For all the node positive, Stage 2 ladies

memory

Yesterday, I met a 20-year survivor who was node positive (three of them) at the time she was diagnosed.

 She was young too, at the time of diagnosis, only 42. She's never had a recurrence. She did have non-Hodgkins lymphoma a few years back, but beat it.

Her only concern right now is her prosthesis, which is heavy and uncomfortable. She had a uni. She regrets not getting reconstructed, so I gave her the name of my PS, and also encouraged her to call the university hospital. Hopefully, someone can help her.

I mentioning her today because I see a lot of anxious posts from node positive ladies. So I thought you might want to hear about her.

Oh, and she also said, "I consider myself a success story." I said, "You certainly are." An acquaintance of mine recently told me her sister was diagnosed Stage 2, node positive. Said Sis is terrified, and scared to death she won't live to see her grandchildren. I'll have to pass along the story of this lady when next I see her.

1Athena1

Thanks you, memory. I find that there are few-ish threads for node-positive stage II people, so it is nice to read about someone who did well. 

IsThisForReal

Very good to read this.  I've looked for node positive stage 2 threads, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of them.  This is inspiring and can be beat.  Actually, my Onc. yesterday gave me a less than 10% chance of recurrance and less than 5% mortality.  Nice odds - I'll take them, but still having a blm.  :-)

FireKracker

I am stage 2 (although it says stage 1) sentinel node positive.had 6 more nodes removed all negative.goin for the results of the onco test on the 27th.NERVOUS.

IsThisForReal

Prayers are with you for your onco test Grannydukes.  Let us know how it goes ok?

dianemoe

grannydukes.... About the same as me dx in August.. lumpectomy Sept 22 sential positive. I had body scan yesterday an onco test was ordered Thursday. I go back the for results  on the 22 hopefully of both test. Scheduled for port placement and possible axcillary node removal on the 26. KNOW ABOUT NERVOUS....I'm ER+/PR-, HER-

KitCat1

Oh I needed so to hear this! Node positive stories! I have twin boys age 9! I love them so! I plan to see them grow up. To tell you the truth I am getting pretty sick of always reading " thank God my nodes weren;t postive".. it really brings us who had positive nodes down!  I know no one means to do this.. but it is discouraging.......Thanks for the post Memory! Made my day!

Cathy xo

Medigal

What is this Onco Test many of you got?  I never heard of that.  Is it something we are supposed to have?   Does it HURT??  I am due to see my Onc in November and I would like to find out why I haven't had it if it is necessary.  Thanks!

kathleenm

I'm Stage 2B, 3/6 nodes positive including sentinel node. Fortunately all my testing has been negative. I was diagnosed in 2007. I've had several bone scans, abdominal CT scans, and a coupld brain scans. Most were routine but the brain scan was due to headaches I had during chemo. Talk about scary thinking it could have gone to my brain. It's difficult not thinking about it. I think about it every day many times. I guess it will be that way forever.

dianemoe

Right Forever.............

1Athena1

bump - to get this thread going.

I am wondering what other node-positive stage II sisters have been told about their survival chances. I am less interested in statistics, since those are casino chips, and statistics tell me NOTHING about my individual case, but more in what it means to be stage II with nodes psychologically.

---Should we look upon it as purgatory?

--Are we condemned to a perpetual state of uncertainty?

--Are we at the foyer of the entrance to the Stage IV apartment or are we cancer that we can leave behind?

I assume I am going to die of this disease, but then I have a mind in the gutter (too much interest in both crime and politics).  

Did any of you make major lifestyle changes? 

mmm5

Ladies

Node positive DOES NOT mean inevitable recurrence. I will share with you that the ladies I know personally that have HAD bc have all been node positive and are all ok but one.

My StepMom  - 15 years (stage 2b) 4 nodes

My Stepaunt   - 26 years (stage 3b)

My Girlfriend  - Stage 3c (tumors in her nodes) almost 7 years (early Herceptin)

My HR Director at work 7 years (stage 3)

sschmidt

I am node positive and it will be five years in February.  I have worried this entire 5 years!  Early on, folks would ask about my diagnosis and say things like....you will be fine as long as it was not in your nodes.  I hate those comments.  The look on their faces when they find out you are node positive.

I almost feel like I am normal now.  Almost.  I am on this site today so I am not totally back to normal.  I feel a real affinity toward all of you here.

 My fear is lower and my outlook is excepting.  It is what it is....that was my daughter's first remark to me to get me to stop crying so much.

So, on that note....I hope my NED lasts a very long time.....4.9 and counting.

Shirley 

Curlylocks

Hi Ladies,

 I am a 5 year survivor of stage IIb breast cancer, had 3 positive nodes and my tumour was 4cm.

Positive nodes do not mean you are headed to purgatory!  I took up running in July and can now run 5km without stopping.  Life is there to enjoy... live everyday and try to keep that "elephant out of the room" or give it a few minutes of your time every day and move on...

 It is tough in the beginning wrapping your mind around the positive nodes.  Yes, I too still want to slap people that say "at least it wasnt in your lymph nodes"....

There are no guarantees in life for any of us including those that are not breast cancer survivors. 

  Michele

1Athena1

Congratulations, curlylocks! Hello, from a fellow stage IIB-er. We have almost the same vital siatistics, except that my tumor was 3.4 cms. I also had some DCIS and some grade 2 - I expect many of us have that. 

Feeling healthy myself, about 2 years since I first felt the lump. 

Just curious - did you make any major lifestyle changes?  

misfit

Hi everyone, I'm in this boat too. I have a hard time with being considered early stage. Because of the lymph node and the amount of treatment it doesn't feel that way at all. I think of myself as in between early and late. On the subject of prognosis I was told 80-90% but I have since stopped paying attention to the numbers. As far as lifestyle changes go...that's what I'm hoping will make the difference.

FireKracker

I am tryin slowly to make lifestyle changes.Thats hard.the first thing i gave up was the ANGER.anone i was angry at i forgave.then i slowly started changing my diet.cut down my smoking to 2 a day,i always did exercise so that was no problem BUT the big thing im gonna do is a vacation....for me.

I am considered NED...I plan on staying that way.God bless all my sistas

K

Katey

I was dx'd 20 years ago with stage 2 IDC, 1/26 nodes.  I was 32 when I found the lump with an 18 month old child.  It took a year to be correctly biopsied and dx'd. I had an mx on that side with reconstruction in 1990 and I never had a recurrance! Tho sure had enough tests to find any!  The main change I made was becoming a pescaterian.  My bs at the time suggested cutting out animal fats and to have fish a couple times a week, I never ate another piece of meat again. 

Guess I have to add my new story.  This past year my mammo showed DCIS in remaining breast, it's a brand new primary.  Had mx and recon on that side. I sure wasn't expecting this but I feel very good! 

Medigal

You don't want to know my "life changes".  They may get be banned from this entire forum!  But then again I am on Arimidex so whatever I do is the AL's fault!

IsThisForReal

Wow Grannydukes, you cut down to 2 cigarettes a day?!  That is awesome.  That is also my downfall in lifestyle changes.  I'm slowly getting back into exersizing and watch what I'm eating...not to many starchy foods for sure.  That smoking though, that's one I have to beat.  How did you do it Grannydukes...just cut back slowly?

Katey, you have a wonderful attitude!  My Onc. also cautioned me on the red meat and suggested cutting back.  I will be considering doing this as I need to loose the 10 lbs I gained during chemo and have been looking at the Mediterranian diet.  

FireKracker

i quit smoking many times. im smoking about 50 yrs. on and off.never heavy.never during 4 pregnancies.slowly over the years after each time i went back i cut more.its hard especially on a bad day.

IsThisForReal

Another piece of advice my Onc gave me was not to worry so much.  Seriously.  Simply because stress and worry impacts the immune system and it is our immune systems that keep cancer in check.  Actually, I've read several books that stated the same thing and I believe this makes sense.  Of all the successful stories, I wonder how many of these ladies were 'worriers'?  Or, did they just continue on with their lives and push it out of their minds?  I'm curious.

1Athena1

I stopped smoking about a month after my bmx and it drove me crazy, but I persevered. One of the hardest things I have done. That, and taking high doses of Vitamin D, filtered water and only organic milk and eggs may make the real difference - beside the surgery of course. I think lifestyle changes may make the most difference in cases where the cancer wasn't inherited, but that is just my speculation. There are plenty of women who always observed really healthy habits, had no cancer in the family and got bc anyway.

So having had the bad habit of smoking, I feel lucky that I can actually do something about it and stop. It is frustrating when you do everything "right" and still get ill. I wasn't doing everything right, so after dx, I felt more empowered to control my fate. It was truly empowering to feel I could contribute to my treatment, given how draconian medical treatments for cancer are. I just hope it works! 

I am also exercising more, still trying to get rid of the weight I gained while on Lupron and during the first months of my stopping smoking. Grannydukes, congratulations on cutting down. It will make stopping less difficult.

I love meat, but I don't eat it much because it is hard to get organic meat.  

IsThisForReal

Grannydukes, I've never tried to cut back, only to quit.  I do believe I'm going to give this a shot.  Thank you!

IsThisForReal

Athena, congratulations on quitting.  I so admire that!  I love how you posted about being able to control that aspect of your treatment.  I find your view on stopping smoking very inspiring Athena. Did you have your vitamin D levels tested?  I'm taking a supplement now as my Onc. suggested but am thinking of being tested in order to have the dosage correct.  I'm only taking 400 mg and am thinking that is a very low dose.  I also do the organic meat Athena.  My Dh had his own cattle so we were fortunate to have that.  My brother has cattle and they are strictly grass fed, so we'll be purchasing our beef from him.  Chickens, we get from the Hudderrites (sorry sp?), and pork...well...that's store bought.  Am going to be cutting that one out, immediately.

CoolBreeze

Hi ladies,

I don't know if this will help you, but if you check out adjuvent online and play with the math, you'll find that a larger tumor and no nodes has a worse prognosis than a smaller tumor with nodes.  

I really think that in some ways the staging system for breast cancer is outdated.  They've learned a lot about cancer since that was implemented.  Unfortunately, cancer cells can escape through your vascular system too, not only the lymph system, which is why you see stage i people end up with mets.  It's just a guess, but for the most part, being stage II means you are very likely to be cured.

I'm counting on it!

IsThisForReal

When they did my pathology, they stated 'no evidence of vascular invasion'.  I assume they would be checking that for all path. reports?

1Athena1

IsThisForReal,

Wow, can I invite myself over to your house - I LOVE good, organic meat - lol!

You know what helped me stop smoking? It was telling myself that it was treatment for cancer that kept me going. And telling myself that I had to quit nicotine in particular in order for my reconstruction surgeries to work. There is mounting evidence about the connection between smoking and breast cancer. It used to be only epidemiological, and researchers had been unable to find any connections in molecular biology studies, but that is changing slowly, especially with the publication of a study conducted in Taiwan. Smoking may also aid in bc recurrence. The evidence is still evolving, but we do know that smoking can directly cause lung and ovarian cancers, both of which are also connected to breast cancer. 

IMO (since no one can know for sure), having the bmx and stopping smoking are the two most powerful things I have done against my cancer.

CoolBreeze: I think the staging system is very warped too. For example, if you go to the Stage IV thread, you see so many women with fewer then three nodes, or smaller tumors, and yet it is in their lungs, bones, etc.... Clearly, the cancer spread through other means. That is where the staging system has a huge gap in credibility.  

IsThisForReal

Athena - Thank you for sharing that with me.  I will be re-reading this thread many times I'm sure while I do my quit.  And yes, come over anytime!  Organic beef will be the specialty while you are visiting!  ;-)

1Athena1

Thank you! :-)

FYI, the American Lung Association has a good online tutorial for quitting, which helped. Another resource I recommend is whyquit.com - which had the wonderful nugget of advice that the best reason to stay quit is so that you don't have to go through the hell of quitting again! 

Fearless_One

Thank you so much for posting this - I was stage II, node positive (2 nodes) and have always felt uneasy about that.   Very glad to see this thread...

I did have one that showed "perinodal invasion" (the outside tissue of the node) which freaks me out, but I did my surgery, chemo and hormone therapy and that's all I can do.   No vascular invastion.