TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

Momwriter, I don't know what to say, but after I was released from the hospital from my first (and only) TCH all I wanted in the whole world was ginger ale and ginger bread...spice cookies...spice cake...ginger, ginger and more ginger.  I find food cravings fascinating!

Ashla - MRI may be accurate - it wasn't for me - missed a half centimeter positive node and ADH and ALH before surgery. I had extremely dense breasts, at 54 and 9 years after a total hyst/ooph - that is why the mammo missed the palpable lump.  I went back after I was dx'ed to thank the radiologist who sent me for a biopsy - he saved my life. We reviewed my mammo films so he could double check since I now knew I had cancer - saw nothing! That is why I no longer have breasts.

gee whiz - yay for your son! And congrats to you for raising such a smart and accomplished young man!

Ramey - the thigh pain started to really resolve for me at about six weeks and coincided with an increase in hemoglobin. Also, I had hip pain when they increased the infusion speed of my Herceptin from 90 mins ( what I had during chemo) to 30 mins when I had Herceptin alone. Dropped it back to 90 and the pain went away. This was my experience but I know others tolerated the faster infusion with no problem.

mommato. I had rads and node neg (on imaging as i had neo adjuvant) the RO said it was bc of being her2, LVI and grade 3. Biggest factor was the LVI

Regarding the rads, I was told if I choose mx, I can skip rads, if I want lumpectomy, I need rads.  I believe in addition to the lymph node status, the location and size of the tumor also determine if you need rads even with an mx.

I read every word of it.  

i found my lump myself. i had started mammos at 40, cause i began to have lumpy breasts. they had me do them every 6 months. that place squished them hard, too! it wasnt digital. that went on for a couple years, then i stopped going. it was a couple of years later, when my left breast got really hot and red, just on one side. i didnt have a computer or a doctor. had a mammo against my will-(i really did not want to be squished), i wanted the ultrasound though. they had had me do an ultrasound after all the previous mammo's, but i didn't yet know the significance of that. i wasnt informed for years that i had dense breasts or the significance of that either. when i finally did find that out, i was proud, as if it was someting to be proud of, that they wernt fat? or air filled? or flimsy and droopy or flat? they were cute! so back to the red one. they aspirated fluid out of it, i watched it being poked, and diminishing in size, until it vanished! i looked at the syringe before he put it on the tray, and it was full up, as long and thick as your thumb, with a green thick fluid that, please excuse, looked like pus to me. grossed me out. i asked him, is it an infection? how can i get an infection deep inside of me? he called it an inflammation, and i remember asking him,are you sure? cause that looks like something infected. and he got angry with me and repeated that it was an inflammation, nothing else necesarry. 

so i said ef this basically, and didnt go for any more mammo's till this time that i found my lump, knew in my heart that this time it was different, and so it was. this is my right breast, and i am glad, cause i am left handed,and i cant imagine wrapping with my right arm! And that doc who had all my previous films? he lost them when he went to work for.....pink lotus, where angelina jolie went. and she can have that place,but thats a different story for another day. dxed at 52. BS said tumour was there 8 years. 8 years was when i did the last one when i was through,because it was always nothing.

Mommato3 there are many reasons to get rads. My PS told me he couldn't keep up with them since they change. I know one is tumors above 5cm regardless of position and node status usually get rads (and I would assume the smaller your breast the more likely). In my case I had small boobs and my tumor was 5.5mm invasive, 6.5cm total. My rad onc actually gave me a pass.  She said I was in a gray area. I do believe the risk to other organs is what put me in that gray area. Since my tumor was in the posterior region over my heart the risk to heart/lung outweighed the reward. I'm sure things like multifocaletc might be another factor. It's not so black and white. Location can also play a part but there are so many things they consider.

cami we love your story. Keep telling it.

Nunci it depends on your age/how close you were to natural menopause. I was 49 and peri-menopausal when I started chemo although my cycles were regular just getting shorter. Give my sister and mom both started menopause at 51 I knew it wasn't coming back. My last period was 2 weeks before chemo. If you are in your 20's and 30's there's a chance it might come back. It could be months after chemo or I do believe up to 2 years. Your onc would have a better idea. You look  young in your picture but I know 72 dpi tends to remove all wrinkles. I get shocked when I think someone is in their 30's hear only to find out they are 66! 

Thanks for the good news. I too have read that more of the slower growing tumors can return years later. While our risk of recurrence is early. I was excited to pass the 2 year make and then the 3. Now approaching 4 years I am convinced I'm probably cured but they will never say that. Granted they still like to wait  5 years to say your recurrence risk really drops.

my periods came back after a year and I was diagnosed at 42 - theoretically the chemo should have knocked out my ovarian function but no such luck for me.  I have been shutting them down with Lupron for a year - went off after 11 months and my period returned once again so back on Lupron.  42 is not that young but obviously my body was no where near natural meno

geewhiz what was so funny? the 72 dpi wrinkle remover? I wish Neutagena wrinkle repair worked that well.

Cami - I loved your story and read every word of it - funny about your cat.  I have two cats and for about two months before I found my lump both of my cats were always trying to dig underneath my left side in bed - where I found my lump - it was like they wanted to lay underneath that part of my body.  My husband and I both thought it was funny- when I found the lump and found it was cancer I no longer thought it was funny - but I do think it was connnected.   Since my bmx neither one of them has tried to get under my left side.   

Mommato3 - I was told that if I did a bmx I would most likely not have rads.  However, I had very close margins on the left side -pathology report says tumor extends to within 1 MM of the deep resection margin but it also says tumor transection is absent.  That last part is what three different doctors site as to why I don't need rad - two MO's and my BS all agree.  So I will not have rads - although none of them have mentioned it but my tumor was located high and I am sure the location of where they would need to do rads would be bad on my heart and/or lungs and that might also have played a role in their thoughts.  I feel ok with the decision considering I had three opinions on it - one was based on SpecialK's suggestion that I ask the MO at Moffitt and I am glad I did as it did give me a little more piece of mind.

Nunci - love to hear that kind of stuff 

Aw, Geewiz, that made me almost cry.  I have a son about to graduate his junior year.  I know that you'll walk through fire for your kids.  And sometimes we have to.  Brave lady!

if not for efcjax would have missed your post re your  son. What she said was so true . I have no scientific background whatsoever but am fascinated with biomedical engineering and all kinds of scientific research . Think you must be at least borderline genius to do that . You must be  bursting  with pride! Does he have a particular nterest? 

I have a nephew who is a postdoctoral @ Albert Einstein .

efcjax--I know what u mean--before that and had mammos, my sister, cousin and I always had to have it rechecked nd my Dr. told me that time the ins. wouldn't cover the 2nd test unless u had the mammo and required it.

And I can't imagine after I went thru all of that crap to get a period back like some of u had--I'd scream--at least u shoud get the door prize of not getting u'r period.

Linda I really think our furbabies have more sense than we do after all they hide in a bad storm we stand there and look out a window,

Geewhiz

And all of u who still have children at home or at school it's got to be extra hard. When u'r alone u don't have to wear a happy face so they don't have to worry, u can keep u'r leave me the hell alone face all the time. I give u all so much credit, there is a lot going on in u'r lives and u all rise to the occasion. And on top of that u educate yourselves to what ur bodies are going thru. All I could concentrate on was home shopping and and women who kill their Husbands on TV and a few more shows. And Ashla, SpecialK and Lago (I'm sure more) always have link or something to read that's new --I know now I'm forgetting so many more cuz PBrain just came to mind but u'r all a wealth of info and it's great.

I hope everyone has a decent Holiday weekend and can rest if u need to, meditate if u want to I always think of our troops, they're so young. 

Camillegal - and all...a happy holiday to you! I think we all just do the best we can, right? Some afternoons I didn't even make it in front of the tv for husband killing shows

Plenty of days I took afternoon naps. Some mornings during chemo I relied on my husband to get everyone up for school and fed. I still feel a bit guilty about that one, especially with one just leaving now. I think, 'Wait, I need more time with him!". Chemo, surgeries, rads...all took time from my kids and that pisses me off - but rationally, I know I did my best.