Hi Everyone. I had my auxillary clearance a week ago today and I am recovering really well. When I was in hospital I shared a ward with 3 other wonderful women 2 of whom have bc and had had a mastectomy, the other lady was having a breast related procedure. We didn't know each other but we had this bc in common and we connected; playing show and tell with our scars and war wounds, sharing our stories, intoducing our family and friends! We laughed and joked and I am sure we entertained the nursing staff with our humourous approach to bc. If you are out there ladies....A Big hug for you all - I was inspired by each one of you! Another sharing point - I saw the surgeon yesterday and he said that out of the 20 nodes he removed 12 had cancer. I was a bit blown away by this as I have caught this bc 'early'! He reasurred me that now that they have removed the nodes the chemo will just be a 'mopping up' exercise followed by radiotherapy and then hormone treatment. Is there anyone else out there on this fabulous web site who has had a similar experience to me??? Tanya xo

The BC connection has been popping up everywhere in my life and the stories I have been told are all full of positives with ladies doing well many years after diagnosis. I think the power of the mind is a wonderful thing. It is also very inspiring to meet ladies who have been through a lot but have come out strong. I have met one lady who was diagnosed at my age (47) and was given little hope of survival. She had chemo and is now a very fit (cancer free) 65 year old. I have also met a lady who was one of the first women in Australia to have chemo while pregnant. She was told she would not see 30. Her baby is now 19 and she is well and cancer free at 47! ( she did have a recurrence but is all clear after double mastectomy 8 or 9 years ago). Hearing that the cancer was in your nodes is never good news. I had it in 5 of mine. But with clear scans I believe the chemo (I had 6 rounds) will have done the job of mopping up any stray cells that may have been around. I have had radiation too and am now on tamoxifen which I am finding quite ok. I know for me the tamoxifen greatly improves my chance of never having a recurrence. I have a new lease on life and feel great. I look after myself by avoiding stress when I can, exercising a lot and eating healthy. This helps me to feel as good as I do. It is not an easy road to detour down but you can find lots of positives if you look carefully. Wishing you all the best for your next step in treatment. Take care and keep connected with the ladies on here. It helps tremendously when the going gets a bit tough. Deanne xxx

Good to see your hospital stay was a positive experience. It's great to connect with others. I had one positive lymph node with my first diagnosis 4 1/2 years ago. I did have a recurrence nearly 3 years ago, but it was local and I have since had a mastectomy. I remember my radiation oncologist at the time telling me how important it was for me to do all my chemo before the radiation. He said the chemo so important for the mopping up elsewhere in your body. He said radiation was more for the local cells. He told me that if it came back locally we could cut it out (and we did). However once it is out in your body elsewhere it is harder to treat. Very sound advice. Even though I did have the local recurrence , am now 4 1/2 years since initial diagnosis and all scans etc remain clear. Wishing you luck. Paula

Hi Deanne, Thank you for sharing those two very positive stories. These stories are what gives us all hope. I know of someone who had BC and was told that they only had 6 months to live. Twenty years later and 85 she is still with us. My own mother had BC 15 years ago and is still here at 85 although she is in a nursing home. As time went by it all became a distant memory for her. I am so glad to hear you are feeling so well and I love that you are so determined to stay healthy. I don't know if I am being obsessive but I have not eaten any sugar since 5 November, 2013 - day of diagnosis. Eating very healthly - no take away since then either. Joy xx

The bc Connection! | BCNA Online Network

12 Replies

Deanne
Member
12 years ago
The BC connection has been popping up everywhere in my life and the stories I have been told are all full of positives with ladies doing well many years after diagnosis. I think the power of the mind is a wonderful thing. It is also very inspiring to meet ladies who have been through a lot but have come out strong. I have met one lady who was diagnosed at my age (47) and was given little hope of survival. She had chemo and is now a very fit (cancer free) 65 year old. I have also met a lady who was one of the first women in Australia to have chemo while pregnant. She was told she would not see 30. Her baby is now 19 and she is well and cancer free at 47! ( she did have a recurrence but is all clear after double mastectomy 8 or 9 years ago). Hearing that the cancer was in your nodes is never good news. I had it in 5 of mine. But with clear scans I believe the chemo (I had 6 rounds) will have done the job of mopping up any stray cells that may have been around. I have had radiation too and am now on tamoxifen which I am finding quite ok. I know for me the tamoxifen greatly improves my chance of never having a recurrence. I have a new lease on life and feel great. I look after myself by avoiding stress when I can, exercising a lot and eating healthy. This helps me to feel as good as I do. It is not an easy road to detour down but you can find lots of positives if you look carefully. Wishing you all the best for your next step in treatment. Take care and keep connected with the ladies on here. It helps tremendously when the going gets a bit tough. Deanne xxx
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
The BC connection has been popping up everywhere in my life and the stories I have been told are all full of positives with ladies doing well many years after diagnosis. I think the power of the mind is a wonderful thing. It is also very inspiring to meet ladies who have been through a lot but have come out strong. I have met one lady who was diagnosed at my age (47) and was given little hope of survival. She had chemo and is now a very fit (cancer free) 65 year old. I have also met a lady who was one of the first women in Australia to have chemo while pregnant. She was told she would not see 30. Her baby is now 19 and she is well and cancer free at 47! ( she did have a recurrence but is all clear after double mastectomy 8 or 9 years ago). Hearing that the cancer was in your nodes is never good news. I had it in 5 of mine. But with clear scans I believe the chemo (I had 6 rounds) will have done the job of mopping up any stray cells that may have been around. I have had radiation too and am now on tamoxifen which I am finding quite ok. I know for me the tamoxifen greatly improves my chance of never having a recurrence. I have a new lease on life and feel great. I look after myself by avoiding stress when I can, exercising a lot and eating healthy. This helps me to feel as good as I do. It is not an easy road to detour down but you can find lots of positives if you look carefully. Wishing you all the best for your next step in treatment. Take care and keep connected with the ladies on here. It helps tremendously when the going gets a bit tough. Deanne xxx

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