I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of Jan this year, have had a lumpectomy and am starting radiotherapy tomorrow. I saw the consultant yesterday to discuss chemo. She had had the results of a computer programme which helps to advise on whether chemo is necessary or adviseable. She fed in my age (63), gender (F) co-morbidities (none). aggressiveness of tumour (Grade 3), size of tumour (2.3cm,) and lymph node involvement (none). From that the computer generated a likelihood of life expectancy in 10 years, 70% with only radiotherapy, 76.3 with oestrogen-zapping meds, and an additional 5.3 with chemo. The consultant said they advised cheom if there was a 5%+ increase in life expectancy.
My problem is that I desparately want to keep working. I’m self-employed in a business which is likely to be severely damaged if I take substantial time off. I’m hoping with your collective experience, you can advise me what you think my chances are of keeping working through the 6/7 months of chemo and whether you think it’s worth it given the odds above.
I’d do it like a shot.I did I was 63 and given similar stats.To me that was my 5% not the cancer’s.Honestly I could not have worked through chemo but many do and if you are self employed you may be able to manage the time.You tend to feel really awful for 1 week in 3 if that hels.It varies a great deal between individuals.I was worse than that,mny are better.It also depends on type of chemo.But do take into account your ownership of that 5%.Mine was triple negative so turning down chemo never occurred to me!
Hi Lilian
i totally agree with Horace - take the chemo!! I had chemo in 2005 and was able to work throughout no problem - full time and I had a 6 year old as well.
Chemo is different for everyone and you may feel OK. It is certainly not as portrayed on any TV soaps you may have come across.
Good luck
Jan xx
I am a few years younger than you but I was given similar stats and didn’t think twice about it. I wanted to do everything I could to give myself the best chance because my mother had this at a similar age to me and died within 5 years. I only had 4 lots of chemo in the end because I did have awful problems but hopefully that was enough and I don’t have any regrets about having it. I found the decision to stop a very difficult one to take but was advised to do so. I am now on Herceptin, next one tomorrow.
Good luck with your decision. It has to be your decision and it may not be the same as mine and it can be awfully difficult to take these very important decisions. Sometimes I have wished that the doctors would just tell us what to do as they did in the old days!
I could not have worked through chemo personally but quite a lot of people do.
All the best
Anne
I am on chemo at the moment, am working week 3 of each cycle, and doing bits of work from home in week 2 when I feel like it. Of course it affects everyone differently and I appreciate your concerns re your business but heck I would grab the chemo with open arms, anything that gives you another 5% has gotta be worth it.
Good luck
Louise x
I worked as well throughout chemo. I really enjoy most aspects of my work, and to some extent it kept me going and took my mind off things. So I handed over the tasks I found hard/hated to others, and carried on with the good bits. There were only a few days each cycle I didn;t work at all, and some when I did less than I would normally have done - for at least a week out of every 3 I was more or less working as normal.
Can you enlist any back-up or emergency support? Its so difficult to predict how you will feel, and which things you will be able to do. If you can enlist a friend to hold the fort and take messages etc, you may be able to keep the business running. I found once I had explained the position people who I had made promises/commitments to were very understanding and allowed me to shuffle dates and deadlines. Of course everybody reacts differently and some do find it very hard, but like the replies above I ahve to say I would go for the chemo.
Best wishes, though, whatever you decide.
Sarah
I really appreciate all this advice. I’m finding it such a difficult decision to make. The whole thing is so hard to believe. I swing between thinking it’s all a bit of nonsense which will just go away as soon as I’ve got through the next bit and thinking this is real, this is life-threatening, my whole way of living is under threat, with not much in between. I find it incredibly useful to hear the opinions of others travelling the same road. Are there any other people out there who have worked through chemo?
just bringing this message to the top again for you - you may need to start a new thread called ‘advice on working through chemo’ to make sure people respond to the question
S
Hi Lilian
Sorry you have to make these dreadful decisions. I was in exactly the same situation. In the end I opted for chemo, but not rads as I have reflux disease and was worried about the rads effects on my throat. Personally I was very ill whilst having chemo, hospitalised and unable to do anything - never mind going to work. I had a job getting dressed and showering! But, and this is a big but, we all react very differently, and as you read above, many people manage to work throughout chemo, but perhaps with some reduced hours. The hormone treatment offered to you is certainly going to make a difference . If nothing else, I would suggest that you take that. Have they told you what type of chemo they are suggesting and for how long? Some chemos - mine was A/C, only have 4 cycles, so the whole thing could be over in 4 months.
Very best of luck with your decision, and perhaps you might get some more positive stories with chemo experiences from some other girls here.
Birgit
Lilian
Just another thought, I know I have already had my say on this but I had my third chemo yesterday and so woke up early and I was thinking about your dilemma and I though I bet she can’t quite believe it is happening…and that is why it is difficult to take the idea of chemo on board. And so I log on this morning and find that indeed you are (naturally)finding it hard to take in. Only you can make the decsion I know, but don’t gamble with your health; it is a big thing we are dealing with here
Take care
Louise x
Hi Lilian
I think it depends on which chemo you’re going to have and for how long. I couldn’t work at all through my first course of chemo as it just floored me completely and then having radiotherapy on top of it just compounded the fatigue.
The second round of chemo wasn’t so bad and the third lot that I’m now on (13 years from initial diagnosis) I forget that I’m on it (it’s Xeloda).
Can you find out from your oncologist or breast care nurse which chemo they would offer you and the side effects etc? I think until you know that you can’t really make that decision as we are all different and we all react differently.
Pinkdove
I think you’re quite right Louise. Up until now, I’ve felt so well except for the pain in my boob from the op. that I’ve been able to go through it all sort of looking at it sideways and keeping my life flowing through its normal tracks. I’m starting radiotherapy soon - postponed from today - and I’m still hoping I will just be able to pretend nothing is happening except this irritating business of having to trog up to the hospital every day. What frightens me about chemo is that I dont think I’ll be able to pretend any longer. Not only will I be ill, I’ll probably feel ill as well so I’ll have to face the thought of my nice cosy life being massivley disrupted even if only for a few months. Scary but I’m beginning to get my head round it a bit: still dont know what to do though: it looks like I’ve got a month to decide while they get started on the radiotherapy so I’ll keep chewing at it.
The chemo they want me to have is called E-CMF and it seems to take about 5 months if I understand it right. Does anyone know whether this is more or less likely to make me feel awful than other stuff or is it all just how each individual reacts?
I do empathise Lillian. I kept thinking “this is unreal” and also “I am strong, I am capable, I don’t DO ill, everyone relies on me”. And indeed other peoples’ reaction varied from oh it is a good job it is you, if anyone can fight it, it’s you (thanks!)to… it won’t get you, Louise, you are invincible (no I’m not, I am human, it has taken getting BC to make me realise that)
So confronting the reality (and actually FEELING ill) is a really hard thing to do. Some days I just look at my face in the mirror in disbelief. I hate it that basically, my life has stopped for six months, just totally ground to a halt…University, job, the lot. But it will still be there in six months and hopefully so will I.
Individuals react to chemo so differently and there is no rule of thumb. My drugs are Epirubicin and Cyclophosphamide, known as EC-90. I have one yukky week then a tired week then an Ok week, then back for another treatment, 6 in all.
Good luck with your radio. I think the main effect is mega-tiredness so get plenty of rest. At least you have a few weeks before the possibility of chemo and you have some more time to take the right decision for you.
Take care
Louise x
Radiotherapy has now been postponed for 3 weeks because they want to give my wound longer to heal. I now have even longer to make my decision. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not but I understand why they’ve delayed the radiotherapy and trust the decision so I’ll just have to go ahead and wait. I so want this to be over. But it will be. And my initial horrified reaction to chemo has started to subside, partly due to the very helpful responses I’ve had to this thread. I’m starting to get my head round the practical difficulties and to see it as short term pain for longer term gain. I think it would be hard to live with my decision if the cancer returned and I hadnt taken every opportunity to kill the cells when I could. So, although I’ve not committed myself yet, I think I will probably go for it and get my hair cut - for the first time in 17 years - as a way of facing up to the changes to come. Oh gulp.
Oh lilian, I sympathise. I had surgery nearly 6 weeks ago, start E-CMF on Friday (3 months of Epi, 4 months of CMF), then rads. Kids are 16, 19 and 21, not little, but I’ve been separated 10 years. My reaction to dx in early Feb was anger, I wasn’t ‘ill’ and just did not have time for cancer treatment. Despite the lump I felt fine and thought I could just live with it, reasoning that as long as I survived another 10 years the kids would have left home, animals would have passed away, there’d be nobody to have to ‘hang on’ for - cold logic. Family and friends talked me round and the journey has begun, I’m still cross but my kids are satisfied I’m taking what science can offer, and with a lot of strength gained from ladies on here, I think yes, this can be done… I haven’t been able to take the plunge and get my long hair cut yet either! May get the scissors out tomorrow and let my daughters do it between them… I haven’t looked at wigs yet, that bit of me is still in denial - will try the cold cap and hope it works. Very best wishes to you whatever you decide. Lyn xxx
Hi Palomino: I’m in about the same situation treatment wise - not the kids! Like you, I don’t do ill, have not been ill (except colds) since I was about 10 - tonsils out (I’m 60). First and only time in my life had virtually planned the whole of this year - am doing maternity cover as office manager and had planned for some full time, going to 4 days, then 3/2 days when incumbent returns. But you know what they say: Plans make God laugh. At one point did say to husband: turn the clock back to this time last year and when it gets to December, shoot me!
Had my op on 10 March - WLE and auxillary clearance - and am waiting to start the chemo which should be about beginning of May. LIke Lillian above I think I will have the E-CMF.
I also want to carry on working thru this but it will depend on how I feel. The thought of doing nothing just being ill fills me with horror - I guess I can take up gardening!
Think I will lose my hair and will get on with the wig thing shortly - want to be ready!
My rough ten year survival was 40% with no treatment, probably 65% with treatment - hate the expression but that is a no-brainer. Guess they will do accurate calculation later.
It’s a long way to go to get over all this, after the chemo I will have rads and then Herceptin and then probably hormone treatment. Can’t get my head around the length of time.
Best wishes.
C
Hi Carrieann (love the name, big Hollies fan…!)
I know what you mean re the length of time it all takes out of your life. This year is a write-off, and then what? The statistics just aren’t enough of a guarantee, yet they’re all that’s available to help make the big decision. I think my 10 year prognosis was 62% without treatment, up to 79% with both chemo and tamoxifen - I kept forgetting to ask why radiotherapy wasn’t on the computerised bar-chart, but I don’t suppose it matters now the wheels are in motion. Plus point is that yesterday’s first Epi session was fine and I feel perfectly normal today, though my bowels haven’t woken up yet. A friend I haven’t seen since February dropped in today and said I look less tired than I have for a couple of years, whether that’s the steroids, the fact that I’m not working, or the fact that I had BC and didn’t know it, who knows? Lyn xx
Hi Lyn- actually Carrieann is dog’s name, her mum was Jennifer Eccles!! Glad to hear from someone who had first Epi and didn’t feel like death warmed over. Let’s hope it stays that way.
I need to get the computer prognosis done as guestimates ain’t good enough. Looks like I’m going to delay my start until end of May - we are going away in late May and I refuse to be a gibbering wreck with hair falling out all over the place. Can’t see a couple of weeks will make any difference in the grand scheme of things.
Did see a comment on another thread that someone had discovered the only thing to drink whilst on chemo was champagne - apparently the bubbles shifts it through your system more quickly. There has got to be something good about all this!!
Julia
xxxx
Carrieann,
If I’m feeling well enough to garden, I shall be very happy and will beaver away for hours. Would hate the thought of having nothing to do but am sort of thinking that when/if I get to that stage it will be because I’m feeling so ill, I’ll be too preoccupied with that to be bored. We’ll see.
It’s the ‘then what’ that gets me. I can just about get my head round the idea of putting work on hold for a few months but I’m scared I’ll find it difficult to get back either because the business has melted away or because I’m still feeling ill or perhaps will have lost the motivation to work. And then I’ll have to make some big decisions about what I live on and how I fill my life. I know I’m rushing ahead and the sensible thing is just to take each stage as it occurs but I cant help wondering.
However the thought of a little therapeutic champagne to comfort me through the dark days cheers me no end.
Lilian
Sadly I don’t like champagne, but fizzy mineral water is fine. I still feel very normal after Friday’s Epi - Senokot is taking care of sluggish bowels, and Gaviscon works for the slight heartburn which is a usual problem for me after drinking a lot of juice. The chemo nurse rang today to check up and said if I’m feeling ok it’s because I drank so much during administration of the Epi - I must have had 5 or 6 glasses of water and 4 hot chocolates, as well as sucking sherbet lemons (no bad taste yet!) - the saline drip was going in too, so my bladder did well to hold out until the chemo was over, and I had to wheel the drip stand very quickly to the loo as soon as the Epi finished! Drinking so much did flush it through, the pretty pink wee only lasted an hour or so!! Exercise is good too, though all I do daily is take the dog out, recovery from DIEP reconstruction is taking a while but walking definitely helps. Love and strength to you. Lyn xxx