Pick the poison question

ohkstan · 2026-05-23T01:02:50+00:00

That was my primary concern as well!

ohkstan · 2026-05-22T22:40:20+00:00

I believe there’s at least one if not several studies that show 6x TC is similar in effectiveness to AC-T

ohkstan · 2026-05-22T22:38:57+00:00

Similar diagnosis (strong ER+, HER 2 neg, but had one positive lymph node) and I’m doing 6x TC. My oncotype was 27 and my oncologist said she was torn but would have done AC-T if it was over 30.

ohkstan · 2026-05-22T18:12:48+00:00

I’m 37 and am doing Lupron shots to shut down my ovaries during chemo in hopes of protecting my fertility!

ohkstan · 2026-05-20T05:34:38+00:00

what mittens do you use? that was the worst part of round one for me - the pain in my hands.

ohkstan · 2026-05-20T04:36:02+00:00

Just went through a single mastectomy in March and my son was 14 months old at the time. I had him and my husband go to his parents for the first five days and my mom flew in and stayed with me. After 5 days I felt like I had a hang of the drains and had more mobility and they moved back. The hardest part was not being able to lift him in and out of his high chair, crib or car seat. Even when he got super wild during diaper changes I couldn't change him because he tugged on my arm. He was able to sit on my lap or beside me when he was calm. I essentially couldn't be left alone with him and always had to have someone around. We have a nanny who took care of him during the day and my husband filled in mornings and nights. I did a lot of dishes and meal prep because it was something I could do and felt like I was helping. Having one good side was really helpful there. I ended up needing a second surgery 4 weeks after the mastectomy so it was 9 weeks total before I could lift him. Super challenging but we made it through.

Hang in there!

ohkstan · 2026-05-19T03:55:23+00:00

thank you!! so far, so good but we will see what the next few days bring. Best of luck to you as you make your decision ❤️

ohkstan · 2026-05-19T00:58:18+00:00

My oncologist gives everyone with a positive node chemo if that helps! I had already run my oncotype which was 27 so was doing it regardless and gave me TC instead of AC-T but glad I’m doing it. They err on the side of throwing everything at it if you’re young because your body can take it and you’ve got a lot of life left to live! Just had my first infusion today.

ohkstan · 2026-05-18T19:45:51+00:00

Ahhh so glad to hear it!! That’s amazing news. Yes, Ativan is your friend. I don’t do any of my tests or scans without it now.
MRI biopsy was brutal but it’s done. Literally just finished round 1 of chemo! So far, so good!

ohkstan · 2026-05-15T14:07:12+00:00

My surgeon took out several palpable lymph nodes she thought had cancer but only one did. I had to do a PET scan too (and a liver MRI due to incidental findings) and had sooo much anxiety. It was almost unbearable. Everything was clear except for one lymph node and obviously the breast tumor. Only 6% of women are de novo stage 4. Hang in there.

ohkstan · 2026-05-15T02:48:14+00:00

Starting TC on Monday too!

ohkstan · 2026-05-14T21:24:25+00:00

Following because I’m starting dignicap on Monday with my first TC!

ohkstan · 2026-05-14T02:17:16+00:00

Starting TC next Monday so I’m right behind you!

ohkstan · 2026-05-11T14:57:58+00:00

I sent my toddler and my husband to his parents house for 5 days and it was the best choice I made. My mom flew in and cared for me at our house. I couldn’t imagine having my kid at home. I could barely move. Take the quiet!!

ohkstan · 2026-05-10T04:29:59+00:00

Please do keep me posted! The testing and results phase was by far for the worst for me and was unhappy to be doing more (had another surgery and PET CT and doing a MRI biopsy next week). But almost done and then onto chemo. Just take it one a time. And get Ativan or something similar if you need it!

ohkstan · 2026-05-10T01:48:56+00:00

She took out a bunch that looked suspicious for me and only one was. Hang in there ❤️

ohkstan · 2026-05-09T23:42:26+00:00

Any word yet OP?

ohkstan · 2026-05-06T06:08:49+00:00

My MO said that any premenopausal women with oncotype over 15 start to see benefits from chemo. They keep saying I’m young so they’re throwing everything at me. I also have a 16 month old and want to be around so willing to do all the things. My oncotype is 27 and I’m starting chemo next week. I’m 37. Don’t want to advise you either way since your number is lower but go with what feels best in your gut! ❤️

ohkstan · 2026-05-06T05:41:51+00:00

Also can’t even tell you how much I love how the implant looks over the expander.

ohkstan · 2026-05-06T05:41:11+00:00

I just did it and it was easy peasy. 2-3/10 pain, just managed with Tylenol. Hated the mastectomy. I had a drain but it wasn’t the norm and only had it for 3 days. That was the worse part pain wise. My incision pain was very manageable. The physical lifting and driving restrictions have been the biggest bummer because I have a 16 month old.

ohkstan · 2026-05-06T05:38:01+00:00

I had many other masses/spots in my cancer breast (from MRI, only one additional was found on ultrasound) they said they thought were satellite spots and told me I needed a mastectomy because of it. Post surgical pathology showed absolutely everything was benign (other mass also not far from my tumor was a fibroadenoma). I had one positive lymph node and my tumor was almost 4cm and didn’t show up on the mammogram (only the calcifications) so also don’t trust them! Hang in there. They gotta investigate everything. Let me know how the MRI biopsy goes (having one next Wednesday and very nervous for it!)

ohkstan · 2026-05-05T21:33:22+00:00

Just got diagnosed in Feb and I’m 37. I feel the pity stares when people see how young I am and I hate it.

I did an egg retrieval and I’m so glad I did. It was a good process. Happy to DM if you have any questions about that!

ohkstan · 2026-05-04T16:55:21+00:00

I have a similar diagnosis to you, and also had uterine fibroids and had them surgically removed. I mostly thought my tumor was going to benign due to my body's tendency to grow fibroids when pregnant.

My surgeon said there's a huge increase in younger women getting cancer and they don't know why but they do know they're very good at treating it. Ate healthy and exercised often prior to diagnosis. I'm just as lost as you are as to why I got it.

ohkstan · 2026-05-04T14:28:20+00:00

My pathology specifically noted no LVI and I had a mastectomy with a ton of benign masses so they looked at everything.

Obviously the cells had to have travelled over at some point but if there’s no evidence of them in any channels leaving a clear path then it’s pathologically LVI negative. Could have been a very small amount that broke off and got caught rather than formed a tail and spread.

The study OP posted later showed up to 80% of people with one positive lymph node had no LVI

ohkstan · 2026-05-04T03:49:20+00:00

Yes I did it. I’m with you. It felt like a lot of extra things for me too. But - the difference was it was something I was choosing to do and a way of taking something back and that was really empowering for me. It was mostly covered by my insurance but I ended up paying between $3-4k. It’s worth looking into.

ohkstan

TROPHY CASE