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Emeraldgreen
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Re: chemo or no chemo
Many thanks to Abbydog and Selkie for sharing your experiences, and ShazLou, I’m sorry to hear that you are going through a similar situation as I am. I apologize for being quiet over the last few weeks. With your encouragement and my family's support, I started chemotherapy in June and had my third round a few days ago. This isn't an excuse for not replying to your kind messages, but once the chemo began, I isolated myself and minimized my connections to the outside world. I became introspective, spending a lot of time figuring out what to eat and what to avoid. Despite this, I continued working, taking one week off every three weeks during treatment to ensure I was okay. Thanks gods, the side effects have been manageable. Selkie, you were right; the steroids and the injection 24 hours after chemo caused more issues than the chemo itself. I took half of the prescribed steroid dose but still experienced sleep problems and back pain. Thankfully, I didn’t have any nausea, even with the reduced dose (shhh....). Weighing less than 50kg, I felt the prescribed dose was too much for me compared to someone who weighs 70kg. My sense was that half the dose would suffice. (Please don’t copy me if you don’t know well your own body. ) The injection after chemo caused some joint pains, and I wondered if a reduced dose might alleviate the pain without compromising effectiveness. Of course, this is something to research and discuss with a doctor. One side effect I experienced was a drop in blood pressure (I generally have low blood pressure). I stayed active and jogged in the mornings until I fell on my face! ShazLou, if you exercise, take it easy for the first few days, as the chemo and the post-chemo injection affect joints and muscles. I should have listened to my body and not pushed myself. After the fall, I now limit my jogging to the third week only. I shaved my hair during the second week of chemo, and it has been thinning gradually but most of them are still hanging there… As many people pointed out, the side effects seem cumulative, and after the third round, I felt more tired than before. Although the side effects are manageable, I feel I've had enough, today. Thanks again to everyone, and good luck to you, ShazLou. Warm regards. Emerald3Views0likes0CommentsRe: chemo or no chemo
Beautiful and Lovely Ladies, My heartfelt thanks for sharing your stories, insights, and caring good wishes. It’s comforting to know that you have successfully completed the chemo process and have managed or are managing the side effects well. I still have to make up my mind, but when I do, I will be thinking of you. Wishing you all good health and a BC-free future. With Warm regards.25Views3likes0CommentsRe: chemo or no chemo
Dear Cath, many thanks for responding to my post and sharing your story despite struggling with your current health issues. I am terribly sorry to hear that the treatment had hicups. But I am sure that the continuing treatment will work well. I wish you great strength and best of luck.35Views0likes0CommentsRe: chemo or no chemo
@June1952 and @arpie, Thank you very much for your thoughtful messages and information. Yes, my recurrence risk is high, with anything under 25% considered to be low. Although no lymph nodes are affected, the tumor size was 2.4 cm, which is not small. My oncologist is very kind and I trust him. However, I have been contemplating whether the uncertain 10% benefit from chemotherapy is worthwhile, especially considering the side effects. These side effects not only reduce my immune system's ability to fight but also damage internal organs like the digestive system and liver. I guess that I'm struggling with the idea of attacking my own system for an uncertain treatment outcome. If it works, that would be great, but if it doesn't, it could leave me even more vulnerable. I understand that no treatment is perfect or 100% effective, but I still worry. Maybe I'm overthinking it. It is very comforting to receive your kind messages and encouragement. Thanks again.7Views0likes0Commentschemo or no chemo
Hi everyone, I am new to this list. I am 60 and was diagnosed with breast cancer (ER+, PR-, HER2-, Grade 3, Stage 2) and had a mastectomy a couple of months ago. My oncologist recommends chemotherapy followed by hormone therapy. However, I have been reluctant to undergo chemotherapy due to concerns about the side effects, especially the long-term ones. I am curious about how others made their decisions regarding chemotherapy. I also had a genomic test, which reported a 36% risk of recurrence. Chemotherapy might reduce this risk by around 10%, and hormone therapy could further reduce it by another 10-15%. I am still uncertain, but I need to make a decision soon. My oncologist recommended a combination of two drugs: Docetaxel and Cyclophosphamide. I wonder if anyone has experience with this combination. I have seen some posts about chemotherapy, but they discussed single drugs administered sequentially, not together. I am concerned that the combined treatment might be more taxing on the body. Thank you for reading my post and for your responses in advance.584Views0likes23Comments
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