Likely breast cancer after ultrasound

[spartanrunnergirl]

Hi all after routine mammogram I was referred for an ultrasound, which I had today and the radiologist said it's likely a cancer, thus did a few core biopsies. I did not know that cancer could be detected at ultrasound stage but she was pretty certain it was cancer and said the biopsies were to see what they were dealing with. Has anyone else had this? Thank you

Thanks @spartanrunnergirl . I am in Australia. I can take more time off (although will soon use up my paid sick leave) but just hate feeling I'm letting my team and manager down. Also feeling a bit overwhelmed re Christmas and a host of family birthdays coming up. Indeed the trauma has a long tail.

Glad to hear you are recovering well x
please don’t panic about Tamoxifen .. everyone is different .. my friend did a full ten years of it and said she had zero side effects .
This time on Friday I’ll be having my first chemo and I’m terrified . They changed me to a 3 weekly regime as I’m now having nab - paclitaxel so it will be a stronger dose , terrified of the side effects .
I tried out my boost rest form yesterday and was very impressed .. it’s really light weight and you wouldn’t know I’d lost a breast , it’s really natural

@StartupRepair I ended up having the best part of 9 months off work and I still feel like I went back too soon tbh. If you can, take your time. Christmas is stressful enough I find, without the added pressure. I don't think I've processed it properly yet, still just going through the motions (but I am still on various treatments so still on the conveyor belt)

Hi all, just checking in. Nice to read some of your updates.
Tomorrow I've finally got my appointment with the results of my biopsy taken 2 weeks ago.
It's been a really hard and stressful couple of weeks. Having to pretend everything is ok as I haven't told anyone about this. Only my husband knows.

Part of me wants to know what's going on so hopefully a plan can be put in place. But I'm also terrified. Keep thinking I'll be told news that they can't treat me. Like i've got some rare cancer or it's already spread. I don't know, I'm catastrophising I guess.
I've got a 6yo child. I'm only 40. And I only lost my mum to cancer in June. I don't know how I'm supposed to tell my beloved dad that I've got it too.

I will update when I get my results tomorrow. In a way I hope getting news of a plan of action will bring comfort. Right now I'm still in the oh shit I've been told it looks like cancer on my mammogram and ultrasound stage.
It's been the longest 2 weeks of my life.

Love to you all x

Huge hugs @chococakey you’ll have a load of virtual supporters in there with you. Update when you can but no rush, you may need time to process. You’ll definitely feel better when you have this initial information as a plan will start to form.

Is your husband going with you? Mine came to my feedback and I felt strangely calm as it was confirming what I sort of knew from the scan and then a plan was put into place. Give yourself some time to think what to say to those you wish to know.

Go steady.

@chococakey I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. When it was confirmed to me, I was fine but my fiance was a wreck. It's a strange feeling. I hope you get a better outcome than me x

Thank you for the kind words x
DH is coming with me. He's taken the day off work.
We've got a Christmas day out with our son on Saturday that's been booked for months so trying to focus on getting through tomorrow so we can go to that. But it's a weird feeling knowing tomorrow you're facing a life changing conversation.

@chococakey sending love and sisterhood to you. After getting my cancer info and plan it's been quite a journey, but always better than that first waiting game. I hope you manage to enjoy your Christmas treat with your DS. Xx

Thinking of you @chococakey

Waiting for results is the hardest .. like you I’d lost a parent from cancer .. my dad in the April and my mum has stage 4 lymphoma .. so I couldn’t believe this as happening to me too … what I will say is after the initial appointment where they said I most likely had cancer .. I actually felt quite calm when I got my results .. I was expecting it .. and I knew the. They would put a plan in place to treat me . After I was told a lovely nurse made me and DH a cup of tea and it was the best cup of tea ever .. I felt like I was in safe hands from then on x

Just wanted to add my best wishes. You sound like me, prepare for the worst. I knew I was getting a cancer diagnosis. All I wanted to know was that they could deal with it and I wouldn't leave my disabled 7 year old who just had me. They did deal with it and I'm still here. I'm coming up to five years and pray that it will be ok going forward. I will be thinking of you. I hope it's good news but if it's not then know you'll get through it

@chococakey if it is a cancer diagnosis it will come with information and a plan. I found it helpful to have dates of treatments etc to put in my calendar so the future felt a bit less like a black hole.

Thinking of you for today @chococakey

Please don't feel pressured to go back before you're ready @StartupRepair - if your colleagues are decent people they will want you to be recovered. I do recognise the financial pressure.

Thinking of all. Still in the waiting phase here (repeat biopsies are next week)

Good luck today @chococakey xx

Im off to hospital for my first chemo. Terrified .. putting it mildly

Thinking of you @chococakey

Sending calming wishes to you @Rockschooldropout a huge milestone and one off the list. I hope it goes as well as possible. Please keep really well hydrated, it helps, and take it easy.

I have had an appointment with the bra lady and was rather emotional afterwards. She’s done a lovely job of fitting and was super kind. However, having had a reconstruction my newer boob is a couple of cups smaller than the other. I hadn’t expected to need a partial form that sits over the reconstruction, having wondered if there was just the equivalent of the “chicken fillets” people popped in their bras that would fill a little space, “pushing” my new boob gently to make a cleavage. I’m going to do some research and will get my sewing kit out to make something. The pocketed bra and falsie do look good under a higher necked garment but the “you won’t be able to wear xyz” was a challenge (& I’m up to disprove that). I’m not keen for a reduction on the other side which would solve the issue. Hopefully I’ll be sharing success on a later thread once I’ve worked out what/ how to make something to just give that little lift/ squeeze.

I had a wide incision lumpectomy and my boob is now approx 2 cups smaller. I have just carried on wearing my normal bras because it doesn't really notice under my clothes. It's also softened up and filled out a bit now. I never thought to try padding, maybe I should give it a go and see what it looks like. Admittedly I'd rather the other boob was the same size as I prefer smaller boobs!

@chococakey I hope you're ok. I really empathise because I was 50 and my son was only 7 when I was diagnosed. I'm also a lone parent and son has a disability. It's such a fear. I really hope that you get/have had some good news. Thinking of you

Thanks @TheFormidableMrsC it did all seem rather too much. I will try a few things although tbh I’m happy enough with the post surgery bra under clothes where it doesn’t show. I do like a v neck and a bit of cleavage though (which I have got thanks to the reconstruction although just need to balance up the right bra. It’s about feeling like me again, which is so very important.

Hi @TheFormidableMrsC I had a wide local excision too and I have a dent where they removed the lump, am I reading your comment right in that over time that fills out as the breast tissue settles post surgery?

Yes I'd say that's what happened with me. It was hard round the edges and just not right! It's settled down a lot. It looks as normal as it's going to look given they removed my nipple and sewed it back on. I found developing my pecs helped too!

Absolutely it's vital that you get some normality back! It's important to feel good about yourself ❤️

I have just finished treatment for a grade 2 invasive lobular breast cancer. Like you it was picked up early. First mammogram too! I went trolling the internet looking for info, help, reassurance and pretty much just found horror stories that petrified me. I had a lumpectomy 3 months ago. I finished my 5 days of radiotherapy 2 days ago. My prognosis is excellent, low risk of any reoccurrence 😅I was a bit sore after the lumpectomy but never in any, what I would call pain. The radiotherapy has left me with a pink boob that looks a tad sunburned, but again, not painful. The breast surgeons are true artists, I still can work out how they can remove tissue and leave you looking the same, bar a few stitch marks that have already faded to almost nothing. I promise that you are dealing with the worst part which is waiting. If you have any questions please ask, I wish I'd had a me when I was at your point in the process.

Hi everyone, thanks for the well wishes today. Hope everyone is doing ok.

So I went for my results and was told I have stage 1 lobular breast cancer. I am having a lumpectomy on 17th Dec. They will also do a biopsy on my lymph nodes during the surgery. Then when they have the results from my surgery they will discuss the next steps which they said would most likely be radiotherapy, tablets and possibly chemo. All depends on the results post surgery.

Also they're going to do BRCA testing as my mum died from cancer earlier this year and my nan died from it too. Plus now I've been diagnosed at age 40.

The lump is approx 3cm. Consultant and nurses very kind. Tried to reassure me this has been caught early and should be treatable.

Felt very overwhelmed. Was given so much information and paperwork I got back to the car and just cried. My husband was there which was a big support.

I feel slightly better in the sense now I know what I'm dealing with. I know there are still alot of unknowns right now which won't be answered until after my surgery.
Having a plan for surgery is a good first step I suppose. It's not the news I wanted, but I have to take the positives which is it's been caught earlier and hopefully I'll be successful in my treatment.

Need some time to process this over the weekend and then next week I need to somehow tell my dad and also some close friends. I don't want to broadcast it too widely. I'm not good at talking about personal things and would rather keep this all semi-private in real life. Which is why it's such a blessing having an online outlet of very supportive ladies to chat with. So thank you.

That sounds like a lot to absorb @chococakey . You just have to go through each step at a time. Keep a list of questions as you go through all the paperwork and resources, it can be quite overwhelming. X

Oh hugs to you @chococakey lots to take in. Did they connect you to a nurse when you had your appointment? I found that invaluable as I could call them to ask questions.

You are very right, it is early, treatable with an excellent prognosis . But nothing like the shock of that confirmed diagnosis.

Stepping stones was my mantra, and dealing with the next thing happening.

I hope you manage to enjoy tomorrow with your son xx