Hi Kajay8,

You've certainly been through a lot. How discouraging that it has not been as successful as you and your doctors hoped.

I couldn't help noticing this part of your original post: "I was assured that the neoadjuvant chemo was highly successful. I was not told it wasn't guaranteed". This seems to be an unfortunate (and unintentional) miscommunication from your doctors. When doctors think of a treatment as "highly successful", they mean that it has a high success rate amongst the people to whom it is administered, statistically speaking. But when they are telling this specifically to you, it's natural to think of it as applying to you personally rather than to some unspecified statistical group of people.

I can understand why you are feeling discouraged, and yet if another round of chemo might make the difference between getting rid of it for good or not, perhaps you will be ready to give chemo another go despite all the side-effects. Or not, which is also your right if you so choose.

Hi, yes, I think it was miscommunication. I was definitely not told there was a chance it might not work. With my mastectomy, my surgeon told me I had option of a lumpectomy or mastectomy, but he couldn't guarantee he would be able to get all of tumour out, and that in that case, I would then have to have further surgery and a mastectomy.
 

I've had this tumour since at least July last year when my GP said it was nothing to be concerned about, and was due to trauma from a tight wired bra. I went back to another GP in December as I noticed a change of shape to my breast, which turned out to be caused by a 6 cm lump and cancer. I hadn't even noticed it. I just wanted it gone with no more delays. After my op, he said my decision to go straight to mastectomy was the right one, as he would not have been able to get all tumour out with just a lumpectomy.

If I only need a couple of sessions of chemo, I think I could accept. It's the thought of another 5 of being so ill, as side effects lasted the whole three weeks and not two. 
 

I just want them to tell me the worst case as well as best case. 
 

Thanks for reply. 

Just an update for you that responded to my first post. 
 

I'm recovering well from my mastectomy and lymph nodes removal. Just a little bit of sensitivity and a tiny bit of cording but it's much better than it was. 
 

I start 15 sessions of radiotherapy next week, and after they are finished, I'll be having 8 sessions of Kadcyla chemo which should finish in February. Kadcyla, I'm told, will be a walk in the park with side effects, compared to TCHP. I shouldn't lose my hair. But I'll only know how my body responds once I start it after radiotherapy. 
 

I'm told I will be on Letrozole for 10 years after chemo finishes. 
 

At the moment I'm feeling more like my normal self and have been out with my husband in our camper van on days out exploring, and spending a couple of nights on small, off beaten track campsites, and hiking here in North Wales, where we live and love. 
 

Making the most of feeling good :) 

Thanks for replies. 
 

Hi kajay. 

Glad things are getting sorted and your feeling more sure. 

Just remember keep positive nomatter what. 

I've had a little blip with my cancer count should be 0.0 it decided to jump to 65 last month so oncologist is putting me on stronger hormone therapy, it's actually what they give for men wanting sex change so not really sure about that, but if it works good.

Keep positive and keep fighting. 

Love Billy xxx 

Hi kajay. 

Glad things are getting sorted and your feeling more sure. 

Just remember keep positive nomatter what. 

I've had a little blip with my cancer count should be 0.0 it decided to jump to 65 last month so oncologist is putting me on stronger hormone therapy, it's actually what they give for men wanting sex change so not really sure about that, but if it works good.

Keep positive and keep fighting. 

Love Billy xxx