Intro + Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Chemo?

Hi @byo_boy.  Hoping Rebecca and you are feeling somewhat less stressed now that the PET scan is over.  Sleep well tonight.

All the best today. My thoughts will be with you both.

Hello there,
The initial whirlwind is hard, especially (for me) the uncertainty and waiting in between appointments. Similar to what has been said above, my rad onc, med onc and surgeon had different ideas for the best path of treatment initially, which not only scared me, but made me think 'hang on, if you guys don't know what's next'. In hindsight I now see that this meant my situation was duly considered before they agreed on the best path forward for me.
I whole heartedly support the exercise focus too. I tried really hard to see an exercise physiologist who specialised in oncology post surgery pre radiation, but had to wait until some time after the procedure (which again, more waiting). I'm back into it now (surgery in December 2023, rads finished February this year, drugs started March2024). There are however, even now, days when a walk around the block is a major achievement. 
Absolute best wishes to you and your wife -here's to some skipping along the way. 
K

Hi @AllyJay - thank you for your kind message and for sharing your story ... it really helps to put things in perspective. The fact that you're NED now after your experience is so encouraging and I think you're right, we really just need to trust the team, especially once they have all the facts, and perservere from there.

We've also literally just received our appointment for Rebecca's first PET scan tomorrow (God willing it's all clear), so things are starting to happen now. I had my first decent night's sleep last night in weeks (partly due to a massive walk yesterday and partly due to some phenergan!), which has helped a bit - although now that I'm sleeping deeply enough to have dreams, they're pretty yucky ones, so in a way I think sleeping lightly with minimal dreaming is actually a bit of a blessing :lol:

That said, I ordered the book Life Is Tough (But So Are You) to help keep us in a positive mindset - we're 100% sure we're going to kick this thing's butt together and in an odd way, I'm grateful that this journey has given us a reset and allowed us to really focus on what matters. Once we're done with this phase, I can really see a change where we become people who want to give back rather than just focussing on ourselves.

Hi there @byo_boy...I'm so sorry both your wife and your supportive self have gained admission tickets to our not-so sought after group. My story is this. I was aged 57 in 2016 and was diagnosed with Stage 3, Grade 3, Triple Positive, Multifocal (more than one little sod) in the left breast, at least 1 axillary node positive and so called 'abnormal geography' in the right breast. I was told I'd have neoadjuvant chemo, followed by surgery. I was not a candidate for radiotherapy due to a different medical condition. To be honest, being a public patient, I was rather sceptical about the sequence. I thought that their surgery lists were waaay too long, and so they were going to do the chemo to keep me in a holding pattern, as it were, until they'd do the surgery. My first instinct was give me a weedwhacker and I'll do the job myself. Eventually sanity (well my hubby would question that) prevailed and I got on with it. The pathology for the removed left breast and full node clearance showed no active cancer cells, only the 'empty tumour beds'. The removed (at my request) right breast showed numerous areas of abnormal cells with a dark history of going bad...so I felt good that I'd pushed for both and got rid of it before it too went feral on me. So for me, I trusted my team...after all this is their bread and butter in their chosen medical speciality...and my result was good...in fact excellent. I still remain NED (no evidence of disease) and just keep on keeping on. My very best wishes to you both and hope that all goes well with treatment. Best wishes...Ally. 

@byo_boy I had neoadjuvant chemo and found it to be quite positive. Two treatments in and the Onco could not find the lumps and asked me if she had the correct side! By the time I got to surgery (mastectomy) the biopsy they did on the tissue showed the chemo had completely killed off the cancer cells so I knew it had worked. The only reason they ended up doing the mx was because there had been a complete haze of cancer across the whole top of one breast plus the other three spots. I just did what my surgeon recommended. All the best with your decisions.

Re the $40 a day parking charge - next time you are there, ask at the front reception desk about concessions being available for ongoing cancer 'outpatient clinic' visits  ....
I know that when I was visiting daily at a major Sydney Hospital with my husband for cancer treatment, they printed out a voucher that allowed me to come & go without the massive fees ...   

Check out this link below as it mentions a couple of concessions ..... but definitely ask at the desk too, as they'd be very aware of any concessions available to you.
https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/rbwh/patients-and-visitors/parking-and-transport

Excellent re the walk around the dam .... you have some lovely areas like that up there!!   Exercise is good for the soul as well as the body!  (Tho it is raining AGAIN down here as I type!  grr)

All going well, you'll be able to go to Japan next year!! Your medical team will do their best to make sure you get there!!  Keep your eyes on that end goal!! I treated myself to a week at Norfolk Island after I'd finished my active treatment! ;) 

Are you your wife's 'official carer'?  If not, look into it, as it may reduce costs further for you in other areas, too.  Generally, a 'referral' from your GP will kickstart the process.  In NSW, an official carer gets free vehicle registration too .... and it may enable you to access the concessional parking 'easier' too (which may range from free parking to a lower priced concession than the $40!)

take care