Hey I’m 61, diagnosed with mixed ductal/lobular 25mm, 1 LN positive.
I had a mastectomy, chemo and radiation. I am now on letrozole and Ibrandronic acid.
im worried about a recurrence as I had lympho vascular invasion and one node positive.
Wanted to ask if there are any similar stories with long term survivors?
Aaaarh Dd61
There you are, and this is why you were asking about my “grades” on the “Long Term Survivors” thread? I HAD wondered that your concerns were about recurrence. There are plenty more on that thread who didn’t have a second BC. Did you read back through them?
I’m so sorry you’re having such concerns.
As I said in my other post answer, my 2nd tumour in my other breast was another PRIMARY of different type cells to the first. Just very unfortunate. All nodes removed as standard practice then, but when those were tested, NO node involvement, so no chemo, just Tamox advised.
When did you have all your treatments? Recently? The whole point of Chemo, rads and hormones are preventative. You can only put your faith in them, that they’re doing their job. It’s all anyone can do, as we can’t yet examine every cell of the body, to make sure they’re all clear. xxxx
Hi Dd, what’s a long term survivor ? Will four years do? If so that’s me. I’ve got mets in both my lungs but I’m taking my Letrozole and Palbo and chugging along. No one can guarantee that there won’t be a reoccurrence , but I think we live in times of medical miracles , and even for secondary gals like me there are lots and lots of treatments. Your medical team will be keeping a close eye in you, and as your success is their success then you just need some faith. Hang in there, there are some great stories on here which will lift you. 
Annx
Hi Dd
I’m sorry you’re living with such anxiety when you had the full works treatment-wise, which one hopes really puts those nasty cells in their place.
I don’t know if it helps but I had 19 of the 21 lymph nodes removed in axillary clearance identified as infected. Both tumours were invasive (one of each kind and neither detected in a mammogram!!). However, a raft of tests revealed nothing further and all I can say is thank god for lymph nodes. They did their job - and more! That was two years ago.
It feels to me that the real problem isn’t so much the likelihood of recurrence so much as learning how on earth to live with the knowledge. Recurrence is a possibility for all patients treated for cancer. It’s a harsh fact. But you can spend your life worrying about this (which may never happen) or you can find ways to live differently. I’ve included a link to a brilliant article written by a clinical psychologist attached to the team at my hospital. Surprisingly, no one has ever mentioned it - a nurse posted it here and and I’ve saved the link and read the article occasionally.
workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf
I’m also going to PM you an email my breast care nurse sent me when I foolishly googled something and went into meltdown. It transformed how I think about it and how I react too. Recently I had a swollen gland in my neck that wouldn’t go away. I made a general enquiry here, rang the b-c team as advised and had an oncology appointment the next day. That was followed by an MRI and the wait for results. This was the right thing to do, given the increased risks. Thanks to changing how I think about cancer, although I accepted there was a possibility, I didn’t believe it or dwell on it - unlike my poor husband who was literally sick with worry. I put it away in its box in my mind and let it rest. And of course it turned out to be nothing.
Perhaps the wisdom of one of these professionals might help you shape a different context for that lurking fear and bring you a little more peace of mind. I hope so.
All the best,
Jan x