Poll regarding how us Triple Negs found our tumor

waniyetu1025

Hi!  Everyone I'm new and have a question. But first I found my lump when my sister in law called me and told me she had a lump and was diagnosed with breast cancer,  I had not really checked myself cuz I had a Memo a year ago and believe it or not I felt myself and there it was and the funny thing was I just had a child late in age at 46. Also breast fed her for 18 mos now I'm 52. I am Tri Neg not sure what grade,  I think Grade II  2cm lump under breast with 2 nodes positive, anyway, I'm finished with Chemo and Rad and been cancer free for two years now.  Chose Lumpectomy had too, not to much info at time,  Dr advised me that I had a 50/50 chance of survival so suggested for me to do the Trial Drug. Well after two treatments, was bleeding real bad from behind, and sores in throat were so severe, anyway had to many side effets so they had to quit trial drug...Bevezicumb,  Never uncovered it so don't know if actually got the two treatments. Wish I would of got Mastectomy, but didn't know too much about this kind of caner. Well my question is I am starting to have nipple discharge which started out clear, went to Dr says this is normal as long as its not bleeding,  Says he can go in through the duct and take a biopsy if I want, but felt it was not necessary,  I decided to schedule this operation anyway to be safe then sorry.  Well wed I started seeing blood now so tried to get a hold of Dr and cant reach him until Monday.  Has anyone experienced this before? Also I have a question about Taxol dose dense did anyone get Neuropathy with this?  My feet kill me when I walk.  The Dr says it will get better in a year or so but I still feel pain in my feet after two years. 

wrsmith2x

Found during routine mammogram.  Lump was almost directly behind the nipple deep near the chest wall.  Couldn't feel it until ultrasound tech showed me where it was.

livvienigelmom

Found my tumor sitting on the couch at about 9:30pm watching tv. It was on the upper outer quadrant of my breast.

riley702

I don't see the poll link - where is it?

I found mine (also seemingly popped up out of nowhere), when I was having trouble with my underwire bra riding up. I finally got exasperated after tugging it back down a few times, so I reached into the cup to scoop my breast up and reseat it. When my fingers pushed in on the outer side of my breast, I felt it deep inside by the chest wall.

Beatis

I had a mammo which came up clean. One and a half year later (we have mammo's every 2 years for over 50s) I had a breast reduction and then a tumour of 1.1 cm was found plus extensive DCIS.

4 weeks later I had a full mastectomy and then two other small tumours were found in the breast tissue, as well as a lot of DCIS again.

The tumours were set deep inside the breast. 

cdbrown

I found my due to a freak accident, I fell in the yard and injured my arm.  I also had a sinus infection so I stayed in bed the next day.  I got up to take a shower and due to my arm hurting I shaved my underarm a different way and there it was.  I give credit to God for finding my tumor.  But you are all right it came up fast.  I am a constant checker and it was not there a month before.  The doctor said it was 2.2 cm when it was taken out.

batoday

My lump has been there since 2004 which was benign fibrostic changes back then.  After 6 yrs it has become TNBC. 

Sugar77

My first baseline mammogram found a calcification cluster...a biopsy then found Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia. The surgeon chose to remove the area in case there was any DCIS. The final path showed an invasive triple negative tumor along with DCIS and ADH. 

Titan

I rolled over in bed one Sunday morning in January. 2009..I think my arm must have brushed it...it was not there before...funny thing is..my paternal grandmother rolled over in bed and found hers the same way....This was way back in 1960..not sure what treatment she had but she died maybe 6 years later....I think she was in her late 60's at the time...I really don't know much about it...I don't think they talked much about this back then...weird thing is..evey time I roll over..something still goes through my mind about it......

kittycat

1st tumor found on an ultrasound (not the mammogram).  It was really small (.5 x .8 cm) and was DCIS. 2nd set of tumors detected myself while taking a shower.  I was rather shocked since I had a bilateral mastectomy with my first diagnosis.  The main tumor was only .6 cm.  This time it's IDC with DCIS in the other smaller lumps. 

JourneyNC

I didn't find it. I was just plain ole tired. One evening, my left breast was highly sensitive. I felt a drop of liquid. I scheduled my yearly 3mos late than I was supposed to because of work. The mammo was questionable and the radiologist wanted me to WAIT another 6mos. Face to Face with the radiologist, I asked for another alternative. She truly believed since my Mother did not have it and her first paternal first cousins did, I was not close enough in genes. I had a biopsy and they felt the same stating I should be ok. They called me at home 3 days later on March 25th to tell me it was cancer. I don't go to this radiology clinic or hospital any longer. It was less than a centimeter and the only thing I felt was TIRED.

Lee27

I was getting up from my chair at the Board room table when I yelled out. It felt like someone stabbed me. There I found a lump that seemed to jump out like when a little kid falls and hits their head.  Get this...it was on Friday the 13th!

 I've had chemo/2 back to back surgeries/31 rads in 10 months.

dsa-deb

hey all:  i felt mine during physical therapy session in late March after having rotator cuff surgery in November '09.  Seems like I rolled over on the table and discovered I was severe pain and my breast felt like a brick....don't remember it feeling that way that morning!   Thought I'd just irritated it during therapy sessions, so waited for a couple of weeks thinking it would calm down.  Never did, just got worse...so went to PC, immediately referred for mammogram and was sent directly for ultrasound.  Got call 3 days later and was invited into the world of cancer w/1st surgery on April 23.  2nd one 2 weeks later  and 3rd one this friday to remove that last darn stinkin' cell directly under my nipple.  Diagnosed w/metaplastic carcinoma........treatments to begin 1st week in june.  what a trip.....  anyone else got same diagnosis?  DSA

kaycee

I had a routine mammo on May 3, 2010, and got called back the next day to come in for a recheck. The lesion couldn't be seen by two ultrasound techs, but another mammo confirmed "something" was there.

 I took my films to another breast center, where the ultrasound tech was able to locate the lesion. The radiologist also ordered a breast MRI, then performed the biopsy under ultrasound guidance. I got a diagnoses of IDC, my surgeon said it was low grade, and recommended lumpetomy plus radiation.

I had the lumpectomy yesterday. On my way from the breast center to outpatient surgery, I was able to pick up my biopsy pathology report. I had no idea what it meant at the time. I am still in shock.

I''m not sure how large the tumor was (the radiologist said around 1 centimeter) but it was close to the chest wall.

Hope-downunder

I found my lump whilst getting dressed.  I felt the lump at 1200,  I am 37 and had not had any screening.  I did attend regular self exams although often hard as have lumpy breasts,  it was not a symetrical lump when compared to the other side.  I waited for a couple of menstral cycles to make sure it was not hormonal,  I am glad I then did something about it.  It really did seem to appear overnight.

prairiekittin

I hurt! It felt like an ice pick was stabbing me in the chest!! I went to the doctor and he sent me home with antibiotics. I went to the free clinic after the antibiotics didn't work and they set me up an appointment for a mammogram.

Chris-rae

I found my lump myself in the shower.  I had been exercising and dieting to lose weight.  Lost about 20 lbs and discovered the lump.  Thought it must be just a syst.  Waited a couple of months to see if it would go away.  It didn't, so called my GP and got in to see here.  She thought it was nothing but got me in for a mammo. an hour later.  I went directly over to ultrasound from the mammo. and finally got to go home with my mind going a thousand miles an hour.  By the time I got home ( 1 1/4 hour later) I had a message on my phone  to see the surgen the next day.  He did a core biopsy that day.  I found out 3 days later. Stage 1 grade 3 Early they say.

Claire82

Wow! It seems so many found the triple negative lump themselves. I found mine in the tub. I had a mamogram the next day and it still didn't show. Finally it showed up on the ultra sound.

KDob3

I found a lump in my right breast while doing a breast exam in March 2009.  I do not recall anything being there the previous month.  I was 45 years old, and had not had my first mammogram.  I saw my GP, was referred to the breast health centre, had a mammogram and biopsy.  I had a lumpectomy in June 2009.  My tumour was 2.0 cm by 2.9 cm, grade 3, neg lymph nodes, stage 2A, and triple negative.  I am doing well over a year later, after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.  Praying for continued good health.

wyliec7

My husband found my lump while trying to drunkenly groping my right breast after coming home from watching Monday Night Football, just like he always does...and to think I had told him sternly not to even think about it before he went out that night! Thank goodness he did. I was diagnosed on my 39th birthday and had not had a previous mammogram due to my age and an absence of family history. The lump was painful when he touched it but had not bothered me previously...it was on the outside of the breast, just under my armpit and the doctor thought it might be a lymph node but, again thank goodness, sent me for a diagnostic mammo/ultrasound or I might not be here today. As this was all happening over the Christmas holidays, I had to push pretty hard to have the biopsy done and surgery scheduled right away, and it turns out I was right..the tumor was aggressive, triple-negative, with a very high Ki-67.  

I am not one to run to the doctor for every little thing and have ignored my fair share of injuries/illnesses, but something about that lump just felt wrong, and I am so very thankful that I listened to my instincts and had it taken care of. I have just finished chemo (dose-dense AC followed by dose-dense Taxol) June 2 and will have the TE exchange tomorrow.

wyliec7

I did finish dose-dense taxol x4, at the end started having numbness in my toes, sore feet, and painful toenails. One month after last treatment, it has all disappeared except for some discoloration of the nails and three or four numb toes still. I had Acupuncture directly after each chemo treatment and feel that it was immensely helpful, although I was skeptical at first. I skipped the Acupuncture on two of my eight chemos and had much worse side effects those two times. You might consider trying it or some natural supplements if you aren't already; the B vitamins are good for neuropathy...hope this helps.

danielle321

I had always leaned forward to position my breasts in my bra correctly and around Dec. 2009 I kept thinking something was not the same with the right breast, it felt thicker or heavier.  January I had my annual exam and she found nothing.  I kept doing exams but nothing.  Then around Feb. in the shower I felt a lump but had a hard time locating it again.  I made an appt. on March 2 to see the doc about something else and was due for my annual mammo so I mentioned it to her to get my mammo appt.  She did an exam right there and could not find it.  I told her I had to sit up and lean forward in order to feel it and she still had a hard time finding it but finally did.  It was the size of a grape 1.7cm 

I just had my 3rd dose dense AC chemo yesterday.  1 more of those and 4 of the Taxol.  Tissue expander suck pretty much.  Can't wait for this year to be over and then I can celebrate every year thereafter to the fullest! 

Anonymous

I found mine as I was showering. There it was. I never felt it before. Iit was like it showed up overnight. Had my mammo a year before I found this and that breast was okay. It was my other breast that was questionable. My life changed.

Greysandy

My husband found the lump during sex, but I felt the other breast and said no, it's the same as the lumpy bumps on the other side...then reexamined myself 2 days later and confirmed that it was a lump, made the doctor's appt for the next day.  Since my mother was DX at 39 and died at 44, I have been having mammograms every year since I was 30 yrs old.  My last one was Aug of 2009, and found the lump June 2010.

mitymuffin

I had a sharp pain in my breast that was different from any breast pain I'd felt previously. Not like a "monthly hormonal" pain, but sharp. I went to my GYN and he did a manual exam and felt nothing, and said I was fine and that one thing I didn't have to worry about was breast cancer because pain wasn't a symptom.  I went for a mammogram, and two days later my GYN called me and told me I had breast cancer.  After the lumpectomy the pain has not returned, so I think the tumor was impinging on a nerve.  My previous mammogram had been eleven months earlier, and it was clean.

Hope60

I never felt the lump. I had some "strange" pains in my breast...like a dull throbbing, but it wasn't in one specific spot. My breast also felt heavy to me.  I've always had dense breasts with a lot of big cysts, so I didn't pay much attention to these new pains at first.  My mammo 6 months earlier was clear.  Went for my regular gyno appointment a few months later and mentioned it to him....he didn't feel anything either.  Just told me to go for my regular mammo appointment in June, which I did, and that's when it was found.  

Up until my dx I had always heard that BC felt like a hard, painless lump. I'm wondering if this is just not true, or if there is something different about TN tumors? It seems like alot of us had pain and non-palpable lumps.

reese1234

I found my lump on a Sat. morning about 5:00 a.m.  Rolled over in bed to scratch an itch and there it was.   Neither my husband nor I noticed it before.   Had to wait until Tues. for the Dr. to try to aspirate it.  After not getting anything from it, he suggested I have a lumpectomy, but then said, " it could be BC".   "Yeah, I know", was my reply.  Had a mammo and ultrasound before seeing the surgeon.  It lit up the mammo like New York City and couldn't be seen on that ultrasound nor the one the surgeon did in his office.  That was a Fri. 

Had a stereotactic biopsy on Mon. morning at 10:00.  The Drs. office called at 9:00 Tues. morning and asked if me and my husband could be at his office at 2:00 for the results.  Less than 24 hours couldn't be a good sign.   The surgeon (who I absolutely love) teared up when he told me "unfortunately I have to give you some news you don't want to hear".  I literally felt like he was talking to someone else.  My tumor was 2.2 cm, Stage llA, grade 3, TN.  I "knew" it was  BC when I found it.  I was 43 years old at dx and had left mastectomy (no recon) and 6 rounds of Cytoxan and Taxotere.  I have an appt. with the surgeon this week.  I think I'll ask him how big it was when he took it out.  That might be interesting.  Blessings to all and keep up the fight.  

mstauth

I found mine when I put on my leather jacket.  It really hurt a spot in my arm pit.  I reached under and found a lump.  My OB nurse thought it was an infection and told me to wait a couple of weeks (against my better judgement) before heading to my Dr, who then sent me right away to have a biopsy.  I'd had a mamogram (my first) less than a year before for my 40th birthday.  They thought they saw something, but just redid some slides instead of doing an ultrasound.  I have dense tissue and as we know mamograms have a hard time seeing thru that.  It really ticked me off looking back.  I changed offices.

A few years after that my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, so they tested me for the genetic markers (Mom died from chemo).  I was positive for BRCA 1.  I had a full hysterectomy.  Since before I didn't know I was genetic, I'd only had a left mastectomy.  Now they want me to have a right, but I am waiting until I am ready to have another surgery.  I am being monitored with MRI's and ultrasounds (alternating every 6 months).  It is a 50/50 chance, but surgeries are hard too.  Honestly I like having my right breast because it is one erogenous zone that I'd like to keep for just a little while...

keturah

I was on my menstrual cycle and my breast was very tender.  I had a cup of coffee in my right hand and my left arm holding my breast still while I walked.  When I took a sip of coffee, it pushed my hand against  the side of my right breast, under my armpit. That is when I found my lump.

fran1518

I felt a hard lump (turned out it was two) on routine self exam.  Located at 1:00.  I had no history of breast symptoms and was in good health.  Though I was 53yo, I had not yet had a mammogram.   

Dx: 10/31/09, IDC, Stage II, no nodes, triple negative.