Hi
I have been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and 25/28 lymph nodes were cancerous 
. The tumour has been removed and full lymph node clearance. Start my chemo in 2 weeks. Waited 9 weeks since removal of tumour and lymph nodes. So scared May have spread
Hi thank you oldish post. I have now started my chemo 11th sept. Do ok at the moment as got over the initial side effects. On Day 10 x
Hi Jules. Pleased youre over the initial side effects. I waited about the same amount of time. I was just relieved to get the op over. My mind set at that point after weeks of worry was that it had all been cut out, and the rest of the treatment, chemo and radio was just a mop-up. First few days of chemo side effects aren’t very nice. Best wishes on your road to recovery.
Hi
Thank you sooooo much for sending your post. I am constantly thinking the worse and my oncologist didn’t really assure me in anyway to the contrary. He was also reluctant to give me stats but said he would if I wanted to know! But tried to tell me every individual is different. My NPI reading is 6.88 which I know is poor. Think I need to take comfort from your post and get more positive. Thank you xxx
Hi @jules8 . My diagnosis and NPI score is similar to yours. Nobody has discussed it with me or talked about my stats. When I google the npi score I was horrified. Spoke to my surgeon about it and he brushed it aside. My predict score (especially latest version ) gave me more hope as the NPI is very outdated Apperently. I also paid for a private consultation at royal marsden and she said with all the treatments thrown at us there is a good chance of a cure . Try and stay positive. I know it’s hard and I feel it too. It’s these pesky nodes but at the end of the day they are doing a job
Hi that’s quite encouraging as I’ve had nothing from my oncologist. I appreciate they have a job to do but would’ve been nice to have heard some reassurance. Felt I was on a death sentence before I even got started. How far are you through your treatment ? Xx
I know what you mean. There are lots of positive stories out there with our kind of diagnosis and treatments are improving all the time. I have had 2 lumpectomies and then a mastectomy and about to start chemo on Tuesday. I’ve been told I will be on albermiclib (which is not a nice drug but a wonder drug) and letrozole and zoldranic acid . Oh and radiotherapy !
Hi @jules8 ,
I share your worry about its spread. I’m in the same boat. I had mastectomy in August and 3 lymph nodes removed. 2 of the 3 had cancer and I havnt been staged yet. I’ve been offered lymph node clearance and waiting in results of a CT scan of my abdomen from neck to pelvis. Before any treatment plan is agreed. Did you have a CT scan to look for spread?
Hi Louise yes I had a Ct and bone scan end of May before my surgery on the 13th June to remove tumour and lymph node clearance due to biopsies being positive. Luckily the scans were clear which was a relief but then after surgery the tumour was larger than first thought and the grade went up from stage 2 to stage 3 and out of 26 lymph nodes removed 23 were cancerous 
I waited 3 months for my chemo to start due to an oncologist leaving and delays for patients. I feel if there is any spread could well have happened during this delay so angry xx
Hi jules8
Thanks for posting on our forum. W are experiencing a high number of queries and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
In the meantime our helpline is open until 4pm today.
If you do phone our helpline please let us know that you have asked a question on our forum so that we know your query has been answered. Thank you
With best wishes.
Jayne
Ask Our Nurses Service Administrator
Hi jules8,
Thank you for posting.
It sounds like a difficult time for you at the moment.
It’s good to read that you have now started chemotherapy and that you’re coping ok with the side effects so far.
It’s understandable that you feel scared about the risk of the cancer spreading, almost everyone treated for breast cancer worries about it coming back (recurrence) or spreading. As @soos mentions, treatments such as chemotherapy are given to reduce the risk of this. The risk of recurrence is different for everyone, as your oncologist has said. Some people do find statistics helpful, but it can be difficult to relate them to your own situation and some people find they make them feel more anxious.
For many people, the worry becomes more manageable over time, but for others it can continue and can impact their quality of life. Do talk to your breast care nurse about how you are feeling, they may be able to refer you for some talking therapies, such as counselling, and let you know about the support available to you locally. You can also talk to them about the concerns you have over the delay in starting chemotherapy.
Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling. You may also find our chemotherapy monthly threads helpful, to connect with others who started chemotherapy in the same month.
We also offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events. For more details about all of these services, please see the information in the link.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
If you would prefer one of our nurses to call you. To do this, please complete this form ticking the box agreeing to a call back .
Our usual opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm and 9am - 1pm on Saturday.
Out of hours you can leave a message and we will call you back when we next open.
Best wishes
Cassie
Breast Care Nurse
Please read the Ask Our Nurses disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy
As we are unable to monitor for further replies, this thread will now be closed. If you have any additional questions or would like to provide feedback, please start a new thread, call our helpline, email us or request a call back.