Diagnosed 1 week ago with IDC

Mykidsmom, So sorry you find yourself here, a member of our club. And am also sorry that your providers have forgotten that right now, you are not a nurse, but an overwhelmed patient. I am sure others will be along shortly to give you more detailed information and share their experiences, but for now, ER/PR receptor + status means that they can provide you with meds to suppress hormones after your treatments, to reduce the risk of recurrence (that's a good thing). HER2 affects cell signaling networks governing proliferation, and a - means that you aren't overexpressing HER2 and you won't be a candidate for a targeted therapy (like Herceptin or Perjeta). Regarding Ki-67, breastcancer.org says this " Ki-67: Ki-67 is a protein in cells that increases as they prepare to divide into new cells. A staining process can measure the percentage of tumor cells that are positive for Ki-67. The more positive cells there are, the more quickly they are dividing and forming new cells. In breast cancer, a result of less than 10% is considered low, 10-20% borderline, and high if more than 20%." find full text here: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/rate_grade

Please do "break up" with Dr. Google, he's no good! And you need your sleep. If you don't get sleep, you'll be less able to take in and process the information that will come fast and furiously in the next few days/weeks. It also can affect decision making. If you need something temporarily to help you sleep, please ask. There is a thread on anxiety that gives some tips on how to engage in distraction and relaxation while you wait for all of the images/labs. I'll post it here: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/83/topics/855477?page=2#idx_50

Things really do start to feel better, or you feel more empowered, once you have a treatment plan in place. You'll find many different forums on surgery, hormonals, chemo etc that can help you put together your list of questions. Carrying a recording device or calm (and fast writing) friend to appointments can be helpful, so you can review information later.

Sending you positive thoughts and warm ((hugs))

I wholeheartedly agree with MTwoman. You MUST break up with Dr. Google. He is not good for your health and well being. Take our advice, please. I wish I would have. I googled and googled until I literally almost put myself in the hospital. I was worried so much. Every ache and pain, I attributed to my diagnosis. Stick to the support here on this website. Everyone that I've met is extremely knowledgeable, professional, and such a great source of support.

Don't think about tomorrow. Take it one day at a time. That's the best advice I can give you. It will help both you and your child. Exercise. Read a book. Go on a quick get away. Listen to your doctors.

Now, if I can heed my own advice..

Hi!

It's just a way of saying that your breast cancer has moved to that lymph node. But, its the same cancer.

The term "metastatic" can be scary. But, yes, the only way to tell whether you have distant mets is to do additional scans (MRI, PET scan, bone scan, CT scan, etc.).

What it's saying is your tumor has moved into at least one lymph node. Your doctor will vary likely request additional tests at this point.

What your doctor said is generally accurate; breast cancer patients who are Stages 1 and 2 generally don't get CT or PET scans or even MRIs. They are expensive scans, and are often deemed unnecessary by health insurance. Even though I was diagnosed at Stage 3 with an aggressive kind of cancer (triple positive, Grade 3), my insurance company balked at paying for my MRI (though it was later OK with my PET scan).

In many instances, it is the case that patients at Stages 1 and 2 are highly unlikely to have mets. For example, if you have a small tumor, no nodal involvement, and your cancer is growing slowly (Grade 1), the patient is very unlikely to have mets.

In your case, your ki-67 is high and you have nodal involvement. Scans seem more appropriate for you than for many at your clinical stage.