Can’t sleep,Possibly breast cancer and feeling frightened

[Rockschooldropout]

I’m 52 and on hrt so when I noticed my left breast felt a bit tender recently I put it down to hormones.Ive been a bit negligent with checking my boobs as I’ve had some heart issues and then my DDad died in April

However I noticed over the course of the last week , my left boob swelling before my eyes , the veins have become prominent and the side and nipple area became very tender . I managed to get a gp appointment this morning and after examining me she said she didn’t like the look of it as my skin is puckered and there’s an obvious quite large ill defined lump near my areola. She’s refered me on the 2 week pathway and I’ve made the mistake of falling down the Google hellhole of inflammatory cancer .
This evening DD came to give me a cuddle and rested her head on the side of my boob and it was painful - I’m not feeling very optimistic at the moment ..

I’m so glad e writhing was ok , I think the waiting for the appointment is torture isn’t it …
my boob has never been red which is odd

Yes the waiting is horrible! Distract yourself over the weekend and Tuesday will come quickly. Best of luck x

Yes thankfully we have a busy weekend as it’s my DS birthday . My gp said my lump was ill defined so not a cyst sadly , so I’m bracing myself for a biopsy

I’m so sorry you’re still waiting. Just for some sort of reassurance, I had a biopsy and was nicely numbed so didn’t feel it at the time. Not too uncomfortable afterwards, although the odd paracetamol helps.
I could see from the scan before the biopsy that things were suspicious but the biopsy confirmed the type of issue. I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy 2 weeks later. Again, after bricking it pre-op, it was not scary - they keep the pace brisk until you’re asleep. I’m getting the results of the tissue they took during my op next week. Keeping busy is the watchword for me too.

I hope things are soon clearer for you. It’s a bloomin awful thing to go through. I hope your team are calm and reassuring.

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic
sorry you’ve joined the club no one wants to be part of 😩 Have you had a treatment plan yet ?
I must admit I’m not looking forward to the biopsy so I feel a bit more reassured , thank you x
we are going away for a few days the day after (already booked) so I’ve got to try and hide things from the DCs as I don’t want to spoil their holiday .
My boob looks bizarre , swollen .. not red but veins standing on end .. there’s a constant ache now anc I’m just constantly aware of it . I fully expect it will be suspicious as my gp was convinced the lump feels malignant

@Rockschooldropout I hope to get a plan for onward treatment later this coming week. Must admit, I’m more nervous about this than I was the surgery as anything other than what I’m expecting (radio and endocrine tabs) will massively alter things. But one step at a time, grateful for the amount of knowledge about this condition.

I went away the week after the biopsy results as I had a trip overseas to a friend booked. Did me a lot of good and was a great distraction leading up to surgery. I only told my dc (adults) once I had the results and a surgery plan. They’ve been brilliant post surgery, making food and doing a bit of hoovering.

Ask the person doing your scan about what they’re seeing on screen. I straight up asked mine whether it was Bc and she confirmed it looked like it was. I think you’ll be assigned a breast nurse too at the scan.
my appointment took about 2.5 hours in and out of different rooms for this first detailed investigation.

Glad to hear your dcs have been helping out . Fingers crossed your treatment plan won’t alter , it’s a scary time with all the uncertainty isn’t it .., from what I know , if I have IBC it will be chemo first then mastectomy which all terrifies me . My youngest DD is 14 and I worry how she’ll take the news if it’s BC as she had a bone tumour as a child and has huge health anxiety .
Im guessing I’ll have ultrasound as well as mammogram ? I will definitely ask , I’d rather be told the honest truth

@Rockschooldropout totally agree with getting honesty. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
I have a few friends who’ve had chemo and mastectomies and they’re now doing well having gone through treatment.

Once we know what we are facing we can take it a day at a time.

Just to let you know I was thinking of you today OP and hope it went okay.

Please dont worry about rhe chemo. Im at the end of chemo 1 more to go then mastectomy in a few weeks. I expected to feel awful and apart from being a little more tired and achy legs ive felt absolutely fine. I had 12 x weekly chemo. Then 4 x 21 days chemo and immunotherapy for tnbc

Ive snatched many a long weekend away and done 2 music festivals. So I hope that reassures you a little .

Thinking of you. What an awful wait this has been for you.

As I usually say in these kinds of threads, until you are told by an oncoplastic surgeon or breast consultant you have breast cancer, try not to worry about it. Most importantly though, don't google or doom scroll online. Believe me, no good ever comes from it and you'll only make yourself more anxious.

Sending all good wishes to you OP - fwiw, I'm four months post-chemo, two months post-radiotherapy, eleven months since mastectomy no. 1, and due to have a second in a few months time. You will get through treatment and surprise yourself with how you have coped with it all. And should you need chemo and you struggle/it makes you unwell, they will allow a short break if you ask.

Should you have BC, this book is really great, I recommend it. (I only read the chapters I needed to read, and only at that particular point of treatment. Lastly, breast cancer is sadly, a well-trodden path, although one that thankfully, is well-funded and researched. You'll be in excellent hands. Macmillan are hugely helpful, and if you are diagnosed with IBC or any kind of BC (or cancer full stop), call them and they will help.

Thinking of you ❤️

How was your appointment today, OP?

I've been thinking of you, are you OK? X

Thinking of you too as I've been there x

Don’t google anything more. It will make you spiral. I googled during a previous health scare and it sent me off a cliff. Then - things were no where near what I was imagining in my mind. It was really harmful. You’ll see things with confirmation bias and panic. Positive distractions while u wait. I think if I was beside myself with worry- I’d maybe consider a private breast ultrasound. It’s not the most comprehensive imaging but it’s somewhere to start and should cost less than £150.

OP had her appointment today

UPDATE : unfortunately it’s most likely cancer 😔
I was a in three hours , I had a mammogram , then a 4d one , then they brought the consultant radiographer in for my ultrasound which felt ominous and she said straight off .. I had two abnormal areas in my breast , there were no lumps but the two areas were heavily calcified which is suspicious of cancer . She did two punch biopsies , one fine needle one and also my lymph node under my arm . Jesus I’m sore now !
I don’t want to worry the dcs so pretended I was at work this evening .
I was then taken in to see the breast surgeon who said “ I believe we are looking at cancer “ and started talking about surgery and reconstructions .
Then I had an hour with the breast nurse .
I can’t fault how kind and lovely everyone was .
Results appointment in two weeks but the breast surgeon said to expect this to be an appointment to discuss treatment , she said it is highly suspicious if cancer they just need to know what they are dealing with

@Rockschooldropout so sorry you are going through this. How do you feel about it?

Oh shit I am sorry. But you are in the right place, and fingers crossed that it's early stages and not so intrusive. You sound as if you have a supportive husband x Much hugs. Xxx

@Rockschooldropout

Sorry to hear this is cancer. I felt it might be with the symptoms you described which were very similar to mine. I have had surgery, chemo, and rads and I'm still here over 10 years later so don't despair. I would be happy to chat /PM if that helps.

For those who persist in believing the myth that breast cancer isn't painful. it can be I assure you. Mine was.

I'm very sorry @Rockschooldropout

I hope the next steps are swift and the biopsy results are as low risk as can be.

Please don't panic. This is the hardest part, waiting for the full picture and the treatment plan. It does get easier I promise.

I am four years on from BC and recovered well. The treatments are effective and you'll be very well looked after.

Hope you’re ok OP. My friend had calcified areas and several punch biopsies, but hers was not cancer, despite her expecting the worst. She has titanium markers in that breast now.