Seabee

Bluedasher, those are points worth considering. I'm used to having IVs put in my hand, though, since the big veins in my forearm are hard to find, and I've neiver had a problem with that, so having it a port in the upper arm would probably be even less bother for me.

I'll definitely have to have a port somewhere, since the big vein in my hand retreated after surgery.

You need to gather as much informaiton as possible before you decide on the best option. What course is best depends on the size of the tumor, its location, how extensive the LCIS is and where it is, whether or not any lymph nodes are involved, and if so, how many, the status of the tumor cells' receptors, etc. This site is an excellent source of information for someone who is experiencing a BC diagnosis for the first time. Check it out.

It's OK to be concerned, but a little too early to panic. MRIs do show more detaill than mammograms, but they're not so good at distinguishing between malignant and benign tissue. Only a biopsy can confirm a diagnosis, and MRIs lead to a lot of negataive biopsies, which is one reason (besides expense) why they aren't routinely used for screening. Mammograms, on they other hand, have trouble spotting ILC, as wishiwere mentions.  I'm wondering why no one tried ultrasound, which is often used before MRI.

In any case, wait until you have a biopsy and a diagnosis or a negative result. Then you can either relax or start planning an effective treatment.

Taxotere + Cytoxin is claimed (now) to be effective for either node negative or node positive, and to lead to longer disease free suvival than the AC combo, which works well for HER2+, but not as well (usually) for HER2-. But these are just generalizations.  If TC didn't work for Jobu, A might.  Lobular is odd in any case in that it seems to be more resistant to chemo than ductal, so whatever works for you, works for you. I'd be very interested in the results of her decision and hope she'll let us know.

You should have been given pain medication and instructions for using it by the nurse that oversaw your postoperative recovery.  What kind of facility did you have this operation in? How long were you hospitalized?

Postoperative pain is variable with each individual, depending partly on your pain threshhold, partly on how well the operation went. Some nerve damage is inevitable during this surgery, but it isn't always painful.

Your doctor should have a nurse who will respond to problems the patient is having by telephone. The nurse can call in a prescription to your pharmacy. In the meantime you can try over-the-counter painkillers. They are probably not strong enough to do the job, but they may help a little.

I agree that an exploratory attitude is an asset in a researcher. He's also interested in some of the subtypes of BC, which is fairly uncommon.

Not all of Christofanelli's papers are online, but some of them  are. You can probably find them by putting his name in your browser. I found them by using subject keywords like chemotherapy, lobular carcinoma, etc.

I agree with Gitane. Decide and don't look back. You have the best advice you're going to get from specialists, and if they don't agree, then there is merit to either option. Trust your own gut feeling and go with it.

You might want to look at a study by Christofanilli et al. of 1,035 patients with IDC and ILC. The patients with ILC were older, had more advanced and lower-grade carcinoma, and had a relatively poor response to chemotherapy compared to patients with IDC. However, the five-year survival rate of those with ILC was better. I cited one report of this study in an earlier post in this thread, but it can be found at other sites as well. Another study comparing patients with IDC and ILC fourd that the patients with ILC tended to be E+ and HER2-, had lower-grade tumors and survived longer. The same findings show up in a number of studies. Just put "invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma" in your browser and you'll find them.

It's true that these studies involve interpretation and theorizing, but when a number of studies produce  the same or similar findings, I tend to think that there must be some truth to them.

If you look at Christofanelli's publications, you will see that his main research interest is inflammatory BC.

Well, there you are.  Maybe if you have a differnt variety of ILC and are HER2 - Adriamycin does work, or works for some other reason. But obviously it doesn't work for a number of HER2 - people, which his where the results of the clinical trials and one of your oncologists' opinion come from. And of course there's the remote possibility of heart damage, which most people who do it escape, of course.

Chemotherapy resistance testing is pretty much in the developmental stage and probably isn't entirely reliable--unfortunately.

 Getting a third opinion is certainly a possibility, but it might not clarify the issue, since two oncologists who seem to be reputable disagree.

I'm still not sure what the status of the lobular cancer is. Is some still there after surgery, or is it possible recurrence that is the concern of the oncologist who suggests a more aggressive approach?