Best Of
Re: Just diagnosed with Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH)
Hello Everyone,
I feel like I am on a rollercoaster ride, but it has meant so much to read your stories and feel like I am not alone in this journey. I'm 39, married, with two kids under the age of 10. In December 2018 I began to have a heavy, tight feeling in my right breast. In January 2019, I would wake up with blood on my nightgown and on my sheets. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. With pressure, nothing could be expressed from my nipple. I kind of pushed it to the side because I was going for my annual exam the same month. My ob-gyn started to do my breast exam, and blood squirted out everywhere. It wasn't until then I realized I had palpable lumps and they were tender. She told me it was probably a papilloma. I was then scheduled for my first mammogram and ultrasound.
The results were to just monitor the lumps and I wouldn't need another mammo for a year. A recommendation was made for a surgical consultation due to the bloody nipple discharge. I waited a few weeks for my doctor's office to get back with me, but I heard nothing. I finally contacted my ob-gyn only to find out my results had never been sent over from the mammography office. At that point I scheduled with a breast surgeon, but the appointment was weeks out.
In the meantime, I continued to have spontaneous bloody discharge and an achy breast. One night I bled so intensely, my husband called the breast surgeon's office himself to have my appointment moved up. Because nothing was coming up on the mammo or ultrasound, she scheduled me for MRI and core biopsy. The results came back on the continuum for ADH and DCIS, so I was recently just sent for another MRI with vaccuum-assisted biopsy.
I am still awaiting results. My nerves are kind of shot and I feel like I have experienced a gamut of procedures and emotions in the past 3 months. At my list visit, the breast surgeon mentioned lumpectomy with reduction or even mastectomy as a possibility. My mind is just reeling. I just need answers so I can start living my life again. As a mom of a 1st and 2nd grader, as well as being a teacher, I am pulled in so many directions and this time of the year is especially hectic.
I am trying to be positive, but it's all a bit much for me right now. My kids are too young to to really tell them anything. My husband is supportive in that he drives me to appointments, but as his own mother passed from ovarian cancer when he was only 5, I think he is living in the land of denial and avoidance. My own mother passed from complications from diabetes 10 years ago. I am a only child and although I have a close relationship with my father, it can be awkward to speak with him about my boobs.
I feel isolated right now, so I am so happy to meet you all. I am praying for all of us and I appreciate any advice you may offer.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@threetree It’s always good to see you. I. Too have been absent a lot lately. Too many stressful situations have been getting me down and then I get in a mood of not feeling like posting. I was in the middle of some procedures or recovering, I just stayed away a few days. Between Dr. Visits, treatments, traveling and Recovering from procedures and. PT and trying to live a normal life, I guess I missed posting to the group……. But I’m getting there, my new Neurologist Doctor is wonderful and will probably do the next cervical spine facet nerve 8 injections next Tuesday, and one more procedure after that. Also, My Oncologist has me seeing an oncological maxillofacial Dentist because I have a painful fractured jaw in the roof of my mouth and he needs to extract the tooth and being on Amoxicillin, then I’m off my Verzenio Pills for 7 days & Xgeva injection for 6 months because the invasive procedure into my jaw and tooth extraction puts me at a high risk of oncological necrosis of the jaw. (ONJ). So that has set me back a little, and put me in a really down mood these days. Then, I just checked in and saw your name and just had to say hi @threetree 🌷I hope all here are doing. ok, wishing you all a happy restful evening..🩵
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@mara51506 Glad your appt went well, sheesh guess you could have used some gauze instead of small bandaid today. I have had that happen too, can be quite the mess. Oh the fun your will have with the quesadilla maker! Love a good basic chicken and cheddar quesadilla and sour cream for dipping. Enjoy. Also I love the movie The Green Mile.if I see it while scrolling I always stop to watch, great movie!
@irishlove Oh those hawks look so intimidating, glad you were able to chase it away. I hate when I see them disturb nests and steal eggs and all the birds are crying and screaming, awful. We;ll all be in your pocket for your upcoming MR.
@candy-678 I hear ya on missing your old life. I often wonder what how my 50's would have been if I wasn't dealing with this crap. Prayers up and we'll be in your pocket for next week scan.s Sending hugs and strength.
Mae Excited for ya, sounds like it will be loads of fun! Have a drink for us in your bar, cheers to it being finished.
Hi to all you lovelies that checked in, always great to see everyone. Hugs to all❤️
cookie54
Re: Chemo or not?
Now days 6 nodes is actually quite a few for an early stage cancer, so I think they have been very cautious.
ruthbru
Re: Chemo or not?
Molly - the doctors weight the benefits vs. the risks of chemo. Taking out 6 nodes is quite a bit and typically breast cancer would move to the sentinel (first) nodes initially. I also had Stage 1, grade 1 BC. It was just a bit larger than yours and my Mammaprint was similar to your Oncotype. Many doctors do not use the Ki-67 in calculating benefit of chemo as studies have not shown a benefit and Oncotype is considered more accurate.
If you are concerned you can always get a 2nd opinion. I am older than you (63 at diagnosis) but even with my genetic mutation that causes a high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, my treatment was a lumpectomy and radiation. My surgeon refused to give me a mastectomy as survival rates are equal between the two surgical options.
harley07
Re: Chemo or not?
I would go with my doctor's recommendation. Less than 1% benefit is not worth all the potential (and sometimes lifelong0 side effects chemo can have.
ruthbru
Re: Bone Mets Thread
@jen1 wow!I developed pneumonitis from Verzenio. After a month off my dose was reduced. Tumor makers went way up and scans showed progression all over. My oncologist immediately switched me to Xeloda. Interesting that Verzenio may have worked after all. But Xeloda is working well for me and I feel fine on it.
aj
Re: Bone Mets Thread
Has anyone had a month's treatment break, and how was your oncologist about you doing this?
I am on letrozole and Ribociclib, my joint pains have become very bad, and the arthritis in my knee and finger has worsened. Would a treatment break help with joint pain? I am concerned that a treatment break would affect my stable status, but on the other hand, the joint pain is affecting my quality of life.
Re: Bone Mets Thread
I second @going2beatthis, wondering if anyone can speak about those procedures. I finally was able to see the Neuro-oncology Doctor's APRN. He has set me up for MRI of thoracic and lumbar. My problem is L4, it is so painful.. I also have sciatica and of course my friend of 23 years, MS.
Irishlove
Re: Triple Negative Stage IV
@scgal08 sorry to read you are in the same boat and your Skin Mets are growing too. It’s so frustrating I know. These darn skin nodules! Hopefully now that you are on the full dose of Trodelvy you’ll see some improvement. My MO says the skin is tricky, it goes away fast and grows and increases fast, so hard to predict. Glad you are on 100% dose though, and do you feel ok? I hope it makes a difference! They just don’t have a good drug yet for skin Mets , hope your Aug 1 scan shows the body is stable! ❤️🙏❤️
Had my PET/CT today, once those results are in my MO team will decide the regimen. Probably start something new this week or next week. I love my medical team, and I trust their judgment, so I’ll wait and see. Changing drugs so often, yes It is daunting, but it is what it is. I’ve never gone more than 6 cycles on a drug since MBC, and that was Trodelvy back in 2024. My Mets always push through. They respond to radiation, but then pop up someplace new. No one has an answer, so we just keep trying . I’m hoping that one of these days they will come up with a combo that works for us.
But for now, I’ve accepted that my C is resistant to most therapies, and we got to keep trying until we hit it right. So I make space to have my feelings, I cry a bit, acknowledge i wish it was otherwise then I laugh a bit, and acknowledge non striving and trust in the present is more healing… and am grateful that I feel so good and have love in my life… and then I research the SE of the new drug and wish it to be the last one… lol.
I will let you all know when I find out more. Hugs.
