Spot On Lung???

There's no easy answer. We all have to decide for ourselves what we think we can handle. I went with the advice of both my surgeon and oncologist - lumpectomy, chemo, radiation, hormone therapy. Surgery was perfectly easy, no probs. Chemo was not fun but I suffered less side effects than many and I survived it, radiation was a piece of cake with no bad burns, hormone therapy so far is ok with only a few irritating side effects. On the whole I wouldn't change a thing and if I have to do it again I will. My mum was 96 when she died and I hope to get close to that. I want to see my children's children, I want to be around for them. I am putting my faith in the brilliance of science and the advice of medical minds much brighter than mine. Who knows, in years to come they may find the magic bullet that cures us. I'd like to be around for that. Ultimately you have to be content with YOUR decision. It's your body. good luck magicmum

I am exactly the same as the dawngirl, I had a double masectomy and did not have radiation, but I had chemotherpy. I will not lie to you it is not that easy doing chemo, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, but then I did not have to combined it with radiation. So I am lucky that way.

I had really bad vomiting the first time then the doctor gave me more steroids, I put on lots of weight. So I did not get bad vomiting again but did suffer nausea and sore mouth. I lost my hair, suffered foggy brain and lethargy.

Now two years on, I have enrolled in uni, I went on my first overseas trip to NZ and I have lovely long curly hair which I never had before unless I perm it. View my profile and I have photos of hair I put up a few months ago.

As dawngirl also said everybody suffers differently and everbody story is different, no one can tell you what is the best path for you and your circumstances. Only you can make that choice.

If you decide to go ahead with chemo and need any advice on a few things to make chemo easier or dealing with the side effects, wearing wigs, being bald, feel free to ask. If you want I will even put back up my bald photo for you.

Lastly wishing you all the best, hope everything will turn out well. Take care

Dot xx

 

 

Howdee,

Sorry to hear you're scared. Saying it's understandable -- which it is - won't make you feel any better.

Regardless of what our pathology reports say, or what range of treatments will best work for us, I imagine we're all scared at times. How we each tackle this, handle it, is to state the obvious, so individual.

You have not shared your reasons for why you have opted so far against the treatments recommended by your oncologist.

I can only assume -- and sorry if I'm wrong - that it might have been because you were worried about side effects of chemo and radiation?

As I opted for a mastectomy over a lumpectomy - be gone every single cell possible I thought - I did not have radiation, but after an intense couple of back and forth weeks, I decided to proceed with chemo, although in my particular case it only offers a 2-3 per cent statistcal improvement in warding off a recurrence over a ten year period and I was in a "grey area" where they would not outright recommend it to me (but interestingly all said I'd made the right decision when I said I would go ahead).

I was scared of side effects; I worried about going through the trauma of it and maybe for nothing; but ultimately I decided on the basis of wise advice from one woman on this site, as well as my own research, and sensible advice from the oncology register taking care of me on the day of my first treatment, that I would have it, and I don't know if the chemo gods are looking after me as a result, but I've been able to work and play almost as normal through the whole process so far (two treatments down, two to go with round three next Friday).

I am very, very scared at the prospect of recurrence (at 47 I want to live to be at least 87), so I have decided to do everything I can to make that possible.

There's no easy answers with this; no easy path; but you matter, and perhaps think of radiation and chemotherapy not as things to be scared of, but of things to make you better.

I can only speak for me, but I know when I have those middle of the night (or day) horrible what-if moments, it calms me down almost instantly to remember I have done and am doing all I can to beat this, and that has to count for something.

I've posted a blog on what the first ten days of round one were like...and round two has basically been the same...don't know if reading it might allay some of your concerns about what lies ahead. Again chemo is different for everyone, but it's not always terrible for everyone either.

Hope all goes well for you in coming weeks and stay in touch to let us know what you decide and how you're going.

x