Systemic changes prior to DX

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Waves2Stars
Waves2Stars Member Posts: 158
edited October 2021 in Stage I Breast Cancer

I am having a hard time finding information on how the body reacts to breast cancer tumors pretreatment. I know there’s immune responses, thus the calcifications, etc. I’ve even read there can be cardiac remodeling in response to BC, before treatment. How does the body respond to the tumor necrosing factor? Is there systemic inflammation?

Just trying to understand how it is I felt bad for so long, going to different doctors like a hypochondriac. Besides the obvious effects of surgery and meds, I feel 100% better than before. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but even my blood pressure is lower. I just want to understand.

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited October 2021

    Well, I felt better than I had in years, and I had breast cancer AND kidney cancer, with no symptoms for either, so there's probably a huge range between "felt dreadful" and "felt marvelous" that people experienced.

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  • MountainMia
    MountainMia Member Posts: 1,307
    edited October 2021

    Yeah, I felt the best I had for a long time. My PCP said it was time to schedule a mammogram and I (a very compliant person when it comes to health care) almost scoffed at her. It wasn't even on my list of things to worry about, because I felt great.


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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited October 2021

    I felt perfectly fine when my regular screening mammogram indicated a need for further assessment. I was already stage IV! Go figure 😬

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  • Rah2464
    Rah2464 Member Posts: 1,647
    edited October 2021

    I was the opposite. I had unrelenting fatigue which is what drove me to search for the root cause. Strange how we are all so different.

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  • gb2115
    gb2115 Member Posts: 1,894
    edited October 2021

    I had a lot of draining fatigue before diagnosis both times. I wasn't surprised when they wanted to biopsy after the MRI...I realized I hadn't been feeling well so I braced myself for hearing news of recurrence.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited October 2021

    I was at the top of my game. Quit smoking the year before. Slim weight. Exercised or walked every day. Eating healthy food. Working at a job I loved with literally NO stress - 9-4 with no "homework".

    There were many days when I thought it I'd only kept smoking - those poisons were killing cancer cells, or keeping them at bay, so when I quit smoking - all hell broke loose.

    Also no weird physical feelings before my recurrence. Just going along happy as a clam.

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