I saw my oncologist last week to discuss my treatment after surgery, i was offered chemo and said i would think about it.
this is the second time i have had breast cancer the first time was eleven years ago, i had chemo then to shrink the tumour to save my breast and had a wide local exsision and then went on to have nine years of tamoxifen. this time i have had a mastctomy (same breast) and a reconstruction,my nodes were clear and it was a grade two eastrogen receptive, i will be having another blood test to check my hormone levels next week then see him the following week. i have to decide wether to have chemo or not he says i dont have to and i dont relish the thought of all the side effects again it only increases my chances by five percent over ten years i will have to have hormone therapy wich will be bad enough i dont think i can go through the chemo again if i dont have to. i have had so many problems over the last few years because of the last lot i am inclined to take my chances. i am 50 this year and this disease has allready had a good few years of my life i just want to be as normal as possible for as long as possible. You know what i mean? Any advice would be appreciated Jen
FormerMember
I am sorry that you find yourself facing chemo again - I remember only too well how I felt last year when it was mentioned to me as I had had terrible nausea on my first chemo in 2003 and never wanted that experience repeated. However I was offered different chemo and have been on three different types of chemo since - none of which have been as bad as in 2003. I also insisted that I have the scalp cooler because losing my hair was the worst for me. I suppse what I am trying to say is do you know which chemo your oncol is offering? Because each drug has different reactions anyway. It may not be as bad as last time and of course you have had a very long remission as a result of your last chemo (so maybe it was worth it??!!???) It is of course your decision but if it were me I would do everything to reduce the chances of it coming back. If you think of chemo as a few months of unpleasantness in order to have your 'life back as normal' is it not going to be worth it? Let us know how you get on and good luck with your decision making - I am sure more people will respond to your blog today too. Love Jools x
I finished my chemo in December and have been thinking about what I would do if it came back again. My current feelings are the same as you, I am not sure I would put myself through that again. People tell me I will think differently when time has passed, but I am really not sure I will. What I would say is that things have improved over the years... I too had the cold cap and didn't lose all my hair, I also had very little sickness, because the anti sickness drugs are pretty good now. Good ,luck with making your decision, it a hard one and one none of us want to make, I wish you well and hope whatever you decide it is not as bad as last time. Take care. Jo x
I am currently half way through chemo. When I was first told I needed it I was horrified and was not happy at all. However I didn't want to take the chance of not having it. I am lucky in that I only have had quite mild side effects, the thing I hate the most is the needle and in a way I wish I had had a line in. If the cancer does return I would opt for chemo again. I think anything that increases the odds must be worth it.
Oh what a dilemma. Like Kath I am halfway through my chemo and so far my side effects have been what I class as minor, bit of tiredness, feel sick but haven't been. The medication I am given has been great.
When I saw the oncologist I asked my prognosis, because I have been told mine is "curable" and given my grade 3, 2,5cm tumour I thought there was a 50/50 chance I would be cancer free in 10 yrs (courtesy of rhe cancer research website info). This was correct if I had only had surgery, but the chemo, radio and hormones has add 25% - so my chances of being free in 10 yrs is 75% - I know nothing is written in stone. I'm 51 and if the treatment gives me another 10 years, thats great. Life is precious and we should grab every moment we can but if the cancer came back at 61 - to be honest I'm not sure what I would do.
Just wanted to wish you all the best in making the decision and to say that I'm thinking of you.
When I had my op in May 2007 I had been told if there was no spread then it would be radiotherapy only. My diagnosis had come from a core biopsy. I had node clearance and cancer was found in one of the lymph nodes. Because of the spread I was advised to have chemo and although I was scared at the thought I didn't hesitate. In fact the percentages of recovery it added were small in comparison to radiotherapy but numbers become very important when you are faced with this disease. I had known friends who had had terrible experiences of chemo years ago but I can honestly say that my experience was much better (??) than theirs. The anti-sickness drugs are great. My doctor told me that if the ones they gave me didn't work they had a cupboard full of others to try. With regard to needles I think I would opt for a line if I had to have it again because I have collapsed veins now. I used the cold cap and although my hair went extremely thin, I didn't lose it. I felt my doctor was very approachable and explained things really well so I felt I could discuss my concerns with her. Also I had a Breast Care nurse assigned to me by the hospital who was always readily available at the end of a phone. I can't advise you what to do because you must make your own decision, I can only say what I think I would do. Take care
