Best Of
Re: Were you diagnosed young (under 45) with breast cancer? We'd love to hear from you!
I was 46 when I was diagnosed Stage IV de novo HR- HER2+++ right out of the gate. Not younger but not older either, so not sure where I fit. I have two teenagers which is the most heartbreaking part for me. I want to see them grow up and live their own lives.
I think regardless of the stage of diagnosis, it will turn your world upside down. The uncertainty of everything is hard to accept. I still struggle with it most days. Starting treatment is scary. Not knowing what to expect, how it will make you feel, if you will have a good response, etc. Let yourself feel all the emotions. And know that you are stronger than you ever thought capable. You can do this even when it feels impossible. I keep a running note on my phone of positive, long term survivor stories who have a similar diagnosis to me. I read some every day. It helps me not feel so hopeless all the time.
One thing I wish I had known is that breast MRIs are recommended for those with dense, lumpy breasts. Had I known that, I would have absolutely pushed for it and then maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. If this applies to you, I strongly encourage you add this to your plan for ongoing monitoring. I would also pay out of pocket for annual CT or PET scans for peace of mind, if I was an earlier stage and not scanned on a regular basis. For those with HER2+, they don’t typically recommend brain MRIs until you are experiencing symptoms. That’s not meant to scare you, but rather for awareness as HER2+ patients tend to have a higher incidence of brain metastases. If you feel something isn’t quite right, tell your doctor.
My advice is to stay genuinely aware that this can occur (or reoccur) at any age, and to take any changes seriously enough to seek further testing.
Thinking of you all.
harrow
Re: Dogs, dogs, dogs!
As long as i breathe, my house will always have room for rescues!
My current fur family:
Meet Meg:
And Jake...
And his sister, Storm...
There is not a "hair free" spot in my house, and no room for sadness either! What a gift they are!
LRGO2016
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
I noticed that Mel has not logged on to BCO in several weeks, so I reached out to her. "Please pass along my Hellos", she told me to tell you all. Her daughter had 18 radiation treatments, then double mastectomy, and now more chemo. Mel is worried about her, understandably so. Mel says she herself is "slowing down", as she has been fighting MBC for 9.5 years.
Just wanted to let you all know.
Re: New diagnosis x 2 within 3 weeks!
Hello again, @dianeb74!
How did your appointments with the plastic surgeon and surgical oncologist go? It must have been a lot to take in with everything happening so quickly. We're thinking of you and wanted you to know that we're here for you if you need support. And if you ever need help finding information or anything from the Mods, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you! Let us know how you’re holding up.
Sincerely,
The Mods
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Hi dear ladies. Shanagirl, your appointment calendar is indeed busy. Make sure to slow down a bit in this heat. That sure can make one dizzy, too. I hope the treatments improve or releave your horrible back pain.
Oh it's so sad to hear of KBL (Kris's) passing. What a memory she made for her darling family, especially grandson in the camper picture. Time with family is what we need and want. Some family members lean into our needs and make more lovely memories to cherish. Her family is so joyful to be with her. God bless them, friends and her friends here at breastcancer.org.
Mara, hope you enjoyed a walk about. I am amazed at your meals and how you subsidize your expenses. You budget so well, wish I could do a better job. I did stop 4 newspapers, which saves about $30 a month, give or take.
Hi cookie, threetree, illemae, mel, chicogoan, snowdrop and any others who I may have missed. It's difficult with the MS brain and now added chemo brain when it comes to memory. I apologize. In pockets for all your needs my dear friends.
Laurel
Re: Didn’t achieve pCR. Next steps for TNBC?
TNBC here currently on Keynote 522 neoadjuvatant.
Have you had your tumor(s) tested for biomarkers? If there are biomarkers, it could open up additional kinds of intervention. I really want to find out if I have any, but must wait for surgery.
So far, chemo has only kept the tumor the same size; there has been no shrinkage.
Best wishes to you. Keep us informed!
Kate from Sacramento
kate2025
Double Mastectomy
First post. I am scheduled for a double mastectomy I have choose not to have reconstuction . I am going though such a deep depression. The thought of loosing my breasts is so devestating to me . I would like to talk to others that have gone though this and help me to know what to expect and how you managed to get though the psychological part of this ! ty
Re: How are people with liver mets doing?
@snow-drop - Thanks so much for this. This is just the kind of information I'm wanting to hear; real life experiences. I have been told that histotripsy doesn't completely "dissolve" tumors in many cases; especially when there are multiple tumors. It's also been my understanding that even if some are completely resolved, its' quite common with breast cancer mets to the liver, that more just keep showing up and growing, so all these treatments like ablation, histotripsy, etc. merely knock things back a bit and never really "cure" anything in the liver. It would be interesting to know if in the case you describe, whether the tumor that became enlarged was due to the procedure or if it was just one that didn't respond well and continued to grow. I was told, as you noted, that it's not uncommon for a tumor to be in an area where the sound waves can't penetrate, e.g. behind a rib, so there are things like that to contend with also. The IR told me that. Both the IR and my oncologist seem to lean much more to the old tried and true like Y-90 and various forms of ablation. Like your doctor, they seem a little wary of something this new and experimental, but they haven't just said flat out not to do it or anything. Also, both the histotripsy people and the IR have said that it's possible to get various combinations of all these different treatments to get the best results for any and all liver mets that a person might have. After looking at my scans, the histotripsy people told me that that method won't completely eradicate my mets. They said it could shrink some of them, but would never be "curative", only palliative. They also said that I could get something like Y-90 first, and that then the histotripsy might add something more, but again, it won't be cured. They say the histotripsy is just "one more tool in the tool box", but not any sort of "miracle" type thing. Like you noted, size and location, etc. are a big issue in what works. The IR also said that it might be possible to do something like Y-90 and histotripsy, but we barely touched on that idea, as he wants to wait until my oncologist weighs in some more - which probably won't be until next month, as he is out this month.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Hey there Dear Ladies if Mel’s livinroom . Thank you for your caring thoughts @threetree @mara51506 @cookie54 @eleanora @intolight
It’s been a few weeks and I regretfully I have not been reading along. With all the crazinesses of Dr appointment stress,I came down with a summer virus with nausea and a bad cough, vertigo tired 🥱
Sorry for not getting back to you I have been so overwhelmed with constant appointments, procedures, and Traveling back & forth to North Jersey. I had my follow up phone appointment with Neurosurgeon pain management Dr. on the 13th . In the meantime he had me keeping a daily diary. The procedure went well because l was very relaxed from the sedative anesthesia during the 8 cervical spine injections. It’s called a "Branch Block". I have not felt well all week because of a lot of right sided pain in my shoulder front and backand down my arm and fingers going numb....Right sided groin & hip pain into leg & numbness tingling in bottom of foot and toes. I’ve been headachey and having balance issues also. So next day I had my appointment with my oncologist’s PA, Krissy. I love her🥰. We had a good conversation about what happened when DH dropped me off at the entrance of the John Theurer cancer center so he could go park the car like he always does. So l went through the automatic door and lost my sense of balance and I held onto the door frame so l wouldn’t fall. As it happened a security guard ran up to me and asked if I was ok. And I said I was fine but sometimes I get balance issues. He grabbed a wheelchair and insisted I sit in it till my husband arrived. Krissy scheduled me for my usual scans which weren’t due till September. She wants me back on my cancer med Verzenio because It’s been keeping me stable. She called Dr Friedman to schedule me asap for the tooth extraction because I still have to be off my cancer meds for another 3 months after the tooth extraction. So my appointment for that was August 14, before my scans, then Thursday August 21st I go for the NM Bone scan and CT scans at 1:00 and on Sunday August 24th I go for a head MRI🙄. Uggh this has been the Summer from Hell. Thanks for checking on me dear ladies so I needed your shoulder to rant a little bit. I love you all 😘♥️🌹
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Post meal edit, I took one mini pot pie, microwaved it first. Once done, sprayed a steel pot, added a can of sliced mushrooms and the pot pie, used the masher to mix all ingredients. Heated the steel pot for about a minute and added to another dish after cooled. Added a blob of smokey bacon mayo and a blob of garlic mayo. Mixed and ate it all up. Probably not too many calories since the mushrooms are lower calorie and not a ton of mayos. It was enjoyable and took an immodium and digestive enzyme with it.
My grocery order will arrive shortly, I have two pizzas will heat them up immediately and wrap extra pieces to go in the freezer, hopefully the pizza cutter works decently, leave a couple pieces in the fridge. Put a wig on so as not to frighten the driver. 😂
