Hello. I had the most painful hemorrhoids / anal fissures (not sure which) in the beginning of second 3-week cycle. Now on my fourth and the situation has gotten a bit better but still I get some bleeding each time I visit number two. At worst the pain was so bad that I had to bite some stick or cloth to get through it, like they do in military movies where someone's amputated or something. I dreaded going to toilet.

I used Prednisolone lotion and suppository combination treatment for two weeks, which mended the situation somewhat, washed and showered with warm water my - well the place where sun don't shine - after each time making stool. Prednisolone is however something that should not be used too long so I stopped after two weeks. The situation is not dire anymore but it's been 6 weeks now with each stool causing bleeding and moderate pain. It's the clear red type that you get with your first wipe only. Not colon cancer type of bleeding.

Has anyone had this problem during chemo and found some solution or got good recommendations from doctors? I'm +++ and on THP.

I'm on FMLA from work right now, just had a lumpectomy Monday, and am scheduled for a 2nd one this upcoming Monday to clear margins that came back as not cleared (YAY) ugh. At first I thought I'd be out for 6 weeks or something, but I'm feeling pretty good after the first lumpectomy (OMG, I wish this was it) and I could probably go back to work within two weeks of the 2nd, judging on how I'm feeling after the first.

I have the kind of job where I can't work part time- I'm salaried, and I work on market strategy so I either have to be at work, or not be at work. I can't do for example 3 half days a week. I don't have a treatment plan yet, and I don't know how any of the treatment will impact me- I mean, I can take an hour twice a week to go to radiation, but I wouldn't be able to manage working and doing radiation 5x a week, not to mention side affects. I have to be mentally on my toes. Aside from that, I don't think my boss is going to be very accommodating when it comes to time off, unless I'm taking PTO or FMLA. I can't just disappear for half the afternoon.

For those that have to work, and can't be off forever, how did you manage time off- did you take consecutive time off, have surgery, go back to work after surgery, and then take time off during chemo for example? Just looking for some perspective to get an idea of what's ahead from a work perspective. Will I have to take time off for chemo and/or rads? does it make everyone sick?

Thanks in advance for the insight-

I’m 40(f) just got my pathology report back. My Ki-67 really has me freaked out. Here is what my report says:

Final Diagnosis A. Left breast, needle biopsy

·         Infiltrating ductal carcinoma,

·         Differentiation, grade 2

·         Nottingham Histologic Score: 6/9 Tubule: 2 Nuclei: 2 Mitoses: 2

Involved five of seven cores.

·         The largest one, 8 mm

·         Lymphovascular invasion, not seen

·         DCIS, present

·         No microcalcification present

Prognostic markers:

ER: positive (3+, >98%)

PR: Positive (3+, 98%)

Her2: Negative (0)

Ki67: >50%

In short, I am not sure what this all means. I tried to read as much as possible about this, but I still don’t really understand how serious the Ki67 is given all of the rest of the data. I would love any feedback.

Hello! I'm looking to gather some creative ways to stay active. And how do you motivate yourself to move when everything kinda feels crappy. I have done 4 rounds of dose dense AC so far. Even in my recovery week, I felt a little fatigued - forced myself to do some light yoga, and a bit of walking, but didn't get much going. I also struggled with finding the will to move, even though I was super regular with gym, swimming, and a bunch of other active stuff pre-cancer. I guess the break in routine makes it harder to get back up.

Starting Taxol soon. I want to give myself the gift of movement through it, without ofcourse doing anything that may be medically not advisable.

Any good ideas?

I'm on round 3 (will be 4 on Monday) of Docetaxel, Carboplatin, and Herceptin. The extreme tiredness is really getting to me, and I can barely walk without my legs feeling very tired. For example I walk from my car to Target entrance and my legs feel like they walked a day at an amusement park! I also am extremely tired thought the whole day and I take 2 naps even. I don't get great sleep, I seem to wake up like every 2 hrs in the night but now I don't know if it's due to all my naps during the day! I brought it up to the Onc and he said to try to get in little walks like 10-15 minutes and that's all he said. In retrospect I should have asked him more questions about it.

I got my official diagnosis today! TNBC - Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Stage 2B, Grade 3! I was told it’s pretty aggressive and lucky for me, regular chemo doesn’t respond to it, so I’ll be one of the lucky ones who gets the “premium grade” chemo - which is supposed to be harder on body and will be done in weekly cycles. Is there anyone on this site who has the same diagnosis? Please tell me your story and reassure me as I am currently freaking out!

Hi there -

Stage 1 breast cancer, had 2 surgeries & whew, recently moved into the radiation part of the journey.

Anyways, it's turned my world on its side, but through it all? My dog, albeit confused by all the schedule changes & intermittent walks (or no walks during surgery recovery) has been amazing, constantly at me side. It's like they know something's up. Anyways! Do you have a great pet at your side though it all? Let's hear about them!

Hi - I’ve been on Verzenio for 2 months and doing ok. Today I got chest congestion and a sore throat. In the last few hours my temperature has gone from 96.6 to 100.3 w/chills. I have a call into my oncology department and the nurse is trying to locate my doctor.

Does anyone know if the protocol is like w/chemo & I should go to ER once I’m at 100.4? Or can I just take Ibuprofen and try to get the temperature down? The Verzenio website just says to contact your doctor. Thanks!

What was your treatment plan if suspicious spots on scans turned out to be serious? Like a CT for liver lesions.

If you were scheduled for surgery, what did they decide? Forgo surgery? Have surgery?

hi all, got my BC membership card today. have already picked up so much info and resources lurking this sub all day. thank you all so much for sharing and supporting.

waiting on a consult with a surgeon, but hoping you can help me understand something confusing in my pathology.

it starts with dx of ILC, but ends with LC in situ. is this a mistake? or is pathology saying both are present?

also not understanding the significance of 4 cores. i had 4 samples taken, is that what is meant by cores?

FINAL DIAGNOSIS A. RIGHT BREAST, 8:00 MASS, ULTRASOUND GUIDED BIOPSY WITH CLIP (RIBBON-SHAPED) PLACEMENT:

• INVASIVE LOBULAR CARCINOMA, SEE COMMENT
  • NOTTINGHAM HISTOLOGIC SCORE: 6 OF 9 (GRADE 2)
  (TUBULE FORMATION: 3, NUCLEAR PLEOMORPHISM: 2, MITOSES: 1)
  • SIZE OF INVASIVE CARCINOMA: 7 MM IN GREATEST LINEAR DIMENSION WITHIN A SINGLE CORE
    • INVOLVING FOUR (4) OF FOUR (4) CORES
  • NO LYMPHOVASCULAR INVASION IDENTIFIED
  • LOBULAR CARCINOMA IN SITU
  • FIBROCYSTIC CHANGE

I am so looking forward to no longer taking Verzenio. I will finish my two years at the end of this month! Of course the main side effect that I will be happy is coming to an end is obvious 💩 but sometimes I don’t know which effect is caused by which medication (I’m also on tamoxifen and get monthly lupron shots). Anyone have any insight into some of the side effects that went away after you stopped Verzenio? What do I have to look forward to? Will my hair stop thinning / my nails stop breaking? Will I have a little more energy?

I may be late to the game on this but I shaved my head last week after it was falling out in clumps. I was struggling at night because I keep my room cold, especially with the night sweats and my head would be cold.

Satin pillowcases!! I finally ordered a set and it's so much more comfy with the little peach fuzz and more comfy temperature wise. My head doesn't feel as cold.

I move a lot in my sleep so caps haven't been a real good option for me but the satin pillowcases are a game changer.

Hey y'all! (Long rant ahead, pls bear with me)

I'm (30F) losing my mind just sitting at home with my caregiver and its only been 2 weeks since my 1st round.

I was recently diagnosed with ++ - IDC BC stage 3 grade 2a and had my 1st round of AC last week. I will be having 3 more rounds of this every 2 weeks and then 4 rounds of taxol every 2 weeks. That's. 4. Months.

Normally I'm on the go all the time, working, hanging out, visiting family, traveling. I was even averaging over 10k steps at work (hospital pharm tech). This new lifestyle is killing me on the inside. My SO (32M) is stuck overseas until no one knows when and everyone is busy moving on with life while I'm sick stuck in bed/my homes vicinity.

My usual hobbies of reading and binge watching TV give me headaches and I've tried playing games and I'm going insane. I've started to lash out at close ones for no reason and I hate myself for it.

Thank you for listening to my rant/vent and any advice on hobbies that aren't really arts/crafts/gaming would be highly appreciated! 😭 please share your experiences because I have a feeling I'm not alone ❤ much love and well wishes to anyone else going through this awful ordeal!

It's fucking traumatic. I know it's stupid but god damn izzi doesn't get having a fucking cancer gene. It made me pissed being brac 1 myself. Watching my mom go through cancer and dying of it. Getting a mastectomy and going through chemo. I feel like she hasn't educated herself enough. Ok rant over.

Hey everyone, NB33 here and I just had my first chemo treatment (AC regimen) for breast cancer. I feel tired and there’s sensations in my legs (mildly achy). The doctors have all said symptoms don’t kick in until second infusion so is this a coincidence/just in my head? I did walk like 10 blocks after my appointment but that’s normal for me and I had no aches at the time. It’s been 3hrs since.

I can’t find much info online about day one side effects either. Anyone experience effects in the hours after their first infusion of AC regimen?

Thanks!!

Also fuck cancer

UPDATE: lol I just remembered I also got a Lupron injection today which lists bone pain among its side effect. I have a relatively low baseline for red blood cell count so i’m guessing that’s what gives re aches 🤷🏾‍♀️

Curious if anyone here has had experiences with estriol vaginal cream. It was suggested by the hormone specialist so sex can stop being painful. Apparently it's the least of the estrogens and can actually prevent breast cancer. To which my brain is like, but can it open me up to something else?

You guys, I’m so anxious 😭 I found a lump in February and got diagnosed with IDC in March. I’m currently waiting on my MRI results to find out if it’s spread. I haven’t started any treatment yet. I noticed today that my cancer boob has visibly shrunk in the last month or so. I read that shrinkage is only seen in lobular carcinomas, so now I’m convinced I have two different types of cancer. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi! My mother is going to start chemo soon. Can you all help me with a list of things to do to prepare for chemo and in general like a bucket list?

For now I am thinking of making her eat yummy restaurant food on a day or two till then, before her taste gets altered.

And what products do you all recommend? Hair wig? Scarfs? For nails? Dry mouth? Aquaphor? Constipation? I don't know what side effects will occur tbh. Just want to be prepared with info for her.

I stopped tamoxifen almost 4 months ago, but I don’t feel better. Tamoxifen was bad for me. In the year I took it I had horrible joint pain and was diagnosed with liver issues, diabetes, arthritis, the list goes on. I’m only 44 but I feel like I aged 20 years in that year. My oncologist ended up stopping it primarily due to the damage it was doing to my liver. He says it didn’t likely cause all of my issues, but maybe sped the process up. All I know is before I got BC I was in pretty good health, and now I have so many things wrong.

I thought my joint pain would at least get better, but it hasn’t improved at all. I’m so tired of hurting all the time. My oncologist says my joint pain was probably not from the Tamoxifen since it hadn’t gotten better yet. But I didn’t hurt at all before I started it.

Anyone else not feel better after stopping the Tamoxifen? Or did it just take a long time? Is there any hope for feeling better?

Hi!

My Oncotype results should be in by today according to my oncologist. I meet with her Monday to go over results. Does the oncotype go to your patient portal? Just curious, I know about the federal law and patient portals but didn’t know if this one is difference since it’s a tool for the doctors to use for treatment. I’m expecting a high result. I’m 48, ++-, stage IIa IDC with DCIS, node negative, grade 3, ki67 40% so my oncologist has told me chemo is likely. I had a DMX on 4/9 and was hoping hormone therapy would be all I needed but my appt with my oncologist talked a lot about my high grade and ki67. Just trying to mentally prepare myself. And checking my portal nonstop today!

I checked around on Google and in older posts here, but didn't find anything that addressed this - I'm 55 and have been in menopause for nearly three years. My last period was in summer of 2021. I've finished 19 of 30 rads, and I noticed today that I'm very lightly spotting. I even have minor cramping that feels like period cramps. I'm kind of freaking out, because I've read that any bleeding after menopause usually signals a problem. Has this happened to anybody else here by chance?

Hi! My mom who is 74 has now had chemo 8 times and has 4 left. The past 3 (with the exception of a skipped week and the chemo treatment following that) she has a weird seemingly side effect where she isn’t able to grasp words and is almost gibberish like or a toddler learning their words and focusing on one word and saying it over and over again. Her writing is also affected by this. She starts writing her name and the first letters are fine, but then she wrote the division sign over and over again.

Has anyone else experienced this? We have googled and search and I can’t find much other then it being similar to chemo brain. She is currently in the er and getting observed. They have ruled out stroke, but this just seems weird. Her ct and mri scans came back normal

Thank you for reading!

Hey y’all! I was wondering if anyone has been on Enhertu (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) and if their hair has grown back like their normal hair texture/type while still continuing with cycles?

I was diagnosed in March (IDC ++- grade 3, 2.5cm). I had my lumpectomy last week and I’m doing well. I know I will be going back in for a second surgery for reconstruction since they had to take nipple/areola. Curious if anyone else had the same done. Plastic surgeon will smooth it all over, and tattoo a nipple/areola on. I thought it would be funny to get a winking eye tattooed instead.

Anyway, I have my post op appt early next week. The pathology report came into my patient portal and I was able to see the results. And I did my best to decipher them. It looks like it’s a bit more serious than I thought. I went in thinking I had no lymph node involvement and I was stage 1. I also saw my Caris genetic test too. Both reports point to higher metastatic risk.

One sentinel node is macromets (3.5mm), have margin wasn’t clear in one area, and the Caris report showed mutations in PIK3CA and PTEN. PIK3CA is metastatic breast cancer I think.

Anyone else have similar situation? I’m glad that the SO and MO both told me we caught it early but now Im worried the cancer is both aggressive and has these mutations that it might have already started to spread.

I have no idea if BMX (is that the right abbreviation? I’m still learning) would be the best path. Or if I will need more surgeries for other lymph nodes, or radiation alone would work instead of chemo as well. I do know I will for sure get endocrine therapy.

I'm getting my lumpectomy Monday and I just wanted to post on here that I am actually looking forward to surgery as it marks a halfway point in my active treatment. I'm so ready to be done with everything! 6 months of chemo and immunotherapy, then surgery, then radiation and 6 months of immunotherapy. Hopefully they don't find any cancer, my last mammogram didn't show anything. If they do then I'll be taking a chemo pill also.

Y'all have been so wonderful and helpful to me when I've been freaking out or just feeling horrible. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone and post something I'm actually excited about getting done!

I had an unilateral mastectomy on 4/24/24. They put in two drains. I thought both were coming out today based on a post op appointment I had earlier this week. Today, they tell me only one can come out. The second can come out Monday. Has anyone else had this experience?

In addition, my expander couldn't be placed with the mastectomy surgery. Anyone else with delayed reconstruction? If so how were/are your results?

I was diagnosed with DCIS (grade 2 with necrosis) on 3/29. On the pre-surgery MRI it showed 7.5 cm which was shocking to me as I have very small breasts (I am an A cup). I asked if this meant I was more likely to be upstaged because of the large amount but I didn’t really get an answer. I’m getting a DMX May 14. This all was started after doing my first screening mammogram at 40 and I didn’t expect this to be the outcome. I’m just wondering how many of you had very extensive DCIS stay true DCIS at surgery. I am ER/PR positive.

I am just wondering if I am isolated in this experience. My nurse looks at me perplexed when I mentioned this. Each time I am getting taxol I get a very intense cramp. This feels like a period cramp. It is not good. This has happened each time for the last 3-4 times. I had my last period back in March. Any others out there experiences this?

Hi everyone, After my first Kadcyla infusion (which went really well overall), I have slightly elevated liver enzymes. I was wondering for those of you with experience with Kadcyla, are there things you recommend to eat or drink that would help with the liver? Thanks so much!

Hey ladies. A little background as to why I'm posing this question. 48 years old currently, Diagnosed 8/2022 Stage 1a, no node involvement 3.8mm tumor, 20 radiation sessions, no chemo needed. Began Tamoxifen in January 2023 and until about a month ago, all seemed fine. Then my body decided to revolt. My uterine lining was extremely thick and my estrogen levels were off the chart. Uterine biopsy came back negative for cancer, but my body is still revolting. Abnormal bleeding, cramps, and the lining is not thinning out. I'm scheduled for a hysteroscopy and a D & C, but both my GYN and MO have discussed a hysterectomy instead. If my uterus is going to continue to give me issues, and I'll need to take medicine to suppress my ovaries, I'm strongly considering having it all removed to get rid of the risk. Has anyone else had a situation like this? Any and all suggestions, references, etc is welcomed. I've already started research about recovery, further medical issues that may arise and bone density loss so that if I make this decision (I'm already STRONGLY feeling this is the direction I want to go) I'm doing it armed with as much information as possible. As always thank you for being an amazing sounding board. <3