Lumpectomy Lounge....let's talk!

MLP - I agree, I wanted my survival % to be higher, too. My deciding factor was that my Ki67 was 27%, which is very high. My MO had treated my mom with her very aggressive ovarian cancer, and he said, "You are not your mom, but we also don't know about all the genes and how they promote or fight cancer." So, since my mom's cancer was so aggressive and the weird thing about my tumor was it's high proliferation rate, we figured I might be one of those stats where chemo boosted the survival rate. And again, my second opinion asked me, "If u didn't do chemo and tbe cancer came back, would you have regrets?" Yep. So, I did chemo. Good luck with your decision. Take it all in, lay it all out, then you'll know what's best for you.

Praline - I'm glad you are doing chemo. We'll help you through it.

First chemo booked for Feb 16th!

They actually found "abundant LVI" and cancer cells heading over to my nodes! She said it's very aggressive.

She did send out for the oncotype but is confident it will come back with an intermediate to high number. My PR is also at 50% which adds to things as well as finding grade 3 dcis and pre-cancer lesions.

I'll have 4 treatments with two meds 3 weeks apart, month off then 4-6 weeks of rads. Followed by the delicious Tamoxifan for 5 years. The chemo is Adriamycin and Cytoxan. And it's vein infusions, no port.

I'm happy to have a plan and my kids seem happy that I have a plan too. But I think they are secretly bummed out about my hair loss.

MLP3, glad you have a plan. I assume you are going to be sent for a MUGA test for your heart before starting Adriamycin? With grade 3 I am glad you are getting chemo.

Molly, so very sorry. Very sudden, and so sad for all.

MLP, you are a woman with a plan, and you are going to be kickass!

MLP3 you will do great. It's a relief to finally get a plan and get started.

So sorry about your friend Molly...hugs!

I'm so sorry to hear that. On a note of encouragement I have 3 friends stage IV and all of them are doing well. It is worrisome. One is considered cancer free. There is hope.

Molly: So sad to hear about your friend. ((hugs))

MLP: Hooray for having a plan! They do have the cold caps that are suppose to help save the hair. I have read a bit about it and I'm not sure I could keep up with all that is involved.

How do you get the Ki-67 score? From the tumor after surgery? Or can you get it from the biopsy samples as well?

My surgeon called me today and calmed my nerves about not knowing my plan. Apparently there *is* a plan, I was just not privy to it yet. The MO office called as well and I have an appointment tomorrow with my MO to answer all my questions about the neoadjuvant hormone therapy and to get a Lupron shot. Anyone else get (or got) Lupron shots? Any advice/SE/what to expect? I was kidding (sorta) and asked her where it will be injected. I honestly expected her to say hip or arm. Nope, right in the BUM. I am taking one of my best friends with me for notes, a recorder to record the visit, and all my questions written down and ready. My surgeon said the neoadjuvant hormone therapy would be about 3 months and said she wanted me to schedule an appointment with her in 2 months.

I got this LTF👍🏻

Ayr- my mo said that ki67 can give false positives and she doesn't like the test.

I asked about the cold caps and my mo is not a fan of them. She had one patient get frost bite on a significant area of her scalp and her hair never grew back in that area. She also had a patient that did it and it worked 75%. She was left with sparse haircover and ended up shaving it after a fight with insurance and $2k out of pocket. Both of these patients got the cold caps independently outside of Dana Farber.

Things work so differently for many people, but Dana Farber does not offer them. I'm going to go with the opinion from one of the best cancer institutions in the world on this one;)

I had a post op appointment with my BS today. All went well. I have a seroma but he said not to worry about it... no pain, breast not hot to the touch, incision healed well,... He said he was surprised that the MO wanted to do Chemo. He said that they usually do not do chemo if mass is smaller than 8mm with clean margins and clean nodes. Also I am almost 75.

((((Molly)))) So sorry to hear about your friend. Sending prayers for pyu and her family.

MLP Thanks for the welcome back. It sounds like you have a plan. My friend's daughter designed a pin with a ribbon that says " I've Got This". That sounds like you.

justmaximom - Have fun in New Orleans. It is a fun place. Your son will love the WWII museum! It is amazing. Plan on spending a lot of time there. BUT please be very careful where you go at night. The crime rate in the last year has been horrible. If you are curious, check www.nola.com especially over the weekend.

Peachy- Thanks for the poem... uplifting.

Sloan and PontiacPeggy Thanks for the encouragement and vote of confidence.

Molly, so sorry about your friend.

Kathy, neoadjuvant letrozole works for ER+ tumors--do you know your DCIS' receptor status?

Praline, with a Fri 2/12 surgery date, at least you can get sloshed for Mardi Gras (the upside of not being ER+). Unfortunately, you don’t get a free pass on Ash Wednesday (unless, like me, you’re Jewish).

Teresa, I used to despair of finding bras that fit me, looked pretty, and supported properly. (I still dream of being reduced to a DD cup)! I had an epiphany when I saw a rep from Intimacy (now Rigby & Peller) on the old Oprah show. She declared most women are wearing the wrong size bra: average is two bands too large and two cups too small, mainly because most mass-market retailers (discount & dept. stores) only sell and popular mfrs (Playtex, Bali, Olga, Maidenform, Wacoal, etc.) only make bras up to DDD--so in order to “contain the girls" most women have to get a band that rides up & fails to support. (Actual cup volume increases with each band size up--e.g., a 44DDD has the same size cup as a 40 H or 38I). I bought a couple of bras there and from then on have purchased much more cheaply online mostly from HerRoom.com. BareNecessities.com and Figleaves.com (the latter a UK firm). Not only do my bras fit perfectly, feel good and support well--they're in a rainbow of pretty colors & sexy styles--though I've had to store away those plunge, demi & balconnet bras until my seroma shrinks). Look for European brands like Fantasie, Elomi, Goddess, Prima Donna (that brand you want as Valentine's Day or anniv. presents), LeMystere, Freya, Curvy Kate and Panache; Wacoal now makes some underwires up to G & H cups. For non-wired, try Glamorise (a bit cheaper). For sleep/leisure, Leading Lady (very inexpensive). There's a non-wired super-supportive brand called Elila, but their fabric is too stiff & heavy, the lace trim too scratchy, the necklines too high, the adjustable straps so long you have to cut the ends.

There is a brave new world out there for us busty women, beyond beige/white/black!

MLP-so sorry you are in the chemo club but...know it gives you more fighting power against YOUR cancer...you are punching it in the face and then....KICKING it to the curb. Hair is hard to lose but will grow back and as LTFly has modeled among others- there are so many wigs to rock... you can ands you WILL! In your pocket!

HH, here’s hoping it’s only an infection--when I was still pre-menopausal, my nodes used to swell just before my periods. Also, I used to get a swollen node whenever I had a large zit or sebaceous cyst, or even a cold coming on.

I have been looking online at the Genie bras. Do the front closure only have zippers or do some of them have clips? Are they true to size? I was hoping to find them somewhere locally so I can see them in person, but I have not found a store yet.

I decided not to cold-cap, mostly because even with a little shedding, I would not be happy. My hair is very fine and thin, if I lost even a bit of it, it would look like crap and I would feel like I had to cover it, I didn't want to spend $2000 for that. Chemo Clinic was also not particularly supportive of it, it seems like a lot of effort especially if the nurses were not going to help with it at all.

Actually posted about going bald on my blog today, I've gotten so many positive responses, and it's being shared all over Facebook! I'm viral!

https://fancypansy.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/beauty...

Regards to bras, I am an F cup. I refuse to wear ugly bras, I actually wear all matching sets! I get most of them online from European sellers, panache and Freya are my favorite brands. I know my size and the cup types that work for me, so I just order the same cups types and size inlots of pretty patterns! Before I started doing that, I used to call my bras "orthopaedic shoes for tits"

LTFly- You are viral...love it! You are the BOMB!