Cancer Survival Stories

[livingwith]

In 2006 I was diagnosed with stage II ductile invasive b/c. It was the estrogen receptive type.
Yes I had been on prempro–but only 2 years before this was diagnosed.
They never saw it on a mammogram. It took feeling bad PAIN in the breast to tell me something was wrong, and a CT scan and needle biopsy to affirm it.
I went thru a rt side mastectomy and a 3 node lymphectomy and then chemo with taxol-then herceptin .
I am now on arimedex for 5 years. I am having edemic swelling in my feet and...Read the full article

[lisa1972]

I feel so eerie as I read your story.You have described me perfectly.I was also diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma on June 6 2006.I was also estrogen positive and am also HER 2+++.I had a bilateral mastectomy and had tissue expanders put in during surgery.I had 4 months of chemo,2 of them the infamous "Red Devil".I honestly didn't know that a person could be so sick and live to talk about it.I had every side effect and then some.I was able to skip radiation due to having the bilateral.I had 7 months of Herceptin infusions.I was supposed to have a year but was forced to stop treatment because I had congestive heart failure.I had lympedema and neuropathy.I had my expanders filled during chemo so I could have the exchange near Christmas lol.I He filled them to 800 ccs and then I got silicone implants.To this day I have constant muscle spasms and pain in my chest,back,arms and ribs.I was only 33 years old and I just can't put in words how my spirit was crushed.The feeling I had when I woke from surgery and my breasts were forever gone was horrible.I cried as I looked in the mirror and saw the shell of a woman thats soul had died on June 6 2006.I am still here,thank God,and I am happy to be with my family but the sense of loss still lingers and even if my slashed body could be fixed,my heart can't be,it's broke in too many pieces.Too much was taken that can't be replaced.You can't buy inner peace,pride and womanhood.The morning of my surgery, my body was whole but those few hours set the course for the rest of my life.It's a different life now,filled with pain,shame and pity.Yes,my hair grew back and they gave me more boobs but as I said some things can't be replaced.I pray that a cure will be found because I have a 17 year old daughter.I can't even fathom her going through this hell.It is probably too late for me but I have accepted that,what will be,will be.

[spikegomez]

[quote="livingwith"]In 2006 I was diagnosed with stage II ductile invasive b/c. It was the estrogen receptive type.
Yes I had been on prempro–but only 2 years before this was diagnosed.
They never saw it on a mammogram. It took feeling bad PAIN in the breast to tell me something was wrong, and a CT scan and needle biopsy to affirm it.
I went thru a rt side mastectomy and a 3 node lymphectomy and then chemo with taxol-then herceptin .
I am now on arimedex for 5 years. I am having edemic swelling in my feet and[hc_livingwith=livingwith.oncologychannel.com|/surviving-cancer/20080715_5786||20080715_5786]READ[/hc_livingwith][/quote]

Nice story about you... enjoyed reading it...