Best Of
Surprise Birthday
Today we went out for breakfast. On the way home I got a text from my SIL saying she was on her way over with a Birthday present. She arrived just after us and made us hide in another room. When we came out, our baby girl from Micronesia was here. Her boss bullied her so much that Australian Volunteers pulled her back home. Best birthday ever. She will go somewhere else overseas in a couple months as UNICEF loves her.
Re: How to curb the fear
I've chosen to believe I am cancer free until proven otherwise. Any other way would send me nuts. Thats not to say I don't have dark days...at times I truly believe I've beaten cancer, on other days I'm just as certain I will eventually die from it. Hearing of another bc sister not making it highlights it. I've had a number of scares too and what seemed like an endless wait for results. All clear. I've found I'm struggling presently. Depression is definitely there. But I keep working at it. I get up. I work in a job I love and I'm getting back to exercise again now my shoulder issues are resolving (medication related ).
I've decided to just deal with what I know. There are so many what ifs...but as we don't know the future we just have to live in the moment.
Practise those mindfulness techniques. ..they really do help you stay in the now and not in your head. Jeep seeing your counsellor.
And lovely...should it be cancer...well we already know you are strong enough to face it again. And we are hear to help you any way we can. X
I've decided to just deal with what I know. There are so many what ifs...but as we don't know the future we just have to live in the moment.
Practise those mindfulness techniques. ..they really do help you stay in the now and not in your head. Jeep seeing your counsellor.
And lovely...should it be cancer...well we already know you are strong enough to face it again. And we are hear to help you any way we can. X
primek
5
Re: 'Together Towards Tomorrow Adelaide Survivorship Conference 27 & 28 July 2019 registrations open
Lovely to catch up with @anne65 and to meet @Marianne_BCNA (couldn't see @Rosie_BCNA)
Some fantastic speakers at the conference. I don't know who to highlight but really got a lot out of
Charlotte Tottman (Psycho-Oncologist) - I wish I'd been able to make an appointment with her last year when I needed to speak to someone but understand now that she probably had other things on her mind
Helen Donovan (Exercise Psychologist)
The lady who spoke about lymphoedema (I didn't write her name down).
Every speaker highlighted exercise as one of the major things we can do for ourselves (that and diet/healthy weight), whether it be for some protection against recurrence, improved state of mind, aid against lymphoedema. It wasn't pushed as a guarantee for anything but that nothing else is either.
I asked Helen Donovan about the link between psychology and physiology and whether there is any evidence that prolonged negative stress has a bearing on developing breast cancer. Her response was "absolutely" correlated though no evidence as causative - holds true for many chronic conditions.
I hope BCNA recorded these sessions and will put them up online.
Some fantastic speakers at the conference. I don't know who to highlight but really got a lot out of
Charlotte Tottman (Psycho-Oncologist) - I wish I'd been able to make an appointment with her last year when I needed to speak to someone but understand now that she probably had other things on her mind
Helen Donovan (Exercise Psychologist)
The lady who spoke about lymphoedema (I didn't write her name down).
Every speaker highlighted exercise as one of the major things we can do for ourselves (that and diet/healthy weight), whether it be for some protection against recurrence, improved state of mind, aid against lymphoedema. It wasn't pushed as a guarantee for anything but that nothing else is either.
I asked Helen Donovan about the link between psychology and physiology and whether there is any evidence that prolonged negative stress has a bearing on developing breast cancer. Her response was "absolutely" correlated though no evidence as causative - holds true for many chronic conditions.
I hope BCNA recorded these sessions and will put them up online.
Sister
8
Re: 'Together Towards Tomorrow Adelaide Survivorship Conference 27 & 28 July 2019 registrations open
Thanks BCNA for a really informative conference. I agree @Sister the speakers were great. I really liked your question about negative stress. I’m always a bit worried about over emphasising the correlation between stress and cancer as some people can feel a sense of having brought it on themselves. It was good that they emphasised that there is a connection, but not causation. I spent way too much time wondering what caused it when I was first diagnosed. I also liked the positive psychology bits and would love to see a BCNA podcast on this topic, with perhaps one on mindfulness or meditation.
I was thinking about what I took away from the conference and it was this mind body connection, the time it takes to recover, self compassion and a sense of connection to other men and women in the same boat. I’m almost at the 5 year mark and there really is no ongoing support, apart from BCNA, a yearly mammogram and a visit to the overly busy GP who works part time. This conference has reminded me that although my life has continued and I’m grateful for that, there are scars and they are not just physical.
I was thinking about what I took away from the conference and it was this mind body connection, the time it takes to recover, self compassion and a sense of connection to other men and women in the same boat. I’m almost at the 5 year mark and there really is no ongoing support, apart from BCNA, a yearly mammogram and a visit to the overly busy GP who works part time. This conference has reminded me that although my life has continued and I’m grateful for that, there are scars and they are not just physical.
Re: Newly diagnosed
I had a similar diagnosis, nearly seven years clear. The panic at diagnosis affects almost everyone but things do become less scary when you have a plan and start treatment. Reactions to chemo vary a lot but in the first two weeks or so you will get a good indication if how it may be for you. Not everyone has bad reactions - I had no nausea for example and worked through six months of chemo. Herceptin treatment extends your active medication time but has proved to be effective and I had no adverse reaction to it at all. Best wishes for next week.
Afraser
6
Re: Newly diagnosed
The great thing with her2 is there has been great breakthroughs with treatment which means her2+ cancers aren't difficult to treat as they were some 20 years ago. Unfortunately Google doesn't seem to highlight this fact so it all looks very scary when diagnosed.
I'm 2.5 years cancer free since my regime ended. My niece is 16 years cancer free (she had 10 positive nodes and was Her2+) . My bc was estrogen+ and her2+. (Stage 1 grade 3). Know there are many survivors here thanks to the current available treatment and there is also clinical trials ongoing for improving outcomes for women who develop metastatic disease.
I'm 2.5 years cancer free since my regime ended. My niece is 16 years cancer free (she had 10 positive nodes and was Her2+) . My bc was estrogen+ and her2+. (Stage 1 grade 3). Know there are many survivors here thanks to the current available treatment and there is also clinical trials ongoing for improving outcomes for women who develop metastatic disease.
primek
8
Re: Newly diagnosed
Thank you everyone for your support, encouragement and advice ❤️
My best friend has banned me from googling as I’m getting myself so worked up and unable to sleep. This network is the best thing for me. To have others to talk with and who know exactly how you feel has already helped me. I can’t even put it into words. Xxx
My best friend has banned me from googling as I’m getting myself so worked up and unable to sleep. This network is the best thing for me. To have others to talk with and who know exactly how you feel has already helped me. I can’t even put it into words. Xxx
Heton
8
Re: Scans
Isn't it amazing @kmakm that once upon a time we would have thought nothing of it. Oh yeah, the scans aren't back, there's probably nothing wrong anyway. Continue on with your day.
Not any more though. That scared little rabbit hides in there ready to pop it's head up at any time.
Case in point. After all my digging and what have you, my back and hip are really shot to bits. So off I toddle to the GP and she orders xray and u/s on hip, lower spine and sacro area. "Just to be sure, given the history."
Now the sane and sensible side of me is there the majority of the time these days, so no worries going for the scans. Any normal, non cancery type person would be pretty sore and could have pulled all sorts of bits and pieces after that right?
Three days later I am in the waiting room to get results. No problem. Not a thought anything was going to be seriously wrong....until.
The lady in front of me comes out of the office. A few minutes go by and the doc still hasn't called me in yet. Silence. No shuffling of papers, no click click of the keyboard, nothing.
Uh oh, here comes that rabbit twitching its scared little nose, where the heck did she come from?....Shit, feed that rabbit some carrots. It's fine, she's probably just reading the report or having a drink, coffee, what ever. Carrots, carrots, carrots.
Why hasn't she called me in? Why is it taking so long? Maybe there's something she doesn't want to tell me. This is just taking far too long to be nothing etc etc. I can feel the tremble starting and my heart rate going up. The rabbit won't be quiet.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably really less than 10 minutes, she calls me. "Sorry that took so long, I had to duck out to the ladies"
She must have seen the look on my face because the first thing she says "You're ok, nothing serious, you've just torn a couple of muscles" Stupid rabbit.
All the best lovely.
xoxoxox
Not any more though. That scared little rabbit hides in there ready to pop it's head up at any time.
Case in point. After all my digging and what have you, my back and hip are really shot to bits. So off I toddle to the GP and she orders xray and u/s on hip, lower spine and sacro area. "Just to be sure, given the history."
Now the sane and sensible side of me is there the majority of the time these days, so no worries going for the scans. Any normal, non cancery type person would be pretty sore and could have pulled all sorts of bits and pieces after that right?
Three days later I am in the waiting room to get results. No problem. Not a thought anything was going to be seriously wrong....until.
The lady in front of me comes out of the office. A few minutes go by and the doc still hasn't called me in yet. Silence. No shuffling of papers, no click click of the keyboard, nothing.
Uh oh, here comes that rabbit twitching its scared little nose, where the heck did she come from?....Shit, feed that rabbit some carrots. It's fine, she's probably just reading the report or having a drink, coffee, what ever. Carrots, carrots, carrots.
Why hasn't she called me in? Why is it taking so long? Maybe there's something she doesn't want to tell me. This is just taking far too long to be nothing etc etc. I can feel the tremble starting and my heart rate going up. The rabbit won't be quiet.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably really less than 10 minutes, she calls me. "Sorry that took so long, I had to duck out to the ladies"
She must have seen the look on my face because the first thing she says "You're ok, nothing serious, you've just torn a couple of muscles" Stupid rabbit.
All the best lovely.
xoxoxox
kezmusc
5
Re: On Our Walks
At the Field of Women last night (Well, we had to walk along the river to get to it)
Sister
8