Hi Lilwelsh.

i was diagnosed in June 2024 with ER positive and Her2 negative breast cancer.

After all my scans, mammograms ect they decided on a lumpectomy and a Sentinel lymph node biopsy July 2024 as my Lymph nodes were scanning clear but they just wanted to check that’s why they took just the one Lymph node.

I went for my results in August 2024 and it shown I had a tumour, ER positive and Her2 negative in my Sentinel node with an NPI of 3.26 currently. Not really sure myself what this means as I pretty much ran out of the hospital

Ive just had an Axillary lymph nodes clearance 10 days ago.

Im not gonna lie, it’s like you’ve been hit by a bus, especially when you think your all clear, but my way of coping is by trusting that our amazing team and surgeons are giving us the best treatment.

my original treatment plan is not certain now which causes me anxiety.

but everyday I just need to remind myself that, whatever the treatment it’s for my health and quality of life.

I’m in my early 40s with children so I need to just trust what they are doing and saying, they do this day in day out.

its awful and I really wish none of us were going through this, but together we can do this ️

i have also banned myself from Google, as this was causing me severe anxiety and everyone is different.

Hope this helps.

xx

Sorry you are dealing with this now as it is hard when something else surfaces.  One question did you already have a lumpectomy for your breast cancer?  I didn’t understand.  Take care.

Hi Sarah, thanks so much for your reply. Yes, it’s frightening and difficult to understand some of it I think, especially the technical stuff! I’ll chat to the breast cancer nurse who’s been assigned to me tomorrow and ask a few more questions. I don’t like the thought of having all the lymph nodes in that area removed with the risk of lymphodoema after, and other health problems I have make an operation more risky for me.

I initially told the surgeon last week that I’d like the operation as soon as possible, because of the lymph node involvement, but she did say that we could just carry on with the present treatment and test the node every three months, while the breast tumor is hopefully shrinking. I didn’t think to ask how many cells were cancerous, but maybe I’d rather not know! 
I’m so sorry you’re coping with this while looking after your children  As you say, we have great medical staff who will do their very best for us. Today I looked at the Penny Brohn UK cancer website and I felt a bit calmer after realising that I could focus on things like healthy eating, exercise and so on. They have lots of activities and 1:1 consultations, counsellors etc.

i wish you all the best Sarah, take care xx

• Hi Barbara, I haven’t had any surgery yet as the hormone tablets I’m taking are meant to shrink the tumor over a period of months. It’s shrunk by just two mm in four months but I was told this is normal, and that it can take a long time to shrink down to a size that would make the surgery less invasive. Tc x

Oh I understand.  I hope and pray all goes well for you and you get the issues resolved soon️

Thanks Barbara

I was the same, didn’t like the thought of my Lymph nodes been removed due to risk of lymphoedema but my surgeon has referred me to a plastic surgeon for this treatment to divert my lymphatic system. 

Lymphatico-venous anastomosis 

Something to ask about if you do need them removing.

i don’t think they like offering this, as the other girls on the ward hadn’t heard of it and neither have the nurses.

yes ask loads of questions.

i will be doing next time, I’ve got a note pad with things written down.

as i always forget to ask or end up so upset i just want to get out of there.

good luck with everything and like you said, we are getting fantastic treatments and we just need to trust what they are doing.

xx

I do remember all the ups and downs going through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and tried not to step off the curb.  Hugs to you.

Hi there

may I ask why are they removing all your lymph nodes? 
I had very similar - lobular in one breast , they thought no lymph, but did a sentinel node biopsy as standard procedure and found it in one. I had 4 nodes out. 
Now having radiotherapy on whole area. Supposedly lower risk of lymphoedema than having all lymph’s out.

just wondering if they discussed that with you?? 
All the absolute best to you 

I was originally told it wasn't in my nodes but after the sentinel node biopsy it turned out it had spread to one. The surgeon didn't recommend a full node clearance due to my age (46) as he said the risk of lymphodema was quite high. It was agreed I would have radiotherapy to the whole area and across my collar bone etc to mop up any rogue cells. As it turns out I've ended up having chemo too so I'm hoping that'll be enough to blast anything left behind!

Treatment options do seem to come down to clinician preference I think. I've seen some women younger than me who have been given full node clearance, yet my surgeon was very against it in my case‍

Sorry I'm aware this doesn't really help with your query!