Mom wants to stop chemo

Why is she wanting to stop everything? Is it because the chemo drugs make her so sick and she has severe side effects? If so, her Oncologist may not be effectively managing the side effects. What chemo drugs is she on? Side effects? I too had thought about stopping because I was so sick from the chemo drugs. My Oncologist did a dose reduction of the one chemo drug and it did help a little. If she has finished with half her treatments she should ask about an Ultrasound or MRI to see if the tumor has shrunk. Mine did which indicated the drugs were working.

My tumor was a little more than 3cm and I was classified as a Stage 2. Depending on type of breast cancer and whether lymph nodes are positive/negative, most tumors larger than 2 cm are typically classified as Stage 2b or Stage 3.

My tumor shrank enough so I qualified for a lumpectomy instead of having a mastectomy. Pathology report results for the tumor and 3 lymph nodes removed during surgery indicated no cancer cells found. The chemo drugs worked. I'll be starting radiation therapy in 2 weeks just to make sure any straggler cancer cells in the breast are killed.

In addition I'll be on 6 months of 2 targeted chemo drugs, IV every 3 weeks, for my specific type of cancer. I have HER2 positive Breast Cancer. These are given to address any escaped cells that are circulating in my body. They worked with the cytotoxic chemo drugs pre surgery. An added layer of protection to try and eliminate the return of this cancer.

Suggest you find out why your Mom's throwing in the towel. It could be severe side effects and she feels like ****. Ask for meds to manage the side effects, drink lots of water and non grapefruit juices, especially for a week following chemo infusions to flush out the drugs. Have her request an Ultrasound or MRI to see if the tumor shrank. Have her request a reduced dosage of the chemo drug(s) if she gets really sick. If she also gets the Neulasta shot the day after the chemo infusion I hope she's taking Claritin or even Benadryl to help with the side effects of this drug. I took both, with Benadryl just before bed. Lomotil for diarreah and supplemented with Immodium AD. Zofran for nausea. Ibuprofen as needed. I drank Boost high calorie and Ensure protein drinks to counter poor appetite and try to prevent more weight loss.

You can read more on the Susan G Komen website about Breast Cancer, stages, grade, types of BC, treatments, surgery, radiation therapy and other information.

Is there a Gilda's Club nearby for support? Check out their website too.

I too starved. No appetite at all. I was lucky I didn't have nausea or throwing up. But there are meds to help counter this. Drink lots of Boost high calorie and Ensure protein drinks, plus Pediolyte or Gatorade for electrolytes. Do not dehydrate. I ate what ever I could including rice, mashed potatoes, chocolate cake and cheesecake. Soups and broth with crackers too. I lost about 26-30 pounds over 4+ months.

As I said, she should request a reduced dosage of the cytotoxic chemo drugs. If going straight to surgery she may not qualify for a lumpectomy. My tumor had to shrink to 2cm or less, but I also have small breasts. If it didn't I would have needed a mastectomy. Radiation treatments will most likely be required, especially if she has a lumpectomy. Hopefully no lymph nodes have cancer. I had 3 removed and tested. Mine were clear so no radiation into the armpit area. I will have 15 sessions of whole breast radiation and up to 5 sessions of Boost radiation therapy. Boost targets the tumor area and the incision with smaller doses of radiation. Radiation is typically 5 days per week every day.

I just had my targeted chemo drugs infusion today for Herceptin and Perjeta. I'll get these up through late October or November. Essentially 1 year after I started my chemotherapy treatments.

Wishing you the best. If your mom wants to reach out to me, get in touch. It's much easier talking about this with someone going through the process. That's why I suggested Gildas Club or other hospital/community groups for cancer. FWIW I'm in Kansas City metro area.