Am I the only one with lymph node involvement?

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Am I the only one with lymph node involvement?

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Am I the only one with lymph node involvement? Hi ladies,

just a quick one really (well, maybe not)…I am 34 and was diagnosed 5 weeks ago today and had a mastectomy and total axillary clearance almost 4 weeks ago now. My tumour was grade 3, 4cm and there was node involvement. It is hormone receptive.

My surgeon says not to worry about the node involvement as they have all been removed. At the time I didn’t think to ask how many were involved.

Trouble is I’m now starting to think that lymph node involvement is possibly a very unusual and worrying thing. My bc nurse has tried to put my mind at rest and has said that just because there are lymph nodes involved it does not mean the cancer has spread elsewhere.

I have been using this site and chatting to many of you lovely ladies ever since I was diagnosed but don’t recall seeing people saying that they had lymph node involvement and I’m starting to worry now. Am I the only one and does this mean the news is really bad for me?

If anyone can help I would be very grateful,

Many thanks,

Kelly
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Hi Kelly Please do not worry, you are by no means the only one - many of us on this site have had lymph node involvement. My diagnosis is Grade 3, 35mm tumor, 6/10 nodes affected, not hormone receptive.

I do not know what treatment you will be having, it differs due to many factors, age being one of them. I am 49 and at present having chemo then rads.

Have you had an appointment with an oncologist - he/she would be able to explain in more detail what the lumph node involvement means in your case and what treatment you will be having in the future.

Take care

Anita

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Thanks Anita Hi Anita,

thanks for getting in touch so quickly. My treatment is going to be 6 months chemo followed by rads. I have my first appt with the consultant oncologist next monday. I think I may have to write down a few things I may need to ask as I’ve no doubt I’ll forget everything once I get in there!

Whilst I hate to say it, it is a relief to know that I am not alone in the fact that I have lymph node involvement. I think I will ask how many were involved. There are certain things I won’t want to ask though I’m sure as I may not like the answer! Will just try to keep my chin up and stay positive I guess,

Many thanks for your help and reassurance,

Take care,

Kelly
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node involvment Hi Kelly,

If you read my profile then you will see I had quite a few involved.

My surgeon sort of skirted around the issue of node involment and just went through the treatment regime, so when I went to see the Onc she went into much more detail, my suggestion would be to take someone with you as it can be quite a different appt to the surgeon.

Good luck

Debbie

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HI Kelly,

Just to let u know u r not alone, i had two tumour in my breast and 7/16 lymph nodes infected. Mycancer was grade three, and my oncologist and breast surgeon feel that it has been caught at an early stage. I finished chemo at the end of March and am about a third of my way thru rads. Like u my cancer was also hormone receptive.

So please don’t feel u r alone, there are many of us like u.

Best wishes

Angela.

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Thanks angela&debbie Hi Angela & Debbie,

many thanks for responding, much appreciated. It is quite a relief to know that I am not alone in the whole lymph node involvement saga.

I have my oncologist appt on Mon and I guess I may find out a lot more then. Nervous about it aready but hopefully it’ll be ok. I am taking my wonderful boyfriend along for moral support!

Thanks again ladies,

take care,

Kelly
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hi there kelly Hi Kelly
Not been on here a while due to moving house and all kinds of other unwelcome things! I got my results on Friday 13th as expected and I have a 13mm grade 2 tumour and 4 out of the 6 lymph nodes they removed had cancer too. I now have to go back in on 1st May to have the rest of the lymph nodes removed. Then I will know how much involvement there is. This was completely unexpected and I felt terrified but am now feeling better. Yesterday I had a bone scan and on Thursday I will have a CT scan of chest and liver to check further spread. Have you had any of these tests already? Some people seem to have them earlier and some people not at all. Im not sure its good to get them as Ive been more worried about these then I ever was about the breast cancer investigations and yesterday broke down in tears to the women doing the bone scans!
Anyway, I was going to post this exact same post as you just to get some better grip on what it all meant as it is so easy to slide into negativity. Your replies have also made me feel a lot better.
Take care Kelly and thanks to all the people whove replied to you!
Pauline x

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Hi

I have 6 nodes involved. You will find loads of people with node involvement. I met a woman with 13 involved in clinic the other day. She is 4 and a half years post diagnosis and is fit and well. No spead and she had a 10 cm tumor.
When I was first diagnosis the breast nurse said they had just seen someone with 19 nodes for her 5 year check up and she also was fit and well.
The most impotant thing is that you get on with treatment and look after yourself.

Love
Geraldine45

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Good luck Pauline Hi Pauline,

thanks for getting in touch and I’m glad my post and the responses has gone some way to helping you feel a little better . Firstly I want to wish you the best of luck for your op on May 1st.

I don’t know if and when I will be having a bone scan yet but I am having a CT scan of chest and abdomen on monday. I am really stressing about this already! Everytime I seem to feel better about things something else seems to crop up. Felt so relieved after my mastectomy and node removal but now have the worry of the scans and what they may show. It’s just a nightmare isn’t it?!

Best wishes and take care of yourself. Hope all goes well with your scan on thurs and the op on the 1st. I will be thinking of you,

Kelly
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Thanks Geraldine Hi Geraldine,

thank you so much, you have really helped put my mind at ease. I was starting to think that having lymph node involvement was all doom and gloom. Hearing about your experience and the others you mentioned has gone a long way toward cheering me up and I can not thank you enough.

A positive state of mind and outlook is so important but I’m sure we all know only too well that its not possible to be positive all the time. However, what you have told me really has helped a great deal,

Many thanks again,

Take care,

Kelly
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Hi

Good, glad to have put your mind at rest. Do be careful what you read on the net. A lot of stuff you read is out of date, anything more than a year old is out of date. This is a difficult time, your are right being positive does help big time. But there will be times that you feel crap and that is only natural and I think very healthy. When it happens to me and I am having a dark moment or day I just go with the flow and I try not to fight it. Usually by the following day I feel OK again. The dark times do get less and I think time is a great healer.

Let me know about your treatment plan. I have done chemo/rads and am now on Heceptin.

Take care

Geraldine45

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Hi,

I had a stage 3 cancer which was hidden under a benign fibroid I was having removed as a day patient. When they took my lymph nodes out 3 weeks later I was told 1 out of 22 was involved. I’ve had 4 cycles of FEC, 25 rads and had the first cycle of Taxotere 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow I get the second cycle plus the first dose of Herceptin as I was diagnosed HER2+. Unfortunately I have found the Taxotere very hard, but there are plenty of other ladies on this site who are saying the same so I know I am not alone - I find this is a big help.

I know an oncologist and he told me 1 node out of 22 was not a bad result. I had an aunt who was diagnosed with node positive BC back in the very early 70s, she took part in one of the first chemo trials in this country. Her cancer never came back and she died of old age last year, she was 82.

My onc says she sees loads of ladies who had BC years ago who have never had a re-emergence and who are all fit and well, many of them are now elderly; she has also told me she is very positive about my particular case.

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Kelly I had a 5 cm tumour, lymphs 3/9 lymphs involved as well as vascular invasion.

However, I am 3years 3 months on from diagnosis and currently well. I still worry about every ache and pain. A member of the forum who springs to mind is JaneRA she had a large amount of lymphs affected but she is I think over 3 years on from diagnosis and currently well.

Cancer is a lottery and although we get quoted statistics about our prognosis - nobody actually can tell what side of the statistics we will fall on.

My motto is not to have any regrets in life and to do all the things I want to do now!

Take care
Joanx