Mucinous Carcinoma of the breast
Comments
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tricianne - Thanks for checking in and reassuring us recent sisters that some of the fears and feelings lessen. It's a good reminder to hear of someone doing well!
kers - I'm glad you found us. There are several threads here you might want to check out, but its always good to check in with other mucinous sisters.
voracious - thanks for being such a wonderful resource for us here!
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Tricianne, Congratulations! You are an inspiration to us.
kerskarina, Welcome to our club even though it's not one you wanted to join. There is a lot of good info here, One thing that was suggested some time ago (November, 2011 to be exact by "Red Sunshine") is to get a second opinion read on your pathology slides done at a research center. I think that was good advice then and good advice now. Like Tricianne, I found that info a bit after making some of my treatment decisions but still was important in my journey. Good luck and welcome aboard.
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Kerskarina, I'm so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. There is tremendous support and solid information to be found here, so you were advised well to stop by. At three years out, I can say that the questions don't stop, but emotionally it is much easier from this vantage point. I do remember being where you are now, and it was the hardest time. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you navigate these waters. Take good care.
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Tricianne, your post warmed my heart. So good to hear that you're doing well. And thank you for the prayer support you're holding for all of us. I also appreciated the perspective about staying present, working with what information we have, and focusing forward. Good wisdom there. Thanks.
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Wow, I haven't been here in years! There's no way I can get caught up on all the posts, but I did go back and read a few pages.
VR, thanks for all your awesome posts about the researchers' findings and excitement over what mucinous cancer can teach them and us... that's great to hear.
Destina, I can relate to your questions and wonderings about screening, and I'm sorry to say I don't have the answers and there IS no one, right answer! When to have mammograms and how many has been a frequent topic of conversation between me and my doctors. My surgeon recommended annual mammograms. My compromise was annual MRIs with mammograms only every 3 years. My hesitancy with mammograms is A) I'm pre-menopausal with dense breasts, and mammograms aren't so effective, and
it's too much radiation, because I was dx'd at age 30. No doctor keeps track of their patients' cumulative dose of radiation, you know? We have to do it ourselves. No radiologist or surgeon is going to use your radiation history as a way of determining how many mammograms are appropriate for you. I did have an oncologist who practically yelled at me for declining annual mammograms, and told me they "weren't optional," so I simply switched oncologists.kerskarina, I'm sorry you were blindsided by a cancer diagnosis and had to join this club that no one wants to join. The same thing happened to me, six years ago - the radiologist was "98% sure" my breast lump was benign, and the surgeon was "99% sure" and tried to talk me out of even having the biopsy, and then we were all shocked when it turned out to be a mucinous tumor. My biggest advice is to slow down and breathe. A cancer diagnosis feels like a total emergency, but you most likely do have time to get a second opinion on the pathology if you want, talk with your doctors more to get more information about the cancer that is in you and what your options are, shop around for the best treatment team, etc. What stage is your cancer, do you know? Mucinous tumors are usually quite slow-growing. When I was diagnosed, I was very scared, too... it feels like your whole world turning upside down. Reacting in fear, I wanted to immediately schedule a double mastectomy with the surgeon who did my biopsy, even though I didn't know him or like him and had only chosen him because he was closest to my house... wise friends and family members told me to slow down and look around for a treatment team I would feel most comfortable with, and I'm so glad I did. I found a surgeon I felt much more comfortable with, and as it turns out, I didn't have the lumpectomy until nearly two months after being diagnosed. It wasn't the IneedtogetthisoutofmeTOMORROW! emergency I had feared it was. Treatment went well, overall, and of course, some parts of it were harder than others. Mucinous cancer has an excellent prognosis and we're all rooting for you here!
Tricianne, I'm so glad to hear you're doing so well! Thanks for checking in, and thanks for your wisdom about looking forward instead of back. Important to remember.
VR, I know what you mean about how frustrating it is when the doctor appointments seem never-ending. I wish you the very best with your biopsy - prayers for B9 B9 B9!! That's actually what brought me back to the message boards, actually... I just had a biopsy this morning of a "bothersome" (radiologist's word) lump in my arm pit. I'm having so much anxiety. I have to wait 48 hours to find out if it's "benign hyperplasia" or "metastasis to lymph node." I only had DCIS + a mucinous tumor, stage 1, no lymph node involvement, low oncotype DX score, etc., which all adds up to quite a LOW chance of recurrence... the odds are in my favor... but I'm still scared! I'm six years past cancer treatment and was feeling really good! Clear MRIs every year, and my onc said, a year ago that I was so healthy and doing so well that I didn't even need check-ups with her anymore. Stupid lump is "bursting my stress-free bubble," as someone worded it in another thread...
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Raili! OMG! This might sound cliche but I was just thinking of you! Every time someone young joins our sisterhood, I think of you and wonder how you are doing! Please keep us posted of how you are doing! Thank you also, for your thoughts and prayers for me! In my hearts of heart, I know Tristanne's spiritual fortitude rains down on all of us and brings all of us strength!
💞
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Wow, VR... too funny! Here I am, and guess what, I just got the news - BENIGN!!! The stupid lump in my armpit is BENIGN!!! I'm so happy and relieved and so exhausted from the anxiety.
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Raili
we have never met and yet I want to just say
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
x
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raili! 👏👏👏👍👍👍😘😘😘
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Raili,
HOORAY!!! I was watching for this fantastic news. So very happy for you. ❤
I did go ahead with the mammo earlier this week, and am waiting for results. I'm expecting an 'all clear', but the anxiety has certainly been present this week.
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Raili great news to be Benign, Destina may the "all clear" be the precious outcome of your mammogram. What wonderful words benign, all clear, negative, they all mean heaps when I hear them. It reminds me of my brother telling my 10 year old niece that his cancer tests were negative. Her query was "Dad how can negative be so positive it sounds like its bad. His reply,"Negative becomes positively good when there is just nothing wrong with me" "Oh I get it now" she said " when the cancer isn't there its negative & its good." So that's my prayer for you all.
Thanks for the many good wishes plus thanks for Voraciousreader and all the help she has given me to think the MC through 7 to help move forward. Gypsyjo, Golden01, Destina and all else who login.
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Its time I changed my signature setting, have tried 3 times & now its seems to work. Here goes.
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Hooray!!!! I think we all were holding our breath until you got the benign news!
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b9
💞
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Awesome news, VR!!!!!! So, glad to hear it, whew! :-)
And, after waiting three days, I had my follow up with Rad Onc this morning for my mammo results.....drum roll....ALL CLEAR!! I'm still a little surprised and more than a little frustrated with myself that I can get so worked up around these tests, but I see that I'm not terribly unique in that. In any case, I'm three years out and all clear, and that feels really nice to say. :-)
Thanks for the support, dear women, and I truly celebrate each of your good news as if it were my own. Here's to many more happy days with clear sailing for all of us!
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Voracious & Raili, So happy for both of you! Destina, yeah for a clear mammo! I hope this trend holds for all of us!
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Thats a
yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
all round
x
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👏👏👏👏👏👏
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I'm so glad to read B9!!! ❤️❤️
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Hooray! Hooray Hooray! Hooray for all!!!
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WOOHOO!!! Yay for B9, VR! Destina, congrats on your ALL CLEAR!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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Oh my goodness... what a hoot to read all the B9s! Hurrayyyyyy!! I also just had a B9 after a biopsy on a swollen lymph node in my armpit. AND, VR, just today my daughter got an "all good" after an ultrasound (she'd been having some concerning symptoms) - we've had a month of anxiousness around both of us. (For others, my daughter had a rare type of ovarian cancer, diagnosed in 2010. Is well and has had two beautiful children since!) Tonight I'm happy and exhausted! Still waiting on my stepsister's treatment plan, but we do know that just one lymph node was affected. Funny what becomes a relief, isn't it, when we know what 'could be'.
Good discussion here on treatments/overtreatments. Somewhere along the way, because the mucinous cancer I had was HER2+, and there was virtually no statistics to say "what treatments would give what percentage to prevent recurrence" I opted to follow oncologist's advice on chemo and anti-hormone therapies. That is, after requesting a second pathology, and after the top breast cancer doctor in Canada was consulted. The drugs have played some havoc for sure, but opting out hasn't felt right either. Even if doctors could give a percentage - both my daughter and I have heard "there's virtually 1 % chance this could be cancer" sort of line, and we fell in that percent.
VR, the lymph node was found, because the surgeon was following up on my thyroid - this time just with an ultrasound, no biopsy - it came back with no change since the biopsy version 1.5 years ago. Multi nodules - not very unusual, but they follow because there was a rare factor in the pathological report. She happened to offer a breast exam while I was getting thyroid results, even though one was done not long before by the Onc. I said yes, because she's the queen of breast exams and be damned if she didn't find a swollen lymph node that I couldn't even feel! Even though it was quite large! Kind of creeps me out that I couldn't feel it, so am grateful for continued breast exams. I am however down to just one mammogram a year. I think I would be uncomfortable with more as 'overtreatment,' maybe... Hmm, I think we are never very certain, we just can make the choices that feel most right individually.
Kerskarina, I'm sorry for your diagnosis - but you have found a very good place to learn more and feel supported. Good wishes sent your way.
Good wishes to all of you! Happy to see the B9's. May we all not have to have more biopsies but if we do, may they all be B9s.
ps. I love the philosophy shared here about how with all our doctors following us, we'll stay the healthiest of all!
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Seaomge,
Sorry for replying to this a month late. I remember feeling just as you do, only a couple of months ago. I went through chemo pretty well, as I hope you are. I was able to do treatment in the morning, and go back to work at lunch. I worked through mine. It may sound silly, but it was my coping method. I was determined that if I can keep my life as close to what it was on May 1, then I will win....so far it's worked.
. I hope you are doing wonderful &well!0 -
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Today has been 19 years since my diagnosis. So far so good! Wishing you all happy holidays.
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aga! How wonderful for you! Best wishes for a happy holidays to you and all our sisters. May all of us and our beloved families and friends enjoy a new year on a high note and let it stay that way or get even better through the year!😇
I'm really looking forward to 2016! My daughter is expecting!👍👍👍👍👍😁😁😁😁
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AGAPORNIS - You are an inspiration to me. Congratulations!
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Agapornis, that is so awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing your message of hope for all of us. :-)
VR, congratulations! How very exciting. Is this your first grandchild?
Happy holidays to all!!
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des! Yep!💗💗💗🌈💗💗💗
I can hardly wait to read to the baby
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