What do I need to ask?

Momojcbc

My 15 year old son was diagnosed with stage 3 anaplastic large cell non Hodgkin lymphoma in September. His treatment didn't take and now he needs a bone marrow transplant.

Today I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carsinoma spread to my lymph nodes. And tomorrow I go in for my sons appointment as they tell us if me or his dad are the Better half match. I assume I'm out with this new news.

My doctor said he still waiting on more results for a plan. I don't even know what questions to ask.

I can't believe this is even happening.

nye1980

I don't have advice, but wanted to send you all my love. My mother was diagnosed with esophageal cancer three weeks before my diagnosis of breast cancer. Those seven months were the hardest of our lives. Unfortunately you are right, you cannot donate bone marrow when you have invasive breast cancer.

I am so deeply sorry for what your family is going through.

keepthefaith

momo, so sorry you are going through this. You Dr may order more tests before they offer a treatment plan, such as scans, genetic testing, etc. I can't imagine what you are going through for yourself and your son/ family. I'm sure it feels very surreal right now. Once you get a treatment plan in place, you will most likely start to feel better, mentally. Meanwhile, I wish you all the best.

gb2115

Sorry for your bad news. There's really not much more to ask the doctor until he gets his results back. He might be waiting on detailed pathology, which definitely determines treatment planning. There's a lot that goes into deciding what to do next. Sometimes people get chemo before having surgery, but it depends. They might also send out for certain types of genetic testing, or even send you for additional scans, like an MRI, to cover all bases.

ElaineTherese

Oy, Momo.

When it rains, it pours sometimes. Sorry to hear your story.

Things you'll want to know (though your doctors might not know until the tests results are in):

1) How quickly is my cancer replicating? (What grade is it?)

2) Is my cancer fed by estrogen? (Is it ER+/PR+? Or, ER+/PR-?)

3) Does my cancer have an over-expression of the protein, HER2? (Is it HER2+?)

4) What is the approximate size of my tumor? Is it one lump or more than one (multifocal)?

5) How many lymph nodes do you think have been compromised?

6) Does it make sense for me to get a PET scan to see whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of my body?

Those are the kind of things that will shape your treatment plan. ((HUGS)) And, I hope your husband is a good match for your son!

Momojcbc

Thank you ladies. I meet with the dr tomorrow and he said he will have more details for me.

Elaine-Thank you for the questions! I will be taking these with me.

I think I am still in shock.