Anyone awake?

[Ilmiopinguino]

I need a handhold. I'm freaking out. I got diagnosed with early stage grade 3 dcis and I'm so scared. I've had an mri and I'm so scared it's spread and I'm going to die. I'm just so scared.

Hello lovely,
I couldn’t leave your message unanswered. I’m sorry about your illness and I’m sending strong healing vibes your way. I notice your Italian user name. Holding your hand through this sleepless night.

Thank you. I've been going round in circles and no one to talk to. I know I've got to calm down but it's hard in the middle of the night isn't it!

Hello. I’m awake. I’m so sorry for your illness. What can you think of to do now to help you feel stronger right now? Hot bath? Telly? Gaming? Reading? Can you find something distracting?

That sounds pretty shit, no wonder you are awake. Everything feels so much worse at night. Get yourself a cup of tea and put the tv on. It won't help but might bring the morning sun in a bit quicker xx

Very hard! My mother died very suddenly from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma many years ago now so I don’t always trust medical information about cancer, but I looked up some academic papers on DCIS and found this:

“Generally, patients diagnosed with DCIS have an excellent long-term breast-cancer-specific survival of around 98% after 10 years of follow-up24–27 and a normal life expectancy.”

I found this reassuring on your behalf. I don’t know if it will help you. The full article is here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6697179/#:~:text=Generally%2C%20patients%20diagnosed%20with%20DCIS,and%20a%20normal%20life%20expectancy.

Thanks so much for the messages. It's good to feel less alone. I think I've got hung up on the fact it's grade 3 dcis and apparently that's got a higher chance of developing secondary cancer. I can't get the words out of my head.

A horrible shock. You are processing it. I like @cric’s advice about the morning sun. It has been so comforting on my face, and the beautiful blossoms are out and flourishing. Words can echo for a bit but this will pass soon.

Hi there. A big hug from me. Everything seems much worse in the middle of the night but you have people all over the world who are here for you. I am in Australia. However you also need support IRL. One practical thing you could do now is find the contact details for breast cancer charities and then ring them first thing tomorrow so you can talk to someone who has first hand knowledge. Hang in there. 💐

Thank you. I will ring the charities. It might have to wait until Tuesday when my daughter will be back in school. I'm do grateful for mumsnet and being able to tune in to some global kindness.

No wonder you are awake. I can’t being to imaging the fear you are feeling and I am so sorry you are facing this turmoil. As a previous OP said the odds are very much in your favour. Your said you are worried about secondaries which is understandable but also hold on to the fact medical professionals know this too and you will be very closely checked on to make sure any secondaries would be caught very early too.

my MIL in her 60s had bowel cancer ) caught early) was treated and after a difficult year was doing very well. 3 years later with zero symptoms they caught secondaries in both lungs. She was given surgery and two lobes removed from one lung and a small portion from the other lung. That was 7 years ago and she is doing amazingly well and was older than I think you are and really wasn’t in great health / fitness due to scoliosis and arthritis.

just wanted to encourage you that secondaries are a reality but you will be so closely monitored and checked on due to this diagnosis that they would be caught extremely early and the outcome is like to be favourable.

big massive virtual hug 💕

They have cancer boards here that wil be able to support you

Of course it’s a massive shock, I’m sorry you’re going through this.

Everything is worse at night, it’s dark, it’s quiet and your mind races. Do you have a partner you can wake up and talk to, or even just ask to hold you?

I struggle to get up at night because I don’t want to disturb the house - if you’re like this do you have any mindless games on your phone ala Candy Crush?

you don’t happen to have any sleeping tablets so you can knock yourself out?

Sending love from another insomniac. I am drinking a double teabag chamomile tea! Hoping you get rest soon.

Another handhold for you OP. We are here for you and sending good vibes. Perhaps listen to a relaxation recording if you feel panicked.

No partner but I guess that makes it easier to wander about at night. I've now got a decaff coffee with sugar and a hefty slug of whisky. And if that doesn't work ill dig out some melatonin. My eldest will likely be awake in a couple of hours so that should distract me. Thank you all.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/macmillan-support-line
Macmillan are really excellent.
Samaritans are around now, though might be a wait to get through. They will understand the need to reach out to a person when you're going through something very tough.
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

I'm up for a few more minutes and just wanted to offer you a huge hug and a handhold. Hope you're sound asleep now but if not, there's always someone here for you ♥️

I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I had the same last summer; I had a mastectomy and they did find a small patch of invasive cancer in the removed tissues so I've just finished chemo. I just want to reassure you that even though it's an awful thing to process, DCIS is so incredibly treatable. I have tried to reframe my diagnosis as "I'm so lucky it was caught early before it turned even nastier" and I honestly believe that. I was told DCIS is almost like a red flag and very often preempts invasive cancer; certainly proved true in my case.

I hope my story doesn't make you feel worse, just wanted to say that yes it's scary and awful and no one should pretend otherwise but it can be dealt with. Do you have a Maggie's centre near you? I'm being treated at the Marsden in Sutton and the people at Maggie's are so kind and helpful, do contact your local one if you just need someone to chat to.

Very very best of luck to you.

Just checking in, @Ilmiopinguino. How are you doing now?

@Ilmiopinguino
Morning. Everything seems worse in the middle of the night. I was diagnosed last year, I remember the emotions very well.
Someone upthread mentioned the Cancer thread on here, there’s a really supportive group of people on there.
Here’s the link.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/5059016-cancer-support-thread-94-sweetness-and-light-the-two-noblest-of-things?page=8&reply=134978714

Just checking in to see how OP is getting on..you seemed ever so worried hope your ok x