Likely breast cancer after ultrasound - thread 2

[spartanrunnergirl]

Welcome. The original thread (linked here ) was started after I had a mammogram recall and was told at the ultrasound that it was likely I had breast cancer - before biopsies were taken, and before I was ready to hear that (if you are ever ready to hear that).

I drove home gulping down tears with no idea what to do and no idea how to get through the days until my biopsy results. So I opened Mumsnet and made the original post, hoping someone might read it, and they did! One full thread later we are still sharing support, experiences, and advice. We’ve celebrated breast cancer wins and thrown virtual hugs around those who’ve needed it. (We’ve all needed it 💗)

For anyone opening this thread because they’ve found themselves in the same situation I was in … this is a hugely kind and caring bit of Mumsnet - where we’ve all felt that awful fear waiting for scans, tests, results, or with an early and uncertain diagnosis.

You are not alone.

This is the awful club - full of awesome women💗

This is what ChatGPT told me. I then stopped looking as didn’t like the answer !

@TheFormidableMrsC I agree, I was sent a letter with some data on that indicated I wouldn't survive the year when you looked it up. Got it on a Saturday so spent the weekend convinced I was dying, then the nurse told me on the Monday it's an old tool they used, really out of date data so not to worry... Why put it in the letter then 😂

CRUK published research which shows that aspirin can reduce the risk of recurrence quite significantly. It also makes your blood hostile to travelling cells if you do have a recurrence. I take 75mg of the gastric coated ones a day.

Honestly, why on Earth would you even need to see that? Protecting your mental health is really important when you’re going through something like this.

Definitely stop looking!

For some people knowing absolutely everything about their cancer is how they protect their mental health, for others not knowing works better.

My thoughts exactly. I stopped reading all the data they gave me after that, not worth it. Definitely going to look into aspirin, I've seen you mention it a couple of times now 👍🏻

DH (chemistry prof) is currently looking up the aspirin research. I'll report back when he's done.

Interested in the aspirin taking. Not seen anything about this before. I’ll buy some when out shopping. Just one more pill. 🤣🤣

Worth reading the research.

Absolutely, I get this ❤️

Also interested in the asprin. My husband takes one daily as his family have a risk of heart attacks. I take a loratadine daily as I’ve read research that this also cuts recurrence - to do with mast cells and inflammation. Helpful also against hay fever at present!

Has anyone been told anything about not going in stream rooms or saunas? A lovely one-sided lady I met at the pool told me she had been advised this by her surgeon.

A quick google suggests not re aspirin. https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20240429/disappointing-data-confirm-aspirin-does-not-reduce-risk-for-breast-cancer-relapse

Oh that’s interesting! I did speak to BCN and Onc about it when research was published by CRUK and they said go ahead!

DH has reported back. He found a metastudy combining the research results of over 120 research programmes, looking at the impact of aspirin on all cancers. The results vary from cancer to cancer. It has a massive effect on colon cancer, no effect on prostrate cancer, and a small but positive effect on breast cancer.

He says that a metastudy is statisticly superior to a single clinical trial. So he, as a scientist, would trust the findings of the metastudy saying aspirin helps over the one in the article which says it doesn't.

He says CRUK are currently running their own 12 year clinical trial, which is due to end this year. So we'll have to wait for their findings to be published.

This is the meta study:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363520713_Aspirin_and_cancer_biological_mechanisms_and_clinical_outcomes

He's gone off now to stock up on aspirin.

That’s useful. Thank him! I did note that previous link was a small US study. I first saw the research via a report on Sky News and followed from there. I have a friend with an astounding colon cancer story that he’s writing a book about and he too was advised to take aspirin to support his recovery and onward good health. As I said, I asked about this and was told to go ahead.

I think I’d continue on in any event, it deals with inflammation and is protective against heart attacks and strokes so feels to me that it is worth taking. Again, I buy the small gastric doses in Poundland for a quid and keep a stock.

Also, to add, there are quite a few people on different boards here who take it post BC. Somebody offered a link to some different research. When I’ve got time, I’ll try and find it.

Thanks @MrTiddlesTheCat that is very interesting. Didn't mean to muddy the waters with the article I posted.

No don’t say that! All information is useful!

Indeed. And we have our own pet scientist who knows how to properly assess anything we come across. Better to share it and get looked at I think.

Sharing a negative article has been the trigger to finding some really positive information I wouldn't have otherwise known.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0284186X.2020.1769185
here’s one from me - any comments from dh would be valued.

This is so interesting! Weirdly I’ve always taken Loratadine for hayfever as I don’t like the drowsy stuff but I’ve got all my supplies out today and I’m going to use them. Nothing to lose 🤷🏻‍♀️

I asked my oncologist about loratadine, and he wasn't convinced! He said fine, if you're taking it anyway for hay fever, but otherwise he didn't particularly recommend it. It works on me like a sleeping tablet, so I can't take it everyday otherwise I'd just be asleep 😂

He's looked at it now. He says the data size isn't good but what they have seems to show a much better protective effect than aspirin. He says they now need to do a much larger scale study to see if the findings hold up. But he says they are very exciting results.