Sisters, help me decide! To chemo or not to chemo....

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Corinna11
Corinna11 Member Posts: 75
in Breast Cancer #1
Hello sisters!
Its been a while since I posted. Had bilateral segmental mast. with reconstruct in May. MD rec radiation with Tamoxifen. I had sent. node biopsies and they found 1 node with cancer plus I have 2 different cancers in BOTH breasts and am under 50. Should I have chemo in addition to radiation? I'm having rads either way. I want to wipe this out NOW but my MD does isnt rec. chemo. What experience have you ladies had and what do you think?? Thanks!!!!
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  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #2
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    I know I've seen other girls
    I know I've seen other girls post this before and I agree, I would take whatever they threw at me to beat the beast. It's better then regretting the "what if's" later should heaven forbid it ever return. Although chemo isn't a pleasant experience, it's powerful in what is does and that's attacking those nasty cancer cells as they divide and grow stronger. I had the whole gammit, chemo, double mastectomy/tissue expanders and now finished my rads. Next up is hormone therapy. I'm taking it all...

    Good luck in your decision,
    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #3
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    Hi :)
    Im not trying to tell
    Hi :)
    Im not trying to tell you what to do by any means, or that my opinion is the "right" one, but if I were given that choice, I would do the chemo. I have fought this beast with EVERY single thing I could do, and will continue to do so. Those cancer cells are sneaky and tiny, and the chemo helps find & destroy any cells that may have gotten away & are lurking elsewhere. I would much rather come out of my cancer journey thinking I had done too much in my fight, than regret later on not doing enough. That's a very tough decision you have, I pray you find the decision that is right for you. Chemo isn't fun by far, but it is do-able. It was nothing like I had thought - i didn't get sick once. I actually GAINED weight during chemo, and it went by very fast. Losing my hair sucked, but it grew back in really fast, and has come in super thick & soft, and is growing really fast. *hugs* to you, and I again hope that you can come to your decision without stress & worry.
    *hugs*
    heather
  • Corinna11
    Corinna11 Member Posts: 75
    #4
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    butterflylvr said:

    I know I've seen other girls
    I know I've seen other girls post this before and I agree, I would take whatever they threw at me to beat the beast. It's better then regretting the "what if's" later should heaven forbid it ever return. Although chemo isn't a pleasant experience, it's powerful in what is does and that's attacking those nasty cancer cells as they divide and grow stronger. I had the whole gammit, chemo, double mastectomy/tissue expanders and now finished my rads. Next up is hormone therapy. I'm taking it all...

    Good luck in your decision,
    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    Thanks Lorrie,
    I waiver back
    Thanks Lorrie,
    I waiver back and forth like a reed. I had almost decided to do it and then I read the post about the poor lady that is in the hospital having a horrible time with her 1st chemo tx. I worry about infection because my neighbors kids are always sick and my husband (we were separating before I got bc so you can imagine THAT supportive environment - NOT) is the worlds most germ (purposefully) ignorant person (wont wash his hands after her uses the bathroom, puts nasty shoes on the furniture etc.) and I have to live with him. I just wish GOD would yell down from heaven and say "Take the chemo already!!" I'm so freaking indecisive!!
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    #5
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    Corinna11 said:

    Thanks Lorrie,
    I waiver back
    Thanks Lorrie,
    I waiver back and forth like a reed. I had almost decided to do it and then I read the post about the poor lady that is in the hospital having a horrible time with her 1st chemo tx. I worry about infection because my neighbors kids are always sick and my husband (we were separating before I got bc so you can imagine THAT supportive environment - NOT) is the worlds most germ (purposefully) ignorant person (wont wash his hands after her uses the bathroom, puts nasty shoes on the furniture etc.) and I have to live with him. I just wish GOD would yell down from heaven and say "Take the chemo already!!" I'm so freaking indecisive!!

    hand sanitizer and anti bacterial wipes
    Corinna, I live with my 7 year old grand daughter and my husband isn't very pro-active with germ control. I started chemo at the start of flu season. I wiped the door knobs and light switches and such down every couple of days. My grand daughter learned to wash her hands when she got home from school. I kept hand sanitizer every where, the car, the kitchen, the bathroom, my pocket. Germ control is possible even if you are the only one on top of it.
    I didn't get sick till rads. My grand daughter caught some thing the last week of school.
    The decision is totally up to you but you can get through it!
    Cindy
  • aysemari
    aysemari Member Posts: 1,596 Member
    #6
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    There was no question in my mind
    Hi,

    of course this is a very personal decision. For me, I had to do what gave me peace of mind.
    And that was to do everything I could in my power. I chose the mastectomy my doctors thought
    a lumpectomy would be fine. After reading some stories and doing my research, I came to the
    conclusion not to underestimate what I was dealing with. These are my thoughts.

    Hugs,
    Ayse
  • CAchick
    CAchick Member Posts: 277
    #7
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    Just my opinion...
    Hi, of course you have to make your own decision...But, with a cancerous node, chemo makes sense. Rads will attack the cancer cells on site, but chemo is needed to fight those that might have "sneaked out" due to the positive node. I am so sorry about that sister in the chemo gone horribly wrong post, but that is not the norm. Most of us on here have had chemo with only the usual side effects. I had taxotere/cytoxan four infusions-one every three weeks-over the fall of 2009. I lost hair, was really tired but kept working, had tingling in my feet/legs, and a weird taste bud change, over the chemo. But, as you can see in the pic, hair grew back...tingling stopped...taste buds are ok...and the fatigue problem got so much better! I would do it again, so that I know I did everything I could do to prevent a metastasis of this cancer somewhere else in my body.
    Bless you as you make your decision,
    Sybil
  • cavediver
    cavediver Member Posts: 607
    #8
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    You will find the strength
    You will find the strength to make the right decision for yourself! As for me, chemo was nnot easy, but doing the surgery, chemo, and rads was aggressive and gave me the peace of mind at least that I did everything to the max that I could so I would not be faced with this again. No one knows....but at least I feel I did all I could. It sucks, yes. But most of the side effects can be made tolerable........and even when it gets rough, the sisters on this board sent me their support and prayers.....and it got me through. We will be there for you too..........whatever you choose, and send you positive support and hugs and prayers.
  • grams2jc
    grams2jc Member Posts: 756
    #9
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    Not my choice to make for you ....
    But I would do chemo. It was bad but not that bad, and I worked in a medical office through the whole treatment averaging 40 hours on nonchemo weeks and 24 on chemo weeks. Just be sure to be careful about where you go and who you are around. I avoided dept. stores, school gyms, and sometimes even church and was not sick with anything other than chemo stuff the whole time. Of course your reactions will be different since we were all unique, but as my MO said, "We are gonna throw the kitchen sink at it to go for a cure"

    Jennifer
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #10
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    grams2jc said:

    Not my choice to make for you ....
    But I would do chemo. It was bad but not that bad, and I worked in a medical office through the whole treatment averaging 40 hours on nonchemo weeks and 24 on chemo weeks. Just be sure to be careful about where you go and who you are around. I avoided dept. stores, school gyms, and sometimes even church and was not sick with anything other than chemo stuff the whole time. Of course your reactions will be different since we were all unique, but as my MO said, "We are gonna throw the kitchen sink at it to go for a cure"

    Jennifer

    I would...
    Take the chemo....I wanted anything and everything they had to give! And sometimes even that's not enough....I had chemo and rads and it has now recurred...I can't say " Oh I SHOULD have taken the chemo" ...I took it and taking it again...
    Wishing you the best in making your decision....
    Hugs, Nancy
  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #11
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    clean nodes, and took chemo
    Hi - I had clean nodes, and took the chemo anyway. Mine was high grade, so I am taking everything they are offering as well. Getting ready for radiation soon - just finished my last chemo treatment last Friday.

    I hope whatever you decide, is the right choice for you. If you decide to take the chemo, we will be here to help you go through it, and give you support. It's not as bad as I thought it would be.

    God bless you.
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #12
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    I am Stage III, so I had the
    I am Stage III, so I had the works thrown at the cancer, and like others have said, chemo isn't fun, but you CAN get through it. If I were in your shoes, I would get a second opinion.

    Your oncologist may have some good reasons for not recommending chemo. Chemo doesn't just kill off cancer cells, it can also do damage to your healthy body. Some of the damage may not show up for years. I'm not sure which is the most potentially toxic - rads or chemo- but both can deliver far and wide ranging negative consequences while saving our lives.
    My best to you. xoxoxoxo Lynn
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #13
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    butterflylvr said:

    I know I've seen other girls
    I know I've seen other girls post this before and I agree, I would take whatever they threw at me to beat the beast. It's better then regretting the "what if's" later should heaven forbid it ever return. Although chemo isn't a pleasant experience, it's powerful in what is does and that's attacking those nasty cancer cells as they divide and grow stronger. I had the whole gammit, chemo, double mastectomy/tissue expanders and now finished my rads. Next up is hormone therapy. I'm taking it all...

    Good luck in your decision,
    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    As always, you need to
    As always, you need to consider what your oncologist recommends, but, the decision will be yours. I always thought that if you had even just one positive node, they wanted you to take chemo. Good luck to you and I will be praying for you too!
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #14
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    lynn1950 said:

    I am Stage III, so I had the
    I am Stage III, so I had the works thrown at the cancer, and like others have said, chemo isn't fun, but you CAN get through it. If I were in your shoes, I would get a second opinion.

    Your oncologist may have some good reasons for not recommending chemo. Chemo doesn't just kill off cancer cells, it can also do damage to your healthy body. Some of the damage may not show up for years. I'm not sure which is the most potentially toxic - rads or chemo- but both can deliver far and wide ranging negative consequences while saving our lives.
    My best to you. xoxoxoxo Lynn

    I was Stage IIIC
    so I had the works as well--2 surgeries, 6 rounds of TAC and rads. However, even if I had only 1 positive node (I had 10) I would have taken the chemo. Like most of the other ladies above--I attacked it with everything possible. I would have done more if it were recommended to me. I found a surgeon, medical oncologist and rad. onc. I trusted and I put myself in their hands and God's. As another girl said above, we are so sorry that one of us had a really bad chemo experience, but as was said, it's not the norm. I did very well--never vomited, never had mouth sores, never had neuropathy. I did have some side effects--but they were very manageable and very temporary.

    Good luck in your decision. I think when you make that final decision, you will feel relief.

    Hugs, Renee
  • kjrpcb
    kjrpcb Member Posts: 41
    #15
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    to chemo or not
    I wanted to take advantage of any and all treatment avaialble to me. Talk to your Onc, make an educated and informed decision. Whatever you decide it fine but don't look back with any regrets.
  • NJMom10
    NJMom10 Member Posts: 176
    #16
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    I would check with another onc
    I would run your tests by another oncologist and ask them what to do. Then weigh both decisiona. If both say you don't need chemo then there must be something we don't know that is making them say that. But if one says it would be beneficial then I would probably opt to do it. Chemo is not fun! But it is doable. And remember that lady who got sick, while a very sad case, is an unusual one. Most people make it through with minimal to moderated side effects. Just my thoughts. Barb
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #17
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    aysemari said:

    There was no question in my mind
    Hi,

    of course this is a very personal decision. For me, I had to do what gave me peace of mind.
    And that was to do everything I could in my power. I chose the mastectomy my doctors thought
    a lumpectomy would be fine. After reading some stories and doing my research, I came to the
    conclusion not to underestimate what I was dealing with. These are my thoughts.

    Hugs,
    Ayse

    I'm not a doctor, but, since
    I'm not a doctor, but, since you had a positive node and bc in both breasts, I would think that you would have chemo and rads. But, you do what you think is best for you.


    Hugs, Jan
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #18
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    kjrpcb said:

    to chemo or not
    I wanted to take advantage of any and all treatment avaialble to me. Talk to your Onc, make an educated and informed decision. Whatever you decide it fine but don't look back with any regrets.

    I always felt that I would
    I always felt that I would do anything to rid myself of the beast. I was lucky and never had to have chemo, just surgery and rads. Listen to your doctor and make your decision from there.

    Good luck,

    Diane
  • sudawilson
    sudawilson Member Posts: 9
    #19
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    To chemo or not
    Well, I have to say that I would be worried as hell if my oncologist had not suggested chemo. I live in Houston and was going to St. Joseph and then switched to M. D. Anderson as it is the best cancer hospital in the nation. As some background, I had DCIS in 2001, a double mastectomy with expanders and then implants. I sailed along just fine for ten years and then felt a lump under my arm which turned out to be a malignant lymph node. It was removed along with 15 other lymph nodes and the other fifteen were all "clear". Because this is a recurrent cancer, my oncologist at St. Joseph and my new oncologist at MDA both recommended I take Adriamycin/Cytoxin (4 treatments three weeks apart) and then Taxol/Herceptin once a week for 12 weeks. I will be on Herceptin for a total of one year and will continue treatments every three weeks after finishing the Taxol. I was so scared to take the Adriamycin which is called the "red devil" (and I've had two treatments), but must say that I have yet to have any bad side effects. The nausea drugs are wonderful and they are given in your IV prior to the chemo. Be sure that they give you Emend (and they can give it to you as a drip prior to chemo) as it, along with Zofram, are excellent for nausea. Everyone is different, but so far I've had more pain from my hair folicles dying off on my head than anything. My hair is almost gone and it started thinning out on day 13 after chemo. I got it cut short and now it's almost gone.

    As for doing chemo, please get more than one opinion from a good oncologist. Both the oncologist at St. Joseph and MDA agreed on my treatment protocol...I just decided to go to MDA for many reasons and have not regretted it for a moment. I think I would have been worried had they not recommended chemo for my peace of mind. And then we really never know anything for sure, right?
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #20
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    grams2jc said:

    Not my choice to make for you ....
    But I would do chemo. It was bad but not that bad, and I worked in a medical office through the whole treatment averaging 40 hours on nonchemo weeks and 24 on chemo weeks. Just be sure to be careful about where you go and who you are around. I avoided dept. stores, school gyms, and sometimes even church and was not sick with anything other than chemo stuff the whole time. Of course your reactions will be different since we were all unique, but as my MO said, "We are gonna throw the kitchen sink at it to go for a cure"

    Jennifer

    I had clean nodes, so, chemo
    I had clean nodes, so, chemo was not part of my treatment. So many do take it and feel good about their choice. I know that you will make the right choice for yourself.


    Sue :)
  • poplolly
    poplolly Member Posts: 346
    #21
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    To me, in my opinion only,
    To me, in my opinion only, anything is worth the risk to live. If you try chemo and the first one wipes you out, you can always decide to stop treatment. I was lucky, I guess, because chemo was very tolerable for me. They also gave me a shot once a week for four weeks to help me fight any infection.

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