breast cancer & losing weight

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anyone else having treatment for breast cancer?
be good to make a little support group with other women who understad why it's more difficult sometimes but are still up for nagging me if i comfort myself too much with chocolate!
norberte
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  • ellumi
    ellumi Posts: 90 Member
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    Did you get anything started for this?? I was recently diagnosed and had surgery and about to start rads and possibly chemo. Let me know!
    Ellumi
  • Survivor1997
    Survivor1997 Posts: 59 Member
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    Did you get anything started for this?? I was recently diagnosed and had surgery and about to start rads and possibly chemo. Let me know!
    Ellumi

    I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. I would be happy to share my experience with those going through it. If you, or anyone else reading this, would be interested; feel free to message me.

    (((Hugs)))
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    I was diagnosed with IDC stage 3 in 2009. I would really love to have support from fellow survivors. I was hormone positive so I'm on Femera for at least 4 more years. It is making weightloss a real challenge. I have to loose at least 100lb before they will do reconstruction. (i live as an amozone worrier right now) Anyone who wants to friend me, please do! The mental side of this is the hardest for me.

    Hope your all doing well!
  • ellumi
    ellumi Posts: 90 Member
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    Glad we are rallying some folks together on this issue.

    I started chemo this week and am concerned about how it will affect my weight loss goals (with steroids being introduced and early menopause setting in) but am going to continue eating healthy and working out, to the extent possible.

    I have triple negative, so no hormone treatments for me...just chemo and radiation, but am lucky to have caught it early (stage 1, no nodes) and am doing everything I can do to fight the fight!
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Deffinately want to keep this thread going. Hope all is going well with you Liz.

    My family is getting ready to do the Kolmen race June 11th. It's the 15th anniversary for Kolman Raleigh chapter. It's going to be great to do it with the whole family and what a great way to get our exercise that day.

    We can do this and we will do this! PINK POWER!
  • squidgee_99
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    Hi ladies.

    You guys are amazing! Look at you go. :D

    I started on this site last week in order to lose weight and get to a "healthy recommended weight". My half-sister and I went to an appointment where we found out the results of my birth mom's DNA retesting where we found out she was BRCA2 positive. Which means I could get that same mutation and be increased up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer (or other cancers) in my lifetime. Freaks me out. My birthmom (who I reunited with and got to know for about 10-12 years) was only 42 when she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. I'm 34. It's not that far off anymore.... it's time to start being smart!

    Not sure if I'm going to get the test done or not, but in the meantime, trying to get proactive and get fit, healthy, etc.

    Blessings and prayers for you strong women. <3
    Lisa Marie.
  • aamb
    aamb Posts: 377 Member
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    i had breast cancer, diagnosed in 2002. The day before my 46th birthday i had a mastectomy and my lymph nodes removed chemotherapy followed with a resulting early menopause. 22 months later i decided i needed a breast reconstruction and that was a great sucess. i also had 5 years on tamoxifen and i felt that that was when i piled on the weight. i don't know why it took me till now to decide that the weight should go, but it is, and it will stay away, i have made up my mind!!. i used the power of posative thought to get me thro my illness i didn't ask the doctors about anything, i trusted their judgements and took the treatment they suggested, and all i thought about was surviving. maybe that was silly but it was how i dealt with it at the time. i just wanted to wish all you ladies good luck in your battles xxxxxxxxxx avril
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    To Lisa Marie: taking a proactive approuch is great! I have encouraged both my daughters to take their health serious. But also remember, just because your Mom had it doesn't automaticly mean you will. Just the same, keep diligent watch and be your own health advicate. My prayer is that very soon NO ONE will ever go through this or any other cancer again!

    To Avril: AWSOME! Your here and that's great. And taking control of your health is great at any point in this crazy battle. I'm taking Femara right now and it is working against me but I'm a fighter!

    Hugs to all of you! Keep up the good work!
  • WarriorWomanMaxine
    WarriorWomanMaxine Posts: 162 Member
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    Hi ladies iam having chemo at the mo number 5 of 6 will be on weds and having to take the meds really does mess anything up in the weightloss but we just have to carry on like everyone else and yes thats hard at times

    take care and look after yourselfs
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Madmas71: your almost done! That's great! Do you have anything after chemo?

    I've been sick this week with some kind of virus. I felt as bad as I did chemo week on A/C.....I hate that. Cloudy, and the nurlastra shot coused body pain. Well this time it wasn't chemo kicken my butt. I don't know what it was. Then I broke out in hives real bad. Today I had a steroid shot and I have to take predizone for 7 days, woo hooo, Gotta love those steroids! I have already apologized to my family for how their week will be. I am a mess on steroids.

    But "IT'S JUST A CLOUD, IT WILL PASS!"

    Hang in there girls. It's a fight we can and will win!
  • WarriorWomanMaxine
    WarriorWomanMaxine Posts: 162 Member
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    Hi AEisele
    after chemo iam to have more surgery i had wle but they didnt get all the cancer so about 6wks after chemo i will have a mx when rads also i will have hormone treatment for 5yrs which basically is a pill every day for 5yrs and yes we can beat this
    take care Maxine xxx
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Hi Maxine,
    I had modified rad mx of rt with lymph node disection. I didn't expect to be so emotional about it but I was. Then I did 28 rounds of Rad. It rough but doable. I found I gained during radiation because I was less contious of drinking my water,

    I'm taking Femara right now. I've been on it for a little over a year. Rough at first but I'm getting use to it. So we have a lot in commen. If I can be of any encouragement. I'm here.

    Friend me if you would like.
    Hugs from alice
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Wow ladies, had a great day at the NC Kolman Race for the cure. There was one woman who is a 40 yr survivor!!!! We also had at least 4 men this year. Yes, men can get breast cancer too. Sometimes we forget about them. The whole day was so awsome and encouraging. One of our girls is going through radiation but she still walked with us. Another had just had chemo this week.

    Then there was this beautiful woman, stage 4. She, has such a great attitude you can't help but feel encouraged by her. She is a 5 year survivor and plans to be around for at least 20 more years.

    So, That's what we all have to do! Put your best face on and know YES WE CAN!

    Hugs to all of you.
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Dnt know if anyone is still checking in here, but sice I'm a chatty cathy, I'll keep adding information. :)

    I went to a new session of Survivor Fitness last night. It is an exercise group for cancer survivors that runs in 6 week sets of twice a week. I love it. It is more effective for me than just a support group because we are acually doing something, learning to push our body to thrive.

    Well, we have 4 breast cancer survivors, and one gentalman who is facing prostate cancer that wont go away. (first diagnosed in 2000) He's 83 years strong! I've been in the group since 2010, and it has been great. I love to see others stretching the boundry of there fitness. It ispires me. One of our trainers said " don't be content to just survive.....Go out there and thrive! That's my goal.

    We all now that with time you do better and better, but the reality is there is a BBC and ABC (before breast cancer, and after breast cancer) This thing changes us in different ways and not just in the loss of a breast. It's the whole way of thinking.

    I foumd a little butterfly yesturday that had died. It was just her time. She had lived her life to the full. But still, I picked up the delicate body and brought it home so no one would step on her. Her beauty was still shineing in the sun. As I looked at her I thought how her journey must have been. She started as a little caterpillor (spelling) then one day, she thought oh no my life is over. So she curled up in a little cacoon. Much to her supprise she became a beautiful butterfly. Stretching those new wings must have been scary at first. But, in time she found she could float on the breeze and have great adventures. And now even though her life has ended, she is still just as beautiful, and she inspires me. So her little life is not forgotten.

    The diagnoses of breast cancer is much like that. A first reaction is "My life is over" . We may curl up in our own little cacoon. Then we learn we have strength to stretch new wings. So we learn to rise above the diagnosis. Hopefully we learn to fly and have great adventures. But even if we die, our beauty shines on. We leave behind the strenght we show in liveing our life to the full. And in that small beauty....We inspire others to try to fly.

    To all my beautiful pink worrior sisters that have ended their journey; your beauty lives on.........you are an inspiration!

    PS: the butterfly is the symbol of hope for this reason; just when the catipillar thought her life was over, she became a butterfly!:flowerforyou:
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Here I am again. Is this a chat board or my blog. I forget. lol

    Just a few thoughts to those of you who are currently in treatment. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Your going to have good days and bad days. Even though it has been over a year since I finished my treatment I still have good days and bad day. The seacret is to make the best of the good days and take care of yourself on the bad days.

    Rest is important. That's when your body heals. So even if you can't exercise for one or two days. the rest is just as important. Also, remember that the treatment takes it toll on your body. It is accumulative. You may have felt fine when you first started but as you get to the end you feel like crap. That's ok. It just means the treatment is doing it's job.

    The important thing is to keep a possitive attitude. Don't get discouraged and don't forget to laugh! Laughter is the best medicine of all. Hang in there. You can do this!
  • flygirl123
    flygirl123 Posts: 22 Member
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    Hi everyone! Please add me as a friend. I am also a breast cancer surviver, and I am also having a difficult time with weight lost.
    I am also on Femara.
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    Femera can be really hard on you. I'm on it too. It's remembering to eat regularly (ever 3-4 hours) drink plenty of water, and make fresh fruits and veggies the biggest part of your diet. The post cancer fight is difficult but not imposible.

    I have found it interesting how many things have soy products in them. If your hormone positive you have to be careful of those items, so read lables.
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    sitting here, thinking of the day. I've been fighting a bad mood. It's been more than 2.5 years since my cancer diagnoses, and still I sometimes have those days. I read a wonderful book once titled "Dancing in Limbo". I understand it is nolonger in print which is a shame. It addresses the after math of cancer. In reading it I found some understanding in these "bad mood" days. Although I hope the cancer is gone. It lerks in the shadow. Every headache, every lump, every sharp pain.... leaves you thinking what was that? Is it the cancer again?

    But as time passes, I think of it less often. I have more good days than bad. And I draw strength from knowing what I have already been through. It has shown me I am stronger than I think. It's funny but I beleive God never gives us more than we can handle and with each trile he gives us a way out. For me he showed me I had a deep inner strength that I could fight this thing.

    It isn't with out it's scars, some physical some emotional. But the reality is we can beat this.....one day at a time!
  • flygirl123
    flygirl123 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thank you for your words. I too an trying hard to get this weight down by my next doctor's
    appt., which is also July. This Femara I believe is the reason it is so hard to drop this
    weight. I am positive all the way round. I will have to continue on it for another three years,
    total of eight years. Not complainting I don't mind. Just mean I will have to work a little harder
    with the weight issue. I will continue this little pill as long as it is doing it's job. Just
    so grateful and blessed to be here!
  • AEisele
    AEisele Posts: 98 Member
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    I will continue this little pill as long as it is doing it's job. Just
    so grateful and blessed to be here!

    I feel the same way. We have to accept the ups and downs and just be greatful for each new day. It's been a real battle to get here so battling the weight is not that big a deal. It's the mental side that's hardest for me. I think I sent myself into a bad mood for two days because I gained 2 lb. Just need to regain my focus.