If you have just been diagnosed....

I was just diagnosed Thursday April 5th. They say I have stage 0 with suspected invasion. My surgery is April 26th, a whole 3 weeks away. I fear the outcome. I don't know how I am going to get thru the next 3 weeks, and this is just the beginning. I just read thru the forum and cried. So many emotions. I will definately be back to these pages. I know I will need the support. Does anyone know how to find local support groups? Is their a site for all support centers available? Thanks.

Hi again,
I'm sorry to hear your surgeon doesn't communicate well. There is a lot of information on this and other sites that will give you information. A friend of mine recommended the book "Just Get Me Through This!" by Deborah Cohen that she used as her bible during her breast cancer treatment. You might want to get a copy for yourself.

Since you have family who has had breast cancer, if you are close enough, try to talk with them. There should be other groups in your area that have discussion groups you could join. Contact the cancer agencies in your area.

My cancer is localized in the upper right quadrant of my right breast. It involves both the ducts and lobules. My surgery is scheduled for April 24 at 3PM. I'm having a lumpectomy with mammostat radiation starting the following week for 10 treatments (twice a day for 5 days). This is the current plan pending upon the findings of the surgery.

Feel free to share your story with your friends. I sing with a chorus and the the women who sit on either side of me are breast cancer survivers. Other friends have put me in touch with their friends who are survivers. You don't know when you will find survivers.

I hope you can get the information you need. If you have specific questions feel free to contact me directly.

May you find peace,
Maryann

Hi Gracie,

So sorry you had to join us here. Since you have not had surgery yet, they cannot stage yet, but it could be grade 3. You should get a copy of your path report. Yes you do have a lot of other things going on - but I am sure all can be managed. You are in the hardest part of the journey - the waiting. Once you know what you are dealing with and have a treatment plan in place it does get easier. This board is a great place to come for support 24/7. Once you see the specialist you will know a little more and feel free to come back here and ask questions if you need to.

Hugs,
Sue

loqu
i say go with your gut and you will never go wrong
good luck
xoxox
julia

Hi hang in there. I was also diagnosed last week with grade III IDC looks like Medullary carcinoma but I am ER & PR neg and Brac 1. I have to have 2 more surgeries or one if I opt for a masectomy. We will begin a journey but they have come along way in the treatment of bc so we have a great chance of recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

This is my 1st. time posting.I'm 56 years young. I had my phone call last night from my surgeon who did a Lumpectomy 2 weeks ago. I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma BC. I don't have the pathology report yet. He said that I should have a Sentinel node biopsy to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, followed by a re-excision. When he first called to tell me the biopsy was cancer on a Friday night then called back to see if I wanted to take a cancellation appt. for surgery on the following Tuesday I thought great they can get it out. It seems that each time he calls with results it just gets worse, more bad news. Too much info all at once to take in! Decisions to be made that I'm not sure of. I've gone through the falling apart and now reality is setting in. This is the scariest thing. I'm trying to be positive but its difficult.

I have received my pathology report which says IDC - Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with measurements 1.0x0.5X0.1.
my 4 lymph nodes are already been removed.I am advised for chemo first them surgery after reducing the tumor size? can any one help me with wht should I do first?
Plz reply

Hello.. I am new to this forum. I am not new to health forums alas.I am 46 and had another child at 40 that seems to have started most of this. I was always hypothyroid but after having my last and without going into details about another problems my thyroid was enlarged and needed to be removed on the one side. Now after 4 years it seems to have finally stabilized or died one or the other the remaining lobe that is. But I still do have hypothyroid symptoms but they are better then they were when I was so sick at the beginning. Then a year later after that surg I was diagnosed with type two diabetes which the endo tells me is not that uncommon because they hypo and diabetes reside on the same gene. I also have had asthma most of my life and have high blood pressure that takes two meds to keep in control. I have a torn roator tendon in my right shoulder that they are putting off fixing because I also need a hip replacement on the right side and that is another long story. But after I had my last baby I got a lump right next to my nipple on the right side and was told that it was nothing to worry about. But now 5 years later I had a dr that said Hay lets get that out of there, I dont think its a problem but its better to get it out. I say ok and then to into surg that is soposed to be not a problem. And get a call during the next week that says I have DCIS that was not that lump, that lump was not a problem. But the DCIS was in the cells around it. So I get hit with something else in the past 6 months after finding out that I need a new hip as a present from my dr in the fall. (which I didn't not get yet because he wants me to drop some weight first which is very hard when you are hypo and I started water aerobics right before this all.)So after a few weeks they take me back in and cut me up again. And again they say its ok it was probably just an isolated incident and you are so lucky that it was found at this stage it is as early as can be and it couldn't have even been seen on mamo yet.WOOHOO lucky me.. I say uhuh I with hold the party for after. So I go in again three weeks ago. They end up taking out all they can without doing a mastectomy. Because every time they check the margins they find Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia in the margins but stop there because I was not scheduled for a mastectomy and well.. Its early right..So they tell me ok again I am lucky.. yeah right uhuh.. Now tomorrow I go back to the radiation guy to talk about getting that done. And they deff are putting me on Tamo. I may wait for the radiation I was also told that I probably have it on the other side as well. And if they didn't get it all in surg I am afraid that if I use up my one get out of cancer free card on that side I may need it later. And now since I have had bleeding and my gyn isn't sure if its the stress or the IUD or what he sent me for a vag ultrasound the week after this last surg. (which btw is a huge ins ion and I was not ready to see that) and the results of that are that they dont know if the extra thickness if a problem with my lining or that the IUD was also measured as well. They wanted me to go back in for surg again next week. I said to him hay I was just put under two weeks ago and a few weeks before that. But with my hip they want to do it under general so it is more comfortable for me and to just BE SURE that there isn't a problem there too.UHUH.. again.. I am going to not think about that and just deal with this end of it for now. So I guess the moral of this story is that if you have been sailing in life happy and healthy and then boom found out you had cancer, be happy that you had time to be happy. I on the other hand seem to have a dark cloud over me that just keeps tearing me down more and more to keep me in the house of pain all the time. I am sorry to vent here ladies, but the comminity site I run is for horror fans and I just cant keep talking to them because most of them just dont understand. So thank you for letting me vent this huge letter. And I will be back but I promise it wont be a novel anymore.. Love and Pain free days to all..

Hello all, I too was recently diagnosed from annual mammogram on March 19 to the retake and ultrasound March 22. That led to the breast biopsy on March 28. On March 29 I learned I had breast cancer. I had an MRI on April 2. It showed only a single spot. I had my lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy on April 19. A 1.8 cm tumor w/ clean margins was removed. Two nodes were taken. One shows a 3 mm focus of cancer. I'm scheduled for the Complete Axillary Node Dissection this Thursday, May 3. After the sentinel node biopsy, I had full range of motion. After 7 days I was running again, ran 2 hrs 45 mins in the woods today. Heavenly! I am told with the axillary node dissection, my range of motion will be more limited and I'll have my companion, the drain for 7 - 10 days. Can anyone offer me advice about the recovery time from the axillary dissection? How is it accessorizing the drain? I know I won't be allowed to drive but I plan to be dropped in the middle of town so I can walk around and stay active. Again any advice on the realities will be appreciated.

To all, your stories are heroic to say the very least. I didn't choose this club, but I'm proud to be associated with all of you.

i had a ultrasound core biopsy yesterday. My doctor notified my today that i have poorly differentiated invasive ductal breast cancer. What now help!

Terry,

I am not one to give you lots of info as I am new to this also. I am 37 and was diagnosed on 4/27 with surgery on 5/2 and scheduled for another on 5/23. I have 5 small chlidren. I have triplets that are 12, a 9 year old, and a 6 year old. I have cried till my eyes hurt. I have been mad. I also have just been quiet. I seriously have to tell myself that my faith in God will get me through. Be strong and we will do this together.

Dawn

DAWN
THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS!!!! IWOULD LOVE TO TALK TO YOU BUT I JUST CAN'T RIGHT NOW I'M IN A BAD PLACE! MAYBE SOON! PLEASE UNDER STAND, ON MINUTE I CAN TALK ANOTHER MINUTE I CANT, BUT I'M THINKING OF YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TERRY40
TERRY40

Hi, this is the first time I have used a discussion board so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong place. I have recently been diagnosed with IDC. I was scheduled to have my lumpectomy this Friday, however, my surgery has been postponed because of the national shortage in Lymphazurin. Has anyone else experienced a delay for this reason? I am concerned about the delay and my surgeon's office said they are waiting to hear from the hospital as to when the next shipment will be received. The only information I have found on line is that the supply is being rationed.

Thanks

I have had a lumpectomy and Mammosite radiation just met with my Medical Oncologist which he suggests Chemo and Herceptin. No lymph nodes had cancer and the margin around the tumor was clean. It was Stage 1, I'm going for a second opinion I don't feel that I should have Chemo but do feel Herceptin is needed due to the fact that I am ER and PR positive also HER2 positive. Would like to know if anyone is in this same situation and the treatment you are doing. The doctor has put me on Tamoxifen.

marcelas,

I'm sorry to hear that you've "joined" us. You'll want to get a copy of your pathology report so that you will have more details and can review all of this for yourself, but it sounds as if (as bad news goes) that this is about as good as it gets.

Almost all BC originates in the ducts. If it's still inside the ducts and hasn't broken through the "basement membrane" of the duct, it's called "ductal carcinoma in situ, or "DCIS"). If it has broken through the basement membrane, then it is "invasive" and looking at your nodes becomes more important. Is sounds as if you've been told that yours is DCIS?

I'm guessing (you'll need to look at your path report) that the categorization of the tumor as "low" refers to its nuclear grade, that is, how different the cell looks from normal cells. There are three grades, and a "low" nuclear grade tumor has cells that look more "normal" than those of a higher grade. So, again, as bad news goes, that's good news.

If (after they've looked at margins, and lymph nodes), you could well be told that you have DCIS which is Stage 0 BC. This is the most treatable form of BC--many doctors will say that there is a good chance of "cure" for BC at this stage.

If you were to have positive lymph nodes, you'd jump straight to Stage 2, which is a little bit more of a challenge. I'm not sure what the effect would be if they were unable to get clean margins.

If we've misunderstood and it isn't "just" DCIS based on the lumpectomy, then there may be more to know...but absent more info, any speculation we could do here is the equivalent of trying to decide which wall in the house might survive a tornado...when we haven't even heard a tornado warning!

Take a deep breath (there's always time to worry later...). This (what you've said so far) is (as these things go) relatively good. Assuming good margins, no lymph node involvement, etc. I've seen survival rates noted at 99%+ for five years...and suggestions that the ones who died were "hit by the bus on the way to the hospital." Nothing to do w/ the BC.

So please, start breathing again, collect your path. reports as you go along and see what your medical team recommends. Definitely don't panic! You could still have a very good prognosis!

LisaAlissa