Just reading todays paper and it had an article in it about a lady who had survived 5 years with breast cancer. I know she was dx 5 years ago but she had agressive her2 breast cancer node involvment. Then article goes on to say how aggressive this type is and the average life expectancy is 16 months. It has freaked me out I know that with herceptin it is a better prognosis. It also says that there was a 60% chance of it reoccuring in first two years. I am 13 months after dx and just put my head under covers and went into depths of despair. Feeling down today as it is.I am still getting the drip drip effect of this dx. I know we could fall either side but wish I knew nothing then I couldn’t be so scared. Hope I haven’t frightened anyone but can’t get it out of my head. Love to all Eileen
Hi Eileen
I’m in the same boat as you however I try not to read what these papers write as I do not believe the people who write the articles are experts and the people to take notice of are the experts. My consultant told me when asked if he had heard of a particular development in cancer that he does not get his medical information from the papers. The papers are there to sell papers - they over glamourise stories and put the scare mongers into people. There are plenty of people out there who have survived HER2+ cancer and some who didn’t even have the benefit of herceptin. Treatments have improved a lot in the last 2 years in addition so as hard as it is please don’t be taken in by the tabloids. You are doing really well - I can’t wait to get to the stage you are at.
Rebzxxxx
Thanks Rebzamy, I am feeling a bit down. I was fine have gone back to work and life should be wonderful I have had two new grandaughters in the last three weeks but instead being happy I keep thinking I won’t see them grow.This last few weeks cancer had faded into the background a bit. I cannot resist reading articles like this. Hope your treatment is going okay not on that horrible stuff taxotere are you> Ughhh!!! love to all ladies on chemo especially taxotere Eileen
Hello again Eileen I know it’s hard not to read some of these articles and when this happens and I scare myself I try to hang on to some positive things I’ve heard along the way so that whenever I hear something that could bother me - I think of all the positives such as:
Herceptin
Taxotere and other chemotherapy
That treatment has improved a lot over the last 2 years
Fine tuning treatment to individuals
And I’m sure there are more but bit tired now and can’t get my brain in gear. When I’m feeling down I try and think of the difference a couple of years makes in relation to how much better treatment now is.
I did have taxotere and FEC and I finished all that and had a mastectomy nearly 4 weeks ago now. Am waiting for my radiotherapy planning appointment. Also on a year of herceptin and I’m doing really well. I do find spending time with my niece and nephews very therapeutic and it’s wonderful to hear that you have two new grandaughters however I can completely understand how your mind must be working in relation to them and the future.
So please try not to get too down about it all - everybody is different and you should never compare yourself to anybody else and everybody’s story is different. I really hope this helps a little.
Best wishes
Rebz xxxx
Hi Eileen
If you feel it would help to talk things through you are welcome to call our helpline for support and information, it may help to talk about your concerns and the things you have read which are obviously worrying you. The number is 0808 800 6000 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hi Eileen - My advice is steer well clear of The Daily Mail - they seem to specialise in scary breast cancer stories and since the Kylie effect as they call it I refuse to buy it. There are other papers that just report the plain and simple facts without exaggerating and sensationalising the stories. Daily Mail is not a good read for breast cancer ladies in my opinion.
Try switching to another one. I found after my diagnosis I used to get very frightened reading other peoples stories and for me it wasn’t positive. Sometimes sticking your head in the sand isn’t a bad idea until you feel stronger.
Take care
Sarah x x x
Well said Ladies,
I agree we should take these types of articles with a pinch of salt,better still don’t read them!
Remember first and foremost we are individuals, our cancer is working its own path in our bodies. Generic treatments are what we are given and our bodies will react in different ways. There is no denying the fight to remain fit and well is not easy but if we keep relating to different peoples stories and statistics could we be at risk of a self fulfilling prophesy?
Yes we use this site to relay our stories but hopefully we get more encouragement than worry. Here again we can choose which threads to read and which to leave for another day.
We should take the advice of experts but be prepared to balance all this with the lifestyle we as individuals want to live, be this complementary medicines, drinking, diet or a holistic approach.
Eileen, you will have scary days , that’s human nature but please remember we do have a future, who knows how long so lets start living it!
Have a wonderful Christmas all
Kindest regards
Carol
Yep, I read this yesterday and I was so angry with them I emailed them to point out half of what they had published was liable to alarm an awful lot of women. I also told them to get their facts straight. I’m Her2+ and on Herceptin until next May. In my case I’ve been told by 2 Oncologists that I have a low to moderate chance of it coming back within the 5 year period, however because of being treated with Taxotere and Herceptin they are not particularly expecting it. The lady in the article was a 9 on the prognostic scale and I’ve been put at 5. This was worked out for me by a relative who is a Professor of Oncology; he has also told me not to get too worried about my situation as Taxotere and Herceptin are classed as the gold standard. I also had an aunty who had very aggressive BC with most of her nodes involved back in the early 70s - she went on one of the first trials for 5FU which was the only chemo drug they had developed. She had no recurrence of the disease and lived a very full life until she died of old age in her 80s last year. After her BC treatment she dusted herself off, went back to work and got on with it. She is my inspiration as I was diagnosed just a few weeks after her death.
I plan to do the same because the business we started when I was diagnosed has now taken off and I’m also about to start a new job in January. I think I can honestly say my life is better than it was before I had this disease and I plan to grab it with both hands. Up yours to the Daily Mail as far as I am concerned, if you read their health pages every week you would just lie down and not get up again.
Just had a look at the Mail and they have printed my email to them in the comments thread, so there is some justice! I have emailed in again to say they have upset quite a few ladies on this board.
Well done Cherub
Thank you on my behalf
Carol
Hi Ladies,
I don’t know where th Mail gets its information from. I’m one of those information freaks who looks everything up on the net. (If you don’t like statistics then look away now) - when I discovered I was having herceptin I looked up the trial results for primary cancer- what I read showed 90% were still disease free after four years. That’s good enough for me.
When will the Daily Mail quit its scare mongering! It really does annoy me. Since I was diagnosed, my mother (bless her, I know she’s only ‘trying’ to help and has my best interests at heart) was putting about 4-5 articles a month from the Daily Mail about BC through my letter box, for me to take notice of, some of which really upset me. After her ‘advising me’ to have a double mastectomy as that’s what a lot of the Daily Mail articles were about, I really did have to put my foot down & put her straight about some of the tripe that is printed in that newspaper.
Well done Cherub, I might be inclined to do the same!
Hannah xx
I take the Daily Mail most days but I am seriously thinking of not doing so any more, They are obsessed with breast cancer. I read the article referred to previously and thought that it was deeply misleading and potentially frightening to women having herceptin as part of their treatment. I agree with previous comments in that this newspaper spends an awful lot of time frightening people out of their wits.Their health pages are enough to make you want to cut your throat and cut out the middleman!
This has decided me - I am going to stop buying the wretched thing.
JaneyB
x
Thanks fr all your replies I should be as sensible as you all are. Cherub you are wonderful for getting on to them I never thought of that just pulled the duvet over my head… Thanks again feel a bit better today.Love Eileen