I am told that I have a 30% chance of recurrence WITHOUT chemo. With chemo, that drops to 15%. Cuts it in half. Still, 15% seems like a lot of risk. That's 15 out of every 100 people with TNBS. Put like that, it seems less scary. Don't know why.
The issue with the chemo is that it's wicked wicked. It's the worst kind. Or maybe the doc just told me that to set my expectations. Probably not. Chemo is the one thing that has most intimidated me since learning I have breast cancer. It's my greatest fear. The idea of chemo is completely horrifying to me.
The good news is that I don't have any lymph node involvement. No cancer lurking there. That's good. Except this type of cancer is very sneaky. It is carried throughout the body to other places without ever setting up housekeeping in the nodes. These are called "floaters". So when a pathologist examines the nodes, they see nothing. But that doesn't mean cancer cells have not wandered to other places. Sneaky little bastards, they are.
The bad news on TNBC is it is a very aggressive cancer. Chemo is the only thing we have to fight it. There are no hormone therapies available, though I've read that research into this type of cancer is in high gear. Hurry it up, already!
Since TNBC is so aggressive and the chemo is so awful, I've briefly considered not doing the chemo, ditching the probable misery in favor of quality of life. The problem here is you can't go back and re-do. Two or three years from now when the cancer is in my brain or my spine, I won't be able to go back and get that chemo. That would be a serious lost opportunity.
Fu*k the nausea, mouth sores, fatigue, lack of taste, baldness, and rashes. I have only one shot at kicking this beast to the curb. If I don't take it, I've not only let myself down, but I've let down everyone who loves me as well. Not gonna do that.
The bad news on TNBC is it is a very aggressive cancer. Chemo is the only thing we have to fight it. There are no hormone therapies available, though I've read that research into this type of cancer is in high gear. Hurry it up, already!
Since TNBC is so aggressive and the chemo is so awful, I've briefly considered not doing the chemo, ditching the probable misery in favor of quality of life. The problem here is you can't go back and re-do. Two or three years from now when the cancer is in my brain or my spine, I won't be able to go back and get that chemo. That would be a serious lost opportunity.
Fu*k the nausea, mouth sores, fatigue, lack of taste, baldness, and rashes. I have only one shot at kicking this beast to the curb. If I don't take it, I've not only let myself down, but I've let down everyone who loves me as well. Not gonna do that.
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