new to group

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Hello,
My name is Dana, I am 43 yrs old. I was Dx'd in April of 2011 with Stage 3A TNBC.  I underwent 4 rounds of A/C and 3 rounds of Taxol.  I was not able to get the 4th round because of an infection on my head.  In October I had a double mastectomy and was told I had PCR.  Then I had 28 radiation treatments.  All of my follow ups have been good.  I was feeling really good too.  Then on the morning of 6/14 I was having some troubles, by early afternoon I fell and was not able to get up, I was taken by ambulance to the ER and from there was transported to Jefferson U. Hospital by helicopter. they found a mass in the right perietal lobe with a large amount of swelling around it.  It was actually the swelling causing the problems and they were able to control the symptoms with steroids.  I then had surgery to remove the tumor and on the 18th will be getting a gamma knife treatment.  As of right now there was only 1 met. and they do not see disease any  where else.  I still have to get a PET scan tomorrow and a bone scan but the CT scans and chest Xray were all clear. Blood work is also all good.  

Now my dilemma is what is next??  My onco doc is suggesting more chemo.  the radiation doc at Jefferson has "strongly recommended I get another opinion before taking more chemo"  since other than the one spot that has been removed I am NED.  He suggested i try to get into Sloan Kettering or Johns Hopkins, they are the closest to where I live in PA.  I have done some research on my own and have found I meet the parameters for long term survival having only 1 met, being young and pre menopausal (even after chemo!) and having NED in the rest of body. The hope is this little bugger got up to my brain before the chemo got to it and hid there but didn't spread.  

All i know for sure is I want to stay with my family, I have a husband and 5 children who need me. My youngest is only 2 1/2!  Any advice, anyone out there with a similar scenario or know someone with it??  

Before they found the brain met I had this feeling like I wasn't done fighting even though my follow ups were all coming back good, I just had a sixth sense or something, now I feel better, like this is what they needed to find.  