Diagnosed after several biopsies

KillTheCancer

My pathology is as follows:

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

Lymph Node Involvement "Several"

HER2/neu Positive (FISH), ER Negative (0%), PR Negative (0%),

Grade 3 Nottingham Score 8 (Gland Formulation:2; nuclear grade:3; mitotic activity:3) Greater than 20 per high power field (haven't research this part yet)

Ki-67 High - 40%

3cm x 3cm x 1.5 mass

Plan is to do Chemo (TCH), Surgery, then radiation

My lymph nodes swelled and became painful and after initial biopsy on them, they found the cancer. They sent me back to find the primary source which could not be seen on mammograms (except for calcifications at the tail end, which they also biopsied). MRI, Ultrasound and Stereotactic biopsies aided in finding the breast mass and getting more details.

I'm going in for a PET tomorrow and am scheduled for an Echocardiogram. I was considering the chemo port but since I've had blood clots in the past, I don't know if that's even an option (or risk) that I want to take.

My head is spinning a little.

Moderators

KillTheCancer (great name, btw!)-

First off, welcome to BCO. We're incredibly sorry for what brings you here, but we're so very glad you've found our community.

The first days and weeks following diagnosis are overwhelming and scary. It's a lot of information to process, not to mention trying to wrap your head around this new normal. It sounds like you have a solid treatment plan in place, and that you're working closely with your medical team, which is so important. Please keep us posted on how your PET scan goes tomorrow. In the meantime, you might want to visit our IDC forum, and connect with other women in our community who've been where you are now: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/96.

Please keep posting, we're all thinking of you!

The Mods

KillTheCancer

Thank Mods! Had my scan done, I got a copy of the images, looks clear outside of my already known cancer site (in my opinion, the untrained professional), we'll see what the pros say.

I think I've decided to go with the port in the arm.

annika12

Im so sorry !! You have found a great place for information and a place to share and vent !! I have a very similar diagnosis and wanted to tell you its been a heck of a year and a half but here I am doing great and just had my one year clear scans. If I can help in any way please feel free to pm me !! Hang in there and one step at a time .....you got this !!!

Annika

KillTheCancer

Thank Annika,

I'm happy for you! I'm just getting started, I'm sure I'll be here posting a lot!

Christine

annika12

I also had an "odd" start like you , found lymph node cancer cells first but no primary , her2 is sneaky but very treatable !!! I had chemo first and then surgery !! The tumors shrunk more then 60% after the first treatment and in the end pathology report there were no cancer cells left. I remember the ladies here telling me the time before you get a plan and start is the hardest and now I can say they were right , after you get a plan and get started it gets a little easier !!! There is a forum for her2 with great supportive ladies. Also check out her2 er- pr-

Annika

Bippy625

Hi Killthecancer, how are you doing? You and I have similar dx and I just completed TCH. I am also doing surgery and rads. If you have any questions about chemo, I am happy to answer to best of my ability. It is scary, but you can do it. Do you know if you are getting Perjeta and Herceptin? The shrunk my tumors away, so much so that no doc can feel them! I also have some nodes that are involved. I am getting a BMX in a few weeks and delayed reconstruction. The beginning is the hardest part. Weirdly, it gets better! Everyone agrees, waiting is the worst. Once you have your tx plan, things improve. Somewhere here is an abbreviation list, so be sure to find it as we use tons of them.

I am glad you found this community. It saved me from going off the rails. Full of awesome, smart, caring ladies going through the same issues. The links here are loaded with excellent up to date info.

Welcome friend and as much as possible, hope you have a good holiday

KillTheCancer

Bippy625,

I'm doing ok so far, just waiting to get scheduled for surgery for the port. No Perjeta to my knowledge. I'm getting TCH (Docetaxel, Carboplatin and Trastuzumab [Herceptin]) and a white blood cell count booster -Neulasta.

Did you choose to have a BMX or what it recommended? I'm just wondering why one over the other if the cancer has shrunk so much.

Christine

KillTheCancer

Got my first Chemo session yesterday, I guess there's another place I can start posting some kind of progress.... I'll check

KillTheCancer

Oh and I had the port placed in the arm and I love it so far!