2012 sisters

MrsCich, huge congrats on the negative BRCA.  Yay!!!  Regarding chemo, I wasn't really given a choice by my MO, it was a clear recommendation due to at positive node biopsy and imaging showing 4 positive.  But she also told me chemo would only buy me 8% survival advantage, which is really pretty damn puny.  So I still had to get myself behind her decision.

So to make the decision, what I did was compare the worst case outcomes of each path.  Worst case chemo outcome is I end up with permanent side effects like heart damage, cognitive impairment, chronic fatigue, some blown out veins, and neuropathy.  Worst case no-chemo outcome is my cancer spreads to bones, liver, lungs, or brain or some combo of those and kills me.  It was a no-brainer which to choose at that point-- chemo.  I'm not sure how sound my logic is but that's what did it for me.  Chemo is currently kicking my a** but I don't think I'd go back and say no to it.

teeballmom, I hear you on holding back the smart-aleck responses to people's ignorance.  I spend a lot of time lately mentally telling people off who've made those special comments to me.   I may even compose some letters to some of those people, and who knows I just may go crazy and actually send them.

MrsCich, glad to hear you're negative!
Yes, I had a lumpectomy so it is off to get nuked next week, and the week after that, and the week after that... you get the idea lol.  And I see you've decided to take a turn in the BGC... best wishes for minimal SE's for you through your treatment.
I would ask your MO about 6 treatments vs 4 if it is Taxotere/Cytoxan... I think there is a gray area for how much benefit you receive from those extra 2 treatments.  It doesn't hurt to get an explanation of why they do it that way and other MO's do it the other.  

Heyy Soya! I just wanted to reach out to say that I am also a young cancer patient (27 y.o.) who was diagnosed with stage 2 IDC in August 2012, had my lumpectomy on Aug 27 and unfortunately they found some DCIS on the margins, so now I am considering a double mastectomy, skin and nipple sparing hopefully, and silicone implants.

And I am also doing research on Gerson and Burzynski but still kind of inclining towards the chemo treatment... I would love to hear an update from you and see what you decided on and how it is going!

i second what jpmom just said..... 27 year old Tina facing this??? Fuck cancer big time.

Tina I have two sons around your age so if youneed an extra mom to call on, I'm here along with many other "extra moms" I'm sure.

Oh gosh, thank you so much everybody for your support!!!

I found this topic when searching for "Gerson therapy" and saw that Soya mentioned it in her post. The way I heard about the alternative therapies is really interesting, sad and funny at the same time.

My whole family lives in Russia, where I am from originally, so after I was diagnosed, my brother applied for a visa to come to see me, he had his interview yesterday and was refused! I cannot describe how mad, frustrated and helpless I felt... I got all the documents from my doctors - surgeon, oncologist, etc, even my pathology report that states my margins are not clear and I need another surgery+ 8 cycles of chemo and possibly rads on top. But I guess the officer at the US Embassy in Russia didn't not think that having a relative with cancer who wants to see their family was a good enough reason for issuing a 3-week visa to a 21 y.o. University student with absolutely no criminal record, just because 'he could not prove his strong relationship with the Motherland (Russia)' - meaning that he doesn't have any property under his name, lots of money on his bank account, is not married and doesn't have kids. Right, do you know many college age kids who own property, cars and have $1,000,000 bank accounts? Maybe Justin Bieber, I dont know...

So after I wiped up my tears, I started to think what I could possibly do to object that decision, and after many phone calls I was sent to the US Department of State, which forwared me to the Office of Inspector General, and after I explained my situation, the woman on the phone said that she was an 8 year breast cancer survivor herself, and she did not do any chemo, all she did was rads and Gerson therapy and she said it was amazing and I should check out their website, that's why I starting doing the research... I am still to hear back from The US Department of State regarding my brother's status =(

As I already mentioned, I was diagnosed with IDC stage 2b grade 3 in August, after in July I felt a lump in my left breast and wanted to get checked "just in case"... I have no family history of any cancers, so the diagnosis came as a major shock to me.. After doing loooots of research, reading forums and crying my eyes out for weeks, I put myself together and decided to fight and kick the cancer's ass. I had a lumpectomy, but they found some DCIS on the margins (which they didn't see on mammogramm or MRI) and therefore I am to have another surgery soon, and after much consideration, I think about MX, probably bi-lateral, so it's easier to match them and I don't have to worry about check ups again... The only reason I wanted to keep my other (healthy) breast is to breastfeed when I have kids. I am going through fertility preservation right now (freezing my eggs), because there's a chance I will be infertile after chemo and I am not ready for that... But my oncologist says there might be more DCIS in my breasts which they are not able to see on DCIS, and also because I'm so young, chances of getting cancer back are rather high if I leave my breast. So I'm kind of lost here too =/

What really shocked me that out of 10 Kaiser radiation oncologists said I would need rads EVEN after Mx - again, because I'm young and my cancer is highly agressive. Which I am not ready for! Chemo AND rads after Mx? No way =( That's why I was doing that research on Gerson's and so on therapies...

If anybody has any advice - I would be more than happy to hear it!

Thank you everybody for listening

Thank you Scottiee1!

I've already been very lucky to meet some wonderful women who replied to my topic Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/5/topic/792566?page=2#idx_60  and I look forward to meeting even more!

Tina13, you are younger than I am and I am too young at 33 y/o. I did have a DMX with TE placement. My right breast was clear of cancer and DCIS but I was recommended to do the DMX rather than the UMX or lumpectomy because of my age and aggressiveness of cancers at our age. I start 6 rounds of chemo (my onc said if she can get me to do 4 she will be happy) but no rads due to no node involvement.



I hope you get your brother hear and I'm sorry you are having to go through this.

oh fer feck's sake, 27 yrs old! 33 years old! ARGH! & here I was having a pity party today...

jpmo, yur hair looks great!! how exciting! love the spikey. my pain seems to be a side effect of the taxol. my MO gave me celebrex for it (can't take ibuprofen because of my celiac). It seems like 2.5 to 3 days after treatment, I feel pretty crappy and today it was pain. A warm bath and a celebrex later and I'm doing ok.

Ann, as much as us young ones don't want to hear the harsh truth, I have to agree with everything you say and I haven't even started treatment.



Tina, I will share with you as I was told from these lovely ladies. You do not have children yet but I do. I want to know that I've done everything I can to nip this shit in the bud. Will I worry that I poisoned myself for no reason? Perhaps, but I will never know if I didn't get it back because of chemo or because it just didn't come back. I'm ok with that decision. If it does come back at least I will know that I tried all I could. I have 4 children and the most amazing husband that need me to be here as long as physical possible. I will do what it takes to ensure that.



((((((((((Hugs)))))))))) to you and hope your decision gives you some peace.

I completely agree. It's good you are being proactive and are aware of all the options. Kudos to you! Please keep us all posted as to your decisions and how you are doing.

Hi ladies, been out of the country and just got back and lots to catch up!

Praying for Maiya, this fucking cancer sucks! Its really heart breaking to see a child have cancer!

Juneaubugg-Good luck with your fund raising, it really sweet that you're doing it in honor of us! Fuck cancer and find a cure!

Ramols... I also pretty much just went with what my doctors suggested. I did not have the oncotype test, so I don't know my theoretical recurrence rate. I did not seek second opinions. My BS's office selected my MO and RO; I met with them both before I started any treatments, and liked them well enough. I felt like they gave me plenty of information and were willing to answer any questions I had along the way.



I had a core biopsy done on one node, and since it was positive, the chemo decision was made for me. I could have declined, but with my BS and MO both recommending it, I thought it was best to do it. Really my only decision was between LX and MX. Because of the initial size and location of the tumor, I was advised to have rads either way, so that decision was made for me, too.



I could be mad that I didn't have options, but really I'm glad I didn't have to make those decisions.





Today I saw my nurse again, to re-check my drain site. She poked and prodded at it, and said it looked like the skin had closed up, with no fluid build-up underneath. My ALND incision was never infected, so the drain site infection was just on the surface. I'm still getting some oozing, but not very much. I've been told to discontinue cleaning the wound with antiseptic and just use soap and water now. Hopefully the oozing will stop soon so I can ditch the gauze and tape.

Even still, that area is still sensitive and painful. I'll be fine all day, then suddenly the skin is hyper-sensitive to touching anything. I'll feel normal, then I suddenly feel like there's a giant shoulder pad wedged into my armpit. Hopefully that will get less over time.





Today I felt great most of the day, then around dinner time I noticed my muscles were all achy, I had a headache, and generally felt crappy. Tummy upset, hot flashes. Blah. I guess this is still lingering affects from chemo? I see people in here moving on and going back to normal activity levels, and I still feel like crap every other day and my leg muscles rebel at the thought of going to the mall to shop for a new jacket. I'm 6 weeks PFC and feel like I should be doing better than I am. I guess we all heal on our own schedule?



Ever since my RO told me I had cording, my arm has felt more stiff and painful. The pain in my lower arm that had gone away is back. Hopefully the PT massage will help that, but I don't see her until next Friday.

I feel like it's hard, emotionally and logically, for us to evaluate the odds of recurrence and of permanent side effects from chemo for us because we each have already been that one-in-eight-women who got breast cancer. So, will we be the one-in-sixteen, let's say, of those who do get some permanent side effect? agh! and how severe will that be? and will *it* be life threatening itself? and on and on. Like, I never used to be afraid of Drs and needles. I was disappointed in them for never diagnosing me correctly for years, yes, but afraid? no. Now I have dread of going in to get blood drawn, of seeing the Dr, of hearing test results. For most of us, our emotional states have changed. So now it is hard to be strictly logical when we evaluate risks and statistics. I am not Spock. 

I woke up today with a sinus infection.  Could explain my general crappy feeling last night.  Why couldn't this have started a couple days ago, when I could have easily asked any of three doctors for antibiotics?  My body hates me.