37 year old - just diagnosed

Breathe! I am not your age and wasn’t very skinny when I had chemo (not quite sure where your bc nurse gets her information) but if two oncologists are recommending chemo, that recommendation deserves a hard, clear think! Try writing down what scares you - so you can analyse it rather than react. Chemo can be very unpleasant, it can also be quite manageable. Reactions vary wildly and very few are predictable (fat people don’t ‘do better’ than skinny people). If you find the side effects intolerable, you can stop! I did four rounds of A/C - yes I lost my hair, but cold cap has come a long way in the meantime and you may not. My only other side effect was certainly age related (30 years more than you). I worked through six months of chemo and no, I am not some sort of workaholic martyr. I was fine. 
it is always the patient’s decision, but some identification of your biggest fears and what may be done about them may be useful at this juncture. Many of us have worried long and miserably about something that never actually happened while having treatment, we know that feeling. The aim is always the same however - a long life, cancer free. Best wishes.  

So sorry to see you join 'the club', @ninica - but you'll get a wealth of support and tips here, from those who've gone before you.

I was lucky & dodged the chemo bullet & went straight to Rads & Tabs - but my husband had one node affected (out of 50 tested) with his stomach cancer - and altho he didn't 'want to' - he did decide to go with chemo, as it is to mop up those 'randoms' that may have snuck thru the net.  :(   Both your opinions have suggested chemo - not everyone gets really crook - quite a few here have continued working thru their treatments - if you go down that road, fingers crossed, it may be you.

There is a 'Young Women' group here that you may like to join, to discuss issues with in private (only group members can see the posts.) . You can raise any issue you like with them.  Clicking on it will show BCNA, @InkPetal and @jane84 as contacts for joining ...

https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/10-young-women

All the best with your decision making xxx

Hi ninica,
I'm glad you are doing the Prosigna genomic test. I did the Oncotype DX, which is similar. One way or another, the results will give you more valuable information to help you and your doctors make a plan which is best for you. Good luck. x

Hi @ninica I was diagnosed last year at age 32.  Stage 1 (15mm tumor), Grade 2, ER+ PR+ HER2-.  I had the lumpectomy and radiation and am now taking Tamoxifen and having Zoladex injections for the next 2-5 years.  Chemo was never suggested to me by my medical team.  From my perspective I would ask if your medical team are suggesting chemo just based on your age or are they suggesting it because there was a small trace of cancer in the lymph node or perhaps your DCIS is of a significant size.  I suspect if I had had any trace of cancer in my lymph nodes then my treatment plan may have included chemo.  It's a tough decision to make and I hope your team are able to provide you with the answers you need before you decide x  

I was 51 at diagnosis. Mine was Her2 positive as well as Estrogen . Another lady I met 15 years older...same size tumor  had a different regime from me. I had ACT then herceptin...purely because of my age. My nodes were negative. 
They do look at long term survival rates with treatment. The first 5 years all much the same. The next 5 years there is a bit of difference but by 15 years it really does have much varied stats with survival rates. This is significant when you are 37.

ACT is hard but doable. You are stronger than you think. I was a mess the day my chemo started. Cried in the shower beforehand. But I put my smile on and in I went. I didn't want to have any regrets in 2 years of not giving it my best shot of being cured. 

You can do it. Many if us here have and thought we couldn't also. X

Hi, I was 27 at diagnosis last year and further along than you so I scored all four; surgery chemo rads and hormone therapy. 

Hi @ninica,

Welcome lovely.  Chemo is the one with the big bad reputation on this trip. .  I was a little older than you (45) grade 2 stage 2 IDC and DCIS 5/24 nodes positive. strongly  ER/PR positive.
As there was nodes involved chemo was a no brainer, it just had to be done no matter how much I didn't want to do it.

I had the AC-T  as well, it's a pretty standard cocktail for BC. Your brain will conjure up every awful thing it can.  Especially after the bloody great long list of possible side effects. Remember, it does not mean you will get them all or even many of them.  A lot of us get through not too disgustingly at all. You get into a bit of a routine once you get going and will be able to pick the bad days and plan stuff around them.
As far as being thin goes, the steroids sometimes sort that out.  I put on 5 kgs over the 6 months, goodness knows how as food tastes like crap.  Luckily chocolate and wine did not. Maybe that's what did it. :)
I managed to work part time, never caught any bugs, kept my hair with the cold cap, ran my farm, renovated my dining room, went to horse shows and partied in the bar with the cowboys.  Anything to stay distracted and not think too much. There were some days that were crap along the way, but there were a lot more that weren't.
It's just that you don't know until you get going.  That's the thing nobody can tell you.
Take lots of photos of anything normal you do along the way with family and friends.  Then when you look back this time of your life won't be just all about the cancer.

All the best sweet.  You got this and we're all here for support along the way if you need us.
xoxoxoxoxox



 

Oh and in regards to being too skinny for chemo. This is irrelevant. Chemo doses are based on your weight. A significant number of women actually gain weight on chemo as steroids are used to assist with nausea as well as many other choices for controlling nausea. 
My niece was always very thin and had no particular issue with her chemo treatment at all.
I myself managed to gain 28kg on chemo, even though I felt a little squarmy a lot I'd the time the 1st week if each cycle. Most people don't gain that much, I was just a bit special. 

Hi @ninica.. I too was diagnosed with breast cancer in early January and my cancer journey and prognosis is mirror image to yours, the only difference is that I’m older than you. 

Hi ninica , welcome to this forum full of information, and understanding on what you are going through and how you’re feeling. stay positive, you can do this...........
Chemotherapy,most of us have been there and you will see that depending on your dose, how it will affect you. But one thing you will notice is that we all got through it, for one I put on around 6 kgs during chemotherapy from all the drugs, never lost .
Side affects affect everyone differently, some of us were able to work and some of us couldn’t.

I suppose it comes down to you in the end and no one can make that decision for you.