Diagnosed over 10 years ago in 2012 mammograms were not what they are now my doctor told me I didn’t need one because I was only 41. I told her I wanted one because I was a nurse and I knew I had the BARD1 gene in my family, so when she called me and told me I had invasive carcinoma I said to her good thing I got that mammogram huh? Dead silence on the other end of the line, as the years went on I was free of disease for almost 5 years before the five year mark, it came back. And I was given a geneticist they are an amazing type of doctor. They explain every action of how the cells work like you were asking up there. I bet you can find your answer on genetic websites or if you happen to have one, you can ask your genetic doctor, my oncologist confers with her often when I was diagnosed again in 17 I was only given 3 to 4 years to live, well here. I am now 24 and it’s because they keep inventing better and better treatments. The best treatment invented was. traztuzamab / Herceptin Prior to the invention of that you were doomed if you were triple positive now that they have that triple positive people are living someone on this site said 20 years… on a message to me, and they just keep inventing more and more when I was originally diagnosed and went through ATCH. There was no Perjeta yet. I had the chief as my Doc he opened the breast center at a Major teaching hospital in Boston. Famous guy. I was lucky. He made me no evidence of disease for almost 5 years and told me when the announcement was made at A Conference, that Traztuzamab was going public. He said 800 chief oncologist at the conference stood up and gave a 15 minute standing ovation. That’s how powerful the new drugs are regarding saving lives. It’s amazing and I guess I should say it’s amazing to be alive today because of that drug.

That is a good question, Barbara66. I think the 3D Mammograms now have detected cancer earlier...at stage one...but it still is cancer. I hope someone responds...interesting.

The nausea with chemo was not controlled years ago as well as it is now. Much easier these days

Hi, Barbara66, Maureen 212 here. In 2001 I had my very first mammography at 49 years old. There was an abnormal grouping if calcifications. My GYN told me to find a surgeon. I went to my GP who told me to find an oncologist. Since he was my doctor for many years, I took his advice. I had a biopsy done, then a lumpectomy. My surgeon felt I needed to have radiation, I was against it. My oncologist took my case before the Tumor Board at my hospital, all decided unanimously, I did not need radiation. All the tissue removed during the lumpectomy was negative, meaning the surgeon removed all of the abnormal calcifications during the biopsy. I was put on Tamoxifen for five years, case closed. Now, 2023, another abnormal mammography. This time my oncologist, same one as 2001 (I’ve been going to him all these years), recommended chemo/herceptin treatment. He gave me one month to decide. I decided - no chemo/herceptin. My feeling is, the treatment would probably kill me before the disease. There were way too many ugly side effects. The point of my very long winded story is, back in 2001, there was no real specific testing like there is now. Do we know for a fact that it’s such a precise science? No, we do not. I read your update, your decision to stop treatment was extremely brave. I think of you every day and pray for the best. We, all of us, need to have positivity. That’s the most important thing.

Treatments used to keep nausea at bay. Keytruda to make the cancer cells disappear and reconstruction offered with a mastectomy which insurance will pay for. We have made so many advances which provide a more positive outcome