Can Anyone Relate

candican
candican Member Posts: 24
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I was dx with breast cancer and during a CT Scan, it showed that I had a spot on my liver also, about 3.7 diameters. They did another CT Scan about 5 months later, in which it showed no change. I am scheduled to take another one on Friday, March 27th. I have experienced pain below my left rib cage. My doctor says that it maybe something that was already there. Anyway I am taking this seriously. I also feel bloated at times. I hope it turns out to be fatty tissue or no change.

I was dx with breast cancer in Oct. 2007. I had been seeing a breast specialist for over a year and she told me that she wanted to keep an eye on it. Yes, I did have the usual tests done but not the right ones. I had lots of mammograms done and also ultrasounds done. Then it began to bother me so I told my specialist that I just wanted it out. She did a mammotome Biopsy, removed the cyst right in her office, because that what she thought it was and it came back cancerous. Boy What A Blow! Even the last Mammogram that I took came back a cyst. I had a mammogram done about a month after I was dx. The radiologist told me to go home don't worry about it. After that I had a MRI Biopsy and then a CT Scan. Then it went from a precancerous to a stage 1 in about 2 months. My breast specialist missed dx it, again.

This makes the third breast cancer in the family. I didn't think that it could happened three times in one family. When it rains it pours. One of my sisters gave in to this disease and the other one is in remission and doing fine. I won't give in. I plan to fight this until the end!!!!


Does anyone know of any related experiences?

Comments

  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #2
    Similar...mammo's said benign...for 11 years...
    PET scan for my rectal cancer 'lit up' the 11-year-old lump. Decision was to treat the rectal, then worry about the breast if I survived (!).

    Wierder still...the mammo I had just before the needle biopsy produced the letter "Congratulations. There is no sign of cancer". Biopsy a week later was pathed at 85% invasive ductal carcinoma...go figure.

    My mom is a breast cancer survivor. After the first go, she hasn't had it since.

    I told my daughter that she had a septic tank for a gene pool...grandmother with breast and endometrial cancer, mom with breast and rectal cancer, aunt with rectal cancer. Oh, and great grandfather with colon cancer. She gets to start mammos and colonoscopies at 30!

    "Thanks, mom!", she says!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #3
    Genetics of BC
    While they don't really know the cause of about 80% of all breast cancers, some are inherited. You mentioned that now three of you in one family have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Have you been tested for BRCA 1 and 2? Testing is indicated when an immediate family member (parent, sibling, grandparent) also has breast cancer or ovarian cancer and especially if they were fairly young when they got it. Below 50 is considered young with this disease. The information might help your doctor predict problems sooner and take action faster, should you be BRCA positive. Not everyone wants testing, but you might want to consider it.

    C. Abbott
  • phoenixrising
    phoenixrising Member Posts: 1,508
    #4
    Sorry I don't know of any
    Sorry I don't know of any related experiences but I just wanted to wish you well and hope you find a specialist you can be happy with.
    love
    jan
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #5
    Family and cancer
    Well Candi let me tell you that in my family it is more than common. My mom got her first breast cancer at age 40 and ended up fighting cancer 4 more times. I have an aunt who chose no treatment and died as a result. My oldest sister got breast cancer at 40 just like my mom. She went and had the gene testing done that was mentioned below, obviously the results were positive. She choose to be proactive and have a hysterectomy and both breasts removed in an effort to avoid getting cancer again. My cancer arrived when I was 40 (do you see a pattern in our family here). My doctor asked if I wanted the gene testing, for me it was a mute point it is rather obvious we carry the gene. Personally I have had cancer three times, twice breast and once to the chest wall and sentinel node as a result of bc. I am currently in remission and hope to stay that way. Thankfully I have two sister's and a brother who are all past 40 and do not have cancer to date.

    I wish you well Candi, like you said keep fighting!

    RE
  • Eil4186
    Eil4186 Member Posts: 949
    #6
    I am the 4th case of breast
    I am the 4th case of breast cancer in my family. My Aunt died of the disease. I had a baseline mammogram at 35 but despite my family history I neglected to get another one till the age of 42 which showed my tumor.
  • fachem
    fachem Member Posts: 16
    #7
    Eil4186 said:

    I am the 4th case of breast
    I am the 4th case of breast cancer in my family. My Aunt died of the disease. I had a baseline mammogram at 35 but despite my family history I neglected to get another one till the age of 42 which showed my tumor.

    ca in family
    hi all....newbie here.....my dad had 9 isisters all died of cancer except for my one surviving aunt she is 93...bless her.....dad died at 72 of brain ca....aunts had colon, lung and two had breast ca dx at age 89 and 84 and probably had it for years and never new...never had mamos both came down with pneumonia and they decided to do mamo at that age and found it......both died at age 96. mom's side all have th eold heart disease so i can handle that some how better than bc.......sister had fibrotic cysts in breast...cut her open straight doen her chest wall and removed and had jp drains for many months...no bc.....

    now there is me...55 yrs old first ever mamo show microcalcs...there were different reports and interpretations...went for diagnostic now need biopsy sterotatic..had two radiologist opinion and have a appt scheduled to see surgeon.....i guess nobody knows what they are looking at....some of the terminology..here u go....loosly clusterred microcalc, then calcifications linearly grouped then....birads 4 13mm at 12 oclock left breast,,,first they said right then report was revised to say left...pretty scarry right..now they say right breast has calicifications benign but unremarkable...pretty unremarkable if you cant get the right versus left breast straight......so her i am pretty worried about what breast they are looking at and what they saw......

    some history...1987 had my left tube and ovary removed because very painful...ultrasoudn revealed large ? malignancy size of grapefruit...had both out...scarry........started menopause at age 49 had fibroids big as 4 month gestation....gyno said need hysterectomy because they maybe cancer.....i did not have surgery told him they will shrink with age and when i am done with menopause..he had to document this and i was fine with it that i refused
    surgery....i am 55 had checkup 9/08 he was amazed how they r nearly gone.....third experience had a lump pop up on my left hand between two fingers...went to md ordered orthoa ppt and mri....well radiologist at time of mri said it was a fast growing cancer and needed immediate surgery..well they scheduled it for 5 days later....the night before like a miracle the lump was gone......second opinion said it was an inflamed tendon.......i am very cautious with this breast stuff rightfully so......

    good luck to all and god bless....
  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
    #8
    KathiM said:

    Similar...mammo's said benign...for 11 years...
    PET scan for my rectal cancer 'lit up' the 11-year-old lump. Decision was to treat the rectal, then worry about the breast if I survived (!).

    Wierder still...the mammo I had just before the needle biopsy produced the letter "Congratulations. There is no sign of cancer". Biopsy a week later was pathed at 85% invasive ductal carcinoma...go figure.

    My mom is a breast cancer survivor. After the first go, she hasn't had it since.

    I told my daughter that she had a septic tank for a gene pool...grandmother with breast and endometrial cancer, mom with breast and rectal cancer, aunt with rectal cancer. Oh, and great grandfather with colon cancer. She gets to start mammos and colonoscopies at 30!

    "Thanks, mom!", she says!

    Hugs, Kathi

    Praying for you.
    I was the first in my family to have breast ca. my mom had colin cancer which spread to her lungs. I had a hysterectomy 15 years ago. i already had 3 beautiful children and did not mind. they said it was pre-cancerous. I guess its the luck of the draw.. i am wishing you all the best.

    Kathi, i have been praying for you and Hans. How is he doing?

    lots love, let us know.
    Jackie
  • jeanne1948
    jeanne1948 Member Posts: 18
    #9
    I can relate
    Cancer as not been unknown to my family. My dad had throat cancer, my mom, uncle and younger cousin died of stomach cancer. My aunt and only sister both survived breast cancer. I had breast cancer. I feel like you and I will beat this enemy!! Take care.
  • Cindy54
    Cindy54 Member Posts: 452
    #10
    All In The Family
    I come from a cancer family. Almost everyone is gone from cancer. Dad had lung, Mom ovarian. Two aunts had breast. Grandmother had colon. I had breast/ovarian. Hugs, Cindy
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #11
    I can relate. Read thread
    I can relate. Read thread titled 'sister diagnosed'.
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #12
    inherited cancer
    Although most cancer is not inherited, as you can see plenty of people here have family histories of cancer. Both my grandmothers had breast cancer, although not my mom or any other female in the family until me. Grandmother on my dad's side had it in her 30's -- lived to her 70's. Although I tested BRCA 1&2 negative, I still think there is an inherited aspect here b/c I got breast cancer at 34.

    Candi, what is your current diagnosis? Have they determined the cause of the liver spot? I hope that your medical team has things together now. Let us know, and don't be afraid to seek a second (or third) opinion. Lots of us do.

    Mimi
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    #13
    I have had breast cancer twice
    I had breast cancer in my left breast in 1985, had a lumpectomy, removal of all of my lymph nodes and 25 treatments of radiation. Then, January 2009, I got breast cancer again in my right breast. Not a recurrence..a whole new cancer the doctors say. I thought 23 years of being cancer free..I was safe. I guessed wrong..........
  • candican
    candican Member Posts: 24
    #14
    mimivac said:

    inherited cancer
    Although most cancer is not inherited, as you can see plenty of people here have family histories of cancer. Both my grandmothers had breast cancer, although not my mom or any other female in the family until me. Grandmother on my dad's side had it in her 30's -- lived to her 70's. Although I tested BRCA 1&2 negative, I still think there is an inherited aspect here b/c I got breast cancer at 34.

    Candi, what is your current diagnosis? Have they determined the cause of the liver spot? I hope that your medical team has things together now. Let us know, and don't be afraid to seek a second (or third) opinion. Lots of us do.

    Mimi

    My Dx
    My dx is dcis. After reading the pathology report again after my mastectomy was done in Dec of 2007 I see where it states, "that no evidence of residual invasive tumor", but then it states, "residual ductal carcinoma in stu". I do recall my breast specialist saying that it was a stage 1. Maybe I was so shaken up about the whole thing that I misunderstood her. The results of the CT Scann that I received on April 3, 2009 states as follows, although my Oncologyist is telling me one thing, I maybe comprehending it from the results differently.

    It states as follows:

    There are 3 subcentimeter lung nodules, largest 2 of which are 6mm. these larger nodules have some features which may hopefully mean that they are benign (shape, location). It is not a compelling pictrue for metastatic breast cancer nor primary lung cancer, although neoplasm is possible. Recommend repeat chest CT in 3 months with intention to follow these nodules for 2 years to hopefully establish benignity.

    The first Ct scann that i showed only one nodule. the second one that I took I did not get a copy but the nurse said that there was not changed. so I don't know whether or not 3 nodules showed up but I plan to get a copy from my physican Wednesday, 8th or April.



    Maybe you can get a clear understanding of this. I think I have read it so much that I have began to read into it. Maybe it would be best to get a second opinion. I will be visiting my breast specialist tomorrow. Maybe she can explain it better.
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #15
    My paternal grandmother and
    My paternal grandmother and my paternal aunt had breast cancer..so far. And, now I do. So, I do think, for the most part, that it does run in families. I have noticed that there are some families where there is no cancer involved with them at all...ever. So, some families luckily escape it, while others, are riddled with it.

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