Stage 2. I was given the choice of Chemo or no Chemo.

kapeterson said:

Stage 2. I was given the choice of Chemo or no Chemo.
Thank you!

I guess that would have been some helpful information.
YES, there was one lymph node with cancer.

Karen

For me, if I had one lymph
For me, if I had one lymph node that was positive, I would do chemo. I was very lucky though and mine was negative.


Good luck with your decision.


Hugs, Kylez

Stace_aka_Pollyanna said:

Find your ONCOtype DX score!
Karen, I, too, was given the choice -- without any regret whatsoever, I did tackle the chemo and it is SOOOO doable you'd be a fool not to go through with it!! Listen honey, get your Onco to send your cancer out for testing -- ONCOtype DX is a test preformed on YOUR cancer and it tells you the risk of recurrence. I was DX last August with IDC stage 1 but grade 3 (at 40 years old). The onco test told me I had a recurrence score of 22; with radiation that number came down to 14; then finally with a specific chemo regimen I could get it to 9!!! AT that point, for me, there was no question. From there the choice is up to you but once you have cold hard numbers in front of you the choice will be as plain as the nose on your face

Do it sister -- do whatever they offer you to stay "clean" -- for if there is a day years from now that the cancer rears its ugly head, you'll kick yourself in the tush for not doing everything in your power TODAY to avoid it!!

Trust me -- you can get through chemo and everything else when you realize YOU, not the DAMN CANCER, are the one CONTROLLING this disease!! You've got every one of us in your back pocket -- now, get on out there and kick some butt!!

Blessings and hugs and all the strength you need to succeed,
Stace
xoxo

Get all the facts about your specific cancer
and your general health. That may mean a second opinion. Read all you can, ask all the questions you can think of and then have someone with you to ask more. You also might want to check the NCCN guidelines for the standard recommended treatments for your particular cancer.

They do sometimes do an oncotype test for Stage 2 estrogen positive, node negative breast cancer, but I don't know about Stage 2, node positive. Have you asked if it would be useful for you?

Chemo is nasty stuff. The treatments themselves are one set of issues. The long-term, or late effects is another. I had chemo. Very doable, but not fun. My oncotype score was high, so it was a no brainer. I'd do it again in a heartbeat because I felt the benefits for me definitely outweighed the risks. Whether they did or not, no one will know for sure. We're individuals.

Get all the facts you need so you will make an informed decision.

Best wishes,
Suzanne

kapeterson said:

T H A N K Y O U !
Thank you Everyone!

There are a lot of numbers and acronyms that have been asked that I don’t know the meaning of i.e. “rads”.
I will get those numbers tomorrow when I get my second opinion.
I do know that I am estrogen positive and my margins are clear.

I had a partial hysterectomy years ago. I have one ovary.
The Oncologist said he will run blood test to see if it’s a producing ovary. That will make the deciding choice of Tamoxifen or Arimidex. After the chemo and radiation.

I want to hit this aggressively and doing whatever it takes,Chemo looks like the way.

Thank you all for your support!

The reason I questioned chemo, is because my friend, who had stage 4, went with me to my Oncologist appt. After she and I left the Oncologists office she said to me, “NO WAY ARE YOU DOING CHEMO.”

She later apologized and told me that she would support me in any choice I make, while in the same breath scaring the crap out of me telling me about the side effects.

She said I will be SICK, my bones will ache, I will vomit a lot, and I will not want to get out of bed.

Of course I found this site I(Discussion Board). I’m sure my chemo won’t be as aggressive as hers, since I am stage two, compared to her stage 4, she was also HER2/Neu positive. I don’t know if that had something to do with her dose and her reaction to chemo.

I want to thank you all for you advice. I’m glad I found you all.
Thank you, Karen

Glad you found us too Karen
Glad you found us too Karen and that we could help you in even a small way.

Good luck and keep us updated.


Hugs, Angie

kapeterson said:

T H A N K Y O U !
Thank you Everyone!

There are a lot of numbers and acronyms that have been asked that I don’t know the meaning of i.e. “rads”.
I will get those numbers tomorrow when I get my second opinion.
I do know that I am estrogen positive and my margins are clear.

I had a partial hysterectomy years ago. I have one ovary.
The Oncologist said he will run blood test to see if it’s a producing ovary. That will make the deciding choice of Tamoxifen or Arimidex. After the chemo and radiation.

I want to hit this aggressively and doing whatever it takes,Chemo looks like the way.

Thank you all for your support!

The reason I questioned chemo, is because my friend, who had stage 4, went with me to my Oncologist appt. After she and I left the Oncologists office she said to me, “NO WAY ARE YOU DOING CHEMO.”

She later apologized and told me that she would support me in any choice I make, while in the same breath scaring the crap out of me telling me about the side effects.

She said I will be SICK, my bones will ache, I will vomit a lot, and I will not want to get out of bed.

Of course I found this site I(Discussion Board). I’m sure my chemo won’t be as aggressive as hers, since I am stage two, compared to her stage 4, she was also HER2/Neu positive. I don’t know if that had something to do with her dose and her reaction to chemo.

I want to thank you all for you advice. I’m glad I found you all.
Thank you, Karen

Pretty much everyone here is
Pretty much everyone here is saying go ahead and do the chemo. I feel compelled to back up a little and say do the research and then make the decision. I would suggest that you get the names of the chemo meds and then look up their side effects and how they attack cancer cells. What are the possible long term effects of these drugs? Many of us are dealing with long term permanent changes to our bodies as a result of chemo. I think you should be prepared and I place a high value on information, so arm yourself with that in making your choice. What advantages does chemo give you? what are the disadvantages and risks? What result is your doc expecting if you have the chemo?

Surgery and radiation are targeted treatments, they attack cancer cells at the site of origin. Chemo is a systemic treatment, it attacks all fast growing cells (healthy or not) throughout your body. It is because chemo is such a powerful poison that we get the many side effects that can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, neuropothy, dry skin, rashes, achy joints, etc.

I think part of your research should be to look for other posts here about preparing for chemo. There have been many. Use the search box and type in chemo, or if you have the names of your chemo meds search for them.

All that being said, for me chemo definitely wasn't fun. But I got through it. I will also say that where I had choices in my treatment, I have consistently chosen the most aggressive course of action.

Whatever you choose to do, you will get support here. I wish you wisdom in this incredibly difficult decision.

Hugs,

Linda

P.S. Rads is short for radiation treatments.

carkris said:

I would do chemo and
I would do chemo and advocate strongly for a second opinion. Do they do oncotype testing.I fthey do perhaps it can give you more info to make a decison.

Wishing you the best in
Wishing you the best in whatever you do.


Hugs, Megan

sea60 said:

Gosh, that's a lot to put on your shoulders,
especially when you need advice and direction. I was staged between a 2-3 with no node involvemenmt and my Oncologist highly recommended Chemo. I had 6 rounds. I know everyone's different but I wonder what your Oncologist would suggest if it were his/her Mother? Sister?

I know it's all about avoiding a recurrence. I hope and pray you get some good advice and guidance.

I pray a lot, especially when I need some insight on a decision. It always helps.

Hugs,

Sylvia

I didn't have to make this
I didn't have to make this choice Karen, but, I can imagine how difficult it is for you.

I pray that your doctors really evaluate your situation and tell you what they would do if it were someone in their family, a loved one.


Good luck and hugs!