Anyone experience regional recurrence of stage 1 ER+ BC < 5 years?

Oh, that is wonderful! I feel kinda bad for being so pushy, but I really, really believe sooner is better. Thank you so much for keeping me posted! I will be thinking of you.

Hi @sarahmh

Please share what exercises you are doing for breast lymphedema.

If you are doing manual massage, how long does it take daily?

Is your sell spot just a partial insert in bra or fill the entire bra…?

I also have breast lymphedema….

@maliamd
So sorry to hear this, about the spread. Were you taking an AI and if so which one? Do you know the grade of your original tumor? I just met with my oncologist, yearly checkup and asked why I was in the 2% of local recurrences and she pointed out mine was grade 2.

I was on Femara for 3.5 years when they found the spread. Grade 1, no lymph node involvement. Healthy lifestyle and avid runner.
I now take statistics with a grain of salt.

that sounds so unreal, that yr bc was grade 1, stage 1, no positive nodes, you had rad etc… do the doctors have any explanations?? no family cases either?
are you pre or post menopausal? sorry for all the questions, i just dont understand this

Had radiation. No family history. 71 yr. The docs were shocked when they saw. I never should have met with my findings and history. But it is what it is. There is still so much to learn about breast cancer. My take away is that you are never in the clear once having breast cancer no matter what your findings are. Everyone must diligently watch yourselves the rest of your life. You must be your own advocate.

yes you are absolutely right, thanks for sharing yr experience as this is an important reminder. Some things are beyond our control. Wishing you well, many new meds for mets I have read. (we are similar age, i am 72)

Oh, I'm sorry you have breast lymphedema, too. My case is thankfully very mild, probably because my breast surgeon was so proactive. We did a baseline SOZO before my lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, and then again after. It didn't detect any lymphedema, but the physical therapist who saw me also did a very thorough examination and noticed the beginning of breast lymphedema (I had minor swelling of the breast, and 'orange peel' skin). She taught me some exercises, but I honestly haven't done them for ages, because I now do a class called Healthy Steps, which has most of the same moves. The physical therapist also made me a DIY swell spot, and I just make new ones as they get grubby. Mine is about the size of a credit card, and I just randomly move it around to different spots inside my bra. I would like to order an actual Swell Spot that covers my entire breast, though. I also wear a tight-fitting sports bra at all times (I've always slept in soft bras with no underwire anyway, it's just more comfortable for me since I have big, floppy boobs). The PT did try using kinesiology tape cut into a long, octopus-type shape, but my skin hates almost all adhesives and it gave me a rash. I see my breast surgeon's NP every six months and she always checks out the lymphedema. As I lay on my back, she will do very gentle massage directly on my breast for only a minute, and we can see immediate results. I should do massage myself at home; I would guess only five minutes per day would yield great results. Here are some links to all this:

Kelly Reed is a PT with lots of great YouTube videos about breast lymphedema. Here's one that shows some exercises:

Good luck!