dxdiva2

Hello DxDiva, I am being treated at Moffit Cancer Center, just read your journey. Yay! For no chemo! Where do you go for treatment?

Hi dxdiva2, I just wanted to say hi and welcome to the website. You have come the right place to meet some wonderful, understanding people. I have met some truly awesome ladies and men here on the website. We are here for any time you need us. If you need to ask a question, someone to talk to, if you need to cry or to vent, whatever you need we will be here for you! We all know how and what you are feeling and what you are going thru.

I know our family and friends are here for us but they really don't know how or what we are going thru. But they do their best to here for us and we appreciate it. I am glad that you are only stage 1 so hopefully you won't have to go thru too much as far as treatments. Good luck on your journey and may God bless you and your family!

Hi dxdiva2, thanks for the "following"... Will be thinking of you next week...good luck. By the way, MRSA testing is very common in many hospitals prior to surgery...nothing for you to be concerned about.

welcome to a great place to get info, and a great place to make new friends. I too had stage 1 BC, in 1994, at that time i only had a lumpectomy. My Daughter, tiaria30, Maria S. had stage 3C = BC in 2009, and did the bilateral surgery, no regrets from her. Was wondering where you are going for your treatments? where are you going for surgery? wishing you lots of love hugs, and let us know how you are progressing,, we are all here for you. june

Dear dxdiva2 that is what I had my I had 2 masses in my left breast and I was very scared and didn't know what to do if you have masses and you need to get them out if you have only one they will say have a lumpectomy but really think hard before making a discison please they will say radiation to shrink it if they want to do a lumpectomy I would consider having a double mastectomy right away, because I had 2 masses had to have radiation and chemo but your chances are that it will come back and if you have radiation and have a lumpectomy you will not be able to later have reconstructive surgery for your breasts later cause the radiation will burn your tissue and makes it impossible to do. please don't make the mistake I did. they will tell you they got it early but in the back of your mind you will worry about it coming back and having treatment all over again. some people can handle that but most don't I am still here after 48 treatments of radiation and a year of chemo and taxatere I five years later but decided to have the double mascetomy to late and could not have any new breasts cause of the damage the first time with the lumpectomy and your life will change please really think about having the double masscetomy and having them do new implants so you can have nice firm breasts again and you wont regret it later when no man wants to touch you cause your chest is all sunken in and your fell they carved you like a turkey I am only specking the truth. dear sister of cancer I don't want you to go through what many of us did and now regret it. I will pray for you always no matter what direction you go but please think about it I know its hard right now to do that but I seen to much and I know the facts now. put your faith in god and I mean really do that cause him and your cancer saints will really help you get through this. love and wishing you many years of life and ask for a heredity test if you have sisters or children that will help them know if they will get it . god bless you and your family and I will walk with you through your journay.sincerly candy girl

Hi, I tell everyone on this site to read the book<"The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook" 3rd ed. by Kathy Steligo. It reallytells you about before, during and after surgery and all the ways to consider for reconstruction or not. Just like Heather3 said everyone is different and don't go into panic mode. They tend to scare you when they say you have cancer! BUT take your time and really ask questions of the doctor and the nurses. No question is silly or unimportant! I wish I had read this book when I was in the panic mode and am paying for it now! The initial cancer removing surgery wasn't bad, but the reconstruction has been a nightmare! Not text book nor like anything I had researched or seen on the internet! My doctor said this happens about 1% of the time, Oh thanks that would be me! So take time to research and ask questions to be content with your decision. Love and prayers, Lynn

I know that this is not a journey that you ever wished to take and you are currently in pre treatment limbo. Know though that although it may often feel like it you are not alone.

hi dxdiva2 Lynn here. i will have 4 cycles of chemo, about 15 to 16 weeks.

Dear Dxdiva2,

Take a deep breadth and don't let the demons of fear take the reigns of control. I know that is much easier said than done. I was diagnosed in August with 2 small masses in my left breast, Stage 2; Grade 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I did not have my surgery until two months later. I was originally diagones as HER2 negative but with new protocols requiring addional testing for premenopausal women under the age of 50, I came back as HER2 positive. I was assured by my surgical doctor, oncologist and breast health navigator that I did not have to rush into surgery until I felt comfortable with my decision on whether to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy. The cancer had been there growing for years and most women rush to surgery because of fear and not because of medical necessity.

I did my research and I asked a lot of questions with other survivors who had chosen multiple of different options. In my experience, there is no such thing as TMI with survivors. They are very honest about their experiences and provided me with incite about what it is like to live with the diagnosis of breast cancer that my medical team could not give me. In the end, I chose to have a double mastectomy because I felt it was right for me and my peace of mind moving forward with being able to put this behind me. I went against my doctor's recommendation and my family's wishes. I felt very strongly it was my decision alone to make since I was the one who had to live with the consequences. That is not to say I did not have trust in their expertise or respect my family's concern about taking such a drastic approach; I very much did. I picked the best doctors in my state, but I strongly believe you must be your own best advocate and arm yourself with knowledge. I do caution you to ask questions with your medical team team about information found on the internet. Even the most trusted sources can have incorrect information posted on their sites.

During my surgery, the doctor found another lump under my nipple that at the time did not look suspicious so he biopsied it but left it since it meant losing the nipple. It came back as cancerous and I had to have another surgery one week later after my initial one. It had not shown up of any of the mammograms, ultrasounds, MRI or PET scan. My doctor told me later I was right to fight him on the double mastectomy and to trust myself. And even though I waited two months after diagnosis, my lymph nodes came back as negative.

I am currently finishing up my 12 weeks of chemo (taxol and herceptin), then I will continue on with herceptin for the remainder of a year and take tamoxifen for the next 10 years according to new protocols. Chemo is a time suck but my side effects are minimal. I am able to work full time and still be active with my family as long as I listen to my body and pace myself. Rest, tons of water, vitamins and exercise have been the key for me. If I don't keep faithful, then I pay for it after the next treatment. I tell people the surgeries were the harder part then my current chemo experience, so please do not be afraid of the next step in your fight to be healthy.

I share my story because I was not text book . I had to have almost every test rerun because there were many inconsitencies in my pathology reports. I was told I possibly had uterine cancer also even though I had a ultrasound and biopsy in June for an ablation which came back as negative for cancer at that time. Luckily that came back as negative again. I have no family history of breast cancer and my BRCA1 & 2 were negative. There were a lot of unanswered questions about my initial diagnosis and I had my share of anxiety to cope with at that time. I have no regrets about waiting and giving myself the time I NEEDED to come to terms with my treatment and how I wanted to live moving forward with this diagnosis. I also have no regrets about choosing to have a double mastectomy because I feel less anxious about my future. Listen to your body, count your blessings each day, and do not let your diagnosis consume you with fear. The journey is rough at times but there are so many women out there who have gone through it (more than you ever knew) and living happy long lives. I wish the best and will add you to my prayer list. You will find strength within you that you never knew you had. All my best.

Hello, I am also IDC with her2 neg, Er & Pr pos. I'm in Daytona. I have been thru' surgery and am finishing up chemo. You have come to the right place here. I have learned a lot just by asking questions, so, fire away with any you may have. Hope this finds you in high spirits.

Hello and welcome, we are glad you found us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/breast-cancer

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

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GregP 3X Survivor
Team WhatNext Community Mgr

Hello...you are going to find a wealth of information, experiences and support here...these early days and weeks are so difficult, let us help you through this by asking us questions, expressing your concerns, etc.
A few recommendations: try to bring someone with you to your appointments as there is so much discussed that an extra set of ears is always a good thing, get a binder you can divide into sections to keep track of all your paperwork (I divided mine into surgery, oncology, radiation, phone numbers, reports, work-related paperwork for my Leave of Absece, etc.) this way everything is in one place and easy to grab...
Do your research but be careful which sites you use, BreastCancer.org is a good one as is the Mayo Clinic site...I am sending along best wishes and a sincere welcome...please let us know what we can do to help.

Welcome to this site where your fellow cancer fighters want to help if we can. I, too, opted for bi-lateral and reconstruction with tissue expanders. I have no regrets, and I feel I got the best care possible. I was diagnosed in mid-October 2011 and the surgery was scheduled for Nov. 25. Six weeks to fret! I wanted that cancer out of me the next day, so I know your fears. After surgery, I had to wait until Jan 4 to begin chemo. Wait, wait, wait for test results and for procedures. So difficult. Praying all goes well for you.

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter