Diagnosed this month

[Raz]

Thank you for your response.
I take the Brca test on Monday.
I think this will help with my decisions.

Learning to live in the moment. Perhaps this is my lesson.

['lizbeth]

Raz,

It sounds like you are making good decisions based on exploring all the information you can find about your cancer.

Good luck with the BRCA test - hoping it comes back negative!

I'm not a big fan of chemotherapy, but I am of targeted therapies such as Herceptin, Tykerb, etc.

There was a study or two about 9 weeks of Herceptin instead of an entire year. I would consider using Herceptin or a cancer vaccine in a clinical trial - if you can.

[Raz]

My treatment will include chem and herceptin I chose the chemo because I do not feel there is much difference between .4 and.5 cm. I'm gonna kill this $)&@/?! Cancer.
Radiation and hormones gives me an 88 % chance of no recurrence. However the her2neu may still be in the bloodstream. It came from somewhere and since I don't know where I am going to attack it with chemo and herceptin. This give me a 94% chance of it not returning to my body. I wasn't always an A student but it is time to get better grades.

Also when I asked the oncologist to put her sister in my place she said she would recommend chemo.
Thanks for listening and reading.

[laureen]

You can do this Raz. You are not alone. One thing to try to remember to allow yourself to feel. Feel any emotion that comes along, and know that they are all normal. Keep your chin up.

[Raz]

Hello,
Thanks Laureen. This forum is so helpful. Puts me at ease so i can get my head and emotions under control..

Curious about my lumpectomy. Why is the incision feeling so hard?
Did anyone else have this feeling?

[Jean]

Hi Raz,
More than likely that is scare tissue and healing forming form the lumpectomy....time in healing but have your dr. check the area to be sure.

Best wishes with your treatment...you were wise to check and move forward.

Kind Regards,
Jean

[lasarles]

Hello Raz, I was dx 3/20/12 age 44. Stage 1, Grade 3, 1 cm, node neg, er+ 90%, pr+ 90% her2+. I was first told radiation only then got results for her2+ which bought me 4 rnds TCH. I have finished Chemo, 30 rads, herceptin every 3 weeks, started tamoxifen 9/24 and feeling great. It all sucks but it's the hand I was dealt and I'm going to play it to win. My advice to you is do what they tell you to do from exercising your arm to using the creams and oils during and after radiation. Hang in there we're all in this together. It's the sisterhood none of us wanted to be a member of. Did you have a port put in?

[Raz]

Thanks everyone. I start chemo in a few weeks - 8 rounds.
My BRCA came back negative. That was a relief.

I'm worried about my heart and weight gain. So I am working out in preparation of chemo

[Pray]

Hang in there Raz, your doing great! Not everyone gains weight. I didn't gain any weight through out treatment or while on AIs. Take care and Gods blessings to you. Please know that you are in my prayers. Peace my friend. Nancy

[hestko76]

Hi Raz,
Your diagnosis is soooooo similar to mine. I had an 7 mm tumor, Stage 1, and no positive lymph nodes. I had a lumpectomy in November of 2011. My scar and area 1 inch around it is still hard. I've been told that is normal. I had 6 rounds of TCH, and 15 rounds of herceptin, so far. I get my last herceptin treatment on December 10.
You'll do fine...

[Raz]

Hello everyone,
I am starting to get really scared and nervous and wondering about my chemo decision. My chemo stars on 11/29. I will have 6 rounds every 21 days and the Herceptin to follow. My MUga test is next week along with my port insertion. This all seems so unreal.
Poisoning myself to heal myself all for a .4 cm invasive her2neu+++ tumor.
.4 cm is so f$&@ing small. Just needed to vent. Thanks for being here.

[NanaJoni]

Venting is good for you and this is the perfect place to do it. I think the waiting to start chemo is the worst time - it's fear of the unknown but once it gets going you'll feel more like the fighter you are. And remember, cancer grows if it's left alone so that tiny tumor would eventually be the beast that could do you great harm. Best to kick it's tiny little ass now. Ports are wonderful and only a little nuisance. Keep coming back and venting whenever you feel like it. And keep letting us know how you are doing.

[hestko76]

Hi Raz,
My lumpectomy scar is still very hard, and I had my surgery on 11-18-11. I go back to the breast surgeon on Monday. I plan to ask if that is normal. If I find out any earth-shattering news, I'll share it with you. Don't stress too much about the TCH. It will be ok..... just take a deep breath!

[Raz]

Well I had my first chemo today. I am recovering at home and seem to be fine aside from some heartburn. I am so happy that I took all of this advice from this forum with me. It was extremely helpful. I know it may get worse but I'm trying to live each day at a time. Thank you ladies.

[lasarles]

So glad to hear it Raz...now we begin the countdown. Tell your Dr about the heartburn...I went for quite sometime before saying anything and what a relief when I started taking something. Hang in there. 1 down girlfriend...Woohoo!!

[lasarles]

Hey Raz...just checking on you. Let me know how you're doing when you feel up to it.

[Raz]

Ladies,

This is rough. I am on day 5 post chemo round 1 and still feel really weak.
I was hoping to get back to work but I can't seem to pull it together.
Luckily i can work from home. Yikes. This is so hard.
For someone who rarely gets sick this is quite the challenge.

[NanaJoni]

Raz - chemo is rough and it's not surprising that you still feel weak. For me it usually took at least a week after a treatment to start feeling very gradually better each day until I felt almost good again-just in time for the next treatment. You will discover that your body is in charge now and you'll be pretty limited in energy for the time you are doing chemo. I felt better if I did just the mildest form of physical activity - walking around the house 3 or 4 times, sometimes 5 minutes on the recumbent bike but sometimes I couldn't even manage that. Just don't overdo because your reserves are just not going to be the same as before you started chemo. And let the people around you do as much as possible so you can save your energy for things you want to do. Working from home is such a great option and will help you both physically and mentally. The one thing cancer and chemo taught me is patience (which I had little of before). I would have preferred to learn it another way but, hey, my husband says it's a real improvement so I guess that's a good thing. Hope each day will be better.

[twosenuf99]

Welcome Raz and Zingy. The ladies here make the breast cancer journey less stressful. You are both in my prayers.

[BonnieR]

Joni pretty much said it all. Chemo can be rough but keep your eye on the prize! I remember days I could barely walk the dog to the corner and back. But we got through it and so will you. Keep the faith