Mother just diagnosed. Searching for info and options for her

So sorry if this is the wrong place to post. First time poster. Long story short is my mother, age 76, is facing a second breast cancer. First was DCIS stage 1 with mastectomy , no follow up treatment needed. 12 years later, in remaining breast ILC ( HER2+, ER- and weak PR+) was found. The tumor is over 5 cm, Grade 2, so we're praying it's Stage III. Getting PET/ MRI of breast, and of surrounding nodes and pelvis this week. It is also noteworthy that she has had unexplained mildly low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet counts for over a year, but is otherwise in good health.

My concern is that my mom is throwing up her hands and is willing to just submit to whatever the first consult says to do. This doc is being very very conservative. Just wants Taxol at very low dose one time per week for 12 weeks, then re-evaluate and hopefully do surgery. His reasoning is that he does not want her blood counts to go down as a result of chemo.

I am a bit puzzled by that idea. Her counts are just a few points below normal, so nothing remotely critical at this point. Also , I am under the impression that there are drugs that can be given to prevent a drop in blood counts. Given the size of the tumor ( which is likely bigger than the ultrasound and mammogram estimated), wouldn't it make sense to hit hard out the gate and add in prevention meds, then ease off if the side effects are too bad and blood counts go down too far ??

I have not yet seen the complete pathology report, so I can't get into the nitty gritty just yet. But just in my limited perusal of options, there seems to be alot more that could be done that might make a big difference in shrinking the tumor as well as dealing with potential mets.

I explained to my mom that wanting to start right away feels right for her at this time, but what about part way into chemo when there is no going back? I want her to move forward in an informed way where she understands and chooses a course of action based on her very much individual situation. I fear that this doc pitching a chemo course right off the bat before getting more scans is a bit cursory. And I also wonder if HMO protocols might be influencing his conservatism around chemo. His not even mentioning using meds to offset lowering blood counts seems ominous to me, especially since he is both a hematologist and an oncologist.

At any rate, I have offered to pay for a Cleveland Clinic online second opinion consult as a way to get a different perspective.

Has anyone experienced something similar? How many opinions are folks going to gather? I do not believe this doc specializes in breast cancer. Where she is going at the moment is a general blood disorder/cancer center , not a teaching hospital and not a research facility. Just a place in network across the street from her primary care doctor. (who allowed my mom to go without a mammogram for 4 years until she found the lump on her own!) I get the feeling this is not a good idea, but do not want to disempower my mother by undercutting a doctor she likes.

Any advice, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!