Decided not having chemo

It's absolutely your right to make this choice. I don't know, nor is it my business, why you have made this decision. My only tuppenceworth to this discussion is that whether treatment is individualised or not, reactions to chemo are very individual. Some people have a horrible time, some very little problem. Some have awful side affects, some have none. I had little trouble at the time, and a few manageable side effects after. One option is always to try it and stop if it's unacceptable. Best wishes.

All I know @Kagisha is that   am still alive after having chemotherapy.
When I  was first diagnosed nearly 16 years ago, a woman who worked in a department near me (in a major public hospital) decided to go the alternative route and not have chemotherapy. She is dead. No sugar coating for me!
Now, chemo. has shrunk my bone metastases and my liver metastases. I truly believe  that  without chemo. I  too would be dead.

Joannie, Zoffiel and primek, thanks for posting. Please be assured that my decision is based on reason and a unmistakable gut feeling. Please have a look at general discussion under treatment calculations. I am alive and I am not a victim! I have a very strong feeling about this. When I first was diagnosed I was told treatment would be individualised to my case. Don't get me started, the only individual thing I noticed so far is that they took my height and weight in the oncologist's waiting room. People are doing same chemo regimes with totally different BCs, so how does that make sense? The response has been amazing, I already received two calls from my medical oncologist's office. Next minute he's going to call me himself.....? In the meantime cheers to everybody, I am enjoying the discussion.

Treatment decisions are hard at times and it can be confusing.
Australia has some of the best breast cancer stats for  survival in the world  due to our treatment options. 
My self preservation was why I chose chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Was it a tough 6 months?. Absolutely. Would I choose it again? Absolutely. Without the treatment I doubt I would be alive now or as healthy now, having such an aggressive cancer. My decision to have chemo was not wanting to live with regrets. I didn't want to think in 2 years  time...oh I wished I'd given this cancer my best shot of eradicating it.

My sister died of breast cancer. 

But she lived long enough to see her children grown, married and met many of her grandchildren. An opportunity she would not have had without chemo. She truly inspired me. As has her daughter, who also had breast cancer. 16 years after her chemo she remains cancer free. 

Having all the facts of your particular cancer, how it responds to chemo or without are all important with decision making. Hopefully you have made your decision with all those facts. Take care. Kath x

Hey @Kagisha. It's a big decision, isn't it? I've had two rounds of chemo a decade apart. The first time I just went with the flow, the second time, that was really hard. The statistics are not that encouraging ( for me about 7% difference in survival over ten years) but our culture, friends and family push us towards doing everything we can.

If you are well informed and comfortable with your decision, I totally understand why you are taking the path you are. Making a decision is very stressful, hopefully now you can move on. Sometimes all we really have is our gut instinct. Mxx

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jane84 thanks for writing.

@Kagisha I'm glad to hear you slept well.  We each are on a individual journey to recovery. No two stories are the same.  Your health is yours to do as you wish with.  From someone who has just been through chemo though I would have to be honest and say that as hard as it was, it saved my life, it was 10 months out of my life including surgery and rads, that in the grand scheme of things is a drop in the ocean.  Three months later I am the healthiest and happiest I've ever been.  It's a huge decision to make, I'm glad to hear you are content with it.  Good luck with the rest of your journey and please stay intouch.  Jane