Finished Chemo-Now What?

Congratulations Debbie!  The double edged sword of being triple negative.. You're done treatment -- Yay!  You're done treatment --  Now what! 

The ASCO guidelines don't recommend scans (you can google ASCO Breast Cancer follow up guidelines), just regular appointments, workups and scans when you're concerned about specific symptoms.  My onc wants to see me every 3-4 months, will do CBC at each appointment and PET/CT annually.  My BS wants a breast MRI annually.  Neither doc is following the guidelines but I told them I want to be a little more proactive and they're cooperative (even if they don't really think it'll make a difference).

Good luck and, again, congratulations on being done with Chemo.  It'll take awhile to settle into the non-BC patient mode... I'm still working on it (finished chemo 10/07 and rads 1/08).

Hi Debbie, well there isn't much more to do other than check-ups and bloodwork which I get every 3 months.  After awhile it moves to 6 months.  My Onc doesn't do scans unless I would present with a problem.  Get to know your body well, if a new "something" is bothering you they say give it the 2 week rule and if it is still there then call for a visit with the Onc.

Some say they have symptoms before c comes back and others don't so just be vigilant.

Hi all,

What a great topic. I am sitting in the chemo suite as I type having my last tx. I was told the same thing - a followup in 3 months. Actually first he said 4 months and I blanched so my onco said "ok, we'll make it 3". I was wondering what to do and look for too.

You're all right - I need to celebrate that this is done and I just might have hair again soon.

Thanks for being here.

Hi sisters I was/am a triple neg and I had no tests at all after treatment ended.  Of course, here in California, we are all in HMO's and they don't do anything but a free referral to dr. Kevorkian.

Just kidding, but a lot of onc's don't like the tumor marker test because of too many false positives.  Sure nothing wrong with getting an MRI, but no way any of us out here will get one.  I had a bone scan when my ribs hurt so bad, but that was costochondritis.

Dr. Susan Love says do your best to stay away from too much watching.  Either it will come back or it won't.  This suits some people's personalities, but certainly not all of us.  So you need to push for what you are comfortable with.

Her point was to get back to your normal life as soon as you can, without the appointments, testing, etc., that so disrupts your life.  She feels that if you have a recurrence, you will find it, if you have mets, what difference does it make?  But believe me, that is a matter of your own feelings.

Gentle hugs, Shirlann

I finished my chemo (TC dense dose) on January 18, 2008. My onc saw me after 1 month and now will see me every 3 months for the first year then six months, etc.  She does not do scans as a rule. She relies on bloodwork, physical exams and symptoms. At my first 3 month I will have a CAT scan because the last one before chemo showed a dark area at the top of my liver/bottom of my lung. It was seen on prior xrays at the same hospital and had not grown. My onc wants to make certain that it has not grown now. If not, I probably won't have any further scans unless symptomatic.

I too am in the "what next" mode, but am claiming to myself that I am healed.

To Debbie in TN... My hair started growing back while I was taking chemo. I finished chemo on 1-18-08 and my hair started falling out again the first week in March. Now all my eyebrows have fallen out and I have about 4 of my extra long lashes on each eye. I look really strange!! I thought I had escaped the eyebrows and lashes falling out. No such luck. I also have developed white arched rings from the  base of my nails that are growing with the nail growth. I guess these are delayed side effects of the Taxatere or the Cytoxan that I took.