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Newly diagnosed stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
Trying to decide between lumpectomy and radiation or bilateral mastectomy. Want to hear from some who have gone through each
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Should I find a new oncologist
I finished treatment for breast cancer 9/25. I’m still waiting to get these @#$&$#& expanders out. Radiation did a number on my skin and were waiting another month to get as much healing as possible. My issue now is that I don’t like my oncologist. I’m okay with my surgeon. Love my plastic surgeon. Don’t care at all for my…
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64 yr. Old with clear nipple discharge and scaly red patch on areola
Diagnostic Mammo and US found nothing, but was referred for breast mri. I need an mri that can be done without lying on my stomach, that is causing confusion and delay in getting the mri. I had my yearly dermatology skin check today. She noticed the red scaly red area and wants to biopsy it if it does not go away soon. I…
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Vinorelbine - the end of the line??
Hello all-I have just been recommended to move to Vinorelbine as my 9th line. My oncologist pulled me off DATROWAY due to severe SEs and told me this is one of the last drugs on the shelf for me. Not only is this a scary piece of information, but I also can’t find much online about this drug in terms of user experience.…
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Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS)
The purpose for this forum is to discuss the concerns of women experiencing pain several months following their mastectomy. A portion of an abstract from Pain Management Nursing, 2009, describes it this way: Chronic neuropathic pain affects between 20% and 50% of women after their breast cancer treatment. Breast cancer…
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changing from Medicare to Medicare Advantage
My medical group stopped accepting Advantage a couple of years ago. I wanted to keep my doctors so now I'm paying over $300 for a supplemental plan. I had a mastectomy several weeks ago. I'm not getting chemo or radiation so the only treatment I have left (hopefully) is possible reconstruction. I'm following up on my…
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What topics/experts would you like to see on The Breastcancer.org Podcast?
Hello, I'm Jamie, senior editor at Breastcancer.org and host of The Breastcancer.org Podcast. I'd like to make sure the podcast is answering questions that Community members have. Are there topics you'd like to see covered? Experts you think I should talk to? Do you want to share your story? Questions you want answered?…
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Nipple Sparing Mastectomy with immediate reconstruction
I had a bilateral nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction on December 15, 2009. In my research I did not find a lot of posts about this particular procedure. I wanted to start a forum for women who have had the same surgery, or who are considering this type of procedure. We could share helpful…
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Anyone on low dose Enhertu?
Hi all, I’ve completed 12 infusions of Enhertu + Perjeta for stage IV HER2-positive breast cancer. My last scan, and Signatera were negative and my tumor markers are in the normal range so I’m currently considered NEAD (no evidence of active disease). Due to side effects like ongoing weight loss and loss of appetite, I’m…
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Mammography Post-Tramatic-Stress
During my pre-surgery mammographies, all of the caregivers were gentle, thoughtful, careful, and informative in explaining what each procedure was for, including chip marker injections. I had not experienced much pain other than the expected discomfort with all mammos. September 2024 I scheduled and went for my first full…
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Differentiating side affects of "normal" life vs cancer treatment
How do you distinguish if the heartburn (or other symptoms) you are experiencing is from stress or diet related instead of treatment medication related? I am taking the lower dose of kisqali. Started with 400mg (1 cycle), and finished the second cycle last week taking 200mg. On my second day of the off week I started…
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Use of Signatera testing in stable disease
I just had my latest scans, and I am still stable with my current treatment plan- Lynparza, Lupron, Xgeva. In fact, the scan said "no evidence of metastatic disease in the abdomen"- I had tumors in the liver we were monitoring. I ask my MO if there was any way to monitor molecular progression- progression before it is…
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ulcerating tumour
mother 94 , advanced Alzheimer probably stage 6 , her breast tumor has started ulcerating , 2 weeks ago first liquid now blood, she is living in a memory care center , wondering how this will evolve , prognosis etc. Does it mean metastasis? Evidently no medical intervention is wanted to prolong her life , except palliative…
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Has your relationship with patience and balance changed since your diagnosis?
As the seasons start to shift, March feels like a good time to talk about balance. Not the polished version — the lived one. Treatment and living, appointments and dinners, showing up for others when your energy is already gone. The quiet, ongoing negotiation between being a patient and being a person. Balance isn’t a…
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Caregivers: What's the most difficult part for you?
We know caregiving brings both love and exhaustion, courage and worry. What part of the caregiving experience has been the hardest for you to navigate?
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Architectural Distortion
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If Ibrance failed for you, what was next in line?
Hi everyone. Looks like I'll be moving on from Ibrance. A PET scan on 3/18 will confirm this but it looks to be the case. My question is that if Ibrance failed for you, what drug or drugs were next and where was your progression? Thanks.
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💗 February 2026 Surgery Roll Call—Let’s Do This Together 💗
If surgery is on your calendar this February—lumpectomy or mastectomy—you’ve found your people. This thread is your meetup spot: a place to show up exactly as you are, whether you’re feeling steady, scared, curious, or all of the above. We’re here to swap questions, share nerves, trade tips, and offer the kind of support…
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Chemotherapy hasn't started yet after the surgery..Her2+++
Hello everyone My sister's diagnosis and brief summary of her recovery are available in my signature. It's been 39 days since her surgery on January 30, 2026, and she's still recovering. Her plastic surgeon said, "We discussed it in the tumor board and decided to perform the first surgery and remove all remaining tissue.…
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2 Word Phrase Game
This game has the poster making a new 2 word phrase starting with the second word of the last post. Only Two Words! Now let's begin the game~ Age Old
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Anyone on low dose Enhertu?
After 12 infusions on Enhertu and Perjeta for Stage IV, HER2 positive breast cancer, my Signatera test came back negative and my scans are clear so I'm now considered NEAD. I still have to continue treatment to prevent a recurrence but want to decrease the dose of Enhertu from 4.4 mg to 3.2 mg. Wondering if anyone on this…
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Starting Chemo September 2015; join us!
Hello all: There is a great and very helpful group in the August 2015 chemo thread, and I hope they will pop in to give advice to all of us 'younger' chemo sisters, but I figured it was time to start the September group for those just starting down this road. My biggest worry is the impact of losing my hair, and am…
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More surgery
my margins weren’t clear so I have to have another lumpectomy. Anyone else experienced this. I have dcis with a small 4 mm invasive cancer. The invasive cancer had clear margins the dcis had one focal margin
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Long-term survival of DCIS patients without radiation or hormone therapy
I'm interested in hearing from people who did not have radiation or hormone therapy after a lumpectomy for DCIS
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Invasive lobular carcinoma
I am new to the forum, felt I needed some support to go through this whole process of my diagnosis. I am 73 years old, biopsy report invasive carcinoma, 7mm, her2 negative, ESTROGEN/PROGESTERONE POSITIVE GREATER THAN 90%.. appointment with surgeon 1/6 hopefully have surgery date set up. Due to the nature of this disease I…
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To take or not to take Tamoxifen
I had to suddenly stop taking HRT after 25 years. Then had a double mastectomy late in Sept 2025 followed by radiotherapy. Since stopping HRT and surgery I have very bad joint pain everywhere. I am 76 years old. I am concerned Tamoxifen will make the joint pain worse. My oncologist prescribed 20mg but I have not started…
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Waiting for more testing and sad and scared
I have been reading these boards and getting a lot of great information. I am 57 years old and I joined a while back when my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, invasive lobular stage 4 which eventually spread to her bones and brain. I was lucky enough to spend so much time with her and be by her side when she…
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Going flat or breast reconstruction
Scheduled to have bilateral mastectomy next month. I am very much undecided if I want to have reconstructive surgery or not and go flat. If I go flat, I am afraid I might get depressed as my body will be very different. With plastic surgery, I’ve read of women having so much pain and needing to do more procedures…
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Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy
I’m newly diagnosed and had consults with 2 different doctors. My tumor is small (6.5/7mm depending on which report used). Both recommended the same treatment- lumpectomy with radiation and then likely chemo. They mentioned that I could choose mastectomy instead and then there wouldn’t be radiation, but that there was…
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Has anyone decided to have a mastectomy after a lumpectomy and radiation?
I finished my radiation treatments a little over a month ago. Due to the size of my tumor I decided against radiation since it seemed as if the costs would out way the benefits. My surgeon, Onc, and Rad Onc, all said that they didn't think my chances of reoccurrences would be significantly better with a mastectomy instead…