I would like some positive breast cancer stories please.

[Flossam]

Mum got her diagnosis today after a few weeks of tests. She has two lumps (?maybe more) and is going to have a mastectomy at the end of the month. This is probably going to be followed by chemo. I have known that it was most likely to be cancer, so was prepared for that but thought she would be having a lump removed not a full removal of breast. She has the most beautiful long dark hair which she is probably going to loose. Typing that last sentance has really brought it home to me. I really could do with some positive stories.

Flossam - So sorry about your Mum. I work with a woman who has had breast cancer. Worked throughout her Chemo with only days off here and there..... got the all clear 6 months ago.

Really sorry to hear your news Flossam.
My MIL was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago, and had a mastectomy within a couple of weeks of diagnosis.
She's still very much with us now, doing all the old things and some new ones (going to the gym). She's a doctor, so realistic about the long-term possibilities, and she does suffer some pain from the scar, but on the whole it seems to have been a great success.
Take good care of yourself & your mum.

I have one for you, Flossam

I was diagnosed in Oct 2000 (aged 49), had lumpectomy Nov (2 lumps, quite aggressive form, lymph nodes clear though), chemo from Jan-Jun 2001 and radiotherapy for 4 weeks Jul-Aug 2001.

One of the lumps was right against the chest wall so they couldn't take out as big a margin around it as they would have liked so the 4 weeks radiotherapy included an extra week aimed right at that.

Much of my hair fell out but all over so I had enough left to cover; it was straight and fair-to-grey, what grew back was vertical/wiggly/like a shaving brush and dark grey so I did look very odd for quite a while.

I had 3-monthly check-ups, then 6-monthly, and last Nov was my 5-year-anniversary and I have been signed off

HTH - chin up - survival rates are incredible these days.

Thank you very much for that all of you. I see people have the op, but then they go home and I never quite know what becomes of them. Congratulations JanH! You went through an awful lot, must have been a huge relief. xx

Flossam,sorry to hear about the diagnosis for your Mum. I do know that post menopausal breast cancer tends to be less agressive so maybe this is good news in itself (assuming your Mumis as old as mine!)
I have a friend who had it in her late 20's. Mastectomy, chemo, radiotherapy, the works.
She has now been clear for 15 years and has also had 3 boys in the meantime (which is amazing really as she was told having children was a nono as she had a hormonal form of the disease_. She even breastfed all three of them to over a year on her one breast - they all had slightly mishapen heads from lying to the left, but all for the best.
Hope that you Mum copes well with it - will be thinking of you.

Sorry to hear about your mum. MIL had breast cancer - we found out at the same time I found out I was pregnant with dd1 - now 10 years old. Also My auntie had a breast removed at 50 - she has been clear for 6 years now. Good Luck for your mum - I hope things work out as well for her!

Hi, Flossam

I have one. My greataunt developed breast cancer in her 40's and had a onesided mastectomy. Bear in mind that treatment has come a long way since then.
She is just about to celebrate her 80th Birthday.....
hth

I have a friend who was diagnosed during her pregnancy. Her daughter (who should be the same age as mine!) was delivered by c-section at 33 weeks and so spent time in special care etc. Because of the size of her lump she had to have chemo to reduce it before it could be operated on. The chemo worked so well that the lump disappeared altogether. She was also told that she would not be able to have any more children. Her DD2 is now 12 weeks old and partially breastfed on the other side.

I'm sorry to hear about your mum Flossam. I had coffee this morning with a friend who had a mastectomy a few months ago and is still going through chemo. She went from diagnosis to mastectomy in a week which was obviously extremely traumatic but she is doing so well now. The prognosis is extremely good - she faces another year or so of different treatments but has been told that afterwards she should be fine. As she has young children it was obviously difficult for everyone, and she has lost her hair, but she is looking great and is overall a much more mellow, positive person than she was before. Breast cancer is one of the most curable forms of that horrible disease. I hope all goes well for your mum, and you

Thank you all very much. Some lovely stories, lovely to hear. I am off to go and see her for a while tomorrow, I am lucky that her diagnoses has coincided with a weeks holiday for me. Am focusing on putting together some nice things for her to have with her when she goes for her op. Any ideas appreciated! So far I intend to get arnica tablets, mini set of shower gels/bath foam, a little brushalways thingy (have you tasted hospital mouth wash??!) and some facial spritzer.

Am just now looking forward to seeing her and giving her a lovely big cuddle.

Good luck to your mum, Flossam. When my friend had her mastectomy I took her some beautifully soft and feminine vests- I know it sounds a bit weird, but they were quite comforting to wear I think.

That is a brilliant idea tanum thank you. Willgo and have a moosey.

Hi Flossam, I am sorry to hear about your news. I have a positive story (so far) for you

Mum was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the end of May (she is in her 70's)She had a lump in the left breast.

What I know of breast cancer in older post - menopausal women it seems to be less agressive than for women in their thirties and forties and the success rate is quite high.

Mum had a masectomy just a little over 10 days ago. She was most worried (as was the surgeon) of the operation because it's the anaesthetic that can cause problems in older women. They do all sorts of tests to make sure that it will be fine to operate. I was worried because mum is a smoker and not that fit but she passed all the tests.
At the same time as the masectomy they also removed some of the lymph as well.

She was let out of hospital 3 days early since she was doing so well - it did not hurt nearly as much as she thought and they don;t use stiches but glue. The consultant says that she needs radiotherapy (they would not give her chemo at her age) and she will be given hormones since the cancer is treatable with hormones. He reckons that once she has had all this there is a 99.9999999% chance it WONT COME BACK.

Breast cancer is so very treatable these days as long as it is caught early enough for it not to have spread around the body. (I really don't know your mum's situation so I hope that this is the case for her as well). The reason why so much research has been done is that ONE IN FOUR women will get it at some point in their lives and it;s the biggest cancer in women today.

Chin up - your mum has a way to go but I really do think she will have a very good chance of a full recovery if there are no other complications.x

Hi sandradee. I'm sorry this has all happened to your mum but very glad it has all gone well so far. Good luck to her. And yes Mum is post menopausal (just) at 57.

I don't know if there's anything suitable Flossam, but The White Company have a sale on at the moment. I meant to add- this was 18 years ago, it was the friend's 2nd mastectomy (she had breast cancer twice, quite independently) and she's absolutely fine