Stage II w/Lymph Node Involvement
Comments
-
I did all 4 too ... I didn't get LE...~knock on wood~...but that may have more to do with the fact I refused axilla dissection and chose to have the rads knock out any axilla cancer since my SN came back positive, I knew I was doing rads anyway.
0 -
TonLee - I so wish that option had been offered to me. I had an MRI and an axillary ultrasound prior to surgery and neither saw enlarged nodes so I went into surgery thinking/hoping that the sentinal node would probably by negative. I woke up from surgery with a JP-drain and knew that the sentinal node had been positive. Turns out it was 2 cm, filled with cancer, no normal lymph node architecture and there was extracapsular extension. I'm still amazed that it wasn't picked up on imaging studies. I knew immediately that all field radiation was in my future. In hind sight I should have discussed this with my surgeon prior to surgery by the time I woke up it was too late.Oh well...LE to manage forever. But who knows, I could have ended up with it anyway.
0 -
Too-
It wasn't offered to me...I had to fight pretty hard to get the surgeon to leave my axilla alone. He didn't like it one single bit, (and I still get lectured about it every new Dr I see) but I used some of the newest studies out of the San Anton. Conference to back up my choice.
Since all 4 of my SN were positive, and I had LVI as well, I also knew rads was recommended. Then I didn't have clean margins on the skin side of my skin-sparing MX...hahhaha..it just kept getting worse...I knew they were gonna cook me.
0 -
I believe that I have three of those fields - supraclav, axilla and whole breast. My scar lines get hit but no bolus. I have 7 total zaps ranging from 2 seconds to 15 seconds.
0 -
Ok ladies, I am reading your threads and second guessing my self, again. I had BMX, one positive node followed by complete AND, rest clear. So no RADs, hope I am not missing something by not having RADs. I so hate that I have no control over this disease.
0 -
Christine... I think you are fine ... don't second guess yourself.. Your doctors are the ones to guide you... they aren't going to risk your health.
0 -
Christine--I agree with you--hate having no control over this disease. I'm with Betsy--your Docs aren't going to risk your health. I know that with my onco--he went through all treatments and then told me what he would recommend. I stuck with that plan....I have met so many other bc patients with the exact same diagnosis--but different chemo cocktails etc. I would wonder why we were all different and mentioned to Doc--he said everyone has little details that may change treatment plan.
0 -
bdavis, you know me, just a bit insecure at times reguarding my treatment. I am having my exchange surgery in 2 weeks, so no looking back now. I still wish I would not have had the complete axillary node disection done. It's great that the remaining nodes were all clear, but now a partially numb upper arm, just bugs me. Maybe I will be happier when I get my new foobs.
0 -
rachel, you are both so right, we are all different. I quess we just want to know we have done the most to beat this stuff.
0 -
When I was diagnosed, my Onco said he would do most aggressive he could due to my age and the fact that I have two young children. I agreed and have gone along for the ride. I know I did what I could at the time to beat this disease...same with everyone---we do what we can with the treatment offered. Good luck on your surgery
0 -
I know Christine... the nodes are out and nothing that can undo that... I have said all along that we make decisions at the time based on the info we have and based on our NEEDS... as you know I struggled with doing the MX vs rads and chose MX, which will be in 3 weeks... its a huge surgery (MX and stacked DIEP), and I am SURE that I will at sme point think I have made a mistake and should have just had rads (which is what was recommended by docs), but either way, I could regret my decision and the WORST thing for me would be that I had rads, not MX and had a recurrance at Stage IV... the odds of that happening with the MX is 2%. All other SE and pain and recovery I feel I can handle... Stage IV I would not handle well.
So... bottom line. You are doing the best you can do with the guidance from professionals that you have been given AND let's not forget all of the research you have done. For all we know, in 5 years there will be a study that says radiation is too dangerous, who knows?? ... trust your plan and go happily have your exchange.
0 -
thanks bdavis, I needed talked off the ledge tonight. Just need to go to bed and dream about squishy youthful boods and hair. Have a good night!
0 -
Hey ladies I a new to all of this everything seems foreign to me.. I was diagnosed April 8 had left masc.sugery I have in tissue expander. I am 32 with 3 young boys age 7,6,3 . What else ?? Kinda don't know what else to say
0 -
Hi visugar, nice to meet you but sorry it's under these circumstances!
You're young just like me and so many of us!! I wish none of us were going through this but glad there's a place like this we can come and not be alone!! Welcome.0 -
Welcome visurgar2003.
Just need to chime in on the treatment neurotics. I have been obsessing about my chemo since March. I've been done since May and it still bugs me. I keep reading how other people had taxol and I only had DD AC, so I keep worrying that I didn't get enough. It is crazy. I even had a MX after chemo and there wasn't any cancer left and I still worry. I know I need to just let it go, but it is nagging my mind. I talked to my MO and he explained why I had what I did. It is nerve wracking. the sad part is we have to live the rest of our lives like this.
0 -
Visugar- there are some great threads on the her 2 forum- one for us triple positives and another if you're getting TCH!!!
0 -
2 weeks post op and my drains (2) came out today !!!! That was a huge step in my recovery and I feel so much better... I had my consultation with a MO and RO yesterday, due to the microinvasion to my chest wall and the 1 sentinel node that was positive I will get "the works". I was given an option of 2 clinical trials and will probably choose 1 of them. Next step is a "Port" then chemo then rads. The RO was very much against my PS starting any fills of my TE prior to radiation. I had read and feel I would prefer to start doing the fills during the chemo tx and remove the saline prior to rads.
0 -
mammalou, join the club, I stress over every step of treatment too. Either I worry about having too much treatment (TAC), or not enough (rads was not recommended to me). I do hope as time passes I feel better and stop second guessing everything.
debb, congrats on getting those drains out today! I hated the drains. I hope you have a good hot shower and a great nights sleep without them. Port is so easy. Talk with your PS about the fills, good luck to you.
0 -
I'm looking forward to the day when I can go 1 waking hour without BC crossing my mind. At least i can sleep.
0 -
Debb, you said you "have a multdisciplinary meeting tomorrow with the MO,RO,BS to find out follow up treatment..." You are so lucky to actually meet with ALL of them!!! I have struggled to figure out just who I should be communicating with, because they all meet at the tumor board meetings, but that does not involve having the actual patient involved! THEY decide what is best (ie "standard of care") but do not take into account ANY PATIENT VALUES.
Our docs are all really dealing with so much new information that seems to increase exponentially every day - I do not envy them! - and I believe most of them truly care for all of us (even the difficult ones, like me!). And we also have to make sure we communicate any of our concerns and questions about some of these new studies to our docs.
At some point, we all have to come to peace with our decisions, and I have pretty much done that, tough as it has been. My choices are absolutely not what I would recommend to others, as I am very much OUTSIDE the "standard care" but my personal situation is very different from younger women who have children. Coraleliz, there has been at least one day in the past 6 months that I did not think "cancer" the minute I woke up, and there have been many days when I said "I am thankful that I woke up today." So be hopeful, be patient with yourselves, and may you be at peace with your decisions.
Linda
0 -
Time and only time will help lessen the Xs a day you think of BC
Marcia
0 -
Good afternoon!
Back from vacation yesterday and reality has unfortunately set in. I was fine when I was away, hardly ever thought about BC. However, my boob started oozing and bleeding dark red blood (lightly) last Saturday, when I had just rolled up to my vacation shore home for the week. Wow....I called the dr and they said the hematoma from my surgery (6/9) was probably liquifying, so to keep gauze pads in my bra. It's been oozing on and off for the past week -- nothing heavy.
Today, my boob is weird; hardness under the nipple area and still swollen. No pain. I see the oncologist this coming Tuesday and I may have re-excision surgery next Thursday. My only dilema is that if my boob is still not totally healed in 3 weeks (I'm about 3.5weeks now -- it will be 4 weeks on 7/9), if they cut in to it again, what the hell is it going to do -- swell up even more with more pain?! I got a hematoma quickly and it's not resolved yet. I'm just afraid I'll get another hematoma, etc. I already had to go to the ER on June 18th, because of swelling, pain and tenderness (hematoma diagnosed then and was put on Keflex antibiotics as a precaution, though I never developed fever or bright redness in the breast).
I see the onc on Tuesday 7/5, and the BS again on 7/12 after the tumor board meeting on 7/11.
I don't know if I should just do a BMX to get this all over with... so much to think about. Sorry to write this here, I just am sick emotionally to be thrown in to this 'stuff' right after vacation, when I was relaxed and happy.....Back to reality I guess.
Thanx for listening!
Chrys
0 -
UGH Chrys, I sure hope you start feeling better soon..... Sounds like you've had a lot of discomfort since your surgery!!!! Hopefully your visit to the BS this week can help! I would hope the BS won't do a re-excision if there's a good chance it'll cause more harm than good??
Hang in there!!!!!0 -
So great to read posts from others going thru this. Just recently diagnosed with IDC/lymph nodes involved. Had lumpectomy with 9 lymph nodes removed. Six came back testing positive. Will be starting chemo in a few weeks, followed by radiation. Am scared. Some days up, some days down. Will definitely be following this site to see how everyone gets thru this.
0 -
Amethyst... sorry that you were just diagnosed with this... do you know which chemo you will have?? I assume Herceptin will be part of that...
0 -
Looks like I will be having TCH. They tell me 1 treatment every three weeks for 6 treatments of that combination, then 1 treatment every three weeks of Herceptin for 1 year. Supposed to also go thru some radiation treatments along the way. So scary. So much information to take in. My son and his girlfriend are walking in the NYC Walk for Breast Cancer too. That was planned even before I received my diagnosis. Thanks for responding to my post. It helps when you can listen to other's experiences. Hope all is going well for you.
0 -
I finished TC in May (no Herceptin) and also had 6 tx... It was fine... I worked throughout and had few SE's... I did have one day per cycle I stayed home and lounged, but was functional otherwise, even went to St John for spring break.
I was then supposed to have radiation a month after chemo but have chosen mastectomy instead... (I had a lumpectomy in Decmeber) For me, I didn't need radiation if I get the MX, and for various reasons, like left sided cancer (heart concerns with radiation) and future fears, I have chosen to get the MX... All my doctors think its overkill, but I want to do whatever I can do to not be here again, and the odds of that drops 20% with the MX.
You will be fine... one step, one treatment at a time... Check out the threads for taxotere (taxotere is a nightmare and taxotere toolbox) for good ways to combat side effects... taxotere was not really a nightmare, so don't let the title scare you.
0 -
I finished TCH on June 9. I had my first 'H' only on June 30.
Like the others say, it wasn't fun, but it was doable. I have four kids and we maintained a relatively normal life.
My worst SE was terrible diarrhea. Ugh. But I have IBS-like issues normally so I think chemo just made that a lot worse since it seems that most deal with constipation.
Any other SE were very minor and didn't set me back for too long. The fear before starting was the WORST for me - I have terrible pre-appt anxiety and stress out whenever I start a new treatment.
I've got 4/33 rads under my belt now and so far, aside from the mental drama of it all, rads haven't effected me at all. But I hear that skin reactions start about mid-way through.
You can do it!
0 -
I haven't been posting too much lately, but I thought I would chime in to offer some encouragement. I finished most of my treatment about two weeks ago.... diagnosed in Oct, BMX in November, DD AC/T until early April, then rads because of extra nodal extension in the one positive lymph node. I start tamoxifen as soon as I feel ready.
I tolerated most of the treatments very well -- but was a complete basket case leading into my first chemo treatment, literally shaking in the chair. Stayed home the entire weekend waiting to feel awful. Never hit. I definitely felt tired, little rundown, aggravated by having to take so many meds, but overall, I went to work everyday during A/C, took two days off per cycle for Taxol (if I rested I dealt fine with the bone pain, if I didn't it was much worse, so I gave in). I was able to work everyday during rads. It all went so much easier than I thought it would.
It was hugely helpful to surround myself with some friends I have that have gone through this before. My cousin went thru BC twice, once at 28, once at 33, and she was my lifeline through this.
None of this is fun, but it is doable. I have four kids, very important to me to not miss any of their games, recitals, etc, and I didn't! That meant that I used my energy as wisely as I could.... made sure that I had the energy to get to the basketball and soccer games, the orchestra performances, etc.... and left the housework to others, as much as possible.
Good luck to everyone on this thread.
0 -
Dear n3ypb, sorry I've been off the board just catching up on my reading from the holiday weekend.... I feel very fortunate to have been apart of the multidisciplinary meeting 6/30, all of the Dr's and support staff met an hour before the appt. I saw the Dr's individually (BS, MO, RO). they each examined me and consulted with me concerning treatments. Had it not been for my BS I may have had to wait til Aug for an appt with the MO. I would have gone crazy waiting that long..... I was given info to consider 2 clinical trials for chemo and now await a "port" and to complete my BMX/drain hole healing before treatments start.
0
