Treatment that won't work

Hi I’m new here and not at the chemo stage but I imagine that everyone is told this information.  I haven’t heard that chemo can help cancers grow and spread. It might be worth speaking to the Macmillan helpline who have lovely nurses able to help with any queries you have and are very comforting.  I’ve used them twice now and found them very helpful.

Hi there

Like Wobbly1says,  I think you should talk to the McMillan nurses [and also you GP] as soon as possible.

We all know that nothing is guaranteed. When we set off to cross the road we might not get to the other side. However, we have to have some optimism to even step off the pavement or to bother getting up out of bed in the morning. Otherwise why bother!

I note that you said HE!  I am very disappointed and actually quite disgusted by the attitude you describe that you encountered and how things were left with you.  It seems that the negative was emphasised to you and not the positive and you were discharged from the appointment in this state of mind.

There are many ladies on here with all sorts of BC cell types who have successfully had chemo to treat their conditions. There are many different chemos and combinations of chemo, along with hormonal, targeted and radio therapies and it is the job of your care team to work out what the best regimen for you. Over and above the standard first line therapies for the various types of BC there are additional drugs which the NHS or clinical trials will only provide after the usual chemos have been tried.

It is also their job to monitor you during chemo and if there are any suggestions that it is not working for you, to move you on to the next line of therapy. During my chemo [6 cycles in all] I had two further MRI scans. The first one was just after the 2nd dose, so about 4-5 weeks into treatment and then again just after the 5th dose. Fortunately my treatment worked and they could tell me at an early stage during chemo that the tumour was shrinking. I tell you this so that you can ask for this type of monitoring too.

All treatments used by the NHS should be evidence based. There is evidence that treatments for BC are getting more and more successful all the time. Not that any of us want to be part of this BC club, but given that we are where we are, there has never been a better time for us to have BC because of the great advances in care and improvement in successful outcomes over the past 20 years.

I don't know what part of the country you are in or what type of hospital/clinic you attended. Is there a Regional Specialist Cancer Centre you could ask to be referred to?

Please don't despair. Keep in touch and let us know how things are going for you. You will get loads of support here and I am sure that you will have lots of ladies responding to your post soon.

Wishing you all the best

Wallydug

Hi, I am currently in the middle of chemo, my plan was to have 4 x EC followed by 4x docetaxel, after my 2nd EC I had an mri which showed that the tumour hadn’t shrunk and had in fact grown, I was very quickly switched onto the docetaxel which thankfully is working. They didn’t seem too shocked that the EC didn’t work and I think it is quite common but I just wanted to reassure you that they will move you onto something else if your chemo doesn’t work and there are always more options. Just make sure you push them to keep checking with regular mris, mine was delayed and I really wish I’d pushed to have it sooner. Good luck with your treatment x

Hi, please don't lose your positivity. Breast cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer these days and the thing that has surprised me is how bespoke the treatment is to each individual situation. Of course there are no guarantees, but on the other hand, chemo, radiotherapy, surgery and the associated range of other medications (I had no idea how many there were) do give us a tremendously good chance of responding well.

My pre chemo chat was quite scary. The side effects can be pretty tough and sounded tougher than the cancer itself, but I realised they need to tell you everything just in case. Actually I was very lucky and managed well through chemo, as many people do these days.  I have never heard of chemo causing cancer to spread, and I think you have to have faith and trust in the medical team that they know what is best to recommend,

I agree with Wallydug. If you are uncomfortable with the specialist, is there an alternative hospital or clinic you can be referred to. Perhaps a chat with your GP will help. And as others have said, the Macmillan support, either online chat or phone, is superb.

I hope you are beginning to feel a little more reassured and positive again, but I'd suggest keep chatting on here, there's a lot of support. Good luck