My journey so far with cancer has begun to feel like a true battle. And it's not the cancer and side affects of treatment that are totally to blame.

I wasn't able to begin chemo until 6 wks+ after my surgery as the medical oncologst was out of the country for the holidays. So I was eager to get things underway once she returned. I'd heard nothing but great things about her and as much as the thought of chemo wasn't a pleasant thought, I knew that it would be necessary to effectively treat my cancer and I just wanted to do it and get it over with.

I began the chemo late January (Taxotere and Cytoxin) accompanied with other meds to help the experience be a bit more tolerable. Before I began my 2nd round I had lost my hair and a sinus infection was creeping up on me. I spiked a temp and started a 2nd go of antibiotics to counter the infection.

Beginning the 2nd round of chemo I started into a nearly 3 wk menses which I attributed to early menopause as it was a listed side effect of chemo in all my research. My hempglobin dropped to 7.9 and the lab failed to contact me for 3 days while I worked my job. (I work for a teaching hospital/university as a police officer - this is where I receive my care) I'd been experiencing chest pain, and shortness of breath and extreme tiredness and had called the Dr. office about the symptoms - they called in a RX for yet another antibiotic, presuming that my symptoms were related to my sinus infection that kept returning.

The following Mon. the nurse called and advised that the labs were critical and that I needed to come in to be redrawn. The hemoglobin had dropped to 7.4 and I received blood that day. The Dr. cancelled the chemo altogether, stating that it was making me too sick and it wasn't worth the risk and that I'd begin radiation instead.

She had further said that the tumor was only 1.2 mm and small enough that she felt 2 rounds was enough. (The tumor was 2 cm - 1.2mm was the size of invasive portion of a slice of the tumor)

I wasn't in agreement with that decision and I know that the drop in hemoglobin was caused by the menses and not directly by the chemo. At a followup appt, I spoke to the surgeon who agreed with me and he in turn spoke to the oncologist. I was also concerned about not having been contacted about the lab results in a timely manner, especially knowing that I could've coded at any time while I was working that low. But my heart was still recuperating at the time and I focused on what the next steps were going to be.

The oncologist and I discussed it at my next appt and I explained my concerns and she listened. Chemo was restarted. She's not difficult to talk to - I just wasn't speaking up. And I needed to.

I next met the radiation oncologist to talk about what the treatment plan would be following chemo. I have a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer and am awaiting results on the genetic study. The surgeon had already discussed with me that given the history of cancer and recurrence that a bi-lateral mastectomy w/reconstruction should be considered. The radiation oncologist didn't agree. He said that if the mastectomy was going to be done that there would be no sense in doing the radiation. He suggested that I speak with the surgeon further and make a decision relatively soon.

When looking over my chart the radiation oncologist casually mentioned that a cyst on my liver that had not changed remarkably since 2004. I had no clue what he was talking about. I never knew that I had one and it had definitely never been looked into further.

After leaving the hospital day, the thought of the cyst bothered me more and more, so I called the medical oncologist to inquire about it. They returned my call the following day and assured that the cyst was just that and nothing to worry about.

I guess I'm not certain how they can be so sure with just a CT. The nurse stated that the radiologist can tell and if he'd been suspicious that followups would have been done.

I'm just not totally confident in my care anymore and don't know what more I can do to change that. Should I be worrying about these things or letting them go? I'd truly appreciate any advice on the matter. Thanks!