2nd Opinion

We got our 2nd opinion today. He was really sharp, very knowledgeable. We liked him real well. He gave us an indepth analysis of what's going on and my options. I have several things in my favor:
1) My lymph node was negative for cancer
2) My tissue that was sent for testing showed "intermediate risk" for recurrence in 10 years. That's in my favor because it wasn't high risk.
3) My estrogen receptors are positive

Things that are not in my favor:
1) My tumor was grade 3 - meaning more aggressive
2) My growth rate was fast

One things that can be considered good or bad is the size of the tumor - 2.1 CM. That is considered medium. But anything over 1cm typically requires chemo.

If I do radiation on top of my surgery, that gives me an 80% cure rate. 20% chance of it coming back. Of course, "coming back" is not really the proper term. He said that not only can cancer move through your lymph system, it can also move through your blood. So, if even one small cancer cell broke off and moved through my blood stream, it's possible for it to show up again in another part of my body. Such as, liver, uterus, bones, lungs, brain, etc. Not good.

He made it clear that it's a no brainer to have radiation. Without it, he can't even tell me what my chances of cure are. But, they're low. WITH radiation, I have 3 options:

1) Chemo only - that brings my percentage up to 88%
2) Tamoxifen only - that brings my percentage up to 83%
3) both - that brings my percentage up to 90%

We did ask him about the heart damage issue. He said it can be an issue with adriamycin usage, but he wouldn't even consider giving me that drug with my "great" prognosis. He said heart damage occurred in about 2% of patients using that drug.

I would have to get a port surgically installed, then have chemo every 3 weeks for 3 months. A total of 4 times. Side effects can be:

nausea/vomiting
weight gain (yeah, I really need that)
weak and tired
hair loss
sores in mouth
muscle aches and pains
funny looking nails
excessive eye watering
neuropathy (not reversible)
leukemia (<1%)
allergic reactions (that can be controlled with other medication)
increase in the risk of serious infections such as pneumonia.

He said he would support us in whatever decision we make, but he thinks chemo, radiation, and tamoxifen would be the best course because I'm so young. He told us to take this weekend and think about it, then call him Monday to let him know what we want to do. Typically, they want to start some form of treatment within 2 months of surgery. I'm 2 weeks away from that anniversary.

For the first time since this whole thing started, I'm really scared. Not of the treatment, of the recurrence. It showing it's ugly head again in a few years somewhere else in my body gives me chills. I just have no idea what I'm going to do. Kati wants me to do it. She says 80% isn't good enough. I just want God to point me in the right direction.

All prayers are requested and appreciated.