When to start Hormone therapy?

lifetraveler @lifetraveler

Hormone therapy is used as part of total treatment plan. Talk to your oncologist about if and when you should start hormone therapy.

Each treatment you do, helps reduce the risk of reoccurrence. I had stage 2 and took hormone therapy for 6 months prior to surgery as part of a clinic research. It did reduce the KI-67 (a breast tumor marker).

I had surgery, chemo, radiation and took hormone therapy for a year and stopped due to side effects. It increased my reoccurrence percent, but not by much.

But my sister who was stage 0 or 1 (not sure), had surgery, no chemo or radiation, her oncologist is insistent she takes meds because her chance or reoccurrence is higher.

Laurie

Thank you so much for your kind & wise advice and sharing your experience, Laurie!

@lifetraveler, have you discussed a treatment plan with your cancer team? What are next steps for you?

Hi! Colleen:

Thanks for reply!

Yes, I met with the Surgical Oncologist on 11/29. Due to the fact that my biopsy showed the HER2 is at the boarderline, they had to send my cancerous tissue sample to another outside lab for further testing/analysis. We are still waiting for the final result of HER2 to determine whether we should proceed with Chemo treatment first...

Any advice to stop the growing of those cancerous cells while we are in waiting stage? Thanks in advance for your kind advice!

I know the waiting is hard and you can't help but think that those cells are taking advantage and multiplying like crazies. While the waiting is hard, it is really important to get all the information to know the exact make-up of your breast cancer so the the best treatment for you will be used. The period between now and starting treatment will not worsen your cancer or outcomes.

The best thing you can do during this wait time is to focus on your mental and physical strength, like getting some joyful physical activity into your daily routine, eating well, and all those things we know we should do. Have you ever practised mindfulness?

Thanks for your kind advice, Colleen! Please let us know how do we practise mindfulness?

Thanks!

@lifetraveler, there are several apps and helpful articles online that can get you started with mindfulness. For example, I have some mindful exercises available through my FitBit. Some are just 2 minutes long and help bring me to the here and now when my thoughts start racing.

Here are a few resources from Mayo Clinic experts to discover more about mindfulness and some guided practices to try.

- Using Mindfulness to Cope with Cancer
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/cancer-education-center/newsfeed-post/using-mindfulness-to-cope-with-cancer/

- Stop Practice: A Mindfulness Technique
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed-post/stop-practice-a-mindfulness-technique/

- Practicing Mindfulness: 15 Tips on Meditation Practice
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/mindfulness-in-health/newsfeed-post/15-practical-tips-on-mindfulness-meditation/

I'll be interested to hear what you think or if you find them useful.

Hi! Colleen:

Thanks for helping us with these information!

I'll check them out:) Thanks again!