TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP

Thanks, all. Glad to know my musings weren't stupid! My surgeon is out of the country this week but I am going to go into the mammogram on Tuesday with pointed questions for the technician and radiologist before we proceed. The surgeon is highly experienced and well-regarded so I'm going on the assumption right now that she knows what she's recommended and it will be OK, but I would like answers to satisfy myself that this is all being taken into account.

My diagnosis path was: palpable but small lump to focused ultrasound of lump to needle biopsy to excision, so mammogram has not been part of the process yet. I also have an MRI referral for next week and it does make sense to me that they need both these image studies, as it feels like there is a big hole there; who has BC treatment with zero mammograms ever? We need to know if this cancer is multifocal or if the other breast is involved or worse.

Creativevintage- I'm so sorry. I was hopeful for you to get a benign result.

I'm sorry creativevintage.

creative - if it is helpful, I have seen some folks with exactly the scenario you have described. I will keep my fingers crossed for a localized recurrence that can be handled as you just laid out. Did you have Neulasta the first time around? Agree, working from home should be helpful, but I also hope your employer is flexible if you are not feeling 100% at times - it is to be expected. So sorry you are facing this again.

I'm sorry you're back in this place after 6 years. Keeping fingers crossed that it's local and small. The good news is there's a lot more treatment now and more coming down the line. We know have Kadcyla and Nerlynx available as treatments.

Please let us know what the MRI says and what your plan is going forward.

prayers for you creativevintage

creative - yes, praying for that. Maybe working in your favor is the time between your initial diagnosis and this - most Her2+ driven recurrences happen closer to the initial dx, ER+ driven recurrence more likely further out. Will cross fingers for that to be the case and the fix to be surgical.

praying for you creative!

Hi AMG2

Just found this site today and am thrilled that there are others that can understand all that we are going through. I have finished my AC chemo and will be finished 12 weeks of Pacletaxel on Aug 24 .. I had a bit of a hiccup with thst.., after second dose it was causing colitis..so they dialed down my dosage to 50% for next 2 doses then wanted to slowly increase it . 5 dose was at 80% but same problem so they decided that 50% was all I would be getting.. I have my Radiation CT scan booked for Aug 31/21 and then my 5 weeks of that's will likely start in Sept. I also have been receiving Herceptin since May and that will continue for a full year also and the tamoxifen for 5-10 years..

I will be keeping you all in thoughts and prayers as we journey along...

hello everyone,

I’m new to the forum and wanted to say hello. Had a negative screening Mammo last October and felt uncomfortable on July 9. Found a lump and started working on it immediately. Diagnostic mammogram, Breast ultra sound, biopsy in a week (and I had to push). Learned it was triple positive with weak HR stats and strong HER2. 11mm IDC with a DCIS component. Scheduled it for eviction with lumpectomy and Sentinel node biopsy as soon as I could get on a schedule. Did that last Friday and was thrilled that all five nodes were negative and the tumor was 13mm. Stage IA.

Getting ready for the Taxol and Herceptin rodeo before radiation and tamoxifen (which I had to fight for because I’m premenopausal). They were pushing ovarian suppression and AIs and I am not ready for menopause a decade or more early. Maybe in 3-5 years, I’ll change my mind about menopause. My oncologist even offered to only give me Herceptin but I don’t want to live with that high of a chance of recurrence. We have to all live with that all the time anyway.

Chopped off my waist length hair into a pixie cut in prep for losing it by the end of next month. I’m ready. That’s all I can respond when people ask me how I’m doing. I say that I’m ready. Guess I don’t really have a choice though.

Good luck to those getting surgery tomorrow and keep on fighting for those who’ve had recent setbacks. Treatment is getting better all the time, from what I hear.

Haven’t told many people yet, but I won’t be able to hide it for much longer.

Here we go! I’m ready.

welcome smoothoperator. Sorry you had to join the club but, you seem to have a handle on everything.

Thank you all, your good thoughts and prayers worked. This tumor is HER2 negative! Strongly ER/PR positive, but HER2 negative. I am so relieved. Now to get through the MRI and PET Scan. This is such good news and I wanted to say thank you again for being here for me

Creative - very happy to hear that!

All is good! PET was clear and MRI showed a small spot in each breast, but they were not concerning for malignancy. Just to be sure, I am going to have MRI guided biopsy of each area. If all clear, they will do an ALND and send for Oncotyping, I will probably have to go back on aromatase inhibitors, but have to see the Liver specialist to see if elevated liver function tests are liver damage from the previous AI or if it is from a non functioning gall bladder. They are mildly elevated and have been since I switched to exemestane before I just stopped taking the AI’s after 3 years

Great news, creative!

I had my MRI Sunday night and am waiting for the results still. They told me 24-48 hours and my anxiety is surging. As long as I had a road map with dates of things I was supposed to do, I was OK, but I'm now dangling as I wait to hear if we need to do more needle biopsies on suspicious spots from the MRI before the sentinel lymph node biopsy or if that's the next thing on the list, and when this will all happen, and when I will meet my oncologist, and when chemo will start, and blah blah. When I know what's going to happen I can handle it but the uncertainty is making me crazy. I'm also fretting over Covid vax boosters.

I did have my consult for genetic testing today and went in having been told it was a blood test, only to find out it was a saliva test. At this point, avoiding even one needle stick feels like a celebratory event.