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Karen Wheel · 10-18-2009, 02:39 AM

Joe - wow - lots of stories here! I found mine - because I had a pain in my chest low - like in the ribs right at the bottom of the breast --- it woke me up (and at that point I was a sound sleeper!) in the middle of the night.... it kept me awake thinking and I was searching around and finally found what appeared to be something attached to the muscle near the rib. I knew immediately it wasn't good. Took me a month to get to the GYC, as I was in the US when I found it and then with Christmas ... so my doc said that a mamo and ultrasound were in order... did them 10 days later - and went straight after that to the Oncology....
I was so lucky as it hurt. If not, a normal - annual mamo would have never caught it - the doctor doing the mamo - had a really hard time getting a photo of it, even after he did the ultrasound, because of the position and it was almost 2cm...
AND - I had done 2 mamograms before - with "perfect" results - they said there was not even anything fiberous in my breasts (so it was the LAST thing I was thinking of!) and I know, I was bad, but I never did self exams, and had no shower card .... so without the pain, I would have not found it and with Her2 +++ I could have had a HUGE tumor by this time --- (6 months after surgery now!) and my lymph nodes were clear!

10-18-2009, 02:39 AM	#63
Karen Wheel Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Sardegna, Italy Posts: 362	Re: Good Advice? Joe - wow - lots of stories here! I found mine - because I had a pain in my chest low - like in the ribs right at the bottom of the breast --- it woke me up (and at that point I was a sound sleeper!) in the middle of the night.... it kept me awake thinking and I was searching around and finally found what appeared to be something attached to the muscle near the rib. I knew immediately it wasn't good. Took me a month to get to the GYC, as I was in the US when I found it and then with Christmas ... so my doc said that a mamo and ultrasound were in order... did them 10 days later - and went straight after that to the Oncology.... I was so lucky as it hurt. If not, a normal - annual mamo would have never caught it - the doctor doing the mamo - had a really hard time getting a photo of it, even after he did the ultrasound, because of the position and it was almost 2cm... AND - I had done 2 mamograms before - with "perfect" results - they said there was not even anything fiberous in my breasts (so it was the LAST thing I was thinking of!) and I know, I was bad, but I never did self exams, and had no shower card .... so without the pain, I would have not found it and with Her2 +++ I could have had a HUGE tumor by this time --- (6 months after surgery now!) and my lymph nodes were clear! __________________ Karen Wheelhouse Age: 46 Facebook id: Karen Wheel 2-09 – Age 44 -Biopsy-Cancer 3-09 – Right Quadrantectomy. Clear margins. 3 lymph nodes taken - all clear Tumor results: Stage 1, 1.5 cm, Her2 +++ Est positive 80% - Prog 10% - Ki67 postive 30% 4-09 – Became a vegan! pH balance of body - cancer can't grow in neutral pH! 4-09 Started Herceptin & Chemo (9 weeks of Navelbine ) FYI - when coupled with Herceptin has the same results as more toxic chemo. No brainer! 8-09 - 30 RADS 9-09 - Said NO to hormone therapy 4-10 Finished Herceptin!!!! 7-10 PET Scan & other exams .... All clear! YIPPEE!!!! 11-10 Breast, organ Ultrasounds and lung x-rays all clear no changes ... NED! 2-25-2011 --- 2 years from surgery and NED!!!!!! 7-2011 Clear bone scan and full body and head MRI! NED! NED! NED! ;-)[/SIZE]