Worried about reoccurrence
I am 43 on Tchp. I just did 5 treatments of my 6 yesterday. Plan is to do a bilateral mastectomy next with expanders first because I will need radiation. According to my plastic surgeon, it is not recommended to radiate the fresh tissue with radiation. So after my radiation and put on my drugs depending on my pathology report from surgery, I’ll have the reconstruction part of surgery. I have stage 2-3 her2 + er or negative. I have also a ki 67 of 70-80% w lymph node involvement. I was diagnosed Dec 16th. In November’24 I was also diagnosed with an inactive , non treatment needed CLL. It’s a form of leukemia that is livable as well as known for people to die with instead of because of. I found it bc I felt very tired and kept pushing dr’s to check me. Anyways , my question is for those that have similar stories as I do and wondering what your views and experiences are about reoccurrence. For people like us , how is our life expectancy look? Does is usually come back?
Comments
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Hi @Faithoverfear _1,
You’ve been through a lot, and with your surgery coming up next week, it’s really understandable that your thoughts are going to recurrence and what the future might look like.
A lot of people here feel this same uncertainty at this point- normal, though it doesn't make it easier for you. One thing that can sometimes help is remembering that there really isn’t just one “breast cancer.” Things like Ki-67, lymph node involvement, and how each person responds to treatment all make every situation different, so recurrence is NOT the same for everyone.
Hearing others’ experiences can be helpful, but it can also feel like a lot, so it’s okay to take in what feels useful and leave the rest. As you get through surgery and have more information, your oncology team can help put your specific situation into better context.
Those are really understandable questions to have. What many people learn over time is that there isn’t one single path—outcomes and recurrence can vary a lot from person to person, based on many individual factors.You don’t have to carry these questions on your own—we’re really glad you’re here. 💛
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thank you so much for your response. I’ve noticed it isn’t so cut and dry and because of the uncertainty, it’s very hard not to feel panicked. There’s so much we have to go through with chemo , radiation, surgery, I wish there was something that gives us some understanding of what’s ahead but there isn’t. Even PCR isn’t exactly a safety bc it has come back even then in some cases. All and all, I’m happy I’m getting a response from my treatments and I can’t feel my tumor. It responded so quickly from the chemo. The dr’s have said the same thing. I’m holding on to that 🙏🏻
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