Using the network -- connecting with others

Thanks for your post  ! You are awesome .

I think whether you have a lumpectomy or mastectomy the decision as to have further treatment should lie in what your doctor says about this treatment.

For me (Mastectomy was the only option) my oncologist sat me and my partner down and began...

"If we do nothing...there is x% change the cancer will return...if you have hormone therapy...we can cut that % down by x%...if you have chemotherapy as well we can cut it down further by x%...so by the end of your treatment you have less chance of a recurrence.

He also went on to say if I only have the chemo...I only cut it down this amount...

Of course I was devastated to learn that I would need chemo - by his advisement. Though he gave me the option of not having it. Also by havin one treatment of it he said One is better than none, though four is better than one. So I opted for the four and the hormone therapy. For me - my mastectomy was a life saving operation. I wasn't going to stop further treatment just because I didn't like the idea of chemotherapy.

I wizzed through the first cycle like a dream - it was so easy and virtually no side effects. The second cycle was the opposite. I was sick all the long weekend and the following weekend was spent in hospital when I "caught" some bug that was going around even though the hospital couldn't find the source of my infection from my blood/urine samples.

I am still going to continue cos I still believe it is all contributing to a life saver and I will have less chance of a recurrence.

What it all boils down to is "The more you are informed - the better your decision is made" Ask your doctor for statistics, for suggestions, for reasons for those suggestions. Don't be afraid to ask silly questions. The only way you can make a better decision is to be more informed.

Good luck with your treatment.

PS I am 52 and pre-menopausal. There are some great anti-nausea meds if that is what you are worried about. Everyone reacts differently - being positive always helps. You are not alone in your journey. Hope this helps

Sandy

Hi

I have recently been diagnosed with stage 1 and have had a lumpectomy. I am now making decisions as to (any)  further treatment.. When I  expressed my desire not to have any further treatment (at this stage) other than 6 monthly check ups, the doctor didn't disagree. However, I feel that I should be "actively doing something" to try to prevent recurrence but the long term side effects of further treatment seem to (maybe) outweigh the possible short term benefit.. I am 58 and post menopausal.

Is there anyone else who has experience with lumpectomy only?

Hi Sandy and welcome!  I'm glad you found us. :)  You can post anywhere you find something you'd like to comment on -- everyone is very chatty here, so you'll fit right in.

This is a fairly old post, though, so other members might not see it.  Best thing to do if you want to talk with others is to make a post in your own blog and it will show up on the All Posts page where everyone can find it (there's a link to the 'all posts' page on the help page if you lose it).

Take a look at the Help and Q&A pages if you haven't already -- you'll find some info there about connecting with others -- and always feel free to ask if you have any questions.

~Di

Hello everyone, I hope I am in the right place to post.

I am new here, new to breast cancer - looking forward (not) to my mastectomy on Monday morning and can't wait to get out of hospital, find a prosthesis and get back to a near normal life. Don't even know if I will require chemo/other treatment.

Am a little afraid of the wait to find out the prognosis from the lymph glands. Everyone tells me not to worry, and wait until I come to that bridge. However the waiting is so nerve wrecking.

I am sooo grateful for this network and a place I can blog to my heart's content about my journey. I NEVER thought this would happen to me and was in denial. I am still in a somewhat post shock state and just want all this to be over.

However, I want to spread the news to other women to PLEASE GO AND HAVE A FREE BREAST SCAN. When ever I found a lump in my breast, it never cost me anything. I am now 52 and went because my doctor nagged me into it. I don't know how to thank her. Without her nagging, I would have left it until perhaps it was too late.

Thank you for being here - BCNA.

Hi Christine, so sorry this has happened to you. BCNA are quick to shut down these "fleas" but unfortunatly some get through. I havent had any problems but you did the right thing by reporting a.s.a.p.  I hope you dont leave as it;s a great network for all members. so much info and help hang in there and hopefully it was a once of. Good luck and hope to see you here again soon, Kaz

Hi, I too am pretty new here having just become a liason officer for BCNA. It is great to hear your doing so well it gives us all inspiration to fight the "nasty's" all the way, you truly are a survivor. Thanks for giving back we all know how you feel, once helped by others a lot of us like to help those unfortunate following in our steps. Congratulations and well done.  Nice to make your acquantence.

Hi ChristineL -- thanks for letting us know about the message you received, that user no longer has access to the network. You're correct that spammers are a challenge in all social networks and we have measures in place to block their access once an inappropriate use has been reported (here's a link to a post about using the 'report as inappropriate' link if you'd like to know more), so every report helps.

At the same time, we do want genuine users to be able to enjoy the network without having to jump through too many hoops to participate, so it's a fine balance.

I can reassure you that other network members don't have access to any of your private information in order to send a personal message (and you definitely should never give out personal information to anyone you don't know), it's only the alert that comes to your email address. If you have the setting on your profile information 'private' then it's not visible to other users.

I hope that's helpful.

Hi

I recently joined and was really looking forward to this forum, but this morning received the following spam message below, which now means I will have to remove my details and not participate in this online resource anymore. I realise it is difficult to control who legitimately joins.