Greetings! I just received my results from my biopsy it came back malignant in both my left breast and lymph node. I had my blood drawn to find out the the type of cancer gene it is. I will be referred out to City of Hope for the oncologist.
I would like to know what treatments did you all receive? If so, did you have to take off from work?
Dear Tasenet . It will be a shock for you as most of us felt at the time of diagnosis and scary also . Once you start on treatment though you’ll at least feel something very significant is attacking the cancer . I had radical surgery for large tumour and 4 axilla nodes, then chemo for 6 months , now on Letrizole which has side effects but so far so good for 3 years . Chemo isn’t as easy ride though . Tests resilience and you cope with hair loss, lowered immune system etc but it’s doable!! I hope you have family and friends to give you support ? I’m wishing the best of health and treatment so you can recover and enjoy life . Love from Denise
Thank you for your response. I'm hoping I don't have Chemo. I'm taking Herbs and changed my eating to all veggies no meat, sugar, bread, rice and pasta. To help combat this Cancer. Sending you healing energies as well.
Big big hugs. The doctors will tell you each case is different and unique....in my case with HER2 negative HR+. I went throught AC&T iv chemo protocol. I finished 14 of the 16 planned rounds (stopped due to the severity of the side effects) followed 4 weeks later by mastectomy and lymph node removal surgery. I chose to continue working until my surgery. I took 1 month off to recover. I went back on a reduced schedule due to 5 weeks of needed radiation..I worked reduced hours. Looking back, I wish I had worked less during that time, but mentally it was a great distraction. Whatever you chose for your circumstances and situation I wish you the best. Build your support team, accept help, assistance and support. Be vocal and clear about your experience and the side effects to your doctor and care team. Ask about resources from nurse navigators and social workers to financial aid programs and support groups. You are a fighter, you will learn your stride, you will learn to embrace the little happiness es that much more. It's a scary ride, but you're not alone. Hope this helped on some level.
Greetings!! Thank you for your response. I'm thinking I'll be off from my day job just to relax. I own a Soap company and I'm a Birth Doula that I do on the side. I'll have plenty of distractions. The most important thing for me is to keep me FIRST and stay in a positive mindset.
Please make sure a genetic molecular test is done on the tissue such as Oncotype DX.
What is Oncotype DX test?The Oncotype DX is a test that may predict how likely it is that your breast cancer will return. It also predicts whether you will benefit from having chemotherapy in addition to hormone therapy. The test results can help you and your doctors make a treatment plan that's right for you. Aug 3, 2020
mskcc.org › cancer-care › patient-education
Here is a reference about this test for those with lymph node involvement: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/329...
Also, make sure you are tested for HER2 overexpression.
Is your cancer hormone dependent? I saw an oncologist and he put me right on those letrozole pills first off but never checked what kind of cancer however he did send me for a biopsy, still waiting on the markers, but the most scary thing with me is I have fungated cancer and it is still spreading on my right breast, it is disgusting, smelly and now starting to fall apart from the white nasty stuff! I still need a pet scan had a cat scan and still need bloodwork for cancer....this is the most miserable thing I ever went through and I want it out of my breast! He mentioned debridement of the fungated wound, but everything is going so slow
and I am very scared....Has anyone ever had this fungated type cancer, it is awful!
Found something under my right underarm
My Mastectomy Tattoos
Should I have chemo with an Oncotype score 25? 
