I’m six months into my ‘journey’ and halfway through chemo. I find myself compulsively searching for positive outcomes with my current prognosis but, often people tend to leave sites when they’re well, I suppose. So I just thought I’d start a thread where I may hear back from people a good few years out.
I am grade 3, four lumph nodes, strongly hormone positive but HER2 negative, with lvi. Feeling bleak. Aged 39 with two young kids.
I’d love to hear from people who started similar and are doing ok ten years on….
Hi im only 3 weeks after diagnoses but i feel exactly like you im desperate to here good news as i keep thinking bleek thoughts too i go for my mri tomora and dreading waiting for the results , i just wanted to let you know your not alone , i do put my feelings in a box at times as i have 2 kids too one being small but i know how you feel its consuming the mind all the time isnt it and its taking over your life id be gratefull to share our journey and look back and say “what was that all about” …come on we can do this
Does an 8-year survivor count? I was diagnosed in 2014 and am still here! I had removal of the cancer, which was the size of a golf ball but luckily I had large breasts (my consultant’s comment!) and did not have to have a mastectomy. There was enough tissue left to fashion a smaller breast. I had to wear a prosthesis to even up with my non-operated breast but that was not too bad. I then had 2 months of chemotherapy which was not pleasant - I had an adverse reaction to the first dose and to have two chemo nurses rushing towards you while you are struggling to breathe was really scary. I was put on oxygen almost instantly and felt better. The doctors then put me on extra medication to cope with the bad reaction and this made me feel pretty awful - unable to sleep or sit properly. I also had very bad constipation after the first dose - I combatted this by taking in my own food - lots of salad, veg and lots of water - and this helped with the second dose onwards. Next came radiotherapy at a different city - 2 hrs travelling there and back - which was not too bad at first but I then began to feel increasingly tired and developed a painful rash, treated successfully with Hydrocortisone cream prescribed by the radiotherapy consultant. I was also on Herceptin injections for a year with no apparent side-effects. A year on, I had breast reduction on the other side to even up the size of my breasts.
I consider myself lucky to not have secondaries (as far as I know) but I have been left with permanent lymphoedema in one arm and have to wear a support sleeve when I do any washing, shopping, gardening etc. I am also left with scarred breasts on both sides, which is difficult to come to terms with. I struggle with fatigue most days. Luckily, I have recently retired and this has been a godsend as I was finding it very hard to continue working.
I have been told that the cancer has not returned but like many survivors, I live with the spectre of it returning all the time. All of my mammograms have subsequently been negative but I am living with anxiety, depression and self-medicating with food which had led to my weight increasing. I am very grateful for all the help I have had over the years from the doctors and nurses along the way together with the Big C local group who arranged for counselling when I was very low.
I hope this is of some help to those going through treatment at the moment. Please let me know if there are any specific questions I can help anyone with.
I am 11 years out, stage 3, ER PR positive, HER 2 negative. I had chemo, bi lateral mastectomy, radiation and reconstruction. After a couple biggie complications and infections x2, I am happy to report life is good, maybe even better than before cancer because i do not take a day for granted, or try not to anyway. I am a health coach, fitness trainer and plant based nutritionist. Learning all I could about lifestyle factors helped me recover and lead my best life. I pray the same for all of you going through treatment. A support team definitely help, prayer group and pets! There is life after cancer! Much of our journey is our mindset. We cannot do this alone that’s for sure. But we can do this!
Yes it was tough at the beginning and I had terrible “brain fog” through one of the medication- but I’m still here taking one day at a time and still appreciating the good days.
Hang on in there ladies and my advice is to try to stay positive x
if I can get through it you certainly can because I am and always was a total whimp. Lol