Male Breast Cancer

Yes, there is he goes by TexasCharlie... I myself have just been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.  And schedualed for a Bialateral Mastectomy and  Sentinal Node Biopsy... Stay positive, stay strong... I will pray for the both of you!.... God Bless!... Kathy

Hello rhog. I was 54 when I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, 5cm, Stage III, 6 of 23 Lymph Nodes positive, Estrogen Receptor(ER+) & Porgesterone Receptor(PR+) positive in August 2007. I had a radical left breast mastectomy in October 2007. 12 cycles of Chemotherapy. 7 weeks of Radiation Therapy from February thru March 2008. You & your husband will learn these & alot more medical terms as time goes by.

I am sorry that you & your husband are going through all of this, it can be quite overwhelming at the begining. It was all a blur to me untill it was over and I could catch my breath. I did not have alot of pain after the opperation,but my left arm was numb & tingling when I woke up. (I have been told they had it tied up out of the way during the surgery.) I didn't have any problem with lifting my arm over my head,either. They will get you up and walking the next day,too! I was only in the hospital for two days.

If you or your husband have any more questions for me, I am here online almost everyday. Prayers and Positive Engery coming your way. Hoping for the best for your husband.

Robert

rhog said:

Thank you Robert. I'm sure

Thank you Robert. I'm sure we're going to have a lot of questions for you after surgery. I've been trying to read as much as I can. The drains are going to scare me but I'll find a way to take care of it. I'm so glad there'll be a man on here to talk to. This is Jim's cancer but I'm the voice behind it.

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your husband's cancer, but welcome to the board.  The men on here are great and I'm sure will help you.  Don't worry about the drains.  They are usually only in for about a week or two depending.  You are a strong woman and will be able to do it.  It is really not that bad or difficult to look at, and trust me I've seen a lot.  It is a lot of water mixed with the blood that drains and will get less and less each day.  Just make sure to write down the measurements for the doctor of what you dispose of and how often.  You are going to be able to do this for your husband.  My husband did it for me and was wonderful.  I'll say a prayer for you both.

Terry

Hello RHOG, 

  I am also one of the less than 1% of breast cancer sufferers that are male. I went through 18 weeks of TCH chemo and I just had a modified radical mastectomy and am facing radiation for 6 weeks. I will also have to have herceptin infusions for a year.  Tell your husband he's not alone and the ladies here are just as supportive of us males as anyone else who has to go through this. The beast can be beaten, tell him to hang in there, and you hang in there too. We''ll all be thinking and praying for you guys.

TexasCharlie said:

Oh, and the drains are kind

Oh, and the drains are kind of a pain and my right arm isn't too bad except it hurts under the bicep but all in all it's tolerable. I have been working every day in a supervisory capacity, I can't or rather I'm not allowed to lift a lot.

 It is kind of scary going through the surgery and actually my port placement and sentinel biopsy was scarier than the mastectomy but I learned to trust in the Lord and it went really smooth. As I said we'll be praying for you guys.

 

 

 

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but welcome anyway.  I think we're a very supportive group and hope we can provide the support you need.

I have a question for you fellows, how were your cancers discovered? 

Suzanne

TexasCharlie said:

Mine expressed itself through

Mine expressed itself through the nipple and after several months of putting dressings on it every day and hoping it would heal I finally went to the doctor. The doctor took one look and said," It's cancer!". He referred me to my surgeon who in turn ordered all the tests, did the biopsies , did the prort placement and sentinel biopsy and refferred me to Texas Oncology. So here I am 8 months later minus a right breats and lymph nodes and drains from my incisions, neuropathy in my left hand, swollen legs and feet, hairless, right arm looking like Popeye's, but, I'm alive. I AM VERY ALIVE.  They got the cancer and I still have treatments but at least I am beast free right now and I thank God for that.

Brothers in PINK -- alive, well, striving and surviving ---.  Sorry that you are here,  I am happy that you found us.

We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a weeks.

Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.

Vicki Sam

rhog said:

Thank you Robert. I'm sure

Thank you Robert. I'm sure we're going to have a lot of questions for you after surgery. I've been trying to read as much as I can. The drains are going to scare me but I'll find a way to take care of it. I'm so glad there'll be a man on here to talk to. This is Jim's cancer but I'm the voice behind it.

Tell Jim that he is more than welcome to voice himself on this site as well as you. I know how embarressing it is for a man to have a "woman's" disease. It took me several months to tell anyone I had Breast Cancer. When I found this site,all the ladies here made me feel very welcomed and accepted me as one of them. 

I would tell Jim and you not to worry about the drains too much. They are more like danggling "bulbs" that get in your way more than anything else.  Draining them is so simple,too.  Once you have drained them, be sure to squeeze the air out before putting it back on. I don't remember how long I had my drains,but it wasn't long.

Now, I don't know if it was something that I did or not, but after my drains came out I got an infection in the incincision. MRSA. Now that was gross. My wife had to pour proxide into the opening every night and use a cotton swab to clean it out so it could heal from the inside out. I hope & pray this doesn't happen to Jim. 

Robert

Dear Sibyl,

Cancer diagnosis is a terrible shock and it takes a while to absorb and come to terms with. You certainly came to the right place and you will get great advise on this board.

I don't have breast cancer, I have ovarian and I am BRCA1+. I wanted to mention that a small percentage (about 7%) of male breast cancer is hereditary and is caused by BRCA2 gene mutation. If your husband had females in his family diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, at some point he might want to see genetic counselor and get BRCA testing. Men usually are carriers, hence male breast cancer is rare, but they may pass it on to the next generation.

I wish you both the best in your journey.  

ManWithaMission said:

How Were your Cancers Discovered?

Belive it or not,Suzanne, I had a lump in my left breast since I was a teenager. It wasn't untill mid-summer of 2007 when it was the size of a golf ball(or larger) and the nipple started to be pulled down that I asked my wife if she thought that there was something wrong with my breast. All this was after she had been diagnoised with Kidney Cancer in 2001 and had several reaccurances.

Why didn't I get the lump checked out before August 2007? For one thing, I thought it was a knot in the mussle where I had been hit or just being a teenager. Secondly, no one ever asked me about it and I never said anything about it because I thought it would go away on it's own. I did think it was a little bit strange that it kept growing over the years, but it did not hurt and was not bothering anyone else. None of my "Family Doctors" over the years I was under their care asked me any questions about lumps in my chest or sides. I had heard of breast cancer in woman in the late 80's, but that did not apply to me. I was a man.

Now that I know better, it is my Mission to get doctors to give men "breast exams",too.

Robert

We all know how frustrating the beginning of a diagnosis can be.  So much info to digest.  Everyone says one step at a time, and things fall into place.  I wish you the best!

Robert, I commend your mission to have DR's do male breast exams.  That definitely should be part of a routine physical.  Bless you.  Linda