freakin out

Hi Allison, don't freak out about your treatment. The oncologists use different types of treatment for women depending on their cancer type. Often if the cancer is smallish, they go ahead and take it out first and then use chemo. Sometimes they would prefer to use chemo first to shrink a larger tumour before surgery. As I see it, this has the distinct advantage of being able to see for sure if the chemo is working. If the tumour shrinks, then the surgical site can be smaller if a lumpectomy is to be performed. If there is no shrinkage then they will try another regime of chemo. A least you get to know for sure that the treatment has worked. I had my surgery first, and then chemo, as my tumour was larger than expected ( 21mm instead of 4mm ) and was very aggressive. I have had chemo, but really don't know if it has worked or not. I will need to wait years to know this. When your tumour shrinks, and has been removed, you will feel more confident that it has gone and your chemo has worked. I read somewhere that early chemo is becoming popular for this reason. Good luck with your treatment, and I hope the chemo isn't too bad for you. Love Chris xx