Contact

Got questions, comments, or just feel like bitching about cancer (and, seriously, who doesn’t?). Feel free to drop me a line anytime at dianemapes AT gmail DOT com.

20 Responses to “Contact”

Laura Temkin February 2, 2012 at 11:09 am #

Id love your opinion if that’s not asking too much. laurascancerblog.tumblr.com
Password is (all caps) CANCERSUCKS

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gettingitoffherchest June 12, 2012 at 5:09 pm #

Thanks so much for sharing your information. I found you through a G Rancic posting and I’m glad I did. On May 30, I had a double mastectomy. I jumped into WordPress as a way to keep my family and friends informed. I found a lot of comfort in reading some of your blogs. I can relate to much of what you initially experienced. Writing through tears now…just thank you and keep up the fight!

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- singleshot1 June 12, 2012 at 5:31 pm #
  
  Thanks so much for writing (and so sorry to hear about the double mastectomy). I was in tears after mine, as well (April 18 of last year), but having that horrible surgery meant I’d decided to kick cancer to the curb and set foot on the path to treatment and recovery. Take care of yourself. Let people “do” for you (instead of you “doing” for them) And know that those dreaded drains will be gone soon. There is life and laughter and love and so much more after mastectomy. After chemo. After radiation. Take care and please keep me posted on your progress. XOXOXOXXO.
  
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  - gettingitoffherchest June 13, 2012 at 5:54 pm #
    
    Drains came out today! What a relief and what a change in my attitude. Thanks for your response. You are an inspiration to me.
Jalapeno Bob September 20, 2012 at 2:48 pm #

I have not heard from you in a while. How are you doing?

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rmalit October 30, 2012 at 10:37 am #

Diane, my name is Bob Malit. I read your article in the Internet and touch me deeply as it reminded my late wife personal battle with ovarian cancer. Like you I have learned a lot from the ups and downs of such a life journey and I would like to share our life lessons with you and your friends. I admire your courage and willingness to share your experience with others.

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Ed Strehl October 31, 2012 at 2:16 am #

Diane, you are awesome!! So real. You speak from the heart. What you say I feel. I have had four bouts with cancer since 2006. My name is not important, only what you wrote and how you feel, and how you expressed your feelings and emotions that is what is important. Only a cancer survivor can relate to what you say Diane. Folks can try to relate to your circumstance but really they cannot. You are the one that got the diagnoses you did not want to hear. The radiation treatments and the operations, and the chemotherapy treatments, the constant ct scans and blood test. The sickness and loneliness that you go through during treatments. Everyone that has had cancer has a story, some will share others will not. I thank you for sharing yourself openly to the public. It lets other cancer survivors know that they are not alone. Only a cancer survivor can understand fully what it is like to live day by day. Not knowing the next time you get blood work done or a ct scan taken only to learn that cancer has returned. You have written it so well Diane. Thankyou for the encouragement to live for today, live for the moment. Most of all to encourage others to know that life is so short, so fragile that you show them all the kindness and love you can.

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- singleshot1 October 31, 2012 at 8:37 am #
  
  Shucks Ed, I don’t know what to say. What a truly love note. And your sentiments are so spot on. As much as I love my friends and family, they don’t “get it” the way other survivors do which is why I’ve tried to connect with as many “BC buddies” (as I call them) and other survivors as much as possible. Thanks so much for reading my work and taking the time to write. And yes, life is short and fragile and to be lived in the moment (not set aside for another day). Take care and the best to you as you battle the beast.
  
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JJackson November 7, 2012 at 4:30 pm #

My breast cancer was found on a routine annual mammogram, I have a family history, so I have been diligent about my annual exams for many years. Now that I am one year out and have received another ‘clean’ round of testing, I try to remember a sign in my oncology doctor’s office that said “Cancer is a word, not a sentence.” At times I feel like cancer is a ‘bump’ in the road of my life, and other days it feels like it is a giant sink hole in the middle of my road that I have fallen into.
I came upon your website quite randomly, and I have been a frequent visitor ever since. You have, through humor and understanding, expressed what so many of “us” feel.
I agree with many of the comments that if you have not had the diagnosis, then you can not fully understand the feeling of “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
My mother is also a survivor, and she tells me for her, it has gotten easier to worry less as more time goes by. I will be very glad when I can feel that as well. It is really hard some days to not worry that every little ach or pain is the cancer coming back. I am trying to turn my worry into motivation to improve my health in ways that I can control, such as diet and excercise.

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- singleshot1 November 8, 2012 at 10:08 am #
  
  Thanks so much for checking out my blog and taking the time to write. And congrats on being one year out! I’m a year out of from treatment (in fact, I think today marks a year since my last radiation session) and while life is good, now and then I still fall into that giant sink hole you mentioned. I’m basically trying to do the same thing you are: control the factors that I can control, i.e., diet and exercise. Writing about all of this stuff seems to help, too; ditto for staying in touch with other survivors. I have many “BC buddies,” as I call them (in real life and virtually), who I turn to when I feel like my head’s going to explode. It may not change the situation — or the symptom — but it helps to be able to vent to somebody who totally gets it. So sorry to hear that you mom had to go through this crap as well, but I’m incredibly heartened to hear she’s still with you and able to offer comfort and advice. Take care, keep up the fight and again, thanks so much for writing.
  
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Ed Strehl November 8, 2012 at 10:18 am #

JJ Jackson, You are doing everything right. Exercise, eating properly very important for a cancer survivor. One thing I will never do is capitilize the word cancer, I will never give it a commanding word in my life. Yes it is a bump in the road. You have to remember everyone has aches and pains. I know we use to be in the everyone column, cancer has removed us from that column. Now we are in the survivor column. We have gone over the bump in the road and everyday is a gift. Pains and aches we will have, look at them as growing older,not some kind of cancer brewing in our system. We know what it is like to be close to death. Only a survivor can tell you that. Now we choose life, we choose good health. Think on the positive aspects of life JJ Jackson. And you will soar like an Eagle above every ache and pain.

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Joan Seda April 18, 2013 at 2:44 pm #

Love your site!!!! You should be proud of yourself for the commitment and dedication in taking this to others, which is nothing but beneficial!

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- singleshot1 April 18, 2013 at 2:56 pm #
  
  Thanks for the kind words about DoubleWhammied and for all of your support/encouragement re Brava/fat transfer reconstruction. Cancer is a crappy club to have to join, but damn, the members are awesome. : )
  
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Mireille Parker September 15, 2014 at 1:43 am #

Hello Diane!

I am writing to pass on details of an interview series I am organising which starts Sept 22nd.

It’s called Healthy and Powerfully Feminine and I am interviewing 10 women with unique experiences and expertise in this area. I thought it would definitely interest your audience.

I myself had breast cancer and I am also interviewing Susan Gonzalez, a nurse, certified in plant-based nutrition, and a stage III breast cancer survivor. She advocates for health and wellness with a focus on cancer prevention and the use of holistic healing for cancer survival. She has an Amazon best-selling book, “100 Perks of Having Cancer plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It”, and an award winning blog, “The Savvy Sister: Simple changes for healthy living”, providing valuable tools for those wishing to live a happy and healthy life.

Plus many more wonderful women talking about health from not only a physical but also emotional level. More details can be found here http://www.healthyandpowerfullyfeminine.com and I would so appreciate it if your community could be passed on the information.

If you need more information or promotional material, please ask me.

Also, I am doing a survey on Life After Breast Cancer for women whose treatment has finished.

Are you able to pass on this link to your community? It’s just a five-minute survey :

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZXR2H8T

Again for more details or material just let me know.

Thank you for your help and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Mireille Parker

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Lynne hurst June 3, 2015 at 4:53 am #

Another what nexter suggested I contact you regarding financial hardships I’ve undergone since bring diagnosed with cancer – multiple myeloma. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Lynne

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Carl Caldwell II July 8, 2019 at 12:45 am #

Read your article…Not your Mrs. Robinson fantasy: The brutal truth of dating after 50…really struck a chord, in a good way. I wish you the very best in your fight with cancer. Thank you for your insight and honesty. Carl

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Karen Tiffin November 6, 2020 at 8:14 am #

I just read your article on lobular breast cancer in Health line. I too was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer 2 years ago (Stage 2) . I had never been on HRT. I am 62 years old though. I would like to volunteer for any studies going on. If you know of any, please let me know. I had a lumpectomy followed with radiation and am in Tamoxifen for 10 years. I have enjoyed all your articles and writing.

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- SingleShot/DoubleWhammied April 18, 2021 at 9:41 am #
  
  Please check out http://www.lobularbreastcancer.org (the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance) which has tons of studies (recruiting and published) and new research on lobular diagnosis, treatment and survival. Thanks for stopping by and for reading!
  
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Michael Hinkle January 9, 2021 at 1:47 am #

Ok so five years ago, I had a mammogram done (at age 39) due to a lingering itch in my breast. No positive findings. Fast forward to now. The itching was always in the background, never going away, and as of two weeks ago, has progressed into much more. I have, what I first noticed (aside from the itch) a purplish dent about an 2 in long abs 1/2 in wide. I went to urgent care in January 1 and was given referral to get a diagnostic mammogram. I also had an achy armpit and very little dimpling, but the above mentioned were the only symptoms a week and two days ago.
Today, it’s worse. I can now feel large thickening in my 6-9 o clock region, as well as pain in my back shoulder, left arm, trouble breathing, low grade temps, nausea, almost entire boob looks orange peel. Come to think of it, over the past couple of months, I’ve had trouble walking due to pain in my hips/bones.
It’s one of those things where I know this is cancer. For a minute, I thought maybe IBC, but I know that itch I felt 5 years ago, was just the beginning. Only thing that seems to fit is lobular.
Then my reasoning kicks in and I remind myself that, this could just be some kind of infection or benign.

I just don’t want to miss it if it’s the worst case scenario. That’s where you come in!

My question is, how to I get the right tests done? If this is indeed lobular, would it show at this stage? If nothing is found during mammogram/ultra sound, what steps should I take next. I feel like I’m running out of time.

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- SingleShot/DoubleWhammied April 18, 2021 at 9:39 am #
  
  Just seeing this message and I do hope you’ve reached out to your PCP or other healthcare provider. You really can’t self-diagnose. My lobular wasn’t seen on mammograms but it was spotted via ultrasound. Hope you have some answers at this time!
  
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