Hi everyone ,
Tomorrow is my first appointment with the oncologist and am getting a bit anxious now about the next part of treatment (not sure what it will be yet) i had a WLE and sentinel node and axillery sampling on the 25th july. My lump was 2.3cm and grade 3 but thankfully my nodes were clear. At first i was told that it would def be 5 weeks radiation and then proberly hormone treatment though they didnt have the results of the hormone receptor test when i saw them last ,now they have said that because the tumour was a grade 3 i might also need chemo before rads so the waiting again has been difficult. if any of you ladies have a similar type to me and can give me any advice at least ill be a bit more prepared.Im dreading the though of having to have chemo too. Thank goodness for this website it realy helps , everyone is so supportive and inspiring , its great to know we all have somewhere to come to when we need to. I hope you are all doing ok and my best wishes are with you all.
lots of hugs .
Lindiloo
hi lindiloo,
i too had a grade 3 tumour which measured 12mm my nodes were also clear, i was 43 at dx, 3.5 yrs ago, i had chemo because of grade and my age, i was petrified of the thought of chemo, but somehow managed to do it.
hopefully tomorrow you will be more aware of what your treatment plan is, if they do say chemo, i was told in my case it was a preventative measure, and to look on the chemo as my friend not my enemy…not easy i can tell you, after chemo radiotherapy was easier to deal with for me.
Let us know how things go tomorrow.
best wishes
karen x
Hi lindiloo,
my dx was a little different to yours - 2 cm non-palpable invasive tumour,with intermediate grade DCIS, stage and grade 2. I had 8 sample nodes taken when I had the lumpectomy, and 3 were found to be cancerous. It was only after I went back for total axillary removal (one more node cancerous) that chemo was ever mentioned. It was a big shock, as I was initially told I would just have a lumpectomy and rads.
I found chemo particularly difficult, as I also have Crohn’s and had to stop my normal chemo (methotrexate), which naturally led me into a flare. I ended up having to sip hospital prescribed Frutijuice for 4 months as normal food made me faecally incontinent.
Guess what I am trying to say is, that if I could get through FEC chemo with another concurrent serious disease, you can. My Oncologist nor gastro had ever treated someone with concurrent diseases, so it was all a bit of a gamble. Pleased your nodes were clear, so you may not need chemo. If you do have to have chemo, do ask if they can offer you the cold cap treatment - apparently it is not successful with some chemo regimes, but I got lucky and although my hair thinned a lot on top, I didn’t go bald. I think not losing my hair (and I’m really not vain) helped me cope much better with the chemo and then rads.
Hope your appointment with the Oncologist tomorrow goes well.
Take care,
Liz.
Hi Lindiloo
I was diagnosed on 16 July with bc and then told on 26 July had spread to my liver too. Started my chemo on 8th August, so only had one, and was absolutely petrified about it and part of me didnt want to do. But I have to say, that it really was not as bad as I thought, and not painful at all. I have had no sickness (touch wood) and no other side effects. I am 39 with a 3 yr old and 9 month old. Keep me busy and take my mind of all this. I am on FEC x 3 and taxotere x 3.
I hope that your appointment with your onc went well today and keeping my fingers crossed for you. Let us know how you get on.
Take care
Love
Dawn
x
Hi Lindiloo
I am in a similar position to you. I was told after the biopsy it was a grade 1 tumour. When I went back for my results, after WLE, I was told it was in fact a grade 3, with no lymph node involvement. My lump was 1.5cm. My Surgeon said in his opinion, that chemo would only be of slight benefit. However, it is the Oncologist who will recommend the appropriate treatment. I was really hoping for just radiotherapy and Tamoxifen, as the cancer was hormone receptive. However, having read some of the posts on, here I too am getting a bit worried that he may recommend chemo as well. I see the Oncologist this Thursday. I know this doesn’t help you, but I am just jumping on the bandwaggon! Let us know how you get on.
Lots of love.
Julie.
Hi Lindiloo
My diagnosis was similar to yours. Grade 3, 12 mm, no lymph nodes. I was given all the stats on which to base my decision and decided I would have chemo. I think it was because of the grade that it was recommended. However I was also HER 2 positive and strongly ER positive so I am not sure what difference this makes to the treatment thta is suggested.
My oncologist did leave the decision to me - sometimes I would rather be told what to do as they are the experts, but I did feel that chemo was definitely being recommended. Make sure you write down any questions you want to ask as it is so easy to forget when you are there.
Good luck
Anne