Tumor Size

Okay here is more details.  I did four rounds of AC and only 3 rounds of taxol before they took them from me.  I ended up in hospital for four days after round 3 of taxol.  I was told by the MO that it wasn't an allergic reaction yet my records say the opposite.  (love Dr.'s)  Anyway.  My surgeon had hope to do a lumpectomy but when I did my MRI before surgery he was not comfortable with getting clean margins with a lumpectomy.  So I had a Unilateral mastectomy.  I wanted both off but he would not do it do to how weak and sick I still was from chemo.  I totally understood why after the surgery.  I would never have been able to handle both at one time. 

The 5cm tumor was mostly made up of scar tissues with a few scatter live cells...which they said was a very good response for the size.  I had 5 nodes removed with one positive...we knew that going into it from a biopsy before the DX.  He would have taken more nodes but he said chemo had destroyed the rest of them.

My Dr.'s all think my tumor was very fast growing and had not been there more than a year.  I had a very stressful year before my DX.  I had pancreastitist followed by gallbladder a month later.  I clearly remember thinking after my surgery that my boob hurt and though somebody must have elbowed me during surgery...MY FIRST SYMPTOM.  Then later in the spring I had this intense itch in my nipple area and I thought something had bitten me. It never happened again..Clue two.  Clue three was in July when I noticed a bulge in the upper chest wall.  I though muscle and never once thought breast because I never felt a lump.  They told me not to feel guilty because had I come in then it may not have shown up and it would have been most likely another year before I came back or more.  

So there we big ones can make it too.  Keep your chins up newbies.  You can do it and be on the road to your recovery too before you know it.  The saying in my OC office is tiss just a season.  Mine was winter so I looked forward to spring.

Hi all - my tumor is about 6cm, triple negative, and im doing DD AC.

I'm only on my 2nd treatement, but feel the lump has gotten a bit softer, but not smaller.  

Just curious for those of you who had good response to chemo, WHEN did the shrinkage happen?

Was it mainly the day of, and few days following chemo infusion? or was it gradual throughout the recovery period?

I find myself constantly checking to see if it's shrinking and im driving myself crazy!  I can tell there is some difference, so i know the chemo is working, but it just doesnt seem to be working fast enough  

I think it was after my second DD AC that I notice the tumor felt softer and it was no longer puckered out...my mammogram caused it to poke out.   The fourth DD AC, we could tell it had shrunk and wondered if it was gone.  I didn't have much response to taxol towards shrinkage.  It may have killed cells but when they did my surgery it was still 5cm but mostly made up of scar tissue with scattered cancer cells.

So hang in there and good luck girls.