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

Hi @Fillybuster nice to hear from you and to hear those positive biopsy results. Hope your op goes well tomorrow.

I've been told I'll also be having BRCA testing but I haven't heard any more about it since they originally mentioned it when I was first diagnosed back in November.
Maybe when I finally get a follow up appointment for my lumpectomy and the results I might hear about that as one of the next steps in my treatment plans.

Glad the BRCA results are clear@Fillybuster. All the best for tomorrow.

Good news, @Fillybuster All the best tomorrow.

I’ve now read all the way back through the thread, with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat a few times along the way. You lot are incredible 💜

@spartanrunnergirl thank you again for bringing this community together. It’s so sad that there’s such a need for it, but at the same time, I’m so grateful for all the support and experience that is shared on here.

@chococakey flip….you’ve been through a heck of a 6 weeks 💐 It really doesn’t feel right that they’ve just left you hanging at this point. I guess you have to believe that they would have come back to you much faster if there was cause for concern. Keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

@quietmaelstrom sending (careful) hugs your way❤️‍🩹

@PemberleynotWemberley thank you for sharing your experience - my heart absolutely went out to you when I read your first post. I totally recognise that desire to stick on a brave face and pretend everything is fine: the thing I’ve found hardest through all of this has been talking to friends and family about what’s going on. Partly that’s because I’m very facts-based, and the first 6 weeks or so were ongoing investigations, so I didn’t know what I had, which made it harder to talk about, but theres definitely a part of me that would much rather pretend all is fine than admit not or ask for help. Your calling that out came as a timely reminder for me. I really hope this thread and community can give you some recognition and closure after all that time carrying it on your own 🫶💐

@catin8oots when do you expect to hear back?

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic & @BatshitCrazyWoman you’re both absolute bloody legends. Hats off to the pair of you ⭐️👊

All my pre-op stuff is now complete. They struggled to get the wire into place (oh, the joy of dense breast tissue all over again!) and then took ages squishing me around for the mammograms.

Wire is poking out under my left arm; boob is feeling super bruised & I’m uncomfortably aware that this is probably the best I’m going to feel for a good few days to come.

Lumpectomy is first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you to whoever asked what to wear to hospital - I hadn’t even got that far in my head. So now I’m off to pack a small bag ( it’s meant to be a day case but they’ve suggested bringing stuff just in case) and work out what my comfiest clothing options will be.

@Fillybuster I had my lumpectomy on December 30th - it was NOWHERE near as bad as I thought it was going to be. The worst part was waiting from 7.30am admission to going down at 11.30am. Operation took just 30 minutes and was home by 4.30pm. Recovery has been good and I took the full 2 weeks off work and literally watched TV, dozed and played on my phone. I could have gone back earlier but decided to be take some time and be sure. I took paracetamol for a couple of days but didn't really need it.
Take your comfy bra, a book, phone , charger and ear phones ( hard to concentrate on the book, I found), dressing gown and slippers. If you can wear zip up or button up tops that's easier to get on after.

You can absolutely do this - it's just the next hurdle and the thought is much harder than the reality for the surgery.

I had a lumpectomy 3 years ago and, while it wasn't a doddle, it was nowhere as bad as I thought it would be. I was a little sore afterwards, but didn't need painkillers. My recovery was fine. I'm sending some positive vibes💐

@Fillybuster Another one wishing you well. I had a lumpectomy almost 5 years ago. It was really not as bad as I imagined. As a PP said, the worst thing was the wait to go to theatre. I was in hospital at 7 am and wasn't taken down until 5 pm. I was so thirsty and hungry and that was rubbish. However the op itself was fine, needed no more than paracetamol for a day or two after. I hope you get home sharpish and recover well

Almost there, @Fillybuster. Like @Yamyamabroad I found the actual surgery and aftermath much better than anticipated, although yomping across Salisbury Plain the next day was a step too far. Just go with the flow and allow people to cherish and support you. All fingers and toes crossed for you. 💐

And thank you for your LOVELY post. I too think this thread has been a blessing- in fact the best thing I've seen on MN.

Just had a call from the hospital whilst I was on the school run - they have my lumpectomy results! They said they could offer me an appointment Tuesday or this afternoon as they had a cancellation today so I thought I'd take today's one to get the information asap.

Suddenly gone into a full on panic mode!

Popping in to give @chococakey a huge ahead of results. I’ll be waving my newly resculpted pom-poms in support. Hoping for the best for you.

Good luck with your results @chococakey !

Pom poms just really made me laugh and I needed that this morning so thank your Pom poms for that please 😂

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I'll let you know how I get on later x

Good luck for your appointment @chococakey

Ohh finally and good luck @chococakey - will be thinking of you 💗

@Fillybuster hope things go smoothly today for your op.

I'm back working now and plotting trail and marathon running adventures apt to my name 😁

Trying to deal with my nutty emotional post treatment head a bit, it's true what they say - it's a bit wobbly afterwards, but on the whole I'm good x

Pom-poms! 😂That's my new favourite name for the duckies. Thank you @dancingwhilstfacingthemusic you've made my morning.

@chococakey, wishing you ever so much luck for this afternoon. You are already a legend and we are all rooting for you.

Good luck @chococakey

Great that you will finally have some information today @chococakey - glad they offered you the cancellation. All the best for today.

Best wishes for @Fillybuster too.

Thinking of you @chococakey .

Hi everyone, thank you for all the well wishes. I've struggled telling people in real life about this whole situation and have only told 2 close friends. So it's so nice having people to chat to and who have been through this and understand.

So they said I had clear margins around the tumour which turned out to be 22mm. But 1 out of the 4 sentinel nodes removed was positive for cancer.

Absolutely floored. They said I'll be referred onto oncology for the next steps which will be chemo, radiotherapy and then hormone tablets to block oestrogen.

I was really praying for the nodes to be clear but they're not. I felt so blind sided by the news I couldn't take it all. They were saying 'preventative chemo' - is that good? Is only 1 in 4 nodes a good thing? I felt numb when I heard the news I couldn't take in what they were saying. Are there any positives to this? Right now I'm fearing the worst.

Now feel so upset and scared for what happens next. More waiting as well as they said it would be 2-3 weeks before I see oncology.

Hello @chococakey

Good that the margins were clear - that means your can continue to heal and won't need any more surgery.

Not so good about the node - sorry to hear that. Others will be able to help more with what this will mean and what the chemo is likely to entail but wanted to reply and give you a hug.

Oh rubbish, I am sorry to hear you have more to get through, @chococakey. First positive thing not to lose sight of is the clear margins. I'm afraid I don't know how good or bad one out of four sentinel nodes is. I believe the presence of cancer cells in any sentinel node triggers further treatment- I would have expected a lymphatic strip, but only because that's what I was told would happen to me if the nodes weren't clear.
Of course you are blindsided by this complication, and it's a shame if you are going into the weekend with more questions than answers. Can I suggest you try to reach a BC nurse by phone today and ask them what questions you should be directing to your doctor? They will be able to advise you on the sort of things you need to know.
And then lots of distraction activity until you can get some answers.
I wish there was a hand hold or hug emoji but here's a virtual one of each. ❤️

Here, lovely surgeon has phoned from MDT to say that the samples sent from the second surgery (cavity shave) were all clear of disease, so good news from me.

Next week's clinic appointment should hopefully let me know something about the radiotherapy plan ...

@chococakey I’m so sorry to hear of the node. Echoing other posters to say to try to get hold of a Bc nurse. I wonder if the Macmillan helpline is open over the weekend just to talk to someone.

@quietmaelstrom so glad that the second surgery did the trick on margins. I hope your plan forward is without incident.

I have a liver scan Sunday morning (it’s been playing up since surgery and through chemo), then a phone consultation with my oncologist on Monday morning. Fingers very crossed for boring and no more jump scares.

Virtual hug to @chococakey I’m glad we have this space to support one another.

Oh bollocks @chococakey that is not the news you wanted and the waiting game returns for a few more weeks. I am so so sorry. Xx

@chococakey I'm sorry to hear the news wasn't what you wanted. However, it's one node and the chemo will be to make sure everything is gone. I know many people who have had BC with node involvement and remain well years later. You've got clear margins which is good news. I'd suggest giving the breast cancer now helpline a call if you need to talk things through over the weekend. I'd also suggest that you ask if you can meet with your BCN to go through things so you have a chance to take things in.

I had to have chemo despite having no node involvement because I needed Herceptin and you have to have chemo with that regardless. It wasn't terrible at all. I got through it really well and there's lots of tips and advice that we can help you with when the time comes. Everything will feel very out of control right now but you'll feel a lot more empowered when you've got a plan and you've seen your oncologist. In the meantime, no googling as we all know, a glass of wine or two if you fancy and some nice food and try and take a breath.