The nurses name is
Sue and Ann told me that Sue was telling her about "her best friends little
sister" and she mentioned some of the drs names I had seen. Ann said - "I
know her!" So she called me back - and this is weird too- I had gotten the
name of the chief oncologist breast specialist Generosa Grana from my dentists receptionist.She got her name from one of their patients who went through this and LOVED her.
So for some reason all this felt like it was a sign from God. - I really got a great
vibe from this nurse Ann. For her to go out of her way and call me back like that
- I'm sure they arent hurting for business. Plus they are just a center for
my particular problem. And they have offices close to me.
I looked up acredited medical places -someone on the net told me about it- and only
Cooper was in there. Dr Grana is on the net - she apparently is well known.
So I have an appointment with Dr Grana on Monday the 16th. I am hoping she is the
one for me. I have talked to other women (my pre school owner in fact who had a
tumor in her face 20 years ago and is great now) that say I will know when I've
met the right dr. I'm sure the drs I have been seeing are very good and they
are nice and all - but I would really rather go to a woman - and her breast surgeon
is a woman who only specializes in this.
So Im holding up ok - trying hard to be ok for my kids - I always think of my babies grown up too.
Jen
Hi Jen,
I looked through all the posts and could have sworn I'd written you, but I do have a big case of chemo-brain, which leaves me a little spacy!
Take it a day at a time. Learn facts. Make decisions based on the best information you have now, then move forward. I'm sending my friends my book suggestion for this difficult waiting time. It's "Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting: Patience, Loss of Control, Living in the Present, Compassion, Gratitude, Humility, Trust in God"
by Holly W. Whitcomb. It's not overly religious, more spiritual. I found it to be very calming and helpful during the limbo time. Even now as I'm mid-chemo, and I'm waiting for the next step, which has yet to be determined -- more surgery or straight to radiation (the answer will be made with some facts following genetic testing) -- I pick up my "gifts of waiting" book. There are gifts, especially for those of us young busy women who rarely slow to the screeching halt the the CA diagnosis brings about.
Sending you love, calm, serenity and clarity. Please contact me anytime. We will all grow old to rock our grandbabies to sleep!
Chris
I looked through all the posts and could have sworn I'd written you, but I do have a big case of chemo-brain, which leaves me a little spacy!
Take it a day at a time. Learn facts. Make decisions based on the best information you have now, then move forward. I'm sending my friends my book suggestion for this difficult waiting time. It's "Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting: Patience, Loss of Control, Living in the Present, Compassion, Gratitude, Humility, Trust in God"
by Holly W. Whitcomb. It's not overly religious, more spiritual. I found it to be very calming and helpful during the limbo time. Even now as I'm mid-chemo, and I'm waiting for the next step, which has yet to be determined -- more surgery or straight to radiation (the answer will be made with some facts following genetic testing) -- I pick up my "gifts of waiting" book. There are gifts, especially for those of us young busy women who rarely slow to the screeching halt the the CA diagnosis brings about.
Sending you love, calm, serenity and clarity. Please contact me anytime. We will all grow old to rock our grandbabies to sleep!
Chris
I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma of right breast after a negative core biopsy. I just kept at it and found a surgeon. I also had 18 lymph nodes removed plus 34 radiation treatments. I have been taking femara for 16 months. I am very fortunate I did not let the negative core biopsy be my only treatment. I will pray for you and all our sisters with breast ca. I met a beautiful woman, Vanessa Echols, Channel 9 news anchor person at the Sunsan G Komen Race for the Cure in Orlando, Fla. last year. Vanessa gave me some advice being a breast ca survivor: Talk the talk, walk the walk, and keep the faith. And if you feel sorry for youself, please don't feel alone. New cures and treatments are being developed every day. My husband has been such a good supporter, My sisters (2) have been my rocks. Love and God will help you deal with your illness. Contact me anytime. taktamtaw
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