Stage 2 Sisters Club
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Thanks, Nisa.
Sometimes I'm stoic and sometimes a wimp. Lately wimp mode has been in the forefront, but it's probably time to nurture the stronger side of my personality... 0 -
Good afternoon and hello. Just checking in. Haven't been around here much lately. My mom passed a few weeks ago, she was 91. She had cervical cancer in her late 40's went through treatment and never looked back! MJS, so sorry about your friend. I will pray for her. I am still helping out with my cousin who has stage 4 colon cancer. I go to chemo with him when I can. He is going to do a procedure where they put tiny radioactive balls into the liver to kill the small tumors there. He will do that next week.
On a more positive note. My wife Alice just went for her 1 year checkup with her breast surgeon. She is dancing with N.E.D.! She said see you in a year, go have fun! What a difference a year makes. So all of you going through this now please hang in there! It will get better. Bless all of you!
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Hi
I was diagnosed with IDC stage 2a, grade 3 on 14/4/14. Had unsuccessful surgery on 12th May where clear margins wasn't achieved and the cancer spread to 1 node under my arm. Unable to decide what further surgery to have whether its WLE or MX so having chemo to give me thinking time. Also need an auxillary node clearance which I am dreading.
My life has been totally turned upside down since the diagnosis 3 1/2 months ago. I am terrified of the future now and would be great to hear some reassuring stories from ladies with a similar diagnosis to me.
Thanks
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hi sandie1973,
It really is a personal decision. I decided on a double mx. I know it was the best decision for me based on my cancer and family history. Give it as much thought and time as you need. Ask questions. What works for one isn't necessarily good for another. Good luck with your decision. You've come to the right place.
I remember being scared out of my mind but kept meeting total strangers telling me their story of survival and strength. You Got This!!
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Sandie - you've come to a great place for support. I had a similar diagnosis but opted from the begining for BMX. I know there will be plenty of people chiming in - we are all here for you. We each faced difficult choices and it ultimately comes down to what your Dr's recommend & what you are comfortable with. Wishing you all the best!
Jdboct - thank you!!! She starts chemo & rads next week
but she has an amazing attitude, I know that is gonna help! Hope things go well for your cousin. You'll be in my thoughts & prayers. Yeah for Alice!! Time sure does fly!!!!!Hope all are enjoying the summer! I just celebrated my "golden birthday" again Saturday 8/2!!! 2nd birthday since diagnosis so my kids called it golden lol!! What a great wknd with family & friends!
Hugs to all!!!!!
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Sandie, awhile ago one of our resident experts, Beesie, put together a post of things to consider when pondering the choice between a mastectomy and lumpectomy. I copied and saved it and will repost it below in its entirety. I don't think you will find anything more thoughtful or unbiased. Hope it helps:
"Some time ago I put together a list of considerations for someone who was making the surgical choice between a lumpectomy, mastectomy and bilateral mastectomy. I've posted this many times now and have continued to refine it and add to it, thanks to great input from many others. Some women have gone through the list and decided to have a lumpectomy, others have chosen a single mastectomy and others have opted for a bilateral mastectomy. So the purpose is simply to help women figure out what's right for them - both in the short term but more importantly, over the long term.
Before getting to that list, here is some research that compares long-term recurrence and survival results. I'm including this because sometimes women choose to have a MX because they believe that it's a more aggressive approach. If that's a big part of someone's rationale for having an MX or BMX, it's important to look at the research to see if it's really true. What the research has consistently shown is that long-term survival is the same regardless of the type of surgery one has. This is largely because it's not the breast cancer in the breast that affects survival, but it's the breast cancer that's left the breast that is the concern. The risk is that some BC might have moved beyond the breast prior to surgery. So the type of surgery one has, whether it's a lumpectomy or a MX or a BMX, doesn't affect survival rates. Here are a few studies that compare the different surgical approaches:
Lumpectomy May Have Better Survival Than Mastectomy
Now, on to my list of the considerations:
- Do you want to avoid radiation? If your cancer isn't near the chest wall and if your nodes are clear, then it may be possible to avoid radiation if you have a mastectomy. This is a big selling point for many women who choose to have mastectomies. However you should be aware that there is no guarantee that radiation may not be necessary even if you have a mastectomy, if some cancer cells are found near the chest wall, or if the area of invasive cancer is very large and/or if it turns out that you are node positive (particularly several nodes).
- Do you want to avoid hormone therapy (Tamoxifen or an AI) or Herceptin or chemo? It is very important to understand that if it's believed necessary or beneficial for you to have chemo or take hormone therapy, it won't make any difference if you have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy or a bilateral mastectomy. (Note that the exception is women with DCIS or possibly very early Stage I invasive cancer, who may be able to avoid Tamoxifen by having a mastectomy or a BMX.)
- Does the length of the surgery and the length of the recovery period matter to you? For most women, a lumpectomy is a relatively easy surgery and recovery. After a lumpectomy, radiation usually is given for 6 weeks. A mastectomy is a longer, more complex surgery and the recovery period is longer.
- How will you deal with the side effects from Rads? For most patients the side effects of rads are not as difficult as they expected, but most women do experience some side effects. You should be prepared for some temporary discomfort, fatigue and skin irritation, particularly towards the end of your rads cycle. Most side effects go away a few weeks after treatment ends but if you have other health problems, particularly heart or lung problems, you may be at risk for more serious side effects. This can be an important consideration and should be discussed with your doctor.
- Do you plan to have reconstruction if you have a MX or BMX? If so, be aware that reconstruction, even "immediate" reconstruction, is usually a long process - many months - and most often requires more than one surgery. Some women have little discomfort during the reconstruction process but other women find the process to be very difficult - there is no way to know until you are going through it.
- If you have a MX or BMX, how will you deal with possible complications with reconstruction? Some lucky women breeze through reconstruction but unfortunately, many have complications. These may be short-term and/or fixable or they may be long-term and difficult to fix. Common problems include ripples and indentations and unevenness. You may have lingering side effects (muscle pain, spasms, itching, etc.) on one side or both (if you have a BMX). If you don't end up with symmetry (symmetry is not a sure thing by any means, even if you have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction done on both sides at the same time), will you regret the decision to remove your breasts or your healthy breast? Are you prepared for the possibility of revision surgery?
- How you do feel about your body image and how will this be affected by a mastectomy or BMX? A reconstructed breast is not the same as a real breast. Some women love their reconstructed breasts while some women hate them. Most probably fall in-between. Reconstructed breasts usually looks fine in clothing but may not appear natural when naked. They may not feel natural or move naturally, particularly if you have implant reconstruction. If you do choose to have a MX or BMX, one option that will help you get a more natural appearance is a nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM). Not all breast surgeons are trained to do NSMs so your surgeon might not present this option to you. Ask your surgeon about it if you are interested and if he/she doesn't do nipple sparing mastectomies, it may be worth the effort to find a surgeon who does do NSMs in order to see if this option is available for you (your area of cancer can't be right up near the nipple).
- If you have a MX or BMX, how do you feel about losing the natural feeling in your breast(s) and your nipple(s)? Are your nipples important to you sexually? A MX or BMX will change your body for the rest of your life and you have to be prepared for that. Keep in mind as well that even if you have a nipple sparing mastectomy, except in rare cases (and except with a new untested reconstruction procedure) the most feeling that can be retained in your nipples is about 20% - the nerves that affect 80% of nipple sensation are by necessity cut during the surgery and cannot be reconnected. Any breast/nipple feeling you regain will be surface feeling only (or phantom sensations, which are actually quite common and feel very real); there will be no feeling inside your breast, instead your breast will feel numb. For some, loss of breast/nipple sensation is a small price to pay; for others, it has a huge impact on their lives.
- If you have a MX or BMX, how will you deal emotionally with the loss of your breast(s)? Some women are glad that their breast(s) is gone because it was the source of the cancer, but others become angry that cancer forced them to lose their breast(s). How do you think you will feel? Don't just consider how you feel now, as you are facing the breast cancer diagnosis, but try to think about how you will feel in a year and in a few years, once this diagnosis, and the fear, is well behind you.
- If you have a lumpectomy, how will you deal emotionally with your 6 month or annual mammos and/or MRIs? For the first year or two after diagnosis, most women get very stressed when they have to go for their screenings. The good news is that usually this fear fades over time. However some women choose to have a BMX in order to avoid the anxiety of these checks.
- Will removal of your breast(s) help you move on from having had cancer or will it hamper your ability to move on? Will you feel that the cancer is gone because your breast(s) is gone? Or will the loss of your breast(s) be a constant reminder that you had breast cancer?
- Appearance issues aside, before making this decision you should find out what your doctors estimate your recurrence risk will be if you have a lumpectomy and radiation. Is this risk level one that you can live with or one that scares you? Will you live in constant fear or will you be comfortable that you've reduced your risk sufficiently and not worry except when you have your 6 month or annual screenings? If you'll always worry, then having a mastectomy might be a better option; many women get peace of mind by having a mastectomy. But keep in mind that over time the fear will fade, and that a MX or BMX does not mean that you no longer need checks - although the risk is low, you can still be diagnosed with BC or a recurrence even after a MX or BMX. Be aware too that while a mastectomy may significantly reduce your local (in the breast area) recurrence risk, it has no impact whatsoever on your risk of distant recurrence (i.e. mets).
- Do you know your risk to get BC in your other (the non-cancer) breast? Is this a risk level that scares you? Or is this a risk level that you can live with? Keep in mind that breast cancer very rarely recurs in the contralateral breast so your current diagnosis doesn't impact your other breast. However, anyone who's been diagnosed with BC one time is at higher risk to be diagnosed again with a new primary breast cancer (i.e. a cancer unrelated to the original diagnosis) and this may be compounded if you have other risk factors. Find out your risk level from your oncologist. When you talk to your oncologist, determine if BRCA genetic testing might be appropriate for you based on your family history of cancer and/or your age and/or your ethnicity (those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at higher risk). Those who are BRCA positive are very high risk to get BC and for many women, a positive BRCA test result is a compelling reason to have a bilateral mastectomy. On the other hand, for many women a negative BRCA test result helps with the decision to have a lumpectomy or single mastectomy rather than a bilateral. Talk to your oncologist. Don't assume that you know what your risk is; you may be surprised to find that it's much higher than you think, or much lower than you think (my risk was much less than I would ever have thought).
- How will you feel if you have a lumpectomy or UMX and at some point in the future (maybe in 2 years or maybe in 30 years) you get BC again, either a recurrence in the same breast or a new BC in either breast? Will you regret your decision and wish that you'd had a bilateral mastectomy? Or will you be grateful for the extra time that you had with your breasts, knowing that you made the best decision at the time with the information that you had?
- How will you feel if you have a bilateral mastectomy and no cancer or high risk conditions are found in the other breast? Will you question (either immediately or years in the future) why you made the decision to have the bilateral? Or will you be satisfied that you made the best decision with the information you had?
.I hope that this helps. And remember.... this is your decision. How someone else feels about it and the experience that someone else had might be very different than how you will feel about it and the experience that you will have. So try to figure out what's best for you, or at least, the option that you think you can live with most easily, given all the risks associated with all of the options. Good luck with your decision!"
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sandie, I was diagnosed 10/28/10 with IDC, DCIS and LCIS. Stage 2a, grade 2, 2 positive nodes. Because the DCIS was large (7+ cm) lumpectomy was not an option for me. I had an MX. My 1st doctor pushed strongly for a BMX which was why I left her. She was also going to give me radiation and chemo.
I ended up not having either chemo (low onco score) or radiation (with an MX they said I didn't need it). Losing the axillary nodes has been difficult, but BC is difficult. Whatever you decide will be the right thing for you. Many women have BMX and are happy with their choice. I had MX and recon and am happy with mine.
I know everything right now seems really horrible. Things really will improve. Life will get less topsy turvey. BC is definitely not the good ship lollipop, but for most of us DX at stage 2 it is survivable. Nothing is forever, including life and we will all die of something in the end. As someone here on BCO said, none of us know if our cancer is really cured until we die of something else. While cancer seems to define your life at this moment, it doesn't need to be the defining factor long term.
There are a lot of really remarkable ladies here. You are one of them - one of us. Big hugs to carry with you whenever you need them
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specialk Ringwood is about 1/1/2 hours from us so not far at all! Are you half Aussie ? Yes we all have our down times I have just had a very strange week had my visa hacked ( still waiting for money back ) trying to help a friend thru a bad breakup and lots of tiredness and little aches and pains which always concerns me. We have had cold weather and a lot of rain so it can get you down
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Sandie-
My wife had 3 positive nodes and 3 tumors in her right breast. Two of them were small and they didn't find them until after her mx. My wife's doctor was against doing a BMX saying her left breast was healthy and there was no reason to remove it. She didn't. She had 16 lymph nodes removed and only the 3 were positive. She does not have any ill effects from that. She had chemo and radiation and as the others will tell you its not pleasant but its doable. As Gardengumby said stage two IS survivable. You caught it early! You will get through this! This is a great place to come for advice and support. The women here are wonderful and have provided much needed advice,support and comfort to all. God Bless you!
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Hi everyone
Thank you all for your kind and reassuring thoughts. There is so much to consider in relation to the surgery. Part of me just wants the whole ordeal over with so was leaning towards another WLE with rads but there's no guarantees that clear margins will be achieved. At least a MX would be the end of it but then its having to go through the reconstruction procedure.
My cancer is highly hormonal receptive - ER 8/8 and PR 7/8 so tamoxifen is highly recommended for me. I have heard that tamoxifen can reduce the chance of a new BC in the opposite breast by 40%. I am not sure about the figures in the affected breast. Does anyone know the figures?
I guess I will need to chat with my oncologist about my risks of getting a new BC in the other breast and for the original BC to recur (in the affected breast) before I can make any decisions about surgery. I have a meeting with her on 18/8 as at half way point with the chemo and going to be switched onto 3 x Tax chemo regime after doing 3 x EC chemo. I have been told that I have 87% of being cured at 10 years. I am assuming that the remaining 13% is sprinkled over 10 years which gives me a risk of 1.3% of recurrence per year and 98.7% non recurrence. Is this correct? Don't really understand how they come up with these figures.
Has anyone changed their diet and the way they deal with stress after a BC diagnosis? Before my diagnosis, my life was very stressful and I had a particularly stressful period ( 2 years before diagnosis) that I strongly believe caused my BC to develop. I am only 40 and want more years ahead of me and the thought that my life could be cut short by this has been very traumatic indeed. I want to do everything possible to keep healthy and alive to see my children grow up and to meet my future grand children.
Apologies for all the questions. Think I am still in a profound state of shock and just terrified
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Sandie-
Your going to be fine! There is no reason to think your other breast will get BC. Talk to your surgeon about that. Like you my wife is ER positive and she is on Arimidex for the next 5 years. Our doctors say that taking that pill every day is very important to stopping recurrence. Like you I got so hung up on numbers when my wife was diagnosed and it drove me close to a nervous breakdown. On the other hand my wife never wanted to know anything about numbers and her attitude was to do whatever she had to do to beat it. She is amazing. So strong for a 5'3" woman of 58 years! She is moving forward and not looking back! We did change our diets which helped us both. More fruits and veggies, organic when possible. Less sugar, less junk food. More exercise and we dont sweat the small stuff anymore! I guess moderation is the key. Please stay positive you will be fine!
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Sandie - my job created too much stress in my life, so I retired.
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Sandie, you have to do what will you feel is right for you. Discuss any concerns with your Dr.. I am stage 2b. For me a BMX made sense. I am in chemo and will most likely have radiation due to bc in one node.
I enjoyed Atlanta! World of Coca Cola, Olympic Centennial Park, and 'Walking Dead' town of Woodbury. Had a nice gentleman come up to me to ask about my cancer (since I am so obviously in chemo). He was stage 4 in his neck lymph nodes 12 years ago and was not given hope. He was there to talk to me, so there is always hope. He said it has recurred a few times, but he looked great. He is currently going through chemo.
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5 years of Arimidex lowered my recurrence risk by 40%, so the figure you have sounds right. Getting to and staying at the correct weight for your height, eating better, taking a daily aspiring, and MOST importantly exercise, exercise, exercise can all lower your risk even further (some studies show that vigorous daily exercise can lower recurrence risk by 50%!!!). But I would wait until after chemo to worry about any of that....for now, just eat what you can stand and get some walking or other light exercise in (if you are up to it).
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Hi ruthbru
Thank you for getting back to me. Does the hormonal therapy also reduce the risk of distant mets by 40%? I have also read that by keeping an ideal weight for height and taking regular exercise also reduces the risk further. Find it difficult though at the moment with the eating as I just want to stuff my face all the time and have put weight back on. Don't know if its the chemo or the effects of the steriods that have increased my appetite. I do walk most days though to help with the fatigue.
How does aspirin help reduce the risk of recurrence? Think the food thing after the treatment finishes is going to be difficult for me as I do like my food and unfortunately it does involve some of the bad stuff ie sweets, crisps, cheese, pizzas etc. I am going to be so worried about what I am going to eat after treatment as want to avoid a recurrence as much as possible.
Thanks to everyone else for their kind words and advice. Jdboct - glad your wife is fine now and is moving forward. Hope I can get to that place too in time. Just hope I will be fine as this whole thing frightens the life out of me and will do for a long time xx
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Yes, I believe the 40% is for any kind of recurrence. Do NOT even think about the life style changes until you are done with chemo. One thing at a time!! (Just for the record, I love food & just mildly adjusted my diet, I added tons of exercise instead.....so you don't have to subsist on kale for the rest of your life!).
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How does aspirin prevent cancer?
There are two theories. First, inflammation in the body causes cells to divide, which increases the risk of them mutating into cancerous forms.
Because aspirin reduces inflammation, it lowers the risk of cancerous cells developing.
Second, cancer cells can piggyback on blood platelets, which help the blood to clot. Aspirin thins the blood by making platelets less sticky, which may also make it harder for them to carry cancer cells and so spread the disease.
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Hi ruthbu
Definitely don't want to live on food rations for the rest of my life to avoid a recurrence. It would just zap all enjoyment out of life. I guess i will have to make some changes to my diet and ensure that I keep to a healthy weight and exercise frequently.
I heard something about when the immune system is lowered that an inflammatory response is produced and this inflammatory response can produce cancerous cells. Sounds like I will need to ensure that my immune system is better supported by diet, exercise, limit alcohol and ensure that my vitamin D levels are adequate. Less stress too. Also will look into taking a daily aspirin. Just hope and pray this will keep the beast at bay. This has certainty been a major wake up call for me x
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If you want to have some exercise buddies, check out the 'Lets Post Our Daily Exercise' thread on the Fitness Forum. There are lots of encouraging ladies in all stages of treatment and beyond who will keep you motivated!
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delvzy - I guess I am half Aussie, lol! My dad was born in Box Hill and lived in Ringwood until he was a young man. He left during WWII on a freighter and ended up in California after being put off the ship due to illness. My mom was born in England, but grew up in Canada. They met and settled in California, I was born there and lived there until I was 27 and married my military husband. Sorry about your problematic week!
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Chemo day and I woke up sick with a painful throat, slightly runny nose and bundling up against the chill. ugh. Good thing I am seeing the nurses this morning.
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Thanks ruthbu for the exercise tip
Aspirin has been in the news in the UK, they say taking an aspirin a day for 10 years can prevent certain cancers. Do you take an aspirin daily? If so, did you start taking it after active treatment finished? x
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I have taken a daily low dose aspirin for a number of years (history of heart disease in the family). I think (but can't remember for sure) that I kept taking it during treatment (which I would have had okayed by my oncologist); if you aren't already on it, ask about the timing with yours.
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missing - hope you are feeling better soon!!
Nisa - is your scan next week?
I've been taking full dose aspirin since I started tamoxifen last May per my MO. Except for around surgeries.
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Specialk week has improved somewhat thank goodness . I have found exercise very helpful I walk or jog a bit about 5 times a week. I slightly improved my diet and ate less carbs and more lean meat fruit and veggies. I still have my fresh coffee 3 times a day and the odd cake or chocolate. I don't drink any milk any more or eat cheese. One thing I did do is learn relaxation breathing which I do when I get stressed or tired I also was incredibly stressed for years before diagnosis . I also take vit d magnesium vit c and various b vitamins that I lack
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delvzy - I eat similarly to you and have found it helpful. Participated in a study after chemo about stress reduction through meditation - was priceless in helping me to maintain an even keel. Glad your week improved - trouble seems to come in bunches.
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Hi. I was diagnosed with with BC about 3 weeks ago. I have IDC stage 2a grade 1 in my right breast. They think I have small tumors in my left breast too. They saw some suspicious stuff in the MRI so they are doing a MRI guided biopsy on Monday to get a better look( not good- I about had a panic attack last MRI)...so I'll find out then...if I do have tumors in lefty we are looking at BMX. Chemo was supposed to start tomorrow but I got sweets syndrome ( another gift from cancer) and was hospitalized for 4 days so all was put off...now I start on the 21st. I did find out that I do not have the genetic mutation which is awesome since I have an 18 year old daughter. It all seems like a whirlwind right now...I'm glad I found you lovely ladies. I look forward to getting to know you all.
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Hi Justamy
there and welcome. I'm sorry you're facing this but it sounds like your doctors are on top of things. If I can suggest, ask for Valium for the MRI. I get bothered by them too and now with the valium, they don't phase me.
Best wishes and keep us posted on your progress.
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Hi Amy, so sorry that you are here, but also so glad that you found us. I think it does help to have people who really, truly know what you are going through because we have 'been there, done that' ourselves. You are in the very worst part, once you figure out a treatment plan, then you just do it and get it over with. Hang in there, and keep us posted. We will help out if questions when we can, and are good listeners when you just need to vent!
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Hi Amy, this is a great forum. I get great support here.
Mjs, my cold is worse, I was sneezing yesterday. Not good since I have toxic fluids two days after chemo. My blood counts were good so had chemo.
I found this great lady who crochets hairy hats for chemo patients free. She will sell hats and her patterns to other people, but it is to support the ones she gives away. She had brain cancer and then had a friends develop bc. I was thinking how I missed the soft feel of hair on my neck. I was thinking those old caps some flappers wore with the beading that gave movement would be cool. She uses hairy yard and will even do a fringe for bangs or all around. Before I found her website, I found her in a herald article and I emailed her to see if she would share a pattern, not know she sold them. She emailed me back a link to her patterns and then took my measurement to do a hat for me, even if I am doing one myself. Such a nice lady. Lynn Olive. hairyhatsforcancer.com.
Kathy
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