Cancer Support
Related: About this forumI have breast cancer
It's in two spots. I don't know much else and won't find out until I meet with a surgeon.
I imagine I'll be hanging out here for a while.

Groundhawg
(1,118 posts)Lonestarblue
(12,531 posts)I hope your treatment goes well.
XanaDUer2
(15,723 posts)We are here for you. Are you having a biopsy?
Solly Mack
(94,671 posts)It's true that you need to take it one day at a time because one day to the next is sometimes all you can imagine. Each doctor's visit, surgery, treatments, one day after another. Moving forward.
All you need to handle is what is right in front of you.
Be good to yourself. Cry, rant, rage if you want. I did.
You'll feel what you feel and that's OK.
Hoping for the best possible outcome.
Lot of great people in this group.
They can help.
They helped me.
LiberalLoner
(10,884 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(161,312 posts)surfered
(6,003 posts)..years between the episodes. She had a lumpectomy, radiation, and took tamoxifen. When she eventually passed in her 80s, it was not from cancer .
Good luck!
irisblue
(34,866 posts)SheltieLover
(66,094 posts)Healing vibes on the way to you!
Wiscodoug
(102 posts)Dear wryter, Do not panic. Breath deep, you are in the first chapter of your survival story. Trust your Doctors and breath deep again. Sending love and positive energy.
sheshe2
(91,162 posts)Marie Marie
(10,143 posts)Come here for support as often as needed. We care.
GPV
(73,272 posts)MontanaMama
(24,360 posts)I wish you hadn’t been given this news. as if things weren’t stressful enough!!! Science and your DU community are on your side.
Sparkly
(24,560 posts)I hope the surgeon delivers hopeful news!!
Joinfortmill
(17,743 posts)mchill
(1,160 posts)Cancer will be your job for a while. I know it occupied my brain constantly for the first few years and physically for over a year. As time goes on you worry less and then you start forgetting. I had the works and 12 years later still here!!!
I have decided to take the Galleri test ($995) every year so I can get rid of that last 10% of anxiety about it coming back. I’m not a very nurturing type so I’m not here with thoughts and prayers, but a lot of us have gone through this and have come out the other end AOK. ❤️
2naSalit
(96,348 posts)Hope it isn't advanced and can be dealt with without a lot of interaction.
calimary
(85,788 posts)And please keep us posted. Cuz we’re gonna want to make sure YOU’RE still here.
Wicked Blue
(7,817 posts)
Ursus Arctos
(68 posts)
peggysue2
(11,736 posts)Hang in there. Cancer therapies are far better now than they once were particularly if these spots were picked up early. We'll all be rooting for you.
niyad
(123,134 posts)sueh
(1,891 posts)We're here for you❤️❤️❤️
oldtime dfl_er
(7,084 posts)Modern medicine is pretty miraculous, though, and you have every chance of doing great!
wryter2000
(47,794 posts)Thank you all so much
Botany
(73,780 posts)So be it. Enjoy your time here. But I need to warn you about a DU er who posts
under Botany he is nuttier than a squirrel turd.
LoisB
(10,018 posts)of all, stay positive. You will get a lot of support here.
orangecrush
(24,069 posts)For a total recovery
japple
(10,459 posts)Hoping that yours will be easily treated and not painful. Asking the Universe to give you comfort and peace.
Oopsie Daisy
(5,587 posts)
LiberalLoner
(10,884 posts)Under 1 cm, in the same breast.
I concentrated on one step at a time.
Getting biopsies done. Check.
Breast MRI done. Check.
Meeting with surgical oncology team. Check.
Meeting with plastic surgery doc. Check.
Finding out the surgery date and making sure my husband could take time off to help me recover from surgery. He took a week off and that was more than enough. In fact the surgery wasn’t anywhere near as rough as my hysterectomy was.
Getting through the recovery. Getting the drains taken out.
Appointment with medical oncologist who told me chemo was not useful in my case and if I got radiation treatments and took Letrozole, my cancer only had a three percent chance of coming back within the next decade.
Appointment with radiologist.
Four weeks of radiation therapy. For me, no big deal. No pain, no sunburn, just a funky tan that faded. Got kind of tired towards the end of the radiation treatments and fuzzy brained.
Started on Letrozole. No real side effects…joints a little more creaky is all.
Mammogram one year out. No evidence of disease, we seem to have beat this cancer.
Now it feels like I never even had cancer, it was just a bump in the road.
I hope your path will be as easy as mine was and I hope you have helpers, and I hope you come out of it with no evidence of disease at the end.
Sending lots of hugs. The Mayo message boards are pretty helpful, too.
🤗🤗🤗
iluvtennis
(21,125 posts)treatment - chemo and surgery and they made it to remission. Sending positive healing vibes.
yourout
(8,360 posts)Had her surgery for it in October.
She had quite a year.
Gave birth to a son in January
And had her gallbladder out in February
Found out she had breast cancer in March
Did 6 months of aggressive chemo.
All the follow-up biopsies and lab work showed no signs of cancer so the chemo seems to have worked. But beware of the Red devil as they call it which is the last round of chemo which hit her the hardest.
She does have the BRCA2 Gene from her father's side.
cally
(21,737 posts)You wait to find out more. I’m 18 years after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
:hugs:
1WorldHope
(1,124 posts)I've been there myself. I remember how angry and scared that I felt. My family doctor told me that someday I would look back and this will have just been a bump on the road. I remember being really angry when she said that to me. Now looking back 6 years, she was right. But, I was also lucky, so far. Take good care of yourself as you go through the treatment that you choose. I was unlucky while recovering from radiation I got bit by a mosquito who gave me west Nile virus. That was worse than the whole year of cancer treatment. Also my husband has had 3 different cancers, bladder, prostate and lung. He is still kicking with COPD. My point is that cancer isn't always immediately deadly these days. I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope you find doctors that you love!
wryter2000
(47,794 posts)Especially glad to hear about success stories.
barbtries
(30,310 posts)Hope it's a quick and relatively painless path to good health for you. I believe your chance of beating it is extremely good.
angrychair
(10,514 posts)You will be in our thoughts.
Clouds Passing
(4,305 posts)

choie
(5,318 posts)My best wishes for health are with you!
sinkingfeeling
(54,960 posts)Sun-Moon
(162 posts)Please do not be afraid to reach out to people and ask for help. Too many of us have been where you are now and you would be surprised at the love you will get back when you reach out.
Many gentle hugs and healing vibes being sent to you.
BigDemVoter
(4,607 posts)fear, but breast cancer treatment is nothing like it used to be. They can do much, much more than even just a few years ago, and targeted treatments are available. Furthermore, the side effects of chemo (if you even need that) are much easier to deal with nowadays. My mom had breast cancer in the 1970s during the days when they just went for radical surgery and heavy duty chemo. I'm hoping things turn out well. I know you have a lot of people thinking about you here.
livetohike
(23,373 posts)Sending hugs and holding positive thoughts for the best outcome as you start this journey. Please update when you know more.
proud patriot
(101,793 posts)
skylucy
(3,922 posts)

Figarosmom
(5,119 posts)Keep holding positive thoughts
Nigrum Cattus
(456 posts)I've had a few different malignancies and your doctors/treatments
can vary radically. Most important from now is your attitude.
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-researchers-demonstrate-value-of-second-opinions/
kimbutgar
(24,754 posts)Hang in there 🤗🥰🫂 hugs to you!
virgdem
(2,250 posts)biophile
(695 posts)Trust in God, if that is your faith
The DU community is supportive - so glad you feel comfortable to hang out here!
Best of luck to you
Mike Nelson
(10,535 posts)... lifting your spirit! Be well and healthy, wryter2000. You're not alone.
JohnSJ
(98,356 posts)dlk
(12,613 posts)There are amazing new treatments available and I wish you all the best
babylonsister
(171,967 posts)survivors of breast cancer. If you have any concerns, please ask. I had a mastectomy when I was 27 and a lumpectomy about 3 years ago at the tender age of 65. I have decided for any health scare, you still have to put one foot in front of the other and carry on, hope you like your doctors, and heed their advice.
There have been great advances, chin up and hugs!
Teacher of the Year
(194 posts)Healing is always better with friends lifting you up. Stay well!!
David Boyle
(732 posts)You are in my prayers.
highplainsdem
(55,266 posts)and getting better every year. My sister beat breast cancer several years ago.
HeartsCanHope
(957 posts)Will be keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for your full recovery. Take care.
sillywabbit
(32 posts)after finding out I had level 1 ductal carcinoma in situ. That's probably the best kind of breast cancer to have but I decided to have both breasts removed because of my family history of breast cancer (but we don't have the genes according to the genetic testing). I decided on a double mastectomy to avoid any further reoccurrences or other therapies, including radiation, chemo, or endocrine. I'm so glad I did because the biopsy showed that although my other breast didn't have any malignancies, it did have abnormalities that could turn into DCIS. I'm flat chested now, but I don't mind. And I never have to have another mammogram or needle biopsy or any of the additional therapies. I'm 74; I may not have made that decision when I was younger. But for what it's worth, I'm happy with my decision now. I hope your outcome is as good mine. Wishing you good luck!
wryter2000
(47,794 posts)Frankly, this one hurts so much I’m more than happy to have it removed.
I’m 76, btw. I stopped looking for love long ago.
wryter2000
(47,794 posts)I can’t possibly respond to everyone. I will hang out here and provide support to others.
kkmarie
(117 posts)In 2017 I had a lumpectomy. Grade 1 ER+ HER -
I had no clue what to do or expect. I know now that no treatment plan should be made until a ONCOtype DX TEST this determines treatment.
I found that my nurse navigator was the best one for advice and instruction and breast cancer articles from the UK.
Hugs and hope
area51
(12,276 posts)
murielm99
(31,817 posts)Keep us informed. We will keep you in our prayers. There are amazingly effective treatments these days.
AKwannabe
(6,716 posts)Have had my scare already.
Gma passed away but not from breast cancer. Mom is still here some 12 yrs later.
You got this and we got your back.
Hang in there. And here!
💃🥰
70sEraVet
(4,433 posts)Sucks to be hurting and scared.
Highway61
(2,580 posts)Happened to me two years ago. Today I am good, cancer free, on meds and and tested every six months. I will be a big support to you if you want me to. You WILL get through this! I promise.
lark
(24,837 posts)This was in 1 breast, the other was filled with grade 1 hyperplasia which would turn into cancer. It was in stage 1 on the worst side, so caught it super early. I had a bilateral mastectomy with no radiation or chemo and it's never recurred. Hope you can say that too years from now!!a
Javaman
(63,539 posts)I'm assuming it's been caught early.
I come from a family of survivors. Mom, Aunt, both sisters.
all survived.
Cheers!
Phoenix61
(18,249 posts)It’s not a heart attack or stroke where time is of the essence. You have time to pick and choose the doctors/hospitals/treatment centers you want to work with. Don’t let anyone bully you into making a decision you aren’t ready to make.
maspaha
(451 posts)…almost 15 years ago. The tumor was 4.5cm, multi focal with lymph node invasion. My daughter was only 10 years old. Then I had the PET scan that showed abnormal uptake in a spot on my liver. It turned out to be an “incidental finding”, however, I was treated as metastatic Stage 4 for my first two cycles of chemotherapy. I went on to finish chemo, bilateral mastectomies, radiation, bilateral DIEP reconstruction, one year of Herceptin, and 10 years of estrogen blockers. Very scary times!
But, I saw my kid graduate high school and college! She is thriving! And I can honestly say, so am I! This summer I started working to get my pilot’s license back. I feel better than I did before diagnosis.
Treatments are better now than 15 years ago and you have more options! You can do this! We will be here with you!
Fla Dem
(26,479 posts)Please keep us posted.
MorningCoffee
(1 post)I am in the same boat - meeting with surgeon next week. Best wishes to you!
wryter2000
(47,794 posts)I know this isn’t the catastrophy it once was
AllaN01Bear
(24,669 posts)
sdfernando
(5,653 posts)Sending good thoughts and rooting for the best of all possible outcome for you.
Dark n Stormy Knight
(10,311 posts)and loads of support during the treatment process.
Tweedy
(1,284 posts)If you don’t already have one. Make sure your insurance plan is up to snuff, including a prescription drug plan. Do some things you love and some things that relax you while you wait for next steps.
Hugging you across the distance.