Breast Cancer Survivor W/concerns

M.,
Think posotive. You know first hand how treatable early detected breast cancer can be. I know many women who have had masectomy with reconstruction. The ones who did the stomach flap method have a longer recovery, but a better more realistic outcome. You will be fine. You have beat this disease before and you will do it again.

M., my thoughts and prayers are with you. Stay encouraged and brave, b/c those beautiful grandchildren need you. God bless you.

M.,
Your story touched me. You are in my thoughts and prayers. We women have to take care of ourselves and we often do this last. Enjoy the grandchildren and please keep us posted!!!!
D. E.

M......I offer no advice but only best wishes! My condolences to you for the loss of your mother. May God be with you and your family through this difficult time. Lean on your friends and family! My prayers are with you.

M.~I'm so so sorry for your loss. Letting go of a parent is so difficult no matter the age. Our family has just suffered the same. So my thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours.
As a holistic health nutritionist, I've advised my female clients who've been down this road to...breathe. I know it sounds so simple, but until you step back from your life and give your self a moment for you, your health will suffer tremendously. Breast cancer is directly connected to ones connection to their mother, the heart chakra and food. Basically, all that is ingested, body, mind and spirit.
Our relationship to our mothers: The good, the bad and the ugly takes it's toll on who we are. People are people and forgiveness is so important to our well being. There's something to just going with the flow. It's interesting that this has presented its self to you, as you are dealing with the loss of your mom. The sadness surrounding that can be the trigger.
So, breathe and love yourself a lot! Meditate or give yourself some silence. As mother's day approaches, mother yourself, because it's all about you now.

Feel free to contact me if you need any other support. The best of luck to you.
M.

I don't have any advice to give, but know you are being thought of and in my prayers... Your children and grandchildren are blessed to have you in there lives, more than they can even know.

Hello M.,
I am so sorry about the loss of your beloved mother.
Good luck with your biopsy, I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Congratulations on your 12 years of survivorship. I am a 6 year survivor, diagnosed at age 35 - I did mastectomy (one side), tram flap reconstruction and 12 chemo treatments - aggressive treatment for Stage I but I had a 7 and 3 year old, I did what I needed to. I've never considered doing the other side as a precaution, but you need to do what makes you most comfortable.
I'd also suggest visiting sites like the American Cancer Society, Susan G Komen, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, where they may have discussion boards about this subject, Mamasource is a parenting site and if you're looking for other survivors to share experiences with, I'd go looking at a breast cancer site. I mostly dealt with the Young Survival Coalition, since I was diagnosed under 40, but there are plenty of organizations geared at women of all ages with breast cancer.
Good luck to you M.! I hope that you have many more years of survivorship ahead of you.

M.-

I worked in a hospital for many years and unfortunately saw this a lot. I don't have much to say but I am rooting for you! I will keep you in my prayers. I also think the complete mastectomy is the way to go, and while it will be a tough road is for the better. Good luck!

I wish you lots of luck.. and prayer too. I went last year and my mammo came back.. and they told me cancer! I flipped. I went to Dr. Mark Greenberg in NYC and he sent me for a needle biopsy which came back perfect.. thank God... He is an excellent Dr.. Actually one of the best in the area. I'm glad mine came out great especially after the mammo place told me point blank it's cancer! I wish you the same luck. Of course, if it's cancer.. get the surgery.. and then look forward to those grand kids.. I'll pray for you... A.~~~

Dear M.- I am just sending my prayers and support. I am sorry for the loss of your mom that is hard enough but you have more to deal with. You can do anything you set your mind to and if it is cancer you have beat it before! Stay positive and strong, lean on the people that love you! Good Luck to you and draw on that love you have for those babies!!

M.,

Have you considered any natural treatments? Removing the breast doesn't remove the underlying cause of the cancer. I know quite a few who have overcome cancer of various sorts. It's possible and I highly encourage you to look into it. If you need a start, you're welcome to email me and I'll send you some files. There are over 350 documented ways to reverse cancer. Don't expect your doctor to tell you this since they are not trained in natural medicine and don't know about anything other than chemo, radiation and surgery. That's what they learn in medical school. Losing a breast can be quite traumatic. Cancer usually grows very slowly so don't panic, take a bit of time and learn more about it.

I just wanted to say that I will say a prayer for you and all other MOMS who are dealing with the cancer card. I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. Be strong for those girls and grandbabies! xoxoxo

M., I am not exactly sure what to say to you. But I want to say congrats on the 12yrs of survival, and I am so sorry about your mom. I hope things go well with this new "set back". I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. And I am sure God has not given you this challenge without knowing that you can handle it. Just know that you are thought of (even by strangers) and NEVER GIVE UP! Stay strong for you and your Grand-babies and daughters. God Bless
LIVE-LAUGH-LOVE
S.

Hi M.,

I'm so sorry you're going through this and very sorry for your loss. It all seems to come at once, doesn't it?

My story is a bit long, but I'll try to summarize...back in 1997 at the age of 25, I found a lump which was diagnosed as DCIS (which is a stage zero cancer, meaning that the cancer cells hadn't yet attacked my healthy cells). I had the lump removed, but year after year more "spots" were discovered and more surgeries were performed (I think I had 4 or 5 surgeries over about 9 years). I finally decided to be done with it and in 2006, even though I was only 34, I had a prophylactic mastectomy on the affected breast (only my right breast was ever an issue) and reconstruction. It was the best decision I ever made, because they ended up finding a very small amount of invasive cancer (a few millimeters in the breast and some in my first lymph node). I underwent chemo later that year. I decided to keep the other breast in case I was ever able to breast feed and was lucky enough to have a beautiful baby boy in March of 2008.

Last October, I went for a routine MRI and they saw a spot in my left breast (the one that had never had an issue), but the spot didn't show up in a mammo or ultrasound. In March I did a follow up MRI and the spot was still there. I'm actually having it biopsied today. I know it's nothing (the radiologists say they are 95% sure that it will turn out to be benign), but I have to say that I'm sick of this. My husband and I are trying for our second baby, and once I finish breastfeeding again, this breast is also coming off. I'm tired of the worry, I'm tired of the frustration, amd most of all, I want to make sure I am around to watch my little boy (and if I'm lucky, his sister or brother) grow up.

Everyone is different, but as you can probably guess from my story, my advice to you would be to move ahead with the mastectomy. It will put your mind at ease. No more breast, but also no more mammograms, no more ultrasounds, no more MRIs, no more biopsies, no more false positives, no more worry...

Personally, I'm looking forward to having a perky pair for the rest of my life and never having to wear a bra again!! Think of all the money you'll save on underwear! :)

Please don't think I am making light of your situation. I know first hand what a beast cancer is, and I certainly understand how hard it is to lose a breast. I just try to stay positive and find the silver lining where I can.

All the best, whatever your decision!!! Please feel free to send me a personal message through Mamasource if you want to talk about anything - the surgery, the recovery, etc. Take it one day at a time...you are a cancer survivor, you are strong, and you WILL get through this.

XOXO
J.

M.,
I will be 50 next month and i opted 5 yrs ago for a double mastectomy - even though it was my choice - it is very tough - from start to finish. But all I can say when all the procedures are over your mind will be clear -
We were in the middle of an adoption when I made my decision - I needed to know that I would be here for my child. I go yearly for my checkup with my surgeon and that is coming to an end. Enjoy your family - your breast do not make who you are - it will be a bumpy ride but you have your family. My thoughts and prays are with you at this time of loss and this time of need. If you ever need to vent I am only an email away. L.

Dear M.
I am so sorry to hear about your Mom's passing. I fear the day I lose my Mom all the time.
I also am sorry to hear that you have another breast cancer concern. I am sure you are so fearful, but I think you are doing the right thing. You have 2 beautiful daughters and wonderful Grandchildren to enjoy....much life to live.

I know we hate to wait for these tests....but it really is less than a week away. If they thought it needed absolute, immediate attention, they would have had you in much sooner.

My prayers and thoughts are with you. Get the surgery and get on with your life. God Bless you and your family.
I know it seems a bad time to find out, but perhaps your Mom is the one who is responsible for you finding out. She will watch over you and keep you safe! :)
Take care,
P.