First Appt with Onc tomorrow ~ Help needed

sherria49

I know this probably a late post. But... 1st meeting with onc tomorrow. Diagnosed with IDC on left, right is clear, bilateral mastectomy schedule for Oct 30th with chemo port placement and immediate reconstruction. Checking Sentinal node at time of mastectomy.

Just wondering....will my onc be able to tell me what kind of chemo treatment I will be having??? Any suggestions of things I need to remember to ask about??

Need some help here sisters...reality is really starting to sink in and I don't feel like I'm prepared enough or knowledgeable enough.

Luv to all ~ Sherri

Ritzy

Hi Sherri
Hi Sherri and welcome. Your oncologist won't be able to tell you exactly what your treatment will be until after your surgery and he or she gets the pathology report. Your pathology report tells everything about your tumor and your treatment is planned around what it says.

There are a list of questions to ask on this site and also I found some on the Susan B. Komen site. Be sure and take someone with you and have them write down what the oncologist says and/or take a tape recorder too. My hubby took one and we were both glad that he did as we both kind of "spaced out" at times. And, don't be afraid to ask anything of him. That is his job, to help and guide you thru this.

I hope this helped some. Good luck tomorrow. Let us know how you do.

Sue

sherria49

Ritzy said:

Hi Sherri
Hi Sherri and welcome. Your oncologist won't be able to tell you exactly what your treatment will be until after your surgery and he or she gets the pathology report. Your pathology report tells everything about your tumor and your treatment is planned around what it says.

There are a list of questions to ask on this site and also I found some on the Susan B. Komen site. Be sure and take someone with you and have them write down what the oncologist says and/or take a tape recorder too. My hubby took one and we were both glad that he did as we both kind of "spaced out" at times. And, don't be afraid to ask anything of him. That is his job, to help and guide you thru this.

I hope this helped some. Good luck tomorrow. Let us know how you do.

Sue

Thanks Sue!
I do have a list of questions and concerns btw, got all of them from this discussion board. Great people & a wealth of information. Also, have already had a biopsy in August. Can they tell from that? I belive I have a pathology report from the tumor that was removed.

Here's some of the details:

Left Breast Subareolar Mass invasive ductal carcinoma, poorly differentiated (tubal formation 3/3

No vascular invasion is present.

Focal involvement of the surgical margin by invasive carcinoma is present.

Non-neoplastic breast tissue demonstrates ductal hyperplasia

ER+
PR+
HER-2 Negative

Best friend & daughter will be joining me, along with my notebook of questions.

Hugz ~ Sherri

DianeBC

sherria49 said:

Thanks Sue!
I do have a list of questions and concerns btw, got all of them from this discussion board. Great people & a wealth of information. Also, have already had a biopsy in August. Can they tell from that? I belive I have a pathology report from the tumor that was removed.

Here's some of the details:

Left Breast Subareolar Mass invasive ductal carcinoma, poorly differentiated (tubal formation 3/3

No vascular invasion is present.

Focal involvement of the surgical margin by invasive carcinoma is present.

Non-neoplastic breast tissue demonstrates ductal hyperplasia

ER+
PR+
HER-2 Negative

Best friend & daughter will be joining me, along with my notebook of questions.

Hugz ~ Sherri

Hi Sherri. That is a lot of
Hi Sherri. That is a lot of info. You are ER and PR positive and HER2 Negative which means they might put you on hormone therapy later, tamoxifen or the al's. With your biopsy info, he might be able to tell you a lot. I just was always told that they needed the pathology report too, from the main surgery, as one never knows until they actually get inside of you what is going on. And, your nodes may be clean, so, you might not need chemo? Good luck to you! Keep us updated on you!

Hugs, Diane ♥

sherria49

DianeBC said:

Hi Sherri. That is a lot of
Hi Sherri. That is a lot of info. You are ER and PR positive and HER2 Negative which means they might put you on hormone therapy later, tamoxifen or the al's. With your biopsy info, he might be able to tell you a lot. I just was always told that they needed the pathology report too, from the main surgery, as one never knows until they actually get inside of you what is going on. And, your nodes may be clean, so, you might not need chemo? Good luck to you! Keep us updated on you!

Hugs, Diane ♥

Wow Diane!
They (the Dr's) have said from the onset, Chemo - definitely, probably no rads, and Tamoxifen for 5 years. No one has ever mentioned hormone therapy. Al's?? Not sure what you mean.....will be persistent on the Chemo thing & port placement. Definitely not looking forward to the Chemo

Thanks, sometimes I feel like a kindergartener in high school.

Sherri

DianeBC

sherria49 said:

Wow Diane!
They (the Dr's) have said from the onset, Chemo - definitely, probably no rads, and Tamoxifen for 5 years. No one has ever mentioned hormone therapy. Al's?? Not sure what you mean.....will be persistent on the Chemo thing & port placement. Definitely not looking forward to the Chemo

Thanks, sometimes I feel like a kindergartener in high school.

Sherri

Your doctor's know your
Your doctor's know your medical history Sherri, I don't. I was just telling what I thought. Tamoxifen is considered hormone therapy. It is usually given to pre menopausal women and the Al's are given to the post menopausal women. I hope I got that right..lol They are used to help get rid of the estrogen in your body that your cancer feeds off of since you are ER and PR positive. Ask your oncologist, he will go over this with you and explain it better. I am sorry you have to have chemo, but, so many on here have and still are. They will help you. It is doable. Good luck!

Hugs, Diane ♥

sherria49

DianeBC said:

Your doctor's know your
Your doctor's know your medical history Sherri, I don't. I was just telling what I thought. Tamoxifen is considered hormone therapy. It is usually given to pre menopausal women and the Al's are given to the post menopausal women. I hope I got that right..lol They are used to help get rid of the estrogen in your body that your cancer feeds off of since you are ER and PR positive. Ask your oncologist, he will go over this with you and explain it better. I am sorry you have to have chemo, but, so many on here have and still are. They will help you. It is doable. Good luck!

Hugs, Diane ♥

Thanks again Diane!!!
ohhhhh ok, see I told you I feel like a kindergartener!! lol I am pre menopausal.

So....it's off to school (onc) tomorrow for a real lesson & pray for me that I pass the test. LOL

Big Hugs

DianeBC

sherria49 said:

Thanks again Diane!!!
ohhhhh ok, see I told you I feel like a kindergartener!! lol I am pre menopausal.

So....it's off to school (onc) tomorrow for a real lesson & pray for me that I pass the test. LOL

Big Hugs

We were and some of us still are kindergardener lol
Praying for you! You will be fine! We are your support group!

Hugs backatcha,

Diane ♥

Tux

DianeBC said:

We were and some of us still are kindergardener lol
Praying for you! You will be fine! We are your support group!

Hugs backatcha,

Diane ♥

Sherria--good luck
Sherria--good luck today--sounds like you have a good support group. Check back here often & let us know how things are going.

HUgs & prayers sent your way...

manca

Medical Oncologist?
Are you meeting Medical Oncologist tomorrow? kind of confusing.

If you do, your medical oncologist will send your tumor tissue to have an ONCOTYPE test. After the test result coming back, your Oncologist will able to tell what kind the treatments you will have.

After I'd my ONCOTYPE result, my Dr. gave all kind of options. Then I decided which treatments I wanted.

Don't worry too much!

roseann4

manca said:

Medical Oncologist?
Are you meeting Medical Oncologist tomorrow? kind of confusing.

If you do, your medical oncologist will send your tumor tissue to have an ONCOTYPE test. After the test result coming back, your Oncologist will able to tell what kind the treatments you will have.

After I'd my ONCOTYPE result, my Dr. gave all kind of options. Then I decided which treatments I wanted.

Don't worry too much!

If you are node negative...
The OncoTypeDX test is available for women who have cancers which have not spread to their lymph nodes. Once they complete surgery, they will be able to tell you if your nodes appear to be negative. In my case, they checked it further after surgery so when I had my follow-up after surgery she suggested the OncoTypeDX test because she said I was in the "grey" area for chemo. That test tells them the probability of it returning in 10 years and whether chemo makes sense. Prior to that test all women with breast cancer had chemo. It has been available since 2004 and there is only one lab in the world who does it. Now women who have a low reocurrance score are normally not given chemo. I was intermediate, but it would only improve my chances by 3%. Based on that test and my age (59) I decided against chemo. Those with a high reocurrence score are generally advised to have chemo. They will not do that test if any of your nodes are positive because in that case chemo is the obvious choice.

Don't go to your oncologist alone (if you have a choice) because two sets of ears are better and please take notes. If you are not comfortable with the oncologist, I recommend you get a second opinion. Some suggest we always get a second opinion. I didn't because mine is well respected and I had an immediate connection with her. She spent 1 1/2 hr. with me on my first visit.

Probably nothing will be decided until after surgery. I didn't even see mine until after surgery so don't be nervous.

Roseann

Ritzy

roseann4 said:

If you are node negative...
The OncoTypeDX test is available for women who have cancers which have not spread to their lymph nodes. Once they complete surgery, they will be able to tell you if your nodes appear to be negative. In my case, they checked it further after surgery so when I had my follow-up after surgery she suggested the OncoTypeDX test because she said I was in the "grey" area for chemo. That test tells them the probability of it returning in 10 years and whether chemo makes sense. Prior to that test all women with breast cancer had chemo. It has been available since 2004 and there is only one lab in the world who does it. Now women who have a low reocurrance score are normally not given chemo. I was intermediate, but it would only improve my chances by 3%. Based on that test and my age (59) I decided against chemo. Those with a high reocurrence score are generally advised to have chemo. They will not do that test if any of your nodes are positive because in that case chemo is the obvious choice.

Don't go to your oncologist alone (if you have a choice) because two sets of ears are better and please take notes. If you are not comfortable with the oncologist, I recommend you get a second opinion. Some suggest we always get a second opinion. I didn't because mine is well respected and I had an immediate connection with her. She spent 1 1/2 hr. with me on my first visit.

Probably nothing will be decided until after surgery. I didn't even see mine until after surgery so don't be nervous.

Roseann

How did your doctor's
How did your doctor's appointment go? I hope you got your questions answered. Post when you want and let us know.

And, the Oncotype test has a website to go to that answers a lot of questions too. And, there are testaments from bc survivors that have had the test that got a score from 0 on up. It helps some in the understanding of it, but, your oncologist should explain it to you too.

Sue

sherria49

Ritzy said:

How did your doctor's
How did your doctor's appointment go? I hope you got your questions answered. Post when you want and let us know.

And, the Oncotype test has a website to go to that answers a lot of questions too. And, there are testaments from bc survivors that have had the test that got a score from 0 on up. It helps some in the understanding of it, but, your oncologist should explain it to you too.

Sue

Hi Sue & Everyone!
The appt went very well. I guess I was in a bit of a hurry to find out what kind of treatment & cocktails I would be getting. Just wanted to be able to research the types I would be receiving so I could get a better idea of side effects I would have. It just doesn't seem fair that we have to play this "hurry up & wait game". I guess I just need to be a little more patient.

Dr Lee went into great detail (2 hours) from how the DNA works all the way through to my details....And all info I got from you and the others here were right on. I also received a short tour of the office, they have their infusion center right there. The head nurse took my daughter, bestfriend, and I on the tour. She was absolutely wonderful, very caring, supportive, and compassionate.

God bless everyone here!! And thanks again Sue!

Hugz ~ Sherri

Ritzy

sherria49 said:

Hi Sue & Everyone!
The appt went very well. I guess I was in a bit of a hurry to find out what kind of treatment & cocktails I would be getting. Just wanted to be able to research the types I would be receiving so I could get a better idea of side effects I would have. It just doesn't seem fair that we have to play this "hurry up & wait game". I guess I just need to be a little more patient.

Dr Lee went into great detail (2 hours) from how the DNA works all the way through to my details....And all info I got from you and the others here were right on. I also received a short tour of the office, they have their infusion center right there. The head nurse took my daughter, bestfriend, and I on the tour. She was absolutely wonderful, very caring, supportive, and compassionate.

God bless everyone here!! And thanks again Sue!

Hugz ~ Sherri

:-)
Sherri! I am so glad that your appointment went so well for you. I really felt bad for you because you seemed so scared and lost, like we all were at first. (actually, i still am lol ) I am glad that I could help you out a little. Your oncologist sounds great to take all of that time with you and to give you a tour. I wish you only the best. Keep posting and keep us updated. Have a good weekend!


Sue

sherria49

Ritzy said:

:-)
Sherri! I am so glad that your appointment went so well for you. I really felt bad for you because you seemed so scared and lost, like we all were at first. (actually, i still am lol ) I am glad that I could help you out a little. Your oncologist sounds great to take all of that time with you and to give you a tour. I wish you only the best. Keep posting and keep us updated. Have a good weekend!


Sue

Thanks Sue!
I agree with the scared and lost part! Still am and probably will be for many months to come. My onc and the nurses seem to be a wonderful group. I feel very fortunate to have been referred to them by my surgeon (they also happen to be in the same building, which I think could/will be very convenient in the near future.

I truly hope you are doing fine & having a great weekend. It's rainy and chilly here in MD but making the best of it.

Hugz ~ Sherri

spunky56

Her2 neg
I too had Her2 neg. I had to take Herceptin for a year. It is not too bad. Less side effects than chemo. Be sure they put the port in the chest and not the arm. I had nothing but pain when it was in my arm. When the accessed the new one in my chest, I actually cried as I was so relieved it did not hurt. Good luck.

sherria49

spunky56 said:

Her2 neg
I too had Her2 neg. I had to take Herceptin for a year. It is not too bad. Less side effects than chemo. Be sure they put the port in the chest and not the arm. I had nothing but pain when it was in my arm. When the accessed the new one in my chest, I actually cried as I was so relieved it did not hurt. Good luck.

Thanks Spunky!
My doctor said he would be putting my port on my chest! Not sure of any treatment regiment or 'cocktails' yet but I'm hopig for the best and expecting the worst. I told my Dr, NO SURPRISES....I want to know all side effects, timelines, etc....

Glad they fixed your port placement.

jnl

sherria49 said:

Thanks Spunky!
My doctor said he would be putting my port on my chest! Not sure of any treatment regiment or 'cocktails' yet but I'm hopig for the best and expecting the worst. I told my Dr, NO SURPRISES....I want to know all side effects, timelines, etc....

Glad they fixed your port placement.

Hi
Sherri, just want to welcome you to the site and to wish you good luck with your upcoming surgery!

Leeza

sherria49

jnl said:

Hi
Sherri, just want to welcome you to the site and to wish you good luck with your upcoming surgery!

Leeza

Thanks.............
Leeza! This site has been a Blessing!!

Hugz