Gill that’s fantastic news. Theresa’s right - you’re bound to be nervous on Tuesday, but the op’s not too bad. You’ll feel loads better once that hurdle’s done am sure. Good luck, will be thinking of you xj
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The very best of luck for tomorrow Gill
xxx
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Hi Gill
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Take care
Lucy
Ah Gill, I’m sorry it wasn’t better news. You have to hang onto the fact the scans were clear. Even with that many nodes infected you’re still classed as curable you know. Also the fact they’re thinking about Tamoxifen is a good sign as it’s an extra layer of defence against recurrence. I’m heading for chemo and rads too (I have some nodes affected too), so maybe we can look out for one another. I haven’t met my Oncologist yet, but I’d bet we’ll start chemo about the same time. Am sending you a huge hug. Allow yourself to be down about it, but it’s doable still. You will get through this. xj
Gill
Sorry the news wasn’t better. I had the same experience where it seemed every time I went near them they told me something worse. But it sounds like that’s all the bad news delivered now & you know what you are facing. Remember my first response to you - it won’t be nice but you WILL get through. I’ve done the FEC/Taxotere combo, & the rads, doing the Herceptin now, only difference is I have Arimidex instead of Tamoxifen, no idea why, & don’t really care.
Just let yourself feel however you do for the next wee while, angry, sad, it’s all normal, & we will all be here for you.
xx
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Hi Gill, I do get where you’re at. Horrible, isn’t it, but if your scans were clear then unless they missed something for now, you have no secondaries. You may have some stray cancer cells somewhere in your body, but if the chemo does its work those will soon be gone too. Of course who knows how your body will react to chemo - it works for most though, so hold onto that.
Also if you’re on for Tamoxifen then that’s another layer of defence. Some women don’t have that, so that’s another positive (in a negative sort of world I know!).
This might interest you - I read on here of a woman how had a very large tumour so had to have Chemo before her op to give a greater chance of clear margins. She knew she had cancer in at least one node due to fnb. After chemo she had a mastectomy and nodal clearance. The pathology showed no cancer in her nodes at all, so the chemo had worked and got rid and her nodal status was clear. So I suppose what you can take from that is that chemo really can work. Also that if you’d had chemo before your op, you may have had a very different result in terms of the amount of nodes affected. Not much solace, but it’s still interesting.
I’m seeing my Oncologist on Friday, so am guessing we’ll start at pretty much the same time. Lucky us, eh. xxj