Early Stagers?

Just wondering if there are many early stagers reading/posting on this site?
I am stage 1 but grade3 her2+++, hormone negative and fearful of recurrance.
What stage are most people?
Thanks
Rocky

I am also, stage one, grade 3, er/pr+ and Her2+++. I am receiving Herceptin once every three weeks for a year. I try really hard not to dwell on recurrence. I am doing everything possible to treat this now, so hopefully it will never come back.

Karen

My diagnosis is very much like yours. Stage 1, 1.7cm, grade 3, HER2/+++, ER+. The fear of recurrance is tremendously hard to deal with. I highly value the information on this board as well. I would likely not be on Herceptin now if not for the information I got here and pushed with my onc. However, I must warn you, after about 7 months of watching and reading I have found it to be a place where I can become both very encouraged and very frightened. The articles about new discoveries on the horizon etc...are very encouraging, and of course Herceptin is a Godsend. The stories of stage 1 recurrances on the other hand are very difficult to read. I did 4 AC, 12 weekly Taxol + Herceptin, am continuing on Herceptin for a year every three weeks, had a bilateral masectomy and my ovaries out, and will be on Arimidex or Femara soon. I too have done absolutely everything in my power that I can do, besides eating right and exercising and trusting God knows best. My oncologist told me I had a better chance of developing some other medical condition than recurrance. When I told her I felt like a scared baby, she said I was the antithesis of a baby because of all I had done to prevent recurrance. Many people treat stage 1 very lightly. I just couldn't do that. I had to know I had done all I could do. Prayerfully it will pay off.
Best wishes to you and God Bless.

[AlaskaAngel]

Thankfully I am currently having a discussion with my onc about the possibility of Herceptin for me. I am NED, 3 years out from tx, HER2+++, strongly ER+/PR+.

I know what Adjuvant! says about me. I also know that it doesn't claim to be accurate for those who are HER2+++, and that it doesn't predict beyond 10 years.

I know that as a HER2+++ who is strongly ER+ and PR+ the AI's are helpful to me. But I also know that resistance usually develops to the AI's one by one. So a "10-year" prediction is even less meaningful to me.

I have increasing lumpectomy breast pain and sternum pain that is clear by MRI and is probably due to poor "practice" by my original surgeon who only did the biopsy, leaving me with neuropathic pain. I have rib pain on the lumpectomy side that is probably due to rads. But I also have rib pain that starts where the liver is and wraps around the back and that puzzles me. Bony involvement there was not found by the same chest MRI.

But the main concern I have is the possibility of brain mets. As others here can discuss, those can be entirely symptomless. And from what I have read, they are better found early and treated early.

Herceptin doesn't work for everyone, and is very expensive. It is hard to know what to do. It is particularly significant to me that if someone newly diagnosed happens to have my cancer characteristics, they would be able to get Herceptin here in the U.S.

Best wishes with your choice,

AlaskaAngel

[Montana]

I am also stage 1, er/pr+,he2+++, negative nodes and 4 months from finishing tx. I am taking Arimidex, but not herceptin.

[bonnie]

I was stage 2a, er/pr-, HER2 +++ and I have found this board to be very valuable where I have learned many things about bc. I had carboplatin/taxotere/herceptin and am NED at this time. As some have mentioned, recurrance is a worry but I try not to think about it too much.

Bonnie

[DianeN]

I was diagnosed 10/15/03 Stage 1, ER- PR-, HER2+ my nodes were clear. I had AC x 4, Taxotere x 4 and a year of Herceptin. I always worry about it but I am trying to get my life back.

Good Luck

[SandyBB]

I am scheduled to begin Herceptin weekly for a full year as a preventative measure as I do not have any signs of recurrance. I was diagnosed with stage 2B IDC in Sept of 2003, 2.5 cm tumor, 3 of 20 nodes positive (some large), Estrogen and Pro positive and Her2 overexpressed. Grade 2. I had a partial mastectomy, and the axillary node removal, dose dense A/C x 4 and taxol x 4 and then 7 plus weeks of radiation to both chest and nodes. Earlier this month, almost two yrs after the end of my treatments, my onc actually called me and asked me to come in two months earlier than my normal 6 month appt. because she wanted me to start on the herceptin asap since the trials and studies have been so incredibly encouraging. I just had a port put in (yeck!) and the RVG test to check on my heart muscles and plan to start on Oct 14th!
Any advice on handling Herceptin only treatments?

I am also an early stager and I admit I do not come here often as it just scares the hell out of me. I am er/pr- her2+, 7mm, neg nodes and no vascular invasion. When I first started this journey I felt very lucky...but often I slip into wondering is it just a matter of time. I am doing 4AC and herceptin for a year. I have had a bilateral as well. I was very sad today when I asked the question on whether I could be cured and they replied...no one is ever cured. If no one is ever cured...why the hell am I doing this?

[margaret]

Hi, I just wanted to reply to the earlier post. I do feel I've gotten the Cure! I tell everyone that I'm cured of breast cancer. And I'm sticking to it!!!! I was diagnosed 4 yrs ago with stage3b and had 4ac 4taxol + herceptin for a year and 6 weeks radiation. I only do blood tests every 6 months. I don't do any scans. I believe I'm cured and I'm living my life forward in faith. When the fear of 'what if' comes up, I just increase my faith and stay thankful for what is. Just for today I'm given this breath this life and I'll make the most of it. I keep putting days and days like that together and before you know it I've created a beautiful life.
Margaret

Wow Margaret! Good for you. Posts like yours give me hope. You know I asked God for encouragement today...and lo and behold you responded to me when I was feeling really down. I just got my second treatment today and when the Dr. made that statement I felt my hope plummet. You made such a difference to me today. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

[StephN]

Hi -
I think your med onc made a rather casual statement that "no one is ever cured." You ARE very lucky to have so little involvement outside your immediate tumor area. (I say "so little" as they do not find anything measurable.)
But for purposes of this conversation, let's say your disease is contained. There may be some micro mets loose in your bloodstream, which is why you get all the treatment. This is to mop up what may have escaped the immediate tumor area. Then with the herceptin, your body can take care of any more cells that may decide to activate and show themselves for the next year.
This gives you an excellent chance of never having to deal with active cancer again.
See if you can keep the "glass half full" outlook in the forefront of your mind.
You are in treatment so that you CAN live your life in a happy, productive fashion. There IS light at the end of the cancer treatment tunnel, and you just have to try and focus on that instead of reliving old fears. Let those fears be transitory, and don't ask about cures.
This is a disease that is very manageable for most of us who are stage IV living with mets or in remission from mets. There are lots of women out there who have never recurred or progressed with mets, so they do not come to this board.

[Maryanne]

Thank you for a very uplifting note. You made my day.

Thank you StephN. You made my day, too.
Blessings, Barbara2 (I am having trouble logging in; need to figure this out)

[Berta]

I am also Stage I, grade III, HER2+++, ER/PR-. My tumor was 1.6 cm, node negative. I've had chemo and radiation. Finished treatment in April and was called back by onc in July to begin Herceptin. Now I'm gettting Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks. I'm still prettty new at this stuff too, diagnosed 11 months ago today but I try hard to take one day at a time and to try to live that day at its fullest. My onc told me that even though HER2+++, prognosis is still good for no recurrence and I'm trying to believe that. BERTA

[MCS]

I'm also early stage but grade 3.

Just diagnosed this July. will be treated in the far away future.

I'm very scared of recurrence. I'm also very scared or brain mets. I don't have any symptoms so how do I ask my onc to get tested for them. It may sound ignorant but I'm like a toddler with this desease, everyday I learn another step.

Is brain mets more likely with the er- women?

Thank you all

MCS

I was diagnosed in March of this yr. stage 1c,er/pr highly postitive, 1.9cm mass. I feel so fortunate to have found this site. It took me a couple of weeks to find anything on her 2, and none of it was good.While this site can be scary, these are thoughts that I have already worried about. I have actually found seeing them in print, has only left me with a sense of hope if my fears come to light.
Hope to all,
Michelle

I am Stage 1, Grade 2, tumor 2 CM with DCIS and IDC, but the area of IDC was .03 cm with no vascular involvement. Her +++, ER+/PR-, neg node. I had a lumpectomy with 33 rads in 9/2003 and am now 4 weeks postop for bilateral mastectomy with this last go around.

Since this is a recurrance for me I wanted to get agggressive and am scheduled for 6 rounds of CMF and 1 year of Herceptin. My onc said she would have considered me 'cured' via surgery had I not been HER+++.

I was just diagnosed with IDC, Stage 1, er-/pr+ her2+++, clear nodes and clear scans. Had a bilateral mastectomy, port placed and will start AC therapy on Monday. I am 35 with 4 children and scared to death! I have been a pretty good trooper so far but am starting to have bad days.

Lisa

[Lolly]

Lisa, don't be afraid to ask for some medical intervention for those bad days if they keep recurring and you feel yourself losing your enjoyment of your time with your precious children to the stress of this disease. I resisted anti-depressants at first because I've always prided myself on being able to handle anything, but my primary care kept the conversation going over several months and finally got through to me by explaining that what we go through with cancer is exactly what a soldier goes through in a war, so we develop a condition much like post-traumatic-stress-disorder. Some people I know are able to use an occasional anti-anxiety med as needed, but I have needed daily anti-depressants to maintain my equlibrium and enjoy my life. Something to keep in mind.

<3,
Lolly