Hi, I just read your post. I’m also 47 with three kids. I e bern offered optima trial which potentially could mean not having chemo, depending on if my tumour is tested etc. I could go straight to chemo. I’m terrified. I was reading about infection risk and other side effects and it sounds so scary. Have you found it not as bad as you anticipated? Sam xo
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Hi Sam
So sorry you’re going through this too.
I’m now halfway through my chemo, today will be 6/12 infusion (weekly Paclitaxol plus Herceptin every 3 weeks). I’m also cold capping.
If I’m honest, so far it’s been a breeze, absolutely not what I was expecting! I’ve had no nausea/vomiting, just a bit of heartburn, small nose bleeds and weird taste in my mouth.
If I didn’t work in a school I would have worked throughout my chemo.
I have a picc line in my arm which I got use to really quickly.
I’ve had no infections.
I’ve also lost no hair so far, I’m lucky my hair is really thick to begin with.
I know everyone is different and we all react differently but I’m so glad I opted for chemo, in the end it was a no brainier for me.
If any of my friends were in my position then I’d recommend them to have chemo.
Good luck with what ever you decide, the thought of chemo is scary, but in reality for me it’s been absolutely fine. I almost look forward to it as I get to chat to people and eat (snack trolly come by a lot!) 
Lots of love to you xx
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Hi, thank you for your reply 
Wow- what a nice read your post is. I have myself a complete wreck worrying about chemo but if I thought it would be like yours, I wouldn’t feel so scared!
My hair is naturally fairly thin so I fint know how helpful the gold cap would be or how hard it is to stand the pain?
I could go for trial and likely end up with chemo anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t be so scared of it. I have three kinds 16,14 and 10 so I do worry about controlling germs etc coming from schools. I also don’t want them to see me looking horrific- they are my drive for getting through this though.
I like the idea of being closely monitored for longer with the trial, I’m just worried that giving up control over what treatment I get is too much of a gamble.
Sam xo
So sorry you are having to make this decision i have had chemo twice. Tgd first time it was ec, and i have just finished my second lot (9 years later). This time i had pacltaxel. I was never sick, and never even felt nauseous. They give you an anti sickness drug with the chemo. Good luck! xx
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Can I ask why you declined chemo? I’ve just had surgery and all was successful but they are now suggesting preventive chemo for me which I find such a strange treatment option if all cancer is removed. I’m oestrogen positive variant and had a three cm lump and cancer in two lymph nodes. I’m very reluctant to put myself through chemo if I’m cancer free at this stage
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Hi clp1,
cancer is sneaky, my oncologist uses the term no evidence of cancer as cancer can still have travelled to other parts of your body and lie undetectable and dormant for years. Er + breast cancer is notorious for this. Like you my cancer was 2.5cm, strongly ER+ with 2 cancerous lymph nodes. Although ongoing research suggests that ER cancers may do just as well with anti hormone therapy as it does with chemo your oncologist will be aware of the latest evidence and he/she wants to give you the best available treatments that will prevent your cancer from recurring.
Everyone’s breast cancer has factors which are unique to them. The oncologist will take into account how several factors such as lymph node involvement, how much progesterone is present in your tumour, the grade of the cancer, your age, family and personal history, and if you have had a oncotype score done those results. These factors plus others all affect your recurrence risk.
I decided to take all available adjuvant treatments that were available to me following my lumpectomy and total node clearance. My cancer journey is still ongoing and it hasn’t been plain sailing but if I do get recurrence in the future I know I’ve give it my all. We all have to make treatment choices but I respect my oncologist knowledge and experience just as I respect each woman’s personal choices.
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Chemo is Carcenogenic. My surgery was successful. They got great margins (surgeon’s quote). So why on earth would I poison my body with a drug designed to kill all fast growing cells, regardless of whether they are cancer or not? Ditto Radiotherapy. None of us are getting out of this life alive, so I chose to live without all the side-effects of their treatment.
I see my natropath every 3 months. I take Fenben 6x a week. I radically changed my diet. I’ve never felt so good.
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No oncologist would recommend that path . With good reason . Chemo kills the inevitable stray cells whizzing around the body . Kale doesn’t. I’ve seen enough evidence of the failure of ‘natural’ therapies to know that’s a very dangerous game . Yes you may never have a recurrence. But frankly it’s way more likely you will if you say no to chemo
Radio and hormone blockers . Metastasis is not curable . Primary breast cancer is but only if you listen to the experts and dont fall for quack alternatives
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You do you, I’ll do me.
As no Oncologist is trained in anything other than Big Pharma medication, of course they won’t recommend anything other than Rockefeller’s gravey train.
I count myself fortunate to live in the UK where our medical treatment doesn’t rely on your credit card limit or private insurance. I also have the greatest respect for every single health professional who saw me through a year of surgery chemo radio and continue to look after me via ongoing mammograms and meds . I simply wouldn’t be here without them and their sound advice and support . There is no
‘Natural’ cure for cancer however much we might wish it .
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I also live in the UK, but I have NO respect for the Oncologist who curtly told me that she didn’t know anything about Lyme Disease (my co-morbidity) or how her chemo would affect it. When I asked her to do some research she stepped out of the office for 10 minutes, came back and told me that she’d “googled” it and that I’d be fine.
Cancer Reseach has had £ Milllions sunk into it over the years, without producing anything other than carcinogenic “treatments” that do not cure cancer and while this gravy train is so lucrative, I suspect that any cure that they did find would be burried forever and instantly.
I hope your treatment hasn’t damaged any other part of your body and that you now go on to live a long and uneventful life with no further recurrances of your cancer. You are happy with your path and I’m genuinely happy for you. It was not my chosen path and I guess we’ll only find out who the lemming was in the next decade or so.
Very sensitive subject. I wish I had been given the choice. If I had, it would have been YES.
Unfortunately cancer cells are hard to kill, so it has to be something harsh to make an impact. No one has ever said to me there is a “cure”. They can not know if any rouge cells have escaped the net. The purpose of chemo is a method to flush through your system, and try to capture and kill those rouge cells to prevent future recurrence, which could be years ahead.
My mum had chemo 30+ years ago, and is going well. I only had radiotherapy, and have been worried about spread. Having HER2- ER+ LVI my risk of recurrence is much later, 5-10 years. By which time, it could be a far worse situation.
Statistically chemo was not effective for me, 3% beneficial. That’s 3 people in every 100 that might have benefited. I wanted to be one of those 3.
They are my thoughts and reasons, but everyone has their own views. Ultimately you have to choose the right route for you. Best wishes to all going forward X
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Hi @clp1 I had adjuvant chemo after my bilateral (both) lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. All margins were clear and lymph nodes negative. However I was HER2+ as well as ER+ which meant I needed chemo to have Herceptin, which is a miracle drug. HER2+ cancer is aggressive and would not have had a good outcome years ago. I was advised that cancer cells can still be present in your blood stream but the chemo would mop them up.
I also had radiotherapy, with Letrozole, now changed to Exemestane and Zoledronic acid for my bones. Chemo is not easy but it’s doable and many of the side effects are managed. I was able to cold cap and kept most of my hair.
I know from my own experience it wasn’t just the oncologist that said I needed chemo with Herceptin it was a multi disciplinary team (MDT) who have a wealth of knowledge and experience. I trusted them to do what is right for me based on the evidence they have access to. I probably could find and read the research papers but would I fully understand them, I’m not so sure. I did some of my own research looking on BCN, MacMillan, Cancer Research and listening to Dr Liz O’Riordan a breast surgeon who has had breast cancer, as well as reading her book, The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer, with Prof Trisha Greenhalgh, another medical doctor who was diagnosed with cancer.
I know that some of my treatment may have affected my heart as chemo and Herceptin are deemed cardio toxic but I have to weigh that up with staying alive. I had regular heart scans while on Herceptin to check my heart’s ejection fraction (pumping blood out of left ventricle) which did decline over my treatment but within normal levels. I was told it is reversible and treatable if it drops lower than normal levels. I had a heart issue of my own and a family history and this was all taken into consideration with my treatment plan.
I would suggest you call the BCN nurses 0808 800 6000 to talk through your own situation as well as your own breast care nurse if you are unsure what to do.
Take care 
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