Ladies - I need some advice on Stage II Breast Cancer

At least a lumpectomy would be normal treatment at this stage.

The number of weeks of radiotherapy she has described is far more than normal practice and would be an overdose at normal levels of radiation given. Normal maximum number of sessions would be 25-33 (5-6 weeks).

You don't lose your hair by taking Tamoxifen or from radiotherapy unless it's aimed at your head/brain.

Looks like many inconsistencies in your relative's relating of her condition and treatment. Inconsistencies are not that unusual as some people just "switch off" when their drs are running them through everything, or are in shock and don't remember things they were told correctly. Good luck with trying to figure that out.

Jenn

Perhaps she has mistaken Taxotere for Tamoxefen.  Taxotere does make you lose your hair.   Breast cancer comprised of an extremely small tumor that can be removed during sentinel node biopsy with nodal involvement is considered stage II.  

Zeana - first let me offer my condolences for the losses in your family. Cancer has certainly picked on your family. FYI I have Stage II, Grade 1 BC and my sister has ILC. My mother had BC in her late 60s. I am certainly far from an expert on BC but I also am confused about the plan for her Stage II BC. I have heard of doctors doing the chemo or RADS before surgery but I have to admit I have never heard of RADS being administered that way. My sister in law had the express RADS - 2x a day for a week but she also had Stage 0-BC in situ. I am also confused about her hair falling out....it doesn't from RADS but we all know it can and does from chemo. Maybe she is just confused about Tamoxifen vs Taxotere. She is very young and probably very scared too. I think all of us were overwhelmed in the early weeks of doctors visits and all the information they threw at us which is why we all recommend you take someone with you to the appts. Having said all that I hope this is not the case where she is "making this up" because if she is she has serious emotional issues. Who would do that? I had a lumpectomy and 33 RADS treatments and currently on Tamoxifen...but I also only had a micromet in my SN and no other nodes. While every case is different her accounting is admittedly really different. Hope you can find out. Diane

Brokenheart - It could be made up.

One of my sisters made up a story about having cancer which she told other people. I only found out when people began asking me about her health in hushed tones. I was quite surprised. The story she told them sounded somewhat like the one you mentioned, nothing quite made sense, things were slightly off, so I knew it was not true.  Why did she do it? God only knows. Attention probably, but she has told a few health related whoppers before, hints about fictitious heart problems to some people, having a short time to live to another. Each time she has told such stories they were after a close family member was very sick or dying - I had breast cancer, Mom died (of old age), our brother had a series of heart operations.

The rest of us, her siblings, have come to realize she is a pathological liar with emotional problems. It's hard to accept.  My other sister, alarmed, once called the doctor she claimed had just told her she had a "short time to live" and that person, a personal friend of both sisters, was so astonished he blurted out that he hadn't even seen her in six months. 

Now, if people ask us about her health, we tell them as gently as possible that as far as we know she is quite healthy and we let them puzzle it out.