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Double mastecomy and trying to decide whether to do chemo or not
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Nov 7, 2025 | Replies (32)Comment receiving replies
@juliafire it is a rough journey! I had negative nodes and negative margins on my tumor. However, my oncotype was 27, 2 points over the cutoff number of 25. My grade was 3, so it was aggressive. The analogy of the lymph nodes is spot on. That’s what they told me…it only takes one cell to escape. So i am now committed to 4 cycles of TC chemo. I am doing the ice gloves and boots and the ice cap for my hair. The oncologist said it works very well. If not, i will shave my head and start fresh. I did get several opinions, the oncologists all came back the same, but 2 other docs said get a third opinion. I know there are a lot of other options out there, but unfortunately there is not a ton of solid data that it is effective in preventing reoccurrence. My cancer is a more rare form, invasive micro papillary carcinoma (IMPC) which makes up about 1-3% of BC. In the end, it’s hard to know exactly what to do. I do have a post-chemo plan of metabolic therapy and some other therapies to hopefully keep this from recurring. I’m currently trying to follow a macrobiotic diet. Any suggestions from your sister on getting through chemo?
Thank you for sharing with me! Best of luck to your sister.
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@waterlilies1899 My sister had an acquaintance in another state that was having the same chemo and was two treatments ahead of her.
The recommendations she made were a big help. Take the meds for nausea before you feel it. My sister takes one pill the day before and another the day of.
Plan on lots of small snacks of different tastes. Some people want salty, some people want sweet. My sister ended on the salty side. However, she had made some strawberry / lime pops before the chemo and the cold in her mouth really felt good.
Drink tons of water. Get up every hour to walk around, even if you don't feel like it. Small amounts of movement consistently during the day.
She is using the cold gloves and feet socks while she has her first chemo medication. She got a really thick gel like salve for her hands and skin.
She does all of her activities in the morning and assumes she will be worn out by the afternoon, so her and the cat hang out on the couch in the afternoon.
She starts round 2 of 4 next week. She has her last round on December 30. Then starts radiation in February.
None of this is especially helpful, but I hope it reaffirms your path.
I know that I feel better that she is doing the chemo and radiation. If it does come back, at least she will have the comfort of knowing that she did everything she could at this point in time, with the knowledge she has, to try and get rid of it.