I just recently found out I have breast cancer...
I had a mammo in April and an ultrasound and both were clear. My doc recommended an ultrasound in December and it came back with malignant! I found out so far I am Stage 1-A, Grade 2 (faster moving cancer) and that the lymph nodes are clear "but" this is the 3rd time I have had suspicious masses but this time it came back with cancer. I also had a biopsy and then a Breast MRI which confirmed the malignancy.
I went to my "team visit" (oncologist, radiation oncologist and breast surgeon) and was given quite a bit of information. My mother, aunt and grandmother had breast cancer. I am going to have a mastectomy and have the breast removed and going with breast reconstruction.
Lots of emotions, shock, fear and wondering....
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I was diagnosed in November, day after Thanksgiving. It has been a whirlwind of information, emotions, doc appointments, etc. I have read every google article there is on breast cancer and I'm nervous of everything especially recurrence. I was diagnosed IDC stage 1A grade 2, ER/PR +, Her2-, clear margins and lymph node negative. I had 4 lymph nodes removed, Lumpectomy. Recovery from surgery was hard, I had a Seroma and had to have another surgery because the incision was not healing properly.
My Oncotype score is 15, so doc does not recommend Chemo. Distant recurrence 4% with AI therapy. I'm scheduled to start 23 sessions of radiation on Monday. My grandmother was a 30 year survivor of cancer, only to get uterine cancer, she was on Tamoxifen forever it seemed. She passed away in 2015. I did the genetic test too and all clear. I thought I was going to take Tamoxifen because I am pre-menopausal, however my new oncologist(the old one left) told me that there are too many side effects that are concerning. So I'm taking Zoladex for ovary suppression and will start Arimidex after radiation. There is so much information out there. This website seems to be the place to go for support and I'm grateful for that.
I'm not too far in my journey, but I pray everyday day for peace and I pray for my doctors that they are giving me good guidance for my situation. I hope you have the same.
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Thank you for responding and you have been through a lot too! The doc said if I have negative lymph nodes I don't have to have radiation. I am going to go for that and he said they will give me something similar to Tomoxifan but I can't actually take T (have to take something similar to it ) because it clots your blood and I am on dialysis. If my blood clots, I have to go to the doctor and have the fistula cleaned out. Such a pain! You have very similar grade and stage as I do! Oh, if they do find any positive lymph nodes (the recent MRI shows no node involvement) but if I do, then I would have to do radiation. He takes 3 lympth nodes out and if they are clear (+the MRI) then he sews my arm back and that's it for that. I am very early stage, as you are too! This is good for us. :)
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I am an 11 year survivor. I had lumpectomy, chemo and radiation. I was stage 3 with a slower growing cancer. Radiation wasn't that bad for me. Wishing you all the best.
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Wow, you have a team! That's wonderful!
I seem to have a ragtag assemblage of squabbling individuals. I was diagnosed in January and at first things seemed to be cooking right along toward a quick lumpectomy until a pre-surgery MRI showed a second lesion that isn't visible on anything but MRI and can't be biopsied via MRI because of its position close to the chest wall. It has taken 5 weeks to get to this point, what with delays in scheduling MRI tests and the surgeon and radiologist going back and forth on the feasibility of an MRI biopsy (score one for the radiologist who said it couldn't be done on February 6th and zero for the surgeon who insisted he try anyway, needlessly adding another 2 weeks to the discovery process) and I'm still at a standstill with no surgery in sight. I had a tentative stage 1 designation for my small (5mm) ER+/PR-, Her2- IDC plus DCIS tumor, but now it looks like that will change as this second (also small) hidden lesion is suspicious for multi focal/multicentric malignancy and the MRI showed signs the original lesion had spread further along the duct than any previous test had indicated. So far no sign of lymph invasion, but of course they can't tell about that until they get some actual nodes to look at, right?
I've only just recently heard of Oncotype scoring on these threads and know nothing about it. No medical professional has mentioned it to me yet, but maybe that's something that happens after surgery with the Oncologist? I don't have an Oncologist yet, that was to be determined after surgery.
Well, after that very disappointing failed attempt at an MRI-guided biopsy yesterday, I'm headed back to the original doctor who ordered the screening mammogram I had in early December that showed the original lesion and see if he has any wisdom to impart about where to go next.
This process isn't easy even when it proceeds smoothly from diagnosis through treatment but when there are continuing rude surprises beyond the original news, it's devastating. All the best to those just embarking on the journey and many thanks to those who weigh in to say they've made it though and encourage us with their stories. Every story of survival is a lifeline of hope.
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This is very hard for you! You just want it out of you (as do I) and they are having a rough time regarding treatment. They all know that the need to get it out is "first" and then squabble about the rest. I hope they make strong firm decisions about your care and get you going!
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They are doing Genetic Testing in March. I don't know what it entails yet. I know they will ask me about my history and it is strong for breast cancer (mom, aunt and grandmother)
My surgery is Thursday! :) I go through a lot of emotions but I am sure I will freak out the day of surgery. Removing my breast is very frightening but when I wake up, the plastic surgeon will have an expander in there. Hopefully that will make me feel "not flat" and then he fills it to expand the breast tissue to give me an implant a few months from the surgery. He has to do multiple fills until it is expanded enough. The rough part is they want you to look at it (the incision) to make sure it is healing but I wanted to NOT look at it but I have too.
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In addition to your crew on the ground with you in person you know you will have people here rooting for you too on Thursday! We will be wishing for the best possible outcome and there are plenty of people on this board who have had good outcomes and are leading the way. Check in when you can. All the best.
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I had an ultrasound guided "core biopsy" where there was a snap-sound that took a snippet of the tumor. She took 4 "snaps" and said she had enough. I thought it was odd after I put the tiny ice pack o,n that they told me to go into another room. Sarah introduced herself and said they would be getting back to me. I asked the first lady if I could look at the screen and she showed me where my "lesion" was jagged and spread over an area. I asked her what that meant and she said it was of concern. I think they all knew at that moment I had something bad. Then the nurse called me while I was in dialysis and told me it was malignant/ cancer and if I was not already sitting down, I felt like I wanted to pass out after hearing what she said. So my MRI was just to confirm malignancy and to see if it had spread at that point. Be nice to move past all this and begin to heal. ..
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Thank you! It is nice to know you will be thinking about me. I have to do a nuclear injection (thank God for numbing cream) hope it works good! So they inject this dye in there and it helps to light up the lymph nodes to make them easy to see. They remove 3 and if they are all clear, they will stop and he said he would be satisfied it had not spread there and plus with the MRI it shows they are clear! I hope it stays that way and surgery gets rid of everything! :)
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Yes! I am glad you finally have a surgery date! Let us know when you find out. :)
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Oh that moment when someone tells you it's cancer is the worst. I watched the biopsy on the sonogram screen too. Like with you, everyone was already pretty sure it was cancer because of previous testing but the biopsy is the final confirmation. I do have to say that the people in the radiology clinic were wonderful throughout the process and I'm very grateful to them. Those tiny ice packs really do the job, but I had to sew a fabric cover for mine because the plastic irritated my skin. So there I was after my biopsy sewing!
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Hi CFSunny,
I am 58 year old (post menopausal) female with T1aN0M0, grade 3, ER positive, PR negative, HER2 positive invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. In November, I was told I had DCIS and there was extensive high-grade DCIS spanning 8 cm. In December, I had a mastectomy of my left breast. Early January, I met with my surgeon and she indicated the pathology showed grade 3 invasive breast carcinoma measuring 4 mm and a second microinvasive focus measuring 0.2 mm, my 1 lymph node that was removed was benign. I was referred to an oncologist and she recommended 12 weekly treatments of paclitaxel and trastuzumab followed by 13 treatments (3 week intervals) of trastuzumab (thus a year of treatments). I will also start a hormone blocker after chemo (week 14) and will be on that for at least 5 years. So far I have received 3 of the 12 treatments. I am doing ok. It seams as though day 3-4 are the most difficult.
I have always been known as being "very active and healthy". To say this journey has been a complete surprise is an understatement. However, I have a strong faith and incredible support of family and friends (I call my prayer warriors). I feel there is a reason for this journey I am on, I will trust in the Lord to not only lead me through it but make me stronger on the back end. I wish you the best in this journey and encourage you to seek help from spiritual sources and loved ones.
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Sunny, have been thinking of you since Thursday and wondering how you are doing after surgery.
Ann, thanks for sharing about your journey. Your story starts out a little like mine with the detection of a very small (5mm) lesion of mixed DCIS and IDC in my right breast last December, DX'd in early January, but in my case before going to surgery my surgeon ordered an MRI and that showed a second small lesion (7mm) plus possibly more extensive DCIS than originally thought. A biopsy confirmed the second lesion was IDC last week, the post-surgery pathology will tell how extensive the DCIS is and whether the lymph nodes are positive although every comment on biopsies and MRI so far has indicated there's no evidence of that, so I continue to hope my lymph nodes are clear until someone tells me otherwise.
My lumpectomy surgery to collect both lesions and their 2 sentinel lymph nodes is scheduled for Friday, March 4th, end of next week, almost 2 months after diagnosis. I fully expect there will be chemo in addition to radiation now that it's known I have multi-focal malignancy, but have not had either of those consults yet. Mostly I've been trying to get diagnostic tests done and waiting. Waiting sure is hard when you've been told there's cancer in your body and you want it OUT.
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KellyAnn-
I know exactly how you feel! My cancer was confirmed on November 3rd but I did not have surgery until December 14th! I was hard to wait that long! I wish you the best with your surgery on the 4th and will say a prayer for you that the surgeons do a good job to get it all, that it is not in the nodes, and you recover quickly.
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CFSunny,
I hope you are healing well post surgery! I did not want to look at the incision either and wanted to leave the large elastic bandage around my chest in tact as it gave me comfort and kept the germs out. I think the most irritating thing of recovery was the drainage bulb. Hope yours is not as bothersome!
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I made it out alive! The Lymph nodes clear! So went ahead and did the Mastectomy. In tons of pains and I will write spppm
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