new diagnosis

zahalene said:

Welcome
We understand. And we care. And we can help.
You have begun your treatment plan and that is step 1.
You came here (smart move)...step 2.
Next will come a series of steps, each of which will be accomplished one day at a time, breathing deeply, and gaining confidence with each victory gained.
You will struggle with some issues more than others, you will cry, laugh (seriously), know fear, find peace, and amaze yourself with the new knowledge of how strong you can be when life throws you a curve.
You will make new friends here and some will become life-long. You will get information, have questions answered, rant, post and post and post, and you will be a vibrant part of a community of loving supportive people.
And one day, sooner than you now think possible, you will read a post titled...'new diagnosis'...and you will respond with all the wisdom you have gained here, 'paying it forward' so that another woman can find her way on this path that now seems so dark and scary.
And you will say 'I am blessed'.
Grace and mercy.

Wonderful reply Zahalene
I could not say it better!

These days will be very scary..but I agree..take it one day at a time. I hope you have some help with your son. What you do have is help from friends here...you can tell us how you are feeling and there will always be somone who understands and can give some comfort. Take good care of yourself and keep in touch.

Pat

Prayers to you
prv, I agree with all of the comments, They were nicely said. One day at a time. I was newly dx in April. Prayer to you and your son!! Diane

prv said:

thank you
thank you, for writing to me, zahalene. I finally had a good cry after reading what you wrote. My little girl has been with my brother about an hour away for two weeks and hopefully she can come home this weekend. I am afraid that she will be scared too. I have a very good oncologist and think I will recieve good care. I know i will be getting chemo (8 weeks) and likely radiation due to the lymph nodes. thank you for your kind words.

prv

Zah that was beautiful
Hi prv and welcome. Zah said it all and so beautifully. Your daughter is going to react to you the same way you react to her. It's not easy to act brave when inside you feel like you are falling into a million pieces. We are here for you when you feel like venting, have questions or just want to talk.

Jadie<3

prv said:

thank you
thank you, for writing to me, zahalene. I finally had a good cry after reading what you wrote. My little girl has been with my brother about an hour away for two weeks and hopefully she can come home this weekend. I am afraid that she will be scared too. I have a very good oncologist and think I will recieve good care. I know i will be getting chemo (8 weeks) and likely radiation due to the lymph nodes. thank you for your kind words.

prv

Your little girl...
will take her cue from you on this issue. My daughter was 12 and son was 1 1/2 when I was diagnosed. One was too young to understand much at all and the other understood only too well!
Be honest (age appropriately) with your daughter but strive to keep her life as normal and on-schedule as possible. Don't dwell on the negative aspects of treatment but explain that the medicine is working hard to remove the 'sick cells' from your body and so it makes you feel tired or 'yukky' sometimes (or whatever symptoms might be noticeable to her). Don't try to answer her questions before she asks them. We can't know where our little ones are in their thinking until they give us some cues. Then answer as positively as possible.
She is seven years old...be prepared for the 'are you going to die' question. This is a real concern for children her age when a parent so much as gets a cold or cuts their finger. And your little one has a special challenge in view of her past experience with loosing her first parents. You will want to think ahead and decide how to help her understand that this is not connected to the loss of her parents.
At some point some professional counseling might be helpful to both you and her. You do not need to try to bear all the burden alone. In fact, do not ever hesitate to ask for help in any area during your treatment and recovery. I hope you have a good family/support system available for the daily issues of living as well as the emotional support that is so valuable in crisis times. Not everyone in your life may respond as you expect them to, but look for a 'rock' among your closest connections whom you can call any time, day or night, for whatever need presents itself.
Once you have your 'survival machine' well oiled and running smoothly, you will be able to move through the process with confidence that you are doing all you can do and that will give you a measure of valuable peace that will empower you to live above circumstances.
God bless. Keep posting!

CR1954 said:

Hello and welcome prv.......
I'm very glad that you found us.

Everything that Zah said! You will find comfort and support here, along with answers.

Big hugs,

CR

Welcome
Welcome to the site prv, but, sorry you are here because of bc. You will find support and comfort here with all of us bc survivors! I have to agree with what Zah wrote too. Keep us updated! Good luck! Hugs, Jeanne

Moopy23 said:

Prv, I cannot add more to
Prv, I cannot add more to what these ladies have written, especially Zahalene., but I do want to send my best wishes to you.

Also, as Patty wrote, we have all been down that road, the one that begins with the breast cancer diagnosis. We know the fear and the inability to sleep. So you have come to the right place for understanding and support in the days and nights ahead. Please let us know when you find out your scan results. In the meantime, as another sister here suggested, you might consider asking your doc. for an anti-anxiety med, such as Zanax. It will help with sleeping as well as the anxiety. And I am speaking from experience, as are we all.

Sending best wishes and positive thoughts to you.

Sending you my best wishes
Sending you my best wishes and prayers! Please update us! Hugs, Lex

welcome prv
Glad you found us, sounds like you have already gotten some wonderful advice from a bunch of wonderful people that are on this site. Let us know how it goes and keep as positive thoughts as possible.

=^..^=

Christmas Girl said:

Welcome, prv
Welcome to the group. We're all here to support and encourage each other.

As always, zahalene's posts are so eloquently worded and full of such valuable wisdom - there's nothing else I can possibly add.

Best wishes to you.

Kind regards, Susan

Welcoming you prv to the
Welcoming you prv to the site! Zahlene has said it the best, as always! Good luck!

aurora2009 said:

There;s no way to say it any better than Zahalene
Welcome PRV, as you can see you've come to the right place for love, understanding and real support. I just wanted to welcome you, and let you know there is always some one here, at all stages of the fight, When ever you feel like you need us we'll be here for you.

Aurora

Absolutely, Zahalene said it
Absolutely, Zahalene said it all. You have come to the right place. They are sincere, caring, and so much more that I can't even describe. You will be lifted up here and we will all carry you.

Love,
Maryann