i need other help please!

pris0509
pris0509 Member Posts: 2
edited January 2015 in Just Diagnosed

I am writing for my mom. We are very confused on what to do next. She was stage 2b tumor grade 3. 2.5 cm tumor size. It also spread to her lymph nodes. She had the tumor removed along with 28 lymph nodes. We thought yay she is now cancer free!! But this is new to us we didn't know that other things play a role. So now after the surgery shes stage 2a. ER- PR- HER 2+. I guess lack of knowledge i had no clue about the hormones and proteins there. Docs are recommending chemo Taxotere and paraplatin with herceptin (TCH) i think that's how they abbreviate it. Our problem is that my mom took care of my grandma while she was sick with cancer and had chemo. She saw my grandma suffer with chemo and my grandma eventually passed away. My mom does not want chemo. I don't give her my opinion because its not mine to make but i want to help her with it as much as i can. We saw the chemo doc today, our first visit, and of course they are telling her she needs chemo. What i am trying to find is someone here who is taking herceptin without chemo. We want to know if its helping or helped. She is open minded to herceptin just not chemo. Please give me your opinion.

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  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited January 2015

    chemo has really changed big time. I've been on chemo 14 months now

    My worst problem is fatigue

    Just tell her to try at least

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  • flannelette
    flannelette Member Posts: 984
    edited January 2015

    How many years ago was that? and what kind of cancer did her mother have? Stage 2 is considered early stage cancer. But she has it in 28 nodes. chemo is extra insurance for her that she will live. I think you and your mom should begin to learn about this particular chemo, its side effects, how those side effects are mitigated by all the newer drugs around. IMHO your mom needs facts, not fear, to base her treatment on. sorry to sound so tough, but what your mom will go through and what her mother went through are possibly, probably, worlds apart. For one thing, at stage 2, with chemo there is every chance your mother will live a long time. I'm stage 2B, no positive nodes, but would not have tried to get out of chemo for anything in the world. Rads too. Each treatment another bit of insurance I would live. Now 6 years out.


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  • suemed8749
    suemed8749 Member Posts: 1,151
    edited January 2015

    I was diagnosed with stage 2A grade 3 ER-/PR-/Her2+ breast cancer in 2008. After surgery, I had 6 treatments of Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin, then finished up a year of Herceptin.

    I was 54 at the time, and honestly found chemo very "doable." The first week after chemo: tired. Second week: feeling pretty good. And third week: Almost back to normal. I did get anemic and refused a blood transfusion, so I was very fatigued right after finishing, but my blood counts quickly returned to normal. I worked and traveled during treatment.

    I'm almost 7 years from diagnosis and doing well. There are SO many developments in treating Her2+ - I hope your mom considers all her options.

    Wishing you all the best, Sue

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  • ElaineTherese
    ElaineTherese Member Posts: 3,328
    edited January 2015

    When did your Mom take care of your grandma? Today's chemo isn't pleasant, but it's not as bad as it used to be. Most medical oncologists are very much aware of chemo's side-effects, and they are willing to use all kinds of pre-meds and other meds to address them.

    Surgery removes localized cancer; it does nothing to address the fact that cancer cells may be circulating in your Mom's body, looking for a new home. Chemo is about killing the cancer cells that may have been spread via your Mom's lymph nodes, which you note tested positive for cancer.

    In my limited experience, chemo recipients have varied responses to their regimens. Mine wasn't so bad (I worked through chemo), but other ladies who had the same regimen as me didn't always fare so well. One thing about chemo: you can always stop it if the side-effects are too debilitating. Stopping it wouldn't be recommended for your Mom, as the cancer had spread to the nodes. But, she can always try one dose and see how it goes.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited January 2015

    Pris0509-

    We want to welcome you to our community here at BCO. We're so sorry for what your mom, and you, are going through, but we're glad you've joined us, and hope you find the support you need.

    There are a lot of really good responses here that we just want to echo. Chemotherapy has changed drastically in recent years, and many, many people are able to live relatively normally while undergoing treatment. Also, studies show that adding herceptin to to a chemo regimen can improve overall survival and disease-free survival: http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/hercepti....

    We suggest having your mom write down all of the fears she has about chemo, and discuss them one by one with her chemo doc. We understand how watching her mother battle and succumb to cancer would be influential, but their cases are probably very different. It's important to confront those fears and learn more about then, rather than let them dictate her treatment plan.

    Please let us know if there is anything we can do, and keep us updated! We'll be thinking of you both.

    The Mods

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited January 2015

    To be blunt, chemo killed my dad in 91. I was absolutely terrified it would kill me too. He'd had colon cancer, and some cells escaped took up residence in his liver. That would have killed him anyway.

    So when I was dx'd, I thought about all that. Mentioned it to MOs nurse, who assured me things had changed. While it wasn't easy, I survived. The nurse was right. It's been 3 years for me.

    If by some chance it does come back, I'll do it again.

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  • pris0509
    pris0509 Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2015

    Thanks for all of the replies I truly appreciate it. She took care of my grandma for 9 months before my grandma passed. My grandma passed away June 2014 she had gallbladder cancer. We found out it November that my mom has breast cancer she felt lump. I believe that everyones cancer i different. So she can compare her cancer and chemo treatment to my grandma's . Again thank u all


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