Lump growth after neo-adjuvant chemo and before surgery?

Thanks, fightinhrd!  Your name rocks, btw.  I did message my MO and he responded that it was unlikely that anything was growing since I'm still getting the Herceptin.  But I'm only weakly positive for HER-2 and was already warned that Herceptin has less of an effect on HER-2+ versus HER-2+++.

I'm guessing that since my surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday, he thinks one or two more weeks of growth (if it's growth) wouldn't make a difference.  It's just so hard to stay sane while I wait for surgery and wonder if the lump is growing (and undoing all the shrinking that the chemo did achieve).  I had a phone meeting with my boss today and started crying when she asked me how I was doing...not very professional of me!  

Thank you for sharing your experience kerri72, and especially for the reassurance.  The stress has been really getting to me and I've been using the leftover Ativan from chemo to stop myself from going insane.  I just have to make it to Wednesday when I'll finally get this thing out of me.

I see that you were diagnosed in August 2010, so I hope you've finished treatment and are doing well (or if you're on targeted therapy, that's it's going well)! 

kerri72, that's so great to hear that you feel normal now--you have an excellent outlook.  Also, definitely great to hear that you're doing well after the Cadillac of treatments.  Here's wishing you continued health!

No, I don't have additional chemo scheduled after surgery--I did the full 4 AC and 4 TH already.  I'm on Herceptin for another 8-9 months.  I'm definitely scared to find out what the path report says, but hoping for good or at least neutral news (I don't dare hope for too much).

Thank you for the encouragement--I just need to get through the rest of this day and then get myself into the OR! 

Thank you, C-squared!  Grr, don't you hate it when you lose what you typed?!  The surgery was fine yesterday, thank goodness.  It's definitely one of those experiences in life where the anticipation can be worse than the thing you fear itself.  Yes, you're absolutely right, no stressing out prematurely.  I will force myself to be patient and wait for the path report.

That's such a wonderful outcome on your tumor being so much smaller!  I hope your recovery is going well or if you're still in treatment that it's going smoothly!

C-squared, thanks for the positive wishes!  Funny you should ask (well, not actually funny), but here's a post I wrote on another HER-2 thread to a woman who was upset about the mental effects of AC:

I can't sugar coat it, I had really low moments while on AC, it was so unreal--I never knew I could feel that way (it was like the AC unlocked this dark part of my brain that I didn't even know existed). The good news is, it WILL go away and you WILL feel like yourself again. When the side effects pass, you'll remember what it feels like to be happy and calm and sane and in control of your life--remember those days when you're down!  My "downtimes" happened like clockwork with AC--on Day 5, I would ask my husband nutty questions, say negative things, have crying jags. He would always remind me that it was the drugs talking and that it would go away.  Hang in there and just remember that this will pass. You'll come out the other side stronger and the cancer will be wiped out! 

The worst part of AC for me was the sadness/depression that hit around Day 5.  When I was reading on the boards before I got the AC, I didn't understand what other women meant when they wrote about how it messed with their heads--I get it now.  But remember, it will pass and it's just the effects of the drugs.  Also, a little Ativan always helps, as you know.

I got the following drugs before AC: (1) Decadron aka Dexamethasone (steroid), (2) Emend (anti-puke), (3) Ativan (anti-nausea and anti-anxiety), and (4) Zofran aka Ondansetron (anti-nausea and anti-puke).  They good news is that I never once threw up while getting AC, the bad news is that I still felt nauseous.  I usually skipped solid food on Day 1 and ate plain foods on Day 2 through 4 (toast, apple sauce, those peaches that come in glass jars from Trader Joe's).  They'll give you prescriptions for anti-nausea pills to take when you need them, so definitely take them (I got Emend, Ativan, and Compazine).

Other than sadness and nausea, I also had some headaches (Tylenol worked) and heartburn (Pepcid worked).  The first cycle, I felt pretty normal by Day 7, but by my fourth cycle, I didn't feel normal until Day 11.  So it definitely builds.  I was on a 21 day cycle, not DD--so you'll be done quicker!  I still managed to work while on AC (I got chemo Friday aft, then went back to work on Wednesday or Thursday).

I had Taxotere after AC, and I did find it easier than the AC (Taxol would probably be similar in SEs).  But I had a great response to AC, so in a weird way, I'm a big "fan" of it.

You'll be fine, C-squared, you really will.  Here's wishing you the mildest possible SEs.  And of course, I hope AC will wipe out every single last one of those BC cells!

C-squared, so glad this is helpful and I totally know what you mean about stopping and really letting it all sink in.  I wish you all the best on your journey to health (that's how I like to think of it--it's just a detour that we're working around)!