Surgery or Taxol Chemo First
I met with my surgeon last week for my check up after 3 rounds of AC Chemo. Since I'm not loving the Chemo (I mean who does), the surgeon has suggested taking a break from Chemo by doing a double mast...
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I had a lumpectomy, with more advanced than expected pathology, so have to have a mastectomy as well. However my surgeon wanted me to have chemo first, perhaps because a sentinel lymph node was involved.
So I am having chemo before the mastectomy.
I actually had the last one on Monday, YAY!
My Oncologist said that at least doing the chemo first they will see if it has killed the cancer cells that remained, when they do the post surgery pathology, and that doing the surgery first you wouldn't see that.
Perhaps that is a good way to look at it?
I have 6 weeks now until surgery, which weirdly I am looking forward to, I just want to get this year over with.
I am happy to have the chemo behind me, it has been a rough ride. I really struggled with the FEC and the Taxol has not been pleasant either.
I don't know that I would be so happy about coming back to it after surgery.
I think I am going to be a bit fragile about the lost breast/s and the whole realisation of it without that.
I also saw a psychologist as I had to make a decision about the other breast. But that was because the original cancer scans did not show my cancer extent properly. She was very helpful, I am having an MRI to make a decision whether to leave the other one on.
She was also helpful in helping me deal with the issue of reconstruction.
I am not having immediate reconstruction, I am going on a waiting list for reconstruction in a year or so. I want some time to think about it and get over all this.
If I have a double mastectomy I may eventually decide not to go ahead as I will be even. If I have a single I may decide to even it up.
You don't have to have reconstruction straight away, maybe later you will feel more definite about having it or not after living with the new you for a little while.
Good luck with finding an answer you are comfortable with, it is not an easy decision to have to make.
So I am having chemo before the mastectomy.
I actually had the last one on Monday, YAY!
My Oncologist said that at least doing the chemo first they will see if it has killed the cancer cells that remained, when they do the post surgery pathology, and that doing the surgery first you wouldn't see that.
Perhaps that is a good way to look at it?
I have 6 weeks now until surgery, which weirdly I am looking forward to, I just want to get this year over with.
I am happy to have the chemo behind me, it has been a rough ride. I really struggled with the FEC and the Taxol has not been pleasant either.
I don't know that I would be so happy about coming back to it after surgery.
I think I am going to be a bit fragile about the lost breast/s and the whole realisation of it without that.
I also saw a psychologist as I had to make a decision about the other breast. But that was because the original cancer scans did not show my cancer extent properly. She was very helpful, I am having an MRI to make a decision whether to leave the other one on.
She was also helpful in helping me deal with the issue of reconstruction.
I am not having immediate reconstruction, I am going on a waiting list for reconstruction in a year or so. I want some time to think about it and get over all this.
If I have a double mastectomy I may eventually decide not to go ahead as I will be even. If I have a single I may decide to even it up.
You don't have to have reconstruction straight away, maybe later you will feel more definite about having it or not after living with the new you for a little while.
Good luck with finding an answer you are comfortable with, it is not an easy decision to have to make.