Triple Positive - working with treatment
Received a triple positive diagnosis 4 days ago-2mm invasive ductal carcinoma. ..I am scheduled for a lumpectomy on my right breast on 4/18. I dont 100% know the treatment until the surgery is done, but am meeting with my oncologist prior to the surgery to discuss potentially what this will entail, I assume chemo plus targeted drug, like herceptin. The surgeon also spoke with me about doing a complete reduction on both breasts, while removing the tumour which I am considering also. I am large breasted so he would be able to remove a fair amount of tissue.
Unfortunately, I found all of this out after I gave notice at my old job as an accounting manager and agreed to start a new job with another company.
So I am supposed to start my new job on 4/28... after my surgery. It is pretty important for me to keep a job and obviously insurance-I am single, 59 years old.
Appreciate whatever guidance you can give me.
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It sounds like your tumor is very small, which would make you eligible for Taxol weekly for 12 weeks, plus Herceptin every three weeks for one year. If you have a desk job, you should be able to continue working throughout. You might need some reduced hours during the Taxol portion, but Herceptin by itself has very few side effects. I had to take a leave of absence because I work with small children (germs!) and this regimen does not include Neulasta shots. I only had fatigue, queasiness (no throwing up), and gradual hair loss.
I had a double mastectomy without reconstruction and my recovery was very quick and easy, but I can't speak to a lumpectomy. Hopefully someone else with experience will come and chime in.
There is a thread in the Her2 section of the board just for triple positive, so come on over and join in.
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My tumor was larger and I had a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy. My surgery was on Thursday and I was back at work teaching high school math on Monday. I was told not to overuse my right arm for several weeks so I didn't lift anything heavy or reach too high.
I had to travel for radiation but was offered a schedule where I had six larger weekly doses rather than smaller daily ones. If your hospital is nearby and you are on a daily schedule they are good about scheduling you early or late in the day if you don't want to miss work.
I hope your treatment goes well.
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Hi again jfloyd3619,
We're so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but we're really glad you've found us. As you can already see, our community is full of helpful members always willing to offer advice, information, encouragement, and support -- we're all here for you!
As maggiehopley mentions, the popular Triple Positive Group thread is a good place to meet others managing a similar diagnosis. Stop by and introduce yourself!
Some more information from the main Breastcancer.org site might also be useful:
- Working During Treatment
- Talking to Your Boss and Coworkers About Your Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Forum: Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
Please keep us posted with how your meeting with your oncologist goes and once you have a plan in place, we can help you find more information.We hope this helps!
--The Mods
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I worked through chemo but with some reduced responsibilities and more working at home. My office was really accommodating.
If you do end up doing Taxol, I will add that Taxol was a fairly easy chemo for me, although I did develop some mild diarrhea on Day 3 of every cycle. I carried Imodium around with me and knew where every bathroom was in every store in town. Other than that, the worst things about Taxol were the hair loss (everywhere -- eyelashes still haven't recovered) and the way food tasted.
Good luck!
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jfloyd3619 - is it 2mm or 2CM? 2mm is very small. I remember my oncologist telling me that if there is no lymph node involvement, they don't recommend anything but surgery for triple positive IDC under 5mm, as the benefits aren't high enough to justify it.
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hello.
thanks for the comments. Been so crazy busy running around seeing doctors and working, and basically scared. I and scheduled for surgery on May8th. Yes, the tumor is 2mm from the biopsy. Guess I wont really know until the surgery is done,what the actual size is. I ended up getting a second opinion, and they basically said wait and see how the surgery goes to understand what the treatment plan will be.
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We're here for you!
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jfloyd3619 - how ya doin? Just checking up on you to see how things are going. Thinking of you!
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Hi jh 40… Thanks for the thoughts….I am doing ok.. want to get the surgery over with which is Monday. How are you feeling? Looks like you are about 1 year ahead of me. You are done with Chemo but still on Trazimera?
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jfloyd3619 - I thought I’d followed this thread so I’d know when you responded but I must not have or something glitched. I hope you’re doing ok. Where are you at with things?
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