Likely breast cancer after ultrasound- thread 3

[SpartanRunningGirl]

Welcome. Previous threads :

Thread 1
Thread 2

The original thread 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).

Two full threads 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 💗)

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 breast cancer diagnosis.

You are not alone.

This is the awful club - full of awesome women💗

Tamoxifen and then letrozole was doddle in my experience ( compared to chemo anyway)

Evening all, welcome to the newbies @LeftBoobGoneRogue and @MrPanks, it’s a shit club to join but the members are all really nice :)

Sending (I don’t know what this emoji is but it looks fluffy) to all those waiting for scan results. Scanxiety is probably the worst part of this cancer bollocks.

I start EC on the 10th Dec for 4 cycles over 12 weeks. Simultaneously dreading it whilst wanting it to hurry up so I can get it over and done with…

**edited some highly illiterate wording. Chemu brain is kicking me arse, anybody else suffering with it? I feel like a slug.

@cannaecookrisotto yep, chemo brain fog is definitely a thing. Not helped by the steroid induced insomnia. I seem to have completely lost the ability to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time.

Good luck with the EC on the 10th. I’m having my third dose of it tomorrow. The anticipation of waiting is definitely worse than the actual thing - like most things I guess, it’s the unknown.

@PoptartPoptart hope today goes ok for you and you manage to get some sleep its horrible lying awake like that x

@cannaecookrisotto I definitely have brain fog whether its from the menopause or chemo! I can be talking and literally forget what I am talking about, at work I need to write so much down so I don't forget it, drives me insane!
Hope your first EC goes well for you and you don't feel to ill, I had my first EC chemo two weeks ago and it wasn't as bad as I imagined, agree that the build up and worry about it makes it worse that it actually is x

@KimonoQueen yes, my diagnosis sounds very similar to yours and @LoudSnoringDog . Hope your upcoming surgery goes okay. How did you get on telling your kids? I told my DD today. Was dreading it, but it actually went better than I expected. She did cry initially, but I gave her plenty of reassurance that it was caught early and can be treated.

hello @LeftBoobGoneRogue , glad you plucked up the courage to stop lurking, hope you’re doing okay after your radio. How are you feeling?

hope everyone else has had an okay day, especially you guys on the chemo and all that that brings.

I have been asked to go for a contrast dye mammogram by the team at my local hospital, but I am hoping that won’t delay the surgery. Keen to get on with it. I must say I feel very lucky to have had such amazing diagnostic experience, I don’t think it would’ve been quicker or kinder if I’d gone private (not that I could afford to anyway!). I’m hoping that my local hospital where I will have the surgery and radio are as impressive.

@MrPanksit actually went better than I thought. I had hoped to tell them all at the same time but my eldest was delayed coming home ( he’s a royal marine and couldn’t get home Thursday Eve). So I told my middle and youngest together, the middle one (DS 22) got a little bit choked up, DD(12) was fine initially but as the day went on she asked more questions and I could tell she was really ruminating about it. On the evening we went for food and both my older boys (25 and 22) emphatically said, don’t hide anything from us because you think we need to be “protected” from the truth. I think they think I’m watering it all down but I was factual about my current diagnosis and they seemed more assured then. I feel relieved this morning that they now know.

@LoudSnoringDog im so pleased it went better than expected telling your kids, especially your youngest. My DD seemed fine after the initial shock. Dreading telling my sister, I will have to do it over the phone as she’s not local. She tends to catastrophise, and gets very upset, but I want to get it out of the way and well before Christmas, as she loves Christmas. After that just a handful of friends and work colleagues to tell. I feel like once that’s done I can relax a bit and focus on the treatment.

@LoudSnoringDog I’m so pleased it went ok telling your kids. That initial news can now sink in and you’ll find conversations will now just happen naturally as and when they have questions or when you have news to share.

@MrPanks Good luck telling your sister. It’s hard when you know that they are likely to not take the news well - although you never know, she may well surprise you.

@Lovewine1975 I hit a new all time low last night with the insomnia. I went to bed at 11pm and was wide awake again at 1am. I didn’t go back to sleep until 5.30am!!! And now it’s 8.45am and I’m up again. I knew last night would be particularly bad because of the steroids, but it is soooooo frustrating and exhausting. A day of naps is in order today I think 😴

I'm currently trying to buy a non wired sports bra (as instructed by my Macmillan nurse) for post operative support

I am large of nork and its providing a bit challenging and pricy.

On the plus side - I did need some new ones of some description and can justify bunging it on joint credit card cos 'its medical' 😁

@KimonoQueeni got some reasonably priced post surgery bras from M&S. they take the VAT off. I’m also very big on the boob side!

@KimonoQueen i wore a front loading soft bra for my surgeries. Mine from bravissimo unclipped at the shoulders too, which was great when my arms weren’t so mobile.

I’m 2 days post op following lumpectomy and bilateral reduction/ reconstruction.
I wasn’t sure what to get but ended up at Primark and got a 2 pack of front fastening post surgery bras.
Very comfortable and inexpensive.

@KimonoQueen as LoudSnoringDog said, M&S do a wide range of post surgery bras.

Cancer Research UK also do some good ones. I got the ‘Post-Surgery Comfort Bra - £28.99’ (I’m not sure how to link but you can search on their website). This one is particularly good because it is front fastening but also the straps can be detached at the front so you don’t have to raise your arms to put it on, which can be tricky after a SLNB.

@PoptartPoptarthope you got some naps today, did you manage to avoid going on Amazon in the night buying stuff 🤣🤣 x

@Lovewine1975 can you believe I still
haven’t slept! I’ve tried to nap today but my brain just won’t let me sleep. I feel like the bloody Duracell bunny. I’m fully expecting to crash and burn sometime soon.

i was very restrained regarding my Amazon nighttime shopping habit last night - I only ordered one thing so my husband was pleasantly surprised 😀

Hi everyone, hope you’re all doing ok as can be.

I had my final chemo treatment this week. I started in June, it’s been a long slog. Work have been asking about a phased hours increase (I’ve worked all the way through, but decreased hours to part time) but tbh I feel like I’ve just face planted on the chemo-finish line. I’m so emotionally and physically burnt out. I start ovary suppression next week, have radiotherapy immediately after Christmas and then letrozole and ribocyclib. I thought I’d be so happy to finish - and I am!! Absolutely delighted - but I find it so hard to adequately communicate to people that I’m not “done” without coming across as a misery guts. I had a big cry yesterday.

It was cancer. Booked for lumpectomy and then radiotherapy. Keeping positive!

@MonOncle congratulations on finishing chemo! That’s a real milestone, well done 😊
I know what you mean though - other people who have been fortunate enough not to have been down this awful cancer path really don’t get it. And I guess, to a certain extent, why would they? But I totally empathise with you about having to explain that it’s not over by a long way. Neither physically or emotionally!

@Bitofashock I’m so sorry to hear that. But at least you know what you’re dealing with now and you have a plan, which is positive.
When is your lumpectomy booked for?
If you have any questions or concerns, many, many of us on here have had a lumpectomy so will be happy to answer any questions and provide support. Keep positive 💪

@MonOncleCongratulations on completing your chemo! 🎉 it really is a something to be proud of it’s such a rubbish thing to have to go through, unfortunately people just don’t understand that life doesn’t go back to normal once it’s finished

I had this one, too. I only really wore it for a couple of days, then moved to soft stretchy cropped tops for a few weeks, then back to my normal bras after that

@MonOncleso glad your chemo is finished. Still seems like a long road ahead doesn’t it . I still feel exhausted and surprised by how little energy I have. I finished mine a few weeks ago and now on Phesgo every three weeks. Was hoping for surgery before Christmas but they want to do another biopsy of the lymph node to decide whether they can just take that node out or have to take them all. This part has dragged on , so definitely no surgery til the new year then carry on with the phesgo and radiotherapy . Im newly retired and am lucky I don’t have to worry about work and I’m sorry you have to deal with their expectations. 💐

Thank you @PoptartPoptart @Lovewine1975 @mightneedalargesnifter !! It really does feel like a milestone, I had some nice celebrations this weekend. I’m on a much more even keel today as well, I think it was just overwhelm at finishing. Fortunately I love my job and I’m happy to do what I can but it was probably just a little early for that conversation.

@Bitofashock i’m sorry for your news, hope you’re coping ok with it all.

@mightneedalargesnifter yes the road is long! That does seem like a long wait for your surgery but I guess on the plus side you will have had some more recovery time. Fingers crossed you don’t need the full node clearance. Hope you start to feel better soon.

Afternoon all. Had the dye put in me this afternoon. Have to be at the hospital for 7.15 tomorrow for my lumpectomy. I’ve had terrible anxiety these past few nights, wide awake at 4 and unable to go back to sleep. Just want tomorrow out of the way

@LoudSnoringDog Thinking of you. I had my op last week and had to be there for 7:30. Really, the waiting is the worst bit. I was put to end of list and worried a lot while waiting but really it was absolutely fine. All went well and very little pain after it … all manageable with paracetamol and ibuprofen. I had expected excruciating post op pain. I had lumpectomy and bilateral reconstruction. Day case. Understandably, a lot of the anxiety is to do with the unknown.
I hope this reassures you somewhat. Hope all goes well for you too, tomorrow.

I have had two lumpectomies and no pain or even highly visible scarring.The sentinal node removal, if your having it , is a bit more uncomfortable but totally doable.It will all be done and dusted before you know it. Thinking of you , take heart ,you can do this.