Lucky me, I was told I have 2 types at once.

youngnana said:

Welcome Rhonda
So glad you searched, and found us. I am also 50, diagnosed 2/23/10 with Invasive Ductal Carsinoma, also in my right side. No family history, and was absolutly amazed, no way, not me!! And here I am, had bi-latral mastectomy 3/16. Take someone with you to your doctor appointments, write down questions, and have them take notes, you wont remember it all. You'll find yourself reading everything you can find about your cancer, treatments, medications. This is such a scary time, especially for you with the loss of your sister. But, that was many years ago, and things are so different now, they have come a long way with treatments since then. You will come through this, but there are phases you go through, denial, grief, fear, anger, your emotions can go from one extreme to another. Smiles one day, and tears the next. Its all very normal. Do you have family and friends for support? Its ok to lean on them. I know I tried to minimize it all, thinking it would be better for everyone else if they thought it was no big deal...wrong, it just made them worry more. All of those emotions are ways of accepting and processing all of the changes in your life, and body. You will go through stages of change, and you will eventually fine a new you. You'll miss some things about the old you, but can never quite get back there. This truly is a life altering event. I wish you peace, and comfort in the coming weeks as you begin this journey. Come here often, you'll always find loving, caring women to guide you through.
Karen

Ronda, in 2000, I had

Ronda, in 2000, I had invasive lobular carcinoma and DCIS in my right breast, at age 47. I had a lumpectomy and radiation, and no chemo. Your cancer treatment won't be determined until all the test results are available, so it will still be a while before you will know what treatments are being recommended. You may not have to have a mastectomy or chemo, and the diagnostic testing and waiting is sometimes worse than the treatment.

Joyce

CR1954 said:

Ronda..........
I just wanted to welcome you.

Yes, so much has been learned about BC treatment in the past 20 years. It's a different time from when your sister had BC.
And yes, there is FAR TOO MUCH of it now.

As you can see already, everyone here has a different dx or a different tx plan, so you will hear many types of circumstances regarding treatment and all to do with it.
Arm yourself with the best medical team that you can find and come here often for encouagement and support. It will take some time, but you will come out the other side of this cancer journey, a bit battered and bruised, but a survivor.....

Hugs,

CR

Lumpectomy vs. mastectomy
Ronda,

Deciding whether to do lumpectomy or mastectomy is a decision you'll make with your doctors, based on your individual diagnosis, test results, family history, and -- just as important -- what your gut is telling you to do after you've gathered all the information you can from doctors you trust.

I'm very glad to hear you're also meeting with an oncologist -- some women don't meet with an oncologist until after surgery, but I personally believe it's important to get the opinions of both a surgeon and an oncologist before making decisions about surgery. Don't let anyone (including yourself) rush you -- I know how much we want things to just be over with, NOW, but try to just take it one step at a time.

Traci

Welcome Ronda! ands yes, you are lucky!
I know it doesn't seem very lucky right now, but the good news is that you have your diagnosis and can work together with your doctors to form an action plan for you! Imagine if you ignored this until it would be too late to do anything about it? So as scary as this is, you are lucky. It took me a while to understand that myself, but know that you are not alone, there a plenty of people on this site who will support you as much or as little as you want. (((hugs))) to you! Heidi

TraciInLA said:

So much progress has been made in 20 years
Welcome, Ronda --

I'm so sorry you lost your sister to this disease, but please, please, please know that so much progress has been made in detection and treatment in the last 20 years, and try not to compare your journey to your sister's.

And hey -- I can top you -- I had 3 types! :-) 1 invasive lobular tumor (2 mm) in the left breast, 2 invasive ductal tumors in the right breast (each 2 mm) + DCIS in the right. I had bilateral lumpectomies almost exactly a year ago, 4 rounds of chemo, 33 radiation treatments, and I'm now on Tamoxifen.

I'm still recovering from everything my body and my spirit went through the past year, but there is definitely life on the other side of treatment, and you've come to the right place for companions for your journey.

Traci

Welcome Ronda
Traci,
I had three too, unfortunately mine were much, much bigger. Two years ago my biopsy results came back positive and I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer at age of 46.
Ronda, keep fighting and stay positive.

carkris said:

I had BC in 1994 ductal a
I had BC in 1994 ductal a local recurrance in 1995 , then 2009 lobular.(other breast) it does its own thing for sure

Ronda, here goes. I'm
Ronda, here goes. I'm afraid I've written quite a 'novel'. First of all, I would like to emphasize that cancer treatment is constantly changing, and the standard of care changes as more tests are available and studies are completed. When I was treated ten years ago, much of the testing I had was on the leading edge, such as stereotactic biopsy and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Fortunately, I was one of the first in my area to have these tests done, and now they are the standard of care. But, there have been other tests developed, like oncotype (which helps determine whether chemo should be considered), that I have never had.

In 2000, when I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma, DCIS (and also LCIS), it was caught very early, and had not spread. At the time, I had a lumpectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, bone scan, blood tests and CT scan that showed that the cancer had not spread. MRI’s were not widely used at the time to determine any spread of cancer, like they are now. I also had radiation for seven weeks. I really didn’t miss a lot of work, but did shorten my work day while I was having radiation. After treatment, I gradually started forgetting about breast cancer except when I had follow up exams. I would go weeks or months without thinking about the beast. I felt (and still do feel) blessed that the cancer was caught at such an early stage.

I’d like to say that was the end of treatments, but if you read my profile, you’ll know that wasn’t the case. In late 2008, an MRI showed a suspicious area in the same breast that was another occurrence of DCIS. After a lot of prayer, thought and study, I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy and immediate DIEP reconstruction. Once again the DIEP was on the leading edge of treatment. Because this was a very early diagnosis, my life expectancy has not been impacted and I have never had chemo, for which I am very grateful. Although a mastectomy is currently the standard of care for a recurrence of DCIS, this is always subject to change, as more and more is known about in situ cancer. I’ve even read that some studies may be showing as much success with a wait and see as with the mastectomy for my recurrence.

You should not be discouraged in the least after hearing my story. Because I’ve had an excellent group of doctors following me, my cancer was caught early, when there are more options for treatment. I should have a long, full life, despite the treatments. I didn’t have to rush my decisions, and could determine what was best for me and have peace before the surgeries.

I’ve also learned that a site like (csn) this is invaluable. There are a lot of scare sites and other sites that just aren’t that helpful. I read Dr. Susan Love’s Breast book cover to cover, so if there’s a fairly recent edition of this, I would highly recommend it. Learning as much as I could really helped me in dealing with the uncertainty.

I hope this helps.

Joyce

2Floridiansisters said:

Thank you Joyce for sharing your story
Joyce sometimes it's hard for me to put my feelings into words that make sense and don't sound dumb. But here goes anyway: All I want out of this situation is to one day be told I am cancer-free. I don't want to go through this crap at all, and like you and everyone else, I didn't ask for it, so why do we get it?

In the future I want to be living my life like as if I never had cancer at all. I believe I can handle having a lumpectomy and who knows what else. I can honestly say I cannot handle the scary thought of having a mastectomy or for that matter a double one. Oh God I don't have it in me to get through something like that. Maybe I sound like a big baby but I'm scared out of my mind.

I've read all about the radiation and how some ladies get the sunburned skin, that doesn't sound pleasant at all, I think I would rather go through chemo and lose my hair than dealing with the skin blistering.

Thanks Joyce for talking to me. God Bless you for your kindness.

Where in Florida?
I'm in Sebastian. Are you anywhere near me?

2Floridiansisters said:

Hi Mama G I'm in Pensacola,
Hi Mama G I'm in Pensacola, not sure where Sebastian is.

Ronda, my goal has always

Ronda, my goal has always been to live my life to the fullest despite a cancer diagnosis. I'm flying home to Syracuse, NY, today after three weeks of sailing on the West Coast of Florida near Sanibel. My husband and I bought a boat last year (had chartered for many years) and plan to live on it most of the year when I retire in 2012. Even though the treatments take up a lot of time, there is a good life ahead.

Please don't be overly concerned about the radiation. It affects everyone differently. I had next to no burning; I was just incresingly tired. Radiation is normally required with a lumpectomy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Chemo, depending on the type that you have, can have a lot of side effects in addition to hair loss that can be more life-impacting than radiation.

I was terrified of a mastectomy, and was very glad that I had the lumpectomy and radiation. But, by the time I needed one, I had peace about it. And, there are constant advances in reconstruction: I woke up from the mastectomy with new breasts which was a true blessing.

Take care, and please don't worry about specific treatments because you have read that others have had problems: everyone's body reacts differently.

Joyce

New Flower said:

Welcome Ronda
Traci,
I had three too, unfortunately mine were much, much bigger. Two years ago my biopsy results came back positive and I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer at age of 46.
Ronda, keep fighting and stay positive.

Just welcoming you Ronda!
Just welcoming you Ronda! Hang in there! We will help you!