IDC, stage II, grade 3

Welcome Cristen. I was diagnosed with IDC stage 2a at age 32 so I can relate a bit to your situation. Definitely a shocker. I think I spent the first three weeks crying or just in shock. My co-workers knew something was wrong because they said my face was basically white the week after I was diagnosed. Now is definitely a time to take care of yourself, pamper yourself as much as possible. As terrifying as it is, for many of us the beginning is the hardest part. The shock of the diagnosis, the multitude of tests and then waiting for test results, and the not knowing what is going on, can be much worse than actually treatment and recovery.

I'm sensing that you are really worried about chemo. That's completely understandable! Chemo is not fun but I want to assure you that for most of us, chemo is very doable. It's not like in the movies for most of us. The chemo most of us get is not the super-duper rough stuff that some other types of cancer patients get, plus there are so many medications our oncologists give us to manage side effects. It's not easy but it is doable. Many of us managed to care for children and/or continue to work full time or even close to it during chemo! Obviously everyone is different but I want to give you hope that you can do this, you will get through it if you do end up needing chemo.

Waiting until your BRCA test results come back is reasonable before deciding what surgery to do. Some women have the option of doing chemo first, then surgery, as this can shrink the tumor down and make a lumpectomy more doable. I would encourage any woman to carefully weight her options, and consider getting a second opinion, before deciding on what surgery to do. If you end up going the mastectomy route, that may mean researching reconstruction options. If you are thinking about mastectomy, I would also recommend getting a copy of The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook by Kathy Steligo. It was really helpful to me in understanding my options.

Finally, regarding insurance... I would expect that you will definitely meet your deductible this year if you have to have chemo. So this may not be a barrier in choosing surgery options. It's late enough in the year that you may end up needing treatments/surgeries next year as well and meeting it next year too. I would encourage you to be cautious in letting this be a major determining factor in choosing your options. Many hospitals will be flexible in allowing you to make payments to them. It may be worthwhile to talk with either the hospital or cancer center social worker about assistance as well; he or she can see if you qualify for assistance, and their may be local groups like your local chapter of the American Cancer Assocation, Breast Cancer Association, etc. that can provide help as well. It's definitely worth asking about! I was surprised to learn that I qualified to have all my co-pays for the Herceptin I needed paid for, which was a huge help.

Best of luck to you. Let us know how you are doing.

since I work in healthcare and its germy there I didnt work during treatments. i was off work a whole year. we only paid the essential bills then. just let the other ones go. my credit is ruined, but so is most everyone s in america.

it would have been totally doable for me to work during chemo or rads. taxol weekly dose was easy for me. the AC was a little harder. i had that every two weeks for total of four doses. the first few days i felt icky. no appetite. didnt have nausea

sweetie, I know how you feel as do us all here, but after your cry and then the treatment plan will go into effect and things will be more bearable,they now have so much meds to make you comfortable, as you go thru this. take it from a 19 yr Survivor(Praise God) you will get thru. msphil(idc stage2, 0/3 nodes and L mast, chemo before and after surgery to make sure to get ALL the cells, rads and 5 yrs on tamoxifen)

Cristen....I am self employed, and I did work through chemo. I did suffer financial repercussions later, but this was because my key client lost one of their major clients so was affected. Fortunately, I had some savings. The good news is that this eventually led to one of the gigs I am now doing. I interviewed for that just at the end of chemo.

I also cycled throughout on weekends and walked a minimum of one mile every single day. I think this made a difference as I didn't get chemo brain. I did slow down when tired, but I was able to do data analysis if this gives you some idea.

You will not get as much chemo as I did, as was on a study. I would have needed a half day off on infusion days, and Day 3 was the worst energy-wise. If you can do some work from home, it would be helpful. None of the days did I feel any worse than I did when jet lagged last week. I did not got nausea, and didn't need any meds for that either other than what was given with the infusion.

But I was lucky. I also was determined to keep working if possible, and I did just that. Good luck. - Claire

I was just reading some of the posts regarding financial difficulties....I'm sorry to each and every one of you who have to face this disease while having to worry about financial difficulties. I too, who am a Registered Nurse and generally work in the medical/surgical area, have had to face different options regarding insurance and finances. One positive note for me is that my employer offered me a different position in an area where I can still practice as an RN but around a different selection of patients. I have 3 children, currently pregnant with my 4th, and carry the health insurance for the family. I made it clear that if I have no insurance I have no treatment so my employer was absolutely wonderful in working with me to make my situation work. I know not everyone has this option but my advice is to stay positive and remember you and your health comes first. I know finances are a worry that we deal with everyday but take care of yourself!!!!