Cancer Survivor, writing about Health and Fitness as you age

Yes, this is the kind of question you can only hear when breast cancer survivors meet and talk, in this case, about reconstruction. I recently went to my support group luncheon again, after having missed quite a few because I was too busy at work. The Pink Ribbon Cowgirls (PRC) is a support group organized by the Breast Cancer Resource Center . We share our histories and even though some are in different stages of diagnosis, treatment or recovery, and some stories may be hard to hear, I always feel blessed to be part of that group, to connect with my fellow-survivors, hear how they are doing, what new is going on and catching up in general. While it is not always easy we do laugh a lot, and I thought I'd share some snippets of the ridiculous conversations that we have : "Do you still have your ovaries?" "I get so many hot flashes all the time I don't even know what's causing them anymore. Chemo? Meds?" "Think I look good? I have a base...

(Yes, a more adult slant in my title.)  Having a conversation with someone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer can be a bit tricky to negotiate as you try to figure out if to ask questions and how much to ask. So I thought I'd weigh in on what you may want to think twice before saying. "People don't die of breast cancer any more, do they?" Speaks for itself. Yes, approximately 13% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 will die. (1) "There's a cure for that isn't there?" Not really, although some women will go into remission (cancer responds completely or partially to treatment), and after a number of years of no signs or symptoms, someone may be considered "cured". Any cancer that occurs after that time is considered new. "Someone always has it worse" While that may be true, I didn't really find it uplifting to hear about horror stories. In my delicate frame of mind I found positive stories more he...