I had pre-op yesterday and was told I have a 2cm grade 3 breast cancer. It is being removed on Tuesday. I was told they had caught it early, but I am to have 18 weeks of chemotherapy and then radiation. They told me the ultra scan did not show anything in my armpits.
I read about stage 3 and it seems to be really bad but my tumour is smaller than that referred to in stage 3. I feel so out of control. I had a routine scan on 28th Feb and now I am heading to surgery. I have never had an operation before. The people I have met have been lovely, but despite being an intelligent and sensible person, I have not understood or taken anything on board and the more I read on the internet the worse I am becoming. I have so many responsibilities and things to do I feel like I am losing my mind.
Hi March13 and welcome to the BCC forums where you will find lots of support and shared experiences
In addition our helpliners are on hand weekdays 9-5 and Saturdays 10-2 with extra support, information and a listening ear on 0808 800 6000 so please feel free to call
The following links will take you to the ‘Just diagnosed’ and ‘Treatments’ information from BCC which may help you over the coming months:
Take care
Lucy
Hi March13 just to reassure you grade and stage are different things, grade is to do with how the cells look, stage to do with size and spread, grade 3 doesn’t mean stage 3. From what you say you sound like grade 1 but they won’t know for sure until after they’ve done the op and full analysis as scans don’t always shoe everything. Good luck for Tuesday. Xx
Hiya…I was in a very similar situation this time last year. 2.7cm tumour, grade 3 (poorly differentiated cells) and from ultrasound no likely spread to lymph nodes. Had surgery (wide local excision or lumpectomy) last feb. Sentinel lymph node (first one the breast drains to) was tested under surgery. Was in for day surgery and felt well after a few days. Results showed no lymph nodes affected, no vascular invasion(spread via blood) and stage 2a (tumour over 2cm but under 5cm and no spread), weakly hormone positive, HER2 negative. Had 6 chemo - 3 x FEC and 3 x Taxotere (Docetaxol)…managed it well, worked as much as I could followed by 23 radiotherapy sessions and now anastrozole (tablet) daily for up to 5 years. Don’t post very often but you struck a chord…I felt bewildered, didn’t understand the terminology, couldn’t see life past treatment etc. etc. however I am here to tell the tale, still me 
very proud of my pixie 2cm hair, and enjoying life. Just had my 1st follow up mammogram which showed no worrying features. Don’t get me wrong, it will be tough, but doable…when you are going through treatment it feels ‘normal’ but now I look back I realise how different my life was at the time, but I guess you ‘live in the moment’. Most important thing to remember is to look after yourself…laugh, cry, shout, when you want to…listen to your body and eat/drink what you fancy. Ask for what you need from health professionals and take offers of help from family and friends. I had things to look forward to…my daughter’s wedding, a 10 day walking holiday straight after radiotherapy (daft I know but loved it). Also kept a diary noting down how I felt, side effects and put little planned treats in (doesn’t matter how simple) to look forward to. I put it away at the end of August and haven’t looked at it since. Hope some of that helps…take care and this time next year you will be writing a post of encouragement like this xo
PS…if you look on the internet, please only stick to sites like this one, Cancer Research and MacMillan…lots of other untrusted sites have information that is out of date, inaccurate and generally scary…Don’t google!!!
Hi x I had a 2cm grade 3 cancer - luckily it had not spread to my lymph nodes - so after surgery I had chemo and then radiothearapy. Its a very scary time that only someone whos been through it can understand.
You will start to understand and taking in the information at some point but the shock takes a little while to get over. I tried to stay off the internet because all it did was frighten me plus everyones story is different.
I have two young children and run a business with my husband so I can say it was hard during my treatment to try to keep everything afloat - so I had to ask for help with things like cleaning etc but it was the ‘normal’ things that kept me going.
I hope all goes well for you, good luck, and keep going xxx
I would like to reiterate what Zuzy has said. Stage and grade are two completely different things. I had a 2cm.Grade 3 tumour and was stage 1. Most people who have grade 3 tumours have chemo. Try not to worry - you are in a horrible place at the moment - waiting for treatment to begin. Once it all starts you do feel more in control. As many people have said, chemo is not pleasant but definitely doable. The drugs you are given for side effects really do help. Any questions ask your breast cancer nurse - they are almost always very helpful.
When first told I had breast cancer(almost 2 years ago now) it was very difficult to take everything on board - its such a big shock to the system. I promise you things do get better once you start active treatment. This forum really is a big helpand support when you are going through treatment.
xx
I was dx with grade 3 stage 2 IDC last year and had 3/20 nodes affected, I was obsessed with the grade when first told as it is more aggressive than a 1 or 2 but it is treatable, surgery removes the cancer, chemo mops up any lurking cells and rads will target the area affected , there are ladies on here with grade 3 and many nodes affected who are doing well it is so scary but remember it is treatabkle and the treatment is do-able, good luck hun all the very best for your forth coming treatment
x
hi march 13
i had a 2.4 tumour and half of my lymph nodes affected, i’m almost 3wks post op mx and i’m having 18 wks of chemo and 3 of rads. just to say good luck for tuesday and that when you wake up wednesday morning you will have a whole new perspective on the situation,
its hard not to worry, so i wont say dont do it, just try to see that light that IS at the end of the tunnel.
best wishes and hugs 
angie. x
Thank you so much for all the support. The surgery took ages because the lump was deep in my chest. I didn’t wake up for hours and then they would not let me go home.
I have been back and been told I have a grade 3 invasive ductal cancer. It has all been removed with clear margins and nothing has spread to the nodes. I thought that would be it but no. I have to have 6 rounds of FEC and then a month of radiation.
I am simply petrified. Can’t sleep, nightmares if I do sleep. I keep telling myself I am lucky, they found it, dealt with it and now I just have to put up with a few months of grief. I should be ashamed of myself and get a grip