Hi there. That sounds exactly the same as me so totally understand what you're going through.  I'm 46 & as you non smoker, went to gym 3-4 times a week & was real fit, not overweight - but as you say doesn't matter. 

The waiting for results was the worst time ever & was 1st thing in my mind when I woke up & with me all day. All sorts of emotions but just went with the flow & let it out when needed. 

My lump was 2cm but under a cyst so I'm just so glad I went to gp when I did. Advised exactly same words as you it's small, caught early & very treatable. Those words got me through.  Had lumpectomy just over week ago & hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought. I'd read a lot of info on what to expect so there were no surprises. 

I know everyone says it but You will get through this & this chat forum has really helped me just knowing I'm not alone & the positive comments from ladies who've been through the same thing have been invaluable. 

for me the fact I was fit & healthy & had a positive attitude prior to all of this has definitely helped my recovery progress so keep going, you can do it, take each day at a time & please let us know how you get on with your results

Very similar to my story, it was a 'flattening' that made me check outwith my usual checks. Even then the 2-3mm lump I found (now disappeared) wasn't the 5-6cm lump that went on to be found in scans.  I went from finding a tiny lump to stage 3 breast cancer in 3 weeks, very bizarre. Can't say my world came crashing down though, just getting on with it. I'm 41, don't smoke, do drink sometimes (although not now), but love vegetables so get lots of healthy eating in.

My mum had it at 39 and again in her 60s. She was still a nurse first time round and a very fit and healthy one at that. Sometimes it's just the 'luck of the draw'. Keep up the healthy living, it will help fight it, and it's also important for preventing other conditions.

LJx

Hi TwinTwo,

Are you able to tell me what treatment you are having? I am also stage 3 breast cancer and have just started chemo for 9 months then I have to have a mastectomy and then 3 months of radiotherapy. I to do not smoke, but do like a drink and am only 36. Not fair but unfortunately cancer doesnt discriminate does it! >:)

Thing is I had the same lump checked 18 months ago and they said it was nothing...didnt even do biopsies. It wasnt until it started getting painful and bigger that I went back and cancer was confirmed. Will definitely be taking it further as this could have been nipped in the bud ages ago! Does your boob ache at all. Mine is just a constant dull ache and almost pinching. Nurse says its the chemo attacking the cancer cells so heres hoping.

Would be nice to keep in contact seeing we are in similar situations. Take care....Candice x

Hi Candice,

Not a problem at all, and I would also enjoy keeping in contact :)

My lump is 5-6cm in my left breast, there are cancer cells in my left axillary lymph nodes but no spread to organs as yet, it's stage 3, grade 2, ER+ and PR+.  They were very concerned about my right breast but have done every scan possible and it does appear to just be glandular tissue.

As far as I can tell at the moment I am to have -
 : 3 rounds of FEC-T but without the T part (had first round last Thursday)
 : then have 9 weekly rounds of the T part (the steroid)

I am bipolar and they are concerned at the possible effects of giving me the steroid at the usual dose, people without mental illness can get severe mania on it. That's also why they have withheld it just now so they can attack the cancer without the risk of me becoming manic (I flip very quickly into being suicidal so I guess they probably want to avoid that).  The plan then, as far as I know just now, is to reassess and see whether the cancer is controlled enough that they have the time to do a mastectomy.  Their concern with doing surgery first was that the cancer is already spreading, so if surgery didn't heal well then chemo would be delayed to an extent that was dangerous.  Good call cause surgery and I are not good bedfellows!

My husband thought I was to have another 3 rounds of FEC (without the T) after surgery but I don't think that's a definite.  There is probably some radiotherapy after surgery and presumably still the possibility of more chemotherapy.  And once that's all done there will be hormone treatment.

I've been accepted for genetic testing at a hospital in London and that will help inform how aggressive we go surgically.  Either way, given that my lump was 5-6cm before it could even be felt (and even then only at one very specific angle) they seem happy to do a double mastectomy to avoid me having the same risk with the other breast.  As I'm ER+ and don't want to have children they also seem open to the preventative measure of having a bilateral oopherectomy or Salpingo-oopherectomy.  If the tests come back positive for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 or CHEK2 then the more aggressive surgery is advised by geneticists (obviously taking into account any risks involved with menopause etc.)

I had no symptoms in terms of the actual cancer, just the flattening that is now a dimple.  But the day after chemo I did get some stabbing pain around the area of the lump.  I'm unconvinced whether I would actually feel the cancer being attacked or whether it's a psychosomatic thing because we know the cancer cells are being attacked.  I've heard other people say they experienced similar sensations but all for very different lengths of time.  Either way, we know the cancer cells are being attacked, whether we can physically feel it or not.

Will be interesting to hear what your treatment plan is (what type of chemo etc.).  My understanding is that for each oncologist it's giving the treatment that they think has the best chance of killing all the cancer cells, but the reality is that only somewhere between 95% and 100% will usually be killed off.  Surgery can then remove some (or all) of the rest.  By analysing the death of the actual tumours you can reasonably 'assume' that any cancer cells already elsewhere in the body have been killed too, but you can't know for sure, and you can't scan for individual cancer cells, only tumours.  It's partly why even today oncologists are still experimenting with completely new ways of giving chemotherapy, some doing higher doses and fewer cycles, others doing lower doses and more cycles.  It's interesting that only last week some major hospitals changed their policy to stop giving chemo to stage 1 breast cancers because latest statistics showed it only improved survival rates by 1% but all those women were then being put in danger of the side effects of chemo (potential permanent heart problems etc.) as well as having their lives seriously disrupted for virtually no benefit.  Sorry, just going off on a tangent with all the interesting stuff I've been reading :D could be I've misunderstood it all, will check with my husband as he's reading the same book and his study degree is medical chemistry where mine was more the maths and physics side of science, much as I read a lot of chemistry.

I've just started reading 'The Biology of Cancer', it may give some insight into whether cancer cells are capable of transmitting signals that they are 'in pain' as it were, but I've only just started it and it's a big book.  I found myself feeling ill with the chemo but realising a lot of it was psychosomatic, so throughout the day I've been using mind over matter.  I think our minds are susceptible to having us feel ill because everyone tells us we're going to.  I do the mind over matter thing and see if the feeling subsides or not with that.  It's worked a treat and I've been feeling great.

My annoyance is that I have one at least 2 occasions mentioned to my GP surgery that I would like to be referred for early screening (given my mum's history and the lack of women in previous generations).  I had no reason to think this hadn't been done except that I heard nothing, but then that could be because the referral was rejected without further investigation?  I don't know who gets to make the call.  I do wish now that I'd pushed to find out if it had been declined.  When I went to the GP this time with the lump I could feel (which wasn't the actual lump and has now disappeared anyway) I made much more of a point of pushing for a referral for early screening and it happened this time.

I don't blame anyone (although it very much sounds like you should with your situation) but I do wish things like that had a clearer procedure in place in Jersey so if you had made the request you got confirmation in writing of an acceptance of rejection.  At least that way you know what's happening.

Sorry, long one, fell asleep this afternoon so now got the good old insomnia when I should be sleeping!

Night night, thanks if you got through this far!!!!! :D

LJx

Hi LJ,

Thanks for the reply. Was good morning reading :) Hope you managed to get some sleep. Ive just fished out my treatement plan which is as follows:

3 rounds every 3 weeks of FEC X72.3 (not sure what the X72.3 is)

1 lot of Tras & Pertuzumab followed the day after by 1 lots of Docet X72.3

Then 3 weeks later 2 lots of docet/pertuz/tras X7 every 3 weeks

That is as far as my chemo schedule goes so far....not 100% sure what any of it means or whether it will continue after that but they have said it will be a full mastectomy followed by 3 months of radiotherapy. I live in Southampton and apparently its one of the best hospitals in the country to treat this sort of thing so hopefully I am in safe hands. Had my first round of chemo just over a week ago and I didnt find it too bad. Felt a little rough (almost like a hangover) for a few days after but ive been feeling normal ever since. I definitely agree with the mind over matter thing. Ever since being diagnosed I have aches in places i never knew I had but I know its probably all in my head. My counsellour I see helps a lot with this. I have suffered with mental health issues in the past and they still crop up every now and then. I was in a domestic violent relationship a few years ago where my ex abused me for a year before nearly killing me. He was sent to prison but it really messed with my head which made me turn to drink to block it out. This is why I have counselling and it really helps. Its ironic that after all the failed suicide attempts to get away from it all I actually have a lovely life now with a lovely little girl and fiancee and I want to live!!!! Im determined to fight this all the way. I firmly believe someone up there is testing me and this is the final ultimate test which will turn my life around for good. Its funny how this puts life into perspective. Never again will I complain about a wrinkle or a bit of cellulite. I never wanted to take the kids swimming before as I didnt wanna be seen in a swimming costume. Now we are taking them next week :) Life is far too short!!!!!!!

Candice x

P.S My diagnoses was Invasive Ductal Cancer  - Oestrogen receptor negative - Her 2 positive ...... I have no idea what this means. I really need to ask more questions and do more reasearch lol x

Hi Candice,

The X72.3 is the delivery code for the regime you're being given. Drugs have procurement codes and delivery codes (tells them the method of delivery etc.) it isn't relevant for the patient really. Not stuff you're expected to know, I used to do HR in a hospital and had responsibility for clinical services (including Pharmacy) and I'm a curious person so asked lots of questions.

Sorry about your history that's shocking, but it's probably made you stronger so it will help in this fight :)

Mine is IDC too (figured yours would be). Sorry about the HER2 positive diagnosis, my mum has just had the 8 years all clear from her second bout of breast cancer but it was a HER2 positive one as well.  Our treatment will differ, especially post chemo and surgery as our tumours have tested positive for different proteins.  HER2 is a growth factor protein so being HER2+ means your tumour is showing excess of that protein, meaning that is the protein responsible for making your cancer cells divide.  So you will be targeted with an antibody that attaches to the HER2 protein stopping it from making the cancer cells divide.  My mum takes Herceptin for this, as you are (it's the trastuzumab).  Because mine shows as ER+ve and PR+ve it means that oestrogen and progesterone make my cancer cells divide.  Kind of difficult because we have to have oestrogen and progesterone.  So my treatment post chemo and surgery will focus on limiting my oestrogen levels, don't think they do much with the progesterone.

The HER2, ER and PR part are the indicators of what will help cause a recurrence (if no action is taken to curb their production/block their action).  So the treatment targetting those proteins/hormones is all about preventing recurrence.

We will have to take different preventative actions against the side effects of our differing medications.  I think Herceptin/Trastuzumab has a slight risk of giving heart problems so my mum's heart is monitored closely.  She is older than you and did develop a slight heart issue during treatment though, you have a much better chance of being fine.  For me they seem happy to put me into early menopause (given that's what I want) since removing my ovaries will help protect me from a recurrence, however it means I have more years of potential bone density decline etc.  It's all about weighing up the benefit of the proteins/hormones against the chances of it cause a recurrence.

It's great that you already have a counsellor so you're not having to go on a waiting list for 'cancer counselling'.

I need to head out to a gig now but thanks for responding (and for reading my epistle :D ) we'll talk soon. I've sent you a friend requets (yes, you can do that on here, it was ages before I realised that!)

If I do have radiotherapy which seems likely to be honest) it will also be in Southampton as that's where Jersey uses for radiotherapy, so I may well see you there at some point!!!!

You seem to have the right attitude for this fight.  There is no point getting down about it as we only have so much control, better to make the most of life and just do what we can to improve our overall health to aid the fight.  So much as it can be hard for people to not get down, the only person they hurt is themself :(  I'm sure having your daughter and a great man will help keep your spirits up, and there are some awesome people on here to help to.

Speak soon, LJxx

Hi LJ,

WOW! Thanks for the reply. You actually are more informative than my oncologist lol. After reading your reply I thought id better do some research into my diagnosis and wasnt really aware of HER2+ being the fast spreading type so thats a little scary. I guess all I can do is just trust the process and believe that the doctors know what they're doing. It doesnt help that I get conflicting answers from GPs, Oncologists and Breast Care nurses. For instance . I take the mini contraceptive pill which only has the protesgerone hormone in. My GP said its fine to take, the breast care nurse told me to ask my oncologist (surely she should know this) cancer research website advise against. I dont have my oncologist now til the 26th so dont want to continue taking it if its going to do me more harm. Arrrgggghhhhh...its like I never get a straight answer from anyone and if im honest I find my oncologist very unapproachable in terms of questions and very cold. Like im just on a conveyor belt. He seems to just give me bad news then its "NEXT"!! Sorry im ranting lol. I just get frustrated. I just hope all this treatment turns out to be worth it. I get my results from my lymph node biopsy on the 26th so hopefully that will give some good news. The radiologist said they were only looking at the one node that was a bit larger but by the image on the monitor she didnt really have any concerns so here hoping.

Has your hair made any movement yet? My is still fully intact but I pick my wig up on Tuesday. A lovely long red human hair one. Its 100 times better than my own hair lol. Overall I feel very well like nothing is wrong with me. Upbeat mood today and feeling positive. Other half has just left for the night shift so im gonna open my favourite red wine thats been calling me from the cupboard for the past 2 days (suprised it lasted that long) and have full control of the TV :)

Hope you enjoyed your gig and youve had a lovely day

Candice xx