32 and diagnosed yesterday
This is basically just a hello post. I got the call yesterday from the radiologist yesterday that the biopsy came back as cancer. I have my first appointment with oncologist on Tuesday. I suppose that is when I will get more details.
I'm 32 and even though my friends and family keeping using my age as a positive. I feel like my age is a negative. Just seems more likely to be more aggressive in a young person.
Nipple retraction is what brought me to the doctor and started this rolling. I had a history of lumps and had my last mammogram and ultrasound in 2012 that both came back clean.
The biggest thing that has me freaked out is my back. I hurt my back 6 months ago carrying my 30 pound dog back into the house. It has not gotten better. Some days are better than others but I have not been 100 percent physically since that day. With this diagnosis I feel like the back injury is due to metastasized cancer in my spine. The injury always seemed odd as I felt like I was not doing anything major that should have hurt me. Also in the last few days maybe a couple of weeks, I feel like I can feel something on my spine that's not supposed to be there. Kind of a burning sensation when I am sitting or even laying down. It's only a slight feeling in addition to the back stiffness and muscle spasms I've been having. I also have had worsening muscle weakness in my right shoulder.
Anybody else have similar back pain prior diagnosis?
Oh and one more interesting detail about myself, my wife and I have 5 small children, 3.5 year old and 5m old quadruplets. 
Comments
-
Dear bama, Welcome to the BCO community. We are so sorry that you received a breast cancer diagnosis yesterday but so glad that your reached out here so quickly. Try not to jump to conclusions or google your symptoms as such can add to your worries. You may want to write down your concerns in advance of meeting with your oncologist and take someone to your appointment as it can be difficult to take everything in in the beginning. You also may want to reach out on the forum Young with Breast Cancer as there are a number of topics there for young people and young people with children. It seems that you have your hands full and this is the last thing that you need to have to deal with. Catch your breath and hang in there until Tuesday when hopefully more information will be offered to you. Keep us posted. The Mods
-
Hi bama - So sorry for the bad news. It is devastating at any age, but especially hard for the younger ones to hear. The mods are right, there is no reason to jump to conclusions. Take things a step at a time. Congrats on the littles ones, maybe carrying them around makes your back hurt. It would make mine hurt! So glad you found us. Please let us know how everything goes.
-
Be careful about jumping to conclusions about your back pain and stay away from Dr. Google.
Best of luck.
-
Hello and welcome and I'm so sorry you find yourself here, especially at such a young age! There is no good time for this crappy diagnosis but I agree that more aggressive steps are there the younger you are. That being said, my mom is 70 and just finished up with BMX, chemo and rads (and she's doing great). Good luck at your appointment and come back here for support.
I just wanted to tell you that my best friend injured her back over a year ago and it is still bothering her. It could be a bulging or bruised disc or a whole lot of things and back injuries can be slow to heal, especially if you're active, so try not to worry about that. Easy to say but try to breathe and stay calm and take it one step at a time. They found it and now it's time to get rid of it!
Remember that you are not alone. We have a nine year old and those sweet faces and unconditional love will give you all the strength you need. Quadruplets? Holy smokes and congratulations to you!
-
Hi,
Sorry to hear you are diagnosed at a young age. This forum it's a great place to come to find info or just simply vent. It is not easy. I really understand the worries of being young and aggressiveness of this disease (I was diagnosed at 33 last March) but the best way to deal with it is one step/day at a time.
The back pain could be due so some disc issues. But it is hard not to worry once you have been diagnosed as we are more sensitive to all the other pains.
Congrats on you kids!!! Use them as your strength!!!
Big hugs!!!!
-
Bama, sorry to hear about your dx and your back pain. Just wanted to let you know that you don't have to be doing anything major to hurt your back. My son was a college football player (in great shape) and was walking across campus after football practice one day, sneezed, ruptured a disc and had to have surgery. Obviously this has nothing to do with your back, just hoping to help put your mind at ease that you can easily have back problems without it being cancer related.
Wishing you the best.
-
Got a little bit of info today. IDC at least stage 3. 5cm. Estrogen positive. He's pretty sure it's in my lymph nodes too but since it wouldn't change the course of treatment, there was no reason to biopsy them. PET scan, MRI, and some heart test coming up. Eight rounds of chemo before surgery. Should start chemo next week.
They told me it doesn't matter the stage now but more so the stage before surgery. I feel completely defeated. I fully expect the PET scan to bring more bad news and confirm the back pain is related.
-
Sorry to hear of your dx but the others are right; there's no sense in borrowing trouble. If test shows something else then you deal with that if and when it happens.It is important to stay positive. I will pray for you and your beautiful family.
-
oh bama - sorry about the not so great news. I have seen some amazing things happen here with chemo before surgery. It is good to find out how well it is working. Sorry hon, I hate this for you. One step at a time. We're here for you. Lean on us.
-
So chemo before surgery does well? Thank you for that... I'm so down over this, I don't even feel like reading up on it.
-
State of mind is everything. As I post this, I am with my wife as she had her bilateral mastectomy yesterday. She has Stage II and will probably need chemo. She, like you, is in her 30's.
-
It is a unique opportunity to find out how much the tumor shrinks. Some ladies that had neoadjuvant chemo therapy then had surgery later, show no evidence of disease after the breast surgery, not even where they initially found the tumor. If you need help coping be sure to talk to your doctor or nurse navigator about it. I'll bet those babies help get your mind of things for a while. Crossing my fingers and toes that the PET scan shows nothing sinister. It is ironic that this is the only time in our lives when we welcome a strained muscle or arthritis. Gentle hug.
-
Thank you for encouragement. I really need it. I think if my back wasn't bothering me I would be more upbeat. I know it's injuried but I feel like it could be a spot on my spine that caused the injury. I would never be happier to be wrong.
-
bama351, I am so sorry you are having to deal with all this. Hang in there and seek help when you need it. I wanted to say that it is natural to think that everything is connected. About 2 weeks after my surgery, I caught a terrible cold. I was convinced it was somehow related to cancer. And the cold, in some ways, felt way worse than cancer. I mean, I have had very little cancer-related discomfort. Actually none. But that cold kicked my butt. The pain of your injury probably is sapping you right now. That's not crazy. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts.
-
welcome! I was diagnosed at 29 and have six kids. Let me know if you need to talk to someone. Pm me.
-
Just checking back in. I had my first chemo treatment last week and it sucked but that's to be expected.
PET scan showed that my cancer has spread to my back and my liver. So my fears about my back pain were correct.
-
bama351, we are so sorry to hear this news. What is the plan? How are you? How can we all be there for you?
-
I'm doing ok I suppose. Thank you for asking.
The only immediate plans is to do 4 rounds of chemo and do another PET scan. We originally talked about doing 8 rounds and then surgery.
If my back would loosen up I think I could feel 100 percent but my back is causing mobility issues and getting me pretty frustrated.
-
oh bama. I don't know what to say. I am just sick about that news. Please check in with the stage Iv sisters when you have a chance. The strength and support there is fierce. I hope you have enough support at home. Anything I say seems so hollow. If you live anywhere close to OKC let me know. I suspect not. If you were closer I'd hook you up with my church. When something like this happens a church can be a great source for extra hands and help and I'm not talking solely about spiritual support. Tell me what I can do to help. I'm going to stay in touch ok?
-
Like the post above, I don't know what to say & feel like anything I say will seem hollow. Hoping you have a strong support system - whether family or friends. If not, please seek emotional support from discussion boards here but also practical support like American Cancer Society can help if you need rides to treatments, etc. Sending positive thoughts your way and truly wishing the best for you. -
bama I too am sorry to hear you got this news. I just wanted you to know I am thinking of you. Big hugs
Nancy
-
Thank you all for the kind words. Me and my crew live in central Alabama.
Yes farmerlucy, I would like to keep it touch, that sounds nice.
-
Hi Bama. I was 32 when diagnosed at Stage 4 also (now 33). As someone who is the same age, and has been at it almost a year, please feel free to private message if you want to talk or vent or ask questions.
Being young with this certainly has its share of challenges, especially since most people in our age group have not been touched by cancer. But our bodies tend to bounce back from treatments faster than others.
Trust me, once you get a little further into treatment and becomes part of your daily routine, things do get a little eaiser.
-
I am so sorry to hear your "gut feeling" was confirmed. Have you had a chance yet to review a new "game plan" with your medical providers?
I do hope you head over to the Stage IV forum, there are women there who, like you, were diagnosed at or near their original diagnosis with Stage IV (and I know there are a couple women around your age or younger as well) as well as many who had a later recurrence, but in any event I know you will get the support (and place to run through all the emotions, events, and experiences not only without judgment, but a lot of empathy).
-
hi Bama, I hope you are having a good afternoon! What can we do to help?? Everyone here will step up to answer whatever questions you may have.
What chemo are you on? I had AC/T then surgery. I just finished rads #10 today. But not about me, but I have disc issues in my lower back and neck. They are from years ago when I was at the farm and chasing horses, cows, and goats! I think throwing all the hay bales into the loft may have helped the injury also, and a car wreck. But try to separate the pains and side effects so you can explain the symptoms to the Doctors. It's good to be able to say when it started just in case its from the chemo or meds. I always keep a spiral notebook with my daily meds, food and water intake, and any issues or side effects. Not sure if that works for you, you have your hands full.
Take care, I hope you feel well, and let's us know how we can help you! Just ask!
-
I thought you ladies might enjoy this story.
Both my grandmothers died of Cancer. Lung and Breast. I did not get much time with either because one died when I was young and I lived in a different state from the other. So I have just a few memories of either one of their cancer stories. So the story I was told about my mother's mother, the one with breast cancer, was she was 60 at the time of diagnosis and all they know about the tumors is that it was ER+. This was in the early 90s. She did not see a doctor about her breasts until the skin had started to dimple like an orange and she had some deformity. And she had tumors in both breasts. She refused any treatment outside of surgery. (That part I remember so I know it's true). So she had modified bilateral mastectomy and ran up a bunch of debt waiting to die. Except she didn't. Several years later, 5 or so, she had some bone pain she passed off as bursitis that turned out to be bone metastasis. The only treatment after this was radiation. She tried Tamoxifen but for whatever reason she did not tolerate it and stopped. She lived to be 75. I was impressed that she lived 15 years.
-
When we initially discussed it, he said 8 rounds of chemo. 4 each of two different types. I'm not sure what the second one is (I haven't asked alot of questions- I'll come around- just been going through the motions so far). But I am currently doing AC.
-
That is a great story about your grandmother. I hope chemo is tolerable for you and that you have lots of help with the babies. Any chance they're all sleeping through the night? My 11 mo old granddaughter still isn't - she has her mama trained well! Praying that you find some relief from the back pain.
-
All four are great sleepers.. They go down at 830-900 every night and make it to about 730-800 the next morning.. It's been very nice
-
Hi bama - just checking in - how are you doing? Have you had round two of chemo yet? Thinking of you.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team