New to my Recurrence diagnosis and questions

Kayla250

Hi forum, not glad I'm here but glad I found "here".

I went for my yearly mammogram on January 17th and long story short, they found a recurrence. I have decided to have a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I am awaiting my plastic surgeon consult and we should be all done by next month. I won't know if I have any more lymph node involvement until then. But, hopefully it is kept as a local recurrence. But....

I have been having headaches (unusual for me) for the last few weeks. I was thinking the stress of waiting was getting to me. Well this evening I, all of a sudden, thought 'brain mets'. I would never have thought that, over headaches,until this new diagnosis.

I know I should and will mention it to someone on Monday but I wonder if anyone here found out about their metastasis because of a local recurrence?

wallan

Hi there:

So sorry to here about your recurrence. Hugs to you.

Hopefully it will just be localized and the BMX will do the trick mostly.

I also was just dx with a new breast cancer on the other side after 13 years NED. I have two tumors seen on mammogram, ultrasound and MRI and node negative after SNB. I am awaiting my mastectomy with reconstruction scheduled Mar 8. The first time I had BC, I had a mastectomy without reconstruction. I did have radiation on that side and chemo and hormone therapy blah blah blah. So for the reconstruction process this time, I will have TE on the new mastectomy side and fat grafting on the old mastectomy/radiated side. We shall see how things turn out. I will get pathology from the mastectomy for next treatment steps after that. All I know so far is that radiation is unlikely not to be needed. Chemo is not ruled out. I am still not "staged" but from imaging and SNB, it looks like stage 1A, node negative. No word yet on hormone status or HER status.

As for headaches, after I was dx the second time, I developed weird headaches for about a week, and that is exactly what I thought too. Brain Mets. In fact, any aches and pains in my body now I think may be mets. I think, here I go again with the anxiety that I had finally squelched from last time in just the last few years. I am back to the anxiety again. It sucks. I am trying to distract myself and get on with it. Very difficult to do in these early days after dx.

I hope everything works out for you. Let us know.

Kayla250

Aaah wallan - it is quite a road, isn't it? Well, deep breathes and here we go again.

I'll be thinking of you on the 8th, I'll track down your thread and follow your progress. I haven't a clue what kind of reconstruction I'll decide on, but a little freaked out about it.

Good luck, I remember writing with you early in my waiting period, now looking back to January, man time flies doesn't.it?

wallan

Hey Kayla250:

I thought you sounded familiar like we had connected. My tumors were found Jan 18 and confirmed malignant Jan 25. I am looking forward finally to some treatment (the mastectomy) and am also freaked out about the reconstruction. It is all new to me this reconstruction. But, I have been told it will all be worth it by some ladies, so I am going for it. Perky boobs in the end.

By the way, my headaches have abated and I figured they were just weird and it must have been from the stress of all this again. Who knows? Will I mention them to someone? Only if they come back.

I will follow you too. I have found the waiting for the surgery to be well.. difficult. I will be glad when its over.

wallan

Kayla250

I'm sorry that you're the one going first for the operation, but I hope you do well enough to post your progress. I'm sure you'll be loopy for a few days and I'm picturing the pain might take sometime to resolve or get use to. But I'll be looking for you after the 8th. Oh, man, I can't believe I'm typing these words. Can you image, New Year's Eve I was toasting to the best year ever and now, I'm asking someone to tell me all about a mastectomy because I'm having one (well, two) and want a heads up.

wallan

Hey Kayla250:

Life can throw curveballs out of nowhere, huh? You just never know. At New Years, I too was celebrating the biggest victory I have had in my career (which is now completely stalled) and was looking forward to a monumental 2017. Well, scrap that plan... sigh...

I am relieved by surgery date is almost here.. I am happy to report progress and give heads up.

We will get thru this.

wallan

KBeee

Do report the headaches to your doc. Likely stress related, but you don't want to ignore it either

Kayla250

thank you Kbeee

Days of waiting go by so slowly. I do have my plastic surgeon consult on Monday, i'm grateful for that. But this weekend my mind is getting away on me...if anyone stops by my thread, here. And knows f a thread that, sort of, reassures those facing a new recurrence, and shows that just because cancer comes back doesn't mean it keeps coming back....even with lymph node involvement. I, of course, won't know if there are, but my brain keeps going to metastasis and that I'm going to I have to go through this over and over again. Tail spinning....

KBeee

I did find with my recurrence that physically, it was easier than the first time because I knew what to expect. Mentally, it was harder. I do have a couple friends (and a mother in law) that have survived for years following a recurrence with no mets.

I hope you can stay busy and distracted