Occult breast cancer

Hello to you all.  I was just wondering if anyone has had the same diagnosis as mine. I was diagnosed from a biopsy on a swollen lymph node in my left armpit in January 2023, my cancer is HR8/ER8 HER2 negative - CT scans on my torso showed that the cancer hadn't spread.

After an MRI on my left breast they could not detect a tumour but they saw a lesion in my right breast.  Following this discovery I was sent for further mammograms on my left and right breast and during this appointment I also had a biopsy on the lesion in my right breast which turned out to be benign. Attention then turned back to my left breast and I was sent for a 3D mammogram on my left breast. After being told that the 3D mammogram would pick up even the smallest tumour, nothing was found. After all the imaging options had failed to detect a tumour I was told that I definitely would have to have an axilliary clearance of the lymph nodes in my left armpit and that my options for the breast were: no surgery to the breast but watch and wait with mammograms every 6 months or mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  I was not guided in my decision by the consultant/s but I was told that following a mastectomy tumours that had not been detected in the breast had been found in the breast tissue after surgery.  My decision after much discussion with my family was to have the mastectomy as the thought of watching and waiting and having mammograms every 6 months was unbearable. I had a mastectomy on in July 2023 and was told in my follow up appointment after my surgery that they still hadn't found a tumour in my breast. I had 14 lymph nodes removed, only one lymph node had cancer which was 7mm in size.

Following my surgery I was shocked to find that a tumour had still not been found but I was certain that I had made the right decision to protect my future health.  After the surgery I was told I wouldn't have chemotherapy but would have radiotherapy which I had In November 2023. I am also taking Letrozole.

During my oncologist appointment in September last year  I was told that my prognosis was good as there was no tumour and there was only a small amount of cancer in one lymph node.  However, I have always had the thought in my mind that cancer cells had found their way to my lymph nodes so could they have also got into my blood stream before the tumour disappeared.  I am even more worried by this thought now as due to pains in my back I was sent for a bone scan in January that showed lesions in my mid and lower back. I have recently had an MRI scan to find out what the lesions are. At the moment I am keeping everything crossed for good news!

Thank you if you have taken the time to read my ramblings and I wish all of you the best of luck in your journey.