I have decided to be a teacher with breast this year

[Midwest Alice]

Hi guys, I know you guys will understand this,

I have decided to be a teacher with breast this year.

My last trip to MDAnderson my friend and the sales lady convinced me to be fitted for new breast.

I have to tell you I was a little more than leery of strapping on a brassiere after 16 months of freedom.

But I have to be honest with my sisters; I do find myself looking in the mailbox each day for my new breast with great anticipation and excitement.

I told my breast cancer survivor-teacher-friend of the important, expected, shipment and…. that I didn't know if I would be able to wear a bra every day to school. It would be a big commitment.. to wear it everyday.

I told her of my concern of confusing the children…….

One week the art teacher has breast… last Tue she didn’t have breast.. but the next two Wed. she will have breast but the Fri. after that she won’t have breast….. Oh my…

We laughed. I told our fellow breast cancer sister that she and I would have to keep track to.... see if I am successful in wearing my breast …..most of the time. So she said we could keep track if I was "Al" or "Alice" for the day!!!!!! LOL. I said NO, NO, No I will not be Al!

I'm am sure we are both in store for many tears of laughter as I try wearing a prosthesis.

On a serious note... I have always worn jackets or over-shirts because my God given breast were very large. .. so I’m not going to worry about it…. the kids won't notice and if they do its ok. These kids and families are great. I worked when in chemo. I had the wig then the very short hair. They all know I had cancer and are on this journey with me.


Sometimes I just have to chuckle about this survivor journey,

Make it a great day,
Love and Hugs, Alice (not Al)

[Joan M]

Alice,

To help in the transition, you can probably find some clothing and accessories that can distract from your breasts. Wear brightly colored skirts, dye your hair purple, wear a shawl, adorn your ears with sparkling chandelier earrings, wear heavy eye makeup or flaunt the "smokey eye." Have fun!

Joan

[Midwest Alice]

Joan, Thanks, I love your ideas for distraction! Purple hair with chandelier earrings would be lovely! lol

[Pam P]

Alice - I'm laughing at this because I had this same feeling after my mastecomy 8 yrs ago. I chose not have reconstruction and so had the one fairly large breast and nothing to balance it. Having one lopsided breast flopping around under a large shirt felt odd to me and I almost wished I'd had a double mast. just to have symmetry. I thought the prosthesis felt "heavy" but felt better in a bra when I was out in public. So each day I'd ask myself "one lump or 2?" Now I strap on my bra & prosthesis daily (unless I'm just a home) and don't think a thing of it. As I've lost weight through these last 8 years I've gone down bra & prosthesis sizes & from a c to an a cup. I'm sure you'll find the right balance of what is comfortable for you. I think the purple hair is a must!

[Mary Anne in TX]

Hey teacher, that's one way to see if they're paying attention. When I taught school (8th & 11th) I would make up outlandish things to tell them just to keep them awake and thinking. This totally tops!!! anything I did! I want to see the purple hair...with earrings! You'll be wonderful! ma

[Midwest Alice]

Hey Mary Ann and Pam, one lump or two ... that's good!! lol Hey our new IBCer is going to see Dr. C at MDA next week. Keep her in your prayers. We have been pming. I will see if I may make a post for her on our IBC thread. . or if she will She is a very nice newbee

Mary Ann, Outlandish stories.. that great.. I bet you got pretty far along in your stories before some of them started listening.

[Midwest Alice]

Elllllllliiiiiiii where are yoooooooooooooooooooooou?

[Mary Anne in TX]

Alice....the scarest part was that some of them never caught me in my fairy tales!!!! But after a while they began to listen to be the first to catch my "lies"! It was fun and a great way to get them to listen up! ma

[Karen Wheel]

What a great attitude! I agree and have fun with it!

I only had about half of one breast removed, but at 44 I still find its strange - as my 34 "DD"... well, it is strange as one is overflowing the cup and one seems empty! UGH! I had a friend from England bring me a gel filler (couldn't find anything here on my island in Italy that catered to me - could have been the language gap!) - but she asked her friend at her "bra" store and said that many women use these ---it works great to make me feel like I'm not lopsided and my bras fit again. YAH-HOO!

Bummer is now I'm doing radiation and 5 weeks without a bra ---eeek! I miss my girls! And the filler!

So, even after only 2 months using the gel pack - I now miss her!

Keep it up - and thank you for the laugh! It helps!

Karen

Age – 44 pre- menopausal
No children
2-09 – Biopsy – Cancer
3-09 – Partial mastectomy Right – 3 nodes taken but not involved
Tumor results:
1.5 cm – Stage 1
Her-2 3+
Estrogen positive 80% - Progestin 10%
Ki67 postive 30%
4-09 – Started Herceptin (for 1 year every 21 days)
4-09 – 6-09 Chemo – 9 weeks of Navelbine
7-09 - 30 sessions of radiation (1/2 way finished!)

[Sheila]

Alice
After going without for so long, make sure you dont leave it lying on the coffee table like I did one day...it makes for an odd shaped paperweight, but a heck of a conversation piece.....now, since I had reconstruction, I have a filler prosthesis, but with my implant leaking, I may need to get a bigger "symmetry shaper"!

[Midwest Alice]

You girls are funny!!

I got the call!!! My two new paperweights are in the mail!!! lol

[suzan w]

I want a school picture!!!