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Sep 12, 06
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Chemo
My mom is considering getting chemotherapy to help treat her breast cancer. Basically they found a small tumour, got to it early which is good.. it's been removed and now she needs radiation therapy... but the doctor has suggested she might also want chemotherapy, because it will slightly decrease the chances of a reoccurance.
The thing is, it sounds like the chances of a reoccurance are already pretty low to begin with. I can understand the mentality my mom has, namely of wanting to do every last thing possible to prevent further problems, but is enduring chemotherapy worth the seemingly minimal improvement in those chances? Any comments are welcome, but I'm especially looking for comments from those who have been though it, or have relatives who have been through it. Thanks. 
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Sep 12, 06
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kinda sounds like a situation my aunt was in.... They found a small tumour growth believe it or not while doing a ct/mri scan for something else however they noticed it upon images that was coming up.... She got it it removed and the doctors recommended that she take chemo therapy.... Of course the thought of cancer now day's makes alot of people think of multiple scenario's.... Although there are downsides to the chemo/radiation treatment such as hair falling out..... hair can be replacable..... but that person's life is not.... She should definantly seek chemotherapy, might as well get it done now otherwise the cancer can possibly regenerate itself...
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Sep 12, 06
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Its probably best to do it and be safe, Though kemo is pretty rough on you. My grandpa had cancer and he was just doing radition, and ... and he feels better then ever.
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Sep 12, 06
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I went through my grandmother and step-mother both having breast cancer at the same time.
Both have made full recoveries. My grandmother opted for a mammectomy, my step-mother did not. I flew back to New York for the start of my step-mother's chemo, it's a rough process. She's one of the strongest women I've ever met, she worked through her entire chemo. She would go in Thursday morning for her treatment before work and then would finish up the week. Come Friday evening though she would be in bed until Monday morning. She still describes it as one of the hardest things she's ever gone through in her life. If your mom is going to opt for the chemo the best thing I can say is to be there for her, because she is going to need you. It's hard watching someone go through it. Probably one of the hardest things I've ever experienced in my life, but if I had to be there for her all again I would do it in a heart beat. The most important thing is that she's healthy now, but it's hell to watch someone you love experience that pain.
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Sep 12, 06
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My mom had breast cancer twice... She went with just Radiation both times. She did not want to go through with everything that goes along with Chemo, and since they caught it early she believed she would be ok.
Would chemo have changed her chances, im really not sure. But with my mom the second time it was in the opposite breast. I guess it just comes down to what your mom feels most comfortable with doing at this time. She knows whats best for her, although some may not admit it, but they need alot of support. My mom tried to shrug it off as if it was absolutly nothing, and still does but I think the support was the main thing that kept her going.
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Sep 12, 06
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Is your mom Jewish? If so, Is she an Ashkanazi Jew? If so http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...cancer&spell=1 she shouldn't take any chances at all.
I'm sure the doctor has gone over this, but how aggressive the treatment should be depends on how aggressive the cancer is, and what kind of breast cancer it is. Different types have different survival rates. I mentioned the Ashkanazi thing because I believe that the type of breast cancer they get is more aggressive. So aggressive that some women will undergo genetic testing to see if they have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and if they do, they choose to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy (that's getting rid of your boobs even before you get cancer). Also, i'm assuming that your mom isn't going to want to have more children. It's usually women who are still of childbearing age who forgo chemo because of the risks of infertility. I've hung chemo for a few patients at the hospital and it's really rough on everyone involved. Both the patient and the family members. I also had a cousin who went through a few rounds of chemo before the doctors realized that it wasn't going to work and watching everything was pretty brutal. Hope this info helped.
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Sep 13, 06
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Really sorry to hear about your mom, I know how hard it is to deal with the different options you have and which ones will help the most. My dad had prosate cancer and luckily when they removed the prostate they were able to remove all the cancer and he did not have to have any chemo.
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Sep 14, 06
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My mom had breast cancer, had a masectomy and went through chemo and won but it wasn't without side effects.
The chemo process did 'change' her while she was going through it and my father was a mountain of patience and support to see her go through it all. The chemo screwed around with my mom's body chemistry, she had harsh emotional swings and it was very hard to take at time. One moment she would be happy and in a blink of an eye she dispiesed each one of us and wish we were gone. My sisters had a hard time dealing with the outbursts but we knew it wasn't really what she wanted to say or do. She'll need a strong support network and you will change as a person helping her through the treatment. My thoughts go out to your mom and your family as this is not an easy decision to make.
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Sep 14, 06
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Quote:
Just because your sick doesn't mean we can't rib you a little still :P Sometimes laughter is the best remedy.
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Sep 14, 06
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*IMPORTANT UPDATE*
Mom got a second opinion today from a more qualified doctor (chemotherapist, not radiation therapist), and she DOES NOT require chemo, according to him. Thanks for all the replies, karma and private messages I got anyways.. hopefully this is the end of this story. If not, at least I know I'll have no shortage of advice and support from the people on FnK. Cheers! Dave
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Sep 16, 06
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my dad has been through the ringer with chemo - 5 different kinds.
he was on a type in the beginning that was the most common for breast cancer - for the most part it was the easist of all the treatments he had. that being said, men react to chemo much more differently then woman - he didnt loose hair, the nausia wasnt really bad\was managable, and he continues on with a regular lifestyle. my mom went through radiation treatment but it was on her face. this was hard for her in many ways - the sitting still and being locked down didnt really help her anxiety, and becuase it was situated around her nose it caused discomfort in the form of weak tissue\bleeding\sores and so on. dr.noble at royal columbian is amazing. hes an oncologist, and hes one of the few doctors we have met through the past 3 and a half years that has been genuine, fair, truthful, and completely giving in every way. at the moment, we're paying for my dads treatment which is running around $3000 a week. his doctor is actually doing the leg work of looking for funding - something we did not ask for, and said we would take over, but hes still doing it himself. every person reacts differently to chemo. no two people are the same, my dad has had reactions no one has had to one of the chemos as its relatively new.
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