is it advisable for a diabetic patient to take chemo

hello my mother is been operated and her right breast is been removed , she had inductal carcinoma grade 3, her2 positive . and a diabetic, operation donr on 29 june 2009 today appox 39 days . shd we give her chemo and herceptin ?? ..........we are afraid cause she is very week and also has diabites.
regards
vicky54654
***@****

[katarina777]

Hi vicky, diabetes is not a condition where the patient is advised not to have chemo because of this. This is also true for surgery and radiation, as in all three cases, just like with anyone else, it is assumed that the benefits outweigh the dangers.

If your mother is in overall poor health, the doctor will consider such, but not based on her Diabetes.

With surgery there is a higher risk with diabetics for poor wound healing if their blood sugars are not adequately controlled, mostly.

With chemo the major problem I see is the day and day folllowing treatment, because they add a steroid to the infusion and this will make your mother's BS very high for a couple of days. (She may need to take extra insulin)

Otherwise, and this is less of a problem for those who do not use Insulin, would be that it is quite impossible, or at least difficult with chemo to eat a regular diet at regular times, as sometimes you just don't want to eat and othertimes you can.
But barely do people undergoing chemotherapy still vomit these days, although there may be nausea.

As a diabetic she will also be more prone to mouth yeast infections, but which is also common in non diabetics and this can be treated.

I think your mother's doctor will be best able to decide in terms of her overall health which chemo to prescribe, as some are gentler than others especially in the taxol family.

As to your other question, we cannot answer this here as there is way too little information about both your mothers health, history, age, etc, and her particular cancer. You should write down the questions you have for the oncologist.

Best, Katrin