Introduction

Hi Ange.

What a rough start to the year. And what huge decisions you've had to make so quickly. Sounds like your partner has been very supportive so far, hats off to him, too.

I was diagnosed last year, 6 months before I turned 50, so a slightly different  situation to you. Mine was 35mm tumour, node positive. My only symptom was enlarged, tender axillary nodes.

My surgeon recommended chemo first, for the following, evidence based, reasons:-

              1) Reduce tumour size to give a better chance of breast conserving surgery;

              2)Can se how effective the chemo is/has been against the cancer. I had a mammogram & ultrasound at the halfway mark to assess tumour response.

             3)My own thoughts, that knowing I was node positive,  although staging tests were all normal, having chemo first would knock any little undetectable cells before they had a chance to multiply.

Chemo first did give me time to get my head around what surgery would entail, to some degree, it wasn't part of the reason for doing chemo first. I'm glad I had chemo first, hard though it was. I finished radiotherapy almost four weeks ago. I still have moments when I wonder when I'm going to wake up & find it's all been a dream, lol.

I try to take things one day at a time. it is hard to find information about neoadjuvant chemo. If you have any questions you don't want to post openly, feel free to send a pm to me. Thinking of you,

Take care, Lyn