Waiting to see my oncologist 5weeks after my operation stage 2 ER/PR+ HER2- node negitive will I need to chemotherpy?

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Hi,

I’m Waiting to see my oncologist 5weeks after my operation stage 2 ER/PR+ HER2- nodes I’m 42yrs old will I need to chemotherpy?
I feel like I have been waitig forever to star my treatment just wondered if anyone else had some sort of advise!

Very frustrated …

Michelle :slight_smile: x

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Hello Michelle

The periods of waiting we all endure are the most difficult part of our journeys. Once we have a treatment plan in place, life feels more manageable again.

Your oncologist will prescribe a treatment pathway tailored for you, it is impossible to generalise.

They take into account so many factors, including our age, other medical conditions, cancer type, cancer staging, Cancer grading, whether we are ER/PR + , any DCIS, HER2 +, node involvment. It is a combination of all these factors that gives us our individual treatment plans.

Try not to do any googling other than this site, Cancer Research and McMillan. The rest of the net can terrify us. If you are very worried, use the help lines or ring your bcn.

This time will pass and soon you will have a treatment plan in place and life will feel gentler.

Much love
Pixie xxx

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Hello Michelle
Sorry to hear you are having such a long wait to hear your treatment plan. In many ways, the waiting is harder than the actual treatment. It is difficult for any of us to second-guess your onc’s advice. All I can say is that while the side-effects of the treatments are far from pleasant, it is all cope-able with. I have had chemo and then radiotherapy and while it wasn’t the most fun 6 months of my life, I did get through it.
Good luck.
Sue

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Hi Michelle
I agree with what the others have said, you just can’t generalise.
Do you actually have an appointment. If not I’d ring the hospital and see if you can get one asap.
If you do have one see if you can talk to your BCN and persuade her to make it a bit earlier or go onto a cancellation list.
Best wishes - Diana

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HI there - please please ring the oncologists secretary - just ring the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the secretary and explain you have been waiting a long time for follow up appt - mistakes do happen and people do get lost in the system, the thing i learnt during my treatment is you have to manage your appts and your treatment plan otherwise it goes pear shaped – btw my OH is an Onc so I know its a good and fine thing to do and she would be horrified to hear you had been waiting 5 weeks, horrified!
best m

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Hi Michelle,
Sorry you are having to wait so long for answers. Just wanted to say that there is a private test available called an Oncotype Dx test that can be useful in determining the need for chemotherapy. It isn’t suitable for everyone, depending on the profile of your cancer, and It is very expensive, but I was so fearful of the chemotherapy that I dug into my savings to pay for it. In the end, the test results confirmed the oncologist’s original thoughts; in my case, the resulting score was quite high and so the need for chemotherapy was definite- no questions.
This test did help me come to terms with the need for the chemo; other women have come out with a low oncotype score and avoided chemotherapy. It may be that this is out of the question financiallly for you, but it might be worth asking if you would fit the profile. My surgeon reckons that in a few years the test will be available on the NHS.
Hope you get some answers soon,
Regards
Sameelee3

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Hi Michelle
Just wondering how your appointment went today and whether you got the answer you were looking for. Will you be having chemo or not?
All the best Diana