Im probably thinking too hard but im getting really worried about the fact that when they did my node sampling they found cancerous cells in 2 out of the 4 nodes removed. I now have to have an axillary clearance to take the rest. Loads of people on here say they haven’t had node involvement’thank god’& all that’s in my head is that if they found 2 out of 4 how many more are affected. I don’t have my next op for 2 weeks so it’ll probably be at least 3 before i know what else they may have found. Does anyone have experience of node involvement who can give me some positive words as at the moment i feel like im going to drive myself insane with my thoughts.Thanks x
hi heather
i had node involvment and had the full clearance and i to felt the same as you as every post i read was thank god the nodes were clear
well were not all that lucky but think of it this way the nodes are there to stop the sneeky cancer travelling any further they hold onto the cancer aslong as they can so it dont travel round your system.
hope this help you feel a little better
i had 3 positive nodes out of 18
alison xxxx
I dont know if this helps or not but I chose to have a mastectomy and total ax node clearance a few months ago. Only one node in 10 was cancerous. I am undergoing chemo but do not need rads.
I wish you all the very best … try not to worry … they will eradicate the cancer… have faith and move forward. x
I know exactly how you are feeling. To be honest a lot of people do have node involvment it is very common and it doesn’t necessarily mean that its spread further.
The Nodes are there to ‘catch’ these cancer cells and the fact they are in the nodes means they have been caught and the nodes have done their job. When they did my sampling they took 9 nodes as the surgeon saw they were ‘swollen’ and suspicious. Out of these 9 nodes, 7 had cancer in them. This really freaked me out and as I needed a full ANX my mind went into overdrive. On the full clearence he found another 15 nodes and only 2 of these had cancer in them - so my full clearance was 24 nodes with a total of 9 infected - I was actually relieved that he had ‘only’ found another 2! Now a year and a half on, having had chemo and Rads I feeling fine, have had a number of scans, CT and Bone and all clear and no sign of Lymphodema either. I know its easy to say but try not to worry - I am sure there will be other ladies to post on here to help put your mind at rest.
Hi hjv123,
I too have node involvement and my heart always sinks when I read posts saying ‘No node involvement, yay!’ or similar. Not because I begrudge them their healthy nodes but because it reminds me of the fact that mine aren’t/weren’t!
All the nodes from my SNB were found to contain cancer and 19 out of the 21 they took from my ANC were cancerous too.
However, the fact that only half of your sampled nodes were cancerous may well mean that no others are involved. They just have to remove them to be sure.
Even with the number of affected nodes I had, the CT scan of my liver and lungs and my bone scan were clear.
As my onc said, hopefully all my cancer is now ‘in the bin’!
When you have more than a few nodes involved they usually give you tax chemo which is a very effective drug.
A good way to think of it is that the nodes were doing their job and trapping the nasty cells before they can travel elsewhere.
If in thtee weeks time you find that you have more than 2 nodes involved you may find this thread reassuring to read.
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=30474
These lovely ladies really helped me when I was panicking!
Best wishes,
Kate x
Sorry,I took so long to type my bit that I see everyone has beaten me to it!
Apologies for any repeats…
K x
Thank u so much ladies, i feel better already. It’s encouraging that it doesn’t always follow that just because the first nodes contain cancer that the others will too. I think i just needed to hear some positive stories so i really appreciate u all taking the trouble to try & put my mind at rest.
hope4444-i couldn’t wait 3 weeks to read the link u posted, i actually waited about 3 seconds,lol. But it really helped as there was such a lot of lovely posts.
I will try & remember that the nodes are doing their job in catching the little beggars & try not to panic.
Thanks again,love Heather x
Hi Ladies,
Yes l too had 16 out of 18 lymph nodes with cancer, and when l read people saying ‘Yea nodes are clear’ l feel quite sad, we are all in this together, so we should support each other, perhaps just a ‘nodes clear’ will do!! Bit like saying, ‘it is only grade 2’ what about all those with grade 3 and 4! and ‘at least it isn’t triple negative’ at least it hasn’t spread! the list goes on!! so to those ladies that cheer when their nodes are clear and so on, yes of course you are pleased, just spare a thought…Prehaps we need to start a thread, about what not to say!!
Sandra xxx
Oh Heather, l was diagnosed in Feb. 2010 still well!! xxx
I agree completely with what you have said Sandra4.
I feel really guilty now though because by saying that my CT & bone scans were clear I now realise that I may have upset those people whose scans weren’t.
K x
Hi K,
I suppose l ‘could’ say perhaps you are being over sensitive about saying your scans were clear! but were you!! l am sure l said it when mine was clear.
Must say if l was reading and mine weren’t clear, l would feel very sad.
Sandra
Hi Heather,
I had 1/3 cancer from SNB so then had to have full clearance 4 weeks after mx and SNB, i had no further instances in nodes following the full clearance. I also had scans on bones/organs etc before my mx as they had thought due to size of tumour that it must have already spread but following scans, no further evidence of spread.
I’ve had 3 FEC and just started 3 TAX (for the node involvement) will also be having chest wall rads (as Stage 3 Grade 3), waiting to have scans & get results to see if it has spread or not can be as agonising as waiting for the initial dx - which we all remember very well.
I personally don’t get upset at all by people cheering on ‘no node involvement’ as if it was me in that position, I’m sure I’d be celebrating too, and I wouldn’t wish further bad news on anyone, despite where I’ve dropped out at, we’ve just gotta get through whatever we’ve been dealt with as best we can and be there to support all whatever this sh1tty disease throws at us… I’m sure there are others who may think differently, but that’s what makes the world a more interesting place to be…
I hope this helps you a little Heather, and be kind to yourself in the meantime, if you want further info on my personal full clearance experiences, you can PM me too if you like.
Bev x
Hi Sandra,i can see why people put ‘yay’ etc, i think it’s just sheer relief, i’m sure i would have probably been the same as u don’t always realise how ur comments may affect people, ur just so happy that u have the result u were waiting for.But i know where ur coming from. The fact that people are so pleased to have clear nodes makes me think that not having them clear is so much worse.
So glad to hear ur still doing well, that’s great news.x
hope4444, im really glad ur scans are clear & i think it’s important for u to be able to post that, arrrgghh nothing is ever simple is it.x
Thanks Beverlie, i don’t get upset by people cheering re clear nodes, just paranoid,lol. Ur right though,the waiting on the next set of results is as bad as the first dx, i do hope everything is ok for u re ur scans etc. x
When I had my snb they removed 5 nodes. My BCN rang me and gave me the results. Out of the 5 they removed - all 5 tested positive. I remember saying “that’s 100% what if the cancer is in all of them?” she told me that would be very rare. My CT and bone scan both came back as normal which was a huge relief because by that time I was convinced that I was riddled with cancer. I am having chemo first, then mx and full node clearance, then radiation.
I am always thrilled when I read some good news on here, even though it isn’t always mine.
so am i supertrouper. I do love to hear good news on here, i think it keeps u going sometimes, to know that not everything is doom & gloom. I hadn’t slept very well lately but last night i slept like a log. I just kept thinking the worst because i thought that if it was in some nodes then it must be in all of them. But reading all ur stories made me feel so much better about things.
So pleased ur scans are clear, hearing that must have been wonderful. I haven’t had any scans yet, they said they’ll take the nodes all out & then go from there. x
Hi
I was really bothered about having to have a full clearance. I had SNB post chemo- they took four, it was still alive and kicking in four. Bum. So the lot had to come out. At the time the surgeon said that it might only be in that 4. My thoughts? “yeah, right!”
But it was, which was the best news we could have hoped for.
As for hearing others’ good news? I must admit to a very human, yet very unattractive trait: I feel jealous.
Hi ST, and Hiv 123, me too re your stories regarding inspiration. I hve learnt that everyone is so different despite sometimes it seems the same for everyone, I didnt even know until i had bc and chemo that there were many differnt types, stages, grades or different regimes of chemo.
I was diagnosed in December last year and was terrified. Though my was stage 3 (so i thought oh god thats bad) i had a lumpectomy and had clear margins so no need for further surgery, but I had my lymph noded removed as after the mammogram and scan my consultant said one of my nodes looked “suspicious” and he took 18 nodes away on day of surgery and 2 were infected. of course then i convinced myself it had got thr those 2 nodes and that i would be riddled with it too. so scary, so many questions and venturing into the unknown with no choice.
I have now finished my chemo. I am tripple negative and I had 3 FEC and 3 Taxotere. Yesterday I began my radiotherapy, i have 23 sessions. 15 to whole breast and 8 to scar area. (scar which is fading fast u can barely see it) But being stage 3 BC i was so scared and was told i had chemo cos of tha and the node involvement, even though he told me that it had not spread anywhere else.
Its good to be on this site, there is always someone to help and what at first is daunting and scary, knowledge is power of your mind to undertand and not always assume the worst but i know i did and people do as its all the unknown.
Cyber hugs to both of u and to all going on this unwanted journey, be inspired and never be afraid to ask any question or get support from here. Silvershar.
Yes I worry about me but I love the good news bits cos it means that its not all doom and gloom and good things happen. It may not be my diagnosis but its good for someone and long may the postings be good. Chris x
Hi - I had 22 out of 24 affected - Yikes! I was terrified. My oncologist looked at me with such a sad face, I thought I wouldn’t make it. However that was in 2007. I had 35 radiation sessions, TAC chemo and I’m currently on Arimidex. I’m feeling good and hoping to stay that way. I am sending you warm wishes, focus on what you have to do to get better, have some treats to look forward to along the way, and you will get through. It’s not to say I’m so mentally fine that I don’t still have scary thoughts, every ache and pain is a worry, but I am enjoying life and grabbing every moment…xx
Hello,
I also felt I was in the minority and scared by having nodes involved as it did seem as though most people on here didn’t - so it’s great to hear positive stories to inspire hope and motivation!
I’m having chemo prior to my op and had 2 nodes biopsied with a needle - both of which were positive - but wont know how many until after my op.
Please keep the positive stories coming!!
x
Hi everyone Have just read through this site. Am now confused (put it down to age - I’m nearly 70,probably look it as every time I look in the mirror I think what is my grandmother doing looking back at me,anyway if I don’t look in mirror only feel 21) so should do away with all mirrors. Anyway had a lumpectomy and 15 nodes taken away, 11 of which were cancerous. This was done 5 weeks ago, am starting chemo next week. But am now wondering how many nodes do we have in armpit? and when you talk about full node clearance is this what I had or do I still have some left. Will have to add this question to my list for when I speak to BCN next week. I always seem to have loads of questions to ask her, am sure I have asked the same question more than once.
It would be nice to have some feed back on this.