• Nangijala@feddit.dk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Man, this is so awful :( I just had my breast removed due to the pre-stages to breast cancer. It is genuinely so scary how fast these things grow. There was basically nothing wrong with my breast in January and by Spring, I went to the doctor for an unrelated check and casually asked him to take a look at this small lump in my breast. He said it seemed like nothing more than some hormonal changes and that’s what I thought as well, but he referred me to get a mammogram “just to be safe”. I got an appointment for February 2027 and was like “cool, I’ll wait”. The hospital called me sometime later and told me they wanted to offer me an appointment at a private clinic asap because the public mammogram section of the hospital was overbooked. I agreed and went in June. They weren’t able to see that anything was wrong, but decided to do a biopsy anyway, “just to be safe”. They told me, I would get the results in five weeks. Only two weeks passed and then they called me and told me they had found pre-stage cancer cells in my breast.

    That was such a shitty day, ngl. I was very upset. They wanted to do further tests to see how much the cells had evolved so that they could see if they could preserve my breast or if they had to remove it entirely. MRI scans and all that shit. There were two lumps and together they were 11cm long. There was NOTHING in January and by June there was an 11cm growth. So fucked.

    They had to remove my breast and they did in the beginning of July. It literally saved my life. There were no signs of the cells having evolved to cancer and nothing had spread to my lymphnodes. The doctor who gave us the good news told me that I had saved my life by catching it so early, because this would have been so bad if it had been left to grow much longer. It was all stupid luck and convenient coincidences. I could have ended up like Lucy so easily because everyone, even the pros thought that it was nothing more than some hormonal changes.

    It hasn’t really hit me just how fucking serious this was, but reading stories like Lucy’s is devastating. Like, why couldn’t she have had my stupid luck and gotten an operation before it spread like this? Why did she have to end up in this situation? Why not me? It must have been so friggin aggressive, that it could get to this point. Or maybe she just didn’t notice because she was busy and, much like I, thought that her hormones were being silly? People don’t understand how quickly this shit develops out of nothing. It’s so unfair to Lucy. She’s always seemed like such a lovely lady and she’s very funny and likable. She doesn’t deserve this fate. :(

    Edit: forgot to add, that it is so true, what she says about how it is much harder on the family than it is on the sick person. That is also how I felt during my situation. My siblings were sick with worry and one of them has had a few therapy appointments because it hit them so hard. Meanwhile, I was somewhat at peace with it all. The only thing I could barely handle to think about was the scenario of my boyfriend coming home to our little house after everything was over and funeral was done and all the practical shit was over and he’d just be there, surrounded by the life we built together. All alone. I still can’t think about that without crying. That hurts so badly to think that I could have done that to him.

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    54
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    Both the British and American receptionists for their versions of the Office have now had breast cancer.

    Schedule the checkup, never put off those visits.

    I’ll be doing my first colonoscopy soon

    • YarrMatey(she/her) @lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      I’ll be doing my first colonoscopy soon

      Get a bidet. No joke, you will feel like the insides of your body is being shed. It feels like hell and like you want to quit but it is very important to finish your prep.

      • NABDad@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        2 days ago

        I’ll say that the prep was anticlimactic when I had my colonoscopy. Biggest problem was it didn’t kick in when it was supposed to. I ended up staying up much later than planned and calling the emergency line because I was starting to think it wasn’t going to happen.

        Then it did. Not anywhere close to as bad as people had suggested. I do have a bidet, which certainly helped, but I’ve had a lot worse experiences from eating at the cafeteria at work.

        According to my wife who had to have a colonoscopy in her 30s, it was a lot worse then. She said the prep for the most recent one was nothing.

        So, don’t sweat the prep.

        • YarrMatey(she/her) @lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          I had a much different experience. First, there was a restricted diet a week prior that was hard to eat around since I am vegan and the instructions were geared for non-vegans. Then a 4 day liquid-only diet. I had diarrhea for at least two days. The actual salty solution was very hard to stomach. And I used the bathroom so much that I felt extremely cold and ill, and almost didn’t finish the gross salty solution because I didn’t want to use the bathroom anymore or have to taste the solution and just wanted to go to sleep. I didn’t have flavored prep, I know some people got gatorade by reading online, but fml my prep was hell and they found nothing, someone in the comments said theirs was 12 hours (?!). What the hell, and I had mine earlier this year too. I’ve had food poisoning 2 or 3 times but it was nothing like this.

          • NABDad@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            2 days ago

            Assuming you don’t have some particular condition that requires a different prep, I’d wonder if your doctor just isn’t keeping up with the latest medications.

            • YarrMatey(she/her) @lemmy.dbzer0.com
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              2 days ago

              Most likely the latter. I live in a rural area and am usually restricted on the amount of doctors around. I was told every patient has to do this bland diet and then liquid diet combo at the hospital. I do think everyone should get their prep done, but I’d be lying if I said I would gladly do it again.

              • NABDad@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                2 days ago

                Yeah that sucks.

                I happen to live near a larger city, and there are a multitude of healthcare options around. Two large university health systems and multiple smaller health systems and independent hospitals all competing in the area. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a doctor here. However, I don’t recommend that. You’ll just piss off the doctor and reduce your options by one.

        • Dhs92@piefed.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          2 days ago

          My first colonoscopy about 12 years ago, when I was in highschool, had a 2-3 day long prep period. My most recent one was like 12 hours. They’ve made major improvements

          • Bo7a@piefed.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            2 days ago

            Well God damn somebody needs to tell Canadian doctors about this. I get scoped every 6 to 8 months and the prep is always the 4 to 5 days of pure fucking hell. I’ve considered letting the Crohn’s kill me instead of continue like this…

            You can bet I’ll be looking into this easier prep.

        • YarrMatey(she/her) @lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          Just going to copy-paste my experience:

          I had a much different experience. First, there was a restricted diet a week prior that was hard to eat around since I am vegan and the instructions were geared for non-vegans. Then a 4 day liquid-only diet. I had diarrhea for at least two days. The actual salty solution was very hard to stomach. And I used the bathroom so much that I felt extremely cold and ill, and almost didn’t finish the gross salty solution because I didn’t want to use the bathroom anymore or have to taste the solution and just wanted to go to sleep. I didn’t have flavored prep, I know some people got gatorade by reading online, but fml my prep was hell and they found nothing, someone in the comments said theirs was 12 hours (?!). What the hell, and I had mine earlier this year too. I’ve had food poisoning 2 or 3 times but it was nothing like this.

    • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 day ago

      Both the British and American receptionists for their versions of the Office have now had breast cancer.

      Damn. Paper is worse than asbestos.

    • Elting@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      2 days ago

      Keep asking my doc if I should be getting those from a younger age because of a history of cancer and he always disregards the question. Check your body for lumps guys.

      • stopforgettingit@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        2 days ago

        One chemo treatment is ~$35,000 without insurance and you normally need 4-6 chemo treatments over the course of a few months. And they won’t give you the chemo until you pay. My personal treatment plan was 6 treatments in 4 months.

        A mammogram or colonoscopy is going to run you about $100 to $3000 without insurance once a year.

        There is also many groups that will help offset the cost of getting the preventative exams. If you are really putting this off due to costs, DM me the location you are in and I will try to find a organization in your area that will help pay for the treatment.

        EDIT: this is in the US, normal countries cover healthcare costs like this.

    • MrSelfDestruct25@fedinsfw.app
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 days ago

      I have an autoimmune disease and have to get a colonoscopy every 2 years. The prep sucks, but you’ll get great sleep under sedation. Then you’re not supposed to do anything serious after, so you have a day to sleep more.

  • stopforgettingit@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    First, as a “young” (40s) breast cancer survivor, this is my worst nightmare. I was diagnosed with Stage 1A. I was very lucky to have caught it when I did, I was 42 and you normally don’t get your first mammogram until 50. I finished treatment almost 3 years ago. I still have consent anxiety about a recurrence or worse - recurrence + it metastasized. In my support group you join and then you leave when you die and I have watch far too many young women leave in the last 4 years.

    Secondly, Stage 4 might be incurable but its not a quick death sentence anymore. With proper management de novo breast cancer like this can be kept in check for decades. It’s not the same as life without cancer, but also, if you get stage 4 breast cancer, its not the end.

    Bottom line - don’t let anyone tell you you are too young to get checked for any cancer and if you have been putting it off, do it now. Its better to know at Stage 1 and do the treatment when its the most effective and the easiest.

    • boaratio@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      I live in the US, and my wife has been getting yearly mammograms since she turned 30. I just always assumed that was the normal practice. Is it not?

      • stopforgettingit@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        No, not for Kaiser at least, but if you have history, certain genes or additional risk factors to be screened early you can. Once you are 40 Kaiser will let you get one if you request it. Once you are 50 they push you to get one once a year.

        • boaratio@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          I hadn’t considered that my wife’s mother had breast cancer in her late 40s, so maybe that’s what triggered my wife getting mammograms. I just assumed all women got them regularly at a younger age. Thanks for the info.

          • stopforgettingit@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            2 days ago

            Yes, if your immediate family has had the same type of cancer you are already at an elevated risk. I would suggest she get gene testing done as well. I know it sounds crazy from the other side, but if I had had the option to have a preventive mastectomy and reconstruction and called it a day with cancer instead of years of treatment with chemo, radiation and multiple surgeries with complications, I absolutely would have.

  • Schleppy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    28
    ·
    2 days ago

    Fuck. She’s an amazing actor that MADE Dawn for me and many other viewers.

    The acting in the original “The Office” will never get enough credit.