Stage 2 Sisters Club
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Today is my 3rd year surgery anniversary, 3 years ago I was thinking that I couldn’t make it to the next year, I was only 38 years old, so scared!!! But today after 3 years I learned to celebrate life every single day... If you are recently diagnosed and feeling scared and confused, I tell you that it’s completely normal but trust me, you will be fine, At the beginning everything may look so scary, but by time passing you learn how to control your fears, I still have my moments, but I feel so grateful to be here!!!0
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Thank you for your positive note! I am 1.5 years out from surgery, was also stage 2a and 34 years old with a one year old daughter.
Like you, I am grateful for every single day. Things do get easier with time!0 -
Update since last post a few years ago, developed lymphedema in right arm, going to lymph massage monthly , wearing compression glove and sleeve but hand still swells - difficult to get that under control.
But otherwise alive and feeling nwell
take care all
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Glad to hear from you! I am good too. Anxiously waiting for the Covid vaccine to roll out so life can be a little more 'normal' again!
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Hello there Pink Sister! I am so sorry that I missed your message years ago. I am barely reading it today. What a great reply. I hope you are doing well. As for me, February 16th, I will be 6 years breast cancer free.
I have survivor's guilt when I hear stories of reoccurring BC and the women's battles. It breaks my heart. Sending positive vibes and a virtual hug from New Mexico 🇺🇸USA! 0 -
I was taken off Tamoxifen after 13 months because my liver enzymes were elevated. My oncologist didn't put me on another med, stating that the mastectomy was my cure. How are you dear?
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I wishing you all the best dear.
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Hello I hope you are doing well . I too had elevated liver enzymes when I was taking tamoxifen and my oncologist took me off and didn't prescribe me any other meds as the unilateral mastectomy it was my cure.
Milk thistle in highly concentrated form completely reversed my fatty liver. It is a miracle weed! Look into it, you won't be disappointed. Best wishes to you. You got this!
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Me too Ruth. We r still awaiting and are told it will still be several months. Ugh
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I am 8 years out. I get to stop Tamoxifen in June on my 9 year anniversary.! Will be doing a happy dance then. I wish everyone luck.
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Congratulations, Lezza!
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Thank you ruthbru. Nice to see you. Congrats on your anniversary as well.
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I get Covid Vaccination #1 today. Whoo Hoo!
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Good for you ruthbru! I got my two shots! After the second you may want to rest the day ater.
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Just finished treatment today, oncotype 51, very scared of recurance, anyone out there in similar situation. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks
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Congratulations on being done with treatment, Emily. Once you get farther out, you will start to relax more. At Stage II, if we do what is medically recommended & make lifestyle adjustments if necessary (get to & maintain an appropriate weight, bump up the exercise etc.); we really, truly can plan on being okay!
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Hi all. I found this blog and had to post. I am being treated at the City of Hope in Duarte California. When I met with the MO, she had me meet with a gal named"Snow" who asked if i wanted to be in the genetics test study on breast cancer. With in 2 weeks, one day before i was to start a 4 infusion 12 week course, it was found i carry the BRAC2 gene. I have instead started on a 12 week/3 month infusion treatment. Wow. Now almost certain a double mastectomy and ovaries removed. Wow!! Both of my sisters now know and i am sending my brothers the news.
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Finally getting the courage to get the covid vaccine, are people still getting the J&J? I know its not as effective as the other two but I don't seem to hear about them in the news as much as the other two?
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HI Toyamjj, I am searching for the J&J here where I live. I hear CVS offers it at its minute clinic and I heard walmart also offers it. I researched extensively and like the vector approach to their vaccine (which is more like a normal flu vaccine) vs MNRA vaccines is the right one for our family. According to J&J their effectivness is high for the new Delta variant. See below link to Johnson and johnsons site with links to their studies. Me and my family (husband, 19 year old child) all had COVID in November. We started with a low fever 101.5 for a couple days, then extreme fatigue for about 5 days. That was it for symptoms for us.
Good luck with your decisions.
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i got moderna. the main side effect was exhaustion
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I got the Moderna and I agree with being exhausted after the second. I just got the Moderna booster. Ruthbru, have you gotten your booster?
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Yes, I got my booster in November. I had Moderna for all three. Just like with the first two, I got REALLY cold in the evening & felt pretty beat up the next day......I was fine by the next day.
My son had J&J the first time around; after he did some research, he opted for the Moderna booster.
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Hello all. As of Monday, I have now joined the Stage II Sisters Club. I have been in Stage 1A until I received my surgical results on Monday, which puts me in Stage 2B. I knew I was close to Stage 2 as my Tumor was spotted at 1.8CM. But after the results, it was 2.2CM with a positive lymph node. I was not expecting lymph node involvement due to the scans and what the surgeon said, so it came as quite a shock to me. He only took one node I still don't know why because I have yet to speak with him directly. So, I have no idea how many nodes it could be in. Which scares the beejeebers out of me. I saw my Oncologist on the day I received the diagnosis and he set me up for chemo (I expected that anyway due to my high KI score and being PR negative). He ordered the Oncotype so now I have to wait for that.
I have been a rough last couple of days and having a hard time keeping it together. I had become somewhat comfortable with the original biopsy diagnosis and now I feel I am having a hard time with this new one.
Anyway, here I am and happy to have found you.
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Hippmark, welcome to Stage II sisterhood. I wished you were still Stage I and not here.
Scans don't catch small cancer and my scans didn't get 2 nodes positive I had. Only surgery and pathology revealed the positive nodes and lots of LCIS all over both breasts. I am PR- as well which makes cancer more aggressive. I didn't have chemo since I have lobular that doesn't respond well to chemo and for some reason, I was told no radiation. I am on letrozole.
Is your MO recommending removing other nodes? What about radiation? In a way, it is better to hit it hard from the beginning.
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Hippmark, welcome and sorry you're here. Like you, my original path report was, basically 'things could be worse.' I took some comfort in that. But I asked for a 2nd opinion and that came back basically , "The original path report was not interpreted correctly and this cancer is more aggressive than first path says it is." This tipped me over the edge of the life raft into the shark filled waters of crazy anxiety and disabling despair and terror. So, I sort of know how you feel. You get steady footing, or the best you can only to oops, no, sorry, we're going to push you over again. Hope things even out for you soon because that place of anxiety is hell.
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HIppmark,
I experienced almost same as you, my biopsy report said 8 mm with grade 1, then it turned out 2.1 cm with grade 2. I did not expect the chemo when I got biopsy report, but my MO wanted to put me into chemo group based on post surgery report, I asked for oncotype, self pay due to insurance. It back with super low score, so I only need radiation. All the whole journey took almost half year, it totally changed my life.
As for the number of node, you can google, I remembered it is due to the structure of individual's body, the node system likes web, surgeon got to pickup all the first level nodes, that is why they are named as sentinel node. I also just got one node, and it is positive, mine is 3mm, under 2mm will be considered negative.
Chemo is not that hard right now, be well prepared for that, while pray a low oncotype score to dodge it!
Study here and post questions, the ladies in this forum is so nice, that you won't meet in other places.
Take care.
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Hi Hippmark, I think most of us have stories of being blind-sighted by new information that we get along the way. Since my lymph nodes were clear, by surgeon thought I would go right to radiation. I was shocked when I met with my oncologist and he recommended chemo (due to the large size (4 cm) & grade 3 status of the tumor. The thing to remember about Stage 2; if we do the recommended (unpleasant) treatments, we can have every expectation of coming out on the other side of this experience and being really, really okay.
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Thank you everyone. It is of some comfort to know that others were also blindsided, again. At least I have been expecting the chemo and have been preparing since I got the results of the original biopsy report of a high KI score, PR negative and grade 2. So it won't be a surprise once my Oncotype comes back. I was not prepared for the node involvement. I guess they should have told me to be prepared even though they didn't see anything.
As an update, I did speak with the surgeon yesterday. It is still a little confusing, but I understand more now. Perhaps if anyone would like to comment. I'm not sure I mentioned that when they injected the tumor with dye before surgery, they told me it did not migrate to my nodes. The surgeon said that was ok, he would use a probe instead. On my follow up visit last week, he said that the node he took was soft and "looked good." Yesterday, he said that some/all (?) of the dye did migrate and that he used the probe, which he explains shows radioactivity in the nodes which I guess could indidcate it being cancerous (?). He took the one node that the probe showed radioactivity. He said they tested many other nodes with the probe and that none others showed radioactivity, so he did not take other nodes to spare me the side effects and since the probe did not light up, he saw no reason too. The node was 5mm of positivity.
My MO said he would leave it up to the surgeon to decide if more surgery since he is already planning chemo. I start T/C on Feb. 1.
He said he was also surprised it came back positive, but he feels that it was not in other nodes. He said the course of treatment will now be to do radiation to the lymph nodes which is just as effective as if he removed more nodes to test them all. I guess that made me feel a little better.
Still trying to adjust and several other life challenges in play at the moment make it harder to pick myself off the floor. Like runor said, " This tipped me over the edge of the life raft into the shark filled waters of crazy anxiety and disabling despair and terror."
Thank you all so much for your comments. It makes me feel less alone on this crazy ride I didn't think I was standing in line to get on.
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Hippmark,
I think the probe is to find the nodes on the way to spread outside, the same function as dye acts. My surgeon also said, a bit suspected, yeah, they shall let us know this possibility before surgery, but I think they just did not want us too panic, treatment is step by step.
Yes, right now, using radiation to treat the rest nodes is standard procedure. You can look at nccn guidelines, they define all very clearly, I downloaded it and studied. I am in Canada, our cancer center publishes all contents on websites, that is very first resource you shall start to read. You will find grade 2 is cured, when I reported to cancer clinic, nurse told me this.
I think the guideline will answer the question, whether you need further surgery or not, if you dig further, you will find some detailed report how do they get those data.
Oncotype result tells you whether you need chemo, it helps us to make the best decision..
Take care.
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I agreed with many of the previous comments. Gather all of the information and facts that you can. That'll make next steps easier. Good luck
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