Stage threeb breast cancer

katiesosa
katiesosa Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am looking for evidence of long term survivors of stage 3b breast cancer. I had a recent mastectomy and 27 lymph nodes removed-all positive for cancer. Tumors >8.5 cm. I am on A/c, then taxol 12 weeks, then herceptin and tamoxifin for 15 months. I want to know about treatment cycles of success. i worry maybe this regime isn't strong enough. I have 2 year old triplets and a three year old and I want to be here to see them get married- I want to know there are people out there doing that now. Are there? Thanks-kts

Comments

  • Mis37
    Mis37 Member Posts: 9
    #2
    I am also in stage 3 of breast cancer. I had a masectomy and 15 lymph nodes removed, all positive with cancer. I didn't start any treatment yet. Don't know just yet what my treatment will be. I have 4 children and I want to see them get married, too. I hope you find someone to answer your questions, then maybe they can answer some of mine. Take care and good luck.
  • LesleyH
    LesleyH Member Posts: 370
    #3
    My dear Katie,

    I can only imagine you are as frightened as I was when I got my diagnosis of Stage III. I have survived almost 2 years now - and am very well. I had dose dense chemo. You must insist on this! If your onc won't do it, find somewhere else. It will improve your chance a lot! The regular regime of chemo won't do it. I'm here for you. Please take time away from your kids to exercise. An hour a day improves your odds of surviving by 60%.

    Hugs.

    Lesley
  • esmcj
    esmcj Member Posts: 5
    #4
    I was diagnosed in 2000 with stage 3 breast cancer. 16 out of 18 positive nodes. Had 3 treatments of chemo prior to mastectomy to shrink the tumor. Had remaining A/C chemo, taxol and radiation. I then had reconstructive surgery. I was on tamoxifen for 3yrs and then went on femara. Which I am still taking. This June, I will be considered a 7yr survivor. I know there is always a possibility of recurrence, but every day they are finding new treatments. I too want to see my children get married and have kids of their own. And I plan to.
  • Meems
    Meems Member Posts: 15
    #5
    Katie,Although not long term (2 1/2 years) I still consider myself a survivor. I had a 5 cm lump, 7 out of 15 positive lymph nodes but my onc. said it can be CURED and for the most part that is what I believe. Hearing those words "you have cancer" are bad enough, but then you hear stage 3, then positive lymph nodes and it seems to get a little worse each time. But after initial shock I decided NOT to look at statistics, what COULD happen and and believe I would be one of the long time survivors. For the first time in my life I had to let go of the negative thinking and live each day as it came and before you know it, 2 1/2 years have passed!
    I had the A/C treatment (8 of them) and was able to work through most of them and then 6 weeks of heavy duty radiation. You feel like treatment will never end BUT IT DOES, and you get to go on with your life and all of a sudden you realize how much time has passed and you didn't even know it. You will make it! There are alot of stage 3 survivors out there!
    Barb
  • vac
    vac Member Posts: 97
    #6
    i have stage 3b, it will be 5 years this oct!!!!i had bilat mastectomy, chemo every 2 weeks, stem cel transplant and radiaion.i am on tamoxifin and at the end of this year my occ will put me on femara. i have 4 children i pray every night a great positive additude and i laugh alot.take care and good luck vicki
  • 24242
    24242 Member Posts: 1,398
    #7
    Katie,
    You hang in there girl...
    There is plenty going on in the treatment now for breast cancer even compared to 10 years ago when I was 36 at time of diagnosis. I too was stage 3 with 11 out of 21 positive nodes. Not sure the size of tumour but even at that rate I did not fit any of the criteria that was set out by the medical community for treating this disease.
    I fought long and hard for everything there was out there even if it was only a increase of a few percentages in my survival. I felt from the beginning since I too had a son who needed me that if treated I would do everything I could. I live in Canada so our regime is completely different than you get down there. We get all the drugs at one time in one sitting and get the treatments 3 weeks apart. So I had six rounds of a 5 drug therapy which I don't know what the drugs were now. I after 2 rounds had a raging staph infection since had had a mastectomy to start my treatments. Since white cell count disappeared the infection kicked into gear and I spent 8 days in isolation. I took another month before I continued to be treated and many more days in the hospital trying to make sure infection was taken care of. After treatments were done I too did what I needed to ensure I had the chances at survival I deserved and finally kicked the smoking habit my present to myself.
    10 years later I still can't say I saw the miracle of the cure but I am so grateful for everyday and being able to see my son thrive. I found resigning to the cancer and going through all the motions was the best that I could do to get through it all. I had the second breast removed one year later to day of the first mastectomy since continued to get benign lumps.
    Where there is a garden there is hope!
    Tara
  • jdubious
    jdubious Member Posts: 113
    #8
    Hi Katie,
    I'm a IIIb also - lobular, 3 out of 19 nodes positive. 2.5 years out from diagnosis. Had single mastectomy, 12 A/C (dose dense - every week for 12 weeks) followed by 6 taxol (again, weekly) followed by 36 radiation treatments, now I'm on arimedex now, for at least 5 years. I was also told my cancer was curable, so as far as I'm concerned, it is! I agree with previous poster about dose dense treatment - I wanted to be as agressive as possible in my treatment and I am fortunate that my oncologist agrees. If you aren't getting the answers you need from your doctor, look for someone else.

Discussion Boards