"Window" to Begin Treatment?

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"Window" to Begin Treatment?

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  • canuckintx
    canuckintx Member Posts: 40
    edited June 2008

    Hi Ladies:

    I had a lumpectomy and axcillary node removal on 5/7.  It will be 6 weeks tomorrow.  In the meantime, I'm still waiting for my oncologist to order the oncotype...sometime this week, for the radiation oncologist's office to call with a consult appointment, etc.  My medical onco wants to do the oncotype DX to see if chemo would benefit me.  It could be at least another 2-3 weeks before I begin any kind of treatment, which would put me 8-10 weeks post surgery.  Is that too long to wait?  I'm feeling pretty anxious to get moving with treatment, but maybe it's not critical for me to rush anything.  What do you think?

    Debbie

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2008

    I was kind of in your shoes too and scared...I asked several of my doctors and medical team and got the same answer about the time from.....

    They all said 12 weeks, by time all testing and results were back I waited 10 1/2 weeks before starting treatment...

    I know its scarey...and Im sorry that you even have to be here to ask that question....

    Hugs

    Jule

  • Annabella58
    Annabella58 Member Posts: 2,466
    edited June 2008

    Hi ladies:

     Same thing happened to me, am in recon now.  Started chemo three months after!  It was  my second go round, lumpectomy first time, but no oncotype test 6 years ago.  This time, showed possiblity of recurrence on the mid scale, so they went for chemo.

    All drs. agreed, 12 weeks was perfectly fine.  If anything began to even think about it, it would be at a teesy cellular stage and get blasted by any treatment you will get.

    Don't fret, this is truly a safe thing to do, altho I know we all are raring to get it over with already.  Try to relax and know it's out of you.  This is just the cleanup.

    Good luck ladies!

    love

    annie

  • Sassa
    Sassa Member Posts: 1,588
    edited June 2008

    From biopsy to mastectomy was two weeks, mastectomy to  first chemo was 4 weeks (it should have been 7 weeks but I healed from the mastectomy a lot faster than my doctor thought I would).

  • jacobsmom
    jacobsmom Member Posts: 50
    edited June 2008

    I'm in the same boat now...had mastectomy on May 27 and was told that Oncologist would be 1-2 weeks Chemo would be 3-4 weeks time then I have radiation and hormone therapy. I got a call yesterday finally for just the oncologist appoint which isn't until July 17!!!! So that only means that I see him then make the plan which brings me closer to August. I called my nurse and she called me back saying I'm in the window...well open it up and let me out so I can get on with this I told her haha. I have  a 14 month at home and have tried to get some planning done for treatments this summer as it's gonna be a hard juggle especially with the daily rad. for 3 weeks straight and everyone is just sort of on standby....thank god for friends and family!!!!

  • ellie123
    ellie123 Member Posts: 47
    edited June 2008

    hey Debbie-

    About 4 weeks after lumpec my onoc called and was making an immediate appointment for me.  I totally freaked out though I knew I was chemo bound I could not imagine the rush.  I called my BS and he told me that I would have to be fully healed before chemo started and that my onc was a bit hyper (that's an understatement).  So I was about 8 weeks out from surg and all was fine.  I was so anxious that cancer cells were going nuts all over but it was my runaway anxiety talking.  So there are all sorts of timelines but as long as you have faith in your onc relax a bit and follow their guildelines.  If you don't trust your onc go asap for a second opinion....my onc is a nut but I KNOW he will get rid of this cancer.

    Many blessings!

    Ellie

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