Worried, suspicious lesions found: Thought I was cancer free

Posted by vkm @vkm, Nov 30, 2022

I completed breast cancer chemo in October and found out this week that I have two suspicious lesions. One is on my spine and the other one is on my rib. I am scheduled for a PET scan tomorrow. I devastated to say the least...thought I was cancer free. Can anyone share any advice? Honestly don't know how I will handle another cancer diagnosis. Chemo was so hard on my body. Was hospitalized twice with chemo related issues. SO WORRIED

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pinkbean | @pinkbean | Dec 19, 2022

Hope it's going well with oncologist tomorrow.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 22, 2022

In reply to @tctredwell1 "Wishing you a speedy recovery. 🌷 Tomorrow I see the second-opinion oncologist and Friday the radiation..." + (show)

@tctredwell1, how did your appointments go? Did the doctor survive? Jesting aside, do you have a treatment plan?

tctredwell1 | @tctredwell1 | Dec 22, 2022

In reply to @colleenyoung "@tctredwell1, how did your appointments go? Did the doctor survive? Jesting aside, do you have a..." + (show)

Thanks for checking in. I met with the oncologist yesterday and she really has to wait until I see the radiation oncologist. I see him tomorrow on a Tele-Health call.

The oncologist yesterday said both breasts had DCIS but my left breast is estrogen sensitive and my right breast is not. Also, I have osteoporosis which makes taking the AI a little tricky. The AI she mentioned was called Anastrozole but she’s not prescribing anything until after decisions are made about the radiation.

Honestly, I don’t feel comfortable about getting radiation. I’ll have to see how I feel after talking to the radiation oncologist tomorrow. I’ll let you know and thanks again.

tctredwell1 | @tctredwell1 | Dec 23, 2022

In reply to @tctredwell1 "Thanks for checking in. I met with the oncologist yesterday and she really has to wait..." + (show)

Hi Colleen,
I spoke with the radiation oncologist today and he answered all my questions. According to him I’d have a 30% chance of recurrence in 10 years without radiation, and a 2% chance of recurrence in 20 years with radiation.

Regarding damage to the lungs, he said the damage would be minimal and I would hardly notice any change in my breathing.

When discussing my osteoporosis he said in his 12 years of experience no fractures have been reported.

As to my transportation issues, he said his other nearby office provides transportation.

He asked me to make an appointment for the planning session (CAT scan and marking my breasts for radiation) but when I told him my right breast was still bleeding, he said we can’t do radiation until the bleeding stops and the incisions are healed. Then he called my surgeon and left a message.

He said the radiation will be for both breasts, five times a week for 4 weeks. Bleh.

Not happy but resigned to going through with the radiation. Now let’s see how long it takes for the bleeding to stop…