Hi all , I’ve not posted for a while . I was diagnosed aged 45 in July 2019 , I finished chemo in Jan 20 and I’ve been slowly getting my life back together since then. I was just getting to the point where BC wasn’t on my mind 24 hrs a day.
Sadly my sister in law has now also been diagnosed , she’s 47! We are all totally devastated, all we know so far is that it is IDC 7cm Er +ve her2 -ve. MRI showed up some lymph nodes so now waiting for CT /PET scan before starting chemo.
has anyone else had lymph nodes show up on mri that turned out to be ok? My Sis in law has had a really painful boob since her biopsies which were quite brutal and I guess I’m just clutching at the hope this may be an inflammatory response to that rather than spread!
This whole thing has also brought everything back to me like I’m going through treatment again! I’m so scared knowing what she’s just about to go through , although so glad I’m able to hold her hand on the journey xx
Hi, sorry to read your news. I’m sorry I can’t answer your question but just wanted to send some support to you. It is hard to see someone else going through this although it does mean that you can help allay some of the worry for her. I was lucky to be able to ask advice from friends who, unfortunately, had gone through biopsies, diagnosis and treatment. I’m sure having you there for her will be a great help.
lowen
Maybe you sister-in-law will be fortunate to have your experience to fall back on, although of course each woman has her own approach. Two years on, I still can’t reel off my diagnosis - I didn’t want to know because there was nothing I could do about it anyway. The important thing is that, even though being treated for breast cancer was often an unpleasant experience for you, you got through it - you can show that it doesn’t have to be fear-ridden, that there is hope.
My CT scan identified enlarged nodes in my chest wall but these turned out to be harmless. However, my biopsies revealed 3/3 lymph nodes under my arm infected and I ended up with 19 of the 21 removed being affected. Obviously this informed my treatment plan and, having just had another MRI for another reason, I am still cancer-free. My point is, our lymph nodes do a fine job in containing the infected cells. Thank heavens for lymph nodes! A small number or a large number, it’s still treatable.
I hope you don’t mind my suggesting that this might be a difficult time for you, reviving your own experiences and fears. Your sister-in-law will be in good hands and will find her own way through it but there will be less support for you. Currently, Breast Cancer Haven is running a lot of free online services/courses which are worth looking into.
I hope all goes well for your sister-in-law and that you manage to find a way to handle the memories this has stirred for you. Best wishes