27 year old lobular carcinoma

@"Kiwi Angel" might be able to shed some light on the experience of going through BC without family support.

I have found with the exception of the practical support I received during chemo (and I run a household of seven, at the time 9 - 85 years of age), the best support I've received has been here. There's something about people who have walked this path before you that is tremendously tremendously helpful, practically and emotionally. K xox

HI @youngdogmum,

Just wanted to say Hi and welcome to the forum.  Mine wasn't ILC so I cannot help in that respect. 

However, I will jump in and agree with @Zoffiel regarding the axillary clearance.  I am sure you are aware It's a fairly invasive procedure with a number of risks and possible long term side effects and it generally isn't something surgeons like to do unless it's necessary.  

I was 45 when I had this procedure along with lumpectomy but it was done because we knew there were lymph nodes involved from the beginning, so no choice.

I would say I recovered very well from it all things considered and yes your age probably will help in that respect as well.   I did a ridiculous amount of exercise for both strength and making sure everything was draining well. There was minor cording at the beginning but that went quickly with exercise and physio and have been fortunate that I haven't had any trouble with lymphodema. The strength in that arm is as good as it ever was except with weight on it up high.

In saying that though there are numb parts (shaving is still weird), super sensitive parts, it still pulls at full stretch, feels kind of oddly puffy at times and still tingles mildly when I use the lawn mower. That's after 2 and a bit years. As Zoffiel said, we don't want to scare you off but information is somewhat lacking at times unless you push the issues. 

I guess it depends on how comfortable you are with what you have been told and how content you are going to be about having had that procedure if it all comes back clear ( which of course we want it to) and wasn't necessary...

Trust your instincts and never be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to.

Best of luck lovely.  Keep us updated with how you are going.  There is always plenty of support around.

xoxoxoxox

PS, photos of the dog please. There are more than a few dog mums here! This was The Chickie hanging out with me during chemo. Greyhounds love  any excuse to lie on the bed all day :)
 

@youngdogmum I suspected there might have been a bit of ''old school" going on. The better safe than sorry approach certainly has its merits and your age probably works in your favour when it comes to recovery and managing any side effects. Small comfort that, I'm sure.

Many of us have found the axillary clearance the most challenging aspect of the surgical process so please be pushy about getting adequate after care. I'm not trying to frighten you but I'm also very aware that we don't always get all the information we need in advance. Admittedly, it's difficult to understand what it feels like to have had someone ferreting around in your armpit so that may explain it sometimes gets overlooked when the cancer itself is the main focus, but it's very important to work on redeveloping those lymphatic pathways.

You may be surprised at how little help you need through your treatment. I was a single mum when I was first diagnosed and really didn't need much assistance. I'm a grumpy old bitch ( have been since I was in primary school) so found people fussing around me terribly irritating. You will manage this the same way you have managed any other crisis in your life. If you like having people jump in and support you, it's very likely you already have those types in your life. If you prefer to run the show yourself, don't let anyone try to fiddle with that.

Try to stage any visitors so they dont arrive enmasse. This, as you know, will probably be a long haul. There will be lots of opportunities for people to help, they don't all have to jump on a plane tomorrow.

Keep an eye on hubby and use your breast care nurse if you think he needs some individual support. There is counseling available for both of you, use it if you need it. Good luck. MXX

Hi Zoffiel,
He explained the pros and cons and feels that given the size of the tumour on imaging and examination he would be shocked if there wasn’t multiple nodes involved. Due to the potential false-positive rates with sentinel, he said he feels probably better for my long term outlook to safely take them all now. He described it as an “old school approach” 😂 he is a professor after all haha! 
Im in Brisbane and having surgery at a tertiary hospital so I don’t think its to do with lack of equipment etc..

Quite isolated family wise which I know is going to be really hard. That was probably the first thing I got upset about, I thought how am I going to get through this just the two of us.
my mum passed away 10 years ago (lung ca, nil family history of breast/ovarian at all)
dad and I have a strange relationship. My sister is intellectually disabled and honestly won’t be much help at all.
my brother is in Darwin and his wife is about to give birth to their first, as much as I’d love him here I need to let him enjoy this time as well.
Hubbys family are all in Scotland, I’m hopeful they will visit.
But I have some good friends around, as well as their Mums who were there with me through my Mums treatment and passing. Plus my dog I think she’s going to keep me smiling through this!!! 

Thank you everyone again for your comments and what not.
It is so nice to hear of so many women now on the other side of treatment. 

Yes, that's normal @youngdogmum. They need the path reports for the MDT to make recommendations. Depends where you are, but it seems likely you will be referred to an oncologist as soon as the results come in.

My cancer was ILC too, but i was 43 when I was first diagnosed. It's interesting that you surgeon is recommending a full axillary clearance straight up.  I'm wondering if you are in a regional area where that procedure is more common as there is often no facilities for sentinel node surgery or if that is your surgeons usual approach or if they feel you are likely to have second level node involvement? It's worth asking about that as a full clearance can be problematic later and many surgeons try to avoid them unless it's absolutely necessary.

Your concerns about fertility are absolutely valid, . Ask lots of questions. Mxx

Hi, Lunch is almost over so I'll be quick ... Check my profile for diagnosis and treatment for ILC.  Mine didn't show in the nodes until I had the first surgery with sentinel nodes taken.  Second surgery, I had the axillary dissection.

Hi @youngdogmum ... Sorry to see you here, but the wealth of information from those who’ve gone before you may help to allay some of your fears.   

Great that your body and bone scans are clear.  That’s a good start.

I was diagnosed with ILC in Jan ‘18 and had breast conserving surgery/lumpectomy, dodged the chemo bullet and had 4 weeks radiation and now on hormone tablets.   My pathology was good.  Clear margins and not in lymph nodes and I was back doing basically everything I love doing within a month of surgery, tho had to be wary of road bumps for some months (holding my boob to lessen the ‘bounce’)

Try not to 2nd guess everything before you see the experts ... Dr Google will just muck with your head.  Everyone’s situation is totally different and what worked for one may not work for another.  I didn’t see my Med oncologist til after I had my radiation .... tho my surgeon and his team had advised me early on that I would be going on to hormone tablets to lessen the chance of recurrence ..... but I was already menopausal. 

Take one day at a time, get over the surgery first, the rest will slot in place over time.   It is a scarey ride, but we are here to help you thru it.

keep talking with your husband as he will be just as scared as you are ....., I hope you have supportive family and friends to help you out after the surgery as you will have some restrictions in movement initially.  

Take me care and all the best with your surgery and pathology results.  Xxxx

See what the fertility experts say! There are people out there who've had kids whilst managing hormone therapy. Sometimes the percentages the doctors talk about are tiny. And there are also surrogates who could carry your baby for you.

Have you discussed these fears with your husband? K xox

Hi Kmakm thanks for the reply :)

Ive been trying to find that link for the group thanks for sharing.

I should have added that my body and bone scans were clear 😃 

As much as I want to not jump ahead, I am far too aware of the possibility of recurrence etc and as we don’t have any kids yet, I’m not sure we will be able to.
I meet again today with fertility to discuss harvesting eggs and freezing embryos, however I’m hearing that longer term tamoxifen is showing better results in young women (10 years over 5 years) 
This is of course by my own readings and not from an oncologist, but I suppose I’m scared if I take longer term tamoxifen and we don’t have a baby, then something happens later to myself and he hasn’t had any children. Is that awful of me to take a medicine longer to prolong my life but not give him the opportunity of children? 
Oh these dark morbid thoughts! Time for a play with my dog I think to cheer me up. 

Thanks for again for replying ❤️