need premenopause info

charley50 · August 2015

Hi ladies -

I have been reading a lot of comments from the website in the last few days. There is a lot of info here. I think I just need some type of assurance that I'm not crazy because I can't decide anything. I have Stage IIA grade 2 +ER +PR HER2- IDC. My MRI showed no node involvement so I had a lumpectomy with a sentinel node biopsy. turns out I had what my onco calls a 1.8 mm small amount of tumor in one lymph node. No others were taken out or tested. My primary tumor is 1.8 cm. I developed a hematoma four days after original surgery which landed me with emergency surgery to drain fluid and put in a drain line. that stayed for 10 days. I also had a seroma that's been drained a few times but seems to be ok for now. I was originally supposed to have a lumpectomy and radiation and tamoxifen for the five years. With a positive lymph node we did the oncotype test to help decide about chemo. My score is 16 which is low risk but at the high end of low risk. My onco says either decision is good. Chemo or no chemo. I am 50 years old and premenopausal. I can't find a lot of info about chemo and premenopause. I have no idea which direction to go in. Every time I think I have made my decision I get this nagging doubt in my head if it's the right decision. I can't seem to stick with one. It's the premenopause part that's making it so hard. There's not a lot of info about that. Any thoughts or info would be greatly appreciated.

YoungTurkNYC · August 2015

Hi,

I was 40 when I had chemo and was pre-menopausal. What is your specific concern regarding chemo and being pre-menopausal?

Gully · August 2015

Charlely,

I had bilateral bc at age 45. Oncotypes were 5 and 19. I was premenopausal as well and my onc said it was up to me to do chemo or not. One thing to consider is that many women in our age group are put into menopause by the chemo. I did four rounds of TC. I had my period the day of my first chemo, I am not sure if that had anything to do with it, but I have not had a period since! Latest blood work confirms postmeno! I wish someone mentioned to me about the sexual side effects of slamming you into menopause while I was deciding! That being said, I don't regret my decision. My onc was a champ at helping me adjust to the side effects of instant menopause. I take gabapentin for the hot flashes, and am dealing with the other side effects as well with the help of my gyn. There is a thread about the sexual side effects of chemo, if you do a search you should find it. Also, I feel more comfortable without all that estrogen running about lol ! Good luck in making your decision, there really is not a "correct" answer which is frustrating. Go with your gut and don't look back

Gully

charley50 · August 2015

I guess I'm trying to find good statistics for not doing chemo. In my situation, there's only a small chance that chemo will improve the odds as compared to just radiation and tamoxifen but that's in women that are postmenopausal. I thought the oncotype test was going to point me in a more definite direction. If I had already gone thru menopause I wouldn't do chemo and I would feel very confident in that decision. I'm also very new to all this. Every time I think I understand something, I realize I really don't. I'm looking for women who didn't do chemo even tho they were still menopausal. That seems to be the gamechanger.

plumster1 · August 2015

I don't have much to add for your situation but I have seen women on these boards who were conflicted about their oncotype score ask for the mamma print test. It just gives results with high and low risk for chemo decisions. So no intermediate range or in your case close to intermediate range. Not sure if you have time or your MO will order it. But, it might be worth it t ask for. Good luck keep us posted

Hotrodmommy · August 2015

Hi charley50

Not sure if this will help you with your decision, but I also had a miromet in 1 node, plus LVI, and my Onco score was 12, I'm premenopausal, and did not do chemo. A score of 16 doesn't seem that bad to me, that's still in the low range. It's very scary when your first DX, then you have to make all these decisions. Mine said absolutely NO to chemo, even if I wanted it. Tamoxifen put me in menopause, and it hasn't been that bad for me. I say ask for the Mama Print, get a second opinion. I hope you can find the answers you need. Praying that you find pease in what ever decision you make.

snorkeler · August 2015

Another one here with a micromet in one node plus LVI, and my Oncotype came back as 17 (age 41 at diagnosis). MO felt strongly that chemo would not be worth it for me, so I went on to radiation and tamoxifen. She did say that for women in my situation who wanted to do more, there was the option of ovarian suppression. However, that was before the results of the SOFT trial came out.

charley50 · August 2015

Thanks for all the info. I'm gonna ask about the mamma print when I see her on Thursday. I did see radiation dr yesterday. I wanted that one final input before I decided. He did say that if I was his wife he would tell me not to do chemo. But as a dr, he wasn't saying that. Ok. I suppose that helps. I did come out of there feeling a lot better about not doing chemo. That's what I want to go with. Anyway thanks again. Feels great to chat with people who really do know what you're going thru.

rgiuff · August 2015

Because of the possible long term side effects of chemo, I was very happy and relieved to avoid it. My Oncotype was 14, so I had lumpectomy and radiation, followed by tamoxifen, which I only lasted 3 years on. That was 7 years ago.

labelle · August 2015

One node positive/premenopausal at 51/oncotype score 11. Two doctors at two breast centers (Vanderbilt and UT) agreed the risks of chemo outweighed its benefits for me. If you are on the fence, get a second independent OC's opinion. It helped me to be comfortable with this choice.

need premenopause info

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