I was diagnosed today as her2 negative. I have grade 2,stage 3 breast cancer. (My cancer was upgraded from stage 2 to 3 last week)
I am 6?weeks post surgery after having a full mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with diep flap.
I was supposed to be just having hormone therapy only post surgery but now the pathology has come back with an stage upgrade and they want me to have chemo regardlessly as my age 43 there are more long term benefits which they think outweigh the short term side effects of chemo.
It’s my decision but a tough one!
I just wondered if anyone has experienced something similar?
Many thanks
Yes, every time I had a test things came out looking worse! I was really disappointed when they decided they wanted to do chemo as that was the one thing I really didn’t want to do. Was only expecting hormone therapy and radiotherapy until the post-surgery analysis. It’s hard to turn it down though I think.
I was very reluctant to have chemotherapy as well. As it turned out my pathology results after my lumpectomy showed that I was HER positive and also Grade 3.
My surgeon said to me straight after my op that they would probably want me to have chemo, this was before they knew I was HER positive. I think they like to treat Grade 3 cancers with chemotherapy.
Despite knowing I was HER positive, I was still reluctant to have chemo but agreed to meet with the oncologist to see what the percentages of having chemo and herceptin were.You can only have herceptin alongside chemo in the UK as herceptin is not licencsed for use in primary breast cancer on it’s own on the NHS. In my case the percentage of reducing recurrence by having chemo and herceptin was quite high, around 18-20% so that’s what made me decide to go for it.
Why not meet with the oncologist and ask them what kind of percentage would make a difference in your circumstances and make a decision from there? There are different online tools that they use to calculate your percentage gain of having chemo
Had mine been less than 5%, I personally wouldn’t have had chemo but many women decide to take chemo if offered even it it only gives them a 2-3% chance of stopping recurrence.
It’s a very individual choice but having a chat with the oncologist about statistics amongst other things might help you make up your mind.
I am somewhat similar , I am having everything thrown at me! I suppose if it’s a choice between life and death then I will do whatever it takes, I’m really worried about my ability to cope with it all. ?
I need too surround myself with positive people who remind me that I’m strong and courageous otherwise I dwell on the negativity.
Hope you can get a decision soon and get some peace of mind.
I’m currently waiting to hear if I need to have chemo or not and can totally relate to the feelings of fear surrounding this treatment. I’ve been talking myself out of it for what seems like weeks now but I will be face to face with 7 oncologists on Thursday afternoon and I’m suspecting they might have very different views from me on the subject - we’ll see. As much as I want to get back to normal, I’m starting to realise that this whole process is a bit of a marathon and I may as well let things develop as they need to. Today is the first day (while walking the dog in the rain which helps me clear my head), that I have honestly felt that if they advise me to have chemo that I WILL cope with it. I’m not sure where this little burst of positivity has sprung from because until this morning I’ve been totally down in the dumps. Anyway, just wanted to say that for those of you waiting to hear whether chemo is on the cards or not, lots of strength and courage coming your way! I wish you well with your journey x