HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - October Breast Cancer Awareness Hits The White House

bejuce · 09-28-2011, 04:52 PM

Go Nora!!!! Yeah, I agree with all of your points. I was one of the women who fell through the cracks. Found a swollen lymph node in July 2008 and was told in 3 subsequent office visits that I had nothing to worry about, my breasts were just going through "breastfeeding changes" or were "fibrocystic".

I had a negative biopsy right before being diagnosed in February 2009 (my biopsy came even before a mammogram/MRI was offered to me because of my age) and the doctor had trouble putting the needle through because of my dense breasts (dense with dense breast tissue and the giant tumor that the doctors let grow on me because they were not willing to test me).

And don't get me started on all the stress/diet/exercise/weight/blahblahblah links to breast cancer. I was running 3 miles a day and eating a healthy diet when I was diagnosed. I breastfed each of my kids until they were 2 to give them the benefits of breast milk and protect myself from cancer. The fact is the risk exists for all of us - some more than others. Not much is known on the factors that lead one woman to have it and the other not.

I hear you!!

09-28-2011, 04:52 PM	#4
bejuce Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 510	Re: October Breast Cancer Awareness Hits The White House Go Nora!!!! Yeah, I agree with all of your points. I was one of the women who fell through the cracks. Found a swollen lymph node in July 2008 and was told in 3 subsequent office visits that I had nothing to worry about, my breasts were just going through "breastfeeding changes" or were "fibrocystic". I had a negative biopsy right before being diagnosed in February 2009 (my biopsy came even before a mammogram/MRI was offered to me because of my age) and the doctor had trouble putting the needle through because of my dense breasts (dense with dense breast tissue and the giant tumor that the doctors let grow on me because they were not willing to test me). And don't get me started on all the stress/diet/exercise/weight/blahblahblah links to breast cancer. I was running 3 miles a day and eating a healthy diet when I was diagnosed. I breastfed each of my kids until they were 2 to give them the benefits of breast milk and protect myself from cancer. The fact is the risk exists for all of us - some more than others. Not much is known on the factors that lead one woman to have it and the other not. I hear you!! __________________ ER+ (30%)/PR-/HER-2+, stage 3 Diagnosed on 02/18/09 at 38 with a huge 12x10 cm tumor, after a 6 month delay. Told I was too young and had no risk factors. Found swollen node during breastfeeding. March-August 09: neo-adjuvant chemo, part of a trial at Stanford (4 DD A/C, 4 Taxotere with daily Tykerb), loading dose of Herceptin 08/12/09 - bye bye boobies (bilateral mastectomy) 08/24/09 - path report shows 100 % success in breast tissue (no cancer there, yay!), 98 % success in lymphatic invasion, and even though 11/13 nodes were still positive, > 95 % of the tumor in them was killed. Hoping for the best! September-October 09: rads with daily Xeloda 02/25/10 - Cholecystectomy 05/27/10 - Bone scan clear 06/14/10 - CT scan clear, ovarian cyst found 07/27/10 - Done with Herceptin! 02/15/11 - MVA-BN HER-2 vaccine trial 03/15/11 - First CA 15-3: 12.7 and normal, yay! 10/01/11 - Bone scan and CT scan clear, fatty liver found now on Tamoxifen and Aspirin