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Tundra
Tundra Member Posts: 136
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Hello good people,

 As of today I have been staged as IIIb, so I guess I'm joining the club. Just figured I'd say hi. It presented as inflammatory so I guess that gives me automatic node involvement.

 Anyway, I'm just starting to get a handle on what staging is and how it works, not entirely clear what it all "means" for me.

Sending you all lots of goodness

:-)

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  • everyminute
    everyminute Member Posts: 1,805
    edited February 2011

    Welcome - great group of women who don't want to be here!  Ask away!

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  • Kathleen26
    Kathleen26 Member Posts: 210
    edited February 2011

    Things seem to move very fast in the beginning, then slow down to glacial pace.  I try not to get hung up on stage...it determines how you will be treated, but should not be regarded as your prognosis.  Good luck with your treatments.   I found a lot of help on these boards to get me through various types of treatments.

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  • Tundra
    Tundra Member Posts: 136
    edited February 2011

    Thanks lovely ladies :-)

     Your messages are putting a smile on my face.

    everyminute, yah, "the club no one wants to join".

    Kathleen, thanks for saying that re: treatment vs. prognosis... that's very helpful! No one has really explained that to me yet and the whole prognosis thing feels like the elephant in the room to me.

    Sherri... heheh... yah, the kitchen sink sounds good to me! At this point I wouldn't even care if it bonked me on the head. ;-)

    So nice to 'meet' you all. No photo or real name yet for me... still processing things and not 'out' to everyone yet... but maybe eventually. 

    Sending you all piles of goodness from up in Montreal.

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  • Claire_in_Seattle
    Claire_in_Seattle Member Posts: 4,570
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra,

    As a IIb and also "high risk", I got the same treatment and got through just fine.  What you need to concentrate on right now is getting the best treatment for your condition.  Chemo is an endurance event, so you just put your head down and do it.  Not fun, but we all get through.

    Good luck.  Mary and Sherri have the drill down.  I think what helped me most was exercising throughout.  And visualizing myself as just fine on the other end. - Claire

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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra..sorry you had to join us!  However, we're a great bunch..and we "get it" like no other.  Come here often..we can hold hands, answer questions and give some good ideas to get through.

    Hugs!

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited February 2011

    Tundra...glad you found us, but sorry that you needed to....this is a wonderful group of women....come here often.....Hugs, Karen

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  • Gitane
    Gitane Member Posts: 1,885
    edited February 2011

    Hello Tundra,  We are here to help you.  It's overwhelming at first, I know.  Hugs, G.

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  • Tundra
    Tundra Member Posts: 136
    edited February 2011

    Thanks a lot for the warm welcome ladies!

     Forgive the medical question... but I had an appointment with my doctor today and forgot to ask him something...

     Is it normal to have lymph nodes on the opposite side also be swollen? I'm a right-side girl but seem to be having swelling on the left side these last days? 

    Guess I should have mentioned that to him...? I forgot to so he didn't check that side today -- only the right side.

    Sorry -- just having a mini paranoid moment, had to miss treatment last week so I'm really just waiting for my next one. ;-)

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  • Tundra
    Tundra Member Posts: 136
    edited February 2011

    Ps -- there seem to be quite a number of other "cats" around here. I like it :-)

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  • diana50
    diana50 Member Posts: 2,134
    edited February 2011

    tundra

    we are here for you. trust your treatment and know that it works.  you can go through this and come out the other side.  there is light at the end of the tunnel.  your treatment team knows what they are doing. trust them.  take a breath. do one day at a time. make relationships with your chemo nurses...doctors and care team. they will be beside you as well as all of us on this board.  you are not alone.

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited February 2011

    Tundra, just want to welcome you too. Yep, it sucks being here, but you couldn't ask for a better group of women to help you through!

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  • Kindergarten
    Kindergarten Member Posts: 4,869
    edited February 2011

    Dear Tundra, I know you will find such a wonderful support system here, I am a Stage 2b with bi-lateral breast cancer and I am 6 years out. There are so many options for treatment now, so encouraging. You will get through this challenging journery; and you have many here to support and to comfort you. You are a survivor, God bless you, Kathy

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  • kim40
    kim40 Member Posts: 904
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra

    Welcome to the "Stage 3 lets throw everything at you including the kitchen sink" Club! 

    Hang in there.

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  • littletower
    littletower Member Posts: 333
    edited February 2011

    Hey Tundra, I actually did have swollen nodes on the other side. Seems they were trying to make up for my cancer ridden nodes on the right. Try not to freak out, I know it's much easier said than done. Welcome to the warm embrace of people who understand and also don't want to be here:)

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  • DCMom
    DCMom Member Posts: 624
    edited February 2011

    Tundra-  Depending on what scans you have had done I would bring this up to your oncs as soon as possible.  Your just entering treatment and this is the time to be the squeaky wheel so if it is a concern bring it up.  During chemo don't try to be the brave one...complain because they will probably have a pill for it.  Watch the sites here that are for active treatment,  no one knows more than the women currently in treatment one step ahead of you.  I followed the "January Jewels" although I was in March chemo.  I lurked and learned what to expect.

    These are also the ladies you will see posting here in 10 years and supporting the other girls unlucky enough to join the club.   Until then Woo Woo and full steam ahead.  

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  • Latte
    Latte Member Posts: 1,072
    edited February 2011

    welcome tundra - i had lymph nodes on the other side that were swollen - it wasn't cancer, it was because of a slight infection in my port area. But it took a long time before i believed my onc when she said that...

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  • Mamita49
    Mamita49 Member Posts: 538
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra,

    Like you I am in Montreal. West-Island. I am at McGill.

    Those Ladies are life savers here at this forum. You can ask any question you like...Welcome to the Club nobody wants to join........

     Good luck 

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  • pupfoster1
    pupfoster1 Member Posts: 1,484
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra and welcome to an awesome group!

    I am just now reading your post after coming back from my reconstruction surgery!  When I was first diagnosed in Nov of 09 I couldn't imagine this day would ever get here.  It all seemed so far away and scary.  Surgery, chemo, then radiation.  But I made it through it all, especially with the help of these wise and wonderful women (kind of like the sound of that---instead of the world wide web---wise wonderful women).

    Just trust that YOU CAN DO THIS, and we will be here to answer ANY and ALL questions (my favorite in chemo was consitpation---lol---but not really---don't let it happen to you!)!

    (((HUGS)))

    Sharon

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  • lkc
    lkc Member Posts: 1,203
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra,

    Welcome to our group. I am glad you found us, and very happy to read that  all is moving quickly for you; chemo wise.

    The first days are really the hardest. Once you start treatment, it wil become routine and  you will feel more empowered. you will learn alot in the coming months, a wealth of info is on these boards.

    These ladies rock, they're smart, funny and extremely supportive. Come here often for reassurance and suppport. We all do " get it"

    I am one of the oldies;almost at 6 yrs from my BC dx and all's well.

     The journey does suck, but it's doable, and we will help you through.

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  • kimber3006
    kimber3006 Member Posts: 586
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra - Just wanted to chime in another welcome and wish that you didn't have to be here.  I'm less than a year out of chemo and I truly don't know how I would have made it without these wonderful ladies.  Process it all however you need to and know we're all here whenever you have a question or need to talk to someone who really does understand.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra,

    Sorry you had to join our club but this is a great place for information & support.  I wish I had found this place 3 years ago when I was dx.  Feel free to ask questions or vent, we're here for you! NJ

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  • NannaBaby
    NannaBaby Member Posts: 510
    edited February 2011

    Bienvenue TUNDRA! I'm 29 stage 3a... things moved incredibly fast for me too!  First visit with Oncologist on June 11 and first chemo was 2 hours later!!  What kind of treatment/chemo?

     Hugs :)

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  • Tundra
    Tundra Member Posts: 136
    edited February 2011

    Wow. you ladies are amazing! What a warm welcome! Thanks so much. :-)

     You're putting a big smile on my face!

     Wow nannababy -- now that's fast!

    I started out with Taxol but was moved over to Abraxane because of allergic reactions... so tomorrow I'm getting tx #5 of 12 of that batch, then I'll move on to 4 x treatments of AC every 3 weeks (aka another 3months).

    For me it's neoajuvant chemo... so I won't have my mx till about June. Then it will be rads, and then HT. (The whole meal deal!)

    Sharon, diana50 and ikc, nice to hear you made it through all that. :-) It's helpful for me to think that way -- that at some point I'll be on the other side of things...

    Hi Mamita, another Mtler! Some crazy snow we're having eh? ;-)

    DCMom -- good advice! I DO need to learn to be a squeeky wheel! and to not try to be so tough.

    Latte and littletower - thanks for the lymph node comments, makes me feel a little less worried. Am definitely going to mention it to my Dr. tomorrow.

     Thanks everyone! I hope to come back here soon again ad see how you're all doing. Might disappear for a couple of days -- heading off to tx tomorrow and seem to not be online as much for a couple of days after tx.

    Sending you all piles of goodness from chilly and snowy Montreal!

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  • jenn3
    jenn3 Member Posts: 3,316
    edited February 2011

    Hi Tundra - I'm sorry, but I somehow missed this thread.  I know this is the last place you thought you would every find yourself.......but this is a great group.  I couldn't have gotten through everything without my BCO sista's.  I learned most of the answers to my many questions here, found out more about diet and exercise than is talked about in the drs office and found that when I needed someone to understand, this was the group that understood.

    ((((HUGS)))) Know that we're all here holding your hand (in cyber space) and will help you get through this.

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