Forum Discussion
Get connected day!
Hi all!
Welcome to all our new members, and here's our first Get Connected Day post for 2011.
The purpose of the Get Connected post is to provide a place where you can introduce yourself if you'd like to widen your connections.
What to do...
Comment to this post (use the comment form at the bottom of the page) with a short note about yourself and who you're looking to connect to. Easy!
If you see someone with experience similar to yours, who you'd like to connect to, then just click their username (in their post) and you will end up on their profile page. Then all you need to do is look on the left side of the page under their picture and you'll see an "add contact" link and follow the prompts.
Why connect to others?
One of the good things about connecting to others, is that all of their blog posts will show up on your homepage in a reading list. So if you haven't visited the site in a few days, you'll still see what everyone is up to!
Important note
Remember to check your own privacy settings on your "edit" page. There's no need to reveal anything personal or private, but if you want others to connect to you, you should make some of your My Profile settings "public" so others can find out a bit about you (eg. 'my story', 'about' me' and 'breast cancer experience').
If you're not sure what to do, you might like to read this post on how to change your privacy settings.
Have fun!
Di
(if you want to go back and browse the old 'get connected posts' to find out a bit more about our members, just click on the 'get connected' tag).
49 Replies
Hi Ree,
I can so relate with your sense of hiding and hoping it all fades away. I am nearing my 5 year mark yippee.. and now am looking at reconstruction. I have a marvellous family and great friends but they seriously thought my journey was over one of my friends said to me "are you still going through that" I laughed and said," yes this is my life". I still wake up every morning single breasted, come home from work throw off my prothesis and madly scramble to my room if someone knocks on the door unexpectantly. My husband is my rock he understands and is a master of balancing the look of my chest, my kids have never acted any differently so I know I am very lucky. But I guess only those going through it can truly understand.Which is why this website is brilliant. I am 43 years old and trying to decide if I go down the road of reconstruction with tissue expanders. Some days I am keen other days I tell myself not to be so vain.
You are so right about people not wanting to talk about it and for us it is hard, as it is now such a big part of us. We confront it every day. If you would like to talk anytime please contact me.
Colb
- Hi Tanya, You have me chuckling at the thought of using my son's sayings. We don't realise how many idioms we "borrow" from them..LOL...another favourite creeping in is when one of the younger boys picks their nose, he pipes up with "want some bread with those boogers?". First time I heard it, made me nearly wet myself from laughing... And, ouch! for the moving expander :O( Even though my doctor tells me that such incidences are rare, I've met/talked to more than 7 women in the last two months who have all had something similair happen. So much for all the fail-safes etc... I'm now waiting to see the doc again, unplanned as I'm not meant to see her before the next operation, as my right one seems to have folded or partially flipped. Not sure but have a big bulge where there shouldn't be one and it is incredibly painful and tender. My hubby jokes and reckons my body just wants to make sure there is enough room for DD implants but that is not going to happen!!! :OP If it's okay, I would love to find out how you go with having the operation, I still can't quite picture mine in my head yet, the expanders just look flat and kind of square yet the doc says the permanent implants are shaped more like natural breast tissue so am eager to see the results...bring on April Fool's Day...hahaha Ree xox
Awww Ree, your sons comment has made my day...What snot!!I am gonna take it out for a "spin" today.
I read one of your earlier posts and I too had the reconstruction experience that was a little bumpy....My right implant ended up moving from the constant vomitting (reaction to the anesetic) so it lives under my armpit and I wear this sling like thingy to move it (noice) and my expander port flipped!! The first fill was so painful cause it went into the tissue (burning pain), then they figured that the port was flipped. In addition to all that sugery cancelled cause the QLD Floods etc, then YASI. (What snot)!!!!
Anyway, long story short, I go back on the 22nd of February to exchange the expander for an implant.
Good riddens to bad recons I say :)
Awww Ree, your sons comment has made my day...What snot!!I am gonna take it out for a "spin" today.
I read one of your earlier posts and I too had the reconstruction experience that was a little bumpy....My right implant ended up moving from the constant vomitting (reaction to the anesetic) so it lives under my armpit and I wear this sling like thingy to move it (noice) and my expander port flipped!! The first fill was so painful cause it went into the tissue (burning pain), then they figured that the port was flipped. In addition to all that sugery cancelled cause the QLD Floods etc, then YASI. (What snot)!!!!
Anyway, long story short, I go back on the 22nd of February to exchange the expander for an implant.
Good riddens to bad recons I say :)
Hiya Jacqui...
So glad you have found this web site. I have found so many to be open and welcoming, I have no doubt you will find someone to help you through or share experiences with. As for your fraud comment, what snot, as my 8 yr old son would say, if you would excuse me for being blunt. Any news along these lines throws a lot of turmoil into lives that are planned and organised and if that doesn't give you the right for a bit of a pity party for a while, I don't know what does. Take time for yourself, curl up with some great chocolate, a better book and zone out for a while. Or take a bubble bath. Or whatever your favourite indulgence is. Take the time to acknowledge what is happening and then start to move forward. But I can see you are resiliant, I'm not sure that I would have faced all those things happening with a grin, like you seem to have done. I would offer my services to fix your roof (I'm a carpenter by trade) but not quite up to it physically :O) Hope you find someone before more rain comes...
Good luck with your operation. Let us know how you go, if you want to share...I'll be thinking of you tomorrow....
Ree
Come back and post any time you like, Jacqui -- there's nearly always someone around. And if you make a post in your own blog (see the My Blog link in your profile), it will show up on the 'All posts' page where everyone can see it (if you have your blog set as public, that is).
If you want to read the 'All posts' page, you can find it here: http://www.bcna.org.au/node/all/blog/network. I find that the easiest way to catch up on what everyone's doing.
Best wishes for tomorrow -- let us know how it goes.
--Di
I cannot explain how good it felt to get your reply to my post, I do have good support from my family but unfortunately they are all a long way away and the added burden for my husband when we have to travell 3 hours each way for the operations and then back the next week for the results does take its toll. Anyway thank you once again,for your message, we are hoping that 3rd time lucky tomorrow when I have the operation, at least there are no unpleasant procedures beforehand this time,so am lucky there.
Jacqui
Hi Jacqueline and welcome! :) I'm really glad you found your way here and have had a bit of a look around. Just ask if you need a hand with anything (except the roof -- mine leaked this week, too, and trust me -- you don't want my help with home repairs! :)
Yea I have just passed my 8 years since diagnosis, treatment (surgery, chemo, radio, ovaries out, etc) and :) This time of year always throws up doubts about those check ups we have so I have organized to have mine at a different time of year!! As if it is not busy enough with all the usual Xmas stuff. A big thank you to BCNA who althogh were in their infancy when diagnosed have grown to an amazing network now with wonderful members and many valuable resources. You guys mawwwhhhh know I love you! Seriously the network has been fabulous and helped me and our support group in sooooooo many ways. Hope 2011 is a great year for us all. xx
Yea I have just passed my 8 years since diagnosis, treatment (surgery, chemo, radio, ovaries out, etc) and :) This time of year always throws up doubts about those check ups we have so I have organized to have mine at a different time of year!! As if it is not busy enough with all the usual Xmas stuff. A big thank you to BCNA who althogh were in their infancy when diagnosed have grown to an amazing network now with wonderful members and many valuable resources. You guys mawwwhhhh know I love you! Seriously the network has been fabulous and helped me and our support group in sooooooo many ways. Hope 2011 is a great year for us all. xx
