Poll regarding how us Triple Negs found our tumor

ekenny315

i don't actually remember how i found it, i was just uncomfortable under my armpit. i was also pregnant at the time and thought it was something related like a swollen milk gland or something. Had a Us & a mammo that confirmed a very small <2cm mass @ 10:00. We decided to terminate the pregnancy for fear of positive estrogen receptors. After core biopsy's and a needle biopsy, the dx stood at a stage 2. After the mass was removed and a axillary lymph node dissection i got bumped to a stage 3c grade 3, triple negative. And to think my last mammo was in september 07. </p>

pinoideae

Thank you for starting this very interesting thread.  Can't believe I just found it now; here is my story,

I leaned over a counter at work one day and must have put pressure on the unknown (at that time) tumor as the pain was excruciating enough I had to go to the washroom and collect myself.  This was September 2001, in October 2001 I found a lump in the shower.  I went to the doctor the same day and noticed when I was laying down on the examining table you could actually see the lump.  Doctor sent me for a mammo 3 days later, and I think the radiologist knew right away, asked me to wait and completed a biopsy the same afternoon (I think they call it a mammosite?).  I asked if it was bc and she said, well, it is a grey mass.  It turned out to be 1.9 centimetres, it looked bigger under the skin, like about 3 inches, probably due to location, bottom of breast toward the inside.  DX was triple negative, high grade, stage 1, 0/8 lymph nodes, with good margins (4mm on smallest margin).  Treatment was CMF 3 months, radiation 5 weeks with one week boost, and CMF for another 3 months, however, cannot say CMF for each 3 months as neutrafil counts were so low most times that I had to wait a week almost every time for the next treatment. 

mcharl

I found mine in the shower getting ready for work, had to wait to get checked out because insurance wasn't in effect, so when i finally got mammo i saw pics and knew, a very kind lady had shown me yrs before what to look for and techs face confirmed. She rushed me for ultrasound and GP made appointment with surgeon the following week.  It was stage 2 grade 3, triple neg, 0 of 1 node so i was very blessed it hadn't spread.  Had chemo, lumpectomy, and 7 weeks of rads and 2 boosts.  I am 2 yrs out this month and so far everything is NED.

Anonymous

My non-palpable tumor was found by a mammogram in 2005.  It was less than 1 cm. in dia.  I was one of the lucky ones, I guess.

 Months before this I took myself off hormones (Prempro) and anti-depressants because I wanted to be "drug-free".  The lack of anti-depressants made me very, very depressed, of course.  The absence of Prempro made me very, very irritable and my breasts became less dense.

It's very interesting that my cancer was TN. 

I also want to add that my dog, Angus, was very curious about my left armpit months before the mammo discovered the nodule.  Position of tumor was at 2 o'clock, almost directly under my left armpit. 

Kayree

Found through self exam.  Strange thing was I couldn't feel it if I were standing up or lying flat.  I only could feel it if I was sitting up leaning slightly forward.  It happened to be a fairly large tumor 3.5 cm in the breast (and 4.5 cm in the axillary lymph node which I didn't even know was there until dx ultrasound). 

kmartin

Felt my lump (1.7cm) in a bath. Was very near chest wall at 7 o'clock, could see clearly with arm raised. Was one month shy of yearly mammo...but Rad. Onc. does not think it was ever clearly imaged due to close proximity to chest wall. Did regular breast self-exams. IDC, Stage II, Grade 3, 4/23 + nodes, triple neg.

FloridaLady

I met a girl last week and she told me she found her because her cat kept massaging that area and it was very sore.  What strange is the cat never acted this way before....

 How is that for a story....

Living in hope,

Flalady

sherry38

Hi, I also found mine accidently.  I was drying off after a shower - the same way I dry off every day.  I do not really do the self exams (honestly), but, I was just checked in January during my yearly pap.  The Dr felt nothing odd and I didn't notice anything then either.

I feel like mine popped up overnight.  After I felt it - left breast 10:30 position not close to the chest wall as far as I know, I looked in the mirror and I swear my veins were glowing, but I couldn't see the lump.

Checked in January found accidently in March - I would've noticed it if it were there.

My family Dr. talked about the doubling rate and said I may have just hit that point.  We have to remember that most of the triple negs seem to always be stage 3 which is the faster growing & more aggressive : ( 

Anonymous

Wacky but true. I found my wife's tumor...

jdmelo

I had a normal mamm the year before.  When I went for my mamm in June 2008, it was already

4 cm.  I just found out today I am triple negative.  Can anyone give me supportive words.  I feel very overwhelmed.

Diane

FloridaLady

jdmelo,

Can you give us a little more info...Stage, Grade and lymph node involvement?  Do you know what order treatment will be yet?  Chemo,Surgery & Rads? What Chemos?

Please know we have many long time survivors (a lot with no evidence's of disease NED) on this site that are triple neg.  Don't let doctor's or your research scare you.  You are you and your body and cancer has it own biological makeup.  You or your doctor will not know anything about, how you will respond to treatment until you get through the next few months. Your job is to go through treatment day by day and one day this thing will be gone, and you get your life back. Hopefully a stronger and person who will remember to live life to the fullest.  Please read the chemo threads that will help you with "possible side effects".  I had no real side effects except small amount of fatigue with chemo until number seven, than I had neuropathy.  I hope you also have very few SE.  Please read some good books on how to coupe with the mind game of cancer.  Sometime this is the hardest part.   If you can find a great support group.  Sometime this ladies are the glue that will help hold yourself together over the next few months.

 Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Living in Hope,

Flalady

memeclaus

I didn't find mine. My cat did! He Jumped on me and mad a sore spot that did not go away. Went to the doc and she didn't find it either. She scheduled a mamogram and ultrasound for the next week and there was a 1.2cm tumor. A month later it's 2.3cm with a 1.6cm band on 3 sides containing DCIS and multiple small spots. Have sugery this week and we (the doc & I) don't know if he'll do a lumpectomy or a mastectomy because of the size!

memeclaus

Additional comment: Still can't feel the dang thing cause it's smack dab in the middle of the breast!

FloridaLady

Meme,

Your the second lady who has said her cat found her tumor.  I just met another lady that her cat kept massaging a area on her breast, and she thought it was tender.  Her cat kept it up until she finally could feel a small lump.  I wish I was so lucky.

Flalady

dianas1

where is the poll at?  I too, am triple negative and had a 4 centimeter lump appear out of nowhere.

carolbythecreek

Had a mamogram Jan 2008 and received a letter saying it was normal. Sure was surprised when my husband discovered my 2.3 cm lump at the end of March. When questioned the doctor rechecked my mamogram and said it was there but had been missed. My breasts are dense. I do BSE and was surprised when this lump appeared as I had a history of cysts and was always careful about checking. I think about that "normal mamogram letter" often.

IsabellasMom

My baby girl kicked me in the chest.  It was sore.  I felt a lump, high and close to my chest wall.  I thought the lump would go away, but it didn't.  I already had a mammogram scheduled.  So, I went.  Then I got the bad news.  I thought they made a mistake.  But, they didn't.   

MarlyD

I found mine around early May 2008 while showering.  It was a lump on the outer mid section of my right breast.  I waited through a menstrual cycle (as I had read to do) to see if it was hormone-related.  I finally had a mammogram on June 24 at which time they did a biopsy and I got the news on June 30 from my primary care physician that it was breast cancer.  It is a 3cm, grade 3, so far one lymph node positive deep to the subpectoral muscle.  My mammogram in June 2007 was clear . . .

Marly

Tracy01

This is a great thread!  I found my tumor during a SBE, which I did often due to cystic breasts, in January 2007.  I had an ultrasound in April and was told they couldn't see anything or feel it (which pissed me off because I drew a circle around it and they still couldn't feel it).  I made an appointment with a surgeon in September and had a mammogram and it did not show on the mammogram.  I had a lumpectomy three weeks later and ended up with a 1.6cm triple negative tumor.  I wish I would've been more persistent, but I guess my lesson is learned and I really have become my own advocate and will not back down to medical providers now.  The tumor was high on my chest wall, about 1 o'clock on my right breast and about 2" down from my collarbone.  It hurt like the dickens (which was another reason the radiologist said she wasn't concerned, along with my age of 35) and changed in shape and size from the mammogram appointment and the lumpectomy appointment.  I guess I caught it in time because it must've had thoughts of finding more homes in my body.

djfl

Mine was in a cyst that appeared out of nowhere. It was painful so I went to get it checked and sure enough it was BC.  The cyst had clear fluid with blood in it.

pwcassidy

Mine was a soreness seemed to come out of nowhere.  I felt something while lying on my back on Thanksgiving night. It didn't feel like I thought bc would feel, more like a pulled muscle.   Didn't tell anyone but scheduled a mammo as my yearly check was in January and doc sort of frowns if I haven't had my yearly mammo.  The last mammo was June of 07 and there was nothing there. Because I  didn't say anything  a follow-up was requested almost two weeks later, the first day available was Jan 2nd.  That day they were pretty sure. I had a 4 cm tumor, triple n, stage IIIb, with lymph node involvement.

Bellagirl

Hi, I found my lump doing a BSE in the shower. It was a month before my annual mammo. It was 2.6 cm, close to the chest wall (which is the reason for the rads after chemo) and at 12:00 position.  The radiologist told me after they did the digital mammo that usually she can go back to the previous mammo,in my case the past years mammo, and see something that perhaps didn't look suspicious then, but seeing what she sees now, she realizes it's something. Well, she said she couldn't find anything in my previous mammo to illude to the fact that I would have cancer 11 months later. By the time I had all the test done and the mastectomy done, it had gone from no lymph/vascular invasion to lymph/vascular invastion all the way to the nipple and met to my supraclavical node. There was also a suspicious node in the lung that resonded to the chemo, so she staged me at IIIc but is treating me like stage IV.

Bellagirl

Wink

JDMELO; I was diagnosed on the same day you were.  Left breast 3 o'clock position.  It was missed on my mammogram and the only reason I found it was because it was sore (thought it was a cyst - always heard that cancer doesn't hurt).  Had another mamo, ultrasound, biopsy = IDC, grade 3, Stage II, 2.7 cm, 0/3 nodes (frozen section, haven't received official path report). Had bilateral mastectomy on Aug 18th, 2008, went back to work Aug 26th. I'm tired, sore, and feel like someone has tied up my chest with barbed wire!  See oncologist on Tues for future plans.

pinoideae

bellagirl, I am sick.

joyagain

Taking a shower mid April and felt this hugh lump. Tumor was 6 cm. Seemed like it just appeared overnight. Still can't believe that I never felt it before or that it wasn't discovered before it got this big.

VickiG

My dog gets the credit.  May 2007 we adopted a puppy, she romped through poison ivy, and jumped on me... next thing I knew I had hives all over my abdomen.  Smearing Benadryl gel on myself one eve that week I found the lump... like everyone else, "where did THAT come from?!"  2 mos earlier I had a ckup w/ clinical exam & he didn't feel anything unusual, and the previous Dec. I had my 1st mammo since I had turned 40 that yr.  My gyn blew me off when I called the next day to tell them about the lump, said to take lots of Vitamin E, cut out caffeine, and wait for my next period.  They scheduled a mammo a few wks out in "the outside chance" it would still be there, and lo and behold, the day before my mammo I found a lump under that arm.  I went from honestly believing it was nothing to be concerned about (after all, nothing that's actually serious just pops up that large, so it must be benign!) to knowing w/o a doubt that it was in fact malignant and had already gone to my lymph nodes.  Know what though?  They couldn't even see it on mammo even when they knew it was there... it took u/s.  And when I went for an MRI it showed a 2nd primary tumor nearly as large as the first.  Needless to say, it was a very easy decision to opt for bilateral mast!!!

cas145

Yep mine was just there one day and it was very sore, I had been sore in that area for a long time with no lump it was at about 8o'clock on my RB, when they did the lumpectomy they found 3 tumors I ended up needing a mast as there was c under my nipple.Cas

vbabey

My husband found mine. Had my mammo less than a year ago and a breast exam 1 1/2 months before that day at my gyn appnt.  As I investigated, it seemed to get very painful, went on antibiotics asap, but followed up within a week, was sent for a mammo and ultrasound (abnomal!) and was in with my surgon within a week, and biopsy done asap-triple negatvie stage IIIa 4 cm tumor with definite lymph node involvement.(2.9cm lymph postive for cancer, at least one anyway. It was like what the hell just happened in the last two weeks?! Already have started chemo, will get surgury, poss more chemo and radiation. Almost unbelievable how quick it all happened.

onell

Hi all, I am a mammogram poster girl. I was a month or so late for my annual mammogram and they found a 1+cm mass near my chest wall. Let the rollercoaster ride begin.  Luckily I got thru chemo and radiation just fine and am now coping with the ongoing worry of recurrance.  I think I was lucky because I had a digital mammogram.

Sido

I sleep in a soft bra and I felt the lump one evening when I was putting it on. The doctor said that the cancer was really aggressive and my lump developed in about 6 months.  I was never very good about doing self-exams, so I was lucky it was so close to the surface or I would not have found it at such an early stage.