Breast Cancer.

[OakLeaf]

(((((Raindrop))))) I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. There's never a good time, but at this time of year when everyone is already stressed past the breaking point ... Just, hugs to you.

I was going to wait until next month to "come out" since that will be my five year survival. But here are my words: do your homework, do your research, as much as it may feel like klaxons going off inside your head, you do have time to make a decision that you can be comfortable with and that you won't second guess. Don't confine yourself to industry sponsored information. IIRC you have some medical background? Read the medical journals. Understand each step before you make your decision.

The last time I talked about it here I got a lot of judgment and hostility, but my feelings haven't changed (in fact they've been strengthened). I don't get to choose to live forever. So to me, the next best choice is to choose quality of life, even if it means a likelihood of less quantity. In the almost-five years since I found my lump, I've run six marathons, training for my seventh, and the only physical limitations I've had have been from a completely unrelated injury.

My lump is pretty large now, but I have no metastatic symptoms yet. When I do, I'll have some more hard decisions to make. But those are decisions that nearly all of us will have to make, and for some of us, much sooner than we'd hoped. I count myself lucky that I've had such a long time to prepare. I wouldn't have given up my last five years for anything. Eight years really, if I'd done what they wanted after the biopsy.

It's not a popular choice, but I just want to offer that to you to emphasize that you have choices, you have time to make your choices, and there's at least one person here who won't judge whatever you want to choose.

Take good care. Be gentle with yourself. Don't rush your decision. Hugs to you.