Help Me Understand

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jess625
jess625 Member Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

Hi everyone,

I am not living with breast cancer, but my mother is.

I am trying so hard to understand it all. I am terrified but optimistic. I am a very detailed person and not being able to go to every single dr visit is killing me that I do not know all the details about it all. I am writing to see if anyone out there can help me understand all of this.

My mother is 52. She was diagnosed on October 16, 2008. She has Stage IIA poorly differentiated invasive breast cancer. She elected to go ahead and have a total masectomy with reconstruction, even though that one lump was the only place in her body that is has been found, according to the PET scan. They surgeon told us chemo was certain because of the size of the lump. No nodes were involved. Today is 3 weeks sense the masectomy and she just now met with the Oncologist today. He says that she will need to take 2 rounds of "RED DEVIL" and then 2 of the lighter chemo. I am just so confused. They have told her that her type of cancer was the best to have because the outcome was good, but the only people that I have ever heard of having to have this kind of chemo is the ones with extremely bad breast cancer. I have been told that it may just be the oncologist b/c he treats each patient aggressively.

If anyone has any insight please help me understand!

Thank you

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Comments

  • coonie
    coonie Member Posts: 7,618
    edited December 2008

    Hi Jesse 625

    Have they told you the size of tumor, er/pr Her2 status? I think all of that will determine treatment options. I was also diagnosed with IIA IDC breast cancer in 11/07. the tumor was 2.1 cm, clear margins, and node negative. However, I went with 4 AC and 4 Taxol, and a year of Herceptin since I am HER2+. I also elected to have a bilateral mastectomy once my chemo was complete. I feel very comfortable with my treatment. I'm young (45) and wanted to treat as aggressively as possible, cause I don't want to go through this again! I've heard that HER2+ does tend to be more aggressive. Every case is different though. You all have lots of decisions to make, and I pray that you're able to make the best choices in a confusing situation. Good luck!

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  • jess625
    jess625 Member Posts: 3
    edited December 2008

    Lisa,

    The tumor was 2.9cm. They said that is what determined that she would definitely have to have the chemo. They said that she is HER2- (which is good he said) but that her estrogen receptors(i may not be saying that correctly) were positive I believe. She had her first treatment today and they only expect to do one more round of the Red Devil in 2 weeks then she will do the follow-up treatments for several weeks coming in only every 3 weeks. What are we looking at long term here? Will she take meds continuously from here on out or will they just keep an eye on it through PET scans and such?

    Thank you

    Jess

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  • lilith
    lilith Member Posts: 543
    edited December 2008

    The chemo course sounds pretty standard, actually - a light one. It will all be over in 3 months! Side effects are the worse part, but it is doable. Your mom may need a lot of help and support, and you may want to make time to listen to her.

    If she is ER+, the hormonal treatment is likely to go on for about 5 years. It will be different depending if she is pre- or post-menopause.... Side effects from that vary from person to person, but it isn't anymore a chemotherapy - it is like taking a pill a day. And... having lots of hot flushes.

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  • coonie
    coonie Member Posts: 7,618
    edited December 2008

    Hi Jess,

    As Lilith said, if she is ER+ the doctor will probably want her to take hormonal treatment for 5 years. There are several different medications that could be prescribed depending on pre or post menopause. Since I am post-menopause (I had ovaries out at same time as mastectomy), I'm taking Arimidex for 5 years. It does have some side effects, such as joint pain, and a few other minor things, but it is NOTHING like chemo. The hardest thing for me going through chemo was fatigue. I couldn't hardly put one foot in front of another at times. But........I knew it was only temporary, and I just had a calendar marking off the days until my last treatment. When I was diagnosed, I had a PET scan just to make sure the cancer wasn't spread, and it was all clear. I have lab work every 3 weeks now since I'm doing Herceptin, but I'm sure once that's done, I'll just see my doctor every few months, and go from there. Unless you have some symptoms that are of concern, doctors may not want to do scans, etc. But if your mom feels like there is something "not right" she needs to mention everything to her doctor. Better to be safe than sorry!! She's so blessed to have you! I hope everything works out for you all. I was STARTING chemo a year ago this week, and I feel GREAT! I've already had two trims to my hair and my energy level is getting better everyday. If you have any questions about anything, there are LOTS of well-informed ladies on these forums and can probably answer anything you want to know. Alot of times even better than the doctors :) I wish you and your family all the best!!!!!!!!!

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