I understand your feelings of aloneless. When I was diagnosed, I went to the internet and googled "breast cancer support" for my region and found a group that trains cancer survivors to be cancer coaches. I contacted them and got the best cancer coach in the universe. That was 5 and a half years ago and we still have lunch once a week. There are also many support groups in this area, and you will likely find them in your region as you move through your treatment. As far as the treatmanet proposed to you, I had exactly the same treatment plan at stage 3, triple+:--AC every 2 wks. for 4 treatments, followed by taxol and herceptin every wk. for 12 weeks, then a lumpectomy, then radiation, then continued herceptin every 3 weeks for the rest of 1 year. Altogether, this took 15 months, but I have not had a recurrence. I do understand your question and concern regarding this much chemo for stage 1B. As someone else said, each oncologist is different and has his/her own ideas about whether to give chemo, how much chemo, what type, etc. To be honest, I would have the same concern you do and would definitely seek a second opinion, preferably from a cancer institute/hospital if there is one in your region. Let me clear: It's not that I think your MD is wrong (I wouldn't know that). It's that I think two medical opinions are better than one. I sought a second opinion, and that MD had a very different treatment plan than the first one. It was more comprehensive, but it made more sense to me, so I went with that one. I would ask both oncologists, "Why has chemo been recommended in my case?" The answer to that question should give you more information and more understanding about the factors that went into that decision, including what your HER+, ER+, and PR+ numbers are. I would also ask the onc to explain what those terms and those numbers mean and how they impact the decisions regarding my treatment. I would also ask if he/she could recommend literature I could read regarding statistics and studies conducted on treatment plans for women with stage 1B, triple+ breast cancer. The beginning of a diagnosis can be the most difficult period because there is so much to think about and so many decisions to be made and so many tests, scans, x-rays, etc. So please know for certain that you are not alone in this (though it may feel that way). Let us know how you are doing and please post any questions or concerns you have. We are here for YOU.
Hugs & prayers,
Mary
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