Time??

k@th3r1n3

I had my first lumpectomy on 1st May, my second 29th May and now i start chemo 18th July. I am scared that this is too long to wait for chemo. I had grade 3, no nodes and 2.6 cm tumour. Should I be worried? 

arpie

Sorry to see you here on the forum, @k@th3r1n3  - but you'll find a wealth of information here on every aspect of Breast Cancer, how the system works & anything relating to treatment & side effects.

Usually the 'waiting' is the hardest part to take ...... I believe they have to wait for you to heal sufficiently from your surgeries before they can do either chemo or radiation - I am sure that others who have been thru the same as you will jump on & advise you better than I can (I only had breast conserving surgery, node removal, radiation & now hormone tablets.)  I was lucky to avoid the chemo as my tumours were found early & were small & removed with good clearance & no involvement in the nodes.

All the best with your treatment xx

k@th3r1n3

Thank you so much arpie. I guess the waiting is the worst. And I have read so much research it's starting to contradict itself. Chemo they say should be done no more than 30 days after surgery and then other research says I can wait up to 91 days with no adverse affects. Rang hospital but have to wait till Monday to talk to my doctor that's why I jumped on here. I guess I wanted to know if there is such a thing as waiting too long for chemo, so much so that it affects your life. 

arpie

@k@th3r1n3  - yep, try not to Dr Google too much - it will only do your brain in.  There will be as many 'for' as 'against' early chemo ..... I think you just need to trust your team.

Do you have a Breast Care Nurse that you can talk to?  She may be able to allay your fears.

Take care, try & have a good weekend - get out do something that you REALLY LOVE ..... xx

k@th3r1n3

I've got chemo brain without the chemo. Didn't think about talking to my nurse. I'll call her tomorrow. Thanks again  xx
And you have a good weekend as well. 

arpie

hahaha  I didn't have chemo & my brain is totally stuffed as well - and I have no excuse!!  We just have SO MUCH going on with 'getting on with life' as well as dealing with the current situation/crisis ..... sometimes it gets a bit addled!    We are not alone in this!  Thank God! xx

k@th3r1n3

Amen

Sister

That doesn't sound out of the ball-park @k@th3r1n3 I had my second surgery on 8 January, and was scheduled to start chemo on 5 Feb but due to circumstances at the time, actually had my first on 8 Feb.  Mine was after a mastectomy and axillary clearance, grade 2 ILS OR & PP+, HER-.  Even though it was much larger than expected and had gone to the nodes, my surgeon is fairly confident that the cancer has been removed.  Chemo and rads are for insurance.  I healed very quickly so that was one of the determiners for being able to go ahead with chemo at that time.

But question your doctor about the decision re: dates.

onemargie

Hi there @k@th3r1n3. Sorry you’ve had to join the crew on here but welcome aboard. We are all here for you to answer all your questions. I had triple negative stage 2a grade 3 (3cm tumor) no lymph nodes involved May 2016 aged 43. My story different to yours as I had left boob off so i only had to have chemo and no radiation then took the right boob off 6 months later as a preventative did both as my guts told me too.and because of the triple neg diagnosis.  I had my surgery 26th May and then started chemo about a month later. I also had a portacath inserted prior to treatment so I had to wait for that to heal also before I started. Are you having one of thoss put in too love ?  Have you spoken to your breast care nurse too?   Big hug. Margie xx

k@th3r1n3

Thanking every one for their time out to answer just one of my phobic questions 

I am, however, blown away by just how much you know about what type of cancer you had.

Maybe I should ask for a copy of my report. I guess I am still in a state of shock and not sure what I can or can't demand.

I am really glad that when I feel lost I can turn to this forum that I found by accident trying to ask Dr Google questions.

I am so sorry that we have to go through this but it is wonderful to be a part of such a caring community and if I can do anything for anyone please let me know.

kmakm

It's good to know the details of your cancer for many reasons, one being it helps to find the appropriate information here. But it's also OK to not know all the details if you don't want to. It's totally OK for you to ask your doctors for copies of pathology reports or anythng else to do with your diagnosis. Many people here would advise it. The best thing for you is to do what feels right. K xox

k@th3r1n3

Thanks will do. I have an appointment Tuesday so will ask then.

arpie

@k@th3r1n3   

Yep - you should get a copy of every scan, report - everything!  Your GP should also be on every referral so that they get them as well.

I have a big box that I put EVERYTHING in that I get relating to my BC ..... that way it is all in the one spot.   Reports, scans, bills - pretty well everything.  Then I know exactly where everything is too.   

Have you got someone to go with you to appointments, etc as a '2nd set of ears'?  A family member or a trusted friend?  They often pick up on things that you may miss - and are physical support for you as well (and possibly a driver!)  

All the best for Tues xx

Sister

It takes a while to get on top of every detail and I don't think I'm there yet and it's been over 6 months.  You should get a copy of every report, even if you don't want to look at it at the moment.  @primek has a couple of good sites up her sleeve to help you decipher the information.  My GP sat down with me and went through my path report to make sure that we both knew what I was dealing with.  I bought a zip-up lever arch file from Officeworks (the first one was a 2 ring binder but it was soon too small) and some plastic sleeves and dividers.  All of my letters, reports, etc., go straight into that folder and I take it to most appointments so I have everything on hand and I'm never searching for that particular piece of paper.  I also ask for results to go to each doctor including my GP - GPs often get left off the list and when you have to see them for something related, they have no idea what your current treatment plan is (the reasoning behind it is that apparently, GPs can get freaked out by some of the blood levels in chemo patients but if they've any sense, they will realise).

primek

Having your report is a good idea. Even if you look at it later. It does help to understand why certain treatments are advised.

And yes time frames sound right for chemo. I had a mastectomy with reconstruction  and so my chemo was 6 weeks to allow healing time. I  also had a grade 3 cancer.

My oncologist said to that potentially  my surgery was curative. I too had no nodes. The chemo is to search and destroy any potentially floating cells. Knowing you are node negative is fantastic.

It does feel like forever to wait but it will come soon enough. Use the  time to organise hats / head scarves etc. Cook up some easy meals for chemo days etc. I also went to the dentist and had a really good clean and check and kept up strict mouth care throughout. I never had any mouth issues on chemo and feel this helped. Kath x

Brenda5

If you have had the surgery then technically the cancer is already gone. Chemo or radiation is the mopping up in case cancer spoors got in to the blood stream and are looking to set up shop somewhere else. It takes a while to form in to anything worrying so yes you do have several weeks where you may wait for the chemo process to begin. No biggie.<3