Its a long fight against breast cancer
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this community and happy to be part of this wonderful resource. I am 36 when i was diagnosed with grade II invasive carcinoma (ER+/PR+/Her2-) of my right breast in August 2024. Back then i really wonder why life is so unfair and kept throwing lemons at me. I was always healthy with no underlying medical conditions and I exercised regularly.
Because my mass was rather large, more than 5cm, I was offered neoadjuvant therapy. I was started on AC-T chemotherapy for about 4 months which resulted in my complete loss of hair amongst all the side effects. Not gonna lie, that affected me the most mentally and I would not leave home without a wig despite sweating underneath.
I have family history of breast cancers so i opt to do a genetic testing which thankfully came back negative. After my chemo, my mass was reduced to about 3cm and I struggled with the decision to do a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. Eventually after much discussions given my age and the lymph node involvement, I opt for a mastectomy with reconstruction via LD flap and immediate fat transfer. I'm currently 3 weeks post-op and slowly recovering from the soreness and numbness. I can't really feel my reconstructed breast and back but was told that this is normal due to the extensive nerve damage.
Finally, when I thought I was done and cancer free. My oncologist told me I will be on tamoxifen everyday for the next 5 years and I won't be able to get pregnant when im on the drug. I already gave up my fertility when I was put on chemo which stopped my menses. Now, my doctors all recommend that I continue with radiotherapy as it will improve my odds of survival and cancer recurrence. It sounded like regardless of my choice of mastectomy or lumpectomy, I will need to go through radiation and burn my newly reconstructed breast.
Anyone has similar experiences here to share?
Comments
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Hi everyone! We're bumping for @skye22's question on radiation after reconstruction. Can anyone share their experience or advice? 💕 Thank you!
@skye22, you may also be interested in joining other discussions or topics like Bottle O Tamoxifene, or our Young With Breast Cancer topic, where you can connect with other members diagnosed under 40.
We hope this will help you connect to the community! Please let us know how your recovery is going. We're looking forward to hearing more from you soon.
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