Just curious, who has not had a mastectomy

pinkflutterby
pinkflutterby Member Posts: 615 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Just wondering, who has not had a mastectomy? I have not because my onc said it would only prolong my life a month or two. I am stage IV with mets to the bones, spinal and brain fluid. DX on March 18, 2009.

Fighting like a GIRL!!!! Libby

Comments

  • Marsha Mulvey
    Marsha Mulvey Member Posts: 597 Member
    #2
    no surgery
    Libby, I've not had any surgery as I too am Stage IV with nodes, liver, bones, and skin mets. Seems as though surgeries are unwarranted for those of us whose original diagnosis' were already this advanced. I found the complete extent of my cancer in less than 2 weeks in February this year.

    How about you? Was your original diagnosis Stage IV or is it a recurrence? If you don't mind, tell me a little of your story.

    This is why I only post well-wishes to those having surgery and/or reconstruction, as I have no experience in these areas. The same for radiation, have you had any?

    Where are you located, what treatments have you had/or are you receiving? My hopes are that my chemo and targeted therapy will "manage" my cancer for a very long time. So far, it's only been 7 months and the Herceptin only worked for about 2 months by itself before the tumors "flared up" again (I was hoping it would keep things stable for 2 or 3 years).

    That's my story in a nutshell. God bless us all. Marsha
  • cookie97
    cookie97 Member Posts: 200
    #3
    Marsha Mulvey said:

    no surgery
    Libby, I've not had any surgery as I too am Stage IV with nodes, liver, bones, and skin mets. Seems as though surgeries are unwarranted for those of us whose original diagnosis' were already this advanced. I found the complete extent of my cancer in less than 2 weeks in February this year.

    How about you? Was your original diagnosis Stage IV or is it a recurrence? If you don't mind, tell me a little of your story.

    This is why I only post well-wishes to those having surgery and/or reconstruction, as I have no experience in these areas. The same for radiation, have you had any?

    Where are you located, what treatments have you had/or are you receiving? My hopes are that my chemo and targeted therapy will "manage" my cancer for a very long time. So far, it's only been 7 months and the Herceptin only worked for about 2 months by itself before the tumors "flared up" again (I was hoping it would keep things stable for 2 or 3 years).

    That's my story in a nutshell. God bless us all. Marsha

    Sorry to say
    Sorry to say I'm in the same boat. Was diagnosed in May 2010 IDC with mets to T11, T12, L4, L5, pelvis, both femurs and both illiac. So no surgery for me either. I'm still doing chemo Taxotere and Cytoxin with Zometa every 3 weeks. Last PET scan only showed 1 spot on the left illiac everything else was clear. Will have 3 more chemo; total of 9. Will do another PET after chemo is finished and then on to Arimidex.
    So far everything has been tolerable but sometimes I'm scared as h$ll!!! I will do whatever takes to be here to see my 13 yo graduate from high school and beyond.

    As Tiny Tim so eloquently put it "God Bless us, every one!"

    Peace and Love,
    Edie
  • pinkflutterby
    pinkflutterby Member Posts: 615 Member
    #4
    cookie97 said:

    Sorry to say
    Sorry to say I'm in the same boat. Was diagnosed in May 2010 IDC with mets to T11, T12, L4, L5, pelvis, both femurs and both illiac. So no surgery for me either. I'm still doing chemo Taxotere and Cytoxin with Zometa every 3 weeks. Last PET scan only showed 1 spot on the left illiac everything else was clear. Will have 3 more chemo; total of 9. Will do another PET after chemo is finished and then on to Arimidex.
    So far everything has been tolerable but sometimes I'm scared as h$ll!!! I will do whatever takes to be here to see my 13 yo graduate from high school and beyond.

    As Tiny Tim so eloquently put it "God Bless us, every one!"

    Peace and Love,
    Edie

    Hi Edie :)
    Im coming on my 2 year canniversary :) So we can beat this. I have read posts of women living 10 yrs and beyond and thats my plan! There are advancements everyday so I feel confident. My youngest is 9 and I plan on seeing her graduate, find that someone special, get married have children and grandchildren. I have to there is no one else for her, her dads a bumm. I take zometa once a month too. Having my next PET and bone scan in November. I am also scared to death but believe in prayer and a POSITIVE attitide is everything!!!!

    ♥♥♥ Libby
  • cookie97
    cookie97 Member Posts: 200
    #5
    pinkflutterby said:

    Hi Edie :)
    Im coming on my 2 year canniversary :) So we can beat this. I have read posts of women living 10 yrs and beyond and thats my plan! There are advancements everyday so I feel confident. My youngest is 9 and I plan on seeing her graduate, find that someone special, get married have children and grandchildren. I have to there is no one else for her, her dads a bumm. I take zometa once a month too. Having my next PET and bone scan in November. I am also scared to death but believe in prayer and a POSITIVE attitide is everything!!!!

    ♥♥♥ Libby

    Hey thanks
    Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. Last week was when I had that sense of gloom and doom; first time since dx'd. Didn't want to get out of bed, didn't want to go to work. I'm sure you know the drill. Talked to my onc. on Friday he and made me feel soooo much better. It was actually the first time he's seen me cry as well. I felt like a million bucks when he told me I was still young. I've been feeling really old as of late. I'll be having a PET scan in november as well, maybe we can hold hands!

    Thanks again be chatting with you again soon.

    Peace and Love to you and your darling daughter,
    Edie
  • Miss Murphy
    Miss Murphy Member Posts: 302
    #6
    cookie97 said:

    Hey thanks
    Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. Last week was when I had that sense of gloom and doom; first time since dx'd. Didn't want to get out of bed, didn't want to go to work. I'm sure you know the drill. Talked to my onc. on Friday he and made me feel soooo much better. It was actually the first time he's seen me cry as well. I felt like a million bucks when he told me I was still young. I've been feeling really old as of late. I'll be having a PET scan in november as well, maybe we can hold hands!

    Thanks again be chatting with you again soon.

    Peace and Love to you and your darling daughter,
    Edie

    Inspiration
    You ladies truly inspire me! I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers out to all of
    you but that seems so inadequate....

    Hugs, Sally
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #7
    Miss Murphy said:

    Inspiration
    You ladies truly inspire me! I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers out to all of
    you but that seems so inadequate....

    Hugs, Sally

    Please don't give up!
    I'm not stage IV at this point but have known many women in my life who lived a very long time - decades with stage IV when there weren't the treatments there are today. I think fear kills more of us than the cancer itself. We will all die at some point so lets live every day as if it were our last but with a resolve to collect as many birthdays as possible before that happens.

    Roseann
  • pinkflutterby
    pinkflutterby Member Posts: 615 Member
    #8
    roseann4 said:

    Please don't give up!
    I'm not stage IV at this point but have known many women in my life who lived a very long time - decades with stage IV when there weren't the treatments there are today. I think fear kills more of us than the cancer itself. We will all die at some point so lets live every day as if it were our last but with a resolve to collect as many birthdays as possible before that happens.

    Roseann

    never ever
    GIVE UP!!! Be positive 24/7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) ♥♥♥ to all my pinkies

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