Hi SharLou,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your mum at such a young age. I also lost my mum to secondary breast cancer. Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis brings many stages of uncertainty and these all tend to play with our minds. Most decisions about the optimum treatment for you, will be made at the MDT meeting. This is where all of the people involved in your care, decide between them, how to proceed with your care. This can only be decided when they have the results of your initial scans. biopsies, etc, so nothing can be decided upon, until they have these back. This makes your treatment a team decision, rather than an individual one. This is reassuring, as there is less likelihood of any mistakes being made.

I had 2 bouts of breast cancer 14 years ago and saw an oncologist, who recommended that I had radiotherapy. For reasons, which I won't go into, there had been a delay of 11 months before I saw her and I didn't feel sure that this would work, so long after surgery. I was sent to see two eminent researchers in radiotherapy. One thought that I might as well try it, but the other was insistent that it would not be effective if administered so long after my operation. He seemed by far the more knowledgeable and could back up his opinion well, so I took his advice. Instead I took Tamoxifen for the first year and changed to Letrozole, when I discovered a second cancer in the same breast the following year. I took this for 6 and a half years (Both of my cancers were Pure Mucinous, stage 1, with no lymph node involvement)..

Given your family history, the fact that your cancer is stage 2 and that you have a positive node, you may possibly  be advised to have chemo, as "a belt and braces approach". If I were in your position, I would feel like you and want to "throw everything at it", but you'll be able to discuss the benefits with your oncologist before making a final decision. There is a test that can be done to determine how beneficial chemo might be for you and it would be worth discussing this with your oncologist, before making the final decision.

I hope that you get your appointment through soon and that, between the two of you, you reach the best decision.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you so much everyone for your replies. I saw the oncologist on Tuesday and it was recommended that I have a course of chemotherapy, so I will start treatment on 5 September. Bit shocked but if it is needed so be it. 

Thanks again for your responses, it is such a help being able to talk to people who 'get' it xx

Hi SharLou,

I am sorry to hear that you need chemo now. I can understand that this has come as a shock, but I suspect that, in the long run you'll feel happier in the knowledge that you've thrown everything at it, especially given the node involvement. I'm glad to hear that it will be starting fairly soon and I sincerely hope that it all goes well.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi SharLou,

I am sorry to hear that you need chemo now. I can understand that this has come as a shock, but I suspect that, in the long run you'll feel happier in the knowledge that you've thrown everything at it, especially given the node involvement. I'm glad to hear that it will be starting fairly soon and I sincerely hope that it all goes well.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you so much for your kind words   xx