treatment help

kcronley

Hello. I am a breast cancer survivor of 7 years. At a young age I went thru double mastectomy and chemo. Now my mother (76 years) is facing breast cancer. Ductal Carcinoma with a secondary cancer of Paget's disease of the breast. We need some help/opinion/advice. The doc told her she has 2 choices. Either a mastectomy and no treatment or a lumpectomy (removal of nipple and surrounding area) and 6 weeks of radition. She is very active and is full time employed. My worry is that the radiation will be too much for her and that she will not be able to continue doing the full life style that she now has. Of course this is not my decision and I will support her in whatever she decides to do. She is leaning toward the lumpectomy and radiation because the doc told her that she cannot have her breast reconstructed due to the skin being involved from the Paget's disease of the breast. I would like to get some opinions from others out there just to help her with the right choice. Thank you.

hummingbyrd

Pray about it and when you hear that first small voice telling you what to do then go with it.
At least that is what I do and it has served me well so far.
God bless
hummingbyrd

Oh yeah, just wanted to say it sounds like your mom is a really vibrant lady who has gotten the most out of life.
I'm sure she will whip this rude, intrussive disease!
(((HUGS))) to both of you.

tlmac

There are so many variables in breast cancer. In addition to diagnosis, there are factors related to age, weight, diet, hormone status, heredity, stage and grade of your cancer and your body's receptiveness to treatment. Your mother's personal priorities are also extremely important. There are women who have refused chemotherapy or a mastectomy that might have saved their lives because they would rather die than part with their hair or their breast. My priority was disease free survival and eliminating, as much as humanly possible, the threat of a recurrence. Assuming both options given to your mother have an equal chance of disease free survival in a body your mother feels comfortable and whole, I'd tell her to pray and follow her heart. I'm a firm believer in second opinions when facing choices that could ultimately affect the quality and quantity of life. How lucky she is to have you to help her see this through. I'll keep you both in my prayers.
terri

jdubious

Hi kcronley,
My experience with radiation (after mastectomy and chemo) wasn't too bad. It didn't make me tired or sick, and my skin was ok until the last couple of days (6 week treatment) and then it was like a bad sunburn for about a week. I was faithful and very generous in using the stuff(gel) they gave me for my skin. I think the worst part was having to hold my arm over my head during the treatment. The position for my arm/shoulder was very uncomfortable and sometimes painful. But it felt ok as soon as I put my arm down. That may not be a big issue with a lumpectomy.

During treatment I was able to keep active and I walked 10 - 12 blocks each way to and from treatment, plus going to school full-time (and commuting - riding/chasing the bus, and catching a ferry) I'm younger than your mom (45) but I was pretty wiped out from chemo, and some days I felt like I was 100! My radiologist really encouraged me to stay as active as possible, so I followed doctor's orders.

This is just my experience. We all need to make our own choices, but I think having a positive attitude about our treatment choices makes all the difference in how we carry on with the other parts of our lives. I wanted to be as aggressive as possible with my treatment, so I sort of looked forward to treatments. It made me feel like I was actively battling and beating cancer. I consider keeping active as a part of my treatment too. It was a way of re-affirming my determination to kick cancer's butt, no matter what! It was not going to beat me down, or make me give up my goals.

Your mom sounds like an amazing woman, and you are great to be so supportive of her choices. You are both in my prayers!

jill

kcronley

Thank you to all who replied to my note. My mother meets with the surgeon tomorrow (Monday the 10th of Jan.) Your advice, your sharing and most of all your prayers have been a great help. I am having her read all that you wrote. She is a big believer in following her heart so I am sure that what she reads will help her. Thank you again fellow survivors. I am so glad that I found this site.

bullfrog13

kcronley said:

Thank you to all who replied to my note. My mother meets with the surgeon tomorrow (Monday the 10th of Jan.) Your advice, your sharing and most of all your prayers have been a great help. I am having her read all that you wrote. She is a big believer in following her heart so I am sure that what she reads will help her. Thank you again fellow survivors. I am so glad that I found this site.

Kcronley, Radiation is a walk in the part compared to chemo..... at least it was for me. everyone is different however.