Anyone on just Taxotere and Cytoxan?
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Pinky, and all you currently bald women like me, I heard a sad story today that relates. A female MD I know had breast cancer. She decided not to do chemo because her daughter didn't want her to lose her hair. Now she has metastatic cancer.
I had my TC cocktail at the Infusion Lounge today, since yesterday was a holiday. Gotta love those steroids. I talked my onc into giving me a tapered schedule of steroids to last through my worst days when I was unable to get out of bed (days 4-8). --Lani
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Hi all,
Someone asked about the SE of Vicodin (sorry don't know how to review the thread while posting!). It is an opiate and central nervous system depressant. It is not the strongest one out there, but it's pretty strong. Most people feel sleepy/groggy/"out of it" in varying degrees -- it can be mild and almost pleasant, or strong and dopey and unpleasant. You definitely would not want to drive until you know how you react. Some people get dizzy or nauseous. HOWEVER, in my opinion, you should not suffer pain if there is a medication that may help you -- particularly if you don't know how you'll react. When I take a small dose of Percocet (stronger opiate than Vicodin), I have almost no side effects other than mild euphoria (oh DARN); others get sick. So you may have a very easy time with Vicodin, and if it treats your pain -- go for it! You shouldn't have to suffer!
Someone else asked about hair. Today was my big day. It's Day 13 of Tx 1, and I ran my hand thru my hair absentmindedly this morning, and came away with about 20 strands. A few more run-thru's yielded the same. I shocked myself by actually tearing up -- I just couldn't believe it was ACTUALLY FALLING OUT! I recovered quickly, but am still really weirded out. Took a shower, and it was sort of like a Japanese horror movie, clots and smears of wet hair everywhere, ugh. All day it seems to be getting worse -- nothing is falling out on its own, but the slightest tug or stroke and presto, hair in your hands. For some reason, the fact that it's just 10-20 strands at a time makes it especially tortuous. I have really thick hair, so this will take a looooong time at this rate. I'll probably shave it tomorrow evening. I'm kinda looking forward to class tomorrow, where I show my nursing classmates what chemo-related alopecia-in-process looks like. It's funny, if not for the hair, I wouldn't know I was on chemo -- I feel great.
Lani - thanks for mentioning the steroid taper! I was going to ask my onco nurse about that but completely forgot -- I'll call her tomorrow. I really felt that part of my rapid decline on Day 3 was from dexamethasone withdrawal...
Best to all!
Drea
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Hope you can get it, Drea. They gave it to me. Instead of twice a day dex at 4 mg for 3 days, I have once a day (yay, sleep at night!) and then go to a half pill for the next 4 days. It can't hurt and I think it will help with the exhaustion thing.
The hair is a slow thing and the day and may vary for individuals. I shaved to 1/4 inch on something like day 12 but didn't see much coming out for a few days. Then, a fair amount -- half my remaining stubble was gone in a week or so. Now it's still coming out (just started round 3) but more slowly.
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Hi everyone. On day 4 after tx1. I am experiencing all the common symptoms - it is supposed to get better tomorrow. I hope so. It feels like I have the flu (diarrhea and cramps), bone pain (my right knee feels broken) and everything smells and tastes unappealing. How do people handle need to hydrate with the metallic taste? Have tried adding some fruit juice and vitamin water but the juice burns my mouth. The most scary thing is that a couple of times a day it feels like my throat is closing up. Is that common and what do you do for it?
I am going stir crazy but when I try to leave my bed/room, I don't get too far with dizziness and lack of energy. I have been reading everyone's stories about hair loss. I got my hair cut really short, shaved around the sides and back, so I hope when it starts to fall out it won't be quite such a shock.
Amann - going through this is bad enough without suffering needlessly. I take Vicodin for pain related to spinal fusion and chronic joint problems. Right now I take 1/2 tab when the bone pain is bad and another 1/2 tab at night. Other than constipation that comes with higher doses I have no problems with it. It has a bad rep because people do overuse and become addicted to it, but in low doses for the 3 or 4 bad days when bone pain is the worst, it will help you cope with the pain and get some sleep. Vince says hi. One of the first thing he does every day is check the latest entries on this site.
Susan
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About the hair....my ds is here for a visit, and the first of my kids to see me bald...I was just sick with worry the day of his arrival, didn't know what his reaction would be. I put a ball cap on when he got here, and he didn't even seem to notice I was bald, and about an hour after he arrived I casually pulled the cap off and, again, no reaction. Later, he showed me a quarter-sized bald spot the docs are telling him is alopecia areata (sp), and joked that if it keeps growing, we'll match. That was the extent of the reaction I so dreaded.
I think we project our worries and fears and embarrassment onto our loved ones, a lot. We went to town yesterday, and on the way I asked him if he was embarrassed that I was just wearing my ball cap, & would he have preferred me wearing my wig, and he got totally indignant that I would think he would be embarrassed.
For those loved ones that do have a problem with our baldness, I wonder if it's because the baldness makes it all real....my dh said that. The fact that I had cancer wasn't real to him until I started losing my hair, and then it all hit home to him.
Lani--I'm so glad you got a decadron taper. My onc gave me one for my last tx (#3) and I can't believe how much it helped. I feel like I have bounced back a lot faster, too, but don't know if that has to do with the taper or not. It didn't help the dizziness--this one was the worst tx for that--I was dizzy till day 11 (the almost-fell-down-several-times kind of dizziness.) The numbness/tingling to hands/feet/face were worse, too, then I doubled up on my B6 and that helped a lot. I know that all sounds bad, but really, it was a vast improvement over the first 2 tx. Can't wait to get #4 done and over with!
Susan--the metallic taste is so bad sometimes for me even my "bragging rights" well water tastes terrible--I drink a lot of tea, but I have to admit, mostly I have to force myself to hydrate! I'm sorry you're in such pain. Hopefully, you will be like me and your first tx will be your worst for pain. I still have pain, but nothing like the first tx. Back to hair--when it got to the point I was losing 12+ hairs everytime I ran my hands through my hair, dh buzzed my hair to about 1/2", then when it started to come out in patches, he buzzed me to about 1/8". I felt it was the less traumatic way to go--felt more in control that way.
Amann--I agree with Susan. Don't suffer unnecessarily!
Sorry about the long post...you'd think I was still on Decadron!
Good luck to all getting tx this week--hopefully few se's for all!
Blessings,
Sherri
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Hi, Susan and Vince. Susan, I experimented with several juices and found what worked best for me was veggie juice (not the spicy one), very cold water sometimes with a little lemon juice in it, and tea.
Taste problems: Interestingly, I was able to compare tx 2 where I forgot my ice chips during the taxotere drip and tx 3 where I had them -- the taste problem is not nearly as bad as it was with tx 2. Susan, don't remember which regimen you are on but the ice chips may help with adriamycin, too.
Sherri, thanks for the heads-up on the dizziness. And I'm glad your son was so cool about your hair. My kids are fine with my bald head, even though I'm not yet. Maybe in a few more months?
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Welcome Nico! I made note of your schedule, which is quite a different one. Hope you have an easier time with the Taxotere than the Taxol.
Susan--I'm with you on the difficulty in staying hydrated when everything tastes so yucky. One of the things I've experimented with is drinking hot water instead of cold. For some reason I have less difficulty getting it down and taste it less than when it's cold. I also think that helps a little bit with the constipation (like pouring boiling water down clogged drains?) Trader Joes has a combination lemonade/tea drink (like an Arnold Palmer) and I just barely flavor water and ice with this sometimes and that tastes ok too. It certainly is a problem though.
With regard to the various pain medications: I agree that one should not suffer needlessly, but the pain meds do exacerbate the constipation problem (a big problem for me), so that should also be a consideration.
Lani--I just noticed your new picture. You look really cute--and so youthful!
Sandra
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Hi, Susan ~ Getting enough water wasn't a problem for me with tx #1, but water was so unappealing after #2 that I switched to Perrier (through a straw), which doesn't have that "thick" taste the water did. I've also been mixing Perrier with OJ when I get tired of it straight. And I've found that if I leave bottles or glasses of whatever I'm drinking in various places around the house, I'm more likely to see one and reach for it -- instead of the only one I'm working on always being in another room. Take care ~ Deanna
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Hi all just checking in. One week and a day since tx 2 and I am doing fine. No side effects except for being a bit tired on day 4. I have not lost my taste so food and drinks taste OK. I had my hair cut very short after TX 1 and have lost most of it but some of it remains and with a base ball cap it looks like I just have my hair cut very short, so I have not worn the wig I bought yet. Unfortunately my Leg hairs and underarm hairs have not received the "do not grow message" and I had to shave again yesterday. Still have eyebrows too. I guess everyone reacts differently to the TX. Just my input about working and chemo. I have not stopped, but I am lucky to have a flexible work schedule. FOr the most part I work for myself and have contracts with various businesses, they have been wonderful and have allowed me to work my own schedule, at home and on site when I can. I also work part time for a local non-profit organization and here again I was given a flexible schedule by them, I am able to bring work home and do it at my convenience and I am able to go into the office at my convenience (that includes my choice of hours and my choice of days, they gave me a key to the building to let myself in and out). I wish more employers would be flexible when employees are facing major illnesses. For those who need to work throughout all this, talk to your boss, maybe you can make some sort of flexible arrangement.
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Hi, all you TC warriors--sorry this is so long...
I lurk here a lot, but don't post often anymore. I finished TC in June (last of 4 treatments was June 4), and I've moved on to an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years (no rads). There were a couple of things I wanted to comment on:
Susan (donotcallmesue), you said this: "How do people handle need to hydrate with the metallic taste? Have tried adding some fruit juice and vitamin water but the juice burns my mouth. ...when I try to leave my bed/room, I don't get too far with dizziness and lack of energy."
Susan, you really, really need to drink more fluids. Lots and lots of fluids. That dizziness you are experiencing so soon after your first tx could very well be due to dehydration. The Taxotere causes major fluid shifts in your body--the fluids leave your blood and hang out in your tissue. That means when you stand up, there isn't enough blood pressure to pump the blood to your brain....so you feel dizzy. Also, if you have diarrhea, that makes it even more likely you're dehydrated.
Try everything--suck on popsicles, eat sherbet, hunt for a flavor of Gatorade you can tolerate (mine turned out to be "melon"), sample some lime juice or lemonade instead of orange juice. I, too, found orange juice too caustic for my sore mouth and stomach during that first week of each cycle, but for some reason, limeade and lemonade did not burn. They're more dilute, I think.
Our well water has a high iron content, so it tastes metallic normally. I just put ice cubes in it and chugged it down anyway. Some brands of bottled water are less metallic-tasting than others during chemo--experiment with them. Some women swore by "Crystal Light" as an additive that made water more tolerable. I didn't try any until well after chemo, when I found some on sale. I bought some packets of "raspberry lemonade" that you dump into a 16-oz bottle of water. They're pretty good.
Drink, drink, drink. You will feel much better, and you will be less likely to end up in the hospital, on i.v. fluids!
And, about the hair thing... Sherri, you said this: "For those loved ones that do have a problem with our baldness, I wonder if it's because the baldness makes it all real.... " I agree.
My dh never did have a problem with me going around bald-bald in our house or while in the car. For the sake of strangers, I wear a ball cap in public. I think in some communities, there is a rule of decorum that requires women to look as nice as possible. Maybe instead of the slogan, "Look good, feel better," ACS should say, "Look good, and everyone else will feel better."
I figured my mom would freak out when she saw me this summer, for the first time since my dx and tx. So, I wore my ball cap there too, but I took it off a few hours after I arrived and said, "I hope you don't mind if I don't wear my cap. It's much more comfortable without it." I guess it was my way of forcing the issue. For the months preceding my visit, she had alternated between wallowing in pity for me, and completely ignoring that anything had happened. I wanted her to see that, yes, I had cancer, but now I was feeling fine and I didn't want the cancer to rule the rest of my life.
That's still how I feel.
otter
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Hi all:
I just finished my first cytoxen/taxotere treatment last Wednesday and got the neulasta rescue injection on Thursday. My biggest problem days were Saturday through Monday (a wonderful Labor Day Weekend). I actually started feeling sorry for myself. But than cancer does suck. Nausea, and bone pain were my two big problems. I think the Aloxi wore off on Monday(day 5) and I had a couple of episodes of vomitting.One of my biggest problems was a got very constipated so I sure will be more proactive the next time around. I think the constipation was what made me so nauseated on Monday. Tuesday I came down with trush and my mouth tastes horrible. I am now on Nystatin swish and swallow and I have been doing the salt and HCO3 rinses and using biotene mouthwash. I do feel like my life is on hold and I am not in control of what is happening right now. It's been a long summer. Lump was found June 8, biopsy June 23, Double mastectomy with reconstruction and lymp node bx and port placed July 23. Post op wound that is still not entirely healed and now 3 months of chemo. I am usually a glass half full person but this feels like a mack truck hit me. Agnes
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Hi Karen:
I ende dup getting the neulasta in my abdomen which didn't hurt. Agnes
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Agnes, sorry you've had such a tough time with your first treatment. Get your onc to give you something for "breakthrough nausea," which can come after day 4 (when the Aloxi wears off). I had nausea and didn't call, but when I told the onc about it before tx 2 she gave me an rx for compazine. Turned out I didn't need it for tx 2, but good to have it on hand. I hope your mouth gets better soon. The pain will resolve and you will get better -- week 3 should be pretty good. I had a lot less with tx 2, probably because I took Aleve with my small meals, whereas I was too sick to take one more pill with tx 1.
Sandra, thank for the compliment.
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Just a word about dehydration. Even in my pre-cancer/pre-chemo days I would dehydrate very easily, I sweat a lot. If I dehydrate too much then my heart goes into Atrial Fib, (fast, irratic heart beats). During one episode my heart rate reached 198. I also want to say here that I do not have any heart problems, I'm perfectly healthy in that department. The important thing is to bring the heart back to its normal rhythm as soon as possible, for if left too long I could have a stroke. During A fib blood accumulates in the heart chambers and can be released as a blood clot. During these episodes I am put on blood thinners, medication to slow down the heart and told to drink plenty of fluids. This usually works but on two occasions it did not and I had to have a cario version done to control the heart, where I was brought into the OR and the doctor stopped my heart and started it up again, and thankfully when started it was in normal rhythm. So that is why it is so important that during chemo I stay very hydrated. So far so good. No A Fib! Throughout the day I have a combo of water, gaterade, cranberry juice, jello, and electrolyte Freezer pops. The important thing is to keep my electrolytes at a good count. And I have a banana every day to help keep the potassium in check, which can also deplete if dehydated. So yes ladies, drink, drink, drink!
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Sorry I didn't give the specifc dates.
1st tx -9/9/08
2nd tx -9/30/08
3rd tx-10/21/08
4th rx-11/11/08
Take care.
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Hi everyone. Sorry I have been missing in action. Just been very busy.. The second tx of chemo went VERY well and I felt very blessed.. i was tired which was normal.. But now all I want to do is eat. I don't know why.. is that normal. I have also read about doing chemo or not doing chemo.. at 26 I feel I didn't have a choice. My doctor didn't feel like she could get all the cancer and close me up well plus it started to spread. which meant it was in my lymph nodes traveling via my blood.. so from my breast to the side of my neck and under my chin which then started to move up my face. I was very against doing the chemo first.. but i just felt like my Life depended on me doing it. I didn't feel like i was strong enough. And i wanted to give up after the first treatment..But i knew i couldnt. I had my husband and my family that wanted me to be here..
I wish there was an better way to fight this cancer.. I never thought at 26 I would be fighting for my life.. Not like this anyway.. I figured I would be just starting my family with my husband. i had just celebrated 5 years of being married a month before i found out i had breast cancer... we had just bought our first home in december of 07. am I wrong to feel like someone robbed me..
I feel like chemo is giving me a chance to stop the cancer from spreading to my organs. giving me a fighting chance to get some of my life back and be able to have a child with my husband.. I know everyone has a choice. chemo might not be for everyone. I just feel like if it gives you a chance at a longer life why not take that chance.
stay blessed everyone..
we all will beat cancer... it will not beat us
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I have just finished 6 treatments of Taxotre and Cy and I am still dealign with the mouth sores I didnt get naus. but I took Emmend for it but I have no smell or taste buds still 8 days after and they do tell you to drink but 3 days into it and my throat and mouth hurt and drinking didnt fell good at all. I know I did get some relief and sprayed Clorastpetive for sore throats on my tong and throat and it does get better every day. It is true what ever you eat on chemo you will hate later I can not even look at a bowl of soup any kind or cook it without that feeling of nausha ... I only had 2 finger nails that gave me trouble and now I am waiting for the hair to return hopefully by christmas you know that song all I want for christmas is MY HAIR back ha if you go to a thread out here they have alot of tips on chemo side effects that work. Sucking on popsiles helps yep I cant look at them now.. I took Iborphen and it took the fever down also. Just trying to help also I took sudefed for drainage it affected my sinuses and it helped also. Good luck and you will do well with it I marked a calendar off it helped also..
Maura
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Maria, I'm glad you haven't had a-fib on top of chemo, and thanks for the info on dehydration. Does anyone know how long you need to push the liquids after infusion? The info from the onc office says two days, but maybe that's not long enough?
Lashon, you sure have had a rough two months. You are absolutely doing the right thing with chemo, even though it feels like you shouldn't have to go through this. Try not to worry about the future. (Here comes the sermon, so don't read if you don't like sermons!) None of us knows how long our life will be. We all think and hope it will be quite long, but I think we will just have the right amount of time, whatever it is. But I want to do my part (chemo, right now, then losing some weight and eating right and exercising) to make sure it is long.
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Hi, all--
Nico, radiation is most likely to kill rapidly growing cells. That means cancer cells in the axilla should be killed, but so will any other cells that are dividing rapidly at the time of the radiation treatment. Some of the lymphocytes in our lymph nodes at any given moment will be dividing because they are mounting an immune response to foreign material (infections, bee stings, whatever). Those dividing normal cells could be killed by the radiation.
If what I learned and taught for all my career is true, then: the lymphocytes that might be dividing in your axillary nodes are responding to foreign things they captured in lymph from your breast tissue, shoulder, and arm on that side. So, maybe (just maybe) you could decrease the chances of killing the good cells by being very careful to avoid infections and inflammation in those places. That would mean taking the same precautions against infection as would be taken by someone with lymphedema on that side (follow good hygiene, avoid dry skin, use bug repellent, don't tear your cuticles, use antibiotic ointment/bandaids, etc.). Does that make sense?
Lashon, you sound very upbeat, all things considered...
Yes, we have to beat this monster. After all, we have lives to live! And, yes, I think it's perfectly normal to feel like you've been cheated.Oh, and Maura (enjoylife), you said this: "It is true what ever you eat on chemo you will hate later I can not even look at a bowl of soup any kind or cook it without that feeling of nausha ...". Fortunately, that's not true for all of us. There isn't one single thing I ate or drank during chemo--even during my worst days--that I find less appealing now than I did before chemo. In fact, I tried some things during chemo (in desperation) that I'd never tried before, and they're now on my "favorites" list, 3 months post-chemo! So, to the newcomers: not everyone develops an aversion to food and drink they consumed during chemo. Some people do, of course.
It's close to dinnertime, so I'd better go. Hi to everyone here!
otter
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I haven't been by in many weeks since I went back to work full time. I am not sure if this is the best place to post this but I have a question for those of you who are done with chemo. I finished weeks ago and have started to have pain in my feet. It hurts to walk. Its not joint pain but the whole bottom of my foot aches. Motrin doesn't help. Anyone else have this?
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Hi all,
My last TC was on July 21 and am pleased to report that my scalp is definitely developing fuzz, and some hair!!!! A long way to go but a start.
what about nails??? I didn't pay attention to some earlier posts and now I can't find them. My nails have white horizontal lines and are looking dead at the ends. These "dead spots" get bigger every day. Anyone else experience this?
Thanks, Susan
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I've had 3 treatments so far and have dark horizontal lines on my finger nails; so far no "dead spots".
Gina
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Hi all, Lani I want to say that is nice pic of you, you do look younger
and good to see you back Lashon and keeping a good attitude! I believe we can all beat this! I am on my 9th day after tx 3 and I am starting to feel better each day, thank God. I am noticing rash break outs here and there, but no itching. I also feel tingling in my thumb and my toes sometimes. Is there anything you can do for hot flashes? I have them every night.Please advise,
Thanks,
Audrey
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Thanks, Audrey. If you search the site for hot flashes and taxotere, you will get 9 pages of complaints and a few remedies that worked for people, including the meds neurontin and lexapro. I would ask your onc. For the tingling, I take a vitamin B6 pill with each meal. There was a medical study that showed it helps prevent neuropathy. I have had minimal tingling that doesn't last long, for one or two days of each treatment cycle.
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Thanks Lani,
I will try to find the pages, about hot flashes and ask Onc about the meds you mentioned. I will also try the B6, I heard that L Glutamin is good for the tingling too.
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Dear Otter and all,
I have read all 100 pages on this site and have appreciated all of your comments. I was diagnosed on June 2 and what a journey it has been, going to the doctors for one thing or another since.I had a port put in, chose lumpectomy, and am on my 2nd treatment. My frustation is that mamograms didn't really pick up my cancer .My surgeon said it has been growing from 2 to 5 years!!! Luckily it is the most common and most treateable., interductal with 2 positive nodes and estrogen positive, at stage 2. a 2.9 size lump.Here are my questions.
1. What cure rates have you heard of this treatement compared to ACT. My doctor said it could be 8% less effective but they don't have the date and it could be better. Dr Jones article and the one posted to l isten to on this site seemed very positive and encouraging.
2. Is estrogen positive a good thing. My doctors seemed to say yes because of the additional treatment that can be given for 5 years. Yet I read from the comments here that it is stronger for reoccurence. Is reoccurence less likely for estrogen negative?
3. Did most people here choose CT over ACT because of side effects,( heart, leukemia,etc) or did you feel you had a better cure rate?
4, When I read about the nodes, 0 or 8, 0 of 15, 0 of 5 etc. did they actually take out that number of healthy nodes?
5. What do you know about the drug given after radiation for post menoposal women and what are the side affects?The one that you take for 5 years?
Well that is a start on my questions. Bless all of your hearts for your warm words of encouragment. I go for treatment number 3 next wednsday. The only symptoms I had on 2 were fatigue. What a blessing!! Grateful to you all from birdsong.
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Hi Birdsong, I am glad you aren't having too many S.E.s that is a blessing. I don't think I can answer all your questions, but maybe a few. As far as the nodes, 0 of 5 or 0 of 18 which I had. means Yes they took them all but did not find cancer in them. If it were 1 of 5 that means they took 5 and found 1 with cancer in it. As far as T.C. versus A.C. some studies show T.C. .to be more effective. I too had a lumpectomy and stage 2. I don't know how long it's been there though they didn't pick mine up from a mamo either. I felt it. They said I will have to do MRI's now. What grade was yours, and may I ask how old you are? I am 43.
Audrey
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birdsong, welcome!
Don't feel like you're alone in being disappointed by mammography. My 1.8 cm tumor was never seen with mammography, either. The only reason it was investigated was because I could feel it.
As for your questions, I'll give 'em a try:
1. What cure rates have you heard of this treatement compared to ACT? I don't think onco's know for sure yet, with Taxotere/Cytoxan, because it's fairly new. Clinical trials have mostly compared with AC (Adriamycin/Cytoxan), and it seems to be more effective--or, at least not less effective. Some onco's think it is comparable to ACT in HER2- women. That's because those onco's think Adriamycin doesn't work very well in BC that does not overexpress HER2. BTW, onco's rarely use the phrase, "cure rate." They talk about risk of recurrence. I guess if there is no recurrence (ever), that would be a cure!
2. Is estrogen positive a good thing? Yes, most onco's say it's better to be ER+ (estrogen receptor-positive) than ER-. That's because, in general, the risk of recurrence is greater in ER- tumors. You're right--that is mainly due to the use of estrogen blockers (Tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors) to further suppress growth of the ER+ tumors. That translates to a lower risk of recurrence with ER+ tumors, compared with ER- tumors, during the 5 years (maybe 7 years) after surgery. OTOH, you are also right in noting that, after those 5 years of Tamoxifen or an AI, the risk of recurrence of an ER+ tumor starts going up again. The risk of recurrence of an ER- tumor is higher during the first few years after surgery, but then it goes way down.
3. Did most people here choose CT over ACT because of side effects, (heart, leukemia,etc) or did you feel you had a better cure rate? The onco's I consulted both wanted to use AC (no Taxol) when I first spoke with them. I had a Stage I tumor, so they didn't think ACT was warranted. I asked about cardiac risk, and the first onco dismissed my concerns and insisted on using AC anyway. The second (and my current) onco agreed that I had enough cardiac risk factors to justify using TC instead of AC; so that's what I got. She noted that the possibility of greater efficacy of TC was an added benefit.
4. When I read about the nodes, 0 of 8, 0 of 15, 0 of 5 etc. did they actually take out that number of healthy nodes? As Audrey said, the answer is "yes".
5. What do you know about the drug given after radiation for post menoposal women and what are the side affects? The one that you take for 5 years? Are you referring to an aromatase inhibitor (AI)? That's the category of estrogen-blocking drug that's recommended (first choice) for post-menopausal women with ER+ tumors. It's more effective than Tamoxifen, which can be used in either pre- or post-menopausal women. There are 3 main AI drugs used in early-stage BC in post-meno women. I'm on Arimidex (anastrozole). There is a whole section of these boards that deals with "Hormonal Therapy" (estrogen blockade).
I'm glad to hear your SE's on TC have been minimal. Hi to everybody else here!
otter
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