Around 2 years ago my wife was diagnosed with grade 3 locally advanced BC. It was in two lymphs and there were 2 tumours. I don't think staging is really a thing here in the UK, because they tend to use the TNM system. Stage 1-4 is more an American thing. But after pressing the oncologist, he said it would be classed as stage 3 in the US. So grade 3, stage 3. Very close to being terminal by all accounts, but they got there in time.

Two years out, and she's doing fine. No reoccurrence, and had a complete response to the chemo. She's at a weird stage as far as pre/post menopause goes. She's on Tamoxifen, but they aren't sure if she's post.

She was initially down for a mastectomy, but due to her full response to the treatment, it was down classed to a lumpectomy.

I won't lie, but depending on treatment, it can be rough at times, but having been given another shot at life, she'd do it all over again. so yeah, your grade and spread is more than curable.

HI Wisey,

This is certainly not the news you wanted, but it is definitely treatable. I hope that your MRI and CT will, by now, have shed more light on exactly what you are dealing with. How many sessions of chemo are they planning to do before surgery? You will feel better once treatment begins and you start to fight the cancer - you've got this - you're stronger than you think!

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

They said 6 months worth but I’m seriously worried that it’s spread because every pain ache feeling that I have in my chest area I’m thinking the worst

Hi Wisey,

The chemo should help to reduce the size of the tumour. Your MRI should have indicated whether there was any spread and if so, how far it has spread. It is common to feel every little ache and pain at this stage and to automatically think the worst, so here's hoping that this is just your mind playing tricks on you. Have you been told anything about the findings of your CT and MRI yet, or when are you due to get these results? This stage of limbo is one of the hardest to get through - it's almost impossible to get past the unknown. You really will feel better once you have the full picture and can start to deal with it.

When are they planning to start your chemo?

Jolamine xx

No nothing 

results Thursday then hopefully oncology appointment 2-3 weeks after that x

Hi Wisey,

Still a few unknowns to tick off your list - soon all of this waiting will be over and you can get on with the business in hand.

Jolamine xx

How did your scans go mri and CT - any spread? This is what’s worrying me

- get results Thursday 

Im thinking any aches, pains im getting in my left side around my ribs and my back is something serious 

Months before my wife's diagnosis, she had a cough that simply wouldn't go. As in she could barely talk on the phone at times with coughing. I nagged, nagged nagged her to go to the docs, but she never went. Between her doc appointment and breast clinic appointment, she had bad back pain, that meant she struggled some days to get outta bed. She also had shoulder pain. Like you, we kinda thought the worse, but i was more worried about the cough.

Once all the scans were in, her back pain was muscular, her cough was allergies and her shoulder pain was never explained, but it got better. Sometimes all these things just happen at once and when something like a cancer diagnosis hits in the middle of them all, you just add them all together and assume. But seriously, those pains are probably nothing. My wife was also hyper focused on her body before the scans and she had a lot of niggles.

Hi, just been diagnosed with bc, will find out next Thursday how bad it is, but not looking like the lucky one as have something in the lymph nodes as well in right breast. Also started feeling strange sensations in my neck and back after biopsy. Hope its not the sign of spreading. Just worry it will be a long wait for the surgery, between 6-8 weeks..