Breast cancer diagnosis

Time to say something since it has been in the back of my mind as I have been posting lately and effecting my posts and will likely effect the things I say. Plus, I wouldn't want to disappear without explanation. I worry about some of the people here who have left. It is the nature of how we feel about some of the people we meet at PC.

My last mammography was in December but because of a large sore lymph node in my armpit, I asked to have it looked at and got in two weeks later followed by a biopsy less than a week later. It will need some kind of surgery and other treatment. I will be learning more later this week. These things change priorities. Everyone copes differently. I will be brave and do what the doctors and my husband request. I will let them be the expertise. I would rather read the Bible than read or think about cancer and its treatment. I am taking it one day at a time and enjoying each moment. I had planned to go on diet with a friend but a family member who works in the medical field said, "Load up on calories, it is fast growing so you are probably going to be given chemo." I ate anything I wanted today. No guilt. I am lucky I am not going through this alone but know it is hard on my family and friends.

I am very sorry for this news. I think your self-care attitude is great. Also you have hubby there to be your patient advocate. Let him collect all the information. As for dieting...I would think eat normally...not over or under. My mother's favorite way to relax during treatment was to drink a little champagne, talk to her best friend on the phone while they both watched the same television program. She didn't do any of these things before her treatment! Keep your spirits up, sweetie!

tunedout, I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. But you sound positive and like a fighter. Thanks for letting us know. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers, hon.

you have loads of support here. feel free to reach out when ever you need to

hugs

I am sorry about the diagnosis. Focus on self care and don’t hesitate to accept help from others. Diet most certainly isn’t simething you need. Do eat healthy but don’t restrict calories. I’d talk to oncologist about nutrition.

We are here for you. Let us know if we can do anything to support you. Hugs

I was told yesterday that I have metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. It is Stage 3 (because it is in the breast and lymph nodes) but if it has spread to other organs then it is Stage 4. They scheduled me for a PET scan on July 21st then chemo on July 28th. They want to do chemo before surgery because surgery delays the chemo and in an aggressive kind of cancer like this, they want to start the chemo right away. If I come down with COVID, it could change these scheduled dates. Stage 3 has an over 50 percent cure rate (the doc was throwing many figures out there, I think he said 55-60) but the chemo is tough. In stage 4, it is incurable but the chemo can extend your life some. If anyone following this thread has a similiar kind of cancer, a family member sent me this:

FDA Approves New Therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer That Has Spread, Not Responded to Other Treatments | FDA

I also want to mention, that drinking may have contributed to what I have. During part of my time in college, I tended to binge drink about once a month. My husband and I no longer drink but we did drink a lot on Friday nights (I did not drink much when my children were young and never drank when I knew I was pregnant, only drank once when breast feeding because my MIL babysat for the entire evening, really avoided it when they were toddlers. My H and I waited 5 years to conceive our first child and met in the military where we regularly went to the Officer's Club and owned a sailboat when stationed in Okinawa, Japan.) That I was on oral contraceptives for about 7 years may also be a factor. Drinking causes cell damage. Think of the cancers that we get at an older age as "death by a thousand cuts." Our lifestyle choices do matter and if we are drinking a lot, it could contribute to getting cancer later in life.

Of course, all of your prayers are sincerely appreciated.

Hey there, TunedOut,

Your calm, logical attitude is inspiring. (That said, it's okay if you're not calm and logical at some point.)

How do you feel emotionally, though?

I appreciate that you've let us know what's going on. (You're correct; it is concerning and upsetting when a "regular" disappears suddenly. We are a support group and we care about each other.)
Please, if you can, keep us up to date on how you're doing.

I understand your belief about the drinking, but I caution you to be mindful of blaming yourself for having cancer

I hate to be one of "those" people who says, "Well, my *insert relation here* had cancer, and..."

That said, I will be one of those people. My sister was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, had a double mastectomy (also several lymph nodes removed), chemo, and lived for a full 20 years, despite being a heavy smoker (even during those 20 years).

Cancer is so random, affects people in vastly different ways.

You are instantly in my prayers.

Like I said...please keep us posted. I will be checking this board for your updates

I’ll keep you in my prayers and hope to help with moral support during this most difficult time for you. You are an amazing, strong woman, and I agree, if you want to let out all feelings here, we are all here for you. Many hugs.

Yes, I agree I shouldn't waste my emotions on why and all that though drinking is one risk factor of a very complex puzzle that they are still trying to understand. Because we lost my mom to pancreatic cancer and I am under 60, they ordered that my BRCA1 gene be dna tested. On average, women with an altered BRCA1 gene have a 50 to 85 percent risk of developing breast cancer by age 70. Their risk of developing ovarian cancer is 40 to 60 percent by age 85. This will be important information for my daughter and sister to know.

And I am sorry about your sister.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Thought this lecture about cancer was very interesting:
384 - Cancer - When the Cell Breaks / Fountain of Youth - Diane Burnett

I know it is controversial to say but I agree that lifestyle promotes cancer pathways.

I am sorry that you are going through this TunedOut. You are in my thoughts.

May your doctors give you the right treatment for you.

Take each day as it comes. And yes, chocolate is the best medicine.

Will be going to get an MRI and have an IV pump placed in my chest today. When I looked at my records online this morning, the PET scan results included the following:

1. Hypermetabolic left breast mass is consistent with the
patient's known history of breast cancer.
2. Hypermetabolic left axillary lymphadenopathy in the level 1
and level 2 stations consistent with metastatic disease. No
distant metastasis.

So my impression is that the breast cancer is in two lymph nodes (from other parts of the report) and is stage 3 not 4 just as the doctor presumed since I do not have pain in other parts of my body. I was anxious about being in Stage 4 and pretty sure the PET scan says I am not. My chemo starts on Tuesday, the 28th...

My chemotherapy was two days ago and I am sleeping all of the time, more than twelve hours a day. I can eat but don't want to eat as much and a couple of times after eating when I felt a little nauseated, I took prochlorperazine maleate 10 mg. In the morning, they gave me dexamethasone 8 mg twice a day which is steroid so it makes me feel jumpy about a half an hour after I take it but the jump feeling only lasts about an hour--I have never liked steriods. Lastly, they gave me Olanzapine 10 mg to prevent nausea and vomiting but I find it interesting that the main use for this drug is "is used to treat certain mental/mood conditions (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder). It may also be used in combination with other medication to treat depression. This medication can help to decrease hallucinations and help you to think more clearly and positively about yourself, feel less agitated, and take a more active part in everyday life (from WebMD.com)." However, a family member also sent me this:

Chemotherapy-induced acute and delayed nausea or vomiting (high emetic risk [>90%]), preventionLevel of Evidence [A, G]

Data from a randomized, phase 3 study support the use of oral olanzapine (in combination with dexamethasone and palonosetron) for the prevention of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy-naive patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy RefNavari 2011. Data from a multicenter, randomized, phase 3 study also support the use of oral olanzapine (in combination with triplet antiemetic therapy) for prevention of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy RefHashimoto 2020. Data from a randomized, phase 2 study that included chemotherapy-naive patients who received moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimens also suggest that oral olanzapine (in combination with dexamethasone and palonosetron) may be beneficial for prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting RefNavari 2007.

Based on antiemetic guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), oral olanzapine may be used for prevention of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (in combination with antiemetics used for high emetic risk agents) in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy RefASCO [Hesketh 2017].

https://online.lexi.com/lco/graphics/minus.png Chemotherapy-induced breakthrough nausea or vomiting, treatmentLevel of Evidence [A, G]

Data from a randomized, controlled, phase 3 study support the use of oral olanzapine in the management of breakthrough nausea and vomiting associated with highly emetogenic chemotherapy RefNavari 2013.

Based on antiemetic guidelines from the ASCO, oral olanzapine may be used for management of breakthrough nausea and vomiting (if olanzapine was not part of the standard prophylactic regimen) RefASCO [Hesketh 2017].

I will continue to take all the drugs as prescribed because I dislike throwing up which I am told is very common with the chemotherapy I am on:
Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide
Apparently, I am quite poisonous for about four days, they said even my saliva is poisonous so no kissing or anything like that for a few days. If I were to throw up (crossing my fingers and taking all my meds so i don't), if someone cleans it they should use a mask and gloves! and if it isn't cleaned, when it dries, it could release toxins in the air. I won't go into the full precaution list I was given but they said to even be careful about petting cats and dogs and don't garden (there are germs in the dirt).

Prayers for you that the chemo is working and you make a full recovery.

Same here. My sis recovered from stage 4 ovarian cancer, so anything is possible.

Tisha and Travelinglady
Your prayers are really appreciated and I will pray for both of you too! We need all the help we can get.
And PS when I did my walk this morning, I noticed that the lymph node that helped identify my condition (I had a mammography in December so this thing appeared quickly) was no longer sore and the size has already shrunk.

Thank you for the updates. You are courageous! And that's not something I say easily, because life is rough for all of us. But seriously, you're going above and beyond.

btw, I have noticed that there are a number of AP's that are used to combat nausea.

♥️♥️♥️♥️

Thinking of you. You are a very brave person with much strength Tuned Out.

Thanks so much, you have always encouraged me in so many ways. First round of chemo wasn't that bad. Still have my hair but don't need to shave as much anymore. It must be a cumulative thing where you feel it the most at the end. My next poisoning is scheduled for August 11th. Going on as usual in the meantime.

Though I am doing OK, there are some small chemotherapy effects that I am dealing with: feeling more tired, sweating a lot when I sleep (but no fever, I have been told to monitor for a fever everyday), during my walks I have been getting charlie horses and my leg muscles are sore during and after, drier skin including cracking at the corner of my mouth and some sore bumps on my tongue. They gave me a mouthwash of one part: Malox, Lidocane and Diphenhydramine to swish in my mouth for the sore bumps that they said would appear. So apparently, the effects of the chemo stay with you. Still have my hair though and can't say that I am wanting to eat much differently than before (they said I might not want to eat the same way as before) other than I don't crave coffee anymore (but still have one or two cups a day). Given that the Malox in the mouthwash is an antacid, think I might pick up some alkaline water. That might be soothing for my mouth.

While I am resting more, I am still cooking and doing many of the things around the house I have always done. One hiccup that occurred is about a week ago, our waterbed sprung a small leek so my sleeping arrangements haven't been optimal but the new mattress came and my husband will be setting it up today. Should be all warmed up by tomorrow.