Just went through partial mastectomy

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Lav
Lav Member Posts: 65
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Hi,I am 42 years old and  I was diagnosed with INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA EN SITU.  My tumor was 1cm and I had to undergo surgery my PR has come out positive and so has my ER and my HER2 has turned out negative.  My Oncologist says that they would have to do 4 cycles of Chemo just the same because my K27?  which he explained was my immune system has turned out borderline.  He wants me to do the Oncotype test to see what are the chances of the cancer coming back.  Im going thru with it but has anyone done the Oncotype before and how accurate is it?  I feel like this is all some kind of a mistake.  My surgeon told me that if my PR;ER and HER2 turned out good I would not have to do chemo at all.  My oncologist says that Id have to do 30 radiations and some hormone therapy but if my HER 2 has turned out negative then why the hormone therapy?  Im sorry but Im new to this and feel so confused about the whole situation.  I need help.  He explained to me that if I dint get the Oncotype test done that he would have to recommend me chemo because it the cancer could come back anywhere.  Isnt it better to just do the chemo then anyway?  help please I need some guidance in this matter so I dont take any drastic steps.  I feel like this is all going too fast for me....

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  • Lily55
    Lily55 Member Posts: 3,534
    edited September 2013

    Take a look here, this will help you



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

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Thanks Kayb. The priblem is my Oncologist speaks more spanish than english and he was more into all the technical terms and it was my first visit with him. Im planning to go to another Oncologist and get a 2nd opinion as well just to be sure. I dont think I dreaded the surgery as much as I dread the chemo. Ive got two kids 19 and16and weve been thru some difficult times and somehow to add this right now is like a gotally big shock. I am going thru with the Oncotype test as you said the after effects of a chemo js far worst. Ill keep u posted of my results. Just feel so confused right now....I guess ill take it one day at a time. Tha ks for your help and your suggestions.

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited September 2013

    Lav, the Oncotype Test is what saved me from getting chemo. BUT, I was 20 years older than you at dx. Doctors tend to give chemo to younger women, even if the Oncotype score comes back low. Also, your cancer cannot be both invasive and in situ. Did you mean that you had both kinds. That is common. It happened to me.

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  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 57,235
    edited September 2013

    That is what my surgeon said too, and it turned out that I did need chemo. I know that many ladies are mislead by talking to surgeons first (I know ladies who have been told that if they have a mastectomy, they will not need rads, & later are horrified if they find out they still do). IMO surgeons should only make recommendations about surgery, which is what they know, & not make any comments about what further treatments may be in the cards.

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Thanks Kayb. What does 4 cycles of Chemo mean? Is it 4 times that the chemo drug will be administered or how many times makes a cycle? At first i was hesitant to post anything here but its really a bigger help than i imagined it to be...

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Well he seemed so sure of it. Hes an Onco surgeon and yet he was he never mentioned a K67 test result. But i guess that just means that different Oncologist might also suggest different treatments so I have to be prepared for it.

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Hi Yorkie mom I actually rechecked my pathology report and yes it does says Carcinoma ductal in situ invasive. My tumor was actually 1cm n lymphnodes turned out 0/3 and my PR AND ER are at 90 percent. I told my Oncologist that if he was gonna make me take the test and it turned out to be a low count and if he still would suggest Chemo then what was the point of doing the Oncotype right? But my husband is very positive that I dont need chemo so hes encouraging me to do the Oncotype. Keeping my fingers crossed. this is the secobd time tragedy has struck my family. My sister in law husbands brothers wife had stage 2 cancer and she was only 36 years old. And yes she had to undergo chemo. I guess whats meant to happen will happen. So im going to wait and see what the 2nd Oncologist suggests.. Thanks alot for all your help. It really helps to be able to learn from all your experiences.

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  • msphil
    msphil Member Posts: 1,536
    edited September 2013

    hi sweetie you will find great help here from us that have been thru, I am a 19 yr Survivor(Praise GOD) so, be "INSPIRED", it is overwhelming I know but once plan of treatment is is place and you ask all the questions things will be a bit better, you and family and ALL of US here are daily in my prayers.  msphil(idc,stage2, 0/3 nodes, L mast, chemo and rads and 5 yrs on tamoxifen). 

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Thank msphil. I feel right at home and After going thru alot of the topic lines and reading everyones experiences and and advice too I feel that if God gave me this sickness hes given me alot of help and inspiration in alot of the women here thatstill tend to find humor in the difficult parts of treatment. Thank you so much bco has definitely given me a new outlook of life. Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words.

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited September 2013

    Hi everyone I just got back my Oncotype result. kayb yorkiemom it came out good 13 and goes down to 8 with tamo. So no chemo for me:)). Still have to do radiation and hormometherapy though but atleast no chemo. After reading thru so many of the different topics andconversing with alot of the sosters with similR diagnoses here it really helped to make me feel more positive about the Oncotest. Im glad I did it. And my Oncconfired today no chemo for me. The adverse effects are not worth it and neither would it help my situation right now. I. Going for 2nd and3rd opinions as well just to be sure but Ido feel positive abput this. Thank you so much for standing by me and helping me out when I was new. Still am actually but Ive learnedalot more on bco than from my Oncologist and from all of u on this forum. Thank you very much. Hugs n loves...

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited October 2013

    Hi Kayb Im in a panic. Feel like a mosquito bite type of tiny bump on my left underarm a little distance from where my lymphnodes were removed. Though my lymph nodes turned out all negative Im worried this might be a reccurence? Going to call my surgeon tom. Since my Onc is out of town till tuesday.... What does a recurrence look like? Any idea?

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2013

    Lav, you recently had surgery.  Chances are that your lymph nodes are inflamed and swollen.  That's perfectly normal.   What you are describing in no way sounds like it's a recurrence!  Don't worry. 

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited October 2013

    Thanks Beesie keeping my fingers crossed. If i hadnt gone thru bc two months ago I wouldnt have panicked at all. But after being diagnosed,I guess im just being paranoid.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2013

    Being paranoid so soon after your diagnosis and surgery is perfectly normal!  Smile

    Is the bump on your underarm closer to the skin on the outside or it is deep inside? 

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  • Lav
    Lav Member Posts: 65
    edited October 2013

    Its deep inside. I took an anti inflamatory last night and I feel its gone down a bit. If its a lump it shouldnt decrease right? Thank you soooo much for your help.

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2013

    If the node is inflamed because of the disruption to your system from the surgery, it will take a while for the inflammation to come down, and no, an anti-inflammatory wouldn't help.  Having nodes swell up after surgery is very common; it's just a sign of the nodes doing their job.

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