Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Another option is to start Herceptin this week. They don't have to start you on chemo until you are healed. This is non-standard but stage 4 gals get Herceptin by itself all the time and they regularly do surgery on patients after they get chemo first (that's the neoadjuvant we are talking about). I was on Herceptin when I had my lumpectomy and sentinal nodes removed. That way you have more coverage than not. Insurance should pau for 12 months of Herceotin either way, what's a month or so in either direction?

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Hi Peg, I had my mastectomy first. The rationale at that time was that i had a small tumor . However my partial mastectomy showed my wider involvement, so I underwent a full mastectomy.
My pathology was dismal, but thankfully I did not have distant mets. 2 weeks after my mastectomy I started dosed dense chemo. I have never looked back, had a very trusted medical team, and thankfully had a great outcome.
I was dxed at age 49 with a stage IIIC bc , am now 61 and extremely grateful. everyone has a different bc story. Surround yourself only with positive people. It is essential that you trust your team with your tx. Arm yourself with knowledge, but don 'to let it twist you up. There may be days of sadness, loneliness and despair, but you will get through this and come to a fading, memory of this experience.
I wish you a gentle journey on a road none of us wanted to travel down.

Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Hi All!
Thank you for your support, advice & tips. I had my right breast mastectomy with reconstruction on Thurs. 1/14. It was a 9 hr surgery & it was nipple sparing. Lymph nodes were clear - thank you, Lord! Now, we need to wait for an official tumor/node report to determine the next steps. I'll be going home tomorrow.

Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Peg - how are you feeling? Do you still have a drain in place, my friends hated that part.

Did your doctor ever suggest starting you on drugs sooner?

Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Peg,

Glad to hear your lymph nodes were clear. Hope your recovery goes smoothly. The worst part for me was those darn drains. Good news on the drains is that they are pretty temporary.

Take care,
Brenda

Re: Felling so alone . . .
 

Hi agness & Brenda,

3 drains gone & 1 drain left. I have appointments with my breast surgeon & plastic surgeons on Friday. I imagine I'll be going back to my oncologist soon. Plastic surgeons are a little worried about the bruising of the nipple area.

Thanks for asking! I'm going to start a new thread - can't stand the misspellings!