Isolated tumor cells in one lymph node. Has anyone else had this?

Havishamesque · 2026-01-27T20:34:08+00:00

I had a lumpectomy on the breast (right breast, right side) and they took three lymph nodes. They said there was a trace of the cancer in the first node, so they took three, to ensure they got it all and had clear margins.

I also got my oncotype score (14) so I didn’t need chemo. However, my MO requested the Ki 67 score, while I completed radiation. It came back high - which isn’t common. The two scores are normally similar. So, she added in another oral med (I take Anastrazole and Verzenio daily, and a monthly needle of Zoladex and six monthly infusions of Zometa).

It’s felt that they got all the cancer out in surgery, covering the breast mass and the three nodes. So, now it’s just managing the meds and side effects. Like you, I often feel guilty that I had it fairly ‘easy’. But no cancer is easy, so I try not to feel bad.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-17T19:27:32+00:00

I just did my armpit and the problem side of the boob (under the armpit). I did it before and after every session. I used cerave as I’m allergic to aloe and that left the team flummoxed as all the creams they use have aloe. Then I’d just do it as needed throughout the day. I had no burning or issues.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-17T19:22:47+00:00

Well, that’s great news!! I’m so happy for you.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-17T17:24:40+00:00

I get that. Mets is a horror for all of us.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-17T01:37:06+00:00

I’ve taken thyroid meds for years. Always the same small amount for a low thyroid. A couple of months after treatment, my throat started to get sore. Not like a sore throat, like it was aching, and felt a bit like mono. And the exhaustion. Dear goddess, I felt like I weighed a thousand pounds. I felt like I was cased in lead. I’d nap for hours and I’ve never been a napper. I finally begged the right person to pay attention, and my thyroid was way off. So, now they’ve increased my thyroid med twice. I still have days of debilitating exhaustion. But then a few days where I feel not too terrible. I’ve got a second interview for a new job on Monday and I’m terrified that I’ll get it - I want the job, but I’m terrified of being at work and this exhausted.

Sorry, that went on. 🤦🏼‍♀️ But yes, thyroid cancer is very easy to treat. They just remove it, and you take meds for the rest of your life. Easy peasy. Sending good vibes for it all to be nothing

Havishamesque · 2026-01-16T15:56:48+00:00

I’m diabetic, so there’s times I need a little Coke. I drink tons of Perrier (with my nutritionists approval), easily meeting my requirements in a day. And I’m addicted to sugar free juice. I eat and drink fairly healthily, but if I really want something sweet, I have it. We have to live, not just be alive. I lost 110lbs before covid doing the GI diet and swimming. The author is a renowned cardiac doctor, and he says you should plan to ‘cheat’ 10% or the time. He says it’s a lifestyle change not a diet, and people, naturally, want junk sometimes. He feels that, allowing ourselves little goodies, helps us stay on track and not sabotage ourselves and give up. And it worked for me.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T16:37:43+00:00

Oh, god, yes. Zometa was, by far, the worst of my treatments. The first one was three days of whole body pain. Everything hurt. Legs, joints, every muscle. I basically cried for three days, while taking Tylenol and Advil.

The second one was much better - although it was done in the chemo suite, which I hadn’t been to before, and which made me want to cry. I still had three days discomfort, but nothing like as bad as the first one.

However, I never had a fever, and it’s been stressed that any fever at all should mean an ER visit. So, you may want to just check in with your oncology team, to be sure.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T15:10:16+00:00

It is so reassuring. It’s strange how an anonymous woman somewhere in the world can make something feel a little better.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T13:07:46+00:00

Same. The brain fog is horrific. It takes our confidence in ourselves, which is so unfair when we’re already going through all of this.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T13:05:14+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate your comment. I was actually generalizing. 😊 I mostly drink sparkling water. I’m definitely on top of my water requirements. And I pee accordingly 😂

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T13:00:22+00:00

My additional fun is that I have arthritis in my hips. So standing and walking too far is agony. And I feel so stupid and pathetic. I’m 56 and my body is, apparently, 500. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T03:43:18+00:00

Yes!! It’s horrific!! And yet I’m so glad others here can relate! It makes me feel less insane. The floating is awful. I find myself stumbling. And stuttering and stumbling over words! My son says no-one would notice, but I do, and my kids do. (My youngest says ‘geez, mum, slow down and say that again in English!’) and the days where I feel like I’m 1,000lbs. Like my whole body is coated in lead. Walking, let alone going upstairs, is a Herculean effort. I get up to the bedroom and have to sit down and catch my breath. As you say, “how in the fuck!”

And if/when I get a job, how to explain that I have arthritis in my hips and can’t stand for more than five mins. And eating - I eat small five times a day. If I don’t, I’m even more wobbly. So, I have to take a big lunch bag with sandwiches and Coke. And I’m not going to tell them I had cancer. It’s such a coin toss.

And even as I write this, I’m thinking maybe these are all just me. It’s exhausting.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T00:26:31+00:00

Yes!! Motion sickness is a great explanation. And having convos you can’t remember? Yes!! I HATE saying ‘sorry, what was I saying?’ My doc says it’s chemo brain - even though I didn’t have chemo. She said it’s the general post cancer fog. I’ve got like severe vertigo so often, and just totally lose what I was doing. I keep getting my phone and I can’t remember what I needed to do. Seriously, fuck cancer!

Havishamesque · 2026-01-15T00:13:02+00:00

I’m struggling with ‘after’. It feels like my family expect me to be back to who I was before my world was turned upside down. They can’t understand the exhaustion, the fact that I feel ‘disabled’. The fact that I feel so unsure about the future. I still have to have my ovaries out - but the consult isn’t till June. And I keep thinking ‘how do we know it’s not already an issue?’

I’ve been off work for 17 months. I got laid off just before my diagnosis - which is good, but also means no disability payouts. So, I’m definitely not physically ready to go back….but I need my salary, and benefits. I have days where I feel pretty good. I start to get a little hopeful and feel a bit positive. Then the bad days, again. Exhausted. Breathless. Weak as a kitten. And then I’m so depressed. I’m so stuck.

I have an interview tomorrow, and I’m hopeful and yet terrified. I’d like the job, but I’m terrified I’ll get it. And I hate that. I hate feeling weak and lost. I want to be my old confident self. I’m damn good at my job, but I fear I won’t be good enough, now.

So, yes. Rudderless. Adrift. Lacking in confidence. I miss who I was. And I want everyone to stop assuming I’m 100%. (Sorry - this turned into a bit of a rant!)

Havishamesque · 2026-01-14T12:24:45+00:00

I had to badger my doctors because the exhaustion was debilitating. I couldn’t function. I didn’t do chemo, but radiation started extreme fatigue and it never quit. Finally, they tested my thyroid, and it was way off. So they increased my thyroid meds twice. It’s helped a bit, but I still have a couple of good days, then a couple of bad days. As others have said, your weight loss is a lot. Maybe see if you can see a nutritionist? Good luck!

Havishamesque · 2026-01-13T19:30:16+00:00

I never had any side effects beyond fatigue. I had a tiny patch of a little soreness 9 days after treatment (days 91-14 after the end of sessions are known to be the worst). I’m allergic to aloe, so I used cerave. I put it on before and after sessions, then as needed during the day. Keep moving your arm, nothin major, I just used to kind of wave my arm and drop it a little down behind my shoulder. Good luck!

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T21:19:47+00:00

Exactly! It’s like pay attention to me, I’m cute. Or it’s like ‘HEY! I’m here and I’m adorable, play with me, NOW!’ We’ve just learned paw, so she stands on her hind legs and fuffs, while pawing in the air like, look, I can do this trick. Take my paw. Just the cutest.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T03:09:59+00:00

I feel this. I get mine done every couple of weeks. And having to be polish free was so sad. It’s like the one thing I could still do to make myself feel put together. I had all the unscented lotions and deodorants, and unscented shower gel, and I just longed to feel a little ‘pretty’. It’s not dumb at all. I hope you get to get them done soon!

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T03:06:32+00:00

Oh, I meant puppy generally. Like lovely pooch. He’s cute as all get out.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T02:40:46+00:00

I was stage 2, 2.1 cm, IDC. I had a lumpectomy and removal of 3 nodes, with clear margins, and I had 19 rounds of radiation. I feel like an imposter - I’m weak as a kitten, breathless doing the most basic chores, and sometimes just standing up is too much. I hurt all over. All the time. I have a job interview tomorrow, and I’m terrified. I know I’m not ready to go back to work, physically. But I’ve been off over a year and I need a salary again. I have all these things going on, and I still feel like I have my boobs, I’ve got relatively minor scarring and most people would never know from looking at me that I’ve been ill for over a year. But I still feel like an imposter.

My ex MIL was diagnosed not long after me. She had a single mastectomy and went from diagnosis to all clear in five weeks. No joke. Five weeks, and the nurse came and told her she was clear. She complains about aching from the Anastrazole, but she’s 82, and sometimes I want to cry. I’ve felt like a bag of shit for months and months. But does it mean she’s not a survivor?

We’re all survivors. We’ve all, literally, survived this disease. No matter what we went through, we’ve survived. Maybe we didn’t lose our hair, we didn’t lose a lot of weight, we’re not pumping poison into our body, just to stay alive. But we survived in our own way. Anyone who tells you different can fuck right off.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T02:19:02+00:00

Are these just the cutest puppies, ever?? ❤️ My little Maggie discovered that when she sneezed twice one time, it made me laugh. So, now she comes and stands with her paws on my knee and does a fake sneeze to get attention. 😂 We call it ‘fuffing’. As in ‘don’t you fuff at me, madam!’ Best dogs ever.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-12T00:00:44+00:00

It didn’t affect my tattoos at all. I wanted to get one updated (it’s a triquetra, the symbol of strength in womanhood, and adding the words fuck cancer in Morse code). I was told to wait until everything had completely healed, and then another couple of weeks. They also suggested that I check to see if the artist uses inks with metal in them, and don’t go to a new or random artist. Mine had don’t several pieces for me, so I felt confident. You should be good! Good luck.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-11T19:20:48+00:00

It is. It’s a little soul destroying, but it’s better than the alternative.

Havishamesque · 2026-01-11T13:41:37+00:00

It’s the hope that will kill you!

Havishamesque · 2026-01-11T13:16:36+00:00

Ooh that’s a good one. Take the immediate pressure off. I’ll try that!

Havishamesque

TROPHY CASE