So I might not have to have more chemo?! That would be awesome!!!!! Not gonna get the hopes up though....I need to move cautiously from here on out and I know being strongly HER2 positive is not so much in my favor. (ER/PR neg)
Last time I had Adriamycin and Cytoxin. I don't even know if I can have those again or what I would be offered it I had chemo again. I know the adriamycin is not heart friendly. Since I had herceptin for a year, too, I know they'll have to account for that, too.
Stay strong Jonahsmom and I'll be praying for you. My mom first had cancer in 1984, modified radical mastectomy but no chemo or radiation. In 2002, mom was diagnosed again with breast cancer in the other breast. Completely different type of cancer and very aggressive. Another mastectomy, chemo and radiation this time. She had Adriamycin and Taxol. The Taxol really took a toll on her but she recovered in an awesome way!
Mom has been cancer free since then and doing great! My best advise is to have someone with you every time you go to the doctor, you go to treatment. Have a support system around you. Mom had several people that she could cry and vent with. I couldn't be that person because I had to be the person to be strong, ask questions, and make sure she was getting what she needed, medicine, rest, whatever.
God Bless and protect you and give you strength.
Jonahsmom, I will be thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers. I really hope that you don't have to got through chemo again. Stay strong.
Try to think about all the good in your life. Don't let cancer take that away from you. (((hugs))) to you.
I have a friend of 10 yrs who was diagnosed in aug and had a double mastectomy in aug. Before she was about to start chemo she found out she's pregnant. At first they wanted her to terminate the pregnancy so they could start chemo right away. She refused. They told her she could start chemo in her 2nd trimester but they aren't sure that the combo of drugs will even work. She is so scared right now. I'm tying to help her through this any way I can.
Good Luck! Keep us posted.
Also wishing you best of everything. As others have said (and I believe you already know) keeping a positive attitutude (as hard as I am sure it is) is everything.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and await the pix of the cake that says "I BEAT CANCER'S BUTT - AGAIN!!!"
I am so sorry hun. I can't imagine how you are feeling right now. My best friend has agressive breast cancer, she is only 26. She just had her mastectomy last week and is doing great! I hope everything turns out fine and it's nothing. Keep us posted.
Cake therapy is always the best therapy. So sorry to hear this. We will all be thinking about you, and hoping that everything comes back ok on your biopsy. You will be in my prayer. Try to stay positive. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and was told there was nothing they could do. Saw another physician and my husband is now 19 years cancer-free. He said that the only thing that got him through the chemo was family being so close and keeping a positive outlook. He would never let himself think once that it would end negatively. Please, please, please stay positive and we will keep you in our prayers. Keep family and friends close.
I still have no idea what's going on for the most part. My appointment with the local surgeon was ridiculous on Friday. It was supposed to be at 1:00 - we got there about 12:45 and they said it would be about 2:00 because he got stuck in surgery. Okay, fine. Went back at 2:00 and it was going to be "just a bit longer, but he definitely wants to see you today - you'll be the first one." So, finally about 2:45 we made it back to a treatment room. He came in for just a minute to say to be patient - he wanted to see a couple of other people before me (they were quick follow-ups) and then he wanted to look at my mammogram so he would know what the deal was. Shouldn't he have looked at it already? 
Well, turns out - after he had seen the other two people - he couldn't even get in the system to view the mammogram!!!! 
They switched to a new digital system and it told him I didn't have a current image in the system. So, I ran down and asked radiology to burn a copy on a disc for me and took it to him right before he closed. That way he would at least be able to see it and call me today.
So, today he calls and says that it is definitely a problematic situation. As it turns out, he is referring me to Mayo Clinic because he said I need a breast MRI in order to even do a biopsy (because of the implants I had placed for my first reconstruction). He can't really tell where to biopsy because of the way mammograms have to be done when you have implants - it's not exciting 
, so I won't go into it, but he can't tell where he needs to biopsy! He did reiterate that it is "highly suspicious" but that he doesn't want to just go for the mastectomy in the event that there really isn't a problem. Which I understand, but BOOOO!!!! It'll probably be about a week before I get into Mayo - hopefully they'll get my history and be able to get me in as quickly as possible. I just want it to be over with!!!!!! This hurry up and wait business sucks!!! Especially since we're pretty sure we know it's not great news. GRRRRR.......
will keep you in my prayers... GOD can and DOES work miracles.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
(((Hugs)))
Turns out the breast surgeon that I was going to see in Des Moines on Thursday said that there are a lot of places in Des Moines to get a breast MRI. So, instead of Mayo, I'm going to that appointment on Thursday and she can refer me on from there. She may have a completely different take on the situation than Dr. W anyway...second opinions never hurt!!!! She didn't understand why he would automatically send me to Mayo.
So, I'll be able to treat in Des Moines it looks like instead of travelling 3 hrs to Mayo....YAY!!!!
I'm sure you guys are sick of "listening" to me whine.....but I totally need to vent yet again about this whole possible breast cancer recurrence thing. I still have no answers. It just seems so strange to me considering the first time I was at the doctor's office and in surgery within a week of the doctor feeling my lump. Now it's been a week and not even a biopsy has been done yet. Yesterday afternoon was yet ANOTHER wasted trip...only this one I had to drive 2 hrs to. BOO!!!!
1. Appointment: 2:30
2. Doctor running an hour behind so I get in the treatment room at 3:20.
3. Finally the doctor comes in at 4:00.
4. Spends 15 mins (maybe less) telling me pretty much exactly what Dr. Warlick told me.
We want to make sure that we are dealing with cancer again so we need to biopsy, but I think we can do a core biopsy. There is a risk of puncturing the implant she says, but they do this "all the time." Plus, if they break it, they have to buy me a new one. Is that supposed to make me feel better?!
Also, she couldn't see the images on the disc I brought very well so she went to see if she could talk to the radiologist to get his opinion. (I was able to open up everything JUST FINE on my computer at home!!!!) Radiologist left for the day, so she has "homework" to do and will call me tomorrow afternoon. She said it could be fatty necrosis, benign calcifications or cancer recurrence. I'm sooooo annoyed!!! Plus, she obviously didn't read my file information before she walked in the room because she was all confused as to what I had done previously, which side, etc. Which, that makes me think that since she came in all "on the right, blah, blah, blah" and I had to correct her, that she probably only looked at the right side and didn't even look at the left side. She said the point of the call tomorrow will be to schedule "some type of biopsy".
I'm all for biopsying it to make sure they don't take what they don't need to take, but COME ON CAN WE GET IT DONE ALREADY?!!!!! JEEBUS!!!!!!
She probably didn't even look at the proper side and had to do homework because she was running so late yesterday and was in such a hurry she couldn't even be bothered with such an important detail. She had to backtrack what she was telling me a couple of times when I was like, "ummmm....no!" Makes me wonder about her competence and that's kind of scary!!!!
This really irks me!!!
Thanks for allowing me to vent! You may now return to your regularly scheduled CC programming of beautiful and creative cakes!!!
Vent anytime! I'm always available to listen! Thinking of you,
Kathy
I'm sorry your doctor seems so distracted. That would make me nervous too. Some doctors just seem too rushed, but for what they get paid they should at least take 5 minutes to review your chart.
I go and have a "complete" physical every year by an internist, but even that is the bare minimum. I turned 50 this year and went in for a routine colonoscopy and that doctor did a preliminary exam that (minus the lab work) was probably more thorough than the one by my internist. Half way through the exam he said, hey did you know that you have pretty severe scoliosis? What???? No, how would I know that with the quickie "complete physicals" they do these days.
I heard from the doctor at the breast clinic today.
She consulted with the breast specialist radiologist and Dr. Franks (my plastic surgeon from first recon). She said that the area is very ominous looking and that she feels we should skip the biopsy and go straight to mastectomy. She just said it does NOT look good and that they are all in agreement that is almost definitely cancer again.
So, I am supposed to call her Monday afternoon because they are going to work on getting me scheduled with Dr. Franks, a genetic counselor (to test for BRCA status) and an MRI (to see if any lymph nodes are swollen (indicating that it has spread) and also to see if there are any areas on the right side that look scary). That is supposed to happen at some point next week. After those appointments I will know more. The plan is to get the genetic test results back before we do the surgery because those results will have a huge impact on the surgery I end up having.
Surgery will likely be the week of Thanksgiving or the week after Thanksgiving. She said if everything on the right side looks okay, and BRCA is negative I should be able to just do the left side, but if it's in the lymph nodes, BRCA is positive or something looks iffy on the right side, they're both going.
She's not sure what the treatment will be after surgery, from an oncology standpoint. It depends a lot on if it has spread and what the pathology report says after the pathology comes back after surgery. She said it's basically like starting all over with a brand new cancer. They have to stage it again, etc.
And she thinks I'm too skinny for DIEP flap, but I'm flabbier than she thinks I am. Although, it was nice to hear someone say I'm too skinny for something! 
Thanks everybody for your thoughts and prayers! This really is a trying time for our little family. With Jonah's autism and my recurrent cancer it's pretty stressful around here. Keep us in your thoughts!
Sending you positive vibes!!!!! Keep us updated on what happens, you have a lot of people who care here on CC!
First, I'm so sorry for what you are going through! If you don't mind, I wanted to share what my aunt went through this summer with breast cancer.
She found a lump, had it analyzed, and although it was cancer, they felt it was stage 0 because it had not even invaded the surrounding tissue. So basically they would remove the lump and do a couple of rounds of radiation.
She goes for surgery, and they had unclean margins when it was removed. Goes in for a 2nd surgery, unclean margins again. Goes in for a THIRD surgery (with a different surgeon) and still unclean margins.
At this point, she decided to have a mastectomy because 1. She couldn't keep going in for surgeries and 2. She didn't want to worry about the cancer coming back, or wondering if they got it all.
She has since had the mastectomy and reconstruction, and I have to tell you that she feels a huge wave of relief. I know it may be hard to lose that part of you, and that you are scared, but there is hope, and people who have gone through the same thing and done well.
I hope everything goes well with the additional tests. GOOD LUCK!
So sorry to hear that you are going through this. You are in my thoughts and prayers today.
Jonahsmom-you haven't posted in so long-are you OK? I hope you are-I'm a little bit worried about you. 
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