Hello to this very supportive forum
I have a very dear friend who I met at our local breast group, nine years ago. She has just been diagnosed with spread to the lymph nodes in her neck. I have been able to remind her of another lassie in the old group who was treated for this with chemo 2 years ago with clear scans since then, and another friend who had nodes in sternum affected who has been in remission for years. However she would appreciate anyone elses experiences as she waits to hear what treatment they are going to give her. I am hoping she will soon start to use the forum herself.
I am replying to this mainly because you said you first met your friend at your local breast group 9 years ago. So I am assuming she had breast cancer then and this is her first recurrence in 9 years. I was first diagnosed in 1990 and although I did have a number of primary recurrences over the years it wasn’t until around 2000/2001 that I started getting spread into my neck lymph nodes - not much at first but by 2002 enough to make the consultants take notice and do something! During the years from first dx, to 2002 not a lot of testing for her2 was being done and to cut a long story quite short! they discovered I was her2+++ and at the beginning of 2004 I was put on herceptin. Do ask your friend if she knows if she has been tested for her2 and if not to push for it if it is possible at this stage. I was treated with chemo in 2002 - had to stop the first one cos of the se’s, and then went on to navelbine which got rid of the lumps, but when I stopped they came back. They also then found I had extensive bone mets so went on bisphosphonates, and then beginning of 2004 on to herceptin which I am still on.