Skin grafts can work wonders. So can the right drugs. Hang in there. I can also recommend another website, breastcancer.org, where you can find thousands of women, some of whom have had your...
Patsy, this is not an emergency so you are just going to spend hours and $ in order to be brushed off again. Can you find another doctor who can see you before April? Breast cancer is not an...
April 7th is fine. It will be hard to wait but nothing earth shattering will happen in such a short time. If you had symptoms of one of the aggressive cancers it would be different, but you don't, so...
Debdidit, If I were in your situation, I wouldn't do ANY more reconstruction for now. Those tissue expanders can wait. Get your body healed first and have some down time from all this chaos. I saw my...
I had it 6 months ago. It sounds worse than it is. It doesn't hurt and the hardest part for me was trying to get comfortable before they started. They let me shift around a bunch until I was sure I...
No personal experience. I do know that if it is under 18, it is called low and no chemo is given. I had DCIS and my breast surgeon said Onco was not needed since I was having a bilateral mastectomy....
Quite a few men have breast cancer. I correspond with one man now on Cancer Survivors Network and there are others on Breast Cancer.org. It will help you to be in touch with other men in your...
You have certainly been through enough for ten women, much less one. No doubt it will get better, but when you are in the middle of it and don't see anything but more disappointment and pain, it's...
Sure, most of us have gone through the same thing. Most of the time, even with a biopsy, it turns out to be one of the benign breast conditions. The lump may still need to be removed, but it isn't...
So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I cannot offer any info on BC + arthritis but hopefully someone else will. If you don't hear anything, come over to breastcancer.org. There are active thread on...
Can you delay the rads a few days until you figure out what's going on with your red breasts? That just isn't normal. Your skin should not be changing colors. Can you get a second opinion? As far a...
Merrida, You put it very well. When men get scared they can't admit it and show it in other ways. The fact that he feels relieved and secure enough to write down his feelings in a public way is...
How awful. You've been suffering for a year and no one can help you. Terrible. If I were you, I'd find a new doctor and get a referral to someone trained in myofacial release therapy. It's worked...
The extra protein is wonderful for increasing your healing power. No one knows why we get breast cancer. It's not from eating or not eating certain foods. If it was that easy or obvious, doctors...
You are coping great for someone who has had all the problems you've had. I don't understand why the doctor is so reluctant to relieve your pain. Other people who've had big surgeries are in la-la...
So glad your surgery is over. Looking forward to hearing how you are doing....
Ask your doc to order the Emla cream. You want the area numb if possible. I was sent downstairs to radiology for the injections about 2 hours before my double mastectomy. It takes that long for the...
Merrida, make sure they give you a cream called Emla on your areola before the sentinel node biopsy. It helps to dull the pain a little bit. You said you are having precancerous tissue removed. What...
Usually they will call you back in for a diagnostic mammogram if your screening mammogram shows anything suspicious. The diagnostic mammogram may show an area of concern that the radiologist will...
With your family history, of course you are worried. I would be too. The fact is, however, that most lumps are not cancer so the odds are on your side. Good thing you are getting that mammogram so...
We know just how you feel. We've ALL been there. It's so easy for other people to say it's going to be alright. And all those statistics don't mean much when you are worried. This is the hardest...
Mike, LOL. Sorry to say it, but you get NO VOTE when it comes to the size of her chest! If I had it to do again, I would be even smaller than I am now. I'm the one who has to live with it so I should...
Sounds like you are getting yourself in some kind of weird position while you are sleeping. Burning pain tells me it's nerve related. The fact that it goes away means when you get out of that...
Trace,Call the Susan G Komen organization. They can get you a free mammogram and point you in the right direction. I have a friend whose daughter was in the same situation and they helped her get a...
Pay no attention to the negative stories. Honestly, it is NOTHING. I would tell you if there was anything to be concerned about. There ISN'T. A mammogram can be painful but this is absolutely nothing...
Oh dear, now I understand. How frustrating to have to wait three weeks. It will all work out in the end, however, if they do a mammogram, a scan (MRI or ultrasound?), and a biopsy. (Did they tell you...
Keep in touch. We are here for you. Good luck....
The doc sent you to the hospital? What did they do? I'm not sure I know what you mean by expecting to have the triple three test. They didn't do a mammogram? You have to wait three weeks for what...
Since your mother died of breast cancer, it's understandable that you are so worried. I've never heard anyone mention the symptoms you report as a marker for breast cancer, so that's in your favor....
Don't tell ANYONE until you are sure. If you do, and it turns out to be something else, you'll never hear the end of it! You don't have long to wait so vent to us and share your concerns here. We'll...
Oh dear, so sorry you are going through all this. At least it has moved fast. Some women report months of agonizing waiting for every step. I have no personal experience with a radical scar but have...
Hi Mike, Yes, I'm sure you are right about age playing a big role in the decision. Also 12 years ago was equivalent to the Stone Age in breast cancer research and treatment. I had the BMX with...
Hi Mike, My husband is also a Mike and has had prostate cancer 5 years. He has PSA's every 6 months and gets a biopsy every year. So far, so good. It's still there but is not growing. No surgery...
I was well aware of the possibility of Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome and discussed it at length with my breast surgeon as well as my plastic surgeon before my procedure. My anesthesiologist was aware...
Kaz62, We've been in your shoes and certainly understand like no one else could. I've never heard it said that it was common to get a call back after your first mammogram. The mammo you are going to...
That's great news! Loved how you described your experience. It will be helpful to others I'm sure. You don't realize it until afterwards, but when you hear the word cancer, you start holding your...
Girl, find another doctor! It doesn't matter if the one you have is not concerned...YOU are concerned and need help....
With your family history, you have every right to be concerned. However, at your age you have microcalcifications throughout your breasts. We all do as we get older. The radiologist has probably...
KAC,With your family history, I would probably ask for a biopsy. These days they have an easy, virtually painless way of doing it called a stereotactic breast biopsy. Did I mention this before? Well...
CHH,What wonderful news! I'm so happy for you. Glad I could help. Sandra...
Oops, forgot to add that when the pathology report came back after the double mastectomy, it showed that the "good side" had cancer too! It had been missed, even by an MRI done before surgery to look...
Ramman, I know you are worried. My husband seemed to take my diagnosis harder than I did. In the 2 months since then, he has been with me at every appointment and procedure. Breast cancer is usually...
Breast tissue changes over the years. A radiologist can estimate your age based on a mammogram. If you have talked to your doctor and he isn't concerned, you have two choices: accept it as a normal...
There is no point being worried like this. You'll fall apart and it might be absolutely nothing. You have to see a doctor soon....
You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and aren't likely to make a decision without researching it through and through. Good for you. That's the way I am too. Knowledge is power. It...
Of course you are frightened. We've all been in your shoes so we know exactly how you feel. My cancer was also diagnosed in a routine mammogram. Don't worry about size. 17 mm is 1.7 centimeters,...
The BRCA 1 BRCA 2 test is expensive - about $3,000 - and there is no point having it unless you are prepared to do something if it turns out positive. If you have the gene, will you have a double...
KAC, congratulations on your wonderful news! Glad you are going for mammograms more frequently since you have breast cancer in your family. Have you considered having the BRCA1 & BRCA2 test? It...
Carol, from what I've read, Tamoxifen is not for post-menopausal women. It is useless after menopause because it attaches to estrogen and progesterone. And Diquilter, I believe tamoxifen is not chemo...
KAC,Unfortunately different radiologists see things differently. There are some standard markers that all interpret the same way but some other things are not so clear. Depending on the density of...