3 cancers 2 same type and 3rd is opposite type
My first time posting....
I had double mastectomy and had cancer in both lymphs. Each side were Er/Pr + and HER 2- (in breast and lymphs). And during surgery they also found a 3rd cancer that was opposite Er/Pr- and HER2+. (I got the brass ring! ) Luckly, I had good margins on all. One was stage IA and 2 were stage IIA'S.
The first 2 thankfully had low oncotypes so I was able to get the easier Taxol and Herceptin chemo regime for 12 weeks and then finished a year with Herceptin every 3 weeks. After the 12 weeks chemo part, I did 25 sessions of radiation.
Because I got covid before my double Mastectomy I had to postpone my reconstruction surgery a year (since covidcauses clottingissues). I'm now approaching a year since the reconstruction and feeling ok. Just lots of joint aches from anastrozole and some tightness from radiation and the surgery scars. I'm assuming this is the new normal that I have to accept.
But could some of this new pain be something more sinister? I'm normally a suck it up type person. When should I raise the flag to get things checked without being a pain in the ass?
I'm doing water aerobics 3 days a week and walking to try stay on top of it, but it feels like a losing battle some days. I'm doing zometa as well.
So going on 2 years post diagnosis now.
I am bothered that I can't really find any information about the ramifications/risks of having multiple and opposite types of cancers at the same time.
I like to understand my predicaments so I can get my head around what to expect and be on the lookout for down the road. Nothing seems to apply to my circumstance. Even the questionnaires only let you choose 1 cancer type. How should I choose. A frustration point.
So, is there anyone out there also dealing with this? If so, how are you making out?
Thanks ahead of time for any responses regarding this.
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Re when to sound the alarm re new things that come up and you don't know if they are serious or not, my oncologist told me that you just have to make a judgement call, and that there really is no way to know when something new is just annoying or maybe even downright dangerous. I too was looking for some guidance in that department, because I have become the "pain in the ass" that you mention, simply because there's no way to know what's what. Looks like the oncologists usually don't know either and it is only scans and blood work that alert them to anything out of the ordinary. Are you getting scans and blood work done on any sort of routine basis? I've sounded the alarm on some occasions, gone to the ER or called the oncologist, or visited urgent care and it was nothing, but routine side effect annoyance/pain. On the other hand, I have sounded the alarm sometimes and discovered such things as dehydration and low electrolytes, spread, and fractures (now metastatic). I think it's like my oncologist said, you just have to make that judgement call and not worry about being a pain.
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I second threetrees post. Breast cancer has far more variations and signs of progression or in some cases, no signs at all, just progression. There is no linear course of progression and little to suggest what might be coming at us down the road. Frustrating? Yes, very frustrating but another indication that bc is far more complex than most of us realize until we diagnosed ourselves.
You are not being a pain if you need to contact your mo for any reason! That is their job. A general guideline I’ve often read, though nothing is set in stone, is if a symptom persists for two weeks then it’s time to get in touch with your doctor. Take care1
