ILC stage 1a
I’m 73 and was recently diagnosed with ILC. I had a lumpectomy along with 4 sentinel nodes; 2 of which were positive. I see my surgeon next week and will be starting 4 weeks of radiation followed by an estrogen blocker along with a second drug. I would like to connect to others with a similar diagnosis.
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Hi @l1ttlec , welcome to the community, though we're sorry you have reason to be here.
We're glad you reached out. Hopefully, other members with ILC and a similar diagnosis will share their experiences with surgery, radiation, and endocrine therapy. You may also hear from others whose sentinel nodes were positive and can tell you what treatment and recovery were like for them.
Wishing you all the best at your appointment next week. Please keep us posted on how you're doing, We're here for you. 💗
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Hi @l1ttlec, I was in a similar situation except my diagnosis was IDC rather than ILC. I had a lumpectomy for the 3.2 cm tumor; one of three sentinel nodes was positive. My Oncotype score was just under the cutoff where chemo is recommended so I had both whole breast and axillary radiation.
I didn’t have any issues with skin burns but I carefully followed the hospital protocol (calendula ointment.) Each RO seems to have slightly different recommendations since they have seen what works. I did end up with breast lymphedema but was sent for therapy right after I finished. Five years later it is much better but I continue to do the drainage exercises I was shown. The fatigue was the worst part. My hospital offered complementary acupuncture for those in active treatment which helped. Eating plenty of protein is also important. I hope radiation goes well for you.
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Hi maggie15. Thank you for your kind words. I’ve put off purchasing the lotions but know that I need to get them just in case she decides to start the radiation the day after my appt with the surgeon, which she said was a possibility. I worry about lymphedema especially after I’ve been working outside in the heat. Did you know it was developing? Did it happen all at once? Sorry since those sound like silly questions. I worry that I won’t know what I’m looking for.
Congratulations on being 5 years out!
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Hi @l1ttlec, Thank you. My breast got swollen as I was undergoing radiation. It started out slightly smaller after the oncoplastic lumpectomy and ended out about half a cup size bigger. Needless to say I never had the nip tuck on the contralateral breast the surgeon planned to do to even things out. So far my arm is still OK. It is measured by perometry at every MO appointment. While it has been getting a tiny bit larger at every appointment it hasn’t reached the lymphedema stage. I’m in a clinical trial so they measured it before surgery. It’s good to know where it stands.
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Thanks for the info. It helps to know what to look for. I had my arms measured by perometry before surgery, after surgery and now every 6 months. Seems like a long time between but I don’t know what my oncology specialist schedules will be from here on out.
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