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Brenda,

You have so much courage. Thank goodness you were doing your monthly breast exams and you found your lump. You took control. We are faced with making difficult decisions about our health. Bless you on your journey. You are a survivor!

Amy

I was told back in 2002 that I had breast cancer (ductial) and had a lumpectomy done at that time. This was followed by mamo's every 3 months for a year. Then they told me that all was fine and I should have a mamo done once a year. Well this year, February 2010, I found a lump in my left breast and went in for a mamo, this lead to a digital mamo followed by a surgical bio. after all of this they said my cancer was back. I was told I could do nothing and wait it out or I could have a total bilateral mastectomy. And put an end to this cancer business. So on March 24th I had both of my breast removed. My path report stated that in fact I had ductial cancer in both breast not just the left side. I feel very lucky! Now I must make the choice or rather to have reconstructive surgery or not. I'm still healing from my surgery but have to say I'm glad that My fight has been won.

Thanks
Brenda

My conversation with Abby...

Currently going through the motions of breast cancer at times can be hard. It has been over 6 months now with many tests from mammograms, x-rays, MRI’s and 3 Biopsies. Still not knowing and not being treated promptly. I see how other women young and old can get very frustrated with the way things are handled.

I just turned 45 July 1st. I have a 7 yr old boy and 5 yr daughter. They are the reason I fight and continue to fight this cancer that is now plaguing my body. Now being told I will have to undergo a mastectomy is even more icing on the cake.

Both times I was told I had breast cancer over the phone at work and what I needed to do. Still I’m in shock and it seems so surreal to me that it is even happening. Which, I know now many have felt the same way and it is heart wrenching to say the least.

All I want to do now and always have is to let others be aware how important it is to go do the check ups. I did just one yr I had skipped due to moving over 3 times it was chaotic. Now just trying to deal with what news I’m to expect next you know.

I’m writing just to say how I appreciated your web site and the on going support and wiliness to continue to help others out there. Not only you your family, friends and co-workers are affected.

My god! I never knew how loved I was until this terrible cancer attacked me.

My next step is a visit with an oncologist and I hope a plan to save my life.

How do I let others know other than web sites how important this is I know you have ribbons and about the ribbons how do others use them. My day care made me a ribbon and they put the name of all the kids on it. It was breath taking.

My son wrote me a special note. Then I lost it.

One day I hope to share my story with other women and help them fight this Breast Cancer. I fought many things this has got to be the most challenging one but I’m a good fighter! I fight for my right to stay alive for all of mankind to see we women can beat this.

Take Care, Keep up the Good Work!
Abby

Abby,

Thanks for taking the time to write! I appreciate your kind words.

It is so important to be an active advocate for your own health! I have a LOT of experience dealing with the medical establishment, and believe me, I know to stay on top of things. If something doesn't sound right or even feel right, you must question and get 2nd 3rd, etc opinions. No one at any hospital or clinic can know everything about you as well as you! I wish you luck and prayers on your journey.

In my opinion the pink ribbon campaign is multi-faceted. In one respect, it's a way for friends and loved ones to show support of someone going through the breast cancer journey. In another, it's a bridge to reach out to others to increase "awareness," so women take better care of themselves so that cancer is detected earlier and hence their chances of survival are increased.

Kim

Yes, you are absolutely right! So, many women really need to take control and value the seriousness in this cancer. You certainly do have my permission by all means. We meaning women/men young and old need to know we are not alone on this journey to survival and a helping hand is just a second away.

God Bless you and taking the time to read my story! I’m sure the next will be a positive one for all to see!

Abby

News from Kim

Hello all,

Another update on my stage IV breast cancer journey. Monday I received mixed results from last week's scans. A couple of chest lymph nodes actually decreased in size, while a nodule in my left lung increased slightly. My tumor marker (CA 27-29) remains somewhat stable at 32 (1 up from 31 2-1/2 months ago, yet still within the normal range of 0-38.) Dr. Green deemed the results not conclusive enough to move on to the next level of treatment. Not significant enough growth to discontinue the use of my current med. Once we put a drug behind us, there is no going back to it. And the more drugs we put behind us, the less there are in front. Once you've used up all available treatment options, well ... clearly it's not good.

However, Dr. Green was very concerned about the marble-sized lump I discovered a couple of months ago on my back left rib. We looked at it on the chest CT scan and yep, there it was, between my skin and ribs. Not on the ribs. There was no mention of it in the radiologist's report (x-ray and CT scan) -- quite disconcerting to me, especially since I had mentioned the finding to both the x-ray technician and the CT technician. I had also specifically requested that the CT scan tech place a note on my chart/films so that the radiologist reading the scan would be aware of the new issue and could take a closer look (to which she replied "Oh they look at everything.") I said that regardless, I would appreciate it if she would put a note or mention it to the radiologist, since it was new and I was concerned about it. Evidently, either she didn't do as I requested (bad enough,) OR, the radiologist didn't pay attention to the note. In any event, the radiologist failed to notice the nodule. There was no mention of it in the CT scan report. Thankfully, it was palpable enough and slightly tender so that I found it myself and reported it to Dr. Green.

Dr. Green felt the lump and was definitely concerned. She recommended an ultrasound with a possible fine needle aspiration (fna) biopsy. She said that if the lump was found to be more cancer, then she would definitely change my medication from Aromasin (daily by mouth) to Faslodex (an injection, not sure how often,) and it was scheduled for 3 days ahead, which brings us to today.

Today I went for an ultrasound of the nodules on my left flank area (a much more medical term than left back rib area!) First the ultrasound tech simply scanned the area while I laid on my stomach. The bad news was that she actually found 3 nodules instead of 1! One large one, one medium, and a third that she said was small and "indistinct." She left to show the radiologist the ultrasound results, and returned to inform me that yes, a biopsy was definitely indicated in this case since the nodules appeared to be solid. Okay. Danny wasn't allowed in the ultrasound room with me, but when the tech left to prepare for the biopsy, I texted him and my sister to keep them up on the latest news, and also so I wouldn't just lay there and cry. My last needle biopsy was not pleasant, but this time I wouldn't be watching the screen like last time. I told myself I would never do that again, as it was really traumatic to watch while feeling it too. The radiologist came in and explained what was going to be done. I asked her what other conditions the nodules could be if they weren't cancer. She said that if they were closer to the skin, they could be neuromas, but they weren't close the skin. She said that her list of things it could be besides cancer was short, but there was a slim chance that it was something else (but she couldn't name anything.) I said "What, some new disease that you can put your name on for discovering it?" which got everyone in the room to laugh. Back to the business at hand ... first she numbed the area with lidocaine, an anesthetic that is injected into the tissue. THAT hurt! Then came the needle to actually perform the biopsy, which wasn't so bad but for a few brief, painful moments. Unfortunately she did not get enough tissue during the initial FNA and had to do it again! Ugggghhhh! It was nothing nice! After that, Danny was allowed into the room, where we waited for the pathologist to return with some "preliminary" results from the cytology lab. Not surprisingly, based on my earlier conversation with the radiologist, the tissue was confirmed to be malignant -- what she called "metastatic deposits" in the muscle. Very disappointing, to say the least! They will run all the usual pathology on the tissue, including ER, PR, and HER2 testing. I will see Dr. Green next week, when we'll discuss my next treatment options. I suppose that will ultimately depend on what the pathology report says.

I am glad they will be running more of my tumors through the pathology process. An estimated 20% of HER2 negative tumors will convert to HER2 positive at some point in the metastatic disease process. Not sure if convert is the right word to use, but what I'm saying is that since my cancer was HER2 negative before, there's a 20% chance it may be positive now ... Which, in my opinion, may be helpful in that there would actually be more treatment options for me than strictly the estrogen-related ones. More options sounds good to me!

Well, that is all for now. Another setback, but again we are waiting for more test results before we'll know what's next.

Thanks for reading, and for the prayers.
Kim

Kim's update

Time is just flying by! Can't believe it's been over 2 months since my last update. In my last post (April 7th) I was awaiting test/scan results to evaluate the effectiveness of my new med (Aromasin) and also to check my femur's stress fracture.

So, here are April's results: First, the femur showed MUCH improvement, and did not "light up" on the bone scan at all. MRI of the femur also showed much improvement, which Dr. Lin (orthopedist) said confirmed that it had indeed been "just" a stress fracture (as opposed to a new metastatic bone lesion.) Yay! What relief! Not wanting to risk another fracture, or any kind of bone damage, I was prepared to stop running, and I admitted this to the doctor. Although previously Dr. Lin had said that I could possibly begin running again (very slowly and on a soft surface -- not the streets where I am used to running) if I showed healing and was feeling no pain, he now seemed to agree that not running would be best. I say "seemed" because he really didn't comment when I said I would not run any more. But he didn't dispute it or tell me it was okay, either. At the time, I was okay with the new plan. I fully intended to pursue other avenues of getting fit, such as swimming, power walking, dancing, and exercise classes. Back to that on a later date.

Although my femur was sitting pretty, sadly, the same could not be said for the rest of me. Dr. Green informed me that some of the lymph nodes in my chest had grown slightly, as had some of my lung nodules. Not a good start for my new med, Aromasin. Additionally, my tumor marker had risen yet again, to 31 (normal range is 0-38.) Here's my previous discussion about it from earlier this year:

Also, Dr. Green said that my tumor marker (CA 27-29) was within the normal range (0-38,) so that was good. She was right that it was in the normal range -- it was 18. BUT, in looking back at (well, studying) all of my previous CA 27-29's, it actually is a little elevated. At my first visit to MD Anderson in 2006, it was 70-something. A month later, 50-something. Three months later, 37. All since then have been below 12! So since early 2007, my level has been holding steady at less than 12. Now it's 18. Very disconcerting...

Dr. Green was not concerned, as 31 was still in the range of normal. I was VERY concerned! She thought that the ever so slight growth seen in my chest could have been simply due to the location of the CT's "slices," so she wanted me to stay on the Aromasin to give it more time, and she recommended that I be re-scanned in 2 months...

Which is where we are today. On Friday (2 days ago) I had my repeat chest x-ray, CT scan of the chest, and blood work, including tumor marker level CA27-29. Tomorrow I am scheduled to see Dr. Green to get the results. I try not to think about it. It's been a long 2 1/2 months of waiting. In the meantime I have discovered a small marble-sized lump on a left back rib. Hoping that is nothing, but I did mention it during my CT and x-ray to make sure it got its picture taken.

On a lighter note, Danny and I went kayaking for the first time last weekend! We also spent two nights tent-camping in a Texas state park. It was so relaxing .. the kids were away at camp, so it was just the two of us. A much needed break from it all. We found that we actually do still like each other!(ha) which is sometimes questionable when our life with 3 active kids is so hectic, stressful, and hurried.

Thanks for reading ... could use some prayers for good test results and a peaceful heart and mind.

Kim

Dealing with reoccurence...

Brenda,

You have so much courage. We wish you a speedy recovery to your recent surgery. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Your testimony will save lives.

Amy

I was told back in 2002 that I had breast cancer (ductal) and had a lumpectomy done at that time. This was followed by mamo's every 3 months for a year. Then they told me that all was fine and I should have a mamo done once a year. Well this year In February 2010 I found a lump in my left breast and went in for a mamo, this lead to a digital mamo followed by a surgical bio. After all of this they said my cancer was back. I was told I could do nothing and wait it out or I could have a total bilateral mastectomy. And put an end to this cancer business. So on March 24th, I had both of my breast removed. My path report stated that in fact I had ductal cancer in both breast not just the left side. I feel very lucky! Now I must make the choice or rather to have reconstructive surgery or not. I'm still healing from my surgery but have to say I'm glad that my fight has been won.

Thanks,
Brenda

My hero, My mother

Jessica,

It is so hard to see people we love go through cancer. You are an amazing woman who made many sacrifices for your mom. You have a servant's heart. God is working through you.

Amy

My name is Jessica,

My mother and hero was a cancer survivor. It was the hardest thing I ever went through in my life. Even though I didn't personally didn't have breast cancer I felt as if I did because of how much I loved here, I love her so much I would have took this horrible cancer that is killing and putting people through hell into me so she wouldn't have had to go through that torture. Every day I saw the most important person in my life getting sicker, weaker, and less hopeful. I actually even got divorced because my husband couldn't take me always caring for my mother so I eventually moved in with her so I couldn't take care of her full-time. My job even had to let me go. but none of all that mattered to me. All I cared about was the life of my mother and I was determined to get her to survive this. I believe if I wasn't there for my mother the way I was she probably would have died. I took her to every doctors appt., I waited on her hand and foot and thankfully she survived it. If I had to go through that all again I would in a heart beat. As long as I had her I was happy and grateful. Nobody means as much to me in my life as she does. So to everyone who knows someone with breast cancer I highly advise you to do your best to help them and give them the hope I gave my mother. She still to this day tells everyone I saved her life. I never let her give up hope. I hope my story inspires those who are in mine or similar situations.
All it takes is positive thinking and having GOD by your side.

Early Detection Does Save Lives

Sara,

You are living proof that mammograms really do save lives. We wish you many healthy years ahead. May God bless you on your journey and congratualtions on completing your treatments.

Amy

Hello, my name is Sara and I am a breast cancer survivor. On Dec 15, 2009 I was diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer stage 0. I realize I am very blessed. I had my yearly mammogram in Nov of 2009 and then a biopsy. I had my lumpectomy Jan 7, 2010. All went well they removed the cancer and two lymph nodes. I started radiation treatment on Feb 11, 2010 and finished March 31, 2010. I started the tamoxifen pill on April 1, 2010. At the end of radiation is when my breast began to burn. I am a black female and the radiation turned my breast really dark. I'm told the color will come back in time. Through all of this my support group has been great, from the time I told them and now. My job was and still is fantastic. I had just started there in July 2009, but the way they stood by me you would have thought that I had been there for a very long time. I thank God for allowing this to be caught in a timely manner. I thank my daughter for her caring, love and support. I thank my friends old and new for being with me, caring for me and always showing concern for me. Mammograms can and do help save lives.

My Mother's Story

Kurt,

Thank you for sharing your mother's story with us. It is so interesting to hear about breast cancer from a son's perspective. You have such a deep love for her and the fight against breast cancer.

Amy

My mother is a wonderful woman, shes raised me and my 3 siblings and has been a huge help to my sister in raising my niece. She cooks she cleans, and shes worked herself to the bone since she came to this country from Portugal thirty years ago. Despite all she does for my family and others, so much goes wrong. From a bad gal bladder too high blood pressure and numerous other health conditions, my moms been through a lot. But late last spring, she started her trial through something scarier then anything 50 years of life could throw at her; breast cancer. I overheard my mom crying as she walked through the door coming home from the hospital. I almost never see her cry, she's tough. I didn't have to ask her why she was crying, I already knew. It took a while for what was really happening to hit me. Because though of course scary to hear at first, I realize I am lucky. A mammogram found cancerous cells developing. They found it so early that it hadn't had enough time to develop into the stealer of life that breast cancer is. My mother had surgery to remove the cells, and then a few months of radiation, and then it was over. This breast cancer which I hear about everyday, this malevolent force that has taken the lives of so many wives, daughters, mothers and aunts, had spared my mother so quickly. It hit me when it was all over months and months after, and I cried myself to sleep. I was a fifteen year old boy at the time. I listened to Metallica and i thought I was the baddest and coolest guy around, but I cried, and I cried and cried. I cried because I thought "What if I wasn't so lucky to have a mother that survived breast cancer?, What if this luck wasn't there? What would I have done?". I couldn't answer those questions and I still can't, because no one can know what it is to lose their mother until it happens. As much as I cried at the thought of losing her, those tears paled in comparison to the tears that I would have shed if i really did. I love my mother, and I hate cancer. I hate cancer for the emotional pain it caused my mother and for the pain it has caused to all those who weren't as lucky as I. I do as much as I can to help increase awareness of breast cancer because I want what happened to my mom to happy to every person who has cancer, find it early, and do away with it. I want people to know that cancer is not all powerful, it can be beat, do NOT let it own your life.My mother didn't and she's still here. I am thankful for that everyday of my life and from time to time I cry tears of joy because she is still with me. The pain of losing a parent at a young age is a horrible one. So do self examinations regularly, especially if you have a family history of any type of cancer, and don't skimp out on doctor appointments. Do not fear cancer, make cancer fear the joint movement of a million bodies working against it in unison. For one day, though many doubt, I do not doubt, that cancer, will be gone from this earth.

Strength in the family

Keri,

Your family shows such strength and courage. What a blessing that your mother did not have a diagnosis of cancer. You being strong for your family and giving your grandmother,aunt, and cousin support and encouragement is such a blessing. They are fortunate to have you in the family. You are right. We have to be strong for all surivors out there that might need our strength to get them through the day.

Amy

In 2008, my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was detected very early, so we knew she had a chance. She had a lumpectomy, and they discovered that they didn't get it all. So she went in for another lumpectomy. After that one they discovered once again, that they didn't get it all. They then gave her the option to try another lumpectomy, or to just have a mastectomy of her left breast. It was a long, difficult, decision for her, but she decided to go through with the mastectomy. Her surgery was 14 hours; it was the longest day of my life. It was hard to see all of my family there and just hoping that everything went OK. We got the news that she was OK, and we went back to see her in recovery. She was still waking up from the anesthesia, so she was a little groggy. I was talking to her and she seemed to be aware of what was going on. She then asked her nurse for some crackers and iced tea. She didn't have to go through chemo, or radiation afterwards. To this day, she still tells me that I am the first one she remembers seeing when she woke up from her surgery, and that makes me feel so good. Three months to the day, after my grandma was diagnoses, her daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was about to go through what my grandmother, her mom just went through. My aunt had a lumpectomy, and she also had to have chemo and radiation. She lost all of her hair, so she bought 2 wigs. She was afraid to show us her bald head and she didn't want her little grand babies to see her without hair either. One day we were at my grandma’s house for a visit and my aunt took off her wig, and I just looked at her in awe. She barely had any hair, but she was still as beautiful as ever. I knew that she took that wig off, not because she wanted to, but because she knew her hair was coming back; she was getting better. My cousin just had a breast cancer scare. She hadn't been in for a mammogram in a few years, but now that 2 women of our family had been diagnosed, she decided to go get one. All was clear. About 2 months ago I get a phone call from my dad, he tells me my mom has to go get checked for breast cancer because they found a lump. I am up at school, and my dad told me not to worry, that everything would be fine, but naturally, I was a wreck. That was all I could think about, and I couldn't wait to get home to see her. I went with her to the hospital they day she got re-checked, and they found that it wasn't cancer, it was just a mass and they are going to keep it under close watch. In all of the sadness, and devastating diagnoses in the past year or so, I would just like to say that I am strong. I am strong for my family, my loved ones, and also I am strong for every woman out there. This can come up on you when you least expect it, but if you just have hope, and believe that everything will be OK, then it will. You have to be strong, ALWAYS, because you never know who is watching and who might need a little bit of your strength to get them through the day.

Story of Survival

Marci,

It sounds like you have so much support. What a true blessing! Cancer really teaches us to appreciate life and live everyday to its fullest. Thank you so much for sharing your story will us.

Amy

Hi, my name is Marci and I am 63 years old. My story started in 2002, two short years after my husband of almost 27 years passed away at the age of 58. I lived in Texas for almost 16 years when my husband died and I hung on there for about two more years before I decided to move to Colorado where several of my sisters lived. Two months after I moved here, I discovered a lump in my left breast and since I had lost a sister to breast cancer in 1992, I immediately knew it was cancer. I went for a mammogram and then a needle biopsy where I was told it was definitely malignant breast cancer. Luckily, after the mastectomy of my left breast, I was told that the cancer was estrogen receptor. My nephew, who is in cancer research, told me that estrogen receptor breast cancer was the most treatable. My surgery was in late October followed by four months of chemo therapy. Of course I lost my hair which didn't really upset me. As long as the chemo was going to get rid of my cancer, hair loss was no big deal. Then two more of my sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer. They were lucky that their breast cancer was in the very early stages and they both had lumpectomies and had radiation therapy every day for nine weeks. When I went back to my regular doctor in Aug of 2003 for a colonoscopy they found cancer in the polyps they removed. When I went to my surgeon for a colon resection, they found that my breast cancer had metastasized to my liver. At that point they put me on Tamoxifen. In November of 2003 my brother was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. We buried him on Jan 31st of 2004. For the next 5 years and many trips to radiology for CT scans, PET scans and bone scans my cancer stayed hidden then suddenly decided to give me more trouble. It metastasized to my adrenal glands. They actually had trouble deciding if breast cancer was really the kind of cancer they found in one of the two adrenal glands and since they were afraid to wait too long in getting the results of the lab back, they thought the best move was to remove both adrenal glands and in July of 2008 I underwent a double adrenalectomy. That meant a new doctor in my forever future, an endocrinologist to monitor my body with drugs to take the place of my adrenal glands. Luckily for all my doctors that I have a great sense of humor because after it was discovered that it was metastasized breast cancer in both glands and had my oncologist known that, she would not have recommended the surgery but doused me with more chemo. I did undergo more chemo anyway from Oct of that year to Feb of the following year, 2009. More CT and PET scans and things were looking pretty good until Aug of 2009. My cancer had metastasized again to my right kidney and showing up more prevalently in my liver again. It had also grown from 5.2 centimeters to 8.9 centimeters. Though up until this time I had continued to work, my doctors all agreed that it was time for me to go on SS disability. I was getting sick more, more trips to the hospital and I felt that my employer deserved someone who is going to give the job their all and I was unable to do that any longer. I have been on a regular schedule of chemo since that time and it doesn't look like it will end anytime soon. I've been fortunate that I have a very large family and they have been my support group through all of this. My husband and I were never able to have children but coming from a family of ten, I have lots of nieces and nephews who have taken the place of the children I never had. My husbands family have also been a big part of my drive to keep going and not letting the cancer win. Yes, I am bald once again and again it is in the winter months of Northern Colorado. My family, friends and co-workers have commented over the 7 years that I have been fighting this cancer that they are awed by my indomitable spirit and sense of humor. I just knew that I had a mission and that mission was to fight this and take one day at a time. This cancer is going to have to fight harder to get me but I won't let it. In the past, my attitude was, "I got sick by myself, I'll get well by myself." Now, if any little thing doesn't seem normal, off to the doctor I go. I've almost become a hypochondriac. I don't take anything for granted anymore. I especially don't take life for granted. Every day I am thankful that I saw the sun come up. I'm still alive and I plan to stay that way until God says otherwise.