new here

juanita63

I am new to this site, but not new to breast cancer. I am 3 years ned. I am er/pr-, her2+, stage 1, and grade 3. I am doing good except for the lingering depression and sleeplessness. Oh yeah, and chemobrain. Right now it's very cold here and that adds to the depression, but zoloft helps. I'm just here to find out how to keep moving on and ways to help others newly diagnosed.

Skybuf

Hi Juanita....nice to have you aboard. I only joined myself not too long ago, wished I'd have found this site before my treatments and surgery...lots of good information.
Been thru it myself too, surgery then chemo and rads......just retired from working and going for second mastectomy next Monday 28th....downsizing as it were and hoping my lymphedema will improve after the surgery too.
Nice to meet you, drop by often.....and God bless

phoenixrising

Welcome Juanita,
I hope you get as much from this site as I do.
I finished chemo in Apr and am now on Tamoxifen. Don't worry spring will be here soon. The days are already getting longer and the seeds are on display here. Congratulations for making it 3yrs
and hope you have many more.
jan

jackiemanz

Welcome Juanita.

I know what your going through with the depression and sleepless nights. Next month makes 1 year anniversary and I am still taking Lexapro and Ambien to this day to help with everything I have been through but the forgetfulness I have been blaming on old age.(42yrs old)

Finding this site has been very helpful to me and it will be for you too. Join in on tuesday nights when we all meet it's great fun.

Hugs
Jackie

seof

jackiemanz said:

Welcome Juanita.

I know what your going through with the depression and sleepless nights. Next month makes 1 year anniversary and I am still taking Lexapro and Ambien to this day to help with everything I have been through but the forgetfulness I have been blaming on old age.(42yrs old)

Finding this site has been very helpful to me and it will be for you too. Join in on tuesday nights when we all meet it's great fun.

Hugs
Jackie

jackiemanz,
I'm 43, and I definitely blame forgetfulness on chemobrain, rather than age (my husband is 5 years older than I am, so he's the "old" one around here, ha, ha) Anyway, in my opinion Birthdays are a badge of honor for cancer survivors.

seof

seof

Juanita,
Congratulations on your 3 years. The way I keep moving on is to stay busy and give myself less time to sit around thinking of myself. Focusing on other people helps me. I think you are doing a good thing in trying to find ways to help others who are newly diagnosed. If you have a local chapter of American Cancer Society, go to them and offer to volunteer in whatever way you feel able to do. Or go to the hospital and ask if they have a list of numbers patients can call to which you could add your name. Recommending this website is a great thing too. My Mom lives in another town, but she volunteers to drive patients to and from treatments. That may be something you could be involved in. I'm not sure how you could find out about it in your area. You might just offer to be a contact for folks who want an experienced voice on the phone to talk to, I don't know.

You are in my prayers...seof

mmontero38

Hi Juanita welcome.
You should join us in the chat room also. You'll get to meet a lot of people.
Lili

chenheart

Hello Juanita! Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Mammograms! So happy you are 3 years out~ that is awesome, indeed!
As others in here have said, we are an amazing group of women who are insightful, intelligent, funny, and most of all, Kindred Spirits in all things relating to cancer. You may already be involved with the Relay For Life...if not, it is certainly something I can highly recommend.
Depression is not new to those of us who battle the beast. Thankfully, there are avenues to take which help alleviate this real problem many of us deal with. I hope you avail yourself of them.
As mentioned, the chatroom is great too. We actually are meeting tonight, chatroom 2, at 6PM Pacific time. Maybe we can introduce ourselves there!
Hugs,
Claudia

cabbott

Welcome! I recommend the chat room as well as the boards. It helps me to read what everyone else does to cope with things and sometimes makes me realize that my problems are not so big. I also enjoy helping with the Relays for Life at home and the Breast Cancer Coalition activities in my area. I attended a support group at our local Wellness community, but right now the chat room here does the trick. I have a date to exercise every morning at the incredible time of 5:30 am to 6:30 am. People at that hour are nuts but tons of fun. By the time I wake up, the sweating part is all over with and the coffee is great! Yoga on Friday finishs up the week and that is great for the emotional balance. I actually forget about cancer while I'm working out and it helps to have goals other than just making it to the doctor's and back. This week I managed a skiing trip with my teenager. It was a small trip by other people's standards, but a huge accomplishment for little old me who hates long drives and doesn't ski well. I had a ball and yes, we made it home safe and sound. So check out the website and support groups, exercise daily, and set goals for small accomplishments. It makes life worth doing. Good luck!

Unknown

Hi Juanita,welcome and it is so great that you have had your 3 year anniv.! I will reach 2 yrs. in April. I agree with all the others that this site is a God send. I joined a few weeks ago but wish I had known about it when I was diagnosed and during treatment. That was an awful time...Your feelings are normal and expected when you consider what you have been through. Even as the years go by we still worry that we may get a return visit from the enemy. The whole experience is something that changes a person forever. But I think that reaching out to other cancer survivors is a great help and comfort. We can all relate to the intense shock and horrible fear that comes with a diagnosis and the months of suffering through grueling treatments. Just knowing that there are others that can understand what you are going through and are making it and surviving will give you strength. The chat room has been great for me because I feel that we have a special connection and that I am part of a family. Everyone really seems to care about each other. Check it out-I think you will be glad you did! Take care and hang in there. Eileen