Women under 45 stage II w/node involvement?

Thank you so much!  I think the waiting is the worst part right now.  My family and friends have been amazing, but it's helpful talking to others who are going through the same things and have had the same feelings and fears.  Hope you are all doing ok.  Thanks again.

Taylor:

 Your post strikes me because my kids were 9 and 12 when I was diagnosed and my cancer was staged very much like yours.  I am 8 years out now so I hope this will serve to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel and you and your children will get through this fine.  My  son is now in college and due to his experiences with me, he is a more sensitive, thoughtful and wonderful young man.  My daughter is appreciative of her mom and every day we have together.  In a weird sort of way, the cancer can teach your children amazing life lessons they would not learn otherwise.  Hang in there love. 

Thank you sniklefritz ..thats great 8 yrs!!! Cant wait to be done with treatment..

Thank you fearless one I will have to check them out...

Suz39 - I am 11 weeks post chemo.  I had 6 rounds of TCH and I can honestly say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had dreamed up in my mind.  My hair is growing back, my appetite is back and I'm feeling a lot better.

Would you sleep better at night knowing you had done the chemo?  Or knowing that you had not?

That one node would be enough to make me do the chemo.

Suz39 -

I remember walking into that first chemo and feeling like I was heading into "the death chamber".  My mind had created this image of sick people and sadness enveloping the chemo room.  It was really nothing like that!  I've grown to love the other BC ladies that do chemo on Thursdays.  There are 4 ladies with metastatic disease and they are such fun to be around.

I don't regret doing chemo.  I know that my HER2+ status sealed the deal on me getting chemo.  But I was told that if I had even one node positive (I had a 3.0mm met to the one node) that chemo would be recommended.  Because of my age and grade, it would be too risky to pass up chemo.

Besides, I knew that I wouldn't rest if I had a recurrence and I hadn't done everything I could to prevent it.  I'm 35 and I want at least 50 more years!  My daughter just started HS and my twins and only 1st graders!

It's a rough decision.  I don't envy you at all on that one.  What chemo meds are being recommended?

Edited to add:  I just read your profile - my tumor was small.  Official pathology says it was 0.5cm including DCIS.  The invasive component of my cancer was removed during the biopsy.  Isn't that a crazy thing?!  Stinkin' sneaky cancer...still got caught up in my nodes.  (And not a Sentinal, one further down the line...!)

Hi Pejkug,

Thanks again for your story.  That is so interesting about your IDC being removed in the biopsy, but still having stuff in your nodes.  Crazy!  It reminded me that they told me that they were doing the MRI to see if they removed everything in the biospy, because I had a core vacuum biopsy, and they removed a lot of tissue.  The MRI showed the microscopic multifocal disease, but still didn't find the IDC.  I thought my case was full of surprises, but the more I learn other people's stories, the more I realize that we just know so little about BC, that it everybody has surprises.  I wish more of the surprises were good surprises though!

The chemo being recommended to me is FEC(3)-T(3) or TC(4).  They haven't decided.  Originally it was supposed to be FEC-T, but when I got my oncotype score, they said TC would probably be good enough.  Now they are waffling again.

Cookiegal: thanks for your input.  I so hear you!!  I got a second opinion that said no chemo, so I went for a third, and they said chemo...  Now I am waiting for chemo board to reconvene after their summer haitus.  I don't want to wait any longer though.  I don't think they are going to change their recommendation.  I do wonder though, if I start to have really adverse SEs if they would be more willing to discontinue it.

Thanks again! 

Hi Rachel, I think that Oncotype is used more in the US, but OHIP does cover the cost of the test, so it is available to women in Ontario. My surgeon applied for the funding, and sent my tissue to California to be tested. Of course, if you are willing to pay yourself, I think anybody in the world can get it. However, my experience has been that my oncologist is very reluctant to base any treatment decisions on the results of the test. This is understandable to me because it seems that cancer defies logic on so many levels, that we just want to throw everything we have at it, and hope that something works. Thank you for your reassurance that chemo is doable. For now, that is what I am focussing on.

Hi Ladies,

I am starting chemo on Friday.  TC x 4. Starting steroids tomorrow.  Uggh.  

Suz39-----We are here for you...I did 6 tx of T/C starting back on Sept 24, 2010 and ending on January 7th, 2011.  Let me know if I can help with anything...

Also, there are a lot of threads out there about this cocktail and should be one started for those starting their treatment this month...so many pulling for you and cheering for you!

God bless!

Tori 

Hi Maggie.  I love your attitude.  I too would like to show cancer who is boss of my body!  Thanks Tori and rjwax, for the tips on checking other threads.  I did that, and have been reading voraciously ever since.  I can't say that I'm looking forward to tomorrow, but I do feel as prepared as I can be, given the circumstances.

Got 2 appts over the next 2 weeks with 2 different MO's to see which is more suited to me.  One is at MD anderson in Orlando and then one local here on the coast.  If they are the same then I will stick local to avoid the drive...scared a little of the rd ahead of me but know it can be done thanks to all these great discussions here!  Bought myself some head scarf/covers today for when the hair is gone.  Was crying when the clerk was ringing them up...love those moments of unexpected sadness in public...oh well many more of those to come

Maggie

hi there

have been lurking on these sites for quite some time and found this thread

you are one of the few that is having neo adj like me  - wanted to know why they recommended more chemo after the first round?  is it bc of the pos node?  i am having my surgery in jan and have asked if there is residual what they would do.  They said no more chemo but that does not make me comfortable .  can you tell me where you are being treated

thanks so much