Does it all usually take so long?
Thanks!
Nancy
Comments
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Nancy,
mine was very fast. I was diagnosed with BC and within 2 weeks was on Chemo and things progressed quickly from there.
Definitely question why it's taking so long to get the treatment plan going. If you still don't get any action, move on to another oncologist or radiologist, pronto. Once you're told you have BC, most everyone just wants to get a plan going to get rid of it. You shouldn't have to wait that long.
Hope everything goes well, please keep us posted.
Hugs,
Sylvia0 -
my doc moved pretty fast mri
my doc moved pretty fast mri ultrasound and biopsy 12/28 had results by 1/4 and lumpectomey 1/14 and more margin and port 2/8 didn't start chemo until 3/3 had to wait so long after having the surgery not sure if that's what going on with you? I would call and check also the nurse was very helpful in explaining what I didn't get the 1st time hard to say everyone if different keep asking until you feel you have the answers that you want. Take care Diane0 -
mine is the same timeframesea60 said:Nancy,
mine was very fast. I was diagnosed with BC and within 2 weeks was on Chemo and things progressed quickly from there.
Definitely question why it's taking so long to get the treatment plan going. If you still don't get any action, move on to another oncologist or radiologist, pronto. Once you're told you have BC, most everyone just wants to get a plan going to get rid of it. You shouldn't have to wait that long.
Hope everything goes well, please keep us posted.
Hugs,
Sylvia
Hi Nancy. My timeframe has been similar...I had a biopsy show as suspicious in Dec, then surgery end of Jan - path confirmed cancer, then sentinal node done Feb. My path was finally sent to the MO & RO and then saw them for the first time in March. Decided to do the onco testing and will get results on Apr 18th - so it is extremely similar to you...
I wish the surgeon had simply sent the sample for the onco test as soon as the first surgery was done...it would have sped things up. Maybe this will become more routine in the future...
Unfortunatley I showed signs of sarcoid, so xray was done...showed something in my lungs...so ct scan was done which showed mass on ovary...so now waiting (again) for us to get more info, possibly surg to do biopsy...not sure what this will do to timing...
Waiting is the worst especially the outcome can be terible...I wan't to know, but only if its good news...lol...otherwise I don't want to hear anymore...ok, yes I want to know...but good info would be appreciated.
Hang in there...hopefully chemo is not needed and we can be done all this by the end of June in time for a good summer...0 -
We are all different - our cancers are different!
I can only speak for myself - I'm IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer). It is very aggressive and must be dealt with rapidly - only somewhere between 1% and 5% are IBC. We have a much worse outlook overall - only 25% to 45% make it to 5 years post DX (depends on the study you read) where the overall 5 year survival rate for BC is 87%. That's why i choose to keep my port for 5 years -just in case it's needed again - to me it is sort of like a life jacket on a boat that might sink. I'm 64 and most of the women in my family live into their 90's always figured I would too and still do.
I saw my PA in the morning and basically she confirmed what I already knew (to a degree) - cancer. I had a Mammo appt. that afternoon which turned into a Sono and biopsys and the Radiologist telling me he was sure what path. would come back but he'd call me the next morning when he had the report - he did at 8 am. That was Friday and Monday I saw Surgeon, Tuesday Rads and Wednesday Chemo. From then it was Bone, CT, MRI, and PET scans. A biopsy of an area that showed 'hot' on the PET along my jaw (clean) and heart test. Port put in on Wed and started Chemo (A/C) the next day - 17 days from DX. 2 weeks after last A/C I had surgery (lumpectomy was never an option) and 3 weeks after surgery I was back in Chemo (12 weekly Taxol). A week after last Taxol I started Rads. I'm on Femara for another 4 years.
Have I had some problems - you betcha BUT I am alive and can do anything I want to - maybe not as much or exactly the way I did before but I CAN do what I want to or have to.
Our cancers are different and the TX for the different ones are different - so what was right for me is not necessarily right for you or anyone else. Our Drs are different. There is no one "right way". We are all different!
Susan0 -
HI - I was treated 14 years
HI - I was treated 14 years ago and from dx in October '96 I had several surgeries, chemo and then radiation and finished the following May or June. So yes, it does take a while. My daughter is now going through chemo - had surgeries in Nov 2010 & Dec 2010 and is on the 4th of 6 chemo rounds which will hopefully finish in May. She had a double mastectomy and reconstruction so she will need more surgery about a month after the last chemo which takes it into June. Is that helpful? The time frame seems unending but I think you just have to dedicate yourself to getting through it all however long it takes because the other end of it is the goal... HEALTH! I wish you all goodness and light - keep a positive outlook, please. Take care of yourself.0 -
I got the news in early FEb
I got the news in early FEb 08, surgery April 3 (3 yrs ago yesterday) and started Radiattion shortly after I healed...had 8 wks radiation which ended June 28 08 so 5mths for me from start to finish..0 -
lumpectomydisneyfan2008 said:I got the news in early FEb
I got the news in early FEb 08, surgery April 3 (3 yrs ago yesterday) and started Radiattion shortly after I healed...had 8 wks radiation which ended June 28 08 so 5mths for me from start to finish..
I had my lumpectomy on 1/21 and started chemo 3/13 ... 2 years ago
hugs.
teena0 -
different scenario
I had my first Drs appointment on July 12 and within 10 days started chemo, so moved pretty fast. BUT I had chemo before surgery. I was told at the time that there had to be at least 4 weeks after surgery before chemo started to allow for proper healing. (In those 10 days I had an appointment with the surgeon, needle biopsy, repeat mammo, sono, MRI,PET scan, echo, EKG, port placement, and onc. referral. It was a real whirlwind!) I finished chemo the day before Thanksgiving and had mastectomy 12/22. It was Feb. 14 before rads started because, again, time was needed for healing. Could be that's what's taking so long for you. My neighbor had her mastectomy in early Dec., had some complications, but started chemo in Feb. and has problems with her incision seeping after each treatment. As hard as it is to wait it may be for teh best in the long run.
Prayers for answers and peace!0 -
Time frames
Went in for mamo in mid Feb. Repeat imaging and ultasound end of Feb. Biopsy several days later. Sample sent to Mayo after first test of HER2 was inconclusive. 3/22 was the lumpectomy. So that time frame was slightly over a month. Now chemo is set to start 4/26. I asked the chemo schedulers to call me if anyone dropped out of chemo early as I was prepared to kick cancer's butt so as to get the ball rolling faster.
Others have mentioned the need to heal. Perhaps this is so. Can you imagine your body going through the trauma of surgury, then immediately the trauma of chemo on top of it? I am not saying that those who are rushed off right away are wrong (or their doctors are wrong), but I think that there may be some validity to a month between the start of chemo from the time of surgery. After all the strongest cancer is already out of your body after surgery. Cancer has to start over trying to grow after surgery with whatever cells may have escaped. More than a month and I think I would hissy fit though. If I were you I would asked to be bumped up on a list if such a thng can be done.0 -
Lots of the timing depends
Lots of the timing depends on your pathology. Some cancers grow more slowly, and some are more aggressive. In my case, the cancer is triple neg IBC. Triple neg is aggressive, and IBC is even more aggressive.
So things moved pretty quickly for me. I found swelling in my armpit on Mon Aug 2. Tues was doc appt, mammo, and ultrasound. Wed was biopsy, and on Thursday cancer was confirmed. Three weeks later I had my first chemo treatment (lots of tests, doc appts, and classes in between). After chemo I waited a month for bilateral mastectomy, worried the whole time that cancer was still growing and spreading. Then I waited a month post surgery before starting rads. I finished 44 rounds on March 23rd. Now I'm waiting for my skin to heal, doing some PT to get my range of motion back and deal with a little lymphedema.
I asked my onc in one of those early appointments how long the whole process would take, he thought for a moment then said 'about nine months'. I can still see that moment in my head.
If you are concerned that it is taking too long for your pathology, contact your doctor or get a second opinion. I hope this helps.
Hugs,
Linda0 -
Thank you all for yourGabe N Abby Mom said:Lots of the timing depends
Lots of the timing depends on your pathology. Some cancers grow more slowly, and some are more aggressive. In my case, the cancer is triple neg IBC. Triple neg is aggressive, and IBC is even more aggressive.
So things moved pretty quickly for me. I found swelling in my armpit on Mon Aug 2. Tues was doc appt, mammo, and ultrasound. Wed was biopsy, and on Thursday cancer was confirmed. Three weeks later I had my first chemo treatment (lots of tests, doc appts, and classes in between). After chemo I waited a month for bilateral mastectomy, worried the whole time that cancer was still growing and spreading. Then I waited a month post surgery before starting rads. I finished 44 rounds on March 23rd. Now I'm waiting for my skin to heal, doing some PT to get my range of motion back and deal with a little lymphedema.
I asked my onc in one of those early appointments how long the whole process would take, he thought for a moment then said 'about nine months'. I can still see that moment in my head.
If you are concerned that it is taking too long for your pathology, contact your doctor or get a second opinion. I hope this helps.
Hugs,
Linda
Thank you all for your confirmation that this can be normal. Someone on another board mentioned that she doesn't know why if we need an Oncotype they can't send for that immediately rather than waiting until they talk with us. That made sense to me. Plus, yes, you guys are right. Sometimes I guess it takes awhile for pathology and such to come back.
Nancy0 -
I had my lumpectomy andskipper54 said:different scenario
I had my first Drs appointment on July 12 and within 10 days started chemo, so moved pretty fast. BUT I had chemo before surgery. I was told at the time that there had to be at least 4 weeks after surgery before chemo started to allow for proper healing. (In those 10 days I had an appointment with the surgeon, needle biopsy, repeat mammo, sono, MRI,PET scan, echo, EKG, port placement, and onc. referral. It was a real whirlwind!) I finished chemo the day before Thanksgiving and had mastectomy 12/22. It was Feb. 14 before rads started because, again, time was needed for healing. Could be that's what's taking so long for you. My neighbor had her mastectomy in early Dec., had some complications, but started chemo in Feb. and has problems with her incision seeping after each treatment. As hard as it is to wait it may be for teh best in the long run.
Prayers for answers and peace!
I had my lumpectomy and started rads about 6 weeks after that. I didn't have chemo.
Jan0 -
Indeed the timing will varyGabe N Abby Mom said:Lots of the timing depends
Lots of the timing depends on your pathology. Some cancers grow more slowly, and some are more aggressive. In my case, the cancer is triple neg IBC. Triple neg is aggressive, and IBC is even more aggressive.
So things moved pretty quickly for me. I found swelling in my armpit on Mon Aug 2. Tues was doc appt, mammo, and ultrasound. Wed was biopsy, and on Thursday cancer was confirmed. Three weeks later I had my first chemo treatment (lots of tests, doc appts, and classes in between). After chemo I waited a month for bilateral mastectomy, worried the whole time that cancer was still growing and spreading. Then I waited a month post surgery before starting rads. I finished 44 rounds on March 23rd. Now I'm waiting for my skin to heal, doing some PT to get my range of motion back and deal with a little lymphedema.
I asked my onc in one of those early appointments how long the whole process would take, he thought for a moment then said 'about nine months'. I can still see that moment in my head.
If you are concerned that it is taking too long for your pathology, contact your doctor or get a second opinion. I hope this helps.
Hugs,
Linda
I was diagnosed in April of this year with IBC. My surgeon told me 15 weeks of Adriamycin/Cytoxan and then 12 weeks of Taxol before we even do surgery. She said that they have had really good results doing it this way. I had an ultrasound done about 3 weeks ago and the tumors have shrunk as well as the lymph nodes and the redness, swelling, and the orange peel skin around my nipple are gone. In all of the boards I have gone to a read I dont see anyone going through as much chemo though. But its like you said....everyone is going to vary.0 -
All the tests they did to
All the tests they did to confirm the cancer happened very quickly. I'd say in a two week period I was finished. It was almost a month from the time they verified that I had cancer to the day of my surgery. And I thought that was a long time to wait.
Judy0
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