Best Of
Re: Triple Negative Stage IV
@cookie54 @scgal08 coffee cheers ! I love my morning coffee. Now drinking my afternoon tea. Just came back from an afternoon walk, happy to be in air conditioned spaces! My scans were good, just primarily skin Mets needing treatments . Started Navelbine yesterday, hoping it is the one for the next few years. We’ll see, what a year it’s been of changing Meds every few months for these skin Mets ! Hoping for some systemic simplicity and perhaps starting the skin trial in the fall. Meanwhile here we are, toasting eachother with good hearts , and loving prayers. Have a lovely evening all. ❤️
Re: Decisions
Hi @yogi1967, and welcome to Breastcancer.org! We're so very sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're really glad you've found us. As you can already see, our amazing community is full of incredible members always willing to offer advice, information, encouragement, and support — we're all here for you!
Surgery decisions can be so difficult, but ultimately the decision is yours. We're sure others will be by soon to weigh in with their experiences, but in the meantime, we wanted to share this page on Mastectomy Vs. Lumpectomy with you. As well, we have a helpful thread here that discusses the pros and cons of these decisions that you might find insightful:
Here is also some information on oncoplastic lumpectomy that @maggie15 mentioned.
We hope this helps. Please let us know what other questions you might have and what decision you've made. We're here to support you through your surgery and beyond!
—The Mods
Re: Decisions
Hi @yogi1967, I was lucky to have my lumpectomy done by a breast surgeon with training in oncoplastic techniques. She used tissue flaps inside my breast to rearrange things to preserve the shape and size of my breast. I had only one site of IDC but it was 3.2 cm. She said she would do a nip/tuck on the other breast to make them perfectly symmetrical but I didn't bother with that since there was hardly any difference. The recovery was easy, the same as any lumpectomy. I don't know if there is a breast surgeon with that training near you but it is worth investigating or traveling a bit. I hope your surgery goes well.
maggie15
Re: How long have you been Stage IV?
@ssales13 I hope your PET/CT turns out well and it would be something else relatively small.
I'm on the second half of my second year (diagnosed Jan. 2024), and I see my doctor every 3 months. I do monthly blood work and send it to him over email and he confirms. I live in a different city than the clinic (6h away by car) so at the beginning, if something needed troubleshooting with meds, we would do it over the phone. I'm very lucky to have him as he is very flexible, accommodating and understanding.
Re: Bone Mets Thread
Hello everyone, after up and down issues with the Verzenio and possible switching treatments. I have had great improvement. Many of the lesions have resolved. Pet scan report said in part "No other FDG-avid disease. Prior areas of FDG uptake in right sacrum and right femur have resolved. Small sclerotic lesions in the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and lytic lesion in the right pubic ramus are stable and have no abnormal uptake." Looks like for now I will continue with the Verzenio and Flasodex. This is the best news Ive had in months. I just wanted to share with you all . My oncologist was just about to switch me to Xeloda but we stayed on the Verzenio and flasodex till this last Pet scan. Just hope this encourages some of you. God bless you all. I know with this awful disease how things can change so fast, but I am grateful that my treatment will remain the same for now. God bless you all.
jen1
I feel like giving up on Chemo
I was diagnosed with Stage 2 non invasive ductal carcinoma in March 2025 at 35 years old. I completed 12 weekly rounds of chemo but rounds 9-12 caused me to have fevers and loose strength every week. I have now started the red chemo but I feel even weaker and am worried the chemo will kill me at this rate. I’ve told my Dr I feel weak but she hasn’t done much about that. She prescribed me a lot meds for nausea which have their own side effects that I’m already dealing with. I have no strength. Has anyone else gone through this or something similar?
Re: Anastrozole - Dry Cough
I have been taking anastrozole for a year, which brought on menopause a third time.
I do have painful sex, and a minor bleeding when I wipe myself two days after. Every morning I wake up with a sore throat, and some nights I have a very nasty, dry, deep cough that worries my husband. Thank you so much for bringing these subjects up. I thought I was alone. How are people managing these? Thank you,
Megan
Anastrozole - Dry Cough
I was on Tamoxifen for 4 years and was switched to Anastrozole as I hit menopause and was having mild side effects on Tam. After a month I stopped taking Anastrozole as I was having painful sex. I received help for that and went back on Anastrozole. Within a couple of days I developed a dry cough so I took a break for a couple of days to see if it was the Anastrozole. Was diagnosed with allergies by my general doctor. OTC allergy medicine (including neti pot) gave no relief. Was then prescribed Singular. Still no relief. Then prescribed prednisone. Cough was better after the entire seven day dose. Two weeks later my cough is back! Anyone else have an issue with a dry cough from Anastrozole??? I am going to try to take a break for longer this time. The cough is causing problems with my sleep, work and just in general.
Re: Kisqali/ribociclib, Faslodex/fluvestrant & Xgeva combo - Anyone?
I'm going to try taking mine in the morning next cycle. I too am having major stomach issues at night. I have tried waiting an hour after dinner to take it and that seems to help. Also i started taking Beano and that has helped the gas issue. MO called in an antacid that helped the horrible reflux that was happening.
I'm worried about the fatigue being an issue for me taking it early. But the stomach issues are really making me miserable.
Re: Feeling the "Imposter Syndrome" - Early Stage Cancer - Do I really count?
I also feel like imposter sometimes - found a 1.3mm tumor..very very early. I had to have mastectomy given large dcis area. Didn't have a great time w/ intubation as my airway was found to be really small like a kid! Now I'm fully aware and educate other docs anytime I have a procedure. I guess that's a plus..just knowing that I have weird anatomy. A same day procedure turned into an overnight stay at hospital. Would advise u to bring earplugs just in case u have to stay longer. I'm sure u will do fine but always nice to prepare just in case!
snm