don't want to do chemo or hormone therapy
I was diagnosed with Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) Grade 2. Oestrogen positive 80% & progesterone positive 50%, HER2 ILC negative. I had a lumpectomy and had 1 lymph node removed. Margins and...
Forum Discussion
@HJ444 I can totally understand your reluctance. There are many here who have struggled with this decision. The general consensus seems to be get as much information as you can then try to figure out what risks you consider reasonable and which you don't.
I think many of the options we are given cater for a culture where we will do anything we can to try to prevent a recurrence or death. There are good reasons why well tried treatments are recommended. That's all very reasonable, but sometimes it feels like the baby is getting thrown out with the bathwater and we end up doing things that, while they may (or may not) extend our lives, make us miserable and remove some of the quality that we would like to have.
Hormone therapy can have some down sides but unlike chemo the really bad stuff can take a while to present and it is possible to monitor side effects pretty closely. Once again, there are women here who have started hormone treatment then withdrawn from it as they have realised that they are in the smallish group who have really crappy reactions to it.
As Kath said, you may be surprised at your team's response when you talk to them about it, particularly if you are in a high risk group. Ultimately all the decisions are yours to make, take the time to ask heaps of questions when you are talking to your specialists so what ever you decide to do is well informed. Marg xxx
I think many of the options we are given cater for a culture where we will do anything we can to try to prevent a recurrence or death. There are good reasons why well tried treatments are recommended. That's all very reasonable, but sometimes it feels like the baby is getting thrown out with the bathwater and we end up doing things that, while they may (or may not) extend our lives, make us miserable and remove some of the quality that we would like to have.
Hormone therapy can have some down sides but unlike chemo the really bad stuff can take a while to present and it is possible to monitor side effects pretty closely. Once again, there are women here who have started hormone treatment then withdrawn from it as they have realised that they are in the smallish group who have really crappy reactions to it.
As Kath said, you may be surprised at your team's response when you talk to them about it, particularly if you are in a high risk group. Ultimately all the decisions are yours to make, take the time to ask heaps of questions when you are talking to your specialists so what ever you decide to do is well informed. Marg xxx