BREAST CANCER F/U

[dunnickeyes]

    DEAR DOCTORS---I AM A 53 YR OLD WHITE FEMALE ---DX IN SEPT OF OF 2007 WITH POORLY  UNDIRRERENTIATED  ADENOCA. OF THE RIGHT BREAST -- I AM ESTROGEN NEG AND PRESENTED WITH  TWO POSITVE NODES--TX PLAN-------LUMPECTOMY--THEN FOLOWED BY A NODAL DISSECTION (TWO NODES POS. AND REMOVED ) ---6 MONTHS OF TAC AND 6 WEEKS OF RADIATON FOLLOWED BY ARIMIDEX 1MG --EVEN THOUGH I WAS ESTROGEN NEG...
  MY QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS ...I HAVE TRIED THE ARIMIDEX AND FEMARA WHICH CAUSED INCREDIBLE MUSCLE WEAKNESS/PAIN  AND BONE PAIN--AND JUST WAS UNABLE TO TOLERATE IT ---NOW I KNOW THERE IS TOMOXIFEN LEFT---BUT AFTER RADIATION --I WAS DX WITH HEART DISEASE AND AT THE TIME TWO AREAS WERE BLOCKED AND STINTS WERE PUT IN--SO--- I WORRY WITH TAMOXIFEN ABOUT THE INCREASED RISK OF BLOOD CLOTS ( MAYBE IT IS A LOW PERCETAGE ????--DON'T KNOW !!!) SO --HOW NECESSARY IS IT TO STAY ON SOME TYPE OF HORMONAL TX ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE   ARE ESTROGEN NEGATIVE ??? AND SHOULD I MAKE AN ATTEMPT WITH TAMOXIFEN--EVEN WITH THE HEART DISEASE  ???
  SECONDLY--- THE ONLY LAB TEST THAT ARE DONE IS YOUR BASIC METABOLIC PANEL--(CHECKING FOR IE: LIVER /WBC /RBC ETC...I HAVE READ IN MANY AREAS ABOUT TUMOR MARKES AND MAYBE THEY ARE JUST REFERRING TO THE ESTROGEN STUFF ( HORMONAL LEVELS ETC) --ARE THERE ANY OTHER LAB ///SCANS THAT NEED TO BE A PART OF MY FOLLOW-UP PLAN???
I CURRENLY HAD AN MRI/WITH CONTRAST IN JAN.09 AND IT WAS NEGATIVE --ALSO IN AUGUST-09 AN ULTRSOUND TO THE AFFECTED AREA WAS DONE DUE TO SEVERE SCARING FROM THE RADIATION //DUE TO IT'S CONTINUED  (SLOW) BUT ENLARGING SCARRINGAND PAIN ON PALPATION I HAD IT CHECKED OUT--IT TOO WAS NEGATIVE--THANK GOODNESS --I CURRENTLY HAVE THREE CYSTS IN THIS R- BREAST AND THREE YRS AGO---- PRIOR TO MY DX I HAD A VERY LARGE GRANULOMA REMOVED IN THE LEFT BREAST --THAT COTINUES TO DRAIN  VERY THICK -STRONG ODOR  CYSTIC MATERIAL--THAT I CAN'T CHANGE--UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS !!!
  SO DOCTORS ---AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK REGARDING MY FOLLOW P TESTING PLAN AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HORMONAL TX FOR ME--THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME IN YOUR BUSY LIFE TO CONSIDER MY CURRENT CANCER SITUITION---KAREN

[dunnickeyes]

  THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LAST COMMENT--YOU ARE SO KIND !!! .... IN REGARDS TO THE BC EXPERT FORUM---WHEN I FINALLY GET SOME DOWN TIME AND WANT TO POST THE QUESTONS TO THE FORUM --- THEY  INFORM ME---" THAT AT THIS TIME  THEY CANNOT EXCEPT ANYMORE QUESTIONS ETC..---I AM NEW TO THIS SITE AND HAVEN'T LEARNED ALL THE SPECIFICS YET !!! LIKE -- I AM GUESSING THERE IS A BETTER DAY AND TIME TO GET YOUR QUESTIONS IN ---DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ???............
   REGARDING MY HER2 STATUS--IT IS NEGATIVE AND ALSO IN REGARDS TO THE HORMONE QUESTION AND TALKING TO MY DOC ABOUT IT ---I AM  SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE ONCOLOGIST THAT I HAVE BECAUSE WE REALLY WORK WELL TOGETHER AND POSING QUESTONS TO HIM IS NOT DIFFICULT OR THREATING TO ME AT ALL--HE MAKES ME FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE --EVEN IF THE QUESTIONS MIGHT SOUND SILLY--HE LET ME KNOW ON THE FIRST DAY THAT NO QUESTION IS SILLY OR DUMB .... I JUST KNOW MEDICINE VERY WELL--ESPECIALLY ONCOLOGY ---AND ONE OF THE BEST THINGS  ANY  PATIENT DEALING WITH CANCER IS TO KEEP WELL INFORMED THROUGH OTHER SOURCES---(WHETHER IT BE OTHER PATIENTS AND THEIR EXPERIECES AND OR OTHER DOCTORS THAT ARE COMING FROM DIFFERENT WALKS  OF  LIFE IN ONCOLOGY.... ESPECIALLY---THE DOC'S THAT WORK IN A RESEARCH HOSPITAL..AGAIN --THANKS BLUEBUTTERFLY FOR THE INFO. ON THE BC FORUM CONNECTION AND CLARIFYING REMISSION VS. NED... HAVE A GREAT WEEK TO YOU AND EVERY ONE ELSE READING THIS MESSAGE........

[bluebutterfly2222]

I followed your other post and noted that you got a few responses from other community members. I hope these were of some help.

I also noted that you have not posted in the BC Expert Forum; if you want to do that and need additional help, let us know.

You would probably have betters results, though, asking the doctor who is recommending the hormone supressing agent(s) your excellent questions about how important this would be in view of your ER- status and cardiac hx, since (s)he would have all the details of your particular situation.

You didn't mention whether you were told your HER2 status. As you probably know (since it sounds as though you've been working hard on making yourself knowledgeable about the whole complicated BC tx subject), that can have implications regardind tx as well.

Best wished for continue NED status!

[dunnickeyes]

JUST A SHORT NOTE TO THANK-YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT--HAVE A GREAT DAY !!!! --KAREN

[bluebutterfly2222]

As mentioned in my reply to your other post, if you want a doctor's response you need to post i in the BC Expert Forum (see  the "Related Expert Forums" box to the right of you post). It may take up to five days to get a reply from a doctor, so don't think you're being ignored if you don't get a prompt reply.

Good luck!