Chemo or no chemo

@dada I'm sure it feels good to know your plan, now.  Good luck with the cold cap.  Ditto what @kmakm says about making sure it's firmly in contact with your whole scalp.  Re: wigs...don't rush out and buy anything if the cold caps don't work for you.  They're expensive and there's probably a wig library in Sydney somewhere that you can hire from.  I hardly wore a wig during my chemo - I found it annoying and preferred hats and scarves.  See if you can get in to a "Look Good, Feel Better" session for some tips on makeup and wigs.

I did @dada. It was the first 12 mins that were the most intense. Take all the drugs they offer you and make sure it's firmly pushed down on the top of your head.

I had TC as well. It's no walk in the park but you'll manage. Hang in there. K xox 

 Hi @kmakm , it will be TC with 21 days cycle.

I am preparing for the big day by cutting my hair little bit shorter today, will go to see my dentist tomorrow then head for a wig window shopping in the city. 

Hope I will survive the first 20 mins of the cold cap. 

@dada Well done making such a hard decision. What sort of chemo are you having? K xox

Thank you all of your valuable input.

After the 2nd meeting with my oncologist on Tues, I have decided to go ahead with the chemo which should be starting next week. 

Hi @dada. Even though it wasn't initially indicated, my oncologist and I felt that my terrible family history warranted a closer look at chemotherapy. I did EndoPredict ($2998 at the time). With this test you get a number on a scale. Mine came back as "clearly in" so I had chemo. Like many here, I didn't want to look back and think 'if only'. No regrets. K xox


...and Australia!

@dada I was given statistics like that as well.  What I learned is that the statistics do not relate specifically to the recurrence of breast cancer.  These are the survival rates in general.  In other words, these people may have died of a heart attack, car crash or some other horrible disease. I also spoke to 2 different oncologists about the geno testing.  There are 3 different tests ranging in price from $2000 to $4000.  And at the end of it, you may be $12,000 poorer with no definitive answer.

I was advised that I would get a 1, 2, or 3 result.  1 = chemo would greatly benefit, 3 = chemo no benefit and 2 = unclear whether chemo would benefit or not.

My bc was already in a bit of a grey area and it was highly likely the result would come back as 2 and leave me in no better position then when I started.  I had some significant factors for chemo and some significant factors against chemo.

So I weighed up everything in my own mind and made my own decision.  It was as informed and educated as it could be.

Whatever you decide, as one oncologist told me, you have to live with the consequences and not regret it 10 years down the track.

Has anyone talked to you about genotype testing? It's expensive but may give a clearer answer. @kmakm, what was the one you had?

Ah yes. Thanks for that @kmakm

10 women in 1000. Sorry to correct, but it's an important stat. K xox