Stage II w/Lymph Node Involvement
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It's really funny. I just got to Atlanta for the YSC conference and I'm sitting here at the computer just checking email and I saw your post... and there is a pile of USA Todays right next to the computer station I'm at!!! So I'm going to grab one and read your article when I go back to the room!
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AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!! YOU HAVE MADE US PROUD!!!!
TRACEY
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How exciting for you! BTW, you look beautiful! I love your hair!
LOL, I just read what I wrote and it sounds like a typical girl's post--complimenting looks and hair. I didn't mean it to sound so vain. You do look good, though!
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Awesome article...Every voice helps....
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YEA Warrior! thanks for being our voice!
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Thanks for the link Suzette! Woo hoo Warrior!
Interesting article... gorgeous pic! (Had to reload to see the picture but it worked the second time).
Warrior you are famous now
Lilah
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LOL..Thanks so much Warrirors! Its been a whirlwind of a day but so much fun! Lauren..we call that FATE! Weety..I think its a perfect compliment about the hair. That is my hair 1 year and 8 months after my last chemo so its a great measuring tool for those of you that may follow after chemo...I would love to be a public speaker/motivational but not too sure how to proceed with it...hmmmm...any ideas? I just think God gave me a very BIG voice for a reason..lol or should I just say big MOUTH? lol Thanks again for all the great messages and for postin the link, too!
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Warrior...I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! You're a knock out. I've been doing some speaking and love it. Normally I hate speaking in public. I think we should be speaking at the high school level. Might as well start early.
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Hi all,
my mom has been diagnosed with 2nd stage BC. Her lymph node had 5 taken out, in which 1 had micromestastis. The rest were clear. She is ER-/PR-, HER2+ Grade 3. Tumour size was 2.5cm
The doctor has asked her to go through chemo for 3 months, radiation and herceptin.
He never said anything about her prognosis. Anyone can give me an idea or in the same situation? I am worried and afraid for her. I also understand that HER2+ usually have a higher incidence of recurrence.
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Bugsfire - I'm sorry I can't answer your question but I think it is a good one. I did not receive a prognosis from my onc either but then I didn't ask. Not sure why but when I'm with him I get sidetracked and only think about the present I guess.
Did anyone on here actually get a prognosis from their onc?
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I did. I had a 3.5 cm tumor with two nodes out of 24 positive. ER + PR +, HER2 -. Grade 2. My oncologist told me that I have a 13% chance of recurrance. Thats about what adjuvent.com said too, when I plugged in my treatment protocols, tomoxifen, etc. I find that pretty scary. Everyone says "thats great!" but I think hell, thats more than one out of ten. Sucks. But thats my reality. I just don't worry too much about it. Its been almost three years and so far, so good. The only thing that bugs me a lot is the fact that it can come back in 20 years. Other cancers have the five year rule, but not breast cancer!!!
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WOOOHooooo ~ Warrior, Read the article very nice! I am one of those poor metabolizers and had to have my ovaries out......actually had the whole "music box" taken out and now take arimidex.
Enjoy!
Balsie~
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Yeah Warrior! Thank you, for representing us, and making us proud!! Very exciting!
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Warrior: great interview and article. Thanks.
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bugsfire...
I have a similar diagnosis to your Mom. I am ER/PR neg, HER-2 +, Grade 3, my tumour was 4.5 x 5 cm, and I am also node +.
I have a couple of questions. Has your Mom had surgery yet? Do you know if she has any lymph nodes involved? Prognosis depends largely on node involvement, so that is why I ask.
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Bugsfire -- because she will get chemo and Herceptin, your mom's prognosis is excellent. As I understand it Herceptin (which works better when given with chemo) is a miracle drug for us HER2+ women. Every pathology is different, but I was told that my chance of recurrence would be less than 10% after all treatment (which is better than a healthy woman's chance of getting BC at all at 12.5% so I will take it). There are some who say that after 5 years of no disease the percentages are even lower. You and your mom just need to focus on getting through the treatment (I worked all through chemo but it did get challenging toward the end of the three months). Herceptin, which I'm still on, is a breeze (no SEs for me).
Warrior -- re: getting started with public speaking... do you know what you'd speak about? If you can draw up a plan for a public speech topic (I assume related to BC) you could contact your local cancer center or hospital or breast center and see if they are interested. My local breast center, which is also where my onc is and where I get chemo, runs all sorts of seminars and I can imagine that a BC survivor speaking on the things you need to know (for example) might interest them. Sometimes with public speaking, it seems to me, it's a matter of starting and then word of mouth takes over.
LookingForward -- 13% isn't bad when you consider that 12.5% is what anyone's chance is (prior to ever having BC). I DO think though that your chance of recurrence with BC IS less after 5 years... that's what I am told anyway. But that MAY be specific to my pathology and the HER2+ and Herceptin.
Lilah
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Regarding the prognosis for those with HER2+...
I'm HER2-, but I'll tell you what my onc said. He compared being HER2+ with running across a freeway--if you "make it across" by not having a recurrence in five years, you're home-free. The same bc is very unlikely to recur. For those of us that are negative, we're walking across quieter streets--but for the rest of our lives. We have less chance of five year recurrence, but we can get a recurrence ten or twenty years from now.
Jo Anne
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Ah Jo Anne thanks for the clarification. That explains why I was given the 5 year bench mark (being HER2 positive). What a great metaphor your doctor used! So clear.
Lilah
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Hi all.
thanks for all your replies and encouragment.
my mom has a micromestatisis on 1 node, and the doctor took out another 4 more and all of them are clear except for that 1. I am not sure if this micromet will affect prognosis or outcome. My mom has already done her lumpectomy about exactly 1 month ago and I believe she should be starting on her chemo in due time. She will be visiting her oncologist tomorrow. Btw, she has already done her scans for liver, bones and lungs. All turn out to be ok!
I think she is very worried about Chemo and its SE. I am praying for her that she will have limited SE and her doctor told me she probably has to do only 3 months of chemo. Any one can shed some light?
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Hi. I'm Sara, I was diagnosed with IDC in early Feb. and I just had my lumpectomy last Thursday. We knew that day that there was cancer in at least one sentinel node, and like all of you here, I had been dreading those words. I have since hear my pathology results, and I have 2 sentinal nodes with cancer and none past that. I was obsessed with having negative nodes, and am now a bit devastated. I'm so glad to read all of your strong stories here!
I am ER and Her2+ and will meet with the oncologist next week to go over the treatment plan - which chemo, etc. And Herceptin of course. Plus, I had 1 out 6 margins NOT clear, so I'll go back for that the following week. Glad to have found this thread which is so specific to my particular diagnosis.
BTW - Warrior - I'm also in Michigan. Did you treat at Beaumont?
Sara
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Hi Saralmom!! Yes, I did some of my treatments at Beaumont!! I did just rads and surgery there. I did chemo in St Louis where I was living at the time..but since that, I have moved "home" I live in Shelby..where are you? How old are you? We are very similiar in dx. I was her2 and estrogen positive...please feel free to PM me with any questions or I will be glad to give you my cell!! I will hold your hand thru this!!
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Just started to take Tomoxifen today...My Onc (Forgot) to give me the prec for it when I finished Chemo...They also booked my Heart scan for May instead of March...Still no word on when I will see a PS..the referal was sent 2 weeks ago...Just feeling down today...Now my insurance company is investigating my claim to see if i had any record of BC before...Like I asked for this..I know they have a job to do, but they new before Christmas long term would cut in and they waited for the last week to investigate. Talked to a lady today from insurance company and she she it was OVERLOOKED..Grrrr...I will keep my CHIPup...Just had to vent ...Sorry
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Saralmom - I know how you feel about finding out you were node positive. Before my lumpectomy and SNB, all indications (Ultrasound, MRI, clinical exam) were that my nodes were not involved and I was happy about that. When my surgical oncologist called me with my results, she said she was surprised that there was cancer in all 3 nodes. I was devastated because I was scared to have axillary dissection and then, chemo. The next 14 nodes that were removed were negative, but it didn't change my treatment plan. 4 rounds of AC and 12 T, weekly followed by radiation. I've had my first chemo and it was not as bad as I had imagined. I want you to know that I feel for you and I wish you the best as you continue with your treatment plan. You will get through this.
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Ginadmc - Yes - your story sounds just like mine. All clinical exams, ultrasounds, MRI gave "initial"results that nodes weren't involved. Every doc I met pretty much said out loud that they would be surprised if I had node involvement or needed chemo. But then I had 2 sentinel nodes positive - and the next 14 were negative. I'm meeting my oncologist tomorrow and will hear about my chemo plan. So your 12 rounds of T are weekly? Yikes. I guess I thought it would be every 3 weeks... I'm so anxious to hear what my plan will be... I have a lot to learn...
Feeling more human today - went to get my drain removed and my surgeon was able to do my post-op appt. while I was there - saves me another appt. on Wednesday! - so she took off all the steri-strips, etc. And I am officially bandage free. She says I can even wear a little deodorant which is a relief! It all felt really routine, which I found comfort in.
Having a re-excision on Monday, and then I'm done with her for awhile - I hope!
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saralmom - My initial appt with oncologist he said 12 weekly T but when I met with him prior to my first AC chemo, he mentioned 4, 2 wks apart, same as my AC. My next appt is Friday and I'll find out if I have a choice and/or what his recommendation is. I would prefer 4 and be done sooner. I remember how happy I was to get the drain removed. I found it difficult to sleep, I was worried I'd crimp the tubing and send the fluid the other direction, etc. Good luck with next set of appts.0
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Hi ginadmc - guess what? I saw my oncologist today, and I received almost the same plan you were initially told. Main difference is that I will have Herceptin starting with the Taxol and then continuing for a year.
AC x 4 (every 2 weeks), TH x 12 (weekly), H alone for a year (every 3 weeks)
The every week thing scares me but she did say the dose is lower and the side effects are also much easier that way. So apparently, after the AC side effects, the T weekly is a piece of cake.
We'll see!
Oops I hit send before I asked how you are doing on the AC? How many days felt hard? I'm wondering about timing working around the chemo?
I hope all is well and that you are feeling good.
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Just wanted to put my 2 cents in to sara & gina...
My schedule for Taxotere is every 3 weeks for 4 treatments. I have my third treatment tomorrow. I have a friend who was on weekly T for 12 weeks and let me tell you, if I had a choice...I would definitely do the weekly treatments. Sure, it means more frequent trips to the hospital, but if you can avoid the kind of shooting nerve pain I've had with the larger dose, and the effectiveness would still be the same, I think it would be wise to go weekly.
bugsfire...I would think your Mom's prognosis would be excellent based on the info you provided!
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Same here Mouse, dose dense was horrible, and my body will never recover. My Onc. gave me the choice, and I said I couldn't make that decision, I was just too blown away by the whole thing, so I left it up to him. I still think he hates me. I lost 35lbs. and ended up having high fevers, that turned into pneumonia, spending 7 hrs. in ER on the 4th of July08....But I'm alive.
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Mouse - thanks for your input. There is something very appealing about less side effects associated with a lower dose. Honestly, even though being done sooner is appealing, it makes sense to minimize the the body trauma.
Saralmom - Are you relieved to know your treatment plan? I was. It gives you a starting point but most importantly, an end date. I had my first AC 2 weeks ago (2nd tomorrow) and it wasn't as scary as I had imagined. I felt fine when I left the hospital and was even able to walk my dog a mile. But a little while later, I began to dwindle. I had a little nausea but took one of the meds they sent home with me and was able to sleep. Was a little foggy and low energy Sat/Sun but able to work all the next week. I felt fogginess begin to lift Tues. From Wed through today, I felt pretty normal. I did go to bed very early during the week. Will you be getting a Neulasta shot?
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Gina - SO relieved to know my plan - finally. Thanks for letting me know about the AC. I hope that I have similar SE - sounds more ok than I thought. Though I know it's different for everyone. I plan to have my AC on Mondays so that I can have my down time be while my kids are at school. Then I can see clients at the end of the week maybe. I hope it's true about the weekly Taxol. I hope to maybe have those on Fridays and then have the next week open for work. So many trips to the hospital though. Such a bummer.
Yes, I will be getting the dreaded Neulasta shot the day after each AC. Not for the Taxol. Did you have the shot too? Those potential pain SE scare me alot.
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