H Catchpole
Could I suggest you give our helpline team a ring where you can talk in confidence. The staff will be only too happy to talk through with you any concerns you may have. Calls to the helpline are free, 0808 800 6000 lines open weekdays 9-5 and Saturdays 10-2.
Take care,
Jo, Moderator
Yes i had the results from the original scan and biopsey,. cancerous lump, and one suspicious lymph node, but in spite of saying wouldnt take all nodes because of risk of lymphoedema when i had operation with different surgeon from whom i i saw originally, whom ive never met, saw his registrar.they took them all. I didnt mind i waas glad to be rid,. i was told my risk of lymphodema was low so felt to avoid further surgery taking them was ok. I feel very well was told when my surgery nurse removed my dressing yesterday,she thought i looked and seemed extremely well considering had op last week, so that is encouraging.
I had op to remove lump and nodes last thurs, im healing well, the nurse at my surgery said, and she rmweoved the lump dressing yesterday, i feel fine,.apart from all this uncertainty. As i said i just had no communication with the first oncologist i saw,i could hardly understand him and his [people skills were rubbish,.My two friends with me were same. This nodes thing confuses me to, does everyone with dodgy nodes have tohave chemo, or is it just those with several nodes affected, Some people on here seem to have had chemo with dodgy nodes and some dont. I dread the debilitating effects of chemo more than anything, i live alone, i do have good friends but they cant be there all while, also im very slim, and can lose weight easily and i worry if i feel sick, will i feel like eating. Yes i know people who have had chemo and sadly are no longer here and those who havent had it and are very much alive.june
I have to say missbabs i find it all very confusing, I am the same age as you, 67 but i have few health probelsms, good heart, lungs,etc. and for a women in 60s very healthy until this. Ive always felt more like 47 than 67.
The 80 per cent is very scary , it seems very high when so many people have chemo,. My immune system has always been good, the idea of messing it up scares me.
The first surgeon i saw did not impress me at all,he told me little, just kept going on about worst case senario,chemo, radio therapy,tablets for years, Im sitting there thiinking all this for a little lump. Ok suspect first lymph node but now all gone.i didnt even realise that would be happening until the actual op day, Have new doc now seeing Fri,. I had a bit of a bust up with one of my closest friends today, she has been a great support to me during it all, and i know she cares, but she is under impression im having chemo whatever, and i said no, it isnt black and white, but shades of grey, the side effects of it so debilitating, it needs to be looked at fully, This 80 per cent thing throws it into perspective, more uncertainty, I of course could have radio therapy. I feel even more confused now.
Sure many of you saw this in paper today. I was a bit peturbed by the fact it said that in around 80 per cen t of cases,Chemo makes no difference to the outcome, Then why are so many told to have it and it will.This is all very worrying i go back for meeting with surgeon next friday and i feel no more sure than i was before,lump out can hardly see where it came out, lymph notes all gone, as first was suspect, So i might have to have it, i dont know, but after reading that,and this test coming up i feel even more unsure whether i want it and would rathr just take chance with radio therapy and drugs, They say the immune system eventyually recovers,does it, mine has always been good, id like to keep it that way. Chemo scares me rigid, more than the cancer to be honest.