Re: Bios of BC Survivors

Hi My name is Pepper - 40 yrs old
I live in Vancouver, WA
Married 22 years with a 12 yr old son
No family history

My journey began like this:
Sept. 12, 2002 - painful breast - see GYN
Oct. 16, 2002 - Scheduled mamog.
Oct. 31, 2002 - second diagnostic mamog.
* Califications visible - 2 tumors
Nov. 22, 2002 - 1st biopsy
Nov. 24, 2002 - positive dx extensive DCIS
Dec. 19, 2002 - 2nd surgery unclean margins.
Dec. 26, 2002 - 3rd surgery Partial mast
* unclean margins 1.5cm tumor.
Jan. 8, 2003 - first radiation 8 weeks w/ 8 boosts
Feb. 28, 2003 - completed radiation
April 3, 2003 - started Tamoxifen
June 25, 2003 - two new tumors discovered
Aug. 7, 2003 - Taken of Taxom developed an
allergic reaction.
Aug. 13, 2003 - two new tumors BENIGN
Sept. 18, 2003 - Started Raloxifene

Thank you ladies for always coming to my rescue when I needed it the most.

Hi all,
I'm Sally from Cincinnati, am 52 yrs old, no family history of BC. I have one daughter and a very supportive husband.
3/21/02 annual gyn check-up. ALL OK
4/19/02 annual mam. ALL OK
5/21/02 revisited gyn - dimpling by left nipple, and husband found lump.

5/31/02 saw breast specialist, had ultra sound
which showed TWO lumps (one suspicious)in left breast.

6/3/02 Biopsy surgery found 1 invasive tumor, and 1 non-invasive, and margins were filled w/ DCIS.

7/8/02 Mast, clean lymph nodes(6), reconstruction using expander.

8/21/02 First of four chemo.
10/23/02 Last chemo.
No problems with chemo except bad taste in my mouth, lost ALL hair - EVERYWHERE, and moved at a much slower pace, physically.

11/15/02 began Tamoxifen.

12/9/02 final reconstruction w/ saline implant.
Will get nipple in March.

Today is 2/1/03 and I will begin going without may hats on Monday. Hair is back, with a vengance(especially on my face). And my energy is back. I've been exercising throughout this ordeal except post-op.

POSTIVE ATTITUDE IS VITAL. And I kept mine by learning everything I could about this disease and it's treatment. I had lost my mother-in-law to BC 1 year to the day of my dx.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories and encouragement. As a 14-year survivor told me, "it's a great club, but a hell of an initiation."

Sally from Cincy

Hi all - My name is Diane and I am 50 years old.
Back in 1996, I was dx with invasive ductal carcinoma in my left breast. 5 cent. tumor, E/R
postive, Her 2 negative. 5 of 12 lymph nodes positive. I had a mastectomy and 4 chemo treatments at that time. I was fine until September of 2002, when I was diagnosed with a new primary in my right breast. Same type of cancer. They suggested chemo first, 4 treatments, a/c starting in Sept. and ending in Dec. of 2002. I then had a mastectomy on January 7th. Again, 5 of 12 positive lymph nodes. I will have 4 more chemos of taxotire and then rads. I had some complications during my chemo including a TIA (transeschemic attack, collapsed lung due to being punctured with a needle during port installation, and and infection in Dec. due to low white cell count. I was hospitalized several times during the fall. If anyone would like to email me, my email address is Jandi719@msn.com. I don't mean to scare anyone by my complications, as I understand what happened to me is rare and they do not know if the TIA was chemo related. Thanks for this website!!!!!

My name is Eliza and I live in Australia. I am a 29 y.o. wife and mother of a 3 y.o. I am also a post doctoral research fellow studying cancer cell and molecular biology. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (Her2/neo, ER and PR positive) and ductal carcinoma in situ throughout the upper 2 quadrants of my right breast in August 02. I have had a mastectomy (positive margins at the chest wall) and axillary lymphectomy (node negative), 6 cycles of carboplatin/docetaxol chemotherapy, continuing Herceptin therapy, am contemplating a prophylactic mastectomy and have decided against radiotherapy and tamoxifen.

I am sure there must be an alternative to these harsh treatments. I do not believe that we have to feel so terrible in order to beat our illness. We can get well without feeling so unwell.

I believe that I have had this experience so that I can help others. But at this stage I don't know how. I have some ideas and I guess I just need feedback. I tolerated chemo quite well perhaps because I incorporated complementary approaches eg. various vitamins and mineral supplements, ginger tonics and garlic as an anti-microbial/anti-fungal. I would love to do a controlled study of these. I also maintained a healthy diet, meditated, spent lots of time at the beach, walked and continued a 'normal' life as much as possible (such as continuing to work).

I am very lucky to have had unconditional support from my wonderful husband, son, family and friends.

As a medical researcher, I am keen to use my first-hand experience and that of others to contribute to the formulation of new diagnostics and less harmful treatments. If anyone has any experience on the incorporation of complementary therapies and conventional medicine or has had other illnesses (such as viral or bacterial infections) prior to diagnosis of b c, I would be very happy to hear from you.

Hi All,
My name is Mary and I live in Illinois. 39yrs old now. I have a wonderful fiance & 3 wonderful kids, son 22 in the navy, daughter 18 in college & son 13 at home.
Will be a grandma in a month thanks to my son & his wife! I can't wait!!!
I was DX in April 2001 at the age of 37 yrs. Found painful lump myself, thought it was fibrocystic. (NOT)
Went to my GYN for a pre surgical on a hysterectomy and told him of the lump, he sent me ASAP for an ultra-sound. They also did a Mamo. Found a suspicious lump in right breast. (SUSPICIOUS is not a good word!)
Hyster of course got put off. Had a Lumpectomy within a week and it was positive. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma Grade III, 2.5 X 1.5 X 1.5CM.
All margins dirty. ER+
Had a Skin sparing modified radical mastectomy with bi-lateral tram flap reconstruction in May 2001. 5 of 15 nodes positive.
Had Muga Scan, Bone Scan, Chest X-Ray etc... all were good.
July 2001 started chemo, 12 rounds of ACF. My whites kept bottoming out and ended up in the hospital on reverse isolation. (Neutropenic)
I really hated chemo!!! It did not sit well with me and I don't know why I gained 25 lbs!!! (have since lost it)
Finished chemo in Dec 2001 and started rads in Jan 2002 33 rounds, every other day they put the bolist on me and I really got burned, still have scars on my collar bone from it! Also started Tamoxafin in Jan 2001.
June 2002 finished up the reconstruction.
October 2002 finally had my Hysterectomy! It was a piece of cake after what I had been through!!!
I was all better in 2 weeks time.
All along I have had trouble with the mesh in my abdominal area. Since they took both of my abdominal muscles I have a rather large piece of mesh in place and it is driving me crazy! Therapy just made it worse, I went to the "pain clinic" and the Dr. there just caused more damage. Now I have 5 areas where they injected me with steroids and it ate the fat between the skin & the mesh. So there is even less protection in those areas, not to mention you can actually see the dents!
Wow, I am really going on & on! Sorry if I am boring any of you.
At this point all of my tests have come back good!
I just have to deal with the physical limitations I have.
I wish all of you the very best!!! Mary

My name is Karen, I was 45 when diagnosed with bc and am 46 now. Diagnosed July 30,2002. 1.9 cm, SNB Aug. 10, 2002, all four nodes clear but some rare cytokeratin cells in first three and fast growing tumor so onc said treat aggressively. Had 4X A/C, will have last Taxotere Feb. 20, out of 4. Started rads Dec. 23, 2002 had last one Feb. 11. ER/PR-, HER2+. I have fuzz growing and am looking forward to this Thurs. (20th)!!!!
I found out I'm HER2-, which is better. I had a lumpectomy no mast., which I sometimes wonder about. I am married, live in Idaho and have two grown (kind of) boys ages 20 and 22. I'm all done with treatments and am looking forward to life.

edited April 2, 2003. I should have said I have fuzz growing on my head!!! I had port taken out March 24.

I've been a member awhile, but didn't have surgery until Feb 3rd, so I am just now doing my bio.

I am 36 yrs. old. Married 14 yrs., mother of 13 yr old daughter and 7 yr old son. Live on Beale AFB, CA since 09/02. Found lump in 07/02. Had clinical exam in 08/02 & mammo 9/02. Moved from FL to CA late 08/02.

Dx 10/04/02
4 Rounds Adriamycin & Cytoxan 11/02-01/03
Lumpectomy 02/03/03
1/16 nodes positive
Poorly differentiated infiltrating ductal carcinoma
Stage IIB
ER pos
PR neg
HER 2 pos
4 Rounds Taxotere 02/03-04/03
Rads: 5-6 weeks starting 05/03

For all the newbies, if you would like, please update your bios on this post.

Thanks.

Debbie

Sorry to hear you had to join us, Cadilaclady but I welcome you yo a great place. Keep us posted. We've been there, too.
Kathy

hi I'm JanKa age 52, 2 grown kids, 1 grandson on
the way in June 2003.
mass, left breast under the arm
I was Dx last March 2002, first lumpechtocmy marjins clear, second to remove more tissue and
sentinel node removal, all neg. all clear
tumor size 1.5 - stage I
ERPR+
low grade
no overexpressor
had AC 4 rounds, 33 rads
first mamogram since treatment lst week. Neg.
It wasn't so bad, although did get sore afterward

My name is Laura and I live in Nebraska with my husband of 19 years and 4 sons. I am 40 years old. I found my lump in the shower, actually had to bend over to feel it. Thought it could've been a cyst, but had mammogram to be sure. Received dx a week later on March 31, 2003 from core biopsy. Lumpectomy on April 9 with SNB.

2.9 cm Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
No nodal involvement of 3 removed
Highly Agressive Grade 3
Er+

Port installed May 5
First Chemo May 8.

AC -day 1
MF -day 8
four cycles every 3 weeks.

then...
Taxol and perhaps herceptin (sp?)
either weekly or on 3 week schedule for 3 months.

Radiation, Tamoxifen, maybe ovary removal.

Very aggressive regimen, but Onc. gives me a 90-95% of being cancer free in 5 years.

I have great faith in God and know that this is his plan and trust him and have handed it all over to him. I do have moments of sadness, but all these ladies on this board have been an answer to my prayers!

My name is Cyl and I am now 50.

I was 48 when I discovered the lump in my lower left breast in early August 2001. On September 11, I went for a mammogram and ultrasound of the lump but it came up clear. My doctor decided on surgery anyway as she could feel the lump and my breast was twice it's normal size.

Biopsy done on 10/31/01 and diagnosed with Stage III, high grade infiltrating ductular carcinoma on 11/1/01.

The lump was described as dumbbell shaped as a portion of it was in my left breast and the 2nd. part of it was attached to the pectoralis muscle -deeper than the first lump.

A mastectomy was recommended but I chose lumpectomy. The lumpectomy was performed on 11/6/01. Became part of a study group when the sentinel node biopsy was done as well - 13 nodes were removed to be on the safe side as the procedure was considered new to our hospital.

Overall: Dx with high grade infiltrating ductal carcinoma left breast, multifocal disease as a portion was located in chest wall - the lump in the breast was 5x5x3 (9mm) and the smaller lump was 4x3x1.5 (2.5).

Nodes negative
Her 2/Neu negative
ER-/PR-

A port for chemo treatments was inserted on 12/20/01.
Began chemo 12/21/01 and completed chemo 2/22/02 (4 rounds in all)

34 rounds of radiation - Began radiation 3/20/02 and ended radiation 5/16/02. Due to severe burns, I had to take a 2 week break.

Developed lymphedema in June after a bout of severe cellulitis in the left breast. I have been battling lymphedema since then. I've gone from a left arm sleeve to a sleeve and body suit.

To this day, I have severe pain in the left breast and left arm. I do aerobics and have lost 32 lbs. I intend to get what's left of this body in shape again.

Thanks for this post - it helps!!

I'm a newcomer here. I'm 53 yrs. old,menopausal since age 49, mother of a 14 yr. old son.In fall, 2002, my cat gave me a deep scratch in my rt. breast. It bled, then healed. Afterwards,I would have horrible stabbing pains on that side from time to time. I thought it might be an infection, but I ignored it. The holidays were coming up & I didn't want to be bothered with doctor visits. I'd had my first and only mammogram a year earlier and it was clean. Well, in January the pain was screaming at me so I went to my MD. She immediately found a lump & showed it to me (I said "so that's what it feels like"). Ordered a biopsy & by February I was on a course of preadjuvant chemotherapy for a 3cm.+ grade 3 tumor, which my surgeon described as "going wild in there". The preadjuvant chemo (4 AC's) shrunk me down to about 1 cm. On June 3, I went in for a lumpectomy and came out of it having had a mastectomy. She (my MD, onc and surgeon are all women) sent the lump section to the lab and outside the localized wire was a 1 mm. tumor, same grade. I am now recovering from the mastectomy, due to have another 2 rounds of AC, the first one this coming Thursday. This has all been such a whirlwind & I guess we're never ready for it. I took a leave of absence from my job as a kindergarten teacher. My cancer is er/pr negative, her2neu negative, I have zero family history. I haven't eaten meat since 1974 when I became a vegetarian. I am active, but over my ideal weight. What makes us get cancer? I've cried and stressed over the reasons many times. Glad to be among fellow sisters in bc.

That is so sad. You just never know what will happen and it's doubly hard when such a fine person passes away.

When my grandmother had breast cancer in the 50's one of her "friends" said, "How could she get cancer, she is such a good person." Can you believe how ignorant that sounds? As if being a good person made any difference when it comes to any cancer. It can happen to anyone at any time. The important thing is to deal with it as best you can and make the right decisions for you. The doctors like to push Tamoxifen and Arimidex, but it's not going into their bodies and the male doctors don't have a clue about the side effects. If they did they would not be so quick to recommend these drugs. Every patient has to make her own decision about what side effects to put up with.

Take it day to day!

Hi, my name is Ruth and I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am almost 46.

I was diagnosed on November 18, 1999 4 months subsequent to a clean baseline mammogram, when I discovered a large lump on my right breast then found a small lump in my armpit.

I had a modified radical mastectomy and axillary dissection on November 30, 1999. There was a 5x4.5x4 cm tumour, nuclear grade III, ER/PR negative, 17/20 positive lymph nodes.

Then had 6 months of chemotherapy (CEF)in the following 28 day cycle: Days 1 & 8 - i.v. epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil, days 1-15 oral cyclophosphamide.
(They recommended high-dose chemo but I declined.)

I developed phlebitis in my left arm and they switched to my right arm (which they recommend not to do) then inserted a "PIC" (percutaneous intervenous catheter) line for delivery of the rest of the chemos starting in the 4th month since my veins were shot at that point. (I wish that I had had that earlier - no more needles!)

I was hospitalized twice for febrile neutropenia (high fever with low white blood cell counts) and low platelets. I had multiple i.v. antibiotics, platelet and packed red blood cell transfusions. I was never isolated even though I was concerned that the worst place for strange germs was the hospital.

I self-injected Neupogen during months 3-6.
I developed allergic reactions (called erythema nodosa) to both sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin that were given to me for prophylaxis during my chemo.

Then on July 4th, 2000, started 25 regular and 8 boosts of radiation to the chest wall, finishing the entire episode in a mere 9 months!

I continued to work through the entire time except for hospitalizations.

I am not on any meds as I am ER negative. Was thrown into menopause in Feb 2000 and have experienced intensive hot flashes since. (I feel lucky to have something in common with my fellow survivors on tamoxifen!) I tried Effexor and Paxil for hot flashes - worked not bad - but don't want to be on any meds I don't absolutely need. I have developed a low bone density (osteopenic) and am on Actonel 35 mg once per week to prevent further bone loss.

I spent the 6 months after treatment running to the doctor and fretting over every pain and ache until I decided that it wasn't worth the effort, so now I wait 2 weeks before calling the doctor - funny how those aches and pains go away if you wait 2 weeks. (My support group says that it's part of the process and that many of them say that they did that too, which helped alot because I was beginning to feel foolish.)

I'm feeling great - I changed my life dramatically by dumping my husband of 24 years who decided that my cancer was too hard on him so he went to another women for support and comfort. (And to take care of his other "needs".......).

I started anew pretty much from scratch and happy that I did. I now do some volunteering for the Canadian Cancer Society (Reach to Recovery) and run in various BC support runs to raise money.

I'm glad to be here today and glad for these discussion boards - helps both the writer and the reader.

Hugs to all. Every day's a good day.