Re: Positive stories, please come out of the woods
Marcia,
Thank you for your post. It's nice to be reminded that we thrivers need to say hello every now and again.
3 1/2 years ago I received a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer, locally advanced (12 positive lymph nodes), HER2+, estrogen +; the statistics I found at the time said that survival was 24 to 36 months.
I am now 41 months since diagnosis and 32 months since surgery.
I wish I could say that I don't worry about recurrence. I do. I guess I find strength in every day, or one day at a time. It's taken a long time to get where cancer is not the entire focus of my life. And I struggle with it every now and again - my boss was diagnosed in 2009, still undergoing treatment; my best friend has battled for 8 years and has entered hospice this month; another friend had recurrence in the same breast 6 years later (and only a year ago). And then I read of the ones our site has lost. It can be very disheartening and emotional.
Stay strong.
Hugs.
__________________
Gayle
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Live Strong
IBC dx August 9/06
ER/PR +2
HER2/neu +
chemo August 11/06 - January 8/07
herceptin - 17 treatments, every 3 wks - end Jan 2008
IMRT rads 5 weeks
surgery May 1/07 bilateral mastectomy (left modified radical, right simple)
prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy March 2008
letrozole, 2.5 mg daily, start June 2008
lymphedema, left arm, April 2008
osteoporosis, lower spine, August 2010 - fosamax 70 mg
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