decisions.....decisions
Comments
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@kezmusc yep I have 2 out of 4 on the left pos and I thought 0 out of 1 on the right ( according to bs when he drained the seroma ) but according to her the right is positive as well. 2 axillary clearences frightens the crap out of me especially the long term risks.
yes I am rural but I know the system pretty well . I worked in it for over 20 years.0 -
Hi @jan61 all the lovely ladies have made great comments. I just want to say I understand you are a private person and we are our best advocate for making our own decisions but you will find if you have a really good BC nurse they should fully understand your pathology report inside out. I find that surgeons are expert in surgery and what the cancer encompasses as with the oncologist and rad oncologist are experts in their speciality. I just found that my BC nurse covered all aspects from the beginning and through the whole miserable process to the finish of active treatment and will be ongoing for checkups. They should be your best advocate and can explain everything in layman terms to our already frazzled brains. I couldn't even imagine how you must feel after already having plenty of surgery but your team will make the best suggestions for you about what is the best way to get rid of this bastard of a disease and ultimately that is all anyone can wish for. Good luck with your decisions. xo2
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@jan61my bc nurse was so wrong on so many things. She said I had a microscopic lump in lymph node & it was 11mm. Tumour in breast 19mm, it was 25mm. My surgeon was not very impressed to say the least! I was so devastated when he corrected everything. My oncologist made sure I understood everything perfectly & that made my decision easy.2
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So really I amnonethewiser..far out. According to the surgeon right side smaller than micromets in the node and mastectomy done on that side so it is a non event. The left side he wants to do a axilla clearence ( level one and two) ..... and then tablets? Hormone blockers. No chemo no rads? He stated that they don’t like to do chemo unless they have to.
Could I be so lucky? He is however giving me a referral to the oncologist as they are the ones that do the tablets?
wt?
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Correct. The oncologists are the ones who really determine the treatment after the surgeon is done, including prescribing the hormone blockers.
Try not to stress about it too much until you've spoken to the onc. There are plenty of folk here who didn't have chemo, and some that had surgery and pills only. We're all different and the docs treat us to the best of their knowledge, and the knowledge of BC treatment all over the world. Hang in there, K xox1 -
I don't want to sound like a gloomy old cynic @jan61 but that's what I am, so...
Be careful about getting too committed to your surgeons opinion on what is going to happen once he's finished slicing and dicing. They are notorious for putting their two bobs worth in and prognosticating about what other specialists are going to recommend--and they get it wrong all the time. It's happened to me twice and others here have reported the same thing. Its most infuriating. If your oncologist picked up a scalpel, your surgeon would have a conniption, but that doesn't seem to stop them having an opinion about chemotherapy.
Take his advice about surgery if you trust him, but you won't know for sure what the oncologist will recommend until they see the results. Good luck and wishing you all the best for a soft landing. Mxx6 -
Thanks people you have allayed my fears once again.2
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@jan61 I agree with @Zoffiel. The oncologist is the CANCER specialist. The surgeon just does the slicing and dicing, but they see themselves as God. The woes I've been caused by my surgeon and my bc nurse and appalling communication! These people need to learn to stay in their own boxes when making recommendations, and actually listen to each other in the team meetings.4
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@jan61...yeah, the surgeon is the butcher who cuts the meat, and the oncologist is the Head Chef, who knows what herbs and spices to use, in what quantity and sequence. This chef also knows which method of heat to use when cooking, and for how long. The chopper upperer is not the most important person in the preparation of the meal.9
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sigh.... slice poison burn..... still at the slice stage..... axilla clearance on Thursday0
