Especially if you have a family history of breast cancer sm
Posted By: Rad MT on 2007-07-27
In Reply to: Mammogram - SM
You might even want to start earlier than age 40 with your mammograms. You can start at age 30 or 35 and have them every two or three years until age 40, and yearly after that. It is particularly important if members of your family have had breast cancer at an early age.
As a former x-ray tech, I can tell you that a mammogram should be no more uncomfortable than having your blood pressure taken, unless you are already having breast pain. Sometimes your skin can get pinched at an awkward angle under the pressure plate, and that will hurt. If that happens, TELL the mammographer immediately, and she will adjust it.
I did hundreds of mammograms while I was an x-ray tech. I always took a little extra time to smooth out the skin and try to make sure that my patients did not experience discomfort. Some patients had fibrocystic disease or other breast issues which made it painful no matter how careful I was. So I tried to work as quickly as I could to minimize the discomfort.
The point is, a mammogram should not be an unpleasant experience. The mammographer is a professional; you should feel no more uncomfortable exposing your body in a mammography room than you would in the examining room of your doctor's office. The mammographer wants your experience to be pain-free and as pleasant as possible; sometimes that may require some communication on your part.
But please, PLEASE have regular mammograms. It breaks my heart when I transcribe reports on young women in their 30s who have metastatic breast cancer. I always wonder how many children they will be leaving behind without a mother.
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Breast Cancer
I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Thurs. and will have a lumpectomy this week followed by six weeks of radiation therapy. Are there any ladies who have been through this and can you tell me how soon you were able to get back to work and did it affect your ablility to work and focus. My brain won't work and my feelings are all over the map. I'm an independent contractor with my own clients. Thanks for any help or advice. PinkLady
Breast Cancer
Thanks for you kind response. I will get the book today. I don't know what happened to the rest of the responses. I emailed the moderator to ask where they went, as I would like to reread them. My head is spinning, but putting one foot in front of the other is all I can do, plus yesterday I used the push mower to mow about an acre of my 5 acres out back. That did wonders for my anxiety. Didn't do much for the owie where I had the biopsy, but at this point, that bruise doesn't matter too much. Blessings to you for your care and concern.
Breast Cancer
Gosh - Sometimes it just seems so overwhelming. My thoughts and prayers are with you. The waiting can make you CRAZY. Please let me know your results and how you're holding up. What part of the country are you in? I'm in Virginia, south of Roanoke.
Breast Cancer
I know exactly how you feel. I was diagnosed with an occult breast cancer 13 years ago. I did not have a lumpectomy but I did chemo and radiation afterwards. The radiation was a breeze. I didn't find that I had any symptoms from the radiation. I wish you the best of luck. I did have prophylactic bilateral mastectomies 7 years later and for me, it was the best thing I ever did. That relieved a lot of the anxieties. Once you are done with all of the treatment and they say that you can just follow up at certain intervals you'll feel much better and relieved. Try to think about that part of it.
What are we doing for men with breast cancer?
nm
Breast cancer posts
Only one message moved over to Gab from Main. Please get your hands on Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, it will help. Also get other opinions. Perhaps this is on here somewhere but I know you only have today to prepare. Be strong and positive with positive vibes all around you.
men with breast cancer reply
Honestly I don't know, I just follow for the women, since my diagnosis last year. I'm sure there's something out there though. If not maybe you can start something up for the men... Best of luck.
We should be outraged at the prevalence of breast cancer.
I am so sorry you have to go through this right now.
I understand how you feel. As posted earlier, I am awaiting results which will be delivered tomorrow after bx on Thurs morning. I am on my knees and praying this will be benign because I am going through the tragic and unexpected death of my 51 yr old brother and only remaining immediate family member, just over a month ago.
And like you, my thoughts are "can I work through the treatment," and "where is my support system that should be in place but isn't?"
As one woman said to me, just take it moment by moment, try to join a local breast cancer support group where you will undoubtedly make life-long friends, I am sure of it. Nothing can bond two women more than going through this together.
What I have done is get supplies that can last (dog/cat food, frozen/canned food for myself, etc), pay some of my bills ahead of time in case I end up drifting through the days, and I try to do things that will allow me a few months of inactivity such as leaving the house for anything other than leisurely walks with the dogs and the appointments this will require. I have read it is important to drink plenty of water and to apply 100% aloe vera gel on skin that is irradiated immediately, get an anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety med to get you through this.
Get plenty of rest and eat right. (You could line up back up help just in case.) Also: Try to enjoy a favorite hobby be it reading or gardening, sewing. Try to walk each day.
I have read the first two weeks of this are the hardest and that is due to the overwhelming realization of the seriousness of this disease.
Also, I have read that it is important you have confidence in your M.D. Second and third opinions from specialists were encouraged.
I will think of you often. E-mail me if you'd like to correspond.
This is one web site and there are more where women with breast CA ask questions and find others who understand exactly how they feel.
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=23
And as my surgeon said, remember all of the survivors, there are very many actually.
Sleepwear during treatment for breast cancer.
A close friend of mine is going for bilateral mastectomy on January 2nd for grade IIa invasive ductal cell carcinoma. I will be doing some caretaking after she get home and am currently shopping for sleepwear for the hospital and postoperative convalescence.. I was wondering if there is anything I should know about the type of sleepwear that is especially appropriate for postoperative mastectomy/chemotherapy patients? I am planning to get natural fiber only but beyond that, I am wondering about the pros and cons of gowns versus PJs versus front-closure robes. Any tips from BC survivors, family, caregivers, etcetera, out there?
Received a dx today of fibrocystic breast disease. Painful lumps in my breast. Going for a mammo
towards the end of the month. Anyone have any info on this disease?
Truly A Day for the History Books
DH replaced the empty toilet paper roll last night.
In the 32 years we have been together, this is the first time I can remember him replacing a roll. Please don't tell anyone else because they would probably kick him out of the He Man Club, which all men who don't replace rolls (and that would be 99% of them) secretly belong to.
This is one of those days where, years from now, I will think back about what I was doing when I discovered it. (Sort of like people do with other significant historical events.)
In my world, this is at least as big as discovering a cure for cancer, landing a man on the moon, or discovering life in outer space, so I just wanted to share the good news with you - because, ladies, it proves that there is hope for the rest of you!
history is my comfort
http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking?blend=2&ob=1
There are several to watch and I enjoyed them very much!
You were just ahead of your time!
Checking Your Man's History Because
In Internet Explorer web browsers:
To just check history, click on the top left area of the browser window where it shows a yellow star. You'll see three choices toward the top of that menu: Favorites, Feeds, and History. Click on History. You'll see everything stored there since the last time the history was cleared.
Now, if you want to set the computer to save the History longer than it's saving it already (for example, you don't see anything from last week, but you wish you could see it next week when you come back again...) Do this:
Top Right of your browser window, you'll see the word "Tools". Click on it, and there's a drop-down menu. Look at the very bottom of the menu, and you'll see the words "Internet Options" Click on that. You'll see a pop-up box with different stuff in it. The second one down is browsing history. Click on "settings" within that section and then look at the bottom of the new pop-up box. You'll see a thing you can set to choose how many days to store in history. Change that number to show however frequently you want to check his history. If you want to check his history once per week, set it to 10 days, to give yourself a little leeway in getting back to it.
If your Man is being sneaky and deleting his history, there isn't much you can do about that without installing Spyware on the computer. If the computer is his alone or provided through his employment, you're risking privacy laws to spy on him. If it's a family computer, then you're using it too, and you should have a right to view the history on it.
Anyone out there with a history of Hashimotos thyroiditis? sm
I was diagnosed with Hashimotos nine years ago while pregnant with my daughter. I also ended up with Bells palsy and numerous other problems--almost all endocrine related. I was on synthroid for a few years and then went into remission. I have recently been feeling so tired and run down, dry skin, hair starting to fall out, ect. At first I chalked it up to just being somewhat depressed since my mother recently passed away, but then I remembered the Hashimotos thing. I went to the doc for a cold and asked to have the thyroid checked. This doc is aware of my history, but did not treat me initially when I first had the Hashimotos. He only checked a TSH and that came back fine. If I am remebering correctly I had to have full thyroid panels done and antibody testing the first few years. I am wondering if this doc missed doing more testing and should I just skip him and go to an endocrinologist? If anyone has experience with Hashimotos I would like to hear what kind of testing and things you have to do. Thanks for any help or insight.
if they had read their history books, they would not need to ask..nm
nm
YOU are so confusing and your whole life history,... so many
husbands around, fathers, mothers, children one cannot find, I hope you enjoy the.... ....(enter whatever you want)money and take a hike!
login to your account @paypal to see your history. SM
if there is no payment listed, then assume it did not go through.
or you could check with your credit card company...
History Channel and a turkey sandwich!
Every now and again I get WICKED insomnia myself...definitely stress related. It totally sucks too, I know what you're goin' through. Throws everything outta whack.
Tylenol PM works really well for me...just one tablet and I'm out for a minimum of 9 hours. Wine will make me sleepy but really just puts me out for a 2-3 hour nap. Otherwise, just my daily chores and typin' work is enough to make me want to be in bed by 7 and not get up until the alarm goes off at 5.
"They" say to set a schedule and try to stick to it. No naps during the day, and the bedroom is only for sleeping and, er, well no tv and no food anyway ;-) I also use a white-noise machine (actually just a fan that I affectionatly call "noisy fan") and have one of those Plug-Ins in a relaxing scent (lilac).
Being anal retentive, I find I can fall asleep easiest knowing that all the house stuff is done (dishes, laundry, coffee maker prepped, etc) and when I get up everything is clean and ready for the next day.
Good luck with it all...have the hot flashes hit yet?
retired homemaker for social history -
most of us know that would mean dead!!! Like Social Security comes in and does the dishes for us?
Funny! I love the History Channel and...
Dirty Jobs and cannot imagine the drama of living with another woman. Have you not seen how much they complain?
If I knew there was a history of cheating on former wives,
then my opinion would be different. I think that once cheating occurs, it is more likely to be repeated in future relationships. Not saying that this is your case, but it would worry me.
So you can pinpoint her behavior change. What is her history before she came to you? nm
nm
See link inside - History of Santa Claus
The origins of Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas. See link below. A real person long ago.
Family is great but I am never back in my hometown where family is... So I always have extended fami
You can always pick your friends your stuck with your family. An Xmas for me is where my husband and kids come home to. It is what you make it!
Summer. Friends or family? Family. Tired or Awake?
x
Big difference between family values and family jewels, eh? lol
LOL. I love this show. I think Gene and Shannon and her sister are a riot! What characters. It really is amazing to me the kids seem so laid back and so normal. They seem like great kids.
Does your family still do the early Sunday dinner w/family?
s
New Cancer Vac.
 Frankly it scars me and I have had cervical cancer myself. I work part-time on a onocolgy account and they say it "may" prevent cervical cancer. You still have to screen for this type of cancer and if you screen every year it would be caught early and can be cured -- as was in my case. We don't know what the long-term effects are. What if this drug would make your child/grandchild not able to have a child of her own? There could be and are some side-effects. To me the side-effects sound worse than maybe getting the cancer. I had to have LEEP surgery and go for screening every 4 months for the following year. If the shot had been available for me in my younger years, I still would not take it evening knowing that cancer was in my future. A lot of times these new drugs are worse than what they are supposed to cure/prevent.
Cancer
 I had a close relative go through this and I also did work for an oncology doctor for a few months. I would not do the surgery. That is my personal opinion. It is major surgery and you don't just bounce back like nothing took place. It is a well-known fact in my state that doctors operate just for the $$$$. I know this is not the case with most, but there are some doctors out there just to make as much $$$$ as they can. My relative was told to have the surgery or die. She didn't have the surgery, went to another doctor who agreed she did the right thing. What cancer she did have was gone. It has been years and she is healthy. Why be cut up for something that may or may not happen? To each his own, but I would not jump into this without a ton of thought. I wish you good health. I am also a cancer survivor -- cervical. No more surgeries for me. Again there was a doctor only out for money and I looked for another opinion. I had LEEP the cancer is gone and has been gone for almost 5 years. Did you know that if it doesn't cancer does not return in 3-5 years it most likely will not return at all? Wait and see. I did and I am glad I did.
HELP!! CANCER
Hi,
My uncle has Ductal Eccrine Adeno Carcinoma. The Doctor's say they do not know much about it and do not know how to treat it. Does anyone know of anyone who has it ( it is rare) and any info. you can give on the subject will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
MT
Actually, he's not a breast man
He is a realtor and doing very well. Large breasts are not what he looks for in a woman - and he knows what breasts are meant for first and foremost - nutrition. You did things your way - I did things mine - and I doubt that we will ever read of one of our children becoming sexual perverts or serial killers - I think this thread was probably very encouraging to those who did not post but have emailed me because they were afraid of being blasted like I have been - but I say - who cares - to each his own - and mine was BF for 6 years. Now you want to hear about my sex life?
Cancer vaccine
I do NOT agree with this either. I lost a daughter to cancer. One thing I learned while she was being treated was that the side effects of the chemo and radiation were cancer. I do not agree with this. This vaccine has not been around long enough to just start making it mandatory and I for one do not like the government making medical decisions for me.
New Cancer Shot
I saw it on the evening news here in PA. Unfortunately, it is for real. There are two ways parents can opt out, but they have to jump through hoops to do it.
Cancer injection
But this particular injection only protects the cancer which supposedly comes from a virus. It does not protect from all cervical cancer. It does not protect from the cervical cancer not attributed to the STD. You are correct, not all cancer comes from having sex, but this injection only protects from the kind that does and even that is a debate.
Don't know about cancer or anything, but it does make me
.
esophageal cancer
Does anyone have any experience with family/friends and esophageal cancer? I want the good, the bad and the ugly. My DH was dx'd last week and given a very poor prognosis. I would like some idea of how others have coped and what to expect. Thanks in advance.
I feel the same as you with cancer or other
Also, I really don't think there are "huge pot heads" out there robbing banks for their next J to roll.
I'm for legalizing it for everyone (drinking age of course). Why not? Booze is allowed and drunk drivers kill innocent people every day. There are crosses along the road in my state to prove it. I say legalize it and save the jail for the real criminals.
I'm not into a pickled liver, so I stay away from the booze. But definitely decriminilizing is better than jamming the jails up and using our taxes to pay for 3 hots and a cot for a pothead... 
breast pain
Go ahead and try the Vit E - I took it for a couple of years and didn't notice any difference, but that doesn't you won't. I did the diet elimination of caffeine, which was really rough for me, but it made absolutely no difference. I think that pain is hormone related. My GYN told me after I did a year of the no caffeine diet that they had found that almost no one responded to it.
I have been told, since my first mammogram at age 37 that I have "changes consistent with fibrocystic disease." Even after menopause, I still get breast pain off and on. My right breast feels like it has a little rock in it; sometimes the discomfort/pain/tenderness shoots into my underarm area. It hasn't gotten better or worse in 20 years.
Sorry to not be more helpful.
Breast pain
I have a very personal question. Does anyone have severe breast pain before their menstrual cycle. I literally have excruciating pain for about two weeks before my cycle. I have tried Motrin, heat, Primrose, herbal supplements and changing my diet. Nothing works. I've had a couple of mammograms which were both normal. I am at my wits end. I am questioning a hysterectomy to relieve the symptoms (it's that bad). I have always had this but the pain seems to be getting worse. I only have about two weeks without breast pain. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations. I am willing to try anything.
Thanks ahead of time..... 
I had a breast reduction so do not have to even
wear 1 if I don’t want to. If I do, cannot wear the underwire deals. Used to be the breasts would enter the room about 5 minutes before I did, hated that!!
breast reduction
Double D's here -- can relate to the boobs entering the room first. LOL I have thought about a reduction -- if only I had the insurance coverage. I think the extra up front contributes to my low back problems. Was the surgery a difficult thing to go through? Is it painful?
My children were not breast fed and
incredible stable and social. They are both straight A students and are very well-rounded. Breast milk does many things, but it doesn't make a child perfect.
I have a breast machine also
Only thing is I told him I would not tell!! He, he.
anybody ever had a breast lipoma?(sm)
What does one feel like and what do they do about it?
Breast biopsy
What is the normal length of time time to wait on the results of a biospy for a lump in the breast. I was given a very vague answer today about when? Thanks!
breast reduction
I am seriously thinking of having this done because I'm so tired of aching shoulders and not being able to wear the clothes I really want to wear. I am just a big baby when it comes to going under the knife! Has anyone gone through this, was it very painful and how long is the recovery time? TIA!
breast reduction
I keep mulling over the same thing, but I am 50. I have huge grooves in my shoulders, and have had cervical disk problems, fusion and all. I wonder if that is why I have neck problems because I never had an accident or anything. I am a 36G or H if I can find it. Forget about breast-feeding my kids, I felt like I would fall over from the weight of them and couldn't wait until they went back to normal (for me anyway :) I am only 5Ɖ, slightly overweight. I think being so huge on top makes you look heavier anyway. I still think about having it done. I am sure my ins would pay for it, just so afraid of the pain and scars, but now you have me thinking again!
Breast feeding.....
I had a child via a surrogate and I breast fed her. Sometimes just suckling the baby will stimulate milk supply but it is a very long and time consuming process. Also, I used a system called Lact-Aid that uses a small bag that holds formula and has a thin tube that is near the nipple so the baby suckles both the tube for the formula and you for the stimulation to trick your body into producing milk. And yes, I did produce some although not enough for nourishment. I used the system for several weeks just for the bonding.
Had a hysterectomy 6-1/2 years ago, not for cancer, but
by far, one of the best decisions I ever made. I did get to keep my ovaries, but knowing what I know now I still would have it done even if it meant both ovaries being taken out, too. I know it's a tough decision and my prayers are with you. I'm glad the cancer was contained to the one ovary.
cervical cancer injection.
Me too! I agree with everything you have said. If I have to home school to avoid this I will. It was mentioned that this is being done in case a girl is rapped as well. Well the shot doesn't protect against all the other STDs so why not do something to all the males in the world then so that they cannot rape? We all know that will never happen. That would be crazy and so is forcing our daughters to do this.
Anyone who has had cervical cancer (not dysplasia)? (sm)
I have been dismissing symptoms as perimenopause but now I am VERY concerned I might have cervical cancer. I am going to the doctor today. But if there is anyone who has had cervical cance before, can we please talk?
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