Cancer Survivors Network

Thanks for your response. It has been very difficult process as you all well know. I hate to whine and don't mean to. I guess when I am not so tired all the time it will be better. I hope. All day long around family, friends, and coworkers I am very upbeat but late at night when I am alone is when I "fall apart" or let loose. Thanks for listening. I am considering not taking tamoxiphin because of the possible side effects. I am trying to weigh the risks vs. the benefits. I am premenopausal and tamox will only protect for 5yrs. Then what? Am I at risk again? So why take it and risk uterine cancer and other problems? Any info would be appreciated. Alane

Hi Alana! My name is maggie and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Aug.1999. I had a mastectomy and reconst. surgery. I took 8 rounds of chemo and 33 radition treatments. I finished all my treatments in March 2000. The radition was a breeze compared to chemo. The only side effect from it was a little red skin on my chest and neck. I am only 31 years old and also I take Tamoxifien. I was worried about the side effects at first, but I just turned it over to God. It has been a difficult process, and I am the same way you are, upbeat around my family and I loose it when I'm alone. It has got better for me the last few months. Keep up your spirits and don't give up! maggie

Hi Maggie. Thanks for your note. You also are very young for this yet you decided to take the tamoxifen. I just don't know what to do. I want to do the best that I can for my survival but taking a very potent drug for 5 yrs well, I am just not sure. I have an appt with my oncologist the beginning of October to discuss the tamoxifen issue. Maybe by then I will have more answers. Thanks again. Hope to talk with you soon. Alane

Thanks Murphy. I am too hormone positive. I am currently experiencing the hot flashes because the chemo did in my ovaries and caused premature menopause. Will they get worse with the Tamoxifen? I hate the fact that they wake me up in the middle of the night. :( Oh well. I will again discuss the tamoxifen with my m.d. I know she feels very strongly for taking it also. Thanks for your input and take care. Alane

Hi! I'm Maggie! I too am taking tamoxifien for 5 years, my cancer grew due to much estrogen. The tamoxifien is to stop that level from getting that high. Also, I'm premenopause chemo wiped out everything. My hot flashes are not as bad as they were. I have been off of chemo since Dec. and starting taking tamoxifien in Jan. Take care, Maggie

Hi Alane, My hot flashes have lessened, I too went into premature menopause from the chemo and went through the extream hot flashes where I would wake up several times a night but that is not the case now, for the most part they don't wake me up. I tend to not be able to withstand the hot summer weather like I used to but that may go hand in hand with the "aging process" anyway! Take care. Murphy

i know yu all just like me, thinking there's no more new messages at the bottom of the page! ha ha wrong! so what can i talk about now i had this great idea of cheering up the bottom of the page? maybe just some humdrum 'what do you do for a livng' kind of stuff: for myself i am one of those who has spent years deciding what to be when i grow up. they should do a study on that and the correlation with breast cancer! right now, i own a stationery store, which has very neatstuff for all of you who just love to have your little computer area just so so. right now i have an electric stapler going cheap if anyone wants it! in previous lives i was a teacher, then a journalist, then began my own newspaper, which i owned for four years before selling it. i subsequently was publisher for another newspaper in victoria, canada. inbetween these things i have waitressed, run a dry cleaners, run a t-shirt shop, and done books for people. but i really enjoy my store. fluorescent purple sticky notes - but of course we have them! oh yes, i nearly forgot, i was a home care administrator for about 3 yrs too. that was certainly a rewarding field of work. as yu can tell by this, i feel pretty good today. now 7 dys after first AC so maybe i am getting over the hump. hair still attached to all the right places, but i'm watching! hey, have a good sunday, everyone. susan

What an upbeat message! I'm Trudy from Montreal. I finished 4 A/C and 4 Taxotere and 25 radiation treatments on Aug. 28. I have 3 kids all soon to be in university (2 presently are and 1 starts in January) I am 47 years old and am glad to be "cured" for now and hope to stay that way for a very very long time.

hi trudy! thought yu might like to know i am also from canada, but the other end - beautiful bc of course. yes, stay well, but do drop by and tell us how yu are doing! susan

You are the best. Just about missed it, too! Sounds like you are really coming back just fine! Good for you. Have an even greater week -- that goes for everyone!

My staff tell me I look awesome in scarves. I have very nice staff! Susan

this eemed as good a heading as any to tell yu all that i had my second chemo AC on Monday and feel really great. I discovered that mnay of the effects i was having, particularly bad mouth, are a lot to do with anit-sick pills, so i am experimenting with how little i can take. also the shaking is made worse by them too, so if i can reduce their effects i will be a happy camper. I have found out that my second surgery will come four weeks after my last chemo, and radiation and tamoxifen after that. In between chemo and op, i am going to treat myself to a week in california, to meet the guy i have been corresponding on net and talking on ph with for two months now. he sounds wonderful, and i think he may be the love of my life. only one way to find out, and i am certainly not going to wait. cancer does that to us, doesn't it . i am waiting anxiously to hear news of jackie, as i have no doubt yu all are. take care, everyone. love susan

GREAT NEWS and GRAB THE RING AS YOU RIDE THE MERRRY GO ROUND. WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR GOOD THINGS FOR YOU.

Oh Suzy, Now I will worry about you with your internet friend. I know some of those meetings work out well but some of them are dangerous. My neice did meet someone on the internet and they married and are living very well in San Deigo, but we were all worried he would turn out to be an ax murderer. He did go to school here in MO and to the same school my neice attended, except he is older than she is. She met his parents, who live here in the MO boot and still we worried he would take her away and kill her. Have I scarred you yet? Could you take someone with you to meet him? Be VERY CAUTIOUS......Love you, Nancy

Good for you Sue, live life to the fullest,and have some serious fun, but as Nancy says, please tread cautiously with this guy, he may turn out to be the love of your life, we all hope for that, but make sure someone knows where you are and when you are expected back, just as a precaution, you have come so far to just throw caution away, we love and need you, and wish you all the best. Hugs from Tiger.xo

nancy and tiger, hi! I was most touched by your concern, but i think we tend to discount net a bit too much as meeting place, because it is a new medium. I f i met a guy in a bar, would i not be at just as much risk. the nice thing about this meeting, is that we have spent the last two months getting to know each other. we talk on the net at least three hours or more each day. tough to hide a scary past in that amount of talk. and we talk on phone lots too. he has 3 degrees, is an industrial engineer. 3 kids. just sobered up, which is a real plus for me. i have been sober 13 yrs, and could not be with anyone who drinks. anyway i do appreciate your concern, thank yu. on another front, i seem to be better on this second AC. have cut down anti-sick pills. we will see tomorrow. that was when worst started last time. i see tony visited this site. i added him as a friend so i could see when he is here. i also sent him lotsa messages about chat line too, so maybe he was checking it out, and fixing it! anyone hear anything about jackie? love susan

Hi Sue, Tiger here, ok, you are a grown woman,but you still must take some precautions, right? right!! No,there is nothing from Jackie or Pat yet, frankly I am getting worried, it will be almost a week since Jackie went in the hospital. This is the frustrating thing about a chat, we cannot just pick up the phone and call to see how they are doing. I guess all we can do is pray and send them good,positive thoughts. As well as to Maggie too, she found a lump, but hopefully she is worrying about nothing, lets pray for all of them. I am happy to hear that you are doing better this time around. Nausea is a beast, I can tolerate the pain from the Taxol more than I can handle nausea. Well, take care and we'll chat soon.
Love and hugs from Tiger