Next Steps

My sister-in-law posted this quote the other day and it really resonated with me.

“You never know what you can do until you have to do it.” ~Betty Ford

My Oncotype number came in at “19,” that is just into the intermediate range. Here is how the results can be interpreted:

• Recurrence Score lower than 18: This suggests you have a low risk of recurrence. The benefit of chemotherapy is likely to be small and will not outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence Score between 18 and 31: This score suggests you have an “intermediate” risk of recurrence. It’s unclear whether the benefits of chemotherapy outweigh the risks of side effects.
• Recurrence Score greater than 31: You have a high risk of recurrence, and the benefits of chemotherapy are likely to be greater than the risks of side effects.

Because I am in the intermediate range, and this study has been conducted primarily for post menopausal women with no lymph node involvement, my doctor and I have decided that chemotherapy is the right next step. After I finish the fertility treatments at Shady Grove to harvest my eggs, I will start chemotherapy. I am still torn as to whether I will do this at Sibley with Dr. Fred Smith or at Georgetown with Dr. Claudine Isaacs. I need to make a final decision this week. They are both recommending the same treatment plan, so it is a matter of the care I will receive during treatment and post treatment and the facilities. I liked both doctors, but I did feel like Georgetown was a pain in the ass to get to and looked very run down. If anyone wants to weigh in on this please do! I have one glowing review for Isaacs at Georgetown and I am going to get some more opinions from the young women’s support group at Sibley tomorrow night.