Grade 1 breast cancer

[ohdoriswheresthesalad]

I have been diagnosed with grade 1 Non specific type breast cancer today with dcis in situ. Lymph nodes clear from ultrasound.

I am massively worried. has anyone had any experience of this?

• [Title and first post edited at OP's request - originally titled Stage 1 breast cancer]

I was diagnosed in September 2023. Had a lumpectomy, then radiotherapy and I’ve been on Tamoxifen for two years, three more years to go. My surgery and radiotherapy were very straightforward. I went down to a half dose of Tamoxifen after 6 months cause I was struggling with the side effects, but it’s been more manageable since. Best of luck x

Thank you for all your positive feedback and stories. I do feel a bit better tonight. I’ve had a lovely Xmas evening out with my family. Life isn’t over is it?

What were the Tamoxifen side effects?

Hot flushes and not being able to sleep cause of the hot flushes. I went down to a half dose and had some acupuncture which helped

hi @LoudSnoringDog I found I got a bit of weight gain around my middle , had hot flushes but I also had chemical menopause at the same time so it could also be that. Overall it was really easy compared to everything else

Oh good lord! I suppose like you say it’s easy compared to the rest but I didn’t realise it come with side effects!

I’ve found the Tam seems to affect everyone differently depending on what stage of menopause or not you’re at

I had a lot at first as I was also coming off hrt. It put a younger friend into peri. She started having very heavy periods. My periods stopped for 3 months, came back for a year but irregularly, and then stopped in May.

I had a plan though, boulstered by the wonderful ladies on the cancer threads and exercise plus cancer threads

I followed the moving through cancer book and listened to lots of Zoe podcasts

the gut biome stuff helps hugely with sleep and meno symptoms. The exercise, with a focus on resistance training, helps mood and bone density. Cbt is also extremely effective for meno issues.

there’s a good podcast by Liz o Riordan and also one called menopause and cancer - tonnes of alternative methods. A recent One I love is on breathing

its been hard at times but there are many ways to tackle the issues and I’ve gone through phases of feeling brilliant actually l. My personal problem is that I’m on thyroxine and I’ve found it hard to get that balanced, so have had symptoms from that and some associate vitamin deficiencies .( I’d get regular checks for that if you are. I’ve had to alter it several times in the last two years.)

many women have absolutely no issues with it at all.

Oh and for any brain fog - exercise helps hugely with this, even if it’s just a 20 min brisk walk.

on top of that, focus on all the things that help to build and maintain cognitive reserve: hobbies, relationships, reading, learning new things. Taking time out, relaxation.

a lot of complementary therapies really do help simply as they help to relax and calm the system

What if I have the mri and it shows worse than what the mammogram and ultrasound did? What then?

Looking positive is one thing. It’s the reality that worries me. They can say all the right things like they did at my mammogram and biopsy. No concern very sure it’s benign looking positive. Put all info in chat gpt all says same no projectory for cancer.

go to results appointment then wham. Hello you have cancer. So I don’t really believe any of it is going to be ok now. I’ve just got visions every step of the way of them finding something worse and by the time I’m done I’ve got no boobs, chemo, no hair, and end up on stage 4 with cancer all over my body.

I know that sounds extreme but that’s what my brain is telling me will happen eventually.

I am in negative thoughts this morning, all the what ifs. The things it’s going to change if this goes tits up. We’re meant to be booking Disney Paris soon. Can’t do that. Can’t plan my 40th. Can’t book anything in ahead of time in case.

Can someone help me 😭

@ohdoriswheresthesalad Is it helpful to use self talk as used in meditation to acknowledge your thoughts in the moment and let them go? It must be very scary and naturally you’re spiralling and looking for reassurance, but all the factual information you’ve had so far has been about as reassuring as could be hoped with a cancer diagnosis so I truly think you will be ok.

I have a huge amount of health anxiety and I use this technique, especially at times like waiting for results:

Imagine your thoughts as cars on a road. You are sitting by the side of the road. Every time a thought or feeling approaches, you can either get in the car and go with the thought (spiralling), or name it and watch it go by, saying to yourself ‘that’s panic’, ‘that’s fear’. At the same time, watch your body for where there is tension (often in the jaw or shoulders or stomach) and let that go.

Someone taught me the car and road imagery in meditation though I actually prefer to imagine I’m sitting by a river and the thoughts are bobbing by on the river. I can choose to either get in the river and be swept away with the thoughts, or name them and watch them go by.

@UnintentionalArcheri appreciate your reply. I have major health anxiety too and this has amplified everything that I’ve been scared of has come true.
i appreciate all the factual information is as reassuring as it could’ve hoped but i can’t help but realise it’s all going to be turned in his head and I’m going to blindsided again like Thursday each time I sit in that room?
thank you for the advice I will try take that on board :)

Like have the nurses told me to carry on as normal because they know things are going to be a shit storm and all gonna go tits up and I’ll need some normalcy before all this happens?

@ohdoriswheresthesalad I’ve phoned macmillan support line before ( last week actually) you can speak to a nurse without giving your name . I didn’t phone for financial support but just to talk through how I was feeling. How about doing that? sorry you are feeling so panicked its a shock but this time next year it will be just a bad memory. Just a blip in the road. Best wishes

@Nonamelassi can’t phone anyone till Monday when I’m here alone. My partner isn’t taking the news well and looks at me with pity 24:7.
he had a breakdown Thursday and sobbed for about 3 hours.
The kids think I’m just having a small op and nothing to worry about.

Ok so, remember that anxiety is a perfectly normal response to something like this.

calming the body can help to calm the mind.

moving your body helps to tell your body that youre doing something about the perceived “threat.”

go out for a walk, walk fast and breath through your nose (also helps to calm the nervous system.) walking also helps you to work through things.

try to stay in the now.

i remember Liz o Riordan saying that this is not an emergency situation- yes we must act quickly which is what will happen over the next few weeks and months. But cancer such as yours takes years to grow. You will be in safe hands and getting treatments we now know really do work very effectively.

but I do get that that is very hard to hold on to when you’re in panic mode. Also when husbands are too. I learnt telling people came with its own backlash of then dealing with their emotions. I also learnt this is why some choose to announce it on Facebook because it’s just easier.

Your partner needs someone else to support him emotionally. I messaged a group of DH’s oldest friends and asked them to do that.

Can you go for a walk and phone Macmillain? Both will do you good.

Plan your 40th, go to Paris. Just try to book things as cancellable as it can be tricky to work out when you’ll be having your radiotherapy (we had to cancel a week in Germany because of mine).

I know it’s scary OP but you’ll get through this.

Saying that, I remember being really angry for a bit.

I have also been through anger phases.

it’s hard as society gives you the impression you’re not supposed to be an angry cancer patient.

counselling can really help there

definitely make future plans!

40th is July, Disney is November.
I still think this is just gonna be turned all on its head and just be worse than expected!

I think once you have a plan and the tests out of the way, you’ll be able to cope better. At the moment you’re still in shock and it’s natural for your mind to go to ‘worst case scenario’. Soon, your practical head will kick in and you’ll be more accepting of the situation and will want to get through and over it. I’m sure your treatment will go well - stage 1 has extremely good outcomes generally.

You need to still plan things. Life will go on OP. You are still in shock but Stage 1 isn’t the worst place to be in terms of diagnosis. There’s nothing to suggest that you should expect to be told something more catastrophic is going on.

There was nothing to suggest Thursday was going to bring cancer news but it was.

and stage one has extremely good outcomes - generally? What does that mean?

This is a good site.

sorry I didn’t realise their helpline was open this morning- they’ve got a forum too

Stages:
https://breastcancernow.org/about-breast-cancer/diagnosis/breast-cancer-stages

grades:

https://breastcancernow.org/about-breast-cancer/diagnosis/breast-cancer-grade