Second time around

CarolAnneS

Well, it's been a long time between drinks - thirteen years to be precise - but I had the phone call today which has confirmed the suspicions.

At the age of 44, I went through my first round of breast cancer in 2011. I was diagnosed then exactly the same as now - Grade 2, 23mm lobular breast cancer. Funny that, isn't it. I had a lumpectomy, six rounds of chemo and six weeks of radio. But, being lobular, I was told that it was likely to recur sometime in the future, and - here I am. In the future - 2024. I'm now 57. 

I don't know much else at this stage, except that I'll have to go to Perth soon (I live regionally, in the far north of WA) for follow-up scans and a talk with a surgeon.

Anyways, it is what it is. Been there, survived, and I'm back to fight and survive another day. Happy to connect.

arpie

Sorry to hear of your recurrence, @CarolAnneS. xx  Wishing you all the best for this round of surgery & treatment xx  

Don't forget to check out the PATS system over there, where you can get assistance with travel & fuel costs & accommodation when going back for checkups.xx  (See document below.)

Check out this post - there is lots of info on the forum 'outside' of the BC experience .... show us your garden, art & craft, furkids etc - and we even have some laughs with some 'funnies'
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latest

take care & all the best

Afraser

Admire your fortitude. Very best wishes for rapid, good and permanent resolution! 

CarolAnneS

arpie said:

Sorry to hear of your recurrence, @CarolAnneS. xx  Wishing you all the best for this round of surgery & treatment xx  

Don't forget to check out the PATS system over there, where you can get assistance with travel & fuel costs & accommodation when going back for checkups.xx  (See document below.)

Thanks, @arpie, for reaching out. I'm good with the PATS system over here. Just wish it were a bit higher in their reimbursements, but I think I'm eligible for free accommodation now - if there's space. Apparently it's in very high demand and can be hard to get into.

TonyaM

Hi @CarolAnneS,
sorry to hear this.The same thing happened to me,only 7yrs apart though. I had oestrogen positive invasive bc and yes,it returned in the same spot despite radiation and a supposedly clear margin from lumpectomy.I had to have a mastectomy and chemo the second time. That was in 2010 and I’ve been good since then. 18mths ago,I decided to have the other breast off because I couldn’t stand being lopsided and the worry any longer. Happy to be flat now.Best wishes-it’s tough but doable.

WhiteLight

So sorry to hear that it has reoccured, @CarolAnneS. I wish you all the best for your treatment and full recovery.

PrisMay1

so sorry to hear of your recurrence.  I’ve had a similar experience.  Ductal cancer in 2007 with lumpectomy and  radiation and a lobular cancer last July in the same breast! Devastating! I had a lumpectomy at the time but began to have growing concerns about another recurrence which would have crushed me.  I’ve since had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction as I don’t want to have to face all of this again!  My pathology showed some suspicious hyperplasia in my other breast so it’s reaffirmed for me that I’ve done the right thing.  

I’ve been through a period of being fairly pissed off as I followed the advice, did the radiation, took the pills, lived a healthy life and I still had a recurrence. 

I wish you well with whatever you decide.  But you are right and we are stronger than we think to be able to fight another day! 

Milly21

Prismay1. Did you just go back and request a double mastectomy and reconstruction? Years down the track I often wonder if i should have done that to save years of worrying,I definitely will if I have any more trouble,I’ve just come off tamoxifen and nervous. I presume you have to pay for it yourself? Did the doctors try to talk you out of it,as I asked for that when diagnosed and was talked out of it,they said it was overkill.

PrisMay1

@Milly21 When I was diagnosed the second time my breast surgeon recommended a mastectomy but when he saw how freaked out I was he said we’d do a lumpectomy and see where we’re at after that. My cancer was small and slow growing and came out of the blue showing up on a routine mammogram.  After a couple of months I started to get anxious about a 3rd recurrence and how I’d cope with that in my 70s. I went to see a plastic surgeon to get options. My right breast was quite a bit smaller than my left after 2 lumpectomies and had a lot of scar tissue from radiation and surgery. The plastic surgeon gave me 3 options for reconstruction and a lot to think about. I went back to my breast surgeon and he did feel it was overkill and suggested we wait 6 months before deciding.  But I wanted it done and once I made the decision I couldn’t wait. The plastic surgeon’s rooms did all the arrangements and when I saw my breast surgeon after the surgery he agreed it was something I needed to do. He then told me that there a
was an area of suspicious tissue in my good breast so it reaffirmed for me I’d  made the right decision.