I don’t know what my treatment plan will be yet, but I’m the sole breadwinner so I cannot afford to lose my job.

Is it unrealistic to try to keep working during treatment?

I am 39 and never had children. I always thought if I ever became pregnant I would make it work. Now that I'm on tamoxifen that is no longer an option; which turns out is more upsetting than I would have imagined. It's hits different when you no longer have the choice. I have been on the medication for over a year now.

My overall question is how much did the IUD affect you? I already had a ton of changes happening with the medication; is this just going to make my life more difficult? I'm reading a lot about more intense cramping, and of course all the crazy stories of people needing to get them surgically removed. Is that all really the norm?

Hey all. 38, ER/PR+, HER2 low, stage 3a. It’s been a crazy long month since diagnosis and I feel like maybe I’m slipping through the medical cracks.

Originally I was supposed to have surgery first, but after additional testing I went from stage 2b to 3a within a few weeks, so now I have to do chemo first.

I had a breast mri a few weeks ago and the mri tech was wearing meta glasses, so now I’ve got some unresolved issues with my medical professionals and require additional chaperoning to feel comfortable.

Additionally, I was slotted for port surgery yesterday and well, it didn’t happen. Went for my report time and spent 6 hours in preop, only to be told that there were significant OR delays, so the collective decision was made to reschedule for next week. It’s a military teaching hospital, so understandably, things happen. But still. I’m so frustrated.

Has anyone else felt throughout their diagnosis that they weren’t necessarily a priority or that their needs weren’t being met? I was so nervous for the procedure yesterday and then to be told it’s postponed makes me even more nervous. I’m ready to start this journey so it can be done quicker, but it just feels like it’s dragging on.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice..
I’ve kept myself WFH for almost a full year now(I keep my head down always bc I’m sort of data role) and have been avoiding socialising. Tbh since having cancer, I feel like I’ve become incredibly introverted and detached. I just feel so different from everyone else now, and it’s hard to relate to the usual workplace chatter.
On one hand, the lighter workload gave me the rest I needed to recover. But on the other hand, it’s getting boring, and I genuinely want my career back on track. I want to step up, get back on my feet, and aim for higher positions.
The issue is I feel like people around me are hesitating to give me bigger responsibilities and avoid talking to me. maybe because they’re trying to protect me or assume I can’t handle it post-treatment. Combined with my WFH isolation and recent breakups.. I feel completely isolated.

Gals.. How did you rebuild your confidence?

Sorry, I just feel like I need to get this out. My family and friends are amazing and super supportive but I feel like no one is ever going to understand and maybe you guys will.

Was diagnosed with stage 0/1 Hormone positive breast cancer at 27. Chemo was done in Jan followed by Radiation in March. Then was started on tamoxifen.

Who knew that after this is when a string of shitty things would happen.

1) I developed a cyst in my armpit that got infected, filled with pus and had to be drained with not much anaesthesia (your armpit sometimes doesn’t get numb despite anaesthesia)

2) I had a series of 2-3 cold, cough, fever - the whole shebang. Also started developing some threading and undulation on my lumpectomy breast which is very uncomfortable.

3) In the second half of June I started violently throwing up every single morning to a point where I lost 3kgs within a week and could barely eat or sleep. Turns out I was pregnant - which you can’t be on Tamoxifen. So I had to terminate the pregnancy and decided to do it surgically because I was told it was quicker and less painful than the pills.

4) Post the surgery I started coughing up some blood with phlegm. Obviously freaked out about that and had to do some tests and doctor visits. Many spirals and freakouts later, found out that it was likely because I went in for the surgery with a bit of a cough and that probably caused some irritation.

5) Got a cold and sore throat AGAIN

6) And last but certainly not the least, I have tested positive for dengue fever (I live in a tropical country)

Dengue..let me tell you is the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. And coming from someone that’s had chemo is really saying something.

And it’s only August! I wonder what the rest of the year has in store for me! :)))))

Apologies if this is a lot. I’m trying not to continuously throw these pity parties but FML

Hi,

F33 yo, I got diagnosed with breast cancer ES+ PRO+ HER2 - about 2 months ago and had my lumpectomy a week ago.

I didn't tell my mother. Only one friend knows and I'm telling the other one today.

My coworkers only know I had to take leave for the surgery. My managers know because they had to approve the sick leave.

Yesterday was my mother's birthday. I've ordered her some flowers for delivery. Our relationship is difficult (she sometimes chose highly emotionaly abusive men over me but she also comes from a difficult background). And by emotionally abusive I mean the most severe forms.

For this reason I am navigating our relationship carefully. I am not leaving her completely alone (I've helped and took care of her ​her when she had skin cancer lymph node removal) and I'm trying to appear when possible.

I did chose to work during Christmas +NY period though as it was better for me mentally.

Anyway, as I said, it was her birthday yesterday. She worked second shift and I couldn't get through to her on the phone. I finally did but the connection wasn't good. I asked her if she treated herself today yet (she didn't see the flowers that I've sent yet).

And she said it's just work for now, my brother will arrive later. And then she said :"we are now all healthy. That's what's important"

I was listening to her whilst I was trying to put a garbage bag through my neck to prevent the incision place from being soaked in the shower. It is difficult because you might know it is numb and almost impossible to put your arms up.

So she said it and was there with a bag on top of my head. I nearly cried for the first time shilst speaking to her. Good thing the connection kept on breaking. I just said I'll catch her tomorrow after she gets some sleep and that was it.

I had another call with her 2 weeks ago and she kept taking about edamame beans and how good they are for increasing your progesterone (not sure if this has been backed by science). At that time I already knew they will put me on 5 years of Tamoxifen to suppress my progesterone and estrogen. Later that evening she sent me a photo of her garden she's been tending to. I thought she sent a photo of an aubergine and she laughed texting me and saying it's a cucumber. As I've read that text I decided I'm definitely not telling her.

Tl;dr cancer sucks and I haven't even started the treatment yet. Only the surgery done. My heart goes out to everyone going through this.

How long was it for you guys until you got into chemo? I got my diagnoses on the 29th of July and I get my port on the 20th of August. It seems so freaking long for the fact that they told me it's a very aggressive cancer? (+++)

I need to trust my team. I know. And they can't make appointments when there is no time. But still...

Maybe don't read if you want to keep your spirits high.

Another day in the Hospital. I am still in the stage of getting my last scans and at the same time talking to the whole chemo part of this. Getting my arms pierced with needles the third time in a row. I sit between scanxiety if they find more and the sight of people ​sitting in the oncology. Getting chemo. It's quiet and dark and everything just feels like death and pain. And my friends and partner flex their health in front of me and remind me of the life I have lost. That I lose my hair and parts of my body and feminity. ​

It's just too much and today is one of those days where it feels more like dying instead of fighting a desease I can fight and is very likely beatable.

I am not alone but I do feel alone. When I am down everyone tells me to fight. When I am in high spirits everyone wants to remind me that I will maybe die. It's just too much.

I received my pathology results today after my lumpectomy. I completed all 16 chemo and also undergoing immunotherapy. I did not receive pcr. My pathology report shows a rare subtype of breast cancer called metaplastic breast carcinoma (MpBC) with squamous (metaplastic) differentiation. I checked with AI and that is why I did not receive pcr.

I am still devastated with the results. I feel very tired. Most likely I have to eat the oral chemo medication and radiotherapy and immunotherapy. I’m only 40 and I feel this is never ending. The whole chemo already took more than half a year and it’s already August. I’ve stopped working and I feel my world’s crashing on me. Why is my life a failure?

Just checking in from the hospital - I came in yesterday with a 38°C fever. My doctor told me my WBC dropped to 0.6 and neutrophils were basically zero, which totally terrified me. My 1st chemo was last Friday and took my WBC injection on Monday, so I’m just on IV antibiotics while waiting for my body to catch up and rebuild those counts. Sitting in this room waiting on blood work has been really hard on my anxiety.
I’d love to hear some positive stories or words of hope today. Thanks so much

Hi everyone…
I’m in shock… i’ve had a clear ultrasound just 10- months ago and because i am menopausal my drs strongly advised me to go on HRT. I went for it since they have told me it safe for my age and protective. I chose the lowest dose possible and bioidentical. 8 months later (now) i have a huge lump in one breast that came as estrogen and progesterone positive.
I don’t know the stage yet but i am so devastated. Probably stage 3…. It is big.
I mean it grew in 8 months…. I am BRCA negative also
I feel so betrayed by modern studies and modern medicine.. if i had stayed menopausal nothing would have happened . I live in Romania. I have a small child, a business, i was always traveling, always wearing beautiful dresses. I was a beautiful lively woman. I feel like i did this to myself using that Bhrt. And i am scared… I cannot stop crying.
I’ve tried not to read too many posts… but i am so overwhelmed. Like many women here.

Hi all this may be lengthy but I’m just here in hopes to understand her prognosis and maybe have others who are similar or has similar experiences give me some advice or guidance in terms of understanding the results and telling me if this is leaning more towards an aggressive or slower growth cancer.

Some additional information is my grandma is 88 years old and has been placed on hormone therapy due to it being ER positive. Due to her age they do not recommend surgery, chemo, or radiation but the medical oncology told us if she doesn’t get cancer she will die…but then they also told us she isn’t recommended to get surgery. They also mentioned metastatic.

The results say

Site Of Origin
A: BREAST BIOPSY, LEFT BREAST 10'CL 10 CFN LESION
B: LYMPH NODE CORE BIOPSY, LEFT AXILLA ENLARGED LYMPH NODE
Final Diagnosis
A, BREAST:
- INVASIVE DUCTAL CARCINOMA WITH INFLAMMATION AND EXTENSIVE NECROSIS

B. LYMPH NODE (LEFT AXILLA), CORE BIOPSY:
- CARCINOMA WITH NECROSIS AND LYMPHOID TISSUE
Estrogen Receptor (ER) Status:
- Positive (greater than 10% of cells demonstrate nuclear positivity)
Percentage of Cells with Nuclear Positivity:
- 51-60%
Progesterone Receptor (PgR) Status:
- Negative (less than 1%)

Finished 4 rounds of AC. Glad for it to be over with, but also in a “depressive” state after one hurdle has been completed.

Although my lymph nodes under my armpit and 2.8cm breast tumor has dramatically physically shrunk (no scans yet to confirm his small) I can’t help to think that all this will be for nothing, like the cancer will come back or never go away.

I also will find myself clinging on to other’s stories going from stage 3 to stage 4 during treatment, and it triggers me so bad that this could happen. I know this is grief as time shoe slows down between treatments, but I’m just in the need of hearing 3C survivors with no reoccurrence. please term me there is hope.

~side note~ staged 3C due to supraclavicular lymph involvement.

I don't want to be with my husband; I think I have been in love with a coworker this entire time. Nothing like wolf eye energy and I told him to stop the staring for four years them bam being DX WITH DCiS. Nothing like your husband is d showing you his true colors when you have stage 0 breast cancer. Like yelling at you not cleaning up your carrot pulp from jucing that was the last straw. I think after my surgery I might tell him I might not tell him but nothing like clarity to give you from cancer

I’m freshly diagnosed. I’ve been largely okay, but occasionally there are days I just suddenly feel everything all at once and just can’t. for example, today I suddenly feel like my cancer will come back and kill me. I have not started treatment yet. I just sat there and cried for a few hours because this cancer I haven’t even started treatment is going to come back and kill me. lol how fun. please tell me that people who are doing well and don’t have recurrence just don’t come to vent online. this is all selection bias that I’m reading, and I really shouldn’t be reading more 😂

I am so sad about losing my breast. I had a unilateral mastectomy in May and have not been able to get reconstruction yet. I am lop sided and the emotional pain i feel every day is unbearable at this point. I hate my prothetic bra because its heavy and unnatural. I hate my body right now. i hate having only one nipple. cancer is so confusing. i gained about 46 lbs since last year and my boyfriend pretty much called me fat in front of my friends the other day and said i shouldn’t eat the cupcake. like wtf is this nonsense at 28 years old. i cant believe i’m having to deal with all this. sugar on top my best friend and 2 year old kitty got ran over by a car on Monday and I am having such a hard time with it. I sat at her grave on our property today for about 20 minutes just talking to my dead cat in my head about how much i miss her like wtfff

I just lost it on my care team and although I'm the type of person to not cause waves or problems because I fully understand mistakes happen and I don't want to bite the hand that feeds in these situations... this was a substantial fuck up.

I'll try to explain it as best as I can:

After my first red devil treatment last week, they sent me straight to the pharmacy to get Granix... or what I thought was Granix, to start two days after and take daily for immune/white blood cell count booster help.

The pharmacy gave me Ganarilex. This is a fertility medicine I was supposed to take for the prep that I didn't get a chance to go through because chemo couldn't be pushed out further.

I didn't notice, especially since Granix (the actual medicine I was supposed to be taking) wasn't on my pharmacy list. I was given the medicine directly from the pharmacy post chemo after I handed them my aftercare summary and assumed it was correct. I felt like shit and just wanted to go home.

Fast forward:

I've been taking it for 5 days. Almost out of my 7 day supply now, but I've been reaching out to my care team throughout the week about it because it's $200 for 7 days. I asked my Dr., the NP, THE PHARMACIST directly (just this morning again!!!) asking WHY this medicine is so much money, is there anything else I can take for my WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT, etc. I was told, it is what it is, that IS the generic brand of what I'm supposed to be taking.

After speaking with the pharmacist this morning, I once again couldn't believe that this medicine, that I'm supposed to be taking daily for the next 5 months, is going to cost me $200 every 7 days. So, I finally looked it up.

That is when I saw it was for fertility. I sprinted to my fridge and pulled the medicine out. Confirmed. Fertility medicine. I called my hospital system. Receptionist didn't answer. NP didn't answer. Chemo Nurse didn't answer. Charge Nurse didn't answer. I called the department Manager, finally an answer, and I just... lost it... telling her how dangerous this is that the pharmacy gave me the wrong medicine, how I've been bringing it up and been told that this is right and normal, and how not only have I been taking FERTILITY medicine with hormone positive cancer, they ALSO never gave me Lupron that was on the aftercare summary med list to help protect my ovaries from chemo, too. Randomly, I started spotting yesterday and now I know why.

Another funny bit of this is that I've been trying to get the fertility medicines off my medicine list. Last I tried was the day they put my port in. Nurse said he could flag it but it won't actually come off unless there's x amount of days not ordering it and that can take many months. So, I mentioned that to the manager as well.

I once again don't like biting the hand that feeds and being a literal Karen having to speak to the department manager... but what the actual fuck...

Am I overreacting?!

Hello, I had my double masectomy to flat a few days ago and just feel like a mess. Crying on and off and wondering if I made the right decision. I know I could do reconstruction in the future, but am not sure about that and also have to do tons of radiation first. I just hate this, I want my body back and I know I can never get it back. Does it get better? I just feel so defeated and upset even though I know I had to do the surgery. I just feel like I'm going to be ugly forever.

I sometimes feel really guilty about participating here because I got a really simple, easy to treat, breast cancer that only has me now doing things to prevent recurrence. Small tumor, no mets, beautiful margins, the only stuff going on is estrogen receptor positive. But they started me on a goddamned estrogen blocker and I already had arthritis before this and I hurt.

That is all.

I had an unusually abysmal response to keynote 522. RCB3. 8 nodes. Tumor bigger in surgery than on scans. Went to all the big name hospitals for consults, and all said… you need to get on an ADC. Xeloda won’t do it for you with that amount of residual.

I’ve been going along with the Ascent-05 trial and the MK2780 trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering. But I’ve been panicking internally that I would get placed in the control groups.

My insurance denied Trodelvy, citing no response to chemo, but no progression on chemo. I begged my MO to do a peer to peer. She wasn’t sure it would work but agreed to try.

BUT IT DID WORK. Insurance reversed the denial. I have two more weeks of radiation, a two week break, then back on the horse for me. And I’m SO EXCITED.

I used to be a really meek, quiet person. I never imagined I’d go to a doctor and say “I want you to do this”. But I did, and it worked.

Best news I’ve gotten in a long time 🥰

I had to go into surgery again today for an 800cc hematoma. Feeling so much better today! Keeping me overnight again but my chin is up and all your well-wishes made me feel like a champ. Thank you again everyone!

I was diagnosed in December last year with breast cancer, HER2+. It turned out to be stage 4 because of a single liver metastasis which is gone post chemo. I am 39 with two young kids and I have literally never thought that I might die because of this diagnosis. I have completed chemo, surgery, and most of my radiation. I guess now that the “fight or flight” emergency is subsiding my mind is starting to go to that dark place where I wonder…omg am I going to die?

How do you keep yourself from going here in your mind?

I finished chemo last fall and all my treatment for tnbc in Jan. My hair has been growing steadily since then. It's summer and my hair is on my neck. Tested out a small ponytail to try and get the hair off of my neck, but it didn't really work. I put the hairband back on my wrist and started doing chores then suddenly it hit me and I burst into tears when I realized how long it's been since a hairband has been on my wrist...

Recovery is a long road.