All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

I'm delighted to finally be joining the ten year club and really never thought I'd be here still all these years later, so grateful for all the wonderful care I received.

Just a quick question, my Onc said she'd now discharge me as I was ten years out, when she realized I had one last appointment with the clinical trials nurse she decided to delay it until next year. I have very mixed feelings about this and just wondered if and when your Onc discharged you??

Slainte, think I've earned a drink!

Tricia xx

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations Tricia! I was never discharged from my first breast cancer - still went every 6 months and I was stage 1a. this was for 12 years.

Janis

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations Tricia! I hope to join this group in the future also.

My understanding is that I would continue to see my oncologist yearly after I hit 5 years out from diagnosis. However, I didn't think that I would ever be "discharged".

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations, Tricia!

This is wonderful news, thanks for posting this!

Carol Ann

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Wonderful news Tricia. I am almost 11 years out and my onc still sees me every 6 months. Maybe when the Arimidex is over - my 10 years is up in September, he might go to every year. I will let you know but I know the practice I go to keeps seeing everyone.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Great news, Tricia! Thanks for letting us know.

Amy

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thank you everyone, my Onc said everyone is discharged back to their family Dr at ten years and I'd had a lot of treatment and should go forward and put it all behind me, she agreed its a scary thought at first but I'd soon get used to it and if I needed her I could call. I have a friend who's a thirty year survivor in California and she was discharged at ten years too so was just wondering if this was the norm.

Becky, my Onc told me stop the Arimidex last summer as I'd done all I could as far as she was concerned, to my surprise I still have the achy joints etc so she suggested today I begin taking Glucosamine/Chondroitin again, I think its just old age creeping up!:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

My cancer center has a Women's Wellness Clinic that patients get moved over to for less frequent monitoring.

I am not there yet, but maybe my med onc will think I should be seen less often one of these years!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks Steph, I work a voluntary day in a cancer wellness center close to my home and love it there.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Yay!!! My onc discharged me after 5 yrs, I took arimidex for 5 yrs. Then I moved...and have not had an onc since. Welcome to the 10 Year Club!!!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks Suzan and Pink, you've both reassured me, I also spoke to a friend who's a thirty year survivor and she said it's one of the milestones and feels like a rejection at first but in time simply becomes the norm.:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Big congrats Tricia! The 10 year club is huge, I look forward to joining it next year, October 2016.

My original oncologist discharged me after I had finished my 5 year regime of Tamoxifen (2.5 years) and then Femara (2.5 years). I was given the choice of being followed by my GP or by an oncologist at a new After Cancer Care Clinic at Women's College Hospital in downtown Toronto, about 2 blocks away from the 2 hospitals where I had my mastectomy and then chemo/Herceptin. I chose to go to the clinic, it's been about 3 years - I get my mammos done there too.

all the best
caya

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks Caya, I'll be with my Onc for another year and then followed by my GP, the ten year club seems to be growing fast, good health to all of us!:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations Tricia!

I'm just ahead of you in the ten year club and my onc sees me every six months. I guess it just varies.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations Tricia! And thank your for recommending the H
Er2 site to me 9 years ago. I will join your 10'year club April of 2016. My oncologist retired and I see another onc in the clinic once a year. I do not know if they will,discharge me next year.

Hugs, Catherine

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks so much Rhonda and Catherine and I look forward to welcoming you to the ten year club next year Catherine!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congratulations Tricia! And thank you for still supporting others on our forum after 10 years! And like Suzan, many many more decades to come.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thank you Michka!! :)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Tricia,

I am so sorry I missed your post, as I have not been on this site for a while.

Ten years . I am so pleased for you. You were so inspirational to me nine years ago when I was diagnosed and have been so lovely every year when my anniversary comes up. Hope to join the 10 year club next year.

Janie

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

That's so kind, thank you Janie and I look forward to welcoming you to the ten year club next year too:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congrats!! So encouraging to hear as we had pretty much the same diagnosis, 2cm, 3 lymph nodes, triple positive. Thanks for sharing!!

Kathy

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Congrats! and Way to go!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks ladies and my best wishes to you too Kathy!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Gosh, Tricia, I cannot wait to join the 10 Year Club! Cheers to you! May you see the 20 Year Club in another decade! I am 7 years out and see my Onc. yearly. I am not sure how long that will continue and as we have become friendly I will miss seeing her. She only lives down the next lane so I can walk by and wave if I feel the need! HaHa.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks Laurel and it'll be here for you too before you know it, how nice to be such good friends with your Onc too.:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Tricia~ huge huge congratulations!!! Such a big milestone... I was released by my surgeon at 5 years and oncologist at 10. To me it was a relief because I had gigantic anxiety going at that point once a year to the cancer center for the last few years from about 7-10 years. Now it's 2 years after that and I love my internist and feel she gives me all the support and understanding of my occasional worries. My oncologist retired about a year before I was let go and my favorite nurse also retired. I threatened them that they couldn't retire until I was at least past 5 years 😃....I never saw anyone else until the last couple years. My Onc. stepped out of the box with me in treatment as I was not on the Herceptin trial back then since I wasn't quite stage 4 (almost but not quite) but he fought and got me (and my insurance) to cover it. I was the first one not stage 4 for him to treat with Herceptin. We did a lot of out of the box stuff. I love the man dearly and feel he helped in many big ways of saving me. I am not missing at all going back once a year. I found a great Dr and I trust her and trust my body to give me signals of any concerns. I am definitely incredibly more tuned into myself and know when to check on myself.
Congrats again~ it will free you up some mentally but it will always be with you. I spent my 30's with three small kids worried almost daily about tomorrow. Now I can take a breath and realize we are all headed to the same place eventually it's always been our road we take alone and we must make the most if it as best we can.
Hugs ~ Ruth

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Tricia, Welcome t the 10 years club. Its a wonderful place to be. I thought I would be changed to yrly Onc visits last month, but my doc wants to continue seeing me every 6 mos. I am ok with that. Love my Onc!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Well said Ruth!! Thank you all for sharing your stories it is so encouraging for those of us newly diagnosed....

Kathy

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

`Thanks Linda and Kathy, and thanks so much Ruth, you were blessed to have your Onc and I'm so pleased he took that first step in treating you with Herceptin. I have a friend who's daughter was only two when she was dx and my friend is now thirty years out and I'm determined to catch up with her:)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Major YAY for you Tricia! The best of news. Just keep embracing each day with gratitude and joy!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Dear Tricia,
Welcome to the 10 yr. club.
lol

We came to the site the same year and I remember those early days. Who would have "thunk" we would be here now?

Continued healthy blessings are being sent to you.
Hugs,
Jean

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

congrats, so pleased to hear this!
hugs sarah

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Jean, thanks so much and I didn't think back then I'd be here and still well at ten years:)
Thank you too Sarah!

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Welcome to the decade and plus crowd, Tricia!

There is some discussion that those who are triple positive should continue to be monitored farther out for late recurrences. Just who should do the monitoring isn't clear, but the general impression I get is that it is to some degree more of a question of just how comfortable the patient is with "letting go" or not than it is of whether the doctor is ready for that.

I stopped seeing any onc 4 years after completion of tx, in 2006 and instead have continued to be seen by my BS for yearly checks and diagnostic mammos. Three years ago he mentioned the higher risk for late recurrences for HR positives, but also because I have a very strong family hx for bc, and he put me on a schedule of mammo yearly alternating with 6 months later breast MRI (so that I am getting imaged every 6 months by yearly mammo and yearly MRI). I don't have them done in Alaska where I live, and instead have them done at a cancer center in Seattle.

My older sister had IDC back in 2000 that has never recurred (for which she did no chemo or tamoxifen), but since then she was dx'd with IBC in 2010 and then again this year with IBC recurrence. So I continue surveillance in part due to family hx.

Doing well w/o recurrence (but forevermore fighting weight gain),

A.A.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

I get checkups with a mamma-care nurse practitioner who works at my breast surgeon's office. If at any time she is worried about anything at all, she calls him in. Because of my scarring, I don't get the regular mammo's that all women in my country get between ages 50 and 75. They would have to send me to the hospital for more pix anyway.

Actually, it's not the breast recurrences that I fear, as I always have been able to feel the tiny lumps I had while I had cysts (premenopausal). I worry about distant recurrence and that wouldn't be picked up by mammo.

So the NP and I decided to space the mamma's at 18 months, which suits me fine.

Love

Jacqueline

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Jacqueline, That's my worry too and I can face a local recurrance if I have to but it's the fear of a distant one that concerns me.

AA, thank you for that info and when I posted this I was mostly concerned of a late recurrance too. I imagine as being the early one's for having herceptin for early stage bc only time will tell what the outcome will be, but must admit to having some fears despite reaching this landmark of ten years but que sera sera....

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

congratulations to you, tricia! i love coming here and seeing several good news posts.

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Yay!!!! I hope we all get to do this every year :)

Re: All clear Mammo and ten years out!
 

Thanks Ladies for your good wishes:)