DCIS pathology

Posted by sue417 @sue417, Feb 9 8:27am

Hi
I had my surgery December 15th I just got my pathology this week and they originally told me my DCIS was insitu . I am er/ pr positive Her2 negative they found a slightly invasive cancer in 1 sample now I have to have my sinus nodes removed see surgeon Feb 14th. I was told because my needle biopsies were insitu they wouldn't remove sinus nodes. Anyone else have this experience

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mchler73 | @mchler73 | Feb 10 3:47pm

In reply to @sue417 "Hi So what treatment did you have to have." + (show)

@sue417
I had my initial lumpectomy, then had the SNB surgery where they inject the dye and see which nodes light up. I had 2 nodes removed and luckily both were negative.
I ended up have to go back and have a 3rd surgery because my margins weren’t clear enough after the first surgery. That was done about a month after the SNB surgery and “no residual carcinoma was found.”
Once I healed from the surgeries, I started 4 weeks of radiation (5 days per week) for a total of 20 treatments.
And now I am going on my 2nd month of taking Tamoxifen. I follow up with my Oncologist every 3 months for bloodwork and will alternate mammo and MRI every 6 months.

sue417 | @sue417 | Feb 10 4:12pm

In reply to @mchler73 "@sue417 I had my initial lumpectomy, then had the SNB surgery where they inject the dye..." + (show)

Hi
Did you have to have a general anesthetic or can they do a local anesthetic. I just don't want another general anesthetic I just started to feel better it's been 3 months.

mchler73 | @mchler73 | Feb 10 5:09pm

In reply to @sue417 "Hi Did you have to have a general anesthetic or can they do a local anesthetic...." + (show)

@sue417
Yes general anesthesia all 3 times. I was worried about it but I seemed to do ok. The hardest part for me was getting ready for the SNB surgery and also the recovery from it. It was really rough! Took a long time to not have pain and issues!

sue417 | @sue417 | Feb 10 7:40pm

In reply to @mchler73 "@sue417 I had my initial lumpectomy, then had the SNB surgery where they inject the dye..." + (show)

Hi
Any side effects from tamoxifen? I was told 5mg if I have to take it. Hiw many mg are you on?

mchler73 | @mchler73 | Feb 10 9:13pm

In reply to @sue417 "Hi Any side effects from tamoxifen? I was told 5mg if I have to take it...." + (show)

@sue417
Yes the Tamoxifen has been pretty rough. I take 20mg per day. I’ve been super irritable, anxious, get major brain fog and some depression…… So I am a real treat to be around!
I have Charley horse type pain in my toes, feet and calves and my eyes are so dry and blurry I have to wear Readers for almost everything! It hasn’t been fun!
Have you started taking the tamoxifen yet?

sue417 | @sue417 | Feb 10 9:25pm

In reply to @mchler73 "@sue417 Yes the Tamoxifen has been pretty rough. I take 20mg per day. I’ve been super..." + (show)

Hi
No that is not talked about until all surgery is complete and treatment is complete and my oncologist said 5 mg works just as well as 20 so maybe you should see your doctor and get your dose dropped I know I will not take more than 5 mg because I am super sensitive to meds and if it bothers me I'm not going to take it at all

mchler73 | @mchler73 | Feb 10 9:32pm

In reply to @sue417 "Hi No that is not talked about until all surgery is complete and treatment is complete..." + (show)

@sue417
I am definitely going to ask about the 5mg dose. I heard someone else also say it works just as good as the 20! Will see what he thinks.
Thanks and Good luck with everything!

sue417 | @sue417 | Feb 10 9:45pm

In reply to @mchler73 "@sue417 I am definitely going to ask about the 5mg dose. I heard someone else also..." + (show)

Thanks same to you

sue417 | @sue417 | May 2 3:17pm

In reply to @sue417 "Hi Do you mind sharing what your treatment was or are you still going through it" + (show)

Hi
I had my lumpectomy December 15th last year I had my Sentinel node surgery February 20th this year I had 20 sessions of radiation in 10 days and now I am complete they did not do an oncotype test because the invasive cancer was minutes and very microscopic and my Sentinel nodes were all clear my margins were clear so I didn't qualify for an onco type test I finished treatment April 2nd. My oncologist said it was up to me if I wanted to do tamoxifen I tried it for 6 days it was horrid the risk of side effects with all my health issues is way too high for me to even consider it so I am not doing anything else

einnoc | @einnoc | May 3 3:55pm

In reply to @mchler73 "@sue417 I had my initial lumpectomy, then had the SNB surgery where they inject the dye..." + (show)

Does anybody have any words of wisdom about preparing for a CT of the abdomen and pelvis, with contrast?

All I know is that I went in for a routine exam and bloodwork and the ALT/SGOT score of 67 was higher than the range of 15 to 37. Likewise, the ALT/SGPT score of 78 was higher than the range of 14 to 59. so now I am facing a CT scan, with contrast. Don't ask me what any of these abbreviations mean; explanation is never provided, but I looked it up and it appears to be liver scores. It's weird, because I had a test for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on Nov. 21, 2022 and my liver was fine then, even though I had completed taking Anastrozole from Feb. 1, 2022 until August of 2022. I did take Tamoxifen after that point, beginning April 23 of 2023, but I discontinued the Tamoxifen on Aug. 30 of 2023 and I only took 40 mg. a week for 2 of those 4 months, so I doubt if either of those drugs has brought on these elevated liver enzymes.
Other things that could contribute are drugs taken for joint pain (I take the occasional 15 mg. Meloxicam) and statins. I had taken Atorvastatin since I was 42 non-stop but quit taking it on Feb. 1 contingent upon a conversation with my G.P. when I return to the Midwest.

So, does anyone know anything about CT scans with contrast? How grim are the side effects, if any?