Breast cancer recurrence

Hi everyone,

i would just like some reassurance as I’m extremely anxious regarding an recurrance after eleven years of  being breast cancer free.

first time round I had surgery mastectomy,chemo and radiotherapy,followed by many happy years ,

my cancer was hormone + grade 2multifocal ,two +lymph nodes but no spread so was very relieved!

i haven’t had all my biopsy results yet only that it is confirmed b/c  and at least one pos node where they took the sample from. I have my ct and bone scan on Monday I am so so worried it may have spread and I’m making myself ill with all my anxiety.i did have a diazepam  last night and it really helped me sleep and feel a little less anxious today.

the recurrence has come quite high under my collarbone so surgery isn’t an option apparently ,but chemo should keep it under control so they say.

it all seems so hard to take in and such a long journey ahead but I will do what I have to and try to read the good and positive comments from you all and hope the uncertainty I feel at the moment improves .

thankyou for listening to me x

Hi Maisie, it doesn’t seem fair somehow, does it, that you have had a reoccurrence, but, unfortunately, there is never a guarantee that it won’t come back. Most secondary BC aren’t operated on unless it’s a liver resection, or a bone, or so I believe. Radiotherapy is a treatment widely used to shrink tumours. I was diagnosed with primary BC in February 2017. My cancer was ER+, HR-, and I had a 3 cm stage 3 tumour . I needed full lymph node clearance as my LN showed signs of cancer. In October , after an op, chemo and just as I was starting rads I was diagnosed with 4 secondaries in my lungs. Three years on I can say I am joggling along nicely on a regime of Letrozole and Palbociclib. Cancer these days is with a small c, not a C. The research means that there have been leaps and bounds in treatments and there is an excellent survival rate. I’m 73, and overweight, and I’m not going to say I haven’t had issues with tolerating drugs, but here I am, doing what I want to do in the main. Sometimes tired, but it’s the drugs and not the disease. I think the many ladies on here are testament to the treatments available, and you need some faith in your medical team who will do everything in their power to give you a successful outcome . After all, your success and survival is also their success. I’m wishing you every success in your forthcoming treatments, and hope that you will let us know how you get on. Hugs. X