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Old 11-08-2008, 04:59 PM   #1
duga35
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Swollen nodes?

Hi guys! I hope everyone is doing well. I know that I have been somewhat AWOL, but all of you are always in my prayers.

Anyways,I just wanted to say hello and let you know that I'm going in for surgery on Monday to have another mastectomy. My docs and I decided to just take the other breast out since I was at such a high rate of reocurrance.


I do have a question though and wanted to see if anyone else has had this happen.

For about the last 4 weeks I have been having some painful and swollen lymph nodes popping up all over my body. I have them in my stomach, back, arm, armpit, groin, leg, chest, breast and behind my ears.

When I told my onc about this he just about jumped out of his skin and started to examine me. He didn't feel any on the back of my neck, and told me that he doesn't think that the swelling is due to my cancer. He also told me that I was blasted pretty well with chemo, and after only being 4 months out and if its back that quick then that means I was resistant to the chemo, and there is nothing that can be done anyways, so there is no reason for a CT scan right now.
My blood levels were all fine, except for the white cells still being just a wee bit low, which they have been throughout the chemo treatments.
I don't seem like I have a cold, or any other type of illness that could be possibly be causing this, so I'm kind of at a loss. Pretty worried actually.
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Diagnosis and Treatment: DX 12/07/07
Male Diagnosed with DCIS at age 39
Mastectomy on right breast
Tumor Stage pt1b NO MO
DCIS Tumor size 1.5 x 1.x .6cm
Infiltration tumor size .25X.17 cm
Bloom-Richardson Grade 3(score 8)
Nuclear Grade 3 with comedo necrosis
Estrogen+/Progestrone+/HER-2/Neu +++
FISH ratio 4.31
Lymph node removal scheduled 1/07/08
17 nodes tested and all negative 1/08/08
Started Tamoxifin 1/29/08
Oncotype DX score 52 (off the charts, according to my onc!!!)
Starting TCH 3/14/08
BRCA I Positive BRCA II Negative
Finished TC 6/27/08 continue Herceptin
8/1/08 Herceptin stopped due to low Muga score
Mastectomy on left breast 11/10/08
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Old 11-08-2008, 05:43 PM   #2
Becky
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How long has this been going on? If its only been a week or so, you can wait it out a week or 2, otherwise I would demand a Pet/CT scan to rule out anything (regardless of what your onc says). It will give you peace of mind.
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Kind regards

Becky

Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia

NED 18 years!

Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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Old 11-09-2008, 06:38 AM   #3
Joan M
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Duga,

I would agree. Rather than not giving you a scan, I think that the circumstance calls for one. Also, it just doesn't seem right to me that your onc appears to be willing to write it off so quickly. There are so many other options.

Joan
__________________
Diagnosed stage 2b in July 2003 (2.3 cm, HER2+, ER-/PR-, 7+ nodes). Treated with mastectomy (with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction), AC + T/Herceptin (off label). Cancer advanced to lung in Jan. 2007 (1 cm nodule). Started Herceptin every 3 weeks. Lung wedge resection April 2007. Cancer recurred in lung April 2008. RFA of lung in August 2008. 2nd annual brain MRI in Oct. 2008 discovered 2.6 cm cystic tumor in left frontal lobe. Craniotomy Oct. 2008 (ER-/PR-/HER2-) followed by targeted radiation (IMRT). Coughing up blood Feb. 2009. Thoractomy July 2009 to cut out fungal ball of common soil fungus (aspergillus) that grew in the RFA cavity (most likely inhaled while gardening). No cancer, only fungus. Removal of tiny melanoma from upper left arm, plus sentinel lymph node biopsy in Feb. 2016. Guardant Health liquid biopsy in Feb. 2016 showed mutations in 4 subtypes of TP53. Repeat of Guardant Health biopsy in Jana. 2021 showed 3 TP53 mutations, BRCA1 mutation and CHEK2 mutation. Invitae genetic testing showed negative for all of these. Living with MBC since 2007. Stopped Herceptin Hylecta (injection) treatment in March 2020. Recent 2021 annual CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis and annual brain MRI showed NED. Praying for NED forever!!
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Old 11-09-2008, 07:11 AM   #4
Mary Anne in TX
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I'd ask for the scans also.
I'm going for some on Thursday cause it's been a while and I want some info about how things look.
Let us hear from you. ma
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MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....

Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
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