CALLING ALL STAGE I SISTERS

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    Welcome Chris... Im glad you found us too.

    Sheila

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  • Weezie10
    Weezie10 Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2010

    Sheila,

    Thank you for the welcome! the trial is to see if 12 weeks of taxol and herceptin, followed by herceptin for the remainder of 1 yr, is as effective as standard treatment (TCH, AC etc), supposed to be more well tolerated, less SE,...standard treatment is supposed to be appr 50% risk reduction, they just dont know yet with the trial. Also, my Oncotype score was 47 - that really threw me, i really thought it was going to tell me i didn't need chemo. Any thoughts are so appreciated.

    Weezie

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    Welcome to you new ladies.  You are bound to find oodles of info here to help you make your decisions. 

    Susu, you can take as much time as you want before you make your decision on recon.  Although I only had a lumpectomy, it to a hunk out of me.  I waited from surgery 1/22/04 to Dec 2008 before I started recon.  I was at my PS last week and asked to look at all the pics.  It nearly made me cry top see how far I'd come!  And what a good job my dr. had done!

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  • o2bhealthy
    o2bhealthy Member Posts: 2,101
    edited March 2010

    Weezie -  Welcome!

    I was on the Taxotere, Cytoxan, Herceptin trail and will be finishing Herceptin only this July.   It was doable...My side effects were pretty manageable. One thing I learned was to stay on top of the side effects by taking your premeds and anti nausea meds every 4-6 hours for the first 3-4 days after chemo, even if you feel ok.   There are some great threads on how to prepare for chemo and common remedies to help with SE's.   Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

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  • susu1976
    susu1976 Member Posts: 106
    edited March 2010

    Thanks for sharing that with me Meece!  It helps to know that someone else decided to wait for reconstruction.  I've decided I'm not going to put any time frame on it--I'm trusting that someday I will just wake up and know that it is time to schedule the appt with the plastic surgeon.  Until then, the foobs are ok, and knowing that summer is coming soon, I'm all right with my flat chest because it is so much cooler and comfortable than my former 44Ds.  Of course, facing a swimsuit is a different story...yikes (for SO many reasons).

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  • saw
    saw Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2010

    Just diagnosed and full of questions. Mixed answers. Don't feel positive of my decisions. Scheduled for lumpectomy + rad on April 1. Do not know receptor yet; however, <1cm stage 1. I have breast implants now (Due to a previous injury not cancer) and have been told the raditaion could cause scar tissue buildup around implant w/pain. I have an older sister two times positive w/radical mastectomy. Family not told due to many family health issues and not wanting to add to the stress. Should I know receptors prior to making decision on lumpectomy or mast? All of you ladies are giving lots of information I don't have yet. I don't feel I have all the information I need to feel good about choices. Am I just nervous because of recent diagnosis?

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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited March 2010

    Welcome saw.  Sorry youre here but there are alot of caring people around here to help you out.  I've done both lump + rads and just got done with double mast & DIEP reconstruction.  If your doctor is giving you a choice between lump or mast, then it definitely comes down to personal preference.  I was not peaceful with just the lump/rads route, so I scheduled the double mast and for me it was the best decision.  But I have a friend with same dx as you and I who did the lump/rads and is perfectly happy and would NEVER dream of doing anything else unless she had to...she thinks I'm nuts, LOL. And after I got the mastectomy, my pathology showed no extra cancer, so the lump/rads took care of everything.

    I had to go with DIEP instead of implants because of the radiation...it does cause scarring etc. but my skin held up very well to the rads...barely a sunburn.

    Hope that helps a little?  The first few months of being dx'd is the hardest.

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    Saw, welcome.  Radiation affects tissue differently, so it's hard to say.  More than likely you would develop capsular contraction around the radiated side's implant.  If it's under the muscle you might have less problem.  But none the less, you can have recon surgery to deal with that and updating your look after you finish rads.

    I had the mx or lumpectomy choice given to me before surgery, but I had no path back on it yet.  I chose lumpectomy, but due to being a triple negative, I had to have chemo and rads.  I might have chosen the mx if I had known first.  Hindsight is 20/20.

    Good luck in the decision making.  Please tell your family, they can be a great support for you.

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  • AStorm
    AStorm Member Posts: 1,429
    edited March 2010
    Saw, Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed, I kind of wanted doctors to make decisions for me and I really wanted to get rid of the tumor. My doctor convinced me that I had time to make a rational decision and that I should wait to find out about the receptors. I had a system for making my decisions: I put together a list of what my priorities were for treatment, and then my options for treatment. Then I gathered information about the factors that would help me make decisions and evaluated each option based on how it met (or didn't meet) my objectives. And I put everything on paper. This approach helped me get organized and formulate questions and get answers with a little less emotion. One of my highest priorities was to reduce risk of recurrence (not wanting to stress the family since we've had a lot of health problems and tragedies). Knowing what type of cancer I had (receptors) is a factor for recurrence risk and treatment choices so it was essential that I have that information to make my decision. I was really on the fence so I had the BRCA test too and when it was negative I decided on a lumpectomy which would have been followed with radiation, but I didn't get clear margins (healthy cells around the tumor) and when I looked at the pathology report I was concerned that I would be repeating this experience so I had bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction. I guess my point is that these are really hard decisions and we all face them with our own set of concerns, not to mention our personal pathology. Get as much information as you can about your situation. I was really glad that I documented how I reached my decision, because I had some regret after surgery but I was able to look at my 'report' and remind myself why I chose the mastectomy.
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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010
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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited March 2010

    love your picture!

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    cake...Thanks. Don't I look little thinner in this picture?  LOL

    How are you feeling?

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    Saw...Welcome and sorry you have to make a decision.

    It must be difficult. I wasn't given a choice. BS said you need a Lumpectomy.

    whatever choice you make we are here to support you.

    Sheila

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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited March 2010

    LOL, super thin Sheila!

    Leveling out in pain and time management.  Bored at sitting around, but I shouldnt complain!

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  • olivia218
    olivia218 Member Posts: 257
    edited March 2010

    Saw -

    I am so sorry for your recent dx. This is a good place to be to ask questions, be emotional, angry at those who say dumb things.  At first I was told lumpectomy and then two weeks later it was multiquadrant and Mastectomy. I got lucky the dx made the decision - then the microinvasions were IDC and more than originally thought.  

    Prayers and hugs

    Olivia 

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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited March 2010

    Good morning everyone!

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  • olivia218
    olivia218 Member Posts: 257
    edited March 2010

    Good Morning Cake - how are you feeling ???

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    Seyla, Your waist loks absolutely wispy!

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    Good Morning. I feel little lazy today.

    Thanks Meece. LOL

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  • elimar86861
    elimar86861 Member Posts: 7,416
    edited March 2010
    Ooops!  I had to move the birthday wish for Meece over to E-LAB.  But Happy Birthday here too.  In fact, we are partying on several threads with her today.
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  • cakeisgreat
    cakeisgreat Member Posts: 660
    edited March 2010

    sheila I hope you get a good nap today!

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  • chasinghope
    chasinghope Member Posts: 126
    edited July 2010

    Weezie ((((BIG HUG))))

    I am stage 1, grade 3, very low onco core, my doc, who I trust and like because I think she knows what she's doing told me no matter what the OncotypeDX score is that I should do chemo. She said, you do not have to, but grade 3 is aggressive and you want to hit it hard." I just thought I would put in my 2 cents. Good luck PM me anytime with questions, I'm not a doc, jut someone who went through it, it's different for everyone, BE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE !

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    Sorry. The link didnt work.

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    What link?  Did I miss it?

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    There was a Thread in Active Topics about Asparagus.

    Since I eat a lot of them I wanted to link it here so you could all read it. Its still there.

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    I will have to check it out.  I have an asparagus bed.  We pick several each day, until we have enough to serve.

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  • mimi1964
    mimi1964 Member Posts: 2,163
    edited March 2010

    Hey Ladies hope you all are having a great week!  Want to say welcome to all the newbies... glad you found this site!  Oh my these ladies are all awesome and wonderful and are loaded with knowledge. 

    Saw you just ask away and they will try to help you with whatever you need.  

    We loved the race!!! Bristol was awesome as was Dale, Jr. on Sunday!!!!!!!!!! he is now 8th in race for the chase!!!!!! Can't beat that after 5 races.  LOL!!!  We also saw all kinds of weather from steaming hot and we got sun burned to freezing our buns off on Sunday at the race.  haha!! and it rained and snowed on us coming home yesterday.  

    Renee

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited March 2010

    Renee...I was thinking about you tonight during American Idol.

    Welcome Back Home.

    So you had rainbow of weather. That must be confusing.

    HugsWink

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  • Meece
    Meece Member Posts: 19,483
    edited March 2010

    Even though he isn't the best, Our native son does well in the 29 car.

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  • mimi1964
    mimi1964 Member Posts: 2,163
    edited March 2010

    seyla888 - just got through watching American Idol.  Gotta vote for Crystal and my man Casey!! Love them, Love them!!  LOL! 

    Nope the weather wasn't confusing... from what I was told we had the same weather at home to here in Bama! Wink

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