Stage III Cancer Survivors ...Five + Years and Out.
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Antonia1 are you still taking the hormonal therapy - tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitor?
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thanks antonia1 so much for sharing . So happy for your anniversary. You have been through so much. I hope you see many more 5 year anniversaries.
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- Linda, I am on anastazole and going to be on it until told otherwise. Have been on it from the beginning and I'm tolerating it fairly well.
- Live delici, thanks. I'm looking forward to the next 5 years. Believe me, the is the light at the end of the tunnel.
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great story of courage anti is. I too had ILC and IDC and DCIS multi focal 7.5 years for me. I am travelled back to nyc in August
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Thank you all for your stories!
I was diagnosed early last year with Stage 3, in my early-mid twenties (very young). Too often I still feel like there is no way I can be diagnosed so young and with such a large tumor size and still live a normal length life. Especially when I see stats about how hormone positive cancers have more long term recurrences and that 20-30% of all cases will become mets. Lately I've also been feeling just really tired of the long-term impact of cancer, like my less than satisfactory recon (I am single, after all) and constant hotflashes (I'm on ovarian suppression).
You all make me feel like there is hope! As much as people need to be aware of the reality of advanced cancer, long-term success stories need to be more vocal too! They do happen, and can make women feel hope! In my opinion, whats going to happen will happen, and constantly stressing isn't going to make anything better. Thank you and keep sharing your stories!
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young surviv... , you must always believe that there is hope. And you must take good care of yourself. You are very young and have long life ahead of you. I know it is scary, but it will get a little less so with time. For now, be a little selfish and take care of recovering your strength. Eat well, exercise, do things that you enjoy doing and avoid toxic people that bring you down (if you can.)
Good luck and lots of love, hugs and goodwishes.
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Antonia 1 - I started on anastrozole, but switched briefly to femara, and have been on exemestane/Aromasin for over 4 years. I'm taking a break (2 weeks so far) and plan on going back on it right after New Year's. My MO says that I need to stay on it for at least 10 years, maybe longer. But we do what we have to do, right?
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young sirviror. You are so remarkable. I too find it so helpful to hear the success stories. I hope these forums give you peace and that you and I are back on the 5, 10, and even more year survivor threads encouraging other just recently diagnosed . We are lucky the research is so much better for us than for our sisters before us and it gets better every year. There is so much life ahead for you. Live it well.
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My fingers have been itching to post here...I am officially a 5-year survivor of my Stage 3 diagnosis!!!
Continuing minor issues since then? Sure. Abundant joy, relief, and fulfillment? Absolutely!
To all of you starting your journey, I wish for you hope and calm and peace. It's a terrible diagnosis and completely heart-wrenching and the treatments are miserable. But cling to hope because it will carry you far.
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Maxine, YAY! Congratulations on the anniversary, and thanks for sharing your story of hope!
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maxine. So happy for you. Thanks for posting your success story. Hoping for many more years for all of us.
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Maxine...congrats on 5 years!! Wishing you many more years of celebrating
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Congrats to all of you Survivors! Thanks for posting! I need to keep reading positive stories
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I came home from a 2 night post op hospital stay on Thanksgiving Day 1995. So that makes 20 years of disease free survival. Can't attribute my long term survival to my attitude. I've always been a cynic and now I'm a crabby old cynic. Can't say that I fought cancer either. For the first time in my life I can say that I just sat back and let everyone else do all the work while I was in treatment. I was too busy napping and eating the food that people brought me to mount an offensive. I did ask the cancer, as you would do with any uninvited troublesome guest, to just leave. It worked and I didn't have to waste any energy or ammunition.
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Lotta.....20 years!!! Congratulations!!! That is some milestone.....I look forward to 20 years....only have 10 years 2 months to go!!! Wishing you many more years of being a "crabby old cynic"!!!
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Lotta- We're trying to get a 15+ thread posted. So far no one who's posted is out that far yet. You are! Can you start a 15+ thread so others will follow so we can see better who is that far out? And congrats! Wow. So happy for you!
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Dang, Lottanodes, I was wishing you had some secret Sacramento sauce I could go get!!!! I love your attitude and am going to incorporate a bare minimum of three snarks a day from now on. What an awesome prescription!
Congrats to all who are posting their milestones, and thank you, thank you, thank you!
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Hey Cindy,
I have been recently diagnosed (sept 2015) with a similar breast cancer- 8cm, stage 3 and grade 3. I am 34 years old. Just wondering what chemo treatment you were on and what lifestyle changes you did? Its really comforting hearing stories like yours. I'm currently on TAC dose dense chemo for 4 months, then radiation and hormone therapy (ER+,PR+).
Thanks, Charlie
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I had taxotere, carboplatin and Herceptin (I was triple positive - ER+/PR+/HER2neu+) then just finished 5 years on an aromatase inhibitor, my MO wants me to stay on for 10 years at least.
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Charlie - I'm 39 and have a similar DX. I've done 16 rounds of AC (4) + Taxol (12), had surgery to remove a large tumor and too many nodes, and I'm off to radiation soon and taking hormonal therapy.
Let's post here again in 5 years, ok?!?
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Charlie...I had TAC chemo back in 2006...my Dx was similar to yours but I had a few more nodes....There are lots of us stage 3ers here that are going on 10 years or past 10 years...it is doable!!!
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I was not stage 3 but have been following this thread for the hope you wonderful people give me. Many thanks to you all. Jo Jo
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Hurray! Five years today. When I was first diagnosed I took great comfort from this thread, so for all of you just starting to battle this hideous disease, know that you can survive this. There will be horrible scary times, but you will get past them, and there will also be lots of love, support and laughs from so many people out there. Hang in there day by day, and enjoy all life's little pleasures and life will be good again - frankly it will be even better than it was before. Before you know it you will also be posting on this thread.
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Penny, Karen, Jojo and all you other 5 year and more girls..... woohoo for you!!!! I've got almost 2 year down, thanks for the inspiration!
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2nd that - whoop whoop! It's so good to hear about great outcomes cuz Some days its hard to think there are more tomorrows to be enjoyed. Your stories give us hope.
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5 years ago I (1-11-11) I was diagnosed Stage IIIb, er/pr+ Her2neg and 15 positive nodes. Well I'm still here living life and loving everyday. I felt so hopeless, scared and anxiety off the charts. I'm so blessed and grateful for still being here. I don't post too often but I want to share my anniversary and hope it gives some of you comfort. I remember in the beginning I told my self that I would never feel inner peace. I do. You will get there. LOVE Nancy
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So glad to hear Nancy and congratulations!
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Nancy! Thank you for the hope and inspiration! I am going in for surgery for local recurrence in axillary nodes next week and ooph (so much for sentinel nodes clean first time) plus radiation. This really gives me hope to see my 6 year old grow up (at least get him into his teenage years...funny how people shrink at the thought of those years, I can't wait to be here for him and help him, guide him, reassure him and kick him in the rear when needed!)
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orlandopark. Woo hoo! Thank you so much for caring about us newbies to post your anniversary. That truly is encouraging. So happy for you.
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Thank you Nancy for coming back and writing for us. We all look up to long term survivors.
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