Chemo. To be or not to be

Oh its just too much foreign language and jargon lol. Thanks for each and every reply. I have learned something from every single one of you. I havent eorked out how to individually reply to each, so just thanks one and all !@

Well, now we are getting somewhere.
And I have learned something new too, thank you for sharing that.

So seems N2 (4 to 9) nodes involved. T2 (tumor 2 to 5 cm) M0(no distant spread to other organs). Grade 3.  Her2-. Hormone +.  Reads as 3A stage ??? So the wait continues lol

Ok so i found out that N. T AND M  are used un staging. Ie T0 means no tumor. M0 no mestasis and N0 no node involvement. N1 means 1 to 3 nodes involved and N2 means 4 to 9 nodes involved.  So that works out the N2 question

brightspace said:

HI BEWSY perhaps he meant 2 nodes. Write info down ..do you have someone with youwhen you see him next they could do this.all the best Bright

Hi no wasnt 2 nodes. In fact when i asked was told that only the pathologist will be able to tell how many ie that they are  not in like a chain etc but in grape like bunches inside fat. Everyone has a different number of nodes. Some as few as 12 all up and some 30. But everyone has 3 levels of them. So he yook all of level.one and level two nodes

Do you have a breast care nurse for many questions? They are amazing. http://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/OurMission/OurNurses/FindANurse.aspx

55 is young, I am almost that age now, so they will do a thing called staging where a team of surgeon, oncologist, radiologists all get the test results including bone scans and CT scans and the pathology and figure out exactly what they are dealing with. They will then form a plan of further treatment which will probably involve chemo as with a node involvement it means those tiny cancer cells could have escaped into your lymph system or bloodstream and be looking to set up shop somewhere else in your body in a future date. They are too tiny to detect but Chemo will kill those cells.

I guess the difficult thing is accepting one step at a time. Yes perhaps he could have said it better but legally the surgeon does need to go through things with you prior surgery. And jumping ahead with the what ifs when he needs to do this might have resulted in that response. Yes have questions ready for your next appointment. Let him do his explanation of pathology or what it is you are there for and then ask the questions. This is the same for the oncologist. If you need more details or explanation ask them to go through it again. My surgeon has been just wonderful some days, then distant and distracted on others. They are only human and nobody performs at their best all the time. As much as this is frustrating for us during those awkward appointments. Hope you have your treatment plan soon and are recovering well. Kath x

Bevvzy, you are also quite entitled to ask for copies of your pathology reports.
I have all of mine.
At first they didn't make much sense, so using the Understanding pathology reports and Pathology terminology information download sheets on the main BCNA site here, in the resources section, go to information sheets.
 I read them through several times until I started to understand.
I also googled words I did not know ( that is not the same as Dr Google) 

This really helped me when I saw the Oncologist as they refer to parts of the pathology report when explaining what course of action they recommend, and the reasons behind it.
If you can understand it a bit, you will feel more in control.

You will also have it written down so you can come on here and ask about certain things you need explained.
Your breast cancer nurse may also be able to go through it with you so you have a better understanding.

The most important Pathology is the one that comes back after the mastectomy.
The biopsy, mammograms and Ultrasounds prior to surgery are only indicators.
Mine were almost completely wrong, by the way.

The Oncologist will work on the Pathology after surgery, even though they may already have an idea of what they are dealing with.

You can also be a bit assertive with the surgeon, you know.
If you think he is being patronising, you can say so.
And if you want to know something you can also be stubborn, cranky and persistent if you want to.
This is your time, your body, your life in danger.

If you can get copies of the reports it would be easier to answer some of your questions,

I hope the Oncologist is easier for you to talk to, 
Jennie

Bevvzy it does sound all ok, ive had many biopsies they are only a guide so please know that. Your pathology will only be definite from the mastectomy which does take awhile. So hang tight and yes l theyre not renowned for bedside manner although mine is exceptional he hugs you hello lol Nikki has him too and i know alot of people even my new neighbor sees him its so bizarre. So everything sounds as it should be its just waiting for that pathology so you know exactly your diagnosis. X Melinda 

HI BEWSY perhaps he meant 2 nodes. Write info down ..do you have someone with youwhen you see him next they could do this.all the best Bright