If given the choice... chemo or no??

Well, Stace, I didn't have the choice, but
if it was an option for me, I'd still take the chemo, and here's why. According to the way it was explained to me, even with an "all clear or NED" there is no way to be absolutely certain that there are no rogue cancer cells circulating in your blood stream at any time. Even though we can treat this horrible beast, there is still no cure and being NED simply means we are currently in remission. Chemo is systemic--it goes after any cancer cells circulating in our bodies wherever and and whatever stage of growth they may be. For me, I choose to attack this beast with every single weapon in the arsenal.

Don't think if you choose chemo, it's all going to be horrible. I know it's different for everyone, but for me it was very, very doable--and I'm not a real toughie by any means. There are so many meds they can give you for any side effects you develop. Having said that, I never had to take anything stronger than an Advil (for the aches and pains after the Neulasta shot). There were times I had queasiness, but never full-blown nausea or vomiting. I did have some very sporadic episodes of diarrhea/constipation, but again, took over the counter meds and in a few days, my body straightened itself out. By the way, I had 6 rounds of Taxotere/Cytoxan/Adriamycin--some pretty rough stuff.

Good luck in your decision. I know it's hard--sometimes harder when we're given choices. Ask your onc. if you were his/her sister--what would they advise you to do.

Hugs, Renee

I'm glad I wasn't
given a choice cause I think I probably would have chickened out and not done chemo. My surgeon got clean margins and 2/14 lymph nodes were positive. I felt pretty good, but like Renee said, that one rogue cell wandering thru your body can pop up in the future. I did four rounds of A/C and 12 weeks of taxol. I had more problems with taxol than with the A/C (most experience the reverse) but it was all doable. There are so many meds available to counteract any side effects. I never needed the neulasta shots. None of us know if we'll ever have a recurrence, but doing everything we can to prevent it is all we can do. Talk with your onc and see what he/she would recommend if it were his wife/daughter etc.

Good luck with your decision.

marge

mwallace1325 said:

I'm glad I wasn't
given a choice cause I think I probably would have chickened out and not done chemo. My surgeon got clean margins and 2/14 lymph nodes were positive. I felt pretty good, but like Renee said, that one rogue cell wandering thru your body can pop up in the future. I did four rounds of A/C and 12 weeks of taxol. I had more problems with taxol than with the A/C (most experience the reverse) but it was all doable. There are so many meds available to counteract any side effects. I never needed the neulasta shots. None of us know if we'll ever have a recurrence, but doing everything we can to prevent it is all we can do. Talk with your onc and see what he/she would recommend if it were his wife/daughter etc.

Good luck with your decision.

marge

that is really tough
that is really tough question to answer. I think if they had told me I didnt need it, I would not have. but when given the choice????? I would do it. because I am the kind of person who needs to feel I did everything I could. If anything came back and I didnt do everything I dont think I could deal wth it. I hate it when they give you a choice AGHHHH!
anyway perhaps they can give you numbers and then you can see how you feel about it. glad your prognosis is so good you dont need it. Good luck

Your Nurse?
If I understand your post correctly, you are getting treatment advice from your nurse. That just doesn't sit well with me. You need the advice of your Oncologist, and possibly a second opinion from a different Oncologist. Your body, your decision, but really think this through.

Bob

Heatherbelle said:

Stacy-
this is just my
Stacy-
this is just my opinion, but if that were me in your situation i would still do the chemo. My reason, I have done EVERYTHING in my power to prevent my having to go through this cancer BS again, and to put my family and children through it again. I only had a small tumor in my right breast, and I chose to have both removed in a bilateral mastectomy. I had clean margins & no lymph involvement.
Plain and simple - I don't want to have to go through this again, and I don't want to die from this. Chemo sucks. But fatigue, nausea, hair loss -they're all temporary. Death isn't. My treatment decisions might be looked at as dramatic by some - but I've never been one to do things quietly
But ultimately, you have to make the decision that's the best for you. Like it was said earlier - chemo is no fun, but it is very doable, and it's done before you know it. They have medicine for any crappy side effects you might get. That became my answer for everything when people would feel sorry for how I was feeling - "I have a pill for that".
Best of luck to you Stacy in making your decision
*hugs*
Heather

WOW Heather!!
Well said very well said!! God Bless
(((Hugs))) Janice

cindycflynn said:

I was given the choice
And chose to do chemo - 4 rounds of C/T also. My Oncotype score was 20, and I could have gone into a clinical trial based on that score where the decision would have been made for me (I would have been in a group randomly selected with a 50/50 chance I'd get chemo), but I decided that I wanted to throw everything at the beast that I could now and give myself every chance that this will be the last time I have to deal with it.

I know that the decision is tough - it was for me too - but I don't regret it. The chemo itself was not nearly as bad as I had feared, and I was able to continue working through it, just taking a few days off for each treatment. And now my hair, nails, and eyelashes are growing back, and other than being a bit more tired than usual, I feel pretty "normal" My last chemo was on February 17th.

Sending you best wishes and hugs, whatever you decide,

Cindy

I certainly agree with Heather!
I too went above and beyond to do everything so as to not to have to do it all again!

Blessings & Hugs,

Sylvia

chemo vs no chemo
To date I have had 28 rounds of chemo to fight 3 different battles (all bc related) with cancer. I would do each and every one of them again if face with the choice as it is my belief that I would not be here had I not had them.

I realize NED is great to hear, however cancer is elusive and hides within our bodies so tiny is can be difficult to find until it decides to do damage. We can be declared NED (no evidence of disease) and still it can be lurking within, the key word in NED is "evidence" it is not a declaration one is cancer free. To date chemo and rads are our only tools available that are proven to smite the beast with some promise. My first cancer battle I was borderline 1 or 2 so I choose the treatment for a 1 (kinder and gentler treatment) there was no evidence the cancer had gotten beyond the breast. After treatment it returned in my chest wall and sentinel node so I then choose to battle it full force and was given 10 additional weeks of rads as well as 18 more chemo's. Yes it was rough but that was in 1999 and I am still here and I enjoy my life.

You have to do what you feel is best for you, for me I would always choose chemo. My best to you!!!

*´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ RE

No. I would not do chemo.
But that's just me and in my particular case. Everybody is different and you need to base your descision on your very own particulars.

jendrey said:

No. I would not do chemo.
But that's just me and in my particular case. Everybody is different and you need to base your descision on your very own particulars.

another no chemo
Chemo would have reduced my chances of recurrence by 2%. I opted out. I do have to tell you, that I all ready had chemo for recurring Hodgkin's Lymphoma that has damaged my heart, among other things. Our decisions are not easy, long term effects( I had to have chemo w/Hodgkin's to live) need to be considered also, especially whem chemo offers very little benefit.