restaged from DCIS Stage 0 to invasive Stage III

Hi Connie

welcome to the stage 3 boards. I am sorry to hear you have breast cancer and things have gone from relatively godd bad news. to worse news. You must be reeling.

 Getting staged is a difficult process....with waiting then hearing. Soon you will have a treatment plan and can get down to the business of treating your cancer to make the best of this bad situation. 

We will wait with you for your PET scan... 

 Know that whatever is found you will have a plan..and treating BC has come a long way.

Being er/pr positive is a good thing..it gives you options for very effective treatments.

I just entered my 7th year of survival and am in excellent health, although the experience is totally life changing..much of my life is as before and I am happy.

Connie

I'm so sorry you had to join our stage 3 club but its a awesome group of people who will give you support when you need it. We understand what you are going through especially me as I told you before I went in surgery stage 0-1 and came out stage 3a. It's scary and I'm sure you are in shock. Whatever you are feeling is normal.

I don't know how I would have made it this far without the support of this site. I know the road is scary but you can do it just like we have and are. This is my first week without chemo. I never thought this day would come. You aren't alone we are here when you need us. Stay strong!

I am sure people have told you this is the hardest part, but it really is.  On my initial Mammogram US I was told DCIS, 5 days later it was a 15cm invasive fast growing, the 4 days later after surgery it was stage 3A and then upon a PET scan at MDA I was stage 3C.  All this means is how far your cancer has moved and how aggressively they will treat you.  Like it was said above, they will throw the whole best of your chemo and rads options at you to get you better.  It still sucks, but they know exactly what to do.  It almost seems harder to be a lower grade and have to depend oncotype tests and instinct with treatment options.  Here, in stage 3 you will get a strong chemo regimine and then prolly a full course of rads.  Big hugs, and good luck!  We are definately here for you.  The PET scan was kind of my final step in the whole "always the worst case senario" of my beginning BC journey but I stopped at stage 3 and hopefully you will too! 

 Really the PET scan isn't bad.  You may have a weird diet the day before and they will prolly tell you change how you take  your meds.  On the day of, usually you need to fast, and then they inject you with the dye, you rest for an hour and then you get a special CT scan.   It really wasn't bad, no worse than any of the other scans.  Only thing is to watch physical contact with people for 24 hours.  You can pour them a glass of soda, but don't hug or kiss or cuddle.  (at least thats what I was told). 

 Again, big hugs through all of this!

Connie, the drugs are ANTI-hormonals. They actually strip your body of estrogen, which is what ER+ bc feeds on. The oncologist will adjust your meds around your comorbidity.

Hang in there sweetie. The beginning is the hardest.  

Since you have not yet had surgery you cannot be properly staged.  Am I correct that the thought is part DCIS, part invasive?  The grade of your cancer is known from the biopsy results, but your staging cannot be decisively done until after surgery.  Here is a link to staging descriptions from this site:

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/staging