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How do I know the surgeon took enough lymph nodes during my surgery?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Oct 29 4:24pm | Replies (33)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for your response. I do remember having those injections before my surgery.
They took two lymph nodes which both showed a small amount of cancerous tissue. They did not know the pathology until after my surgery so I'm wondering if more should have come out?
I will see the oncologist this Friday so I will ask him. My tumor was ER/PR positive and it was in the nipple area.
I would have thought you would have an MRI. I have had two since they found out about the cancer. Next month will be a year and I have things which pop up that scare me. I now have a small hard knot in the fatty tissue of my arm which could be nothing but a lipoma. My underarm is hard and swollen so I need to get that checked out.
I went thru weeks of radiation and no chemo. My onco score was and I am years old. I was put on Anastrozole, and I couldn't take that at all. I still have my female reproductive organs, so I was not a candidate for Tamoxifen. If I had continued on the Anastrozole I could see myself not walking. It has horrible side effects. I'm currently taking Letrozole which I have done well with it. None of the complications I had with Anastrozole.
If I was you, I would ask for an MRI just to check for reoccurrence.
Replies to "Thank you for your response. I do remember having those injections before my surgery. They took..."
I did ask for an MRI (rather than a 3D mammogram), as my annual screening was to take place after Aug. 22nd. I asked of my Iowa City oncologist, who said, "You aren't bad enough." He told me that I had to be classified as 2B "or insurance won't pay for it." He also said that the radiologist who did your last 3D mammogram should write something to the effect that you had "dense breasts" and that might get you an MRI. I had never heard that I had to have the "approval" of the last year's radiologist (and, therefore, didn't lobby for it from her) and I wondered why I wouldn't be considered "bad enough" when you consider these factors: 1) I have been told that I have "dense breasts" for years and am always being called back for more screening because of it (2) In fact, I have 3 stereotactic biopsies since 2018 (benign). The one on Dec. 7, 2021 found an 11 mm. tumor. The one on Feb. 14, 2023 was lumps from my lumpectomy. (3) I tried for a full year to take the adjuvant therapy pills (Anastrozole for 7 months and Tamoxifen for 5 months). I could not tolerate either and Anastrazole put me in a wheelchair for 6 months, so I have been off all of the adjuvant therapy pills since Aug. 30, 2024(4) My LFTs have skyrocketed since May 1, 2024, going as high as 282 when and 242 when they are not supposed to be above 25 or 35 (5) My father died of liver cancer that spread from his colon cancer and killed him in 6 months. Setting aside the peace of mind issue, you would think that those factors would be enough to grant me an MRI this year, but I was told "no" in Iowa City and my doctor there also said he wouldn't order a 3D mammogram for me, because "you can do it yourself." I came back to Texas (Austin) to be seen for the elevated liver enzymes because Iowa City couldn't work me into their schedule until Nov. 22, by which time my liver could well have been Stage 4, terminal. I asked my oncologist her in Austin for an MRI for the reasons given and he ordered one "stat" which I had on Aug. 13 and which was NED. I also have become an Ambassador for women like me who are constantly told "no" to the tests they should be entitled to. When I found out that the MRI test was, actually, affordable for me, I decided I would have one no matter what. Please read these stories from women like me who are constantly denied tests that are considered "standard of care," as I was. https://mydensitymatters.org/programs/my-story-matters/
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Hi traci999, I also have some small lumps popping up in the fatty tissue of my skin in the area of my radiation treatment. On my back and under my arm near the axilla. I asked the oncologists what it is, is it scar tissue and he says yes but his tone is hesitant, so I don’t feel reassured. It does itch quite a bit??? Any thoughts ???