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Stage III Cancer Survivors ...Five + Years and Out.

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Comments

  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 4,606
    edited June 2015

    Jenni.....doing the happy dance for you...11 years!!! hooray!!!!

  • Delvzy
    Delvzy Member Posts: 454
    edited June 2015

    fantastic news gives us all hope how were u multi focal

  • ladyb1234
    ladyb1234 Member Posts: 1,239
    edited June 2015

    Jenni, congrats 11 years! So glad you came back to encourage each one of us!

  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 183
    edited June 2015

    thank you all so much for taking time to come back and post. Its crazy how this BC gets in our mind and tries to control it. You all are a true inspiration to Me and gives me hope to live life to its fullest and quit looking back second guessing. All my love and appreciation. Thank you again

  • jenni__ca
    jenni__ca Member Posts: 77
    edited June 2015

    del - not sure what you meant by your multi focal question ... i'll be glad to look up my path report to see if there are more details ... my ultrasound looked like the horse head nebula .... tumor was large and irregular .... lumpectomy path report said 7 cm tumor and path report after mastectomy said additional 7 cm had cancer in it ...

    thanks to everyone for the congratulations ! doing well ... just spent 4 days at the beach watching the humpback whales in the harbor .... so cool

  • kar123
    kar123 Member Posts: 72
    edited June 2015

    I usually post in Nov. since I had neoadj chemo and my surgery was then in Nov. , but I couldn't wait to post here. My MO uses diagnosis date, so for this anniversary, I am too. It's been 5 years (June/2010) since I heard the words!!! I hope to be here to post again on the 10 year thread! Hope everyone is having a great summer! We were in Disney, so I didn't even know which day was my exact anniversary, I just celebrated all week! Keep on living!

  • ladyb1234
    ladyb1234 Member Posts: 1,239
    edited June 2015

    Love it Kar123 and congrats! I hit my 1 yr dx date and my MO always tells me to Live life to it's fullest.I will take your words and hers and all others to Keep on Living!

  • Delvzy
    Delvzy Member Posts: 454
    edited June 2015

    congratulations to all of you celebrating anniversaries it is so inspirational to read your stories. I would love to understand why I read of stage 1 or early stage 11 progressing to Mets and so many stage 111 doing so well with no progression

  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 23
    edited July 2015

    I finally get to post here, I know, I know, it's a little early!

    Happy

    It seems like yesterday I was coming to this website with tears rolling down my face, in a panic, mind racing, looking for any glimmer of hope....and I found it. Now, here I am 5 years out, I hope any newbies will see this and feel the same reassurance and hope I was given, if only for a small time. It will happen and you will get through this, you can do this. Keep the faith, take it day by day and believe you are healed. Hugs to you all and thanks for always being here.

  • sbelizabeth
    sbelizabeth Member Posts: 956
    edited July 2015

    Jenny, you have been my hero since I was diagnosed in 2011! Fifteen days until your 5-year...WOW...

  • SharonMH
    SharonMH Member Posts: 46
    edited July 2015

    Hi Jenny, Love hearing about milestones. Yeah for the five year mark. SharonM

  • lauren32
    lauren32 Member Posts: 9
    edited July 2015

    And now you offer such hope to others in this same place Thanks Jenny!! Beautiful words of wisdom and wishing you many more years of health and happiness :-)

  • chrishat
    chrishat Member Posts: 10
    edited July 2015

    hi all! I was diagnosed in December 2009 at age 44 and had my surgery in February 2010. So I'm about 5.5 years out! I was stage 3a, five positive nodes, Er pr + and her2-. I did chemo, rads, and have been on an aromatase inhibitor, first arimidex and now letrozole, and plan on continuing indefinitely. I did two years of zometa infusions as well. Despite fluctuating research results on that, my onc thought it was a good idea. I also take aspirin, fish oil, and Celebrex since it's a cox-2 inhibitor. Just celebrated my 50th birthday swimming with turtles in Hawaii. I still see my onc and do blood work every three months, and I could probably go less often but I love him and it helps me feel safe. Although I know that recurrence is a possibility, with each year the fear recedes. I definitely feel like I have my life back and the good news is I really treasure each day

  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 2,845
    edited July 2015

    Lottanodes, thanks for posting and BWA on the boob not growing back.

  • Holeinone
    Holeinone Member Posts: 1,418
    edited July 2015

    Jenny & all you have shared your good news,

    You rock ! So wonderful to hear your joy. My 2 year mark is tomorrow, still battling the nerves & anxiety, but living well.


  • wintersocks
    wintersocks Member Posts: 434
    edited July 2015

    Jenny and Chrishat,

    Wonderful news for you both, so very pleased that you come back to tell us all. I am 3 years dx next month. I won't be celebrating but quietly reflecting on the time of 3 years ago when I left the consulting room.....

  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 183
    edited July 2015

    you all give so much hope in the negative and scary world of cancer. Thank you for caring to post for all of us just beginning the journey

  • hopefour
    hopefour Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2015

    Congrats to both you girls!! Five years and more is lots to celebrate! Jenny your post of your picture of you with your hair grown back was such a gift of hope for me in my dark times! I know there are those right now in the throws of chemo and all the grossness of that ( no hair, mouth sores, nausea and so on)...don't lose hope you will get to the other side. I remember the first time I was sitting at my son's baseball game and felt my hair blow in the wind (post chemo)....I was giddy with joy to feel that sensation again! I want also to encourage those that are a year or two out and worry about every pain or there is a question about your health....both Jenny and I have had "scares" and after testing find all to be fine....just want to assure you scares go with this journey and many end well!

    Except both you girls to be back in another 5 years to celebrate 10 years!!!

  • peacestrength
    peacestrength Member Posts: 236
    edited July 2015

    Congrats ladies! Thanks for posting and sharing. Your stories help me to keep going.

  • Shari0707
    Shari0707 Member Posts: 260
    edited July 2015

    jennyboog and kar123 I don't know if you remember me but i talked to both you as I was going through my treatment. I also had neoadjuvant chemo with positive nodes after chemo and I'm almost at my three-year mark diagnosis. Love to hear that you guys are still around doing well. Made my day

  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 183
    edited July 2015

    shari did you have radiation with nodes involved?

  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 183
    edited July 2015

    and congratulations. Gives me hope.

  • MmeJ
    MmeJ Member Posts: 22
    edited July 2015

    Today's five years for me.

    Am I cancer-free? Who knows? My oncologist follows the NCCN guidelines so there are no tests or scans. I see him every six months and he tells me to plan on continuing that - no graduating to the once-a-year class for me. I am of the opinion that in my case, it is not a question of "if" but "when." I live with chronic pain and chronic fatigue. I am able to work but not much else unless I have some advance notice and time to rest afterward.

    However, thanks to conventional treatments, I am still on the right side of the grass. I have not developed lymphedema (a fear for all of us - probably of irrational proportion in my case). My values haven't changed: I didn't need a life-threatening illness to teach me what's really important/make me pull my head out of my *ss. No one in my family and none of my friends let me down. Thanks to excellent health insurance (which I haven't always had), I did not lose my home or have to choose between treatments and other life necessities. It's possible I may even outlive the warranty on my implant.

    L'chaim!


  • peacestrength
    peacestrength Member Posts: 236
    edited July 2015

    Yea Mmej!

  • sbelizabeth
    sbelizabeth Member Posts: 956
    edited July 2015

    MmeJ-- mazel tov! Thanks for sharing, and here's to many, more celebrations!

  • Bec65
    Bec65 Member Posts: 84
    edited July 2015

    MmeJ -- I'm so happy for you, and I love your post! Thank you and congratulations!

  • MmeJ
    MmeJ Member Posts: 22
    edited July 2015

    peacestrength, sbelizabeth, and Bec65, thank you for your kind words. You'll get there, too.


  • puppydog
    puppydog Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2015

    My younger sister recently went through treatment and is now kind of in a wait and see mode. These stories of success are wonderful. I'll be sharing this with her. continued good health to all!

  • sherry67
    sherry67 Member Posts: 370
    edited July 2015

    Im happy to say I am 4 years today since my mastectomy.

    Happy

  • live_deliciously
    live_deliciously Member Posts: 183
    edited July 2015

    congrats Sherry 67. I hope to be there too.