Friday Update!
Hi everyone and welcome to the Friday update. This week we have 18 new members. Please help me welcome @caseymmcc, @susieq2, @breast65, @el46 and all our other new members. Community highlights Each week we have lots of different discussions take place in the online network. These can include questions, updates, celebrations and so much more. Here are some conversations this week you may have missed: @ccasper - Fertility post chemo @wndsrfn - 2nd year check up @becmac - Annual scans and stereotactic biopsy @wendh67 - On line support friends Congratulations to our wonderful member Karen who completed a Certificate III in Fitness as part of BCNA’s partnership with Fernwood Fitness Foundation Scholarship Program! After being diagnosed with breast cancer Karen became passionate about the use of exercise to manage the side effects of treatment & reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Karen is excited to use her training to help other breast cancer survivors in the Darwin community. To read Karen's story click here. News & events Tamoxifen added to PBS for women at increased risk of breast cancer. To read more click here. Do you know someone who has a disability and has been affected by breast cancer? BCNA would like to understand what information and support people with a disability who have breast cancer need. We also are interested in the breast cancer information and support needs of people who support people with a disability. To find out more information click here. Newcastle Information Forum - Tuesday 11th October. To register click here Our partners & supporters BCNA is fortunate to have partners and supporters that help us ensure we deliver our programs and services free of charge to Australia's affected by breast cancer. Florsheim has just released a new BCNA range of shoes for men and woman. Our Partnerships Coordinator, Zoe Jennings, tells us how this idea was born at one of our information forums. When I started working at BCNA in January, I got to know a few of our wonderful volunteers and their sense of fashion when it comes to footwear. I thought it would be great to have a beautiful, comfortable hot pink wedge for our lovely ladies to wear to support and promote BCNA. After doing my research on the various shoe companies, I knew that Florsheim was the best fit with BCNA and our members. A meeting was set up and we pitched the idea. Florsheim immediately agreed. They were very generous and I knew it was going to be an incredible partnership. The BCNA range recently launched in all Florsheim stores. There are six women’s and three men’s shoes. The best part is that with every pair purchased, $40 is donated to BCNA. This helps support our programs and services such as our information forums, kits, and the online network. So head into any Florsheim store to pick up your favourite pair! For more information about our partnerships. Active & wellness tip Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can! Everyone is different so it is important to set yourself realistic goals and to listen to your body, start excising at an appropriate level for you. No gym membership? No problem. Use basic items that are already have. Cans of food for weights, walk up and down the stairs. Any exercise is better than none and more is better than less so try and avoid inactivity. Here is a little inspiration leading into the weekend from our creative members of the online network Have a lovely weekend, Ann-Marie x51Views0likes2Commentsinitial diagnosis of stage 4
Hi everyone, I was lying in bed last night thinking thinking as you do, and i am wondering just how many of us out there were initially diagnosed with stage 4 metastic breast cancer, I had been having my mammograms every two years and then three months before my next one I had excrutiating pain in my left breast, went to my gp, straight to adelaide for ultrasound mammogram and three fine needle biopsies, then off to breast surgeon as we thought it was early breast cancer, he then ordered the scans and bone scan to do the staging process, when we went back for results, it was off for a ct of my liver there and, fortunately his rooms were adjacent to a radiology rooms, so the results were given to him in 20 minutes, then we got the news, it was in my liver, so then the merry go round really started, I went in to FIX IT mode, we went and so my oncologist, and fortunately for us he is fantastic and has an amazing skill set, so then it was chemo, then tamoxifen, then feamara, which worked well for 9 months, now its affinitor and aromicin, last mri showed up more spots on my spine about 30 or more, now its more scans on Fri.30th jan, results on 3rd Feb, app. with radiation specialist on Feb9th due to a lot of pain in my hip, I will see him and see what he has to say, and so it goes on and on. However the reason for all this is to try and find out just how many of us on diagnosis received the news it was already stage 4, I have had the braca gene test and that came back inconclusive, I have to believe that it was just the luck of the draw, even though I had had regular mammograms since I was 40, this came about because my mother had just died of non hodgkins lymphoma and it really scared me, I had to really push my gp to have a mammogram at that age but for peace of mind he agreed, my query also is how long would it take for stage 4 to set it self up in my body no one seems to be able to answer to question and it makes me feel guilty that I should have done more,somehow, not sure what I could have done though, well thanks for reading this, and any information would be helpful. Is there a database for women with an initial diagnosis of stage 4, and how many of us are there with the advanced cancer diagnosis in the country, many thanks and look forward to hearing from anyone with information.21Views0likes3Commentsreflection & where to now?
Hello my fellow pink sisters! I hope you are all smiling and laughing- well as much as you can be! Its been a long time so I am going to write a long blog today so apologies! I finally finished 12 months of herceptin 6 weeks ago! yay!!!!!!!! but im back there next week to get my port flushed! bbooooo! how long did people keep their port after treatment? Im gonna miss my port when they take it out lol! Its been an emotional rollar coaster these past few weeks- me finishing herceptin, my mum had a massive heart attack, and a close friend of mine (Tondra Taylor) passed away- 3 weeks after finding out her cancer spread to her body. Both of these traggic things have really put me in a place of dispair. I cry alot, I ask why them? but im also cherrishing everyday more than I ever had. I had dyed my new hair BLOND haha it came back Black after treatment! i got another peiercing in my ear. and im getting a tattoo next few weeks...its like im rebelling in life. Im finally doing things that Ive never had the balls to have done. I also wanna do a makeup course and do of charity work amongst other things but I cant think at the moment haha!:) Im helping at the glen shopping centre and chadstone selling merchandise for pink ribbon day, doiing a talk at a morning tea about my journey and also starting the encore swimming program on October 10th :) Im finding Im wanting to get involved more in breast cancer things like going to the living centre in the city every week to do different programs, but then I find I need to pull away for my own sanity...does that makes sense? I need to find who I am and sometimes too much "cancer" talk can be upsetting. So at the moment Im trying to find a happy medium. As you can tell from this post Im all over the place! my oncologist has booked me into a menapuse clinic at monash clayton as Im not coping well on Tamoxifen and Zoledex. They also put me in contact with another Psychologist as well :) i had a pap smear done again last week and boy did that kill! apparently im very dry and swollen "down there"! so im on some cream and oitment to help me lubercate again! haha TMI i know sorry! Im currently looking after my mum as well.... shes ok but they has a few doctors appopintments and now getting tests for a stroke! poor mum....upsets me just writing it. She is the rock of our family and this has devastated me and my sister something shocking...and I cant help but feel guilty. what if I didnt get sick...would she be ok? i know silly but I do feel a little responsible. I got married during my treatment too and the stress of that and my father (wanka) put her into a terrible place..... ok slap me now- i know i shouldnt be thinking this! and the friend that passed...she finished rado 2 days before me..and then started getting pains, got diagnosed with secondary and 3 weeks later- gone! we were close and I miss her everyday...this disease is so shit! and my best friend merylee (silly sam) is going in for a dble masectomy tomorrow....her reacurrence has knocked me for a 6 as well. i love her so much and appreciate her frienship to the moon and back and i feel guilty that I havent helped as much as I wanted too. I fear cancer everyday....reaccurrence is everywhere I look, people on same treatment plan as me and scares the shit out of me! I felt a lump a few weeks ago and panicked...my doc said its a rib! can you believe it! I get sore back every few days and its hard to walk...i think cancer in the spine... i get head aches... i think cancer in the brain.. does this feeling ever go away??!! they checked my stomach a few months ago for cancer as I was bleeding out of my bowel...doc said "you have symptoms of bowel cancer" lovely! but no all clear :) thank god! this journey is def a hard journey...one day im laughing and loving life, the next Im hundled in my room crying to my husband "i hate my hair (when it was dark) and I dont wanna walk in public". But I know I will get through this as I have ALL OF YOU holding my hand! THANK YOU! PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU ALL XOXOXOXOX32Views0likes5Comments