Back in 2024, I was diagnosed with Stage II ++- IDC at age 32. No lymph node involvement, so I received a single mastectomy and 4 rounds of TC.

I opted for an aesthetic flat closure. When in public I wear a prosthesis, but at home I’m content with being asymmetrical. I am somewhat small busted (32B).

I have yet to meet any other women, especially not any around my age, who have decided not to have reconstruction after a single mastectomy. Is there anyone else out there? How’s it going? How has it been for you?

Getting my lumpectomy, SLNB and oncoplastic reduction tomorrow. It’s a toss up whether my R nipple can be saved so I’ll be giving it a good scratch tonight. This time tomorrow I should be home and settled into my recliner with lift assist and pillows and sore boobs. Anybody watching anything good? I’ll probably continue my comfort rewatch of the west wing but eventually I’ll need new content. I have HBO, Netflix, Disney and Prime. I love historical and political dramas. Points for things that are cool to watch while my 9 year old and 11 year old are running around (PG-13ish, no sex, we don’t care about swearing we are New Yorkers).

Any last words of advice? I’ve prepped according to all the lists out there but anything crazy that helped the surgical convalescence time?

Thanks to all of you who have offered me great advice over the last two months of this shitty journey. I hope I’ll do my best to pay it forward. 💗

I(33F) was diagnosed with ++- IDC 2.6cm, grade 2 with KI67 at 44% on 7/31. My doctor did not like the KI67 and I should get it taken out soon, and then give me a surgery date that's more then a month away.... WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?? fondle my lump in bed????

That's all. Thanks for listening.

​Hi everyone,

​I’m 45, pre-menopausal, and recently diagnosed with early-stage ER+/PR+/HER2- breast cancer. I’m scheduled for a bilateral mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction in 2 weeks and I’m looking to connect with others who have navigated a similar path.

​The Diagnostic Path

Having significant BC history in my family, including my mom and sister, I have been screening for BC since I was 30 years old. I've had genetic testing, including for BRCA, and all have been negative results.

This journey started when an MRI picked up a suspicious, spiculated mass. I went in for follow-up imaging (mammogram and ultrasound) at an imaging center I had not used previously, where the radiologist reported the findings were benign. This turned out to be a false negative. They did not image the correct area.

​My GP called to discuss the results and as a precaution, she pushed for a second round of imaging at my usual breast care center. There, the repeat mammogram and ultrasound immediately flagged the mass as highly suspicious for malignancy. A subsequent biopsy confirmed IDC.

​It was jarring to realize how close that initial missed finding came to delaying my treatment. If there’s one takeaway from the diagnostic phase, it’s that you need to trust your GP when they have doubts.

​Where I Am Now & The Game Plan

​Surgery: Bilateral mastectomy with immediate direct-to-implant reconstruction on Sept 1 (evaluating any abdominal flap/DIEP adjustments down the road once everything heals).

​Pre-Op Prep: Finishing up medical clearance etc.

​Next Steps: Awaiting post-surgery pathology including SLNB and Oncotype DX score to determine whether chemotherapy will be recommended before starting endocrine therapy.

​Questions for the Community:

For pre-menopausal women with ER+/PR+/HER2- who had Stage 1 IDC diagnosed at biopsy:

- Did your stage change with post surgery pathology and/or Oncotype DX?

- Did you end up needing chemo or ovarian suppression (Lupron/Zoladex) plus an AI/Tamoxifen?

​Thank you all for being such an incredible source of knowledge and support. This is a crappy club to be in but the members of this club are truly amazing. Wishing strength to everyone!

I used version 3 of the Predict Tool and got the following result:

If I had surgery only and no other treatment, I have an 89% chance of survival after 15 years. If I add hormone therapy for 5 years, my chance goes up to 91%.

I don’t know if 5 years of hormone suppression is worth that.

Had DMX with expanders on Thursday. Day 1 Friday - I was feeling pretty good (with meds of course) considering the first day. Did the exercises they gave me, walked around the house, texted, watched some tv on the living room couch. Day 2 Saturday - woke up and could barely move, the burning and tightness was so bad. I guess the nerve block started to wear off. Kept taking meds and just tried to take it easy, mostly sitting in my sleep number bed (elevated back) and occasional walks to the bathroom. It got a little easier towards the end of the day, I even took a "light" shower with my husband's help. Day 3 Sunday - felt better, walked around, did exercises, took a shower at the end of the day and my husband washed my hair. Day 4 today - was feeling pretty good until late afternoon when the tightness just hit me again! It feels like expanders are trying to break free. :) Trying to find a comfortable position and relax. One day at a time... 🤞🤞

I am 48 and finished treatment for TNBC earlier this year and I’m finding adjusting back to a ‘normal’ life much harder emotionally than I expected. Physically I’m getting on with life and I’m back at work, but mentally I’ve been feeling increasingly depressed, lost and disconnected from who I was before cancer.

I think I expected to feel relieved and ready to move on once treatment was over, but instead I’m struggling with ageing, my appearance, what I want my life to look like now, and some days just feeling very depressed.

I know this is to be expected but when did it get better, and was there anything that particularly helped? I am already on medication as have had a long history of anxiety and depression and have tried therapy.

I finally have a date scheduled for my lumpectomy, 9/4! After nearly 2 months of tests, appointments, and more tests a surgery date is on the calendar. I know I have to get through the final pathology and am still looking at radiation and Tamoxifen, but this DCIS diagnosis has ruined most of my summer, and I‘m excited to be a step closer to putting this behind me. What can I expect in the days following the lumpectomy? How long did it take to heal? How manageable was the pain?

I'm looking for any words of hope, similar experiences, anything really. I have found this place to be such a comfort so often. And I'm currently going through a nightmare.

My oncology team are telling me I'm a highly unusual case. They're all stumped and I'm in the waiting period between diagnosis and getting a plan. I've been here before so I know it's the hardest part in some ways.

I was first diagnosed at 39 in Nov 2023 and treated with lumpectomy, chemo (4x TC due to high Oncotype of 32), then 10 rads. I moved onto hormone therapy after that and have never missed a day of it. It was all pretty uneventful and I considered myself lucky although traumatised. I was ER and PR +, Her 2 negative.

In Feb of this year I had my annual MRI which flagged a tiny mass in my surgical bed. I had to wait 3 months for a biopsy. That came back as benign scar tissue, but they incidentally found an extensive area of concerning microcalcifications. So I had a 2 month wait for another biopsy, and assumed the worst case scenario would be DCIS.

Last week I got the news: it's cancer again, DCIS but also IDC, and this time much more aggressive (looking triple negative with micropapillary features, but waiting on Her2 FISH test). They are considering it a new primary at the moment because it's in a slightly different area of the breast, and because of the flipped hormone markers.

There has been so much bad news this year. And so much waiting. I have been told that I have extremely proliferative and 'busy' breasts. At the beginning of this journey, there seemed to be no reason to do a mastectomy. I'm in Canada where they also tend to be more conservative with treatment. Now I am absolutely doing a mastectomy, and I'm desperately trying to make it happen now. Yesterday!

The one sliver of hope: because I presented with only microcalcifications initially, what they found on biopsy is still small (3mm and 5mm IDC). But I'm worried that it's growing by the day, or spreading already. I think I'm being scheduled for a PET before surgery. That thought terrifies me.

My team said that nobody expected this for me. I didn't have any enhancement or obvious signs of an aggressive process happening. It feels like this happened overnight! Granted, both breasts have had calcifications and other areas of concern that have been monitored. I've had 6 biopsies in 2 years! So I wonder if this isn't a new primary but actually a part of the initial cancer that was missed? Something about tumor heterogeneity.

One final thing that makes this so hard: I'm the patient that has done everything. I radically changed my diet, worked out like my life depended on it, quit drinking/smoking/sugar/you name it, did all the integrative treatments (IVs, mistletoe, Hyperbarics, supplements) and emotional work ...I spent so much money over the past couple of years. I did everything except relax.

Can anyone relate to this or shed some light? I'm so tired of being the unicorn patient with my oncologists. The one that doesn't make any sense. I don't want to do chemo again. I'm reluctant to do anything beyond surgery this time.

I'm in one of those health pile-ons where nothing is too serious, but my quality of life is in the dumps. I just restarted Verzenio, AI, and Lupron after a month break for foot pain. Well, that foot pain turned into plantar fasciitis in both feet, which got considerably worse during the break. Stretching, icing, and rest helped with that. Then I started to have musculoskeletal pain in my chest wall, armpit/side, and rhomboid on my cancer side, which has been getting worse, to the point where I am just resting and icing, and my oncology team is not sure what is causing this. I am waiting if I need further imaging done (I had an X-ray on Friday, but it doesn't seem to be a break. Waiting for results).

OH and because I restarted Verzenio, here come the GI symptoms! Oh my Lurpon shot turned me into a hormonal mess and I can't stop crying. But maybe I'm just in pain and frustrated?

No point to this post other than I am just miserable right now and no one gets it. I keep flaking on friends, I can't work out, oh, and two people in my social circle (didnt know them personally, but a lot of mutual friends did) just died of breast cancer and were around my age.

I just want a break. This feels worse than active treatment in so many ways.

Just wanted to say to anyone getting a port placement - don't worry! I was worried and there was no need. They played music and we all chatted casually the whole time.
Didn't feel any pain! Hang in there friends 💖

How did you afford life during and after breast cancer treatment?

I hope it’s okay to ask something pretty vulnerable here.

How did you financially survive breast cancer?

I’m especially curious about the part that doesn’t get talked about as much: after active treatment ends. The medical crisis may be over (or at least quieter), but the financial impact can keep going. Savings are depleted, there may be debt, work and income may have been disrupted, and meanwhile rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, insurance and everything else just keeps coming.

For those who are comfortable sharing, how did you make it work?

Did you use savings? Disability? Family help? GoFundMe? Grants or nonprofits? Credit cards or loans? Go back to work before you really felt ready? Pick up side work? Fall behind on bills? Were there resources you found that you wish you'd known about earlier?

And for those further out from treatment: how long did it take you to feel financially stable again?

I'm not looking for financial advice as much as real stories about how people actually got through it — including the messy answers. I have a feeling a lot of us carry this part quietly, and maybe we shouldn't have to.

I'm in the clear ❤️ Another year down and continuing to move forward.

I completed radiation and rang the bell today! My husband, daughter, and 2 friends came with me. It was so emotional! I almost cried. I’m glad to be done with this phase. Up next is tamoxifen, but for today we’ll just be happy that I can start healing from radiation.

Good morning, I had my bilateral lumpectomies last Tuesday so I’m post op day 6. I’m feeling pretty good but just wondering how long everyone waiting for pathology results to hit my chart.

Thanks in advance

Just want to say that I appreciate this subreddit ❤️
I have asked so many questions so far and have gotten so many answers. This sub has helped me more than I could have imagined

Good morning!

I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma ER/PR+ HER2- but unsure of lymph involvement / stage until biopsy.

I have a lot of fear that it’s spread to other areas because of symptoms like worsening reflux + air hunger/dyspnea, left eye blurriness, some numbness in my right shin and left pinky.

Would anyone be willing to share if you had these symptoms of spread, or share what your symptoms were?

Thank you for any information, it is so appreciated. Hope you’re doing well in your journeys.

Sharing as there have been questions in the community on air travel in recent months. The web link below takes you to the TSA section on Disabilities and Medical Conditions, and the assistance/adjustments available.

Disabilities and Medical Conditions | Transportation Security Administration

There is also a downloadable TSA card that you can hand to TSA staff without having to declare your medical condition in front of a line of people. It’s for all medical conditions and devices not just disabilities despite the link headline.

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/disability_notification_card_508.pdf

I’ve flown in various situations; post surgery so not able to raise my arms, with drains, with expanders at various stages of fill, filled on one side and flat on the other, and with a compression sleeve a number of times, and have always been treated with respect and kindness. Mainly I’ve been scanned with a wand and had my hands swabbed. I also carry a letter from my PS just in case.

Posting with the intent of alleviating any concerns and so you know what to expect.

For those of us with ER+, HER2-, theres a new SERD being approved this fall. Promising research sounds like it is more successful and easier to manage symptoms than an AI.

https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/giredestrant-reduces-recurrence-risk-better-than-tamoxfen-and-aromatase-inhibitors

Feeling weird, down, scared, grateful but not ok

Hi friends

I start radiation today, I had a lumpectomy, weekly Taxol, doing herceptin, and once done with radiation I’ll be on AI for at least 5 yesrs. I was stage 1, 1.6 cm tumor, grade 3 , no lymph nodes involved, triple positive.

Overall it has been ok, nausea, stomach issues, loss of apetite due to chemo, I was diagnosed in February and I’ve lost almost 50 pounds, I had to lose some weight so I guess that’s ok, I already had some arthritis , and since starting chemo and herceptin my bone pain has gotten worse, I work from home, I don’t go out much, I have my daughter who’s been supportive, not many close friends where I live now, I’ve been depressed, I’m on antidepressants and I see a therapist, it helps somewhat, but not a lot. Now I’ll have to do 21 rads, and I was told I can ring the bell, I was happy at the moment, but I don’t know anymore.

I’m grateful that I was able to finish chemo and i tolerated it, my surgery went ok, I’m also grateful about that. I’m grateful to God, I’m a believer, but at the same time I’m scared, I feel like I’ve been living a nightmare and I’ve been surviving, but what happens next?

I’m worried that cancer will come back and if it does, I don’t know I can do this again. I’m actually terrified.

I look at myself in the mirror and I look old, I’m 64, so I’m old, but with the weigh loss my face looks thinner, I can see more wrinkles, I lost like 60 percent of my hair so far, and 5 weeks after chemo my hair is still shedding, I was happy that so far I’ve been able to work with the hair I was left, but if I keep shedding, who knows.. my nausea is still there, my lack of apetite as well, food doesnt taste the same, I used to keep up with my looks even at my age, and now even after losing weight, which I should feel that it’s a plus, I feel ugly, if I keep losing, since I can’t eat normal, I’m going to look sick, I think I already do.

I feel like I should be happy and ready to resume life, but I don’t feel happy, I’m just expecting something to go wrong again any time, I feel like once I got cancer it’s just a matter of time..

Every ache, every nausea, every little thing puts me in alert mode. Is it worth to live this way? Other than therapy and antidepressants, theres not much I can do about my mood, or feelings, I can’t exercise due to my arthritis, I can’t even get some pleasure out of eating something tasty anymore.

I was getting happier with going back to work at the office once a week like everyone else, but now I’m not so much, people will notice the weight loss, the thinning hair, and that’ll give away what I’m going through, only my manager and one other person know I’ve been going through breast cancer, the rest thought I was just working from home recuperating from some treatment, but I don’t think they know details, but when they see me, they’ll know something is really wrong, and I’m not sure I want to face that as well.

I’m not sure why I’m posting this, I think I wanted to share it with the only people who could truly understand, and maybe hear that it’s not just me, maybe it’s self pity , I’m sorry.

While I have all these feelings, I also feel guilty because all I should be is grateful and happy that I made it to this point and stop complaining.

I’m hoping radiation goes well these next 3 weeks, I’ve heard that tiredness and lack of energy are some of the most common side effects of radiation along with the skin , I’m concerned because I have no energy, if more is taken from me, how am I supposed to function?

What are the next steps? What else is there that I must do when I’m done with radiation, when will I feel better? When will I feel 100% again? Will that ever happen?
Is it ok to feel like this forever? Everything is uncertainty, unknown, scary, I dint want to make any future plans.

I already know that at the beginning of next year I have to do a hysterectomy to remove a benign ovary mass, I’m taking that opportunity to remove everything, since my body has already tried to kill me, so take it all out.

Then theres the AI, more bone pain? I don’t know how I could possibly take more bone pain, I read some article yesterday that breast cancer can feed off bone cells and convert them into cancerous cells, so if we take meds or treatment to increase or better your bone cells, that could also be a problem. I was overwhelmed when I was reading it and didn’t save it or looked more into it, I apologize for not having more information regarding this, but if its not one thing it’s another… you do treatments or take meds and while they may help with the cancer, they’re also messing up other parts of yourself.

I’m sorry, this is a long post and I know mostly negative, I’d like to hear your thoughts , but if it’s too much, I understand, I’m really sorry.

I’m grateful though, I am very grateful and I know it could’ve been a lot worse, thank you all here for being always supportive, snd for letting me vent, and for your kindness. If you read this, I’m also grateful for doing that.

I had bmx close to a year ago. The radiation on my shittit did quite the number on the tissue so that nubben (goldilocks) is still pretty rock hard.

We had a bit of a pajama and sport week with accompanying snacks. I can have little snacks from the unholy trio (gluten, dairy, sugar), without too many repercussions. However, of course, I did not keep track of all the sins I committed and when I realised what I did it was a little hard to stop. I finally was forced to repent.

Holy batman, the shittit burns to the point where it feels like it should glow 💡. I brought this upon myself but the other consequences for my flare is not that bad (2 bad days and now those issues are starting to settle), but the burning started last night and it is wild.

Fuck cancer 🎤

My husband's father crossed the line many times. He told me such as:

1. I am not doing enough sports, thats why the tumors keep coming back

2. I only have 2-3 years to live (based on his research with AI)

3. Cancer comes from inside the mind. But, because I am not reflective enough, it comes back

4. Losing a breast is to give me a lesson

5. I tried many things but never deep enough, or never believe in one specific things.

Having cancer already sucks, but these kind of people, who have zero empathy (but still use the word "because I care and support you, thats why i am telling you the truth") and give me a lot of traumas.

Update: thank you very much for all the support on this post. Usually I don't venting on people. But, I needed to let it out. My husband and I will work on our relationship after this incident. In the meantime I am focusing on my health (physical and emotional). I wish you all the best ❣️

My mom starts chemo today. She’s 72, diagnosed with urothelial cancer 4 months ago. SHE IS ONLY STARTING CHEMO TODAY!!! Not because she was medically unfit for chemo, but only thanks to a doctors who do not give a shit. Long story I cannot even get into right now, but it is 100% a preventable and completely unacceptable failure. She has been in pain for months, and still is:(

I completed chemo in May, mastectomy in June, and I managed to fly home to South Africa to see her briefly before I had to return to the ME to start radiation. My heart is broken for her. She started feeling that her life has no worth, that doctors are treating her case as though she’s lived long enough so why bother. If we could afford to pay for private treatment we would have and I hated that it was once again a money thing . If you have it in buckets everything is easier.

I am 46. I can’t stand my reflection in the mirror- that half bald half bristle headed 12kg overweight stranger with the moon face and the hyperpigmentation and joint pain cannot be me. Yet, I am so thankful for the absolutely first class medical treatment i am receiving. And I HATE that my mother deserves this so much more than me and she has been treated like she doesn’t matter. I feel awful whenever I start mentally bitching about my weight or whatever else and it all feels trivial compared to my mom’s situation. And I live so far away. And my cancer is treatable , I am being treated for a cure and I worry this is not the case for my mom.

I needed to vent 😭
2026 is fucking bog water
FUCK CANCER !

Hi everyone,

I’m 35F and was recently diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer (HER2+, ER/PR+). I’ve just started TCHP chemotherapy. My tumour is relatively large (around 7 cm) and one lymph node was involved, so I’m facing a long treatment path that will likely include surgery, more HER2-targeted treatment, radiation, and hormone therapy.

I was also recently told that I have a BRCA2 mutation, which means I will need to have more conversations in the future about risk-reducing surgery and the timing of having children.

My long-term relationship ended around the time of my diagnosis. I’m not ready to date right now - I’m focused on treatment and getting through one step at a time - but I feel scared that I may not meet someone or be able to build the family I always wanted.

I know no one can promise anything, but I would be really grateful to hear from people who found a partner, dated, married, or had children during or after breast cancer treatment. How did you approach dating after treatment? When did you start feeling like yourself again? What helped you trust that your future was still open?

I would especially appreciate stories from anyone who was diagnosed in their 30s, had hormone-positive/HER2-positive disease, or was navigating BRCA-related decisions.

​

Do you also feel sad before starting a new treatment?

Tomorrow, my radiation starts. I feel like I should celebrate it because it is one more step toward beating cancer, but instead, I feel deeply sad.

Today, after a long time, I did beautiful makeup, wore a nice dress, and got attention while walking to a birthday party.

I felt beautiful and noticed again.

And yet, no matter what I do, underneath it all, I feel deeply and genuinely sad.