Guestbook
I just wanted to let you know that your website was very informative and positive. Thank you for caring.
Shawna My maternal aunt and grandmother both died of BC. My aunt had a radical mastectomy in her 20s and was cancer free until her late 40s. She gave up, spiritually and emotionally, and died 2 months after. My grandmother lived for 2 years after her mastectomy, and despite treatments the cancer spread. I had a double reduction when I was 18 and go for mammograms every 2 years, as well as doing my own monthly self exams... when I had the reduction the dr's said my tissue was pre-cancerous. I run the risk of not knowing if the lumps I feel are scar tissue, or if the scar tissue will evolve. Also, my cousin had cervical cancer. I came to this site looking for the Run For The Cure to support breast cancer. I pray to God that I will never have to go through cancer and chemo. Fabulous site. For all those who have written about battling cancer, please keep your spirits up. moneca <m_croken@bc.sympatico.ca> Surrey, BC Canada - Sunday, February 22, 1998 at 03:47:20 (EST) My younger 41 year old sister has had imflammatory B.C. for four years. She had a lumpectomy, 6 positve nodes, radiation, alot of chemotherapy from CAF that she started with to 5Fu that she is on now. She had a very small metastisis to the brain, which they took care of stereotactilly(sp) & developed seconday breast cancer on her chest skin. She is trying to decide whether whe should do a Stem cell transplant with Cytoxin or continue with Just chemo. She also is Her 2 Nu positive & is taking a monoclonal antibody as a clinical study. If anyone has anything in common with her or just has any imput, I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DeeDee Eagan <DeeDee E4@aol.com> Brooksville, Fl. Hernando - Saturday, February 21, 1998 at 16:53:21 (EST) As background information, I'm 38 years of age, married with no children. Until my breast cancer diagnosis, my only health issue to date has been two surgeries for endometriosis (removal of blood-filled cysts on each ovary). In August/97, my family doctor found a lump in my left breast. The tumour was moveable and felt soft to the touch which led her to believe it was a fibroadenoma. She requested a mammogram and an ultrasound and referred me to a general surgeon. The surgeon reviewed the mammogram and ultraound results (which displayed a circular lump-- no jagged edges) and concurred that it was most likely a fibroadenoma. He did a fine needle aspirate and advised me the results were inconclusive which was typical of a fibroadenoma. Given this information and with his concurrence, I decided to put off having a lumpectomy until December as my husband had I had planned a vacation at that time. I thought it would be a good way to recover from the surgery. On December 5th, I had day surgery to remove the lump. The surgeon visited us (my husband, father and me) in the recovery room and seemed shaken-- he advised that the tumour was not a fibroadenoma, but a colloid carcinoma. He stated when he removed the mass, it had indeed looked like a fibroadenoma (yellowish, grey). He advised I would have to have more surgery to remove the surrounding tissue (as the edges of the tumour were not clean) and lymph nodes (to determine if the cancer had spread). I elected to switch surgeons and went to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. On January 19/98, I underwent a partial mastectomy (no cancer was found in the removed tissue) and an axillary dissection (all 23 lymph nodes removed were cancer free). As well, my bone and liver scans were clean and and my estrogen receptor assay tested positive. The oncologist decided I did not require chemotherapy as my breast cancer was a rare form (only 1-2% of breast cancers are of this type and is normally seen in older, slim, tall women)whereby the cancerous mass was surrounded by mucinous tissue. It seems this "mucus envelope" contained the cancer cells to the tumour. He speculated that although the entire mass was 2.1 cms, only 50% of it consisted of cancer cells with the remainder being the mucinous substance. The radiologist strongly recommend radiation treatment (4 weeks, 5 days/week) as he stated not all tissue removed during a partial mastectomy is tested, only samples from the section. He outlined the risks of radiation as a 1% chance of: lung damage, heart damage, leukemia and a re-occurence of the same type of breast cancer-- these statistics translate into 2 in 1,000. He was unable to provide me with re-occurrence statistics for my type of breast cancer, as it is so rare. Furthermore, as the re-occurence risk of 30% (based on breast cancers other than mine) would be reduced to 8%, i.e. I would still have an 8% re-occurence risk even with the radiation. Upon much reflection, I made an informed choice not to undertake radiation therapy. I have elected to manage the 30% re-occurence risk by 1)taking natural food supplements 2) exercising regularly 3) losing weight 4) not eating commercial poultry due to the injected hormones 5) having regular check ups 6) managing stress more effectively. The following books have been critical in my post surgical recoveries and decision making: "Love, Medicine & Miracles" by Dr. Bernie Siegel, "Spontaneous Healing" by Dr. Louis Weil, "8 Weeks to Optimum Health" by Dr. Louis Weil and "Perfect Health" by Dr. Deepak Chopra. I firmly believe we have the means to regain our health and vitality within ourselves. In this regard, I am exploring a holistic approach to cancer healing called "Psychoneuroimmunology". This entire experience has been quite an odyssey as I've noticed, more than once, there seems to be a "cookie-cutter" approach to breast cancer on the part of our health care system. No doubt, this is the reason for the existence of self-help/therapy groups and web sites such as this. There is no doubt in mind, we must take control of our own specific breast cancer issues, constantly question everything, keep fear from clouding our decisions and above all, keep in mind the following two quotes "Let food be thy medicine" - Hippocrates and "God heals and the Doctor sends the bill" - Mark Twain. Best wishes to you on your journey-- keep the faith! Debra D'Souza <debdon@ica.net> Keswick, ON Canada - Saturday, February 21, 1998 at 15:54:37 (EST) Dee - Friday, February 20, 1998 at 10:50:06 (EST) Excellent site. If anyone out there would like to write to me, please feel free to do so. I will answer all emails (sooner or later). Am going for radiotherapty in a couple of weeks. As one lady said in a previous signing - DON'T FORGET YOUR CHECK-UPS. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. Carmen Carmen Baxter <james@hartingdale.com.au> Australia - Friday, February 20, 1998 at 05:30:54 (EST) My mom found had her first mastectomy in the fall of 1981. After a round of Chemo she went 4 years and 9 months cancer free. Then it showed up in the other breast. Since then she has been battling this cancer in all places on her body. It's been in her lungs, on her skin,,,,,no major organ yet! She is a fighter and has never given one battle to the disease. I am worried now however....she has been through numerous chemos and radiations. She jokes that sometimes it is hard for her to sleep at night as she "glows" in the dark. Her biggest problem at this point is a skin condition that no one seems to be able to put a name on....they won't say it's the cancer , nor will they say it's from the last radiation. She is miserable. She has sores and scabs on her upper torso where she last had radiation. Does anyone out there know what this could be and what she can do to get some relief from the pain and bleeding. Mom is 74 years old and good as gold. If you have any ideas as to answers to my questions, please e-mail me. thanks and God Bless you All. Ingrid De Mers <idemers@stmary.k12.la.us> Berwick, LA USA - Wednesday, February 18, 1998 at 12:27:20 (EST) good honest time here, thanks todd youman armidale, nnsw australia - Monday, February 16, 1998 at 23:03:46 (EST) Thank you for the information on your homepage. It gave me great info. for my research paper. Lea Ronnebaum Phoenix, AZ United States - Monday, February 16, 1998 at 01:18:55 (EST) I am a 4 year breast cancer survivor. I live in the USA for 5 months & Canada for 7 months. I am curious about the difference in treatment for breast cancer between the 2 countries. In Canada the only time a Stem Cell or BMT is used is if you have 10 or more positive nodes involved. In the USA it seems to be suggested with almost any node involvement. I had 5 positive nodes with aggressive, poorly differentiated cancer cells. I was ER positive.& am classed as high risk for a recurrence . The only treatment I received was 4 rounds of chemo and 3 weeks of radiation. I am also on Tamoxifen. I am doing well at this point but I do not like the prognosis of my type of cancer. I would like to find out what treartments other cancer survivors - with the same history as mine - received. (American or Canadian) I also in situ cancer (malignent) in the other breast a year later and all that was done was a lumpectomy - not even radiation- The American doctors seem shocked at this. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Please email me at billou@cybertrails.com Loreta Burden <billou@cybertrails.com> Yuma , AZ USA - Sunday, February 15, 1998 at 13:58:15 (EST) I learned two years ago that my birth mother had breast cancer at the age of 40, and underwent a mastectomy and one year of chemo. As far as I know, she is still healthy, but I am nearing 40, so want to keep as up to date as possible of breast cancer news and advances. I guess I also want to have some information available ahead of time, "just in case". Thanks for the web site! Susan Hakola <susanh@stcroixpress.com> River Falls, WI USA - Friday, February 13, 1998 at 09:47:08 (EST) Just a week since my lumpectomy- hopefully drainage tube will come out today! Then on to the next step. Seems each step is so slow- but too fast at the same time! Bev Pickard <bpickard@haltonbe.on.ca> Freelton, Ontario Canada - Friday, February 13, 1998 at 09:04:58 (EST) My mother is 52. She went for a mammagram and they called her back for a second one. They said they saw something and wanted to be sure. She saw the second film and said there was a small, pea shaped white dot about 2 in. above her right nipple. She said it was perfectly round and very noticable. They told her to call her dr. first thing in the morning. I am very scared. I hope it isn't cancer but i can't stop worrying. Noone in our family has had it, and she has4 sisters too, and her mother is alive and well. My mother said that she couldnn't feel the mass, it is too deep in the breast tissue. If anyone could write me with similar experiences, please do. Thank you very much. abby cole <nurs2b1809@aol.com> meridian, ms usa - Thursday, February 12, 1998 at 23:54:34 (EST) Debbie, 44, has been diagnosed with a stage IIB 3cm tumor. ER neg, S-Phase 10.5,Grade 3, aneuploid, DNA 1.9. Radical mastectomy with reconstruction completed two weeks ago. 26 nodes - 1 positive. We know Chemo is necessary. What we cannot get a handle on is whether it should be CMF or CAF. We are told there is no data supporting a CA5F regimen with these statistics. The CAF regimen comes with a few more risks (adriamyacin) therefore the doctor can only medically support CM5F. When asked what he would do if his wife had the problem...no hesitation, CAF. This type of conflicting info is giving us a real headache. Emotionally we are leaning to the CAF because of that is the more agressive treatment. Can anybody shed some light on this issue? The decision is urgent. Anyhelp is needed quickly. Alternately, there is a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine reporting on radiation and chemo therapy for Mod. Radical Masetectomy, low node premenopausal patients. Find at http://www.nejm.com/index.htm Rudy & Debbie Anderson <rudydeb@monmouth.com> Normandy Beach, NJ USA - Wednesday, February 11, 1998 at 19:37:22 (EST) My best friend was told that she had breast cancer I'm here to help in her search for imformation and treatments Janet Jacobs <janet.jacobs> Olathe, Ks Use - Wednesday, February 11, 1998 at 11:11:40 (EST) Janet Jacobs - Wednesday, February 11, 1998 at 11:10:17 (EST) hello from malaysia! I m 36 and was diagnosed with BC two years ago while trying to concieve. Diagnosed as Stage one, not heredietary and had partial breast removed plus lymph nodes. undergone radiotheraphy treatment . I hope to share and hear from anyone with similar experience as I m still hoping to have a baby . But other than this I m still active, as I m a music teacher and also active in dancing and sports. I m now doing a post graduate course in music and m in a postitive frame of thinking! Life must go on! I thank God for a loving and understanding husband who supports me all the way besides my loving parents and sisters. To all who are in the same boat, think positive and may God bless you. florina <flosam@hotmail> ipoh, pk malaysia - Tuesday, February 10, 1998 at 23:31:57 (EST) Hi, I was diagnosed with BC at the age of 33 & 17 weeks pregnant. No family history. The tumor, 3 cm ER- (they think),Grade 3, was removed under local anesthetic because needle biopsy indicated atypical cells - no nodes were taken. I began chemo therapy one month after diagnosis (in 3rd trimester) - baby was born Oct 24 after 4 rounds of AC. She was 4 weeks early weighed 6.1 lbs and had more hair than I did! I finished off my 6th chemo the end of November. The baby (McKenna Jane) is 3 months old now and is great - no fins, doesn't glow and appears to be fine. I have 11 radiation (total 31) treatments left. I would love to talk to anyone who has had a similar experience. Shelley <kevin.chisholm@sympatico.ca> Kanata, ON Canada - Tuesday, February 10, 1998 at 21:57:17 (EST) I am so glad I found this web page. It is very helpful. I am doing a speech in public speaking on the personal and social aspects of breast cancer, and another speech on federal funding for research on cancer. If any breast cancer patient, or researcher could help me, please mail me. Thank you, Amanda Alexander Oregon State University freshman Amanda Alexander <alexanam@ucs.orst.edu> Corvallis, Oregon USA - Tuesday, February 10, 1998 at 01:52:58 (EST) I went through many of the guestbook entries, and I would have loved to respond to everyone of them. That would take a long time to do, so I want to tell all of you: FIGHT all the way! Nobody should suffer more than what is stricly necessary today because of breast cancer. Talk to your doctors, bombard them with questions, talk to your family and friends about your fears, take responsibility for your treatment, be a part of the decision-making process. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 97, had a tumor and right arm lymph nodes removed, 28 sessions of radiotherapy and now I am on Tamoxifen. Three weeks before that I had a misscarriage, and now I will not be able to get pregnant at least for 2 years. That a lot when you are already 34. But I keep on fighting. I owe it to myself. Good luck all of you! PS: reading "Love, medicine and miracles" from Dr. B. Siegel helped a lot. I really recomend it. Genevieve <genoveva@meelix.com> Madrid, Spain - Friday, February 06, 1998 at 13:58:50 (EST) Hi, Two of my girl friends had their biopsys yesterday, one, last week was dianosed with cancer, Hodgkings, her, biospy was in her lung. Tomorrow evening she will bring her family with her to the doctors for the results. two, had her breast biospy today, she was awake for it, and says she won't have any treatment... I myself have had cancer in 1991 cerical and had my operation and am fine now. Also have had 2 breast biospys ( one one each breast) back in 1974-75, both were begnine. My father died of a brain turmor in 1983, I was the sole caretaker. I want to support my friends, but I'm scared. I'm sick of death. I will be there for both of them what ever there desions. I will need support myself. Lacey Copeland <laccey@pacbell.net> San Francisco, CA USA - Friday, February 06, 1998 at 04:54:28 (EST) My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery next week. Sharon Calhoun <symd37a@prodigy.com > Los Alamos, NMNM USA - Thursday, February 05, 1998 at 16:34:42 (EST) My mom came down with brest cancer 11 years ago this past Oct. She has been a real trooper. It was only because of her refuesing to take "nothing" was wrong as the answer that she is here to day. She had a lump in her nipple. She had a radical done on her right breast. There was one lymp node involved. There was no treatment given except Tamoxin, which was new on the market at the time. Time passed and no other test were done on her except blood work. Part of the reason was because she had no insurance. Three years ago she made them do a bone scan. All her freinds had had one that had gone through Breast cancer. At that time they found spots on her fore head, skull, spine and the other breast. They really gave her no hope. They removed the places on her fore head and skull and put a plate in. Radition was done on her spine and they changed her medication. She has slowly gone down hill but not much had changed until last July. The bone scan showed lots of spots. Last week she feel while getting out of bed. She is not able to move now and is in terrible pain. Another bone scan was done showing spots in her hips, pelvis, femur, breast bone, ribs...ect. I feel very helpless. It has been very hard not knowing what was going to happen next. Every phone call makes my heart sink. I am thankful for the time I have been givien. I just don't know how to feel at this time. I am 1200 miles away and feel very helpless. I dont know what this means now. I am glad there is a place like this for women to share. Julie Brasseal <jbras@cfer.com> Denver, CO USA - Wednesday, February 04, 1998 at 15:55:25 (EST) Candi Burden <103064,102> Orlando, FL USA - Wednesday, February 04, 1998 at 15:27:41 (EST) I am a twenty (yes, 20) year survivor. If anyone out there wants to talk, I'm here. Remember to smile - the sun will still be shining tomorrow. Thanks for the great site. Mray-Anne <marburg355@sympatico.ca> ON Canada - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 21:27:19 (EST) Just found this web page, and looks very interesting I was diagnosed in June 96 with BC. Had bi-lateral mastectomies, 6 months of CAF, a BMT in April 97, and five weeks of radiation. I am on Tamoxifan and so far I am doing well. Would love to talk to other woman, whether your circumstances are similar or not. It is amazing how lonely you can feel, but we really are not. barb <coffycrisp@hotmail.com> peterborough, ont canada - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 14:34:22 (EST) I was diagnosed with "infiltrating duct carcinoma" in Dec 97, I had the needle biopsy, lumpectomy, and just recently axillary disscection with all 9 lymph nodes negative. I am waiting for an appointment at the Cancer clinic to see what my next treatments will be. I would love to hear from others with similar experience and what type of treatments you received. Thank you. I loved the site but especially the quest book. I think anyone can face anything when you know you are not alone. Liz <weiers@sk.sympatico.ca> Moose Jaw, SK Canada - Monday, February 02, 1998 at 13:41:52 (EST) carol and stan thank you for such a wonderful web site; i write this in memory of my 27 year old sister-in-law jennifer walker who died of breast cancer last friday. women GET YOUR CHECK-UPS and be PERSISTENT with doctors! kristin mikel <gems20@aol.com> pa - Friday, January 30, 1998 at 17:27:44 (EST) Carol and Stan: You have done a wonderful job in developing this comprehensive web site. It's well laid out and beautifully presented. My congratulations to you! Sincerely, Liz Whamond, President, Canadian Breast Cancer Network Liz Whamond <whamond@unb.ca> Fredericton, NB Canada - Friday, January 30, 1998 at 10:23:21 (EST) I was diagnosed with a 3cm. tumor June of '96, which was followed by a mastectomy within aweek. No lymph node involement was detected. I am proceding with a good convalescance and taking tamoxifen 20mg daily. I am very interested in any research done on this disease as well as learning from others how to cope. Marianna Hope <garry.hope@ns.sympatico.ca> R.R.#1 Westville, N.S. Canada - Thursday, January 29, 1998 at 13:54:17 (EST) A couple years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had the full mastectomy, she went through the whole chemo thing and now she has made full recovery. Every three months she has to go for a check -up at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center in Columbia, MO. That was quite an ordeal for a fouth grader to handle. I'd have to say it was the hardest thing not to understand what might have happened to my beloved mother. Anita Ferguson Liberty, IL USA - Thursday, January 29, 1998 at 12:25:05 (EST) I came here looking for information on breast cancer in young women. I haven't browsed through the web page yet, but I am hoping to find information. I am doing a research paper on breast cancer in men and women for my communication class. All of the family on my paternal side has died of cancer. My paternal grandmother died of breast cancer. If you have any information that would be helpful to me, I would be much obliged. Thank you for your time. Katherine Williams <kwilliam@acme.csusb.edu> - Tuesday, January 27, 1998 at 00:08:18 (EST) |