My leukemia's back.

[Blooie]

Blooie, I am a 14 year breast cancer survivor. I was initially diagnosed with 5 lumps. 3 on one side, 2 on the other, and in the lymph nodes on both sides. I was stage 3.

The good news is that it's not in the lymph nodes yet. More good news is, if she has a good oncologist, and surgeon, she can live a long, productive, happy life.

You, meaning all of you, are in my prayers.

Thank you so much! The adult, intelligent part of me knows that breast cancer, especially if the lymph nodes aren’t involved, is highly treatable, but the Gramma side of me is still shaking in my boots. I have only to look at Terrin, my own daughter, who is a 2 decade cancer survivor, to give me hope for Little Diane.

 

[Blooie]

Little Diane had her initial oncology and surgical consults today. I’ll let her tell you in her own words. I just screen-shot her post. (I’ve blacked out comments made by others)

 

[N F C]

Little Diane had her initial oncology and surgical consults today. I’ll let her tell you in her own words. I just screen-shot her post. (I’ve blacked out comments made by others)

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Keeping Little Diane in my thoughts and prayers Blooie

 

[bruceha2000]

Heart conditions too??

 

[Blooie]

Heart conditions too??

Yep. She inherited Marfans Syndrome from her dad’s side of the family. It’s a connective tissue disorder characterized by unusual height, extra long digits, a pigeon chest, very loose joints, crowded mouth with an extremely high palate, floating lenses in the eye, and thinning aorta. Patients don’t have to exhibit all of the characteristics. John, her dad, has them all to the max. The lenses in his eyes floated so severely that he had to have a surgery similar to cataract surgery to reattach them. But they could still let go again. His aorta continues to thin but so far he’s help up okay there. Little Diane has the telltale heart murmur warning of potential aortic issues down the road, pigeon chest, long narrow fingers and toes, loose joints, and high palate. Her half sister Lacey has it much worse. She’s already legally blind and has been since she was 16, plus she has all of her dad’s other Marian traits.

That’s why Little Diane has never had and never will have children. She says it stops with her. Most people with Marfans as severe as John’s usually don’t survive into their 50s. His dad died from his at 29.

 

[bruceha2000]

Poor Little Diane! Way too many problems for a young person Give her many for me on FB.

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks for the update @Blooie

I pray the cancer is super easy to cut out, and contained!

 

[getaclue]

Her testing should include a neck to knee MRI, a CT scan, and a bone scan. What type of treatment does her oncologist intend to use? Depending on the treatment, a bone density scan is in order too. Is she HER2 positive, or negative? Is her cancer estrogen and/or progesterone receptive? It should read something like ER+/-, PgR +/-, HER2 +/-
What stage have they determined her at?

Sometimes, it's best to do the treatment first, then the surgery. It may be easier to heal, and less stressful on the body to do the surgery after the treatment has stopped, or radically slowed down the cancer activity. These are things she needs to be addressing with her oncologist, not just the surgeon.

Her ER, Pgr, and HER2 factors, she might as well commit to memory, as they will crop up from time to time, in years to come, and she will be expected to know them.

 

[Alaskan]

Her testing should include a neck to knee MRI, a CT scan, and a bone scan. What type of treatment does her oncologist intend to use? Depending on the treatment, a bone density scan is in order too. Is she HER2 positive, or negative? Is her cancer estrogen and/or progesterone receptive? It should read something like ER+/-, PgR +/-, HER2 +/-
What stage have they determined her at?

Sometimes, it's best to do the treatment first, then the surgery. It may be easier to heal, and less stressful on the body to do the surgery after the treatment has stopped, or radically slowed down the cancer activity. These are things she needs to be addressing with her oncologist, not just the surgeon.

Her ER, Pgr, and HER2 factors, she might as well commit to memory, as they will crop up from time to time, in years to come, and she will be expected to know them.

Great advice.

 

[Blooie]

I just screennshot everything you said and sent it to her. Thank you!! She did ask her Mom to do this genetic test. I don’t know if Little Diane is getting a full body MRI or what else they’re doing testing wise. I do know she’ll meet with the oncologist afterwards. It’s tough because she has no insurance.