looking for long term survivors diagnosed young

Adelozier

I am having a very hard time. I was 37 at diagnosis with a 3 year old son. I did not do chemo as my oncotype was low. I am a nurse and in funding this very challenging as I care for people daily dying from cancer. yesterday was expecially hard as a lady was actually stage 1 with no nodes 10 or 15 years ago and now stage 4. I can hardly handle any of this anymore. she did chemo and tamoxifen for 5 years. I lasted 5 weeks on tamoxifen as it could have killed me. it caused hemodynamic instability and much more. I'm terrified to take the shots at this point as they will be in my system and can't just stop them. Tamoxifen put me in the hospital. I feel trapped and terrified. just looming for long term survivors that were younger at diagnosis regardless of your treatment ... my son needs his mommy and to know chemo woulda only helped 1 to 2 percent and now I can't take the drugs is devastating. Every ache in pain signals my brain that I'm dying... Yes I am in therapy before someone asks.

Peregrinelady

Have you considered oopherectomy and taking an AI? It is a serious decision at your age, but it is an option.

stephilosphy00

I actually just don't want to give myself any false hope, so I have accepted the fact that my BC would come back one day (not sure how long, 5 years, 10 years, if I am lucky, might be 20 years!), it is also very likely I won't make it to 60 or even 50. I actually feel better after I start thinking that way, ridiculously!

bluepearl

Stephilosophy: my girlfriend had exactly the same tumour qualities as you have and did nothing but surgery. She is 12 years out and no sign of anything. Having said that, never compare your prognosis with someone else's. 15 years ago is a long time and they didn't measure her2 in those days nor did they have oncotypeDX which may have shown her o have a very high risk of recurrence regardless of her treatments. I think the shell shock is more pronounced in younger women but you will find a stable place as anyone who has had breast cancer cannot be guaranteed a 100% :cure". We have to live with that. And we do. But don't let it ruin today because worry does only that. It doesn't change your destiny, so you eventually learn to live with your diagnosis and hope for the better stats. I know women with stage 3 IBC or even stage 4 breast cancer than would gladly change places with you...or me.....so many of my friends etc. are being diagnosed with really bad things. I consider myself lucky. (((HUGS))))

stephilosphy00

Thank you for your encouragement! I admit that I am still very scared about the future, I was diagnosed at 29 now I just turned 31, life is good most of the time, but deep inside I still feel angry and sad quite often. Somehow I still don't know how to live with this beast

bluepearl

At your age, the terribleness of facing your own mortality hits especially hard. It is normal to feel as you do. I had a nervous breakdown and not ashamed to admit that and I was 60!!! So, I can appreciate where you are coming from. There is an article I shared with another young woman about a new up and coming cancer vaccine that, in mice, kill off 87 out of 90 tumours and with a second treatment, got the rest. Originally tested on lymphoma clinical trials with mice, this vaccine has the potential for ALL cancers and human trials are beginning this year. Always remember that research isn't static.....it is moving right along especially with genetic research, so if and when you might re-visit breast cancer (that Ki67 is really low and I read an article just recently that grade 3 tumours with low Ki67, do very well) there will be new and better treatments, perhaps a cure too. You have done aggressive treatment and by all accounts, should do well. I suspect you are focusing on your age as a negative prognostic factor. Focus instead, on the good ones! I hate that such young women face this disease...HATE it. ((((HUGS))))

stephilosphy00

Thank you so much, bluepearl!!!! I really appreciate every encouraging word you said.

Mumzy3

Ladies...I am finishing my year of Herceptin next week. Started Zometa a week and a half ago to hopefully prevent bone mets. Would feel more like celebrating the end of Herceptinbut my Mom was diagnosed in January with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. She is only 61 and is my world. She moved in with me and my children last year while I went through chemo and rads. Nursed my Dad back to health from a heart attack last spring too. She is so many things to so many people. Wishing for a miracle

LaughingGull

Adelozier, I understand you because I also have young children and am as terrified and petrified as you are, regardless of therapy.

But clearly your line of job doesn't help you and gives you a bias toward the negative. Can you consider a change to something also medical but not cancer related? You need to keep in mind that the people you see at work are a self-selected sample....you won't see the ladies who survived long term and are in good health because only the sick go back for treatment.

As Stephilosphy says, I also have this nagging feeling that I won't have a long life ahead of me. As I read from somebody with cancer in an article somewhere, I feel like the future is a language that I don't speak anymore. It is hard to stay positive in the face of this crap.

Thanks bluepearl for your kind words.

Love and peace,

LaughingGull

dreaming

I was diagnosed when I was 40, 2 kids, one just graduated from high school, the other starting, it was 25 years ago, I wanted the most aggressive treatment possible, had a mastectomy, 18 lymph nodes removed, none positive, but one dosent know how many nodes are.

At that time there was not many treatments, I had chemo at home on a Friday of metaxestrate, 5FU, cytoxan , slow dense by vein, the following Friday I would get a booster, the 3d week I would be sick,low platelets, etc.4 week again ,I had 10 months treatment.

Never once I thought I was going to die,not even when I went because I am a devout Roman catholic, to the Mass for the Sick and had the holy oils blessed and put on me.

My support group gave me strength, I becomed a volunteer in a cancer center.

I took tamoxifen for 4 months, it made me too moody and too many side effects.

My oncologist told me I had a 70% survival, I always see my cup half full.

Saw my kids grow,graduated from college,get married.

I have a very good follow up, have had several biopsies, microcalcifications removed from my chest wall behind my reconstructed breast.

Few years back a benign tumor was removed from my real breast.

I had 2 different types of breast cancer, the second was found when I had the mastectomy, it was invasive.

Try to be positive, get medicine if needed, I took xanax during my treatments.

Dont listen to negative people.

My philosophy is ,it can be back and I will deal with it. There are more and better drugs.

Lula73

I second the suggestion of considering an oophorectomy. Even if you find you can’t tolerate any of the AIs, at least you will have reduced your estrogen by 80% which is better than 0%. I did the ooph after tamoxifen tried to kill me with a dvt and bilateral PEs. I am tolerating the drop in estrogen + the AI (femara) very well. Much better than I tolerated tamoxifen even before the clots. Something to consider...