At what stage were you initially diagnosed?
 

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Its telling me I already voted in this poll but was dx at stage 2b and yes to the second question...complete change in libido!

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Stage 2B to be exact.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Hmmm...
Stage 3 is still the most common answer...interesting...scary...but interesting.
Denise

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

i was diagnozed at 2b :)

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

I was initially diagnosed at stage I with no lymph node involvement (Hubby felt it 30 hours before scheduled annual mammagram). 4 years later, I was diagnosed again at stage IIB ('To be or not to be, that's the question! :) after the shadow on the mammagrams had been misinterpreted as 'scar tissue'. Wish they had told me then I'd have requested for an ultrasound. But that's 4 years ago. So I continue to cross my fingers (and toes :)

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

2b...even though I understand the only diff to 3 would be tumor size, when there is lymph node involvement.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Stage IIa.
Five months after completing herceptin, I was dx'd stage IV.

I had back pain so they did scans, which showed nothing. A few months later, the pain was still there so the doctor repeated the scans. Found liver mets.

Nobody knows what the back pain is - but it's not cancer! I am grateful to it because we found my mets before they were all over the liver.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

CoolBreeze,
Wow!! Hard to believe that a story can be scary, and up-lifting at the same time! I'm amazed that your body was so in tune with what you need...and just wouldn't stop "trying to warn you". Good for you! I wish you all the best in fighting those liver mets!
Denise

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Come on...don't be shy...answer the poll question!
More data gives us a better picture of what's really going on.
Help us all out!
It's anonymous...and it only takes a few seconds.
Denise
Sorry, all of you who got this, and already completed the poll..sort of preaching to the choir...sorry.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

461 views and only 56 people voted.
ohkaaaaaayyyyy....
yu can lead an HER2 horsie to water but I see very few of them trying to help us know our disease better.
Why the coyness people?

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

2B in 2004

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

I LOVE your avatar photo!
Is that your daughter? She's lovely! And how sweet of her to want match mom!
Love to both of you!
Denise

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

I was DXd 2b April 2006. On your poll, I put a dot in 2...so I hope that registered.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Anyone else?

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

At diagnosis they said I was 2a, after sx 1c. Tumour was smaller than it showed on mri since there was a 2nd lesion that was benign and adding a shadow to original tumour making it appear bigger. Neither showed on the mammogram and I am scheduled for a mammo next week, scares me since it wasn't full proof before.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

In 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 1, IDC, but it was not Her2+.
In 2011, I was diagnosed with Stage 2, Her2+, IDC.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

2B in January 2011

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Patz64,
Yikes! While my recovery from DIEP flap surgery has not been a walk in the park...it's nothing like what you've endured! I hope everything else goes smooth as glass.
Once you know what types of chemo you'll be having...you may want to check back here for advice on managing side effects. Knowing what to expect might help prevent some discomfort. God knows, you've had enough of that!!!
Stay Strong!
Denise

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Diagnosed at 2b in August 2010. Er/pr- her2+. 2.1 cm lump 1/18 LN POS

Tx FEC-D chemo, herceptin x17 (one left yay!) uni mastectomy

Christine

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

IIIc in March 2010 and IV in January 2011. I often wonder how I could have missed my original tumor. It was nearly 10 cm when found, and still 3cm at surgery and after chemo.

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Yesterday I went to the walk-in clinic and requested the mammogram notes from late 2008 when i had a "worrisome" right breast mammo and they made me get a second one. (my right breast stage 3b cancer was diagnosed in May 2011).
It turns out my memory was faulty.
I got a second mammo and a follow up ultrasound within a couple of months of that 'worrisome' first mammogram.
The second mammogram and ultrasound were fine. all fine with right breast. no problems whatso-frickin-ever. perfect right breast. "oh well, i guess the worrisome mammogram was wrong."
well: I did not get another mammogram for two whole years. the reason i did not get a mammogram a year after those two, is as follows: I was going through a horrible, horrible event in my life and i did not feel I could handle all the worry that the mammogram the previous year caused me. (after all, it turned out my right breast was fine, correct?). It turns out in retrospect, that had I, despite having awful stuff going on in my life, had that mammogram exactly a year after those other two, that (at least this is what I currently believe, right or wrongly) I may have caught my stage 3b cancer in my right breast at stage one, or two.
Now i have to say, after having written all this....do i even know that is true?
A woman on this site was told by her oncologist that HER2 lines the ducts for years before popping up into tumor formation....so does a mammogram really even detect cancer as well as another machine might?
Oh certainty....how we all long for you....good or bad news
Knowledge, truth....we long for you....but do we have the right tools to find you?

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

2000 stage II
2010 stage I

Can't do this again! Mastectomy on left side next year!

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

3C Sept 2004

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

finally....research that supports the thing i noticed from this poll two yrs ago....that her2 seems to generally get first diagnosed in stage three or four.

HER2-positive disease (in which tumors over-express the HER2 protein) is relatively uncommon in women with small, early-stage breast cancers, accounting for approximately 7 to 10 percent of the cases in these two studies.

http://www.cancer.net/publications-a...increased-risk

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

3a in Dec 2010.
Still holding my breath.

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Stage IV at diagnosis, in April, 2005 (though it took until May to finish staging). Coming up on a 2 year "cancerversary."

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Stage IV in January 2007

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2000 - stage 1a, er+/pr-/her2+ left
2012 - stage 2b, er+/pr-/her2+ right

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Stage 4 at dx. 9cm tumor in left breast. In '95 they didn't test for HER2. In '98, w/metastasis, I asked to be tested for HER2. 80% positive was how they graded back in the dark ages. About 6 wks later, the FDA fast-tracked Herceptin making it available to all met bc-ers. Thank heaven!

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Stage 1, March 2012.

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2b in 2011

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Stage 1 - 2006
Stage 4 - 2010

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Well, you know me and staging. I've seen too many move from 0 to 4, and so many rebound from 4 to free! So, my belief is affliction and I certainly have conveyed that to forums of doctors from around the globe. However, as I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, the current scientific community would deem me stage 4, three years ago.

Karen

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Stage 2b in January 2000
Stage 4 in August 2011

Doc told me that I was his first patient (in his many years of practice) to have so many years between 1st and 2nd diagnosis (11.5 years) with Her2 status. But, I don't think it is THAT unusal, after reading the history of so many people on this forum.

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Stage 2 - 10.01.10

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2B, april 5, 2012

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Stage 1. 2001
Stage 4. 2010

Re: At what stage were you initially DX?
 

Hi;

I was diagnosed at stage 3C I believe. My oncologist never really said anything other than metatastic.

Cathya