Did I Do Everything I Could?

I asked my Onc the very same thing "Is there anything more I could be doing" and she sadi no! As I see it with adding the Zometa we have done more than the current "Standard of care".....

What you do now is live your life!!

I hope you can start to move on and stop pondering about how effective your treatment may or may not have been. Only time will tell! I've noticed that you have started a few threads querying whether you should have also had xeloda- it's as if you are not allowing yourself to be reassured that your treatment has been as rigorous as needed.

As the previous two girls have said-"live your life"! Don't allow the cancer to steal any more of your thoughts than necessary. Nobody can guarantee that you will remain healthy and cancer free-either you will have a 100% chance of recurrence, or 0%. I've noticed too that you  reassure people that they will be ok-maybe you have to start believeing yourself what you tell others!

Pure

make a written list of everything you have done...look at it..take it in....you have gotten great treatment. when i start feeling vunerable...i realize that i had gotten 4 major treatments for my cancer. and the arimidex lasted 5 and half years. once you start your hormone treatment...remember...you are still in treatment for your cancer. surgery is the first and most important treatment; they take it OUT and the rest of treatment is to clean up and prevent it from coming back.

hang in there*

Interesting article my boss just sent me from Mens Health magazine to incorporate in to our next staff meeting - it is about cynics and success.  Basic synopsis is that in order to be successful you can not be cynical. 

Matthew McConaughey (inteviewed in article) says "Cynics love to put their finger on disease before they put it on health. It's the easy way to go. Play the blame game: "I got screwed" It is a dead end anser.  For me, "Just keep livin' " as a creed and a compass is about making the evolving choice, the forward-moving, life giving choice"

Interesting article which doesnt wholly apply but I found helpful.  I have earned the right to be cynical but what good does it  do me? Not much.

It was in the March 2010 Mens Health Magazine if you are interested.

Funny - everytime I speak with my friend who had the same diagnosis as me TEN YEARS ago - she gets all freaked out about some treatment that I got that she didnt back then.

To echo Claire - Jenn - There is exercise!

You have done a tremendous job to date fighting the beast. You took on this dastard disease like a true mamma bear, looking out for your baby and yourself and family with questions and courage. Congratulations. 

 As to the specifics, of course we are not your doctors. I was told surgery gets rid of about 70% of the beast, and then a combination of chemo, hormonals and radiation the rest. You did and are doing chemo combinations widely acknowledged to be key players in breast cancer. Just recently I reviewed a review paper by Norton, Hortobagyi, Bonadonna, and others* that anthracylines utilization in early breast cancer should not be given up lightly until more detailed clinical trials are very clear different regimens meet adriamycin's known effect. The taxane family of drugs too have been widely utilized over the last decade for their good effect in breast cancer.

One question I did have is are you going to have post lumpectomy radiation with attention to the axilla and clavicle area? Have you talked with a radiation oncologist yet? Radiation has long been used in breast cancer reducing local recurrences by about 30%, and perhaps keep potential left over cells in the breast or chest wall (for mastectomy patients) from being a source of distant spread (by gaining access to blood and lymph system). Lately too, there is the seed and the soil theory in breast cancer which is being bantered about by oncologists, and from my limited understanding, there always is that initial goal of reducing as much as possible circulating cancer cells (potential seed (spread) cells), which radiation may also do (see above). As to our original tumor location soil or distant soil (the stroma, or cell foundation onto which cancer cells may cling or imbed, even perhaps be called to by substances called cytokines unique to the soil), well it will be a long time in determining the details of radiation.

Regarding hormonal suppression, perhaps you might determine if you are 5% or 50% PR+, and ask you oncologist about the implications of your result? There is some discussion, based on look back clinical data that Tamoxifen may be less effective in ER+, PR- breast cancer patients. If you are 100% ER+, but 5% PR+, your oncologist may suggest Femara or (Arimidex or Aromasin) over Tamoxifen. There's a lot to discuss on this, but just wished to mention it so you might talk with your doctors.

Pure, I think you have done everything you can and you should know that. Know too, that hormone therapy will be a major player in the treatment of your breast cancer, perhaps for many years. Since your tumor was 100% ER+, you should anticipate a positive response with it too. 

Lastly, I always remind us to keep in mind that as we buy time with our current therapies, we benefit from future therapies being evaluated in clinical trials and at the bench side. 

Respectfully yours,

Tender

Role of Anthracyclines in the Treatment of Early Breast Cancer

http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/short/27/28/4798

Yes, exercise is part of your treatment plan.  Also, don't forget the wheat grass juicing as well as any nutritional supplements you take.