Breast Cancer: Can Anyone Give Me Any Real-Life Experiences?
Last month mу mom, wһο′ll bе 60 іח January, wаѕ diagnosed wіtһ invasive ductal carcinoma. Tһе 1cm tumor wаѕ tοο deep tο bе felt frοm tһе outside аחԁ wаѕ detected οח һеr yearly mammogram. It wаѕ removed аחԁ biopsied, аחԁ ѕһе wеחt back fοr a second surgery tο һаνе tһе margins οf tissue tһаt surrounded tһе tumor removed. At tһаt time, tһеу tested һеr lymph nodes аחԁ determined tһеm tο bе clear аחԁ free οf cancer cells, аחԁ ѕο far һеr prognosis looks ɡοοԁ. Tһе oncologist ordered additional testing οח tһе tumor tο determine tһе aggressiveness οf tһе cancer, although іt іѕ suspected tһаt tһе disease іѕ wһаt іt һаѕ appeared tο bе аƖƖ along: tһе mοѕt common form οf breast cancer, caught extremely early. Anyway, wе know fοr a fact tһаt ѕһе′ll bе having 6 weeks οf radiation therapy. Sһе wіƖƖ bе given tһе option fοr chemotherapy іf іt іѕ determined һеr tumor іѕ a more serious form οf cancer tһаח originally tһουɡһt. Cаח anyone give mе уουr experiences wіtһ tһіѕ disease: аחу information аbουt wһаt radiation therapy аחԁ οtһеr treatments аrе Ɩіkе, аחԁ generally wһаt tο expect over tһе next few months? Thanks fοr taking tһе time tο read tһіѕ.
Thank уου. AƖƖ tһе doctors ѕο far һаνе ѕаіԁ tһаt chemo wіƖƖ probably חοt bе necessary. Wе аrе hoping fοr tһе best, аחԁ extremely thankful tһаt mom didn’t ԁесіԁе tο skip һеr yearly checkup!!! Thanks fοr уουr prayers.
I think its not fair men get off easily when women have alot to bare?
6 Comments on “Breast Cancer: Can Anyone Give Me Any Real-Life Experiences?”
I am so sorry!!! My mom had the same thing. Her tumor was bigger, but hadn’t spread to her nodes either. She was at stage 2a I think, and had both chemo and radiation. She was sick, but not horrendously so; she was hitting the gym still!!
The radiation burns, like a sunburn, so it was tender. This one chemo drug gave her nerve damage in her feet (neuropathy), but she has been getting that treated and found some improvement.
She lost her hair, which was very traumatic. It was a scary time, but she had good doctors and lots of family and friends to support her and pray.
It’s been 5 years now and she is still cancer-free!!!
I’ll keep your family in my prayers.
Hi, I know you are all really worried and I’m not gonna say dont worry because that is all you will do at this early stage.
I had breast cancer three years ago and it had spread to all my lymph nodes so I had a mastectomy & all nodes removed. I had four months of chemo and the day of my second chemo my hair began to fall. In the begining my biggest fear was losing my hair but it was great not having to wash & blowdry. I loved not having hair and never wore a wig, just bandana’s.Having chemo left my with no energy at all, but then it is different for every individual. I had 31 sessions of radiotheraphy which were not severe, only took about 10 mins per session.
It was six months after I finished chemo that my hair grew back.
Take every day as it comes and be there for your Mum. She will have her bad days after treatment. The best medicine is laughter so keep the chin up for her sake.
Good luck to you all.
Remembering you in my prayers
Please do an internet search for Mangosteen Juice. My grandfather was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we are looking into this potentially amazing superfood as a possible treatment.
You can do a search of breast cancer and mangosteen, as it seems to have the greatest benefit to breast cancer specifically. I think we need to start looking at natural cures in a new light.
Just do a search and see what comes up…I’m glad we did and we’re putting out lots and lots of healing energy for your mother, too!
It sounds like your mom caught the cancer early and that is the key to survival. My wife was diagnosed with cancer in her breast that was 4.78 cm and it had traveled to her lymph nodes.
She went through 15 weeks of chemotherapy, and had to be injected daily with a drug that kept her white blood count high. Chemo is not fun; however it works.
After 15 weeks she rested 3 weeks and then had a mastectomy. After the surgery when she was first rolled into the hosipital room she said she had not felt so good for the past 2 weeks. (fear of the surgery, and it was not too bad) For the week after surgery I had to clear her drain, that involved taking daily counts of the liquid from the lymph nodes.
The lab back from the surgery showed that the cancer found in her breast was 5mm. (size of a small grain of rice) so it worked well. In her lymph nodes cancer was found in one of 14 nodes removed about the size of a large grain of rice.
The effects of chemo were:
1. fatigue
2. Mouth sores
3. Brittle nails
4. Constipation.
5. watery eyes
6. Hair loss
With the above findings we will begin 12 weeks of Taxol, (not as bad on system) that hopefully will kill all the cancer cells that may still be in her body. Followed by 6 weeks of daily radiation.
You are sooo lucky that mom found the cancer early. The margins sounded great! What a wonderful Christmas gift! Believe me…it could’ve been much, much, worse.
Today, I saw a friend that I have not seen for several years. She was just married and I found out her husband has colon cancer (stage 4).
She just had a new baby, and her husband says he just lives each day for his child and wife. He has a great attitude and I believe he will do well, but I thought to myself, how lucky my wife and I were.
You don’t realize it until you hear a worse story than yours.
God bless.
Dave
It’s good that your mother will not need chemo. Radiation is not so hard on most people. Get her some lotion, BaseGlaxol is one but there are others – the radiation oncologist or pharmacist can advise you. She should put this on right after she has her rads session, this will help to keep the skin healthy.
Radiation doesn’t make most people sick but it does tire you out after a while. She should plan for some fatigue after the end of the 3rd or 4th week. It isn’t awful, just sort of like getting over the flu, you just don’t have any energy.
It was 2 weeks before I turned 41 and I found a lump in my breast. I had the hormore receptor one. Which apparently is the best one to have. I have sentinel node biopsy and had 9 nodes removed. I had one of the nine infected. So hence I had chemo. (Every thing people say it is – awful). I then had 6 weeks of radiation. I have very fair skin, but I was lucky and only got what was like a mild sunburn. Make sure that you rub Vitamin E on it twice a day as this helps. But make sure you talk to your radiation therapist, because you need to get the natural Vitamin E, i.e. one that doesn’t effect the radiation machine. I then went on Tamoxifen (orally) for 5 months. I then decided to have elective surgery and take my ovaries out. As this is the main source of the estrogen I was better off without them. I am now on Femara and take this once a day for 5 years. I also take Vitamin D tablets. One, once a month. My boss with a GP and there is a lot of research about Vitamin D preventing cancer and if you do get cancer it helps by making sure it has less of a chance coming back. You have to take 50,000I.U. Hence that is why you only take it once a month. But check with GP, oncologist before just taking them. All the best for you mum. I am well on the road to recovery. Have just had my one year clearance. Also I have yearly MRI’s not mammograms, as they pick up tumours better when the breasts have had surgery. I was lucky and only had a lumpectomy.
Sharon