Saw the oncologist today for my pre chemo assessment, start tomorrow. He had the results of my CT and bone scan and they were clear. I have a node in my lung 5mm but they are sure it is longstanding and benign. It is such a relief, my heart was pounding so fast when he was reading the reports that i thought i would pass out.
It’s amazing how you can feel so happy about all the small victories, I think that i might sleep tonight for the first time in 2 weeks. I now know what i face and once i start chemo tomorrow i can foccus on fighting. I know it is a long road chemo, surgey & rads but for the first time i am convinced things will be ok.
We have gone out for a meal with the children tonight and consumed several glasses of wine, might as well while i can. Thanks for all the support over the last week. I am sure i wont always feel as good as i do tonight but long may it last.
Wonderful news about your scans - bet it is such a relief. Am so pleased for you.
With regards to chemo, I have my 2nd one today, and I was so scared about the first one, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be, and the after affects were minimal I have to say with no sickness whatsoever. Unfortunately, my hair is now coming out big time, upset about that though and not sure how to deal with it emotionally, but will get there.
Glad you had a lovely evening out too, and good luck for your chemo.
thats great news about your scan results, I’m really pleased for you. I had quite a lot of lymph nodes involved and so was v.v.worried when I had my CT and bone scans, I know how good I felt when I got my results, so can totally understand how chuffed you must be. Its so right what you say about the small victories!
I’m glad you celebrated with a nice meal and some wine, good on 'ya. I hope your chemo goes well. I started mine in May and was shi**ing myself when I went for my first one. It was really ok though and I hope your experience is as positive as mine was,
Dawn, Kelly thanks for your comments. First chemo over, so far no ill effects long may it continue.
I am a bit confused don’t know if anyone can help. The first nurse who gave me my drugs to take home told me to take them all and when to take them. The nurse who finished my treatment said to keep the granisetron in reserve and to also consider whether to take all, some or none of the steriods. She also said they could look to cut the steriods in the next treatment. All very confusing, anyone have any experience or advice?
I notice in a few posts that some of you have had lymph node biopsies. I havent and no one has mentioned this, is it something that they do at the time of the surgery, which is my next step.
Hi Lesley. I am so pleased for your that you had some good news! I had the good news the other week that the bc was only in one breast, so I know how great it is to have some positive news.
As far as I’m aware, they always/usually take samples of lymph nodes at surgery. I am not as knowledgeable as a lot of the girls, though, so don’t take that as gospel. I am having a wide local exision (biggish lumpectomy) on Friday and they will take samples of lymph nodes then. I then have to wait 2 weeks for the results, which I’m not looking forward to (the waiting, not the results!) Perhaps it hasn’t been mentioned to you because there is so much information to take in, they sometimes leave bits out so as not to overwhelm us when we are in a vulnerable/emotional state and probably won’t take it all in. That sounds a bit patronising, but it wasn’t meant to.
The very best of luck with your first chemo.
Love
Emma
xxxx
Snap! I too have a 5mm nodule on/in my lung which they tell me is probably longstanding and benign, this was found on CT scan shortly after my diagnosis! My onc did tell me that if loads of people were scanned, a proportion of them would have lumps and bumps of some sort, so its good to know he was telling the truth!
On the lymph node question, they will sample your lymph nodes when you have surgery, I am pretty sure of that.
Pauline good to hear someone else has been told the same thing, you do wonder about every finding. Onc has said they will repeat scan at end of chemo to provide total reassurance.
Can you tell me about the lung nodule? I also have one and have a scan after chemo number 5 on 14th Sept to see how / if it’s responded to the chemo in any way (bad news I guess if it has).
My onc described it as a 5mm nodule which was in all lightlyhood a long standing benign incidential finding. They also plan to repeat the scan at the end of the chemo as they now have somthing to compare this to, they said they are doing this for total reassurance. I am trying not to think about it they have given me as positive a message as they are likely to without biopsy results.
I don’t know what is a good result from the scan I don’t know if the chemo would have any effect on a benign finding. Maybe someone else knows.
that sounds like we both have the same thing. They described it to me a such as well so I’m keeping it in mind that it is a benign nodule also. I’m sure it will be, they said to me it’s relatively common.
That is reassuring, and I’m very pleased for you too.
Well I feel a lot better that there are 3 of us and we’ve all been told the same thing i.e. that is very likely benign, longstanding, and just an incidental finding. From what Ive seen on these forums it is not an uncommon finding and when I was first diagnosed in March there were another couple of women on the forums who had similar.
How strange that all our nodules are the same size though! My surgeon did not even think I needed a scan to check on it after chemo, he thought that the terrible thing about scanning was that it did pick up things like this and just caused more worry to patients. I had 4 positive lymph nodes, if Id only had 3 I would never have been scanned, as he said its a completely arbitrary line who gets scanned, some hospitals wouldnt even bother with 4 or more. If he doesnt mention a post-chemo scan to me Im not going to bother having one: ignorance is bliss I think. But, saying that I do trust his judgement and the rest of the team i.e. radiologists and oncologist who looked at my scan results.
From what Ive found out even if the nodule disappears it doesnt mean it was sinister either, as I was told benign nodules can change, and come and go.
Thanks for the info, as i am haveing chemo first, then surgery i don’t know yet about my lymph nodes. There was nothing enlared on the scan and nothing on exam but i realise that doesnt mean any guarantees, guess i wont know till surgery. It’s good to know that if the lung nodule disappears it doesnt meant it was sinister. Guess i will take the scan as its been offered but i know what you mean about the worry it brings.
I am counting myself very lucky, i had my first chemo on wedensday. So far no nausea sickness or other sympotms apart from a lack of sleep on wedensday night, the steriods i think. I have had my hair cut short, it’s actually quite cute but i have also purchased my wig as i don’t know how long it will last. When does your hair usuallly start to go after starting FEC?
Well, I had few side effects from FEC apart from sore mouth and gums, I think I had an infection every time after FEC! But overall I wasnt too bad at all. I kept my hair completely for about 2 weeks and then the third week it started falling out/thinning (but I have very thick hair!) When I went back for FEC number 2 the nurse said it would come out quickly within 2-3 days and she was right, it then started coming out thick and fast. So I took the decision to shave it off before it came out completely - not as bad as I thought and quite enjoyed having no hair and a perfect wig for a while… after 3 months though am now getting fed-up with perfect hair and yearn for my own! Got a covering of whitish flush and a bit of dark stubble but that’s it! Only one Tax to go now on Wednesday and then hopefully after that it will start growing properly. I think everyone is different on the hair front though so yours may last longer or go sooner!