Breast Cancer! - Page 7

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

I said, "If someone wants to talk about it". I know I said that....

There ARE people who could use help and DO want to talk about how difficult it is dealing with cancer (wherever it is).

I know because my late husband used to drive for the Cancer Society. He didn't always discuss with me their conversations. Sometimes he'd tell me a little of their difficulties.

When one woman died (he carried her in his arms to her Chemo treatments), her husband came to our house with his young daughter.

He sat and talked about how much my husband helped her. He said he knew she'd told my husband things she'd not even told him because she didn't want him (her husband) to know about some of her pain. He must have been at our house for an hour or more. His daughter went in the yard and played with my girls while we talked. We laughed, we cried and we hugged.

We never heard from him again. But that's the way it should be. My husband was there to 'serve' her. To help her. He did that first and by doing that everyone benefited.

We'd have never known about the help she needed as far as transportation except a friend called the society and gave them her information. She didn't want to impose on anyone.

Anyway, it all worked out. She said over and over how grateful she was that her friend helped her. I don't know their circumstances. I assume the Cancer Society would have checked with the lady FIRST.

In closing, I will go back to my post and my first paragraph. Please re-read (since you copied it) my original post.

happycat · ‎09-18-2010

@Trinity11 wrote:
@Annabellethecat66 wrote:
@chrystaltree Did you read the posts above you? People in their 70's should STILL be screened.

Look, if you think the press, tv, etc. is covering this as much as possible...good for you.

I think it should be in the news a lot more than it is. That is my opinion.

I've never been accused of looking at life like it's a bowl of cherries (so to speak). However, until I began to hear about my late husband's relatives and read more about it (seeking out information), I had no idea STILL so many women were STILL dying from it. No idea.

So, perhaps there are two sides to my ignorance. Perhaps my ignorance is based on MY family's experience.....or....perhaps most of what "I" hear in the news are those being 'curred' or the break throughs involving breast cancer.....

Hummm??? Perhaps a little of both. I do know that people like myself would like to see more in the news about those who are still struggling with breast cancer.

I want to see stories about families dealing with it. I want it in the newspapers, the TV, radio interviews. I want people to (if they want to) be able to talk about the devastation it causes everyone around them.

I can't imagine the costs. What do single mothers do who have no one to watch their children while they get radiation? What does it do to married couples?

We need more human interest stories. We need to hear how women need help dealing with this.

Instead the news and public is consumed with stories that are sensational....for a second.

I hope I answered the question. I apologize for singling you out, but your question was the first one I saw and I just felt the need to answer it.

I hope I gave you my answer because that's all I could do .... give you MY answer.

@Annabellethecat66... I think there are women who do not share their diagnosis because they are private people and don't want to discuss it. I had breast cancer back in 1990 and I shared it with very few people.

There is a vendor here that shared her diagnosis and a thread was started recently where someone on the thread actually accused her of not having breast cancer at all. I cringed, reported it and thankfully one of the moderators got rid of it. That may be why people are wary of discussing their diagnosis. People share at their own risk.

I saw that post, @Trinity11, and was proud of how you responded. I was in the middle of responding mysef when it was poofed.

People really need to think before they start hurling accusations that folks are lying.

sann · ‎05-30-2012

Not every person that has breast cancer dies, I was told 34 years ago I had breast cancer that had already spread to the lymph nodes. After months of chemo, and years of fear and worry that the cancer would return I am alive and well enjoying life.

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@Zhills wrote:
Just lost a dear friend to MBC. Breast cancer is still a problem. Just calling it be another name!

She was "cured" in 2014 of breast cancer. Came back end of 2017. It's MBC this time, spread to lungs, liver and spine. Lived less than a year!

@Zhills They generally don't use the term "cured" anymore. The saying is that "you know your breast cancer was cured when you die of something else ". I really can't imagine a medical person telling a cancer patient they've been "cured" in this day and age. That's NOT to say that many or most cancer patients aren't cured, they just don't phrase it that way - for obvious reasons. My friend is battling a new BC 20+ years after the first.

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@sann wrote:
Not every person that has breast cancer dies, I was told 34 years ago I had breast cancer that had already spread to the lymph nodes. After months of chemo, and years of fear and worry that the cancer would return I am alive and well enjoying life.

@sann I don't believe anyone on this thread said that. Sincere congratulations on your 34 years. My friend has about 28 years behind her. Another friend is battling a 2nd breast cancer many years later. I think that what @Annabellethecat66 was trying to say is that not as much is publicized about the people who don't win their battle with breast cancer, and many are led to believe that the battle is won.

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

@shoesnbagsWhere have you been? I need to hire you to translate for me. That's exactly what I mean.

I actually thought we were so much farther along with the cure. I just haven't heard much about PEOPLE DYING from it. You only usually hear about people (like stars, etc) once having had it.

Like I said, I don't know many people who have it or did have it. I didn't have much interaction with my husband's family so I wasn't aware of their struggles.

Again, thank you for saying in so few words EXACTLY what I was TRYING to say.

I misread the post. I corrected it! @shoesnbags THANKS!

Zhills · ‎11-15-2011

@shoesnbags You are probably correct. She just related to me that she was "cured" when she was told she did not need chemo anymore. Apparently, her Doctor did not mention that it could return and didn't seem concerned when the sore lump appeared under her armpit.

My Oncologist did warn me. Sometimes, I wish she had not told me. Always in the back of your mind. So glad you have survived and you are doing well.

Sometimes I wonder if the fact that Cancer is "in our face" constantly is not detrimental to our overall health!

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

@bikerbabe wrote:
Our long ago ancestors, for the most part, didn’t live long enough to develop many cancers. Other things killed them first.

Back in the day when people did develop cancer, they died because there were no treatments and/or the treatments were poor.

My mom had 2 siblings who died from cancer before the age of 16. I had an aunt who died of breast cancer in 1968. Today, she probably would have survived due to advances in treatments.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

Why just breast cancer? Heart disease is the number one killer of women and lung cancer kills more women than BC does.

Great strides have been made in breast cancer research which has resulted in earlier detection and better treatment options. Money pours into breast cancer research. Unfortunately, there are a lot of other cancers that are still relatively untreatable.

I just read an article recently in a magazine about how cancer affects a family financially. Any and all cancer treatments, not just one specific kind. It can be devestating. Any illness can be devastating to an individual or family and financially ruin someone.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@sidsmom wrote:
It’s almost criminal medical doctors do not endorse a
plant-based diet..unprocessed w/ 10-15% fat of total daily calories.
Diet has such a huge factor with illness.

None of these things can change the fact of what you have genetically. For those of us with the BRAC gene - it's inevitable uless we get double mastectomies. I had BC at only 34 years old.