not sure how to "define" myself

js37

had a lumpectomy with a snb - wonderful clean margins & all clear.  blood work clear.  bone scan, mri & ct scan, all clear.  had a high oncotypedx score for recurrence so i'm doing a low dose cmf treatment for an added safety measure...but now, i'm not sure what i'm supposed to say.  do i "have" breast cancer, or is it that i "had" breast cancer?  i know the first few years are the ones where recurrence is most likely, and it may seem like a silly distinction - but i feel so in limbo.  do i have cancer or not?  did i have cancer?  sometimes i feel like such a fake for saying "i have breast cancer" when i don't actively have any indication in my body, and my treatment has no side effects (at the moment, lets hope it stays that way).  am i now "ned" as they say?  or is it too early to say that? 

just thinking outloud really.  

Leah_S

I felt the same dilemma, so I got around it - I said "I'm being treated for bc". It was accurate, and it was easier for me to deal with that staement.

Best of luck with your treatments.

Leah

JillAnnB

Leah is actually correct.  You are being treated for breast cancer.  My onc said that the cancer was removed when you had the lumpectomy, so the cancer is no longer there.  Hope this helps and good luck!