Lost, confused! No treatment plan!!!!!!!!

Your best plan is to see an oncologist before surgery. They can guide you through the chemo questions and hormone blocking therapy. I didn't have a lumpectomy so I can't answer those questions for you. They may be planning on doing a sentinel node biopsy at the time of lumpectomy to check the lymph nodes. Not everything shows up on the scans. You usually get radiation after a lumpectomy verses a mastectomy where you don't unless the lymphs are involved. As far as pain and recovery go it varies greatly from person to person. Chemo was hard on me but radiation just made me very tired. Others had much better or worse experiences. Just keep asking the drs questions until you're satisfied with the answers you get.

Hi Dana...After the surgery she'll be referred to an Oncologist who will order the necessary tests

Lumpectomy was easy for me. I didn't take any pain killers...just uncomfortable for the first couple of days.Everybody reacts differently I wish her the best

Good Luck to your mother. We're here for you.

Sending hugs

Sheila

you won't get the full treatment plan until after the lumpectomy. They'll need to test the tumor and lymph nodes. after my lumpectomy I met with the Radiation Oncologisgt, Medical Oncologist, and Breast surgeon to discuss treatment plan. My hospital has a tumor board, where all the docs meet to review each case and plan treatment. Typically you will have radiation after lumpectomy. They want to kill any stray cancer cells. Perhaps they will not recommend radiation due to your mother's age, I don't know. I had no major problems with the radiation. They typically won't do a PET scan unless there is some sign that the cancer hasn't spread. I have never had one. This is really the hardest part of this whole ordeal, the waiting and wondering. Try to be patient

I agree with seeing an oncologist prior to surgery. I had my port put in (I was HER2+++ so I knew chemo was on the table) and had a node biopsy during the port surgery. So I knew right away I was node negative. I also had an MRI, MRI biopsy and two additional ultrasounds to look for additional cancer spots. No PET scans.

Once I had my original mammogram and they found cancer, my primary doctor wanted me in surgery ASAP. Since my primary and the cancer center I wanted were in two different hospitals, I was already listening to my cancer centers advice. I ended up having chemo, lumpectomy (twice, once for re-excision for clear margins) and radiation (and more chemo because of the HER2) and NOT just jumping into the surgery for which I am very thankful.

I was told (by my radiologist, ironically, who I met with at the very beginning) that I had two months from diagnosis to make up my mind about treatment. I was diagnosed on December 8th and started chemo on January 23rd. While it can be, for me, cancer is not an emergency. I wanted ALL of my facts and wouldn't let anyone rush me. Ask a million questions. It's your body and their job. If you don't like the answers, change doctors.

And the lumpectomy surgery was easier than the node biopsy, quite frankly. Two ibuprofen three times a day for two days and I was fine. I also took the advice of taking it easy.

My mom had a lumpectomy for Stage 1 cancer at age 80 for a 1.6 cm tumor. She was at the casino the next day, and truly had no pain..

She absolutely breezed through it. I would agree to go see an Oncologist now.