If you have just been diagnosed....

jklmtl----when I started my bc journey, it was for an elective bmx based on family history. Had been thinking about it for several years. Then decided it was time. Why did I decide then and not before to actually push for the bmx --don't know. Clean mammo in August with the see you next year letter in hand. The next step in the elective process was a MRI. I delayed until Dec because there was no imperative to get it done. Two days later I got " THE CALL". No hesitancy on my part on the elective mx for the unaffected side. But i had 10 first cousins, a twin sister, 2 paternal aunts with BC. Circumstances way different than yours. I agree with Deanna. I also suggest you have to do what you believe you have to do. My pathology report indicated a very aggressive tumor. It went from < than 1cm to 1.9 cm in 3 weeks and grade2 to to grade 3 From bx on 1/21/09 to bmx 2/18/09. Had I not been in the elective mode, the MRI wouldn't have been done, and it would have been a mammo the next year. So, my take on breasts are that they are an appendage that can kill, not worth any consideration. I may have the extreme view, but I consider myself lucky to still have a point of view.

janicelly ~ Sorry to hear about your Mom, but it's good that she's had 3 opinions and already has a game plan in place.  What she's been told sounds pretty normal.  The initial biopsy will give some basic information (i.e. approximate size of tumor and hormone status), but it's not until the surgical pathology that stage is determined, based on actual tumor size and lymph node involvement.   Is your Mom contemplating reconstruction?  What have they told her about lymph nodes?  The newest protocol (2010) is for far less node sampling, which is an important change.  Is she using a breast (only) surgeon (vs. a general surgeon)?    

Let us know what other questions you and your Mom might have.  You might also want to look for the April surgery or mastectomy thread (Forum Index above; scroll down to the Surgery Forum) for support from other women going through the same thing at the same time.    (((Hugs)))  Deanna

Hi Deanna & sas,

Thanks for your reply. We went to 2 general surgeons & 1 breast surgeon. Breast surgeon told us it's not advisable for mom to do reconstruction due to her "age" (heck, she's 55 & that's young right?). She did highlight to us that reconstruction surgery is considered as "major" surgery (6 hours vs mastectomy which is a 1 hour surgery). They told us the lymph nodes are not enlarged (via physical exam) but the scan picked up some slight swelling there. 

Mom chose to have her surgery done by the 1st general surgeon she consulted at her home state because she wishes to recuperate at her own home. I am living in another state & that's where the breast surgeon is located 

Surgeon told me he's gonna remove all nodes. I have to add I am from Malaysia & the health care system we have here is very, very different. I've been reading some of the posts on this board & the way things are done is quite different. Everything seems more "open"  & it feels as though you all have more time to decide on the next course of action whereas in my mom's case, I feel like she's being rushed into surgery. Maybe it's my personal feelings cos I feel helpless about unable to "save" my mom's breast . I DO know it's just a breast & her life is a million times more important then it but I feel bad about it.

Thanks for "listening"! 

Cynthia, I'm so sorry to hear about your bc diagnosis, and, on top of that, a concern about a mass in your uterus.  Hopefully, the latter will turn out to be totally B9, but I know it must be extra-stressful for you dealing with 2 separate concerns, so let me share some thoughts that I hope will be helpful. 

First, "isolated tumor cells" is a good thing.  It means your lymph nodes were doing their job -- stopping a few stray bc cells from going any further.  Having isolated tumor cells, as concerning as it may sound to you, is not considered a postive node, so should have no impact on your staging or treatment.

As far as chemo, do you know if an Oncotype-DX test has been ordered?  This is a test they do on some of the tumor tissue, to know if chemo will have any benefit for you.  It's frequently ordered by your medical oncologist.

As far as the uterus concern, my first thought is that being at an NCI-designated facility, if at all possible, will give you access to all the specialists you need under one roof -- plus superb communication between them about your case and treatment needs.  I live near Palm Desert, but went to UCLA, and they were great about scheduling app'ts. with various docs on the same day, the docs talking to each other, etc.  Other NCI-designated cancer centers are listed here:  http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/map-cancer-centers.html   (We're actually  fortunate to have several in So. CA.)

The other thought I wanted to share with you for now is, try to keep focused on thing at a time.  I know it seems overwhelming, but if you can prioritize and really focus only on the next decision or step you have to make, it should help with the anxiety.  Some women also opt to take an anti-anxiety RX or natural supplement, at least temporarily.  I didn't, but don't rule that out if you feel the anxiety is taking over.  It's not uncommon at all to feel overwhelmed with a bc dx. 

Hope this helps some.  Let us know what else is on your mind and how we can help. (((Hugs)))  Deanna

Hi m name is Patrice. I found a swollen auxiliary lymph node and it's been confirmed to be cancer.

I am scared and scheduled to see my Dr. tomorrow to schedule an MRI.

I haven't been feeling well. I don't know what to think. 

To Patrice Rose--- love the name. You are taking care of you by following up on your medical concerns . The MRI will hopefully give you answers and rule outs. My hope is that it is NOT cancer (durrrrrr). Keep taking care of yourself and offer yourself something comforting. Let us know how tomorrow goes.

Cynthia

Hey, Deanna.

I've been so busy trying to save my life that sexy undergarments seem secondary to everything else.

Dr Helena Chang at the Revlon center was my surgeon. It is about an hour and a half to get there--- sometimes less. I feel like I am my own case coordinator. Dave, my husband-like figure, said that he thinks I am doing too much with my case. Is it normal to be on the phone all the time trying to make things happen? My surgery was on the 17th. I think I am beginning to drive people crazy anyway--- especially the nice ladies at my insurance plan! I've been clean and sober for a long time so I don't think a chemical muzzle would be indicated but some good old fashioned restraint may! I am also concerned about my doctors being in LA and me over here in Oxnard. I want to have my care at UCLA though and mAybe dr galepsy the med onc can suggest sone one down here for rads biut to tell u the truth, I want out of this medical community. I started my bio. Reasons are nestled somewhere in the bio re me not feeling safe with this med community .it's good "talking" with you.

Cynthia ~ The very top black bar on this page is the informational side of BCO.  Click on Symptoms & Diagnosis, then search "isolated tumor cells."  It will pull up all the current, relevant research articles.  I just skimmed a couple of them dated 2010, and it looks like, while isolated tumor cells are a factor to be taken into consideration re. treatment, the nodes that have them are not considered positive.  However, it would be best to ask your oncologist about this to be sure.

As far asking for a referral from UCLA to a local onc, that's what I did for radiation, and I found a rad onc in my area who had trained @ UCLA was as top-notch as they come.   

I think most of us drive our spouses or SOs crazy with the all-consuming nature of bc.  Whether it's phone calls or on-line research, there's a steep learning curve in the beginning that we feel the need to get on top of quickly in order to understand what's going on and to be able to make informed choices.  I wouldn't worry too much about what other people (like the insurance folks) think.  This is about you.  Do what you have to do to keep things rolling.  They're not the ones dealing with bc, and if being a squeaky wheel gets you appts. and answers sooner, that's better than waiting around for them.    Deanna

Hi Deanna,

Thanks for the reply. As of this moment, my mom is undergoing surgery. Pray hard it'll be over soon & her pathology report is "clean".

Re reconstruction at a later date & in US, don't think that's gonna happen cos of the cost involved & I doubt my mom would wanna go under the knife again.

You are right about cultural difference, people here seldom raise up issues with their docs (or any authorities). I've only managed to meet up with my mom's surgeon once (that's when we got the ctscan, mammogram results) because I live in another state. I am working fulltime & have a little one to take care of too. That's the reason why I am feeling so bad becos it feels like everything is beyond my control.

Hi everyone!

I am looking for information for my aunt hoping that I could help her in some ways (sorry if I don't provide complete information, I only heard it from my mom). So she found a lump in one her breasts and she took a X-ray. We don't know if it's invasive since she hasn't done the biopsy yet. However, from the X-ray and feeling the lump, the doctor said it's likely to be invasive. She doesn't have insurance and can only pay a small amount for surgery if needed, so a lot of doctors don't want to take her case. Are there ways to help her other than waiting for the county hospitals? She worries that the county hospital is going to be a long wait.   

 Thanks! 

loveyourself, maybe try posting your question as a separate topic.  Go to Forum Index above.  Scroll down to the "Not Diagnosed" forum, and start a new topic stating what you have here about your aunt's situation, plus maybe what state she lives in.  Try to put something about needing help finding resources or being uninsured in the title.  Unfortunately, this "just diagnosed" thread  doesn't get a lot of views except from newly diagnosed women. 

One resource that comes to mind is Susan Komen.  See if you can find a local office for them.  Otherwise, check their website for an 800 number.  Also your aunt's local American Cancer Society may be able to give her some direction.  In most cases, even with state medical assistance, treatment for breast cancer happens fairly quickly once it's been diagnosed.  Also, there's no way to predict with absolute certainty if a lump is malignant or invasive short of a biopsy.  So there's still a good chance her doctor might be incorrect.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.    Deanna   

I was just recently diagnosed with DCIS.  3/22 I went to see my doctor because I thought I felt a lump in my right breast, after he examined both breast, he told me he thought I was crazy but decided to send me to get a mammogram to be safe (plus I had not had one yet), this was scheduled for 3/22. Right breast, there is a cyst but nothing suspicious.  Left breast I had calcifications.  I, looked it up and thought, oh probably no big deal.  Doctor calls me at 9pm that night and states he wants them surgically removed.  Met with the surgeon on 3/28, she wants to do a wire guided excisional biopsy. That is scheduled for 4/1.  On 4/1, as they are taking me into the mammogram to insert the wires, I get an "Oh by the way, we are actually doing two areas". What the???  Doctor was very concerned about one area of calcification at about 8 o'clock on my breast, but there was another suspicious area at 3 o'clock.  Doctor wants to look at both. 

 That all went well, told to schedule follow up for 4/8, was told 3 to 5 days and weekends don't count.  Oh the pain of waiting.  Doctor gave me a prescription for Xanax, as I was not handling all well.   Never heard back from doctor so went in for follow up fearing worse.  I was told it was DCIS and multi-focal. They removed 7.5 cm and there were no clear margins. This was from the 8 o'clock position.  The 3 o'clock position came back as A-typical.  Surgeon recommends a mastectomy.  I was honestly floored.  I, being ignorant, thought that DCIS was the "innocent" cancer, or cancer-lite. Doctor stated she would not do anything until I got 2nd opinion.  That got scheduled for 4/11.

Love love love new doctor. He went through all my mammogram slides with me one by one, was very thorough.  He is having his pathology team review my slides though he doesn't expect to find anything different.  I am scheduled to have a breast MRI on 4/14.  He believes that he can do a lumpectomy and get clear margins but wants to do an MRI to see more into the area.  

So now I am at a loss. I thought for sure I was getting a mastectomy, every website said so. Now my doctor is going outside the box.  Now he did say if he did not get clear margins I would have to get a mastectomy.  

So that is my story. It has been a very long and very crazy 3 weeks.  I still do not have any clear answers and am now back in the waiting game.  I hate waiting.  

 Sorry for the long post

Emaline ~ Well, you certainly have been through a lot!  But it sounds like you're in really good hands now, and I'm glad to hear you're having an MRI before any additional surgery.  Please keep us posted on that, and let us know if you have any other questions in the mean time.

bettydaviseyez ~ I'm glad you've found BCO!  I noticed your other post asking for input about the alternative medical facility in Irvine.  I'm in So. CA and into alternatives and complimentary medicine, but I actually ended up doing a lot of conventional tx for my bc (@ UCLA  -- my second opinion place), and I was extremely happy with my care there.  I figured since my natural lifestyle hadn't prevented me from getting bc, it was obviously more complex than some of the natural treatment protocols seemed to recognize, and that I was most comfortable with doctors who acknowledged bc's complexity and dedicated themselves 100% to treating only bc.  I would just encourage you to learn all you can about your particular bc, and to get more than one opinion before deciding who to trust with your care. 

(((Hugs))) to you both ~  Deanna  

Welcome, Brooke!  Good luck with chemo!  You can also post your questions here, if you like, and we'll try to help.  And, yes, it's amazing how fast our lives change.  But as strange as it gets for awhile, there absolutely is light at the end of the tunnel!     Deanna

I also meant to add. I was even putting off going for the Mammogram?? It was on my list of "to do's" I got my car serviced first.?? I had no symptoms except feeling more tired than usual but I was putting that down to my age. Im 58. Its strange really. One day your worrying about trivia, and then this comes along. Im sure most of you experienced the same kind of thing.

Keep posting.