posted by Ferntree
13 February 2022
Chemo after axillary clearance
Last reply:
15 February 2022 11:56
I’ve had a lumpectomy and axillary clearance in early January. My focus now is physio as I don’t have full flexibility in my arm. It’s been a slow recovery. I sleep two hours during the day.
I’m dreading chemo as in my heart I don’t think it’s the right thing to do - I dread the long term risk of chemo fog and fatigue. Are there any other viable options available?
Hi Ferntree,
Thank you for posting on the online community.
I am sorry to read of your diagnosis of breast cancer and I so hope that you continue to recover from your surgery.
Chemotherapy is given to patients after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. Your oncologist will review a number of different factors such as the size of the breast tumour, whether any lymph nodes were positive, what grade your cancer cells were and whether the cancer cells had hormone receptors. Based these results your oncologist would suggest whether you should have chemotherapy.
It is important to speak with your team about why they are recommending chemotherapy for you.
Please feel free to contact the Support Line if you want to speak with a cancer nurse. The support line number is 1800 200 700, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm.
Kind Regards,
Cancer Nurse