Diagnosed thursday. Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma

[HueyL]

Just wanted all you ladies to know that it's all doable, I was diagnosed Feb last year, inv ductal,1 node,her2,+ER+ and am now on the other side. One more herceptin to go nxt week. It helped me to read the inspiration and hope part of this site when I was going through treatment. As you will see the majority of women get through this and don't forget that, even when you are at your lowest! There is so much negativity and you feel hopeless at times but you will get though it!

[Mummycrow]

Hi, how are you getting in? Just reading through threads n noticed u same age? I had double mascectomy 6 weeks ago n awaiting chemo which starts this Fri! Hope u ok n more up beat xx

[rosie14]

Hi I have grade 3 IDC and Paget's disease I am staring hopefully with chemo tomorrow, then surgery then radiotherapy!

[Lucy_BCC]

Hi Mummycrow

Welcome to the BCC forums, along with the support here please feel free to call our helpliners for further practical and emotional support on 0808 800 6000, lines are open 9-5 and Sat 10-2

Here's a link to the BCC 'Treatments' information and more support ideas which I hope you will find helpful:

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/treatment?utm_source=Homepage&%3Butm_medium=help_you&%3Butm_campa...

Take care
Lucy BCC

[Mummycrow]

Hi, I'm Angela, 49, married and have two girls, 15&13. Two weeks ago had double mastectomy n auxiliary clearance on right arm pit as one node was cancerous too. Waiting for appointment to see oncologist then start chemo, I'm also her2 receptive so will go on Herceptin? This is all so new and frightening for me too and especially worry for my beautiful daughters as you are too! Please chat. X

[CP]

Hi lollymum,
I too was diagnosed yesterday With breast cancer, I have to wait until Tuesday for all my results. Like you I'm a massive worrier, I suffer from anxiety problems and the news my family and I received yesterday has devastated us all. I am 49 years old with 4 daughters, 2 are married and given me 3 adorable grandsons, 1 daughter at university, who refuses to come home, at the moment, she is not coping and my baby is also only 13 years old, her 14th birthday is this Friday. I have a most wonderful husband, we work together and are with each other 24/7, we all have to think positive and strong and we will beat this... Love Claire xxxx

[June_BCC]

Hello Linserella

Welcome to the forums. 

As well as the support you will receive on the forums we also have a free helpline where you can talk things through with a member of staff who are there to offer emotional support as well as practical information. The free phone number is 0808 800 6000 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00 and Saturday 10.00 to 2.00.

I have also attached a link to our One to One service, where you can talk to a volunteer who has been through a similar experience to you

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/breast-cancer-services/someone-talk/one-one-support

Best wishes

june, moderator

[Linserella]

Hi I too was diagnosed with grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (HER+) in December. I am 42 with 2 young children. I am having chemo first (FEC-T x 6) and I'm halfway through this now. So far the tumour has grown slightly so the FEC part of the chemo doesn't seem to have worked with me. I've been told that this is not unusual and some women don't respond until they get the Docetaxol (T). I'm due to have surgery following chemo then Radiotherapy. I've just found this site and I'd really like to link up with others in the same boat either via the thread or private messaging. Thanks, Lindsay x

[Lovewine]

Hi, I am really interested in your post, I have also grade 3 invasive ducal carcinoma, have to have chemo first, am anxious beyond belief! Seems most people have surgery other way around! Mine is also herceptin positive, would very much like to " chat" as seem to bi in same boat!

[suse61]

Hello there

My name is Susan and I was diagnosed nearly 4 weeks ago with Grade 3 HER2 positive like you im not sure if this is good or bad , but im staying very positive as my surgeon and oncologist both say this is a curable cancer and im about to start chemo on Wednesday . I have 2 children as well bit older then your daughter but they are my main concern also . It is good to chat with women who know what we are going through .Be positive and try and stay strong , you will have friends and family who will be there every step of the way , and people in here who understand and will support you to .

Susan

[LollyMum]

Hi all

I have been diagnosed today with a Grade 3 IDC, and also some cancerous cells from the lymph node under my arm (all right side). They have also found something in my left breast which is not cancerous, but they want to remove anyway.   I have been told I am ERpositive and HER2 negative. I do not know now if this is good or bad!!  It's been a long day.   I'm hanging on to the fact that the surgeon said that this is a cancer he sees a lot and that they can treat me. I'm 51, and my daughter is only 14. I think it is my daughter which is worrying me the most. I so desparately want to be here for her as she grows into adult hood. She's taking a GCSE in the next few months, and of course all her main ones next summer. Does anyone else on here have kids of a siimilar age? 

I'm also terrified that my cancer my have spread - they are giving me MRI, CT and bone scans: it all sounds absolutely horriffic. They want to start me with chemo for 6 months but I just want it cut out NOW.  Is this normal for IDC, or is there something I'm not being told?  I also now feel lumps and pains EVERYWHERE on my right side, so you can see I'm a worrier!

My Macmillan nurse told me about this forum - and I'm so grateful. We went through IVF and I always found the IVF forum I joined to be a fantastic support.   

[Caz13]

Hi again s2usy
I'm sorry you are struggling so much with your mums diagnosis. Im sorry i dont know much about the terms but poemsgalore's link looks informative. Waiting is very difficult, you know it's there so you want it out and sorted. They told me a matter of weeks makes no difference but that's difficult mentally. There are some lovely people on here who offer fantastic support. Your mum probably is worried too but we all show it differently and she might be keeping a lid on it for you. I am as worried about my family as I am for me. I completely understand your worries. I have asked for a ct scan as I was so worried about it spreading but now that its nearly here I don't want to know the answer. Your pains could be stress but if it makes you feel better get it checked out. It's a very stressful worrying time for you all. I wish you and your mum all the best. Big hugs.
Caroline xxx

[poemsgalore]

Hi Suzy

Have you looked at the thread for triple neg cancer? Here is the link.

http://forum.breastcancercare.org.uk/t5/Triple-negative/bd-p/4453

You might find support and answers to your questions from other ladies with triple negative cancer. Hope you and your mum are coping.

poemsgalore xx

[S2usy]

Dawn I'm so sorry to hear you have secondaries but so happy to hear of you survival throughout. You are an I aspiration. It's not her2 positive, so no her caption for her I'm afraid.

[S2usy]

Thanks ladies....we went for results yesterday and found out it is both hormone and her2 negative,,,so I am assuming it is triple negative....as that's the only other one I can find if no oestrogen and her2 receptive. Reading about this is worrying....as apparently the TNBC has more chance of metastising and of reoccurring within the first few years after chemo!? Also, although the bloods came back fine, I am worried that the cancer may have spread elsewhere in her body. When I asked how we could know this, the nurse just told me that they do not do cancer finding blood tests, and the only way of knowing would be symptomatic problems:( so as it stands, we don know if it's travelled elsewhere, she has an aggressive tumour and she is not being operated on u til feb 20th!! Very worrying. They said they will take the sentinel node out first, check that, and if there is any sign of cancer in the sentiment el node then they will take further lymph nodes out.....I just wish the next three weeks would hurry up and get this over with. It's a living nightmare. I've also started to get pain in my right breast, like a needle being pushed Into the side of the breast. It eased up when I had a hot bath before but it's nagging again now:( I keep rubbing the bread to ease the pain away. No lump. Just a needle like pain. ..... Could this be stress caused by the worry!?? Scared....

[Jo_BCC]

Hi S2usy

Welcome to the Breast Cancer Care discussion forums, where as you can see you will get some brilliant support from other users of this site.  Our helpline team are just a free phone call away if either you or your mum would like to talk to someone in confidence about what your mum is going through.  The helpline is open weekdays 9-5 and Saturdays 10-2. 0808 800 6000.  They're here to support you both through this.

Take care,

Jo, Moderator

[dawnhc]

Hi Suzanne,

I don't usually look at this part of the site as I have secondaries now, but was touched by your post and wanted to reply. I was diagnosed 24 years ago with invasive ductal carcinoma, the tumour was 5cm and oestrogen negative, I was told it was very aggressive and growing fast. I am sure I felt a bit like your mum must be feeling now. I never wanted to know what my prognosis was but from various conversations over the years with my oncologists I know they did not expect me to still be here. I have seen the drugs improve a lot over the years and new drugs discovered. I had many recurrences because it was before the days of herceptin, a drug to treat her2+, was available but I have now been on that drug since 2004. If your mum proves to have the her2 gen she will be treated with herceptin alongside chemotherapy. Your support is going to be so important to her in the coming months and although the going can be tough physically and mentally we all get there and if your mum wants to join in on these forums she will find a lot of help and encouragement here.

Dawn

xx

[S2usy]

Thank you everybody for your replies. We will be frequent visitors to this site in the near future no doubt....it's helpful and supportive. Will let all know how she is after blood results on Tuesday. Fingers xd xxxxxxx

[Joanne1973]

Hi Suzanne, so sorry to hear your news. I'm 40, I was diagnosed IDC grade 3, hormone and her2 neg just after my birthday. It is frightening, nothing will stop that. Invasive just means it has grown outside of the duct where it probably started. I waited 4 weeks for lumpectomy due to needing some tests beforehand. I'm very lucky my lymph nodes are clear. No one would be able to give a clear prognosis until after surgery and lymph nodes checked. Treatments are excellent and chemo and radiotherapy go a long way to reduce the chance of the cancer recurring. Put your faith in the oncologists and surgeons, they will throw everything at it. I'm half way through chemo now and will have radiotherapy after. For me personally this gives me a very good chance of the cancer not coming back.
Though you will always worry, your minds will settle in time. I wish your mum all the luck in the world, she is very lucky to have such a caring daughter.
Much love x

[bumblegirl]

Hi Suzanne. My Mum was diagnosed with grade 3 invasive carcinoma breast cancer back in December. My Mum had a lumpectomy on Wednesday and it went really well. As for the her2 my mums is negative and hers is also oestrogen positive which means she will have radiotherapy and then be on hormone treatment. To be honest I'm not sure if breast cancer is easier to treat if it's driven by hormones or not. But what I have learnt about grade 3 is that a lot of women have that grade and it can change after surgery once they have looked at the lump more clearly. Also just because a cancer is invasive it doesn't mean it has spread, it just means it has the ability to. Grade 3 can grow very quickly but it doesn't mean it will and they wouldn't leave it 3 weeks if they thought it wwould grow much in that time. As I said my Mum is grade 3 and she had 5 weeks between diagnosis and operation. In fact she wouldn't have had the op until the end of Feb if she hasn't enquired if she could go to another hospital in a different town for it. I'm so sorry that you are in this situation. I know its a living hell. I wish your Mum a speedy recovery xxxx

[S2usy]

I am writing on behalf of my mum. She found a lump the size of a grape 3 weeks ago. We have been advised yesterday that it is a grade 3 invasive ducttal carcinoma which is oestrogen receptor negative. She has a lumpectomy on 16th feb and they will look at lymph glands at that time and check if she is HER2. We don't k ow what to expect...whether there is any chance at this point of mets?? (It's invasive and aggressive which is frightening) ...and why are they leaving it 3 weeks before removing an agressive cancer?! Has anybody else had this diagnosis, how are you now and the worst question of all, what is the prognosis? Worried, Suzanne