evieo

My ONLY sign of trouble was a swollen lymph node in the axilla.  The surgeon said he didn't think it was cancer but woud do the biopsy just to make sure.  He removed 3 nodes at biopsy, all had bc.  The PET scan later showed a line down the under arm and another along the supraclavical.  With a personal history of bc.....I'd insist on more tests and/or biopsy.

Good luck and let us know how you did.

Evie

I just posted this in the Stage III board before coming here to read:

have read so many of your stories in all the responses to different questions so I know there are many sisters out there that have had mastectomy and bi-lateral mast.  After having all my chemo first (not because of big tumor, never had a tumor) because of lymph node involvement, all tests howed NED.  My surgeon called me to tell me she thought I should just have a lumpectomy in a small area where a DCIS was finally found on a special breast MRI. Because I had been through so much already, I jumped at this and had only the lumpectomy and 9 more lymph nodes removed. Pathology came back clean, no cancer found. I then had 7 weeks of rads.

The problem? Now that all treatment is over (finished 12-28-07), I am second guessing myself and thinking I should have had the mastectomy or even a bi-lat.  They never saw the bc that spread to my lymph nodes and I had never missed a yearly mammogram in 16 years.  I spoke with my surgeon, she feels there is no benefit except for my mind. Has anyone else gone through this?

I will add here though that my radiated breast looks ok, it is perkier than the otherby far. I did well through all treatments and had no problems.  I'll be watching your thread for advice too!  Good luck and God bless.

Held,

I just thought of something (you probably already thought of this too): do you suppose that the insurance company wants an original, color picture of your new breasts without the nipples so they can verify that you really need them?  The "before" picture would really tell them nothing except that you did have some at one time.  To me, the only complelling picture is the one of the reconstruction sans nipples.  Just a thoughtas I am going in to see the BS on 9/10 for a bi-lat mast with immediate recon.  I think I'll look into what the ins co says about all this.

Good luck to you in this! I think the ins co has no right to ask pictures of your breast BEFORE bc and surgery.  I'd be calling my State Representative or Senator about this.

Evie

I have made a decision to have a bilateral mast because of my dense breast and the fact that they never found the primary source of my bc.  I did have a lumpectomy on a new DCIS bc that they found after MANY tests. Then I had rads all of Nov and Dec 2007.

I would like to have the surgery where the breast skin is left intact but all other breast tissue is removed. I guess the breast surgeon leaves a bag-like thing for the PS to put the implants in. Has anyone had this done?  The radiated breast looks different than the other now so I really don't care if it looks different later, I would just like to keep my own skin.

Hi, Mary Lou,

Except for taking naps, I could have written your message myself.  I finished all treatment at the end of 2007 and I often say "I am not the same as I was before."  I have always had boundless energy and could be on the go morning til night, now I can only do a portion of what I used to. Oh, I walk almost every day, I clean one or two rooms at a time, I cook and wash.....BUT there is a big difference in what I can do now. I think you are right, lack of estrogen probably is the culprit.

I also have problems thinking straight and remembering stuff. All in all, I can see and feel what this experience has done to me but I still have to be very thankful that I am still here.  I won't ever be who I was again but I struggle to be the best of who I am now. Not everyone can see this struggle so they don't always understand. I am just glad I found this board where others DO understand and I get my support here for all the side effects of bc.

Hope things move along for you. If you need that nap, then take it! Only you an your body know what a fight this is. God bless you,

Evie

Danyel,

I iked the advice Bobbie just gave you! When I was n chemo, I would be down for about 2 days..too sick to do anything much but lay on the couch and sleep most of the day.  The only food that had any appeal was a Big Texas Cheeseburger, even when I had no taste buds. Maybe it was a mental thing.  I would gain 6 to 10 pounds during the chemo day and the next day, probably from the steroids and the BIG bags of IV I would get to keep me hydrated. Those pounds melted away as I expelled the IV liquid.  After 2 days down, I'd be back to normal with no problems until the next infusion. I feel that I did not have a hard time during the year I was on chemo and I weighed the same at the end as I did at the begginning.

Good luck to you! Just look forward do anything you feel you need to do to get through this. It's a fight but you'll never fight alone.  Blessings to you,

Evie

I am in Physical Therapy right now for baddddd shoulder pain, pectoral muscle pain and pain that runs down my arm. I finished rads on 12/28/07.  This week I had a PET scan, I am still showing NED.  I saw the rads doc on Thursday and she said she felt strongly that the pain stems from the cervical spine, like a pinched nerve. I will see the PCP next Friday, hopefully to get a bone scan ordered.

Go on vacation. Stress also causes pain in the shoulder blades. Relax a bit and try not to sit on hard surfaces too long. Blessing to you and your hubby on your trip!

Evie

Hi, Mary...everyone has said it so eloquently that it is hard to find new words to say except this....as you read the different postings in this forum, you will be become more knowledgeable, more inspired, and more positive than from reading anywhere else. All of the women posting here are warriors, heroes, and wonderful human beings for reaching out to others even though they themselves are in the same battle.  As I read the thread you started, I felt a positive lift from hearing the stories others shared with you. AHHHHHH, it does the heart good to have sisters.

For Jeannine...I had all of my chemo before surgery too.  At surgery, no cancer was found...the chemo killed it.  Then I had 33 rounds of rads.  Today I learned the result of my latest PET scann (7-22)...still no evidence of disease.

I had a terrible time in the beginning and found it hard to believe that things got better with time. Being in treatment was great because you are actively engaged in battle. After all treatent is done, it is easy to feel scared again because you are seeing the doctors and other professionals as often. That is when I turned to this site for support.  Some of the aches and pains were talked about by many women here even though the onc seemed to not know about these side effects that occur months later. It is a relief to know you aren't crazy or hysterical.

Many blessings and hugs to, my dear. I hope treatment goes well for you.  Come here often and ask any questions you may have. At the very least, you will be armed with info to take back to your onc to discuss.

Evie

I was trying to figure out what date to count from as my survivor anniversary date. I know I already had the bc in my lymph nodes in May, 2006. I went to the doctor who said it was nothing, just lymph nodes doing their job. (No breast tumor was ever found that was the primary for the bc in my lymph nodes.) In September, 2006 I went back and told him the "nothing" caused enough pain to wake me up and my whole arm hurt. I finally got a biopsy in October, 2006 and the dx of bc. Is Oct, 2006 the date I count from or the date I finished all treatment (that would be Dec 28, 2007)?  It is so encouraging to read how far out some of you are, guess I can't wait to be past a year!

Hi, Debi,

I had 3 nodes removed during biopsy also, all positive for bc (10/06.)  I did not have additional surgery but did have a PET scan which indicated more nodes involved in the axilla and the supraclavical.  I had ALL my chemo next (very aggressive with 5 different chemo agents), then had 9 more nodes removed and none showed cancer.  This means chemo can do its job!  In my opinion, chemo is not pleasant but very doable.

The implications of lymph node involvement puts you here in our Stage lll group. You'll fight this disease no matter what the implications, without regard to statistics, and with all that you have. The only stat or implication to focus on is joining the growing number of survivors.  Good luck with treatment and let us know how you are doing.

Many blessings,

Evie