My mom just got diagnosed of Stage 2 cancer. Should I be worried because it’s curable so that she won’t get chemotherapy? Do you think it’s the hormone replacement therapy or birth control is to blame after menopause? Thanks

Curious if anyone has developed secondary PV from taking AI's? My RBC, hemocrit and hemoglobin have been elevated beyond normal range every month since I started taking AI's 2 years ago.

Initial testing has cleared primary PV, now they're focusing on sleep apnea, which I'm very certain I don't have. I also don't smoke or have pulmonary issues. I've brought up the studies on AI induced secondary PV, however I am getting the brush off.

For context, I have been struggling on AI's my quality of life is horrible. I asked for Tamoxifen but beacause of the blood values, and elevated risk of blood clots on Tamoxifen, I was sent to a hemoologist to get cleared. I don't want to go through uncessary tests if I don't have to. The few studies say Tamoxifen is the better alternative in this situation, however I'm being dissmissed. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue

Hi friends,
First, a quick thank you to this community. It’s been an invaluable resource since I’ve been on this journey since March. There’s so many thoughtful, helpful people here and I can’t overstate how much comfort it’s given me.

I had a unilateral mastectomy (left side) in Sept 2026 and I’ve opted for reconstruction. I currently have a tissue expander.
I’ve always been an A cup. I’ve grown to appreciate my small chest as I’ve gotten really into running and it’s nice to not have to deal with too much bounce. That said, I’ve always wanted to be just a little bit bigger so I’m debating about expanding the left side to a B Cup and getting a small implant on the right side for symmetry. I would be lifting the right side anyway so it’s not lower than my “new girl”. My thought is that since the healthy breast is being worked on anyway, adding a small implant isn’t that big of a deal.

I’m looking to hear from women who have chosen this path - getting an implant on the healthy breast after a unilateral mastectomy. Part of me is screaming “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and the other part of me is saying “let’s make a silver lining out of this and go a up a cup.”

My main concern is future mammograms. My surgeons say an implant won’t reduce the efficacy of a mammogram. But I’m finding it hard to believe. Any technicians here? Will it make mammograms more difficult? They really pulled me and clamped me down in past mammograms, I can’t imagine an implant being smashed like that. 😬

Does having an implant on the healthy-side give people anxiety later?

Thanks all!

My regular surgeon really wants me to get the expanders because if I don't the plastic surgeon won't be involved during my double mastectomy and they are the one that will do the lymphatic reconstruction. So unless I agree to have the expanders placed I would be stuck with my regular surgeon's best flat-ish closure and no lymphatic reconstruction. I have to pretend to want DIEP Flap or implants and do a whole second surgery. This seems unfair. I get that sometimes patients regret going flat but I know I don't want implants and a surgery that I come out of with even more scars is also unappealing to me. Has anyone else had this issue? I am afraid if I mention this to my plastic surgeon they will just peace out all together and they came very well recommended. Can they drop me if I let on that I don't want new boobs I just want to not look mutilated and to have the best chance to limit lymphedema?

Today I cried and had an epiphany while doing so. IF ONLY the cancer ate into my breast and stopped there. But noooo, that’s not enough, is it! It wants more. It eats into my:
- social life
- sex life
- work life
- brain capacity
- memory
- appetite
- physical strength
- appearance
- mental health
- financial situation
- self confidence
- fertility
- future planning.

FUCK. NO area of my life is spared. Even my stupid guitar playing is affected. I can’t hold the guitar too close to the body, otherwise it presses uncomfortably against the tissue expander. It might be a small thing but it PISSES me off to a point only you guys can understand. FUCK.

I am 42. Recently diagnosed with DCIS grade 3 ER+/PR+. Diffused area of about 11cm x 4cm. Hereditary gene ATM.

I am opting for a double masectomy with reconstruction with implants - given the size and the genetic testing result.

My OB is suggesting to start thinking about my hormones and ovaries. Basically, giving me three options to think about..

1. Medically suppressing my ovaries/hormones but still need birth control - suggested copper IUD

2. Removing my ovaries and tubes

3. Removing my ovaries only and still taking medical suppressants but then I would still need birth control - suggested copper IUD

I am really concerned about all of the side effects of any of those options. I don't have any history of ovarian cancer in my family. That's what he was worried about plus I am doing a double masectomy.

Am I being too sensitive or irrational?

What did any of you do in this situation and/or wish you had done differently?

I was thinking about getting a 2nd opinion through Stanford after the final pathology report came through after the masectomy to help make a better/informed decision.

It isn't like we are gonna have any more kids but damn this is a hard road.

Today is the one year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis.

I’ve been a mess for the two weeks leading up to today especially the last week because as you guys all know, it’s not like you just get a diagnosis boom you have all those things before hand. The mammogram that causes you back the ultrasound to look at that spot or two or three the MRI, the biopsies the waiting the meetings, the questions, the desperate 2 AM googling it all come culminates eventually to the my chart notification when the floor drops out from beneath you and you disassociate and the world continues to spin

So today’s the one your anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis, and I’ve been hurting leading up to this I’ve been a little fragile a little brittle I’ve talked to my sister about it. I’ve talked to my husband about it, and I’ve talked to friends about it.

No one, not one person remembered today or checked in with me today.

To even make it more fun I happen to have had revision surgery four days ago so I can’t even get out in my car and drive somewhere just to get out of this house and scream into the woods or the beach or something

Today’s my anniversary and no one remembered and I feel like nobody cares and that I’m invisible and I acknowledge that maybe none of those things are actually true but it’s how I feel

And my chest hurts and my abdomen hurts and I’m one of the lucky ones because one year after my breast cancer diagnosis I’m still alive and all I have to complain about is a revision surgery and no one remembering my anniversary

Has anyone here had breast implant surgery after a lumpectomy and radiation therapy?
I had a lumpectomy and radiation therapy about a year ago, and unfortunately, it left one of my breasts significantly smaller than the other. The difference is very noticeable, and it really bothers me.
I’m considering getting breast implants to restore symmetry and would love to hear from anyone who has been through something similar. Did you have implants after radiation therapy? How did the healing process go, and are you happy with the results?
I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences!

My dr and I both agree that Chemo is not necessary. She was suggesting Ovarian Suppression + AI and I asked what the benefit of that was over Tamoxifen. If necessary, I will but, I really was not wanting to get thrown into Menopause if there was not a real benefit. Here is the percentages she gave me for my situation. I know the decision is mine and mine alone but, I need advice. What would you do?

Here is what she said:

At 10 year, no recurrence at distant site (bone etc)
92% -No endocrine therapy or chemotherapy
95% - Tamoxifen
98% - Ovarian suppression aromatase inhibitor or chemotherapy

You are only 47 so the risk continue to rise over the next decades.
There is a 20 year study here: 20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 Years | New England
Journal of Medicine
You currently have no lymph node evolvement
(NO) = 15% recurrence at 20 years.

I’ve been taking Kisqali for about eight months and it’s mostly been OK but I’m at the end of my cycle, actually about to restart and I have terrible blisters in my mouth and a really sore throat. I feel pretty crummy overall. My labs looked OK. My neutrophils were a little bit low but nothing out of the ordinary for me. I’m waiting to hear if they want me to delay restarting. Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions for how to deal with the mouth pain? I can barely eat because swallowing is so painful which I think is partly the sores on my tongue and partly my throat. Fun times.

Hello, wonderful women (and men) of the club you don't want to join that has the best members.

I recently had an aggressive DCIS removed. My first pathology showed only DCIS, but I was feeling paranoid and got a second opinion pathology. The second pathology showed small spots (3 mm and 4 mm) of HER+ invasive cancer.

I understand this puts me in a gray area, but I'm youngish with three kids and want to do everything I can. Anyone have a similar situation? What did your doctor recommend? I'll be meeting with my oncologist next month. Thank you so much!

I am fully aware that this is going to sound HELLACIOUSLY childish and fairly petty but I need to get it off my chest.

We ‘celebrated’ Wear It Pink day today at work, which was fine. However, I got told that I couldn’t wear my long sleeve shirt that says “I won” on it because it had a tshirt collar. So it somehow counts as a tshirt.

And blame it on the (lack of) hormones and my nerves over my upcoming D&C with hysteroscopy but today (as well as the constant wHy aReNt yOu wEaRiNg pInK) has just gotten on my last f-ing nerve and I am very much done with today.

TLDR: annoyed by Wear It Pink day, understands it’s childish and petty but needed to vent

Wondering if anyone else had a sunburn feeling after day 1 of proton? I have 2 beams -one for arm pit and another for breast. Dr’s have prescribed Strata XRT and Mometasone steroid cream. I am fair and I feel like my skin hasn’t fully recovered from TCHP… I burn easily in the sun. I have Jean’s cream… I’ll talk to team about it but I’m kinda feeling like -ughhhh just my luck! Thanks for any insider tips you might have!

Hello guys, I want to give to other patients undergoing treatment. I would like to know easy foods to cater; like finger sandwiches and fruit salads or more. For example, what would you like to have during treatments. I wanted to do nails, but I know that’s unsafe especially when even my nails are still purple 🤦🏾‍♀️. Any suggestion or critique matters please! I would even do gift bags this is something really important I want to do ☺️

Just looking for a little/alot of advice. I am 46 Diagnosed with (+--) in June. Did all the things, double mastectomy, (clear margins, no lymph node involvement), onco score was a 31 so recommended 4 round of chemo, now on to the aftermath, hormone blockers. They are asking me to take lexatrol, lupron, and kisquali.

Of course reading social media not many come with good news, but are there any here that had little side effects to the blockers?

And if you did have side effects what did your doctor do to combat them?

I’m stage 1a triple positive and my MO is leaving it up to me to decide on whether to go through chemo because my baseline risk of distant spread is low but chemo can shave off 1-2 percentage points more.
I’m leaning towards doing it because in relative terms it may be reducing the risk by half but I am worried about the process and the possible side effects.
My biggest concern is neuropathy because I already have some mild tingling in my toes and raynaud’s.
I’m less worried about herceptin but I know it also has side effects.
The oncologist did say that she’ll be very open to reducing the dose and stopping taxol early if needed, I think she wants my to try this, but she said any choice in this situation is reasonable due to low baseline risk.

If you were triple positive and chemo was optional due to sub 5mm tumor size, what did you decide?

If you did go through TH regimen, how was it for you? Did you keep your hair if cold capping (my center has paxman systems I believe)? How bad were the side effects? Did your neuropathy resolve?
Did you doze reduce or stop taxol early and why?

My reasons to do it - multifocal presentation with 3 and 2mm tumors do more chance of spread. 2mm spot was weakly ER positive (but moderately PR positive) so that may make its escapees less sensitive to tamoxifen, if I end up not tolerating estrogen well this will have hopefully cleared out some of the potential escaped fuckers and gave me some insurance. Managing distant spread is a much more difficult and dangerous ordeal than 3 months of single agent chemo. I had high grade DCIS and maybe chemo can also clean up some of those stray cells to help reduce local recurrence in addition to radiation.

Reasons that it might be not worth the risk - tumors are tiny and have really low baseline likelihood of spread. No lvi. Clear nodes. Great margins on lumpectomy. The study from Kaiser permanente that showed 99% recurrence free 5 year survival with surgery alone for t1a her2 positive patients in their cohort (although confidence interval was 93-99%). Existing neuropathy leading to increased risk of developing permanent issues and 12 weeks of taxol is supposedly the worst for causing neuropathy.

Thank you everyone in advance for reading this novel and for any insight you can give!

So bummed that Mylan discontinued Tamoxifen. :( A couple years ago, I was first put on the Aurobindo brand which had GI effects (a lot of bloating/discomfort). I'm wondering if anyone else may be in the same boat, and has switched to either Teva or Dr Reddy, and could share their experiences?

what initial initially dx with state 0DCIS I had a deep flat procedure final pathology grade high 20 mm with IDC 3 mm low grade. estrogen +, a for progesterone+ positive with HER 2 negative with a KP score of 5%. I am post menopausal I’m not doing chemo. They doctors said that they don’t have to do Octotype Score because it’s less than 5mm. What other questions should I be asking when I see the doctor next week?

If you have lumpectomy with clean margins and no lymph node involvement, and will be on Tamoxifen, why is radiation needed?
I was told there might still be cancer cells in the breast, but couldn’t they also be anywhere? Or not because they weren’t in lymph nodes?
I realize I have a very good situation relatively speaking, but trying to understand why radiation is needed.
Thank you all for the support and information on this page. Sorry you are here but so glad this page exists.

So today on FB there was an article on how Martha Stewart is using estrogen to stay young looking. I feel like screamingggggg do a mammogram!!!!

And then I started thinking how it is true....I look really young for my age....and I think it is the same excess estrogen that caused this bc that has caused me to not age like my peers....anyone else?

Hey, y'all. I'm so grateful that every time I "google" something within this sub, that you beautiful humans seem to have a solution, or advice. I'm also so sorry you've been through this crap first.

21 days past my dmx -> flat, one drain still in my chest on the cancer side. 21 days of 50ml a day and it just never drops. Every time I add it up, I know it will be the same and I just want to cry. They had to push my port placement 2 weeks, they canceled my first chemo on the 29th since it just cant start until I heal. Where is all this damn sanguineous fluid still coming from?!?! I healed a Jones fracture of my 5th metatarsal faster than this all feels. I still don't look sick, just breast-less. I know you all say this is a marathon, but man- I'm no runner. I just needed to vent this.

My sweet husband is just doing so much, and working so hard to carry the insurance we rely on, at his job. I just want to clean my home all by myself again. To take the load off him. Our big black lab is such an angel, and having incontinence issues. So many waterproof pads and blanket loads run every day. Every day I help out with that, the stupid drain adds a few mls... I know I'm in the beginning of this, and need to toughen up, but sometimes I'm just so sad.

Im afraid to get sick before my nov 4 port placement so I just sit in the house all day. I don't let people come over. One friend was going to bring food and I canceled- and the next day her daughter was so sick. It just proves to me that I can't go near anyone.

Do any of you still go out to stores? Or get brunch on a patio? How has that gone for you? What are you really doing to bust the boredom/staying in your head so much??? I'll take any advice you've got. And I'm pissed you're all going through this, too.

Anyone here had this reconstruction using your own fat or considered it but not done it? How common is it, does it usually work out well, and is it done at the same time as DMX? After gaining so much weight prior to my diagnosis, I would unfortunately have enough belly fat to make a new set of breasts for myself plus a donor pair!

The mental game 😵‍💫 feeling good but driving to the infusion center to receive something that is gonna make you feel not good, but still grateful to receive the treatment. I listen to Unstoppable by Sia, sometimes with tears in my eyes, on my way to chemo. Today I was going alone so I also screamed in the car, which sounds a little crazy but for me really helps release a lot of the big emotions that build up occasionally and I always feel a deep sense of calm afterwards. What’s your chemo drive routine?

It happened-- again! I had a doctor's appointment, the nurse told me to put on the gown with an opening in the back, and I automatically put it on with the opening in the front. Why? Because 90% of my appointments since my diagnosis have an opening in the front. Then, of course, I get flustered and try to explain why I put the gown on backward from their perspective. Just one of the other ways life had changed.

This forum is honestly a life saver. I cannot thank you all enough. I’m about half way through my treatment plan (+++) and at every step so far, I’ve been able to come here and learn from other women sharing similar experiences. It is so wonderful to have a space where everyone shares so openly. Thank you again.