Question for Stage I with small cancers

[Paris]

Hi Lin, There are some very good points made from both sides of the issue. You don't mention Annette's age but I am going to assume that since they are talking about an AI, that she is post menopausal which is good. At least, if that's the case, she won't have to worry about chemo-pause or chemo-induced menopause like Alaska Angel mentioned. The Her2 is definitely a negative but being er/pr+ with a grade 1 tumor makes it a little better.

It is a tough decision but is a personal one. I agree with Alaska Angel in that she should seek out an onc. that is going to lay out the entire story regarding chemo options including all side effects. I feel like I have signed my life away on some very minor procedures that had every tiny side effect listed but when it came to chemo it was more the opposite. I was told the main symptoms and that I'd have no problem with herceptin. Needless to say I was the one person who had every weird side effect that you could have along with all the regular ones and I had to be taken off herceptin due to cardiomyopathy. I wouldn't have done anything different even if I had known the other side effects since I was er/pr- and was 40 when diagnosed. However, I think I would have been more prepared mentally to deal with all the problems I had. And since I wasn't post menopausal I had no idea what going through chemo-pause was going to do to me. Hence I have changed oncologists.

I hope in the end she will be comfortable with whatever she decides. It would be kind of a shame if she didn't do it because the port is already in but it's easy to pop out.

Best of luck to you!

Jamie