Shocked regarding treatment

Sorry about your diagnosis but many people with clear nodes have chemo. I think grade and size of the tumor would have more to do with that decision.

have you had the oncotype test?

Wooliz, do you have insurance? Most insurance companies pay for the test.

Wooliz, my tumor was stage 1, but PR- so i had to have chemo. It wasn't too much fun, but I wasn't nearly as sick as I thought I'd be. For me, chemo was NOTHING like you see in the movies. I looked great (in my smoking hot wig) and I never threw up. Hormone suppression has been a non-event. Yes, i have some stuff fingers and feet, but I already had arthritis. Yes, i have memory and concentration problems, but no worse than before treatment. At this point, 2-1/2 years into it BC is but one hump in the road of my life.

Hang in there. It gets better,, eventually.

Wooliz, praying for you to be able to come to decisions that are right for you.
I had ER+ / PR+ grade 1; 3+ cm tumor with one positive node. They wanted me to do chemo and hormone blockers.. I am legally blind with glasses and couldn't afford the possibility of further permanent vision damage that can be a SE of Tamoxifen. I was very impressed by talking with Karen Hurd, Nutritionist (karenhurd.com) about a very effective estrogen reduction diet. I'm an RN and the biochemistry seemed very solid on how water soluble fiber binds to the estrogen (which is bound to bile) and forms a covalent bond so it can't be recycled back into the liver, but is excreted. My oncologist followed with enhanced estradiol levels (which went down rapidly). I also went into menopause (I was 57 and still having heavy periods) so they didn't need to give me Zolodex..

I am now 10 years out and doing great. Just had breast MRI (on both sides) and all is clear, so I'm rejoicing. I know there aren't guarantees with whatever choice you make, but it's good to explore all the options and come to a peace about your choice.

The diet is really healthy "normal" food, not that hard to do. Karen does phone consults isn't very expensive either. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat more. Wishing you all the best whatever you choose!!!

Hi

I just wanted to share with you that I just finished my chemo for estrogen positive her2 negative braca 2 with Unidentified genetic mutation that is identical to the breast cancer my mom was diagnosed with 3 years ago.

We both have a very aggressive type and harder to treat but we used the same team of doctors with amazing results!

My mom was a stage 2c invasive ductal carcinoma in her late 60s and did chemo for 12 weeks then lumpectomy and radiation and is still cancer free on taxol horemone therapy. This was after surviving colon cancer 6 years earlier with chemo for 16 treatments and she said the chemo for breast cancer was much less severe for her.

I was a much worse case with stage 3c idc diagnosed this July with largest of 4 tumors in left breast at 4.5 cm hiding behind muscle in my armpit! My general physician found it after colonoscopy and endoscopy came back clear and couldn't wait several weeks to get in to ob gyn office!

I wasn't happy about chemo at ALL but there was no denying how bad my diagnosis was after my pet scan came back and we were happy it was all still encapsulated and no time to argue with my mom! It was by FAR the strangest mother daughter bonding experience we have ever had but I couldn't have made it through this without her by my side every step of the way! She is a pro at this by now and understood exactly what I was going through better than I did at the time.

I had other complications before my diagnosis like ptsd that made treatments harder to endure but my less aggressive weekly treatments of taxol were much worse than the first 4 bi weekly treatments with nuclear push for chemo side effects but I also started at 5'7" 105 lbs and finished at 126 lbs with full palatable mass reduction so only pins can be felt where tumors used to be! I might loose less than 5 lymph nodes too but won't know until surgery and skin Saving double mastectomy January 9. If nipple tissue is viable we will try to bank them in belly just above c section scars for 2nd surgery reattach to replace spacers with permanent saline implants and fat padding around implant wherever they can get enough and it's probably going to be from my bum. I am SO relieved that I won't wake up flat that I am actually looking forward to surgery and getting my body back! I miss my hair the most though but I love all the scarfs and hats more than my wig because I have a tiny head!

I can't deny the success of the treatments and my bloodwork looked like I was healthy enough to not be on chemo most notably my red and white counts barely dropped at all even when I got a nasty cough around Halloween that I still can't get rid of!

I found a therapist to see me every week during this was crucial to my treatment and helped everyone on my teams to understand my special needs and provide the proper care with pain medication and other medications closely monitored to avoid drug interactions.

I hope some of that helps you and I will update the final details after surgery. Happy holidays and best of luck to you all on your journey

Hi

I think what others have said makes sense--the grade of a tumor is important-how fast are tumor cells growing. Chemo works really well on those that grow faster (grade 3).

I had clear nodes-- stage 2--- and the oncotype came back in the gray area. I decided on chemo---- and my onc and surgeon agreed. Remember, you don't HAVE to do anything-- it really is your choice. That said, I am almost 10 years out and never regretted chemo- they can tailor it to only what you need.... I had 4 treatments--unpleasant, yes, but I was able to go to work and manage things pretty well--my kids were 7 and 12---- I never got sick-- they give you all sorts of things to help. The best advice I got about that was to "do everything they tell you " I followed their instructions to the letter and really, for the most part, sailed through. I should say my biggest concern was nausea--I get queasy easily, and I did during chemo. But I told them that and they helped me with some drugs that really made a difference. It is not fun, but at the time, I thought I wanted to do everything available to me to try to be as certain as possible that this would not come back (even though we all know there are no guarantees).

I found it helpful to know exactly what they were recommending and why. The information gave me piece of mind. Once I adjusted to it, I just put my head down and did it.... again, not pleasant, but not unbearable.

I wish you the best of luck in your decision-making