ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call

Good to hear from all of u! I'm so glad to hear that despite the scares you all are taking it one day at a time! Yes I've had my own scares - in the end I pulled pectoralis muscle over my implant! So annoying - was told it will take a long time to heal bc the muscle is stretched really thin over the implant..ugh!

For u ladies with the hair issues, would a little testosterone help? I know perimenopausal women take that along w estrogen/progesterone for symptoms like hair loss, low libido etc?

I heard a great news story on national public radio about how Hormone replacement therapy is safe in women including breast cancer survivors!

Hello girls! I hope everything is well. Wishing you a good year, full of health.

@grammie2 so good to hear from you! As for me, I’m doing okay, back at work at 100%, back to sport almost like before, although my arm sometimes gives me signs. I have joint pain and hot flashes due to induced menopause, which I don’t know if it will still reverse, but I’m starting to think it won’t. That puts me at high risk of osteoporosis, because I entered menopause so young. I’ve also read that hormone replacement therapy helps and is safe, but my oncologist doesn’t want me to take it. 😒 So I’ll have to put up with it or look for another opinion. But I think I’ve already got used to these after-effects and I manage to live my day-to-day life normally.
What’s worse is the physical appearance, because I still don’t recognize myself in the mirror. As for my hair, I think it has improved and it’s much better than I initially expected, but it still has some gaps, especially at the back of the head on top, the vertex. It’s growing very slowly compared to other people who finished chemo at the same time as me, or even later. The top of my head has much shorter and less dense hair than the bottom and the sides. A girl I met on the day I had surgery, who finished chemo on the same day as me, already has super long hair, almost touching her shoulders! More than 20 cm of hair! I have about 5 cm on top and 10 cm on the sides and at the back underneath 🥺
But anyway, I no longer wear a wig, I use some headbands to feel more feminine and I try not to think too much about the scalp that can be seen on the top of my head.

@grammie2 I think you should use minoxidil because it will definitely have at least some effect. It seems worse than it is, it’s a foam that you put on your hair, just another routine, nothing special. I was also super apprehensive and now I think it really isn’t worth worrying so much. The worst that can happen is that you stop taking it one day and you go back to how you are now. You won’t get worse. I’m tolerating it quite well and I also take the oral version, and I notice that it has made quite a difference.
Don’t feel bad, of course health comes first, but hair is important! I feel the same as you. My eyebrows are still weak and my eyelashes too. I have them, but I naturally had very long eyelashes and now they’re very weak. I hope it still improves! And you all, how are you doing?I hope everything is going well and that you’re coping well with this “new life.” Hugs to all of you! 🌷🌻🏵️🌼🌹

@grammie2 and @catarina_fm Hello my beautiful friends! Your glow looks great on you today with or without hair! Sometimes a little affirmation goes a long way paired with a 🤗

I saw that hair toppers are really popular nowadays to help with top hairline and top of scalp where many women including those without chemo start to thin. The online photos of them look amazing but I don't know how comfortable etc.

HRT is something I will seriously consider in near future for me. I'm already struggling with perimenopausal symptoms like urinary incontinence and getting a cold every time I have a period, brain fog etc. I'm trying to wait till I'm 50. Right now using vaginal estrogen cream which seems to be helping the urinary stress incontinence but not perfect.

Good luck @catarina_fm- I expect you to have many more visits to the beach to soak up all that sunny vitamin D!

Hey @snm and @djschmidt1 good to hear from you both! Prayers for your upcoming mammo and yes, God is good! I had my second one post treatment in December. It's hard not to feel a little stressed for sure. I will check out that book! I haven't settled into the new me yet. I sometimes feel disconnected from life. And I too have gained some post treatment. Hubby and I both plan to start eating healthier after the superbowl LOL. Our goal is to eat less processed and less carbs.

Thanks for the suggestion on toppers. My co worker has a friend that wears those. I will see what I think. I still get emails from where I bought a couple of wigs from and I think they carry them. I still have my wigs but can't make myself put one on.

Hoping to keep hearing from all of you!!!

@snm My oncologist said he doesn’t recommend GLP1s because there isn’t enough long term data about them AND he said he is starting to see patients that have been on them. My oncologist that retired said the same thing…so I am trying to do this without meds.

Hi @todaystheday , welcome to BCO. We’re really glad you found us. And thank you for reactivating this thread! While it may have been quiet for a while, new posts like yours often bring members back in, and we hope others will jump in soon to share their experiences and support.

Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you in the meantime. We’re glad you reached out, and we hope you’ll continue posting. You’re in good company here.

The Mods

Hi @todaystheday . I don't feel like I'm a long term survivor, but I have swelling and scar tissue in the lumpectomy breast. I'm going to OT for this and fibrosis from radiation. My lymph node area is good and the breast surgical site has some scarring at the lumpectomy site. I am one who has had continued minor discomfort in both areas. I had 4 nodes removed but the breast is my main issue. Lymphedema can develop because of the nodes being removed. Maybe ask your MO or surgeon if you should see an occupational therapist who specializes in lymphedema.

As far as a dormant group, I think a lot of us are a year or so out. But we are always willing to jump back in and help our fellow sisters. I know I still need advice and guidance!!

@todaystheday Hi! Sorry that you are worried about fluid/scarring. I recently hit my year 3 of no evidence of disease. I was treated only with BMX and 2 lymph nodes removed which were negative. I do have some mild lymphedema above collarbone on side lymph nodes were removed. My PT showed me how to do lymphedema massage which I sometimes do when I remember. My MO told me that distant recurrence is more common than local but overall risk is low. Hope that helps you.

Thank-you. It seems difficult to know or what to expect. I try not to dwell on it, it fades at times but never goes away. Feel permanently disfigured. I think what bothers me most is the way society sensationalizes a woman's body. I have to not be that to myself and most of all never forget who we are inside.

The information you provided is invaluable. I will always be there for her, because she is like my second mother.

I hope the follow-up results come back clean. My sister's initial biopsy pathology showed a 1.5 cm tumor. After the BMX surgery, the final pathology showed a residual tumor size of 2.5 cm. Under these conditions, the general surgeon roughly said stage 3A, but I think it's stage 2B. Because there was no lymph node involvement in the frozen section. However, the pathology 2 Sentinel lymph node shows one clear node and the other shows micrometastasis. In conclusion, he said it's not bad and that it's good we performed the surgery. Now we are waiting for feedback from the oncologist regarding treatment and to start treatment in 1-2 weeks. I hope everything will be fine for everyone, including my sister, and that we will be free from this for the rest of our lives.

Hi there. Was her initial diagnosis not HER2+? Sorry if you posted this already. Trying to catch up.

Yesterday I watched the movie Living Proof. It's a good thing Dr. Dennis Slamon didn't give up and discovered Herceptin... My sister's surgery was on January 30, 2026, and her treatment hasn't started yet. The doctors say theoretically there's no tumor left inside. (BMX-SLNB 1/2 micrometase) The implant surgery was also done at the same time. Do you think this process is normal?

Hi Grammie,

The reason for having surgery first was actually that the hospital that did the initial biopsy detected the tumor, thought it was small, and decided to proceed with adjuvant treatment. They removed it with a clean surgical margin. The pathology report came back as a 1.5 cm tumor with lymphovascular invasion, and the surgical margins were clear.

With this diagnosis, my sister went to a private hospital that had a contract with her insurance to become a follow-up patient. At this hospital, the general surgeon and the other doctors on the team considered the previous surgical site suspicious, performed a biopsy, and found fluid from the prior surgery; the lymph nodes were clear. It was decided to complete the surgery with a mastectomy.

Later, in the final pathology, the residual tumor was measured at 2.5 cm. So the tumor that the first hospital reported as 1.5 cm was actually 2.5 cm, and the sentinel lymph node biopsy showed 1 out of 2 nodes with micrometastasis. This case was discussed in the tumor board, and the treatment plan was clarified.

The wound is still being allowed to heal. That’s the story.

My answer to your question: nothing the first hospital did was wrong, but it did cause a bit of confusion.

@grammie2 Thank you so much for your good wishes. For the past 43 days, I’ve been trying my best both to support her and to keep my mind under control.

I hope you’re doing well too.