Has breast cancer impacted your body image?

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'd like to offer readers a chance to write about how breast cancer has shaped your body image - did you have a scare that made you realize you need to appreciate your body more? Did a diagnosis (your own or a friend's or family member's) make you realize there are more vital things to worry baout besides, say, being five pounds overweight? Or did it cause you to make some changes in your diet? I'd love to hear your stories. Feel free to write something up that you feel comfortable sharing with your fellow Weighting Game readers and send it, along with the name you'd like to have appear (you can make one up if you wish) and your age, to me at leslie@lrdiaries.com

I'll post them as they come in. I think this can be a great learning experience for all of us.

Looking forward to your thoughts,
Love,
Leslie

Comments

My only real life connection with breast cancer was when my Aunt old school chum died from breast cancer without ever telling anyone that she had it. The saddest thing was that the doctors said that it was only stage 1 and she could have benefitted from treatment. When asked why she didn't say anything (she finally told her family a week befor she passed on) she simply replied, "Why bother? The treatments only make you weak and bald - nothing can cure you or make you feel better." She chose not to fight it, not because she was tired and didn't want to but because she truly believed that all the medical advancements were lies and scams. I was shocked by this and have since tried to donate to breast cancer research charities in the hopes that greater awareness and education will prevent other women from the same fate.
In terms of my perspective, it has made me appreciate every healthy day that much more. I'm also more proactive about my appointments with my doctors.

HI Leslie
Hope all is well. I have to catch up on your blog. Busy and I've checked on you lately. Just came by to see if you had anything on breast cancer. Great idea for the stories. It'll be interesting to read the stories. My only connection to breast cancer was when I was about 7. I remember an aunt dying of it and leaving her kids without a mother. It was hush-hush back then in South America, and so I didn't even know the phrase until I was well into my teens, then I realized that was what she died of. I am glad times have changed and women feel comfortable talking about things these days.

My experience with breast canceer is with my great-grandmother. She was diagnosed at the age of 85. It has been 5 years and she has been in remission for the last 3. While she is still with us, she is no longer the same woman. Before breast cancer she was vibrant and full of life. Often time people wouldn't believe that she was my GREAT-grandmother. Up until her diagnosis she would travel, take dance lessons, bowl, golf, teach aerobics, and her and her manfriend (she didn't like calling him a boyfriend, since he wasn't a boy) would go out all the time. Since then she has gone downhill, and fast. Her 90th birthday is this Saturday, and the whole family is getting together to celebrate. While I am happy that I can say that I have a great-grandmother, and that she survived such a devistating disease, I still get sad everytime I see her because she is no longer the woman she once was. It is almost like while breast cancer didn't take her body, it did take her spirit.

My experience with breast canceer is with my great-grandmother. She was diagnosed at the age of 85. It has been 5 years and she has been in remission for the last 3. While she is still with us, she is no longer the same woman. Before breast cancer she was vibrant and full of life. Often time people wouldn't believe that she was my GREAT-grandmother. Up until her diagnosis she would travel, take dance lessons, bowl, golf, teach aerobics, and her and her manfriend (she didn't like calling him a boyfriend, since he wasn't a boy) would go out all the time. Since then she has gone downhill, and fast. Her 90th birthday is this Saturday, and the whole family is getting together to celebrate. While I am happy that I can say that I have a great-grandmother, and that she survived such a devistating disease, I still get sad everytime I see her because she is no longer the woman she once was. It is almost like while breast cancer didn't take her body, it did take her spirit.

Breast cancer has made me feel completely detached from my breasts. I hate them, don't like them to be touched, find them more a bother than they are worth. I don't have cancer (yet). But my mother, maternal grandmother and maternal aunt have all gone through it. I am the oldest female in my family that hasn't had it. From a very early age, I just assumed I would get cancer and I've been waiting for it ever since. Not in a creepy scary way. Just like, let's get this over with. More recently I've considered having a prophylatic mastectomy. No woman in my family has ever died from breast cancer, so I'm not really afraid to get it. I just want to stop waiting. I think another reason for my detachment is the size. They are huge. I've already had one reduction, in desperate need of another. I was always given a lot of attention from men growing up. I hated being reduced to a body part. I'm so much more fabulous than my breasts.

Such insightful and heartbreaking comments so far. Thank you for sharing. Rose, dawn - I never realized it was SO "hush-hush" SO recently. I guess I'm just spoiled by today's openness, the fact that pink ribbons are everywhere and breast cancer testing is talked about on TV, in school.

Cassie, I think your sentence, "It is almost like while breast cancer didn't take her body, it did take her spirit" is extraordinarily poignant.

And Nicole, it sounds to me like you ARE absolutely fabulous overall, and have done an admirable job coping with this overflow of genetic information. I think it's great that you're armed with knowledge and hope you make the decision best for you. Incidentally, there's a story on prophylactic mastectony and BRCA1/2 in this month's Women's Health Magazine, if you're interested.

x,
Leslie

Looks like I'm the only one to experience Breast Cancer first hand. I was treated two summers ago w/surgery, chemo and radiation. I'm only 48, exercise, eat well, etc. Needless to say, I was shocked. The only breast cancer in the family was my father's aunts. I had a partial mastectomy and sentinal node biopsy. I was closed by a plastic surgeon. From a cancer stand point, I'm fine. But I liked my body and hair before. My hair has come back exactly as it previously was, just a little darker. And truly, my left breast is okay but I do feel a little like the Bride of Frankenstein, d/t the scars. I plan to get augmentations within the year but I'm still very sad about the entire occurance. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased that I have beat cancer and realize that I should and do feel grateful. I have a wonderful husband who could care less about the scars. But I just don't feel like the attractive woman that I used to. Isn't that vain? Maybe it's still to soon...

Hi Bee,
Actually, I think it's the opposite of vain - you took the necessary steps to protect your health, despite the fact that your body might not look the same afterwards. You were/are brave and strong and took charge of your health. I'm so glad you are doing well, have a wonderful husband and are beating this.
Sending love and peace you way,
leslie

www.americanvistas.com may be of some help to any of you here