should I continue chemo

I would put more weight on what your onc says than your BC.  She may have suggestions for ameliorating the side effects.  Also since you are a candidate for hormonals you could consider that to be your adjuvant treatment rather than chemo.

Hi, Karen ~ Do you absolutely totally trust your onc, or would a 2nd opinion help?  I know there are lighter chemo regimens, such as CMF, or substituting Abraxane (sp?; the preservative-free version) for the Taxotere, but I have no idea if either would address your problem and also be appropriate alternatives.  Like you, I would question where the balance is -- if you lower your risk of recurrence by 3%, yet significantly increase your risk of other stresses on your body that drain your immune system, then where's the net benefit?  If I was in your situation, I might be inclined to consult with another onc or two, just to be sure I get the thinking of more than one doctor who has seen this kind of situation, and to be sure all the possible options are examined.   Deanna

Kira, I'm so sorry you have to go through this. With only a 3% chance of improved odds with chemo, and your medical history, it's clear you have a higher risk of dying of infection in the hospital than you do of cancer. Your doctor could probably sued by your family if he recommended more chemo and you died of infection.

Infection is serious business. Sometimes they can't identify the infection fast enough to treat it and the kidneys shut down before they know if it's viral or bacterial or fungal. This happened with my friend. We kept asking, what is the infection? And they couldn't fiqure it out.

Kira, sometimes the universe has a way of guiding you in the right direction. You will find your path.

Sending you prayers...

Oh, that's never a good sign -- a doctor who won't work with another doctor.  And as far as only running your CBCs, I think that's very typical.  Oncs tend to want to administer chemo and hormonal drugs, then turn us over to other doc(s), if necessary, to deal with any collateral damage.  I remember being unable to talk my local onc into checking my cholesterol, even though one of his nurses had observed something visually concerning about my blood.  I offered to pay for that test myself, and he still gave me all kinds of excuses for not ordering it. IMO, they just don't want to know -- maybe because of perceived liability issues?

Karen, I haven't heard that CMF is hard on the heart, but I don't know.  Adriamycin can be, but I thought CMF was so gentle that you don't lose your hair, but I have no idea of how its effectiveness compares to other chemos.  All I know about Abraxane is that it's sometimes given to women who cannot tolerate Taxotere.  I believe it's the same drug as Taxotere, but without some preservative that seems to be the culprit in some adverse reactions.  Because of this, it's several times (maybe 3x I think) more expensive than Taxotere, so insurance companies don't like to pay for it.  But I think these may all be moot subtletes in your case.  Mollyann's points make a lot of sense.

Step on toes.  Seriously, your health is more important than somebody's feelings.

Also, do you have a good family physican, who could help you nagivate all this and/or write you an out of network referral (if that would be a problem for you). You need to be with doctors who are working together FOR you; step on as many toes as you need to.... this is all about YOU!!!! Best of Luck! Ruth

Good for you for searching out someone who will work WITH you.  No matter what treatment options you end up going with, you will feel better when you know that they have looked at your unique situation and at you as a whole person, not just a statistic. Let us know how it goes. Ruth

I am on Arimidex and have had no problems with it. Best of luck! Ruth

Hi karen, sorry to hear you've had such a rough time with chemo.  I don't know what radiation recall is, but just chemo by itself without complications is plenty enough to handle.  I just wanted to chime in with a suggestion that you consider a broader scope in considering your treatment options.  I live in a sizeable city, but small town mentality is alive and well here.  I travelled to New Orleans for my surgery, and boy howdy, leaving town for surgery was the best medical decision I made that year of treatments.  The logisitics might seem insurmountable, but if seeking more options further from home are the right choice for you, your heart will let you know which is the best choice.  ...that was my experience anyway.  Best of luck to you.  

Kira,

 I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I must tell you the truth, Chemo wil never cure you! Chemotherapy drugs work by killing cancer cells. Unfortunately, they also kill healthy normal cells and depress the immune system-making the recipient more susceptible to various infectious diseases like pneumonia. Side effects include hair loss, fatigue, weight loss, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting, easy bruising, bone marrow suppression and heart muscle damage. Not all chemotherapy is the same; some types offer fewer side effects than others. Due to the harmful effects of chemotherapy on the immune system, secondary tumors can occur up to 25 times more often than the expected rate. A disturbing fact about chemotherapy is that the majority of specialists who prescribe such drugs would refuse to take them if they or their families had cancer themselves. According to one survey published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 1987, 81 percent of cancer specialists would not consent to a drug trial due to the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy and its unacceptable degree of toxicity.

MommySpring has shown up with several posts with absurd claims about cancer.  Not sure she's had cancer herself.  Let's just ignore teh troll.