October Is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

LongBlackScarf · #1 09-21-2005, 08:52 PM

Dear All:

I just wanted to post this to make everyone on this board aware that breast cancer can happen to anybody. And yes....even to MEN. I had a lumpectomy this past winter, and it was a benign tumour caught on my mammogram. But my Mom was not so lucky. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma this summer. A lady in her 60's, she always took the "it can't happen to me" stance....even though BOTH my Nana's had it. She's been through partial mastectomy, radiation of the cancer that's spread to her bones, and she takes monthly infusions of Zometa to make the bones stronger. She's on a new drug called Arimadex to lower estrogen in her system. The breast cancer has eaten a hole in her skull, and eaten away areas of her hip, and leg bones and there's not much that can be done for that. We hope these lesions will start to close up with her current treatments. But essentially my Mom is nearing the end of her life. So---please encourage your wives, Moms, Nana's, Aunts etc. etc. to get a mammogram this year. Catching cancer EARLY is the best defense, and you can beat it in the early stages!! Thanks for listening!

amber · #2 09-21-2005, 09:07 PM

Sorry about your mom.

Thanks for saying. I've never had one; I should. No one in my fam has had that, (yet) but still. Let's see....Nona had some part of her throat removed, and the lymph cancer. Recovered. Anyway, you are right, any person any age can get cancer.

LongBlackScarf · #3 09-21-2005, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Sorry about your mom..

Thanks, Amber. We're enjoying all these days where she still has energy and feels good. All the while, we are steeling ourselves, my family and me, for the harder and more challenging days that most probably await us. The trick is to keep the "Jack In The Box" (cancer) in her bones, and not let it go to her soft tissues (liver, lung or brain). Sometimes the breast cancer just automatically goes there, and the fight is more difficult. If the cancer mets to the bone, it gives more time...

irishgrl · #4 09-21-2005, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBlackScarf

Thanks, Amber. We're enjoying all these days where she still has energy and feels good. All the while, we are steeling ourselves, my family and me, for the harder and more challenging days that most probably await us. The trick is to keep the "Jack In The Box" (cancer) in her bones, and not let it go to her soft tissues (liver, lung or brain). Sometimes the breast cancer just automatically goes there, and the fight is more difficult. If the cancer mets to the bone, it gives more time...

well if there is any good news on the cancer front its that medical advances are occurring all the time, and I even saw a blurb that cancer could be controlled if caught early enough by freezing the cancer via cryosurgery. apparently cryosurgery kills cancer cells as effectively as it does healthy cells, and whats more, the immune system kicks in at the cancer site after cryosurgery for some reason....
here is a link from the National Cancer Institute, its a bunch of FAQs re: cryosurgery.

here is another link from the University of Michigan Health System re: Cryosurgery in treating breast cancer.

amber · #5 09-21-2005, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBlackScarf

Thanks, Amber. We're enjoying all these days where she still has energy and feels good. All the while, we are steeling ourselves, my family and me, for the harder and more challenging days that most probably await us. The trick is to keep the "Jack In The Box" (cancer) in her bones, and not let it go to her soft tissues (liver, lung or brain). Sometimes the breast cancer just automatically goes there, and the fight is more difficult. If the cancer mets to the bone, it gives more time...

Oh. I didn't know that about the bones, although I knew that lymph cancer is almost always fatal.
uh...it freaked me out when you said "eaten away part of her skull"

But I didn't realize.
I'm glad you're enjoying your days w/her. Blessings to you and your family. We all have to go, but it can sure be hard for those we leave.

LongBlackScarf · #6 09-21-2005, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

uh...it freaked me out when you said "eaten away part of her skull"

:

It's even freakier to touch this. It feels like a newborn baby's head. Soft. The treatment options are to radiate the area, (which would cause Mom to lose her hair and she's NOT into that!) or to place a wire protective "cage" in Mom's head. She refused both. We are hoping the Arimadex will shrink the area down. She has to guard that area of her head. We tease her, and say she needs a helmet like that kid on "Crank-Yankers." We try to laugh as much as we can, because what the hell is left? What can you do? It is, very simply, what it is.

amber · #7 09-21-2005, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBlackScarf

It's even freakier to touch this. It feels like a newborn baby's head. Soft. The treatment options are to radiate the area, (which would cause Mom to lose her hair and she's NOT into that!) or to place a wire protective "cage" in Mom's head. She refused both. We are hoping the Arimadex will shrink the area down. She has to guard that area of her head. We tease her, and say she needs a helmet like that kid on "Crank-Yankers." We try to laugh as much as we can, because what the hell is left? What can you do? It is, very simply, what it is.

I've never heard of that. Though, I have to admit it's nice you all laugh. Like you said, might as well.

LongBlackScarf · #8 09-21-2005, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

.

What you said ^. The whole process is horrifying. But you sure learn a lot. With the history in my family now, mother and 2 grandmothers having BC, my sister and I are at quite a great risk. We have to be especially careful. When I was going through my "scare" prior to my lumpectomy, I took solace in this site. All ladies here should bookmark it: http://www.breastcancer.org/

irishgrl · #9 09-21-2005, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBlackScarf

What you said ^. The whole process is horrifying. But you sure learn a lot. With the history in my family now, mother and 2 grandmothers having BC, my sister and I are at quite a great risk. We have to be especially careful. When I was going through my "scare" prior to my lumpectomy, I took solace in this site. All ladies here should bookmark it: http://www.breastcancer.org/

Please, do yourself a favor and check out the two links I posted because all is not lost, in fact there is real hope for Breast Cancer for the first time in a long time. We're talking SOFT TISSUE help here.......anyway, take a look, I think you overlooked them.....

amber · #10 09-21-2005, 10:19 PM

Omigosh, I'm watching America's Next Top Model, and this 20 yr. old asian girl has had breast cancer, and has half of one breast. Just thought that was strange.

Actually, that's good, I hope it makes people look sooner.

*not trying to be shallow, swear*

LongBlackScarf · #11 09-21-2005, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amber

Omigosh, I'm watching America's Next Top Model, and this 20 yr. old asian girl has had breast cancer]

Now that IS strange on two levels: Age and ethnicity. Asian women do not get BC as much as caucasion women do. Diets low in fat ( as in the typical Japanese fare) high in vegetables, and high in soy help this. Second is age. Most breast cancers occur in post menopausal women. Back to the soy, if you like Miso soup, try to have a cup or two a day. It's been shown to be preventative. http://groups.google.com/groups?q=mi...TF-8&oe=UTF-8& I buy Kikkomann instant Miso soup.

RavenOfRhiannon · #12 09-21-2005, 10:32 PM

Another thing you can do to help breast cancer awareness is buy the new Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. They have a special pink plaid edition with partial proceeds going to breast cancer research. I was so excited about this, I ordered enough for our whole chain to carry it and put it on a display for the month of October.

LongBlackScarf · #13 09-21-2005, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenOfRhiannon

Another thing you can do to help breast cancer awareness is buy the new Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. They have a special pink plaid edition with partial proceeds going to breast cancer research. I was so excited about this, I ordered enough for our whole chain to carry it and put it on a display for the month of October.

That's fabulous, Raven!

GypsySorcerer · #14 09-21-2005, 10:50 PM

I am sorry to hear about your mom.

Mine had her mammogram earlier this year, and she hasn't been all that diligent about getting them. So, I was glad she's started.

LongBlackScarf · #15 09-21-2005, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

I am sorry to hear about your mom.

Mine had her mammogram earlier this year, and she hasn't been all that diligent about getting them. So, I was glad she's started.

Thanks, Krista! And I hope your Mom keeps getting her mammograms. Go together each year and have lunch afterwards!! If you're still really young, get into the habit of self-exams. They usually suggest base line mammo's at 36.