Question about pathology

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tangandchris
tangandchris Member Posts: 1,855
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

So, after my biopsy I was told stage IIb-IIIa also grade 3 , but I'm reading and hearing about all these "final" pathology reports after surgery. How likely is that my staging/grading be alot different than the initial biopsy results? I'm not sure if I'm asking this the right way to be honest. I'm just feeling anxiety about finding out that this is worse than we even thought to beging with.

I almost feel like I've been lulled into a fall sense of well-being. I had a BI MX last WED, I almost felt like I could breath again....but then I realized I still have a huge journey in front of me. what if the cancer is worse than we thought, stage 3 sounds so bad, and am I really going to beat this. these are all the things racing thru my head.

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  • SewStrong
    SewStrong Member Posts: 399
    edited December 2013


    this is December, but I just your post and noticed that no one responded in October. I'm sure you've had a lot of questions answered by now. I am in the middle of my radiation treatments for Triple Negative Breast Cancer that was diagnosed in June. How are you doing today?

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  • jcolford
    jcolford Member Posts: 120
    edited December 2013


    Tangandchris,


    The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and tell yourself, "I can do this". The difference between IIb and IIIa can be as simple as one lymph node more than the other or 4.9 and 5.0 cm tumor. According to my doctor it didn't change my treatment (concern because of the number of lymph nodes removed during my auxiliary lymph node dissection). Best of luck in your treatment journey, you will be surprised at how strong you can be when you need to. This is a wonderful place to talk about your hopes, fears and uncertainties. I am sure some other lovely ladies (and maybe even gents) will soon be posting here.


    Take care,


    Jo Anne

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  • ziggypop
    ziggypop Member Posts: 1,071
    edited December 2013


    It is very scary at the beginning and you get things thrown at you so quickly that the emotional roller coaster ride is really tough. It's completely normal to be scared. During the surgery path reports change for a number of reasons. Usually they do a SNB during surgery. This indicates the extent of nodal involvement. This is one of the main reasons that staging changes. It can also change because the size of the tumor is bigger (or smaller) than expected. There can be well differentiated calls as well as poorly differentiated cells in the sample whereas the biopsy sample (which is small) might have had only one type. This affect the 'grade'. I had an appointment one week after surgery with my surgeon which is when he gave me my path results, do you have an appointment soon?


    You can breathe again - you have taken one huge step in your treatment, and that is something to celebrate. I hope the recovery from the surgery is going well.

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited December 2013


    Its just one day at a time...and some times just one foot in front of the other....I am 7 years 10 months out from Dx and living life....There are a lot of us stage 3 gals who are going strong, but some don't come back here anymore cuz moving on for them, means leaving bco....then there are others who keep coming back to offer support...So long story short....there are lots of us still here...Wishing you an easy time through the rest of your journey...

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  • tangandchris
    tangandchris Member Posts: 1,855
    edited December 2013


    I had an appt Friday, but we had a major ice storm so it was cxld. I'm hoping to get in tomorrow and see my doctor, I just completed a list of questions to bring with me as well.

     

    anyone else have those days when they wish they had NEVER even felt the lump that led them to the mammogram to being with? Or even more illogically, just pretend that the cancer isn't there and keep living life as if nothing has changed? I have thought these things, as ridiculous as it sounds....especially in the beginning because I didn't feel sick at all. Now that i've had the surgery and I don't feel good I can't really be in denial lol.

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  • Holeinone
    Holeinone Member Posts: 2,478
    edited December 2013


    tangandchri.....I totally agree with you, stage 3 sounds bad, feels even worse. I was told my dx by the surgeon, but did not see my path report until 5 months later. My fault, I did not ask for a copy. It had several scary things on it that I was totally unaware of...It does get easier, our brains must go full speed in the beginning and then learn how to relax or somehow put it on the back burner. My crazy analogy. Chemo was hard, for me anyway. Lots of women will post & tell you they breezed thru it. I hope for you it is not difficult. Friends & family are a huge support, but they do not "get it" like the women going thru it. So, keep posting, it is a life saver. You can rant, moan & groan, and ask lots of ? Time flies, goes the saying. I just finished 4 months of dose dense chemo. When you start chemo join the thread with the group that is starting that month. Keep us posted, we all care...

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