Newly diagnosed

hotharleyj
hotharleyj Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I went in for my yearly mamm and after it was over I thought well I've done my duty for another year only to get a letter a few days later stating that I had an abnormal mamm and it would require more testing. Had a biopsy and was diagnosed with DCIS on May 15, my daughter's birthday. Since then my life has been a blur. Surgery, doctors appts and now will begin radiation on June 29 for 6 weeks. My question is after the treatments, is there such a thing as cancer free or will the gene still be there laying dormant. This whole process has been very scary but I'm trying very hard to be positive. I have read many comments and I'm glad to have found this site.
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Comments

  • pinkflutterby
    pinkflutterby Member Posts: 615 Member
    #2
    I dont know the answer to
    I dont know the answer to your question, sorry. But I wanted to welcome you. I am new here also and am very glad to of found this site as well. I bet someone will have the answer for you.

    :) Libby
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #3
    Newly diagnosed
    I was asked by an insurance company nurse if my doctor had mentioned the word "cured" when he referred to me when I'm done with treatments. I was quite sure no sane doctor would say that but I asked him anyway. His answer was that with some patients the procedures done are to prolong the life and/or quality of life for the patient. For others, after treatment is completed there is a very good chance the patient will live the next 20, 30, 40 (whatever years) of their life cancer-free. I think that's as close as we'll get and believe me, I'll take it. I plan to use every single one of those years too.

    Best of luck to you and hang in there -- this too shall pass.
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #4
    mwallace1325 said:

    Newly diagnosed
    I was asked by an insurance company nurse if my doctor had mentioned the word "cured" when he referred to me when I'm done with treatments. I was quite sure no sane doctor would say that but I asked him anyway. His answer was that with some patients the procedures done are to prolong the life and/or quality of life for the patient. For others, after treatment is completed there is a very good chance the patient will live the next 20, 30, 40 (whatever years) of their life cancer-free. I think that's as close as we'll get and believe me, I'll take it. I plan to use every single one of those years too.

    Best of luck to you and hang in there -- this too shall pass.

    Cured???
    I don't know about "cured." All I know is I told my oncologist I'd heard all sorts of terms ... cured, terminal, aggressive, stage this and that, etc ... and I wanted to know what he would call my case ... and he said "in remission." Now I have no clue what that means ... but as long as the word "terminal" wasn't in there ... I guess I'm relieved.

    hugs.
    teena
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #5
    DCIS
    Hello, and welcome hotharlej, though I am sorry for the reason you are here. We all have gone through that blur you describe.

    It just happens that I was at a surgeon's office this morning and found myself staring at the breast cancer information/diagram posted in the exam room. It stated that DCIS can be considered cured after treatment. Others on this board can tell you more about DCIS. You will not find a more supportive or caring group of people. Your questions, concerns, and comments are welcome always.

    Good luck to you, and let us know how your treatment goes. I will be starting rads late next week and have benefited greatly from my sisters here who are completing or have finished rads. You will, too, I'm sure.
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #6
    Welcome HotH
    Since it looks
    Welcome HotH
    Since it looks like you don't have to have chemo , the docs must not have felt that the cancer cells had spread and that's a good thing. The rad. is supposed to kill off any lingering cells. We all fear that we have some hidden cancer waiting to pounce again, but we
    can't live in fear. I'll have about a 20% chance of recurrance after treatment and I'll take that as 80% that it's gone for good!
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #7
    welcome hotharleyj
    as they have all stated already, we can only go on with our lives and try not worrying about recurrence. It does sound as if you caught it early and that is always better.
    Keep us up to date on your progress.
    =^..^-
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #8
    Hot Harley J... I just
    Hot Harley J... I just wanted to welcome you to the group.. the people here are so much more amazing and giving of themselves than I could ever imagine. You have come to the perfect place to post questions, seek input, express your feelings. I am sorry for the reason you had to find us... but I am so glad you did... welcome..

    ~T
  • seof
    seof Member Posts: 819 Member
    #9
    Welcome
    Welcome to this site, sorry you have a reason to come here. We are all scared when we first hear the "c" word. Each individual is unique and your Doctor is the best source of information about your specific case. In my opinion we are all survivors from the moment we are diagnosed. If you pay attention to the number of hits on this site, you will see that there are a lot of us. Doctors are learning more and more every day. It sounds like your Doctors are taking care of you. Information is a good defense against fear. Write down any and all questions and take your list with you along with someone to help you listen and get the answers you need. There is a lot of information to absorb and there are a lot of emotions that go along with it. Two heads can be better than one.

    Take care of yourself. seof
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #10
    Welcome....
    once again I am bringing up the rear in welcoming you to our group (well, someone has to be the runt in the litter!!) There is nothing more I can add except you will not regret that you found us and we are certainly glad you did. :) Pammy
  • Christmas Girl
    Christmas Girl Member Posts: 3,682 Member
    #11
    Welcome, hotharleyj
    You've already made much progress along the journey, in typical whirlwind fashion.

    Nice to meet you. I will very soon be a six year survivor.

    Always remember that each patient's BC circumstances, beside diagnosis specifics, are just as unique and individual as they are. That being said, and to the very best of my knowledge - I don't believe that BC can truly be "cured"... Unfortunately. There is always a risk of recurrence - which is quite different for all of us. One of our members has managed to reduce her risk to 1-2%, which is almost nothing. And, she's the only BC survivor I've ever "met" to get the percentage that low. Nevertheless, it's there.

    As you visit the threads, you will soon read much reference to NED - no evidence of disease. Some prefer to think of this as "cured"... Which is fine, because we all need to determine our own coping mechanisms. Technically, NED actually means that no cancer can be detected via current medical testing technologies. NED is a "status" - not an implication of being truly "cured"...

    We also have members who've successfully fought back their cancers twice, even three times.

    The woman who "mentored" me during the earliest part of my journey is now almost 80 years old and in a nursing home. Her own BC experience was decades ago. Heart failure will provide her entrance into heaven, not breast cancer. This is what we all hope for.

    Only your own oncologist can provide you with this information as it specifically pertains to you.

    Best wishes, and...

    Kind regards, Susan
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #12
    The goal of my treatment, as
    The goal of my treatment, as my oncologist said, was CURE! And, he said he would take

    nothing less. I had a lumpectomy and am still in rads, but, will be done soon. I had a

    small tumor, so, I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. But, CURE is the

    word for me, and, I truly believe I am cured after I finish rads. There are other factors too

    that, I think, might make the difference, the stage, grade, clean nodes and size of tumor. A very

    aggresive cancer, stage 3 or 4, might not be in the cure. But, I don't know. Everyone's

    oncologist is the only one that can tell them if they are cured or not. I would hope that we

    all are, but, I know it isn't true. Good luck to you!
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #13
    Hey hotharley! I am cancer
    Hey hotharley! I am cancer free/cured! I think many are, and, I believe that some aren't. We all vary in our type of bc in so many ways, that, everyone can't be put in that one hole. I wish everyone could, but, they can't. What does your oncologist say about you?
  • dmc_emmy
    dmc_emmy Member Posts: 549
    #14
    Hot-H, Welcome!
    I, too, welcome you to the boards. You will find many fine folks here to talk to who are so willing to tell you what they know from their own experiences. But, just as some have already said, what we know is only based on our own personal journey with bc. No one is exactly the same in how this disease has affected the bodies, nor in how they will respond to treatments; therefore, no one is exactly the same as to how they will recover, the possibility of recurance, nor to what extent they can be considered cured.

    Once you have finished your treatments, it will be more clear to the drs as to how your body has responded to the treatments and they will be able to give to you your personal prognosis.

    Yes, it's scary, but you've found us and we will help it be as less scary as possible. For you, it sounds like you caught it early and that is always a good thing (but I'm sorry that you were dx on your daughter's b-day).

    Having a positive attitude is much of the battle and, though it's hard to maintain, it can be done with the support of family and friends. Here on this site, you will have both a "family" and many friends--and that's really special!

    Keep us updated :).
    dmc
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #15
    taleena said:

    Hot Harley J... I just
    Hot Harley J... I just wanted to welcome you to the group.. the people here are so much more amazing and giving of themselves than I could ever imagine. You have come to the perfect place to post questions, seek input, express your feelings. I am sorry for the reason you had to find us... but I am so glad you did... welcome..

    ~T

    Welcome harley! There is so
    Welcome harley! There is so much to learn here from the survivors. I am new too, but, have been reading the posts for awhile. It has helped me a lot.
  • outdoorgirl
    outdoorgirl Member Posts: 1,565
    #16
    Christmas Girl said:

    Welcome, hotharleyj
    You've already made much progress along the journey, in typical whirlwind fashion.

    Nice to meet you. I will very soon be a six year survivor.

    Always remember that each patient's BC circumstances, beside diagnosis specifics, are just as unique and individual as they are. That being said, and to the very best of my knowledge - I don't believe that BC can truly be "cured"... Unfortunately. There is always a risk of recurrence - which is quite different for all of us. One of our members has managed to reduce her risk to 1-2%, which is almost nothing. And, she's the only BC survivor I've ever "met" to get the percentage that low. Nevertheless, it's there.

    As you visit the threads, you will soon read much reference to NED - no evidence of disease. Some prefer to think of this as "cured"... Which is fine, because we all need to determine our own coping mechanisms. Technically, NED actually means that no cancer can be detected via current medical testing technologies. NED is a "status" - not an implication of being truly "cured"...

    We also have members who've successfully fought back their cancers twice, even three times.

    The woman who "mentored" me during the earliest part of my journey is now almost 80 years old and in a nursing home. Her own BC experience was decades ago. Heart failure will provide her entrance into heaven, not breast cancer. This is what we all hope for.

    Only your own oncologist can provide you with this information as it specifically pertains to you.

    Best wishes, and...

    Kind regards, Susan

    I kind of feel the same way
    you do,Susan. My lymph nodes fortunately weren't affected when I was diagnosed so I was stage 2A.But I consider myself NED with the possibility of recurrance.
    I guess I've come to that conclusion from things that my oncs have told me,and also the fact that they won't let me donate blood products or bone marrow...ever!
    Don't get me wrong-I don't have a foot in the grave,but there's also reality.
    And it doesn't mean to stop living your life(I don't think about it 24/7),but I do try to be aware and I definately don't skimp on my self breast exams,and definately get my mammograms every year!
    I'm not writing this(and I know that Susan wasn't)to scare any newcomers,just want you to be aware and not go lax to the point where you don't take your appointments and tests seriously!!
  • ladybug22
    ladybug22 Member Posts: 646
    #17
    I dont know
    I dont know the answer to your question we are all difference my onc told me he would never use the word cured he told me i was cancer free. i was also told i had 50 50 change it could come back I had I B C I HAD so live is great. no chemo good for you.ask your onc he will tell you iam glade you found this board best people in the world. good luck with rads walk it one day at a time them when it all over we will have a happy dance for you
  • peb
    peb Member Posts: 23 Member
    #18
    wondered the same thing
    Hello, Welcome. I am new here also and just found out last Thursday. I have been wondering that same question. The answers here were very helpful. I go to the doc on mon to get my plan in motion.
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #19
    peb said:

    wondered the same thing
    Hello, Welcome. I am new here also and just found out last Thursday. I have been wondering that same question. The answers here were very helpful. I go to the doc on mon to get my plan in motion.

    Good luck on Monday Peb! My
    Good luck on Monday Peb! My oncologist told me that after I had radiation I was cured. He even wrote it on the paper with my treatment plan that he gave me.
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    #20
    Hi Hotharleyj
    First, let me welcome you to the site. I am sorry for what you are going thru, but, you will find an abundance of support and information here.

    About what you asked about is there cancer free, I truly believe that there is. I believe that one can be cured and be free of cancer. I think that is the purpose of treatment, isn't it?

    I wish you the best of luck!
  • hotharleyj
    hotharleyj Member Posts: 2
    #21
    Kristin N said:

    Hey hotharley! I am cancer
    Hey hotharley! I am cancer free/cured! I think many are, and, I believe that some aren't. We all vary in our type of bc in so many ways, that, everyone can't be put in that one hole. I wish everyone could, but, they can't. What does your oncologist say about you?

    He said that after treatment
    He said that after treatment I would have a 10% chance of it coming back, but since it is stage 0 and contained he said my prognosis is good. I've told myself that I cannot let this rule my life, I have 3 granddaughters to watch grow up, I don't have time for this. Thanks for your reply. This site has been very helpful and uplifting.

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