In this day of video medicine
I say talk to specialists available to see you but instead … willing to do a review of your records (test/surgery/bx), and chat with you about your situation. It was so helpful to talk about this logically - not easy- need to be over the raw surprise of the news sometimes. But I talked to one oncologist specialist from a center (years ago - wish I could refer) over the phone after he had my records sent over. He was so kind - he understood i needed new language to even talk about this.
You may have to solicit friends - my IT guy from the building was amazing at Moffitt- he helped me get answers with his logic. Keep reaching out - all the best

Thank you so much. They say they like to start treatments within 6-8 weeks post-op, and I can't get a second opinion that fast, they are booking out quite a few weeks. I am not sure how mission-critical that time frame is or if I have time to bump this off another week to allow for a consult. It is so hard to know what to do when research shows Chemo generally doesn't work on lobular, but the standard of care says to do it because it is based on ductal. I am at a loss for sure. I asked if chemo doesn't work if cancer moves, how does chemo work now, and got a skirted response that didn't really answer the question. I am so lost.....

I was diagnosed with invasive,lobular carcinoma ,grade 2,stage 3, 10years ago.After a double mastectomy,I had a break for three weeks,after which I was on chemo sessions,once every three weeks,for four months,followed by radiotherapy with 15 sessions.Without chemo my chance of recurrence was 75-I have never heard of chemotherapy not working for lobular cancer.My tumor was 11cm across,15 cm long,nothing looked very promising.I have not had a recurrence since.
Chemo saved my life!

I don’t know about spreading without nodes. I am glad you are getting a second opinion. I can understand wanting to avoid chemo.😂 I would ask all these questions of the second opinion doctor or your regular doctor. Make sure you feel well informed about your treatment and expected outcomes.