diagnosed yesterday

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Heatherbelle
Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Wow am I glad I stumbled upon these discussion boards this morning...I'm 34 years old, a stay at home mom to 2 beautiful girls, ages 9 and 18 months, and yesterday I found out that I have breast cancer. I found a lump a few months back (which my family Dr. said wasn't anything to worry about....) and after the appointments, mammogram, ultrasound, and finally, biopsy, I got the results yesterday. I guess I just wanted to introduce myself and say "thank you" to all of you sharing your stories and the wealth of information that is on here -I have absolutely no family history of breast cancer, and I don't know anyone who has, so to hear from others who have gone through everything that I am, and will be going through is invaluable to me.
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  • padee6339
    padee6339 Member Posts: 763
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    Welcome Heatherbelle
    Sorry you had to find us this way, but welcome to this board. You will receive lots of information from wonderful women who have been right where you are now. The first bit of advise I can give you is to "just breathe" - take each step as it comes and talk to your doctors. Question them when you need to and trust them to get you through this. I was diagnosed in September 2008 with Stage 1, Triple Negative (no lymph involvement). I had a lumpectomy, 6 rounds of chemo and 36 radiation treatments, finishing up just a little over a year ago this month. Trust me when I say - it is do-able. Right now you are scared and angry but take it one step at a time. The enormous amount of support you will get on this board will help you through this almost as much as the treatment. Please keep us up to date on your progress and just watch for the responses you get from these fantastic women (and men)!
    Bless you - Pat
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
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    padee6339 said:

    Welcome Heatherbelle
    Sorry you had to find us this way, but welcome to this board. You will receive lots of information from wonderful women who have been right where you are now. The first bit of advise I can give you is to "just breathe" - take each step as it comes and talk to your doctors. Question them when you need to and trust them to get you through this. I was diagnosed in September 2008 with Stage 1, Triple Negative (no lymph involvement). I had a lumpectomy, 6 rounds of chemo and 36 radiation treatments, finishing up just a little over a year ago this month. Trust me when I say - it is do-able. Right now you are scared and angry but take it one step at a time. The enormous amount of support you will get on this board will help you through this almost as much as the treatment. Please keep us up to date on your progress and just watch for the responses you get from these fantastic women (and men)!
    Bless you - Pat

    thank you
    Thank you for your warm welcome Pat- I had my freak out day yesterday, and in researching online and reading through the message boards on here I'm finding comfort. I don't know anything about what stage I have, or anything else, just that the lump is about 1.5 cm, and i go back to my Dr tomorrow to get our game plan going. I have a very supportive husband and a wonderful, positive circle of close friends who are here for me, but am looking forward to sharing and learning from the ladies on here who know what I'm going through.
  • MyTurnNow
    MyTurnNow Member Posts: 2,686 Member
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    Heather, I also wanted to
    Heather, I also wanted to welcome you. I, like you, was the first in my family to battle this beast. I was diagnosed June 2009, have had a lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and am now taking Arimidex. I finished my treatments last Christmas Eve. The wonderful part of this site is that we all "get it", meaning we know how you are feeling because we have been there. That in itself will be invaluable to you in the upcoming months because we can help you through your treatments. I would like to caution that you are careful with surfing the web for information because a lot of it out there isn't necessarily accurate. Keep us posted on your progress and treatment plan and we'll help in anyway we can. Good luck!
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
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    MyTurnNow said:

    Heather, I also wanted to
    Heather, I also wanted to welcome you. I, like you, was the first in my family to battle this beast. I was diagnosed June 2009, have had a lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and am now taking Arimidex. I finished my treatments last Christmas Eve. The wonderful part of this site is that we all "get it", meaning we know how you are feeling because we have been there. That in itself will be invaluable to you in the upcoming months because we can help you through your treatments. I would like to caution that you are careful with surfing the web for information because a lot of it out there isn't necessarily accurate. Keep us posted on your progress and treatment plan and we'll help in anyway we can. Good luck!

    thanks
    Thank you, and yes, I'm pretty careful about the web info that I'm checking out. It's nice here because alot of the questions I've had, I've read many threads on here dealing with the same thing.
    Thank you again :)
  • Balentine
    Balentine Member Posts: 393
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    MyTurnNow said:

    Heather, I also wanted to
    Heather, I also wanted to welcome you. I, like you, was the first in my family to battle this beast. I was diagnosed June 2009, have had a lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and am now taking Arimidex. I finished my treatments last Christmas Eve. The wonderful part of this site is that we all "get it", meaning we know how you are feeling because we have been there. That in itself will be invaluable to you in the upcoming months because we can help you through your treatments. I would like to caution that you are careful with surfing the web for information because a lot of it out there isn't necessarily accurate. Keep us posted on your progress and treatment plan and we'll help in anyway we can. Good luck!

    Welcome to your new sisters and supporters
    We welcome you Heather and pray that all goes well at the doctor tomorrow. Please know we will be here for you for whatever you need and know that God is also a refuge for you to lean on and gain strength from when your strength runs out. Please feel free to reach out to us whenever you need to and we will be here for you to lift you up and encourage you and pray for you and with you. God bless and welcome. Love and hugs, Lorrie
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
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    Welcome
    So sorry to hear your news, but glad you found us, Heatherbelle.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
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    thanks
    Thank you, and yes, I'm pretty careful about the web info that I'm checking out. It's nice here because alot of the questions I've had, I've read many threads on here dealing with the same thing.
    Thank you again :)

    Hi Heather
    Welcome Heather to this great site! You will find so much support, love and help in your dealing with bc.

    I am so sorry that you even had to come here, but, wish you all the best of luck!

    Sue :)
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
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    Hugs~Hugs~Hugs
    I certainly wish you did not have a reason to have to seek us out but since you do I am so glad you found us, WELCOME! You will find this site is filled with caring individuals who understand what you are going through. My best to you.

    RE
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
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    Sadly, we welcome you.......
    Wish you had no need for this discussion board but you "stumbled" onto a wealth of information! And wonderful women who will do their very best to answer questions, be supportive and provide as much help as possible......My heart breaks each and everytime a "newbie" finds us......espeically you young mothers with small children. My daughter is grown with 3 young children and I pray daily that this doesn't befall her, also....

    It's a battle, Heather, but one that can and is beat daily! Please stay in touch with this board....as I said, it's a wealth of information as far as sharing our own experiences....I understand that there is also a website for younger women, that you might also want to check out.

    Some unsolicited advice......please let anyone and everyone help you during this, housework, meals,taking the children for a few hours. etc........people tend to feel helpless watching someone they love and care about go through this and want to help but often don't know how or what to do.....so allow them, it helps them as much as it helps you!

    I wish you the very best......don't forget we're here for you
    Peace be with you,
    Nancy
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
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    MAJW said:

    Sadly, we welcome you.......
    Wish you had no need for this discussion board but you "stumbled" onto a wealth of information! And wonderful women who will do their very best to answer questions, be supportive and provide as much help as possible......My heart breaks each and everytime a "newbie" finds us......espeically you young mothers with small children. My daughter is grown with 3 young children and I pray daily that this doesn't befall her, also....

    It's a battle, Heather, but one that can and is beat daily! Please stay in touch with this board....as I said, it's a wealth of information as far as sharing our own experiences....I understand that there is also a website for younger women, that you might also want to check out.

    Some unsolicited advice......please let anyone and everyone help you during this, housework, meals,taking the children for a few hours. etc........people tend to feel helpless watching someone they love and care about go through this and want to help but often don't know how or what to do.....so allow them, it helps them as much as it helps you!

    I wish you the very best......don't forget we're here for you
    Peace be with you,
    Nancy

    Welcome, Heather
    Just wanted to welcome you, Heather, and echo what MyTurnNow said -- you can really scare yourself silly with a lot of the information that's out there, so do be careful and gentle with yourself right now.

    Both my surgeon and oncologist forbade me to go to any website except for the ACS site -- their caution was that so much of the information on the web is just plain old, but looks like it's current. IMO, the Mayo Clinic and Susan G. Komen sites are also reputable and up-to-date.

    When you see your doctor, hopefully he/she will tell you (or you should ask) whether you're ER/PR positive or negative, and Her2 positive or negative. Besides tumor size, those are the basic facts that they should have determined from your biopsy, and will start to give you a general idea of what your treatment may include.

    Please come here often, and ask all your questions -- I truly believe there are no better friends for this journey than the women and men here.

    Traci
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
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    Welcome, Heather
    I was diagnosed in 2008 at age 34, too. I know this can be an overwhelming time for you, but please continue to reach out. I would also like to invite you to stop by www.youngsurvival.org and click on "bulletin boards" to chat with women under the age of 40 who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. There are many there (as here) with young children and there is wide coverage of many issues paticularly faced by us younger women with breast cancer. You are not alone. I'll be turning 36 in August and feel great. You will get there, too. Hugs and best wishes.

    Mimi
  • greyhoundluvr
    greyhoundluvr Member Posts: 402
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    Heatherbelle -
    So sorry that you are here or ever had a need to find us. There are many other young women out there who are dealing with this experience and I am sure that you will hear from them as well - but we are all here to support you in any way we can. You are going to have a lot of information flying at you and probably some decisions to make. One suggestion I would make would be to consider obtaining a consultation with an oncologist before making a final decision about surgery. It is sometimes recommended that you not see the oncologist until after you have your surgery (and thus your final pathology report) but I found this to be very beneficial. Even though the pathology can change somewhat between your biopsy and your surgical results, they can provide you with a lot of information about the type of cancer that you have, treatment options, surgical options and just a better overall understanding of what to expect. Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

    Chris
  • GregStahl
    GregStahl Member Posts: 188
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    Heatherbelle,
    So sorry to hear about your diagnoses. My wife was diagnosed 4/20. If you are doing research the best site (and many of our Dr have pointed us here) is the MD Anderson site and ACS.
    Good luck, you will be in our thoughts and prayers.
    Greg
  • 2Floridiansisters
    2Floridiansisters Member Posts: 384 Member
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    GregStahl said:

    Heatherbelle,
    So sorry to hear about your diagnoses. My wife was diagnosed 4/20. If you are doing research the best site (and many of our Dr have pointed us here) is the MD Anderson site and ACS.
    Good luck, you will be in our thoughts and prayers.
    Greg

    Hi Heatherbelle
    Just like all the others before me I want to say "Hi and welcome" to the kindest bb on the internet! Everyone here was and is or has been just afraid as you are right now, you have a million things going through your head, don't worry, everyone here will help you, they did me and I've only been here a month. Ask any and every question you can think of, someone knows how to help you find the answer,

    My prayers are with you, stay strong and stay positive!

    Love Ronda
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
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    GregStahl said:

    Heatherbelle,
    So sorry to hear about your diagnoses. My wife was diagnosed 4/20. If you are doing research the best site (and many of our Dr have pointed us here) is the MD Anderson site and ACS.
    Good luck, you will be in our thoughts and prayers.
    Greg

    Yes Heather, do be careful
    Yes Heather, do be careful with some websites. I think this one is the best! And, always ask your own doctors any and all questions that you have. There are no dumb questions! Write them down, take someone with you, as, usually you are not going to hear everything. We ask everything here and always get good reply's.

    Sue :)

    ADDED: You might even consider a tape recorder when you see your doctors. I know it helps too.
  • Boppy_of_6
    Boppy_of_6 Member Posts: 1,138
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    Welcome Heatherbelle, as
    Welcome Heatherbelle, as others have said I am sorry you have the need for this board, but glad you found it. I have not been here long diagnosed in Jan. 10 You will find a lot of wonderful people here and the information you can get a great help. I had a lumpectomy in March have 1 chemo trt. left then radiation. I know you will hear this more than once but this is very doable. I have not been sick at all from chem just some fatigue. Take someone with you to your appts. you will get tons of info and you will not be able to rememeber it all. Keep us posted on what is happening. Prayers coming your way God Bless
    (((Hugs))) Janice
  • smalldoggroomer
    smalldoggroomer Member Posts: 1,184
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    Welcome Heatherbelle
    You are certainly amongst some great ladies here. I was diagnosed last april. I start my Chemo the 29th of this month. This site is the best place you can be. We will all be here for you through your journey. Keep us posted. My prayers are with you and your family. Kay
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
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    Heatherbelle
    So sorry that you had to search for a BC website at such a young age): I was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago but I'm 61 and the 5th in my family. These ladies have a wealth of info. Every topic is covered. Hang in there and visit often...
    Char
  • Lighthouse_7
    Lighthouse_7 Member Posts: 1,566 Member
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    Hi Heatherbelle,
    So sorry to

    Hi Heatherbelle,
    So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. This is a wonderful place to come ask for advise, ask for prayers or just sit back and read sometimes. Everyone here will help you in any way they can, including myself, although sometimes I am off for days. I do try and catch up. LOL
    We have all fought the battle and will be glad to guide you through.
    My prayers are already on the way.
    Best of Luck,
    Wanda
  • SamuraiMom
    SamuraiMom Member Posts: 295
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    Rolling Out the Pink Carpet...
    Welcome!!!

    I was diagnosed at 39 and have two young daughters ages 9 and 6.

    I'm on the tail end of my double mastectomy on 9-9-09 and going through the reconstruction process now.

    I was so glad to find this site too.

    Everyone here is my Invisi-Sister! :)

    Welcome, welcome!!

    xxoo,
    SamuraiMom