Stage II Forum

There will never be a "right thing" to do until all breast cancer is PREVENTED. 

Actually, that is exactly how cancer treatments are measured.  Success = death by another cause.  One treatment is better if patients live longer, and the longer is usually a few weeks or months.  My father "benefitted" from chemo for stomach cancer because he lived 14 months after diagnosis, 2 months longer than the 12 month live expectancy at diagnosis without treatment.  The way the research is presented publically makes it look a lot better than it often really is.  My dad was one of the 80% of people with stomach cancer that benefitted from chemo, even if chemo wasn't successful.  Dad told me once that if he realized that "benefit" = a couple months longer life he'd have opted to not have chemo. died a couple months sooner but not had 12 months of nausea, hair loss, nerve damage, weakness and other "minor" side effects. 

K-ya got that right.  I'm dealing with the se's of Arimidex right now.  Yuk!

I feel like I vent too much about how much I HATE Arimidex, but here goes anyway.  My latest symptom in addition to horrible knee, ankle, finger and foot joint pain and stiffness is skin burning in odd places like the top of one foot.  Has anyone else experienced this??  My onc says to take Motrin and try to "tough it out".  When I read about the recurrences on other threads, I figure I'd better... 

You go Granny!

The muscle under the radiated breast gets damaged by the rads and can cause soreness.  Ask one of your docs for instructions on post mastectomy stretches and arm/shoulder exercises, or ask for a PT referral.  I have this muscle damage and have to keep up with the exercises to keep the pain and stiffness away.  My rads was amost 4 years ago.  You could also have truncal lymphedema.  This is the same kind of lymphedema that you can get in your arm, but is in the breast and chest/trunk area and is a complication of radiation.  I had a mastectomy to put an end to the truncal LE pain I got from rads. 

grannydukes..

You might try this, I made a little slit in the fabric on the inside of my bra where one end of the underwire ends. I was able to grab the end of it and pull the wire out. Did the other side and then tried it back on. It was a LOT more comfortable and actually fit better.  So then I went and did every bra I own! 

I'm about to start rads...wish me luck.

Lee

Hi All,

Am looking for anyone who was diagnosed with stage 2a IDC, grade 2 (ER+ PR + Her2 -) nodes negative. My sister (49 yrs old) was diagnosed last March. had lumpectomy and node dissection. She did not do chemo and rads. Tried tamox for a few months but stopped due to side effects.

her blood test and breast ultrasound, bone scan results (Dec 2010) were good. Will see her doc in 2 months.

If there's anyone with a similar diagnosis and did not go thru chemo and rads, please let me know. Any help is appreciated.

thanks,

bcgirl59

bcgirl - also - if she isn't going to take any of the usual medical community treatments - you may want to look at the alternative therapy forum info and have her start D3, myomin and/or DIM - as well as other natural treatments.  You may also want to look at the fitness thread and the amount of health benefit that can be gained for BC patients with exercise.

Thx for the input Grannydukes and NativeMainer - I did do the exercises and have great range of motion but am learning you have to keep up the stretching. I quit when I achieved my goal. And I am going to a wireless bra. I was only told not to wear the underwires right after surgery. So I went back to them. Am feeling better since I quit wearing them.

Nother Question - are you all still pretty tired at times? Whenever I feel great and try to get back to a more active routine it never fails it catches up with me and I pay dearly in fatigue. I don't just sit down and quit but it really curve my activities. Don't really like this at all. When can we expect to feel normal again?

BC girl59 - Those stats are mine too. But I did chemo and rads. It was not considered an option for me if I wanted the same percentages of relapse as a mastectomy patient. I think she should be taking something, maybe she can get a second opinion.

JustMeAlicia - I can so relate to the "falling asleep on the couch"... and I agree - I think it was the "ringer" we just went through.  Jeepers we hit menopause at warp speed.  I never fell asleep on the couch bc (dx at 48).

JustMeAlicia - are you taking any supplments for the fatigue?  Not sure what to take for that...

Starbeauty ~ no, I take D3, biotin (for hair and nails), and my dreaded tamoxifen.

Grannydukes ~ I wear the Rhonda Shear bra's they sell on HSN or QVC, soft stretchy sports bra type.  I have had reconstruction surgery and have implants so I don't need to hold them up anymore.

 JustmeAlicia, Starbeauty - I loved 44, way back there.   I'm 58 but still I don't remember being this tired pre-bc. Sometimes I have great energy and feel wonderful but wow I usually pay for it the next several days. Also though I'm not sleeping like I used to. I wake up off and on thru the night. And sometimes, like this morning I wake really early -5:30 this time- and can't go back to sleep. Anyone with that problem? I too nod off on the couch, usually during the evening news and wake thinking WOW - I'm my mother's daughter for sure.

NativeMainer - I heard something like that too (recovery expectation time)  but what I heard was total from start of Chemo thru rads ( if you had them). Did not hear you double it and count the hormone tx. Now that will depress me. Four years out though - great, good for you!

Grannydukes - Thx for putting it into perspective, guess I just needed to hear I'm not alone in this, that fatigue is part of the recovery. Should remember what I've been thru and suck it up! Be grateful I'm still here. And I'm with you on the bra - I'm looking for a good one too.

OMG!