Hi! I'm New here :)
I feel extremely fortunate and almost am ashamed to be joining this group after reading of others that have been through, and others that will go through, so much worse than me. But I look forward to exchanging thoughts and information and support with this wonderful group.
Thank you for being here.
-Cyndi
Comments
-
Welcome to our Sisterhood of Sisters in PINK --
You will find many wonderful, caring, uplifting, funny, amazing women and Robert here on our site. Our journey with breast cancer as many of us call it .. a roller coaster ride -- so, Put your seat belt on, raise your arms up, scream and go!!!!
I'm glad you have a plan of what to do next. It seems as if your doctors are on the ball.
We on this board know about the waiting and the myriad of emotions one goes through -- so let us wait with you. Post whenever you feel the urge and we'll keep you company.
If you are hesitant about anything, please get a second opinion as soon as possible.
Anyway, you are well on your way, and I know it will be fine. We will be there for you every step of the way.
Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.
Vicki Sam0 -
Thanks!lynn1950 said:Welcome to the club; sorry
Welcome to the club; sorry for your reason for being here. I, too, opted for a prophylactic mastectomy and I've never regretted it. I hope all your reconstruction goes smoothly. xoxoxo Lynn
Thank you, Lynn. Did you have the expanders & implants? If so, what did your breasts look like afterwards compared to before the mastectomies? I know, or I think, they will look different than before but I am just trying to be realistic about the outcome. My PS showed me a couple of before & after pics of patients & they all looked much better, like they'd had lifts & augmentation. Of course that would be fantastic, but I really don't think that is a realistic expectation, do you?
I'd appreciate hearing from you and others that have had this procedure.
Thank you again for responding to my post!
-Cyndi0 -
Another Thank You!VickiSam said:Welcome to our Sisterhood of Sisters in PINK --
You will find many wonderful, caring, uplifting, funny, amazing women and Robert here on our site. Our journey with breast cancer as many of us call it .. a roller coaster ride -- so, Put your seat belt on, raise your arms up, scream and go!!!!
I'm glad you have a plan of what to do next. It seems as if your doctors are on the ball.
We on this board know about the waiting and the myriad of emotions one goes through -- so let us wait with you. Post whenever you feel the urge and we'll keep you company.
If you are hesitant about anything, please get a second opinion as soon as possible.
Anyway, you are well on your way, and I know it will be fine. We will be there for you every step of the way.
Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.
Vicki Sam
Vicki,
Thank you! I think this group will help me a lot. My family, husband & friends are all very supportive but nobody in my family opted for bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction so this is all new to us. Any information, experiences regarding what to expect during this process and the end result will be of value to me. I know everyone is different and one person's experiences will not necessarily be my own but I would be grateful for any feedback.
-Cyndi0 -
Hello CyndiCyndiJW said:Another Thank You!
Vicki,
Thank you! I think this group will help me a lot. My family, husband & friends are all very supportive but nobody in my family opted for bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction so this is all new to us. Any information, experiences regarding what to expect during this process and the end result will be of value to me. I know everyone is different and one person's experiences will not necessarily be my own but I would be grateful for any feedback.
-Cyndi
Just wanted to say Hi and welcome to the Pink Club.
Lots of Beautiful and Supportive people here.
Lots of Hugs....Karie0 -
I could not have immediateCyndiJW said:Thanks!
Thank you, Lynn. Did you have the expanders & implants? If so, what did your breasts look like afterwards compared to before the mastectomies? I know, or I think, they will look different than before but I am just trying to be realistic about the outcome. My PS showed me a couple of before & after pics of patients & they all looked much better, like they'd had lifts & augmentation. Of course that would be fantastic, but I really don't think that is a realistic expectation, do you?
I'd appreciate hearing from you and others that have had this procedure.
Thank you again for responding to my post!
-Cyndi
I could not have immediate reconstruction because following chemo I had radiation. I have been flat as a misshapen pancake for almost 4 years now! I have recently been thinking about cleavage...maybe next summer. I don't think I'll have expanders and implants - I think I'll opt for a tram or diep flap. xoxoxo Lynn0 -
welcome
Hi Cyndi,
Welcome to this site, I am new, too. Our stories are similar, and I think that you are doing very well if you can type at the computer after your surgery! Good Job! I am about 14 mos ahead of you, and what I can say is: every woman is different. The implants are more firm and perky, but it's hard to say what the finished product will look life. It takes awhile, pace yourself. Be specific with your PS, get photos if you have to. It's nice for you both to have the same "vision".
Here for you anytime,
Annie0 -
Hi Cyndi and welcome! I hadCyndiJW said:Thank you, Karie. I look
Thank you, Karie. I look forward to getting to know others in the Pink Club!
-Cyndi
Hi Cyndi and welcome! I had a lumpectomy and rads. I am not taking tamox, as, my onco wanted me to, but, I just don't feel it is right for me.
As far as I am concerned, we are all equal here, regardless of stage, grade, treatment etc. Cancer is Cancer! Right?
That's a lovely picture of you and I assume your hubby and furry child? I hope we can help you Cyndi. You are always welcome to post anything here.
Hugs, Kylez0 -
Lynn,Just out of curiosity,lynn1950 said:I could not have immediate
I could not have immediate reconstruction because following chemo I had radiation. I have been flat as a misshapen pancake for almost 4 years now! I have recently been thinking about cleavage...maybe next summer. I don't think I'll have expanders and implants - I think I'll opt for a tram or diep flap. xoxoxo Lynn
Lynn,
Just out of curiosity, why would you choose tram or diep flap over expanders & implants? My PS told me up front, the first time I met with him, that I would be reading about these procedures (which I had not up to that point) but that he was not going to be doing those. Now, whether it was due to my body type (extremely petite, 97 lbs, 5'2", and maybe a B cup barely prior to surgery) or for some other reason I don't know. My mass was very small & on the very left side of my left breast, stage I. Anyway, since I was not going to require radiation or chemo my thought was to just do the least disfiguring & try to get the best "bang out of my buck", or as I called it then, making lemonade out of the lemons I'd been given. I wanted to be a bit larger than before. I'm not even sure if that is possible but he thinks I can be a C cup when this is all over. Of course, only time will tell whether my skin will cooperate to safely & comfortably accommodate a C size implant.
I look forward to hearing from you and others about these various procedures. I'm already learning a lot just from reading other posts on here.
Thank you!
-Cyndi0 -
Thank you, Kylez!Kylez said:Hi Cyndi and welcome! I had
Hi Cyndi and welcome! I had a lumpectomy and rads. I am not taking tamox, as, my onco wanted me to, but, I just don't feel it is right for me.
As far as I am concerned, we are all equal here, regardless of stage, grade, treatment etc. Cancer is Cancer! Right?
That's a lovely picture of you and I assume your hubby and furry child? I hope we can help you Cyndi. You are always welcome to post anything here.
Hugs, Kylez
Yes, that
Thank you, Kylez!
Yes, that is my wonderful husband and my fur baby.
. My sister had a lumpectomy with rads (I guess that is what you call the five-day radiation tx she had in/on the site of the lumpectomy) nearly five years ago. This was also an option for me but since her diagnosis we have found out there have been six BC occurrences affecting five members of females in our direct line on our mothers's side, so I was more comfortable getting the double mastectomy instead. My sister has been on tomox ever since her surgery and told me she has never even been able to tell she was on it. My doctor put me on Arimidex at the time of my surgery. I have had no side effects that I am aware of. Just FYI: my sister is now 57 and I am 55 yrs old. I was on Premphase for about six years & then on PremPro for the last 3 or 4 yrs. obviously I was taken off of the PremPro immediately after my diagnosis. I'm very lucky I'm sure, but I have had no bad side effects from being taken off of that either. That was a month ago.
Thank you for your feedback.
-Cyndi0 -
Thank you for your feedback,hope4thebest said:welcome
Hi Cyndi,
Welcome to this site, I am new, too. Our stories are similar, and I think that you are doing very well if you can type at the computer after your surgery! Good Job! I am about 14 mos ahead of you, and what I can say is: every woman is different. The implants are more firm and perky, but it's hard to say what the finished product will look life. It takes awhile, pace yourself. Be specific with your PS, get photos if you have to. It's nice for you both to have the same "vision".
Here for you anytime,
Annie
Thank you for your feedback, Annie!
Did you also have the skin/nipple saving procedure? Other than more firm & perky (and who doesn't want THAT?) do you think your breasts look like normal breasts? The reason I am wondering about this is because a lady that works at at Pretty in Pink said something about after reconstruction the breasts are more-now I can't remember her Terminology but seemed to mean-wider or broader, leading me to believe perhaps no cleavage? The before & after pics my PS showed me of women he'd performed this same procedure on looked perfectly normal, only better. As you said: firmer & perkier. I also wondered, since I had tubes in & the lady did not see me after surgery & I didn't mention to her what type reconstruction I had chosen, that maybe she was referring to survivors that had had a more extensive mastectomy.
I think right now these are my most burning questions although I certainly have more!
Thanks again to you & everyone else for your support & information. Good luck to you, Annie! Sounds like you are really doing well!
-Cyndi0 -
Hi Cyndi!
Like you I have a very strong family history of BC & even though I was diagnosed as minimal stage 1 I opted for the dbl mastectomy with reconstruction. I don't know why but I was not able to do the nipple sparing kind. 6 surgeries later I am finally done with being in the hospital. yesterday I had my nipple surger & some fat grafting to fill in areas of the breast. my new boobs look good in. Clothes & if I am standing with my hands over my scars they look nice but I was rather fond of the originals. I has a really nice rack even after 2 kids but I would rather not have cancer. good luck to you! Faith0 -
Hi Cyndi
Welcome....I had a unilateral skin sparing mastectomy 14 months ago. I chose not to save the nipple because my tumor was so close to it. In fact they did my mastectomy and immediate silicone implant through the nipple. I had what they call a purse string suture. I had radiation and a few months later nipple reconstruction and a lift on the other side. My implant shrunk some due to the radiation so I had it replaced. In the end, I'm still perkier and firmer on the cancer side, even after the other side was lifed. I did increase almost a bra size. (had to get some benefit out of all this!). I could have more surgery to even them out a little more, but I think I'm done. I figure in another 5-10 years later if I need to have my implant exchanged, I'll do it all then. I doubt it because Ill be 69 by then! I'm fine in clothes and not too bad naked! I didn't realize how saggy I was until the mastectomy!What I did find out, is that it is a construction in progress. It's not a one time deal. You can do as little or as much as you want.0 -
Hi Cynci
Hi Cyndi I am like you in regards to reading and not posting. I had bilateral in November 2011 with tissue expanders. I will finally have those exchanged in 1 1/2 weeks. I did not need chemo or rads, I take arimidex everday. I had 2 drains for 2 1/2 weeks and the other 2 for 4, that was the hardest part. Do we say we are survivors or do we still have cancer? People sometimes disregard that I have cancer or survivor or whatever because I did not need chemo or rads. I don't know how to respond. My husband got diagnosed with mastastic cancer 2 months after me,so people disregard me and my disease. What do you say? I hate terribly that we both have this at the same time. I feel guilty sometimes because he has had to endure more. It has been hard being a caregiver and also having cancer. Just needed to vent sorry0 -
Hi Faith!Faith1122 said:Hi Cyndi!
Like you I have a very strong family history of BC & even though I was diagnosed as minimal stage 1 I opted for the dbl mastectomy with reconstruction. I don't know why but I was not able to do the nipple sparing kind. 6 surgeries later I am finally done with being in the hospital. yesterday I had my nipple surger & some fat grafting to fill in areas of the breast. my new boobs look good in. Clothes & if I am standing with my hands over my scars they look nice but I was rather fond of the originals. I has a really nice rack even after 2 kids but I would rather not have cancer. good luck to you! Faith
Sounds like you
Hi Faith!
Sounds like you are on the home stretch. Good for you! How long ago was your mastectomy? All of this seems to go on forever but it has only been 2 1/2 wks since mine. I was very small & wore Victoria Secret bras to push up, fill in and even had gel pads built into the bra, so while I looked fine in bras I didnt look great without. I asked my PS what cup size I was (hard to tell when you use VS bras as some seem to be labeled based on size with padded bras) and he told me a B cup. I asked him if we could go to a full C and he thought that would be doable, but of course we won't know until we are into the filling SE stage. As far as the shape of your "new" breasts, do they look anywhere close to what you looked like before? Obviously I am not so keen on matching my before as I am hoping they are a little larger but look like normal, natural breasts. I am married, have been for 15 years and he is very supportive of me, and will love me no matter what. It's just that I am trying very hard to get my expectations in line with the reality before we get to the end of this long process.
Thank you so much for your response!
-Cyndi0 -
Deb, thank you so much fordebsweb18 said:Hi Cyndi
Welcome....I had a unilateral skin sparing mastectomy 14 months ago. I chose not to save the nipple because my tumor was so close to it. In fact they did my mastectomy and immediate silicone implant through the nipple. I had what they call a purse string suture. I had radiation and a few months later nipple reconstruction and a lift on the other side. My implant shrunk some due to the radiation so I had it replaced. In the end, I'm still perkier and firmer on the cancer side, even after the other side was lifed. I did increase almost a bra size. (had to get some benefit out of all this!). I could have more surgery to even them out a little more, but I think I'm done. I figure in another 5-10 years later if I need to have my implant exchanged, I'll do it all then. I doubt it because Ill be 69 by then! I'm fine in clothes and not too bad naked! I didn't realize how saggy I was until the mastectomy!What I did find out, is that it is a construction in progress. It's not a one time deal. You can do as little or as much as you want.
Deb, thank you so much for your feedback. That was very helpful to me. I am of the same school of thought: something good should come out of all this! So why not go up a cup size? That is exactly my goal. Once we got past the pathology reports and all the scare that accompanies that phase I have been all for improved breasts! One thing this whole experience is teaching me is patience. I've never had any at all, but I've sure had to change that!
Thanks again for your input.
-Cyndi0 -
I would say we areBusymom0413 said:Hi Cynci
Hi Cyndi I am like you in regards to reading and not posting. I had bilateral in November 2011 with tissue expanders. I will finally have those exchanged in 1 1/2 weeks. I did not need chemo or rads, I take arimidex everday. I had 2 drains for 2 1/2 weeks and the other 2 for 4, that was the hardest part. Do we say we are survivors or do we still have cancer? People sometimes disregard that I have cancer or survivor or whatever because I did not need chemo or rads. I don't know how to respond. My husband got diagnosed with mastastic cancer 2 months after me,so people disregard me and my disease. What do you say? I hate terribly that we both have this at the same time. I feel guilty sometimes because he has had to endure more. It has been hard being a caregiver and also having cancer. Just needed to vent sorry
I would say we are survivors. I was/you were definitely diagnosed with breast cancer. But they got it all through surgery. In my case, since I chose a double mastectomy, there was no reason for either rads nor chemo. If I had chosen a lumpectomy I would now be going through radiation tx. So, yes, we have had cancer and we are still here: We are survivors that just lucked out by finding, diagnosing and treating it early enough not to have to go through as much as so many others have.
I am so sorry to hear about your husband's cancer. That has got to be so difficult for you both, and your family & friends to deal with at one time. I just cant imagine what you all are going through.
Please post or private message me if you need to vent. I'm here!
-Cyndi0 -
Thank you, Georgia!ladyg said:Hi Cyndi
Welcome to the club no one wants to belong to. You will find a lot of caring sisters here to help you through your journey. I know that they were a big help to me and made it a little easier.
Anything you need just ask.
Hugs,
Georgia
I
Thank you, Georgia!
I appreciate all the support this group has to offer. I've learned a lot just since I've been reading posts the last few days. How nice to have such a wonderful group to go to with questions or to just touch base with, knowing there are people here that are going through, or have gone through, the same things I have!
Thanks again.
-Cyndi0
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