Long term suvivor stories

beach2beach

I know this may not be the right forum to put this under so if anyone can suggest a better place please do. I'm newly diagnosed(IDC). Of course like all newbies we read and read and read some good, but there always seems to be more bad than good. i'm still wrapping my head around the diagnosis, upcoming surgery and whatever treatments lie ahead.

When you hear/read of long term bc survivors, especially the ones from back in the 1930's thru 1960's I often wonder if Dr's knew back then it was cancer or if some could have benign changes and they just see a lump take it out and send you home telling you its cancer but it was not. Of course now there are many different types, subtypes, etc, Science has come a long way. I love reading the positive stories, I truly do, and hope I become one as well as all of you. Think we could all use some much needed positivity.

Would love to hear more if anyone is, knows someone who is, etc.

Enjoy the day!

wallan

I have a few stories. A friend of mine who was just treated for stage 2 BC has a family doc who was diagnosed with stage 4 BC 17 years ago when she was 39. At the time, they told her she had about 3 months to live. She was a single mom with 5 little kids under 10. Back then, she quit her medical practice and had treatment. (I do not know what treatment). She is cancer free today!

Another lady I know was dx with stage 4 BC 13 years ago and is on hormone therapy is working full time as a professor. She is NED.

And I heard a story of a lady who was diagnosed with stage 4 BC and told to get her affairs in order 20 years ago. She is NED today too.

I had stage 3 BC 13 years ago and at the time my oncologist told me she doubted treatment would work and gave me about 2 years she said. Well, I am fine now. I did have a second BC (not a recurrance) in the other breast this last Feb. Stage 1, no lymph nodes. I had another mastectomy and am on arimidex. Other than that, I am great.

wallan

Anonymous

wallan - Thank you for sharing these stories!

beach2beach

Yes, thank you so much. These stories are great to read. Hope we get a ton more.

Kimm992

Great stories!

ruthbru

I am 10 years out & doing fine (my treatments included chemo, rads & 5 years of Arimidex). One of my aunts was diagnosed in the 1960's. She had a radical mastectomy but no other treatments (as none was offered). She died about 30 years later at the age of 88 without ever having a recurrence.

Rrobin0200

my grandmother was diagnosed when she was 36. She had a MX and then went through cobalt treatment. She dies at age 85,living ablissful life. Norecurrence

Msjackiefan

I have a friend who's mother and grandmother were both diagnosed early stage, I believe. One had double mastectomy and lived 20 years after, dying of unrelated cause; the other one was diagnosed around same age-60ish-did same thing, BMX,and lived to 90ish, ripe old age. I realize getting diagnosed younger is scarier..but this is what I've heard: Take the drugs for as long as they tell you-don't cut them out early, as some women do; and also build immune system with fruits and veggies. The immune system spends all day long fighting off invaders, including cancer cells. Give it a good chance to work.

Majority of cancers never recur. Don't waste time worrying. Just enjoy life.

Denise-G

I'm almost 6 years out with Her 2 Pos and only had 3 months of Herceptin due to heart issues - I am doing great!

My favorite story is the mom of a school friend. She was diagnosed in her 30s in 1956 while pregnant with her daughter (my friend).

She had 2 other small children. They took the baby from her immediately after birth and took her directly to surgery for

mastectomy.

They gave her no hope as it was a huge tumor and lots of lymph node involvement. She had a single very radical mastectomy and cobalt treatments as that is all there was. A few years later, she had a recurrence in her other breast which they removed, but did not do cobalt.

Her daughter said she had to wear hot rubber prostheses with a long line bra. She was thrilled when lighter weight prostheses were available in her later years. She had lymphedema all those years!

She died last Fall at age 94 peacefully in her sleep of old age. It brings tears to my eyes every ti,me I think about it.

beach2beach

All great stories....so positive and needed

queenofwands

Oh my, this was just what I needed to read today! Thank you so so much.

CSA

Thank you for the stories! I really needed to hear them this morning as I have scans coming up and very nervous. I'm male and was diagnosed in February of this year with 2B IDC of left breast with 3/20 nodes. Had a radical mastectomy on left side. First bone and body scans came back clear before starting chemo, thank God! Had 4 rounds of AC (which I tolerated surprisingly well) and was scheduled for 12 Taxol, but had chemo-toxicity reaction and had to stop halfway through, which scares me, but I think one more Taxol would have killed me as it was damaging my lungs. Oncologist thinks damage will be largely reversible, but said the risk of permanent damage outweighs more chemo. It put me in hospital for 2 1/2 days. Anyway, 5 weeks out and I am doing much better! Getting ready to start radiation soon and a little scared about that too from reading all the possible side effects. I just want to be here for my 13 year old daughter. To see her grow up, learn to drive, graduate high school and college and then get married. So these long term survival stories are more valuable than gold to me! Thank you so very much for posting and starting my day off with some positivity! I know I still have a long road ahead, but if my next scans come back clear and the radiation is tolerable, then I feel pretty good about the future. Well, if I can also tolerate the Tamoxifen that is. lol. I pray that all of you continue on the road to success and that cancer becomes merely a footnote in your lives.

ruthbru

CSA, after chemo radiation was a walk in the park for me. I could actually FEEL my energy returning. Hopefully it will be the same for you!

beach2beach

Hi Csa, welcome though sorry you find yourself here. I needed to hear these stories myself , I was Dx'd in July, for hope since so much we read can be frightening.

I'm sure you will do great and will see that first grandchild too

mustlovepoodles

The earliest known writings that describe breast cancer are from 1600BC Egypt. So, it's not a new phenomenon. It is highly recognizable with and without a microscope.

I have an aunt who was diagnosed with BC in 1912 at the age of 24. She had a UMX only. They didn't have chemo or AIs back then. Very likely she is the source of at least one of the gene mutations that I carry today. The family story was that she "couldn't get married", you know, because she was missing a breast. She supported herself by working on a hat shop, mostly. She also made sandwiches and fudge, which she carried down to the shipyard daily to sell to the workmen at lunchtime. Auntie Gladys was a feisty piece of work. She lived well into her 90s and died of dementia.

Falconer

Here's my mom and my 3 kids at my brother's wedding this past weekend. She is a BC survivor of 20+ years, stage 2 IDC, lx, chemo, rads, Tamoxifen, no recurrence.

I hope I'll posewith my grandkids at my son's wedding one day as well!

Simmer24

I am on here because my 38 year old sister was just diagnosed with IDC, stage 3. She has 2 tumors in her right breast. PET scan showed 2 lymph nodes are involved. When they tested her receptors, the lymph node and one tumor came back triple negative, and the other tumor can back ER+/PR-/HER2+. She also tested positive for BRCA1. She is currently receiving AC and then will also have 4 rounds of THP. Total of 8 rounds of chemo, them a double mastectomy with lymph node removal on the right, and then possibly radiation. I would like to hear some responses from TN survivors.

Moderators

Hi Simmer,

We're sorry to hear of your sister's diagnosis, but you've come to the best place for information, inspiration, and support! You may want to check out the Triple Negative Breast Cancer forum's threads called You CAN Survive Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Calling all TNs.

We hope this helps and that you find great support here!

--The Mods

Justme0116

can or will anyone please tell me if you were a smoker before, during, or after treatment ? I was newly diagnosed last month stage 2. I have smoked and am currently trying to quit. I am also new to this sight and grateful to have found it, very uplifting!!

Thank you

pollicakes

Beautiful words, beautiful advice !!  xoxoxo