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

Brilliant news @catin8oots

That’s good news @quietmaelstrom

Fingers crossed here too that the random nosebleeds I had on paclitaxel are not seeming to be a feature of EC. I’ll take any small “up”!

Hope everyone has something lovely this weekend. I’ll be on horizontal hold but have a few nice things on Netflix / podcasts.

Hello everyone . Not posted on this thread much but I’ve finished cycle 5 of carboplatin , abraxane and phesgo . My cycle 6 was cancelled as I became allergic to abraxane after first having a reaction to paclitaxel so surgery is being brought forward instead .
my surgery is a mastectomy with no reconstructive surgery . I’ll just be flat .
Wouid any ladies who have gone through the mastectomy mind telling me about recovery pls ?

@lisalisa I had a double mastectomy in October. The first few days were hard, tubes and drains etc. but there was less pain than I thought. I didn't drive for 6 weeks. 4 months later I have been swimming, went to a Pilates class tonight and feeling much more like myself.

Thank you all.

@lisalisa I'm sorry to hear you've having a tough time.

I'm having a mastectomy and reconstruction purely for cosmetic reasons so will be interested to see any advice too.

I'm happy to share my reconstruction journey if anyone is interested - but I don't want to post inappropriately on the thread as I'm currently cancer free.

Just want to give people an alternative experience.

I had EC and then pax and carbo. I cold capped. I didn't lose any hair.

Nothing you say is inappropriate. Every bit of advice helps those going through it. I'm nearly five years post BC and I'm posting here! ☺️

Cancer free sounds marvellous @catin8oots as does your own experience to share with us all rattling through this.

@lisalisa I had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, so a bigger recovery than going flat. Pain was well controlled and I was up and about next day (gently).

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic what type of reconstruction did you have?

@catin8oots i had immediate reconstruction with implant. In my case, the surgeon chose to put in an expander during surgery rather than a fixed size. It was my third operation as there hadn’t been clear margins on the first two so he was being very cautious about healing. I had the implant half full during the operation and he then did the rest of the inflation a few weeks later. I had a drain for a couple of weeks as it’s a foreign body under the skin.

it was a Hobson’s choice as personally, being flat would have been too much for me to deal with mentally. I’ll probably need a couple of fat grafts to sort out a few ripples and dips, and will have to have the implant replaced after 10-15 years. I couldn’t face the reconstruction using my own body tissue although that is the best one according to my surgeon. Also, due to the size of implants allowed and the fact that I’d already had margins trimmed over my boob on the two previous surgeries one side is a few cup sizes smaller than the other. They’ve said they can offer a reduction on my remaining breast so that I don’t have to use a partial prosthesis but I’m just not up for any more surgery. I may change my mind but for now I want out once I’ve finished chemo in a few weeks.

Morning all how is everyone?

I finally got a date to start my chemo through today. 28th Feb. Still seems such a long way off! It'll be over 2 months post surgery that I'm starting the chemo.
Just worry that they're giving me all this treatment for any lurking cells but they're giving it a long time to 'lurk'!

I'll be having 4 x EC and then 4 x pax. I said I'd like to give the cold cap a go so we'll see how that works out.

Oh @chococakey I bet that seems like a lifetime away but it will come round quick.

I don't know much about the cold cap but my mum had it both times (20 and 30 years ago) and she kept all her hair. Her eyebrows did disappear but to be fair she never really had any from them being plucked to fuck in the 60s 😀

She always said it was uncomfortable but bearable

I should imagine the technology has come in leaps and bounds since then

Hi @chococakey things are moving on!

I’m going to cold cap to the end of my 16 chemos (12 pacli and 4EC). I’ve now done the 2nd and a week in am shedding worse than my dog in spring 🙄 hardly lost any hair at all on pacli but the EC has marched in and shown it has the power to kick butt. At least if I go to the end, I understand my hair should grow back stronger and faster. I’ve told my brothers they may have more hair than me by the weekend!

It took a week but I feel much more like myself after a very tired few days. I kept up with the meds and it’s been ok. Next one in a week, bloods allowing. One more filgrastim tomorrow - I think I’ve just about worked out how to do the injection now - gone are the days of the district nurse visiting to do it. I could do with a kind “call the midwife” type dropping in to check on me and do my jab.

@chococakey glad you have a start date. One tip I was given was to take paracetamol about an hour before the cold cap went on. I did this and I think it helps at the beginning (when it really is very cold!).

I've had a pre-surgery mammogram, ultrasound, Scout marker check and dye stuff injection. Have blood tests (anaesthetist wants bloods) tomorrow, then surgery on Saturday. I've also got an appointment in a couple of weeks with the radiotherapy doctor. I've been incredibly tired this week, and although I'm eating a bit more, I'm still really weak 🙁

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic I'm so glad you're feeling a bit better. I didn't really think about a nurse or anyone else doing the filgrastim injections until one of the nurses asked me who did mine. I live on my own and the cat doesn't have opposable thumbs, so I injected myself! I'm not phased by needles at all so I was fine. Fortunately!

*fazed (bloody chemo brain!)

@BatshitCrazyWoman its been a haul eh? I’m sure you’re well stocked up for the weekend onwards. Is there someone who can call in now and again? My friend did all this on her own (chemo, rads, surgery) and we were keen to just bring her a cuppa in bed/ on the sofa. Having said that, I was up and made breakfast for my dh and myself the next day after my first lumpectomy.

My dh offered to do my injection but I’d rather do it myself!

Yes, I've got local friends, and a stocked freezer (don't care about food really, so that's not my priority! Cups of tea, however, are vital ...). I'm such a control freak, I was happy to deal with the injections on my own 😂

I've added paracetamol to my list for things to make sure I have in stock before I start this.

I don't have a pre-assessment telephone appointment with the chemo nurse until the day before I have the first chemo so not much time to get the things I might need to help me through it.
I've got a blood test booked for the Tuesday and then start on the Friday if bloods are ok. Looks like general full blood count, liver function test and bone profile on the blood form.

I found a lovely soft heart blanket in Tesco today which I bought for myself for Valentine's Day to use as my chemo blanket under the cold cap! Maybe I'll get my DH to reimburse me the £8 haha!

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic Pleased to hear your feeling a little bit better.

@BatshitCrazyWoman Sorry to hear your feeling weak, sounds like a busy week with all those pre surgery tests.

We all have to take it all one step at a time x

Sorry for radio silence over the last 10 days or so. The second lumpectomy op wiped me out much more than I was expecting, and I think all the anxiety kind of hit me all at once too. Up until that point I’d been told everything was so super straightforward that it didn’t occur to me to consider what might happen if it wasn’t…..so I just wasn’t at all prepared emotionally or mentally. At that same time that I’m really aware how lucky I have been in terms of super early identification, quick surgery and relatively easy / low impact treatment….so many of you are dealing with much hairier and scarier diagnoses with a heck of a lot more grace than me!

Thankfully the biopsies from the second surgery came back completely clear. In some ways that was a bit frustrating, because it meant they did actually get everything out first time around, but because the cell activity was showing right up to the edges I do understand why they had to go back in. And definitely better safe than sorry.

I met with the oncologist on Monday to discuss radiotherapy timings. I have no idea why, but I had been sure they would want to wait 6-8 weeks post surgery - it really took the wind out of my sails when he suggested starting the week after next. I’m not sure if that counts as a snake or a ladder, but I definitely wasn’t expecting that! They explained I qualify for the 5 day fast track treatment, which (hopefully) means I can get it all over and done with by the end of the month.

I’m starting a new job with a new company towards the end of March, and I had been really worried about how my treatment would impact that but with any luck I’ll be over the worst of any side effects by then. Although this isn’t quite what I had in mind for my first ever gardening leave!

Can I ask you all for some advice on two things please?

1. At the moment I’m still taking my HRT meds, including oral oestrogen. Originally no one thought that would be an issue as the DCIS was small and low grade and not showing any oestrogen specific activity. Now that we know it was bigger, and high grade, and has some oestrogen receptor indications, it’s less clear whether I need to stop taking it. I appreciate that I’m really fortunate especially since I definitely don’t need tamoxifen etc, it’s more a question of how much risk introducing additional oestrogen into my system would be, once we’ve completed treatment, vs the benefits I get. Has anyone else been through this and what did you decide upon?
2. Skin sensitivity during / radiotherapy. Please can you share your experiences and help me understand what to expect and what I can do to manage any side effects? The oncologist mentioned not using any deodorant for 3-4 weeks on that side: is that normal, and did anyone find a natural substitute that works?

@chococakey ive been thinking of you loads. So relieved you now have a date to start your treatments, even if it’s still a couple of weeks off.

@BatshitCrazyWoman best of luck for this weekend. A full freezer and lots of tea is my go-to too! And I know what you mean about control freakery…although sometimes it’s good to accept a bit more help than you think you need.

@dancingwhilstfacingthemusic and @lisalisa sorry you’ve both been having a tough time. Hope it’s starting to feel a bit more manageable now.

As always, sending loads of love and hugs and huge appreciation to you all ❤️‍🩹

Waiting for results is just the hardest emotional time meeting with consultant is very reassuring once they have a plan..Going through this right now three weeks post op await chemo/rad plan..it is true no one wants to be in this club but the support is amazing from medical staff to other ladies you will meet..Keep Running/walking.. its great and will keep you busy...Sending you every good wish in the weeks ahead

Thank you @cupra Wishing you the best whilst you wait for your next steps of the plan.

@Fillybuster Nice to hear from you. Sorry you're having a tough time. I totally get when you find out things weren't as straight forward as first thought. It really does hit you hard!
But it's good to hear you've got a plan in place and looks like you'll be finished with active treatments soon.

Out of your questions I can't help with a most of them but I was told to use a natural deodorant starting 3 weeks post surgery and that I would also need that during radiotherapy (although I'm not there yet with the radio, probably be late summer by the time I finish chemo).

I've been using wild natural deodorant. I bought it in Holland and Barrett but you can buy it in Tesco too. It's ok.....not as good as a proper spray like Sure. I find by the end of the day I start to smell.
I find it a bit crumbly and waxy. Also expensive! So I'm kind of on the lookout for something else too.

Quick question for the ladies who are going through or have been through chemo....

How often did you see oncology throughout the treatment?

I've had letters in the post today giving me appointments every 3 weeks from the first chemo until June to see oncology.
I called and asked what they were for and all the receptionist could say were "follow ups".
Is this just to see how you're getting on with the chemo regime?
Seems like a lot of appointments when I waiting months see even see oncology post surgery!

Thanks for kind words guys. I think I just need the sun to come out!

@chococakey I had a face to face pre chemo. I have had two phone consultations so far and have another booked in a couple of weeks. These are stages over the 20 or so weeks of my chemo. My bloods are done the day before each cycle and reviewed by the specialist who authorises treatment and dose. Then there is the pre treatment chat with the nurse who is delivering the chemo and any drugs to take home in my party pack. You’ll get very familiar with discussing your loo frequency with a stranger! (Pro tip! A few nice medjool dates every day and for times when you need ondansetron (sickness drug), 1/3 can of prunes daily in some yoghurt. Erm, so a friend tells me …).

Best wishes for surgery tomorrow @BatshitCrazyWoman

Thoughts with everyone else 😊