How many nodes did you have that showed C ?

susaloh

Hi Liz,

you are right, it is a personal decision, it depends on one´s preferences. It´s funny the two of us were in similar situations, both did some research but came to different decisions! It was very much on the edge - at first they even thought I shouldn´t have any rads at all! When I asked about the axilla, my radiologist said, my risk of getting a recurrence in the axilla would be halved by having rads. But she considered my risk of develloping recurrence at all at only 5%. That didn´t convince me. Like you I went through aggressive treatment and welcomed it - 4xEC, 4xTax and Xeloda, bilateral, radiation and hormone therapy. But then, if at all possible, I wanted to live a normal life, to sail, to travel, to work in the garden, to be in the sun without having to worry permanently about lymphedema or, if I got it, treatment of lymphedema. I didn´t worry too much about long term side effects of chemo, of radiation or AHT. But lymphedema was my big issue... my personal nightmare. So I decided to run the risk which I still think is quite small. 

Though what you say about ultrasound has left me worried, you are right - especially as this type of cancer is so sneaky (it was still invisible on the ultrasound when it was already everywhere), maybe I should get an MRI in regular intervals instead??

Come to think of it, if I had had 7 free nodes instead of 10, I might have made a different decision.....it was very much on the edge...!

trigeek

Twink check this site for massaging the girls to prevent capsular contracture:

http://www.womensplasticsurgery.com/postop_massage.html# 

my status now is : get the axillary dissection..

BUT

I have another appointment with a surgeon on Monday morning ( this will be the 4th surgeon that I have talked to -- formally.. not counting the ones that I have contact personally)

Got a surgery date for February 14.. Valentines day.. Axillary dissection, breast expander exchange, port removal..