**Tamoxigang 53** Roll up, roll up... Anyone with any cancer (or test-waiting) welcome!

[MarthaCostello]

Good evening all,

The old thread had nearly run out when I posted so I have taken the liberty of starting a new one before it fills up completely.

I hope the title is OK - there isn't actually that much room, I was trying to fit in that people should come along even if they haven't been diagnosed yet.

If you're new here welcome to the Tamoxigang thread. This is a great place for anyone with any type of cancer (it originally started out as those taking Tamoxifen for breast cancer, hence the name, but has expanded). Please introduce yourself and make yourself comfortable! You're more than welcome here if you haven't been diagnosed yet too, sometimes people find it helpful to talk through their fears whilst waiting for results. And we will hold your hand until you find out, and hopefully wave you on your way with an all-clear :)

There is almost always someone around to chat, or to answer any questions. Nothing is off-limits here. This is somewhere to offload any fears and frustrations, in a safe place where someone will have been there before.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the gorgeous summery weather

I tried to see if anybody posted a similar question but I found some older posts and therefore, I started another thread under Health about this question as well since things might have changed.

If you had a breast cancer screening, did you get the results of mammogram, ultrasound on the same day ? Or did you have to wait?

Do they give you the result of the fine needle biopsy at the same time with other tests (mammogram and ultrasound) ? I know that core biopsy results take longer to come back.

lovebeingananny THANK YOU for your encouraging words.
I somehow missed your post earlier.

Hope your tests will be clear and all will be well.

When I went to the breast clinic you were sent back to see the nurse/consultant afterwards to discuss the findings.

Hello to the new folks. Hoping that tests give good results.
For those waiting for breast clinics, the advice above on not googling is most wise.
Tons has changed with breast cancer in the last eighteen months. And nearly everything on Google is based on Ye Ancient Information that no longer applies. Including all the statistics.
It is literally impossible to die from cancer in your boob. If it is the 1 in 10 lump that is actual cancer, then that is normally very treatable. Even for larger lumps.
The challenge comes when cancer gets somewhere more tricky.
That only happens for about 1 in 100 lumps that are being investigated.
And these days, even if it is a rudely behaved sort, teams can usually just slow it down. Or put it into a state of 'sleep'. It's very rare for breast cancer to do real mischief now. There are no guarantees. And treatment is not a bundle of fun. But there are plenty of us still going strong five years after a diagnosis of trickier sorts of breast cancer....and a good 90% of people will live every bit as long as before.

The waiting is definitely the worst early bit, for most.

On the day, many people get their results straight away. I know I had needle biopsies taken, amongst other tests on the day. Take a good calm person with you. Make sure you have a really nice treat lined up for afterwards, even if it's just a favourite magazine and a cake. Anything to take your mind off.

Let people here know how you get on?

thank you Amberlight.
Amazing advice. I appreciate your time and interest. It is great to have this forum to talk. It really is.

Welcome to the new ladies and I hope you get good news and do not have to come back here:)
The waiting is torturous yes and usually with biopsies it does take time( a week usually) because of how complex the procedure is. Scans do shed some light and some sonographers will talk to you about what they see and think, but many do not. The scan report is sometimes written by someone else who sits and studies the imagery, so the report will take some time too. i have not told that many people too and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June. I feel stronger and more in control this way( that is just me) however the people I did tell are really really supportive and helpful.
Let us hope that the results are good for you all and that you are spared too much anxiety and waiting.
Please feel free to come on here and talk, complain or ask.
Best of luck.

Thank you Royalmama. Hope you recover very soon. Sounds like you are coping well and you are strong.
There is so much to think about at the moment. It is difficult to smile when you are so worried inside and pretend that you are ok. But I will do my best. I have so many relatives and friends to see during Xmas as well so it doesn't help.

Nerris - oh the waiting! I do sympathise. Difficult, I know. But try not to get ahead of yourself.

First of all, ov ca is rare at your age. And Ca125 is unreliable for young women. Raised levels are more likely to be caused by endo or the normal cycle. That's probably why they wouldn't give you the result over the phone. Unless it's sky high, it's meaningless, just another risk indicator, something to be investigated, like the papillary features.

I had a v large ovarian tumour, post menopausal - so high risk, Ca125 of 130. (That's actually quite low. Some women have scores as high as 8,000.) The next stage for me was CT and MRI scans. I also had an U/S guided fine needle biopsy - but this is unusual. Not usually a good idea to puncture a cyst in the pelvic/abdo area, and cause spread. At this point, I was only seeing an ObGyn consultant at my local hospital. They were v gloomy - to the extent of saying 'no surgery. Just chemo'.

Fortunately, I was then transferred to a Gyn-Onc at a teaching hospital. From the same scans and the 'inconclusive' biopsy, he immediately told me he thought it was benign and would be operating in 13 days' time. It turned out to be a Borderline Ovarian Tumour, cured by surgery, no further problems for all but a v small subset.

BOT's are quite common in younger women. Some of them have papillary features. Usually, they're removed by keyhole and it's the path lab that makes the diagnosis.

Are you seeing a Gyn-Onc or just an Ob-Gyn? Those extra years of training do make a difference.

But at the moment, it sounds as if they're doing the right thing. Lots of cysts disappear on their own. Yours hasn't. So probably time to take it out and have a proper look at it, just in case you're one of the unlucky few. But the odds are heavily on your side that you're not, so hold on to that.

Fingers crossed for you!

Hi all.

Have just caught up with everyone's posts since you were all lovely in congratulating me on my new boobs with old nipples!

It is sad to see new faces here - everyone has already said it but the wait it really the hardest time. I was seen at the breast clinic (in Rome where I live) the day after presenting at the GP's, and they told me on the day they thought it was 70% chance a cancer, but I would have to wait for the results from the biopsy to be sure. I thought this would only be a few days as it was private, but I had "very strange" cells and it took 2 different teams in 2 countries over 4 weeks to give me a definitive diagnosis of breast cancer (they had thought it might be leukemia for a bit!)... so I do feel your pain. But after they had got the diagnosis and a treatment plan in place, it becomes so much easier. Obviously it's more likely your lumps will be nothing sinister in any case, and then you can get back into normal routines.

I think today is surgery day for mysillydog - good luck.

I am now almost exactly 4 weeks post surgery, and feeling like I am coming out the other side. They are still tight and a bit tender (and bigger than I though they would "settle" down to), but I'm hoping I can start exercising again next week or so, if I buy a couple of super support sport bras and where two of them at the same time or something (I am an exercise addict so have not really enjoyed this surgery period - I exercised all the way through 24 weeks of EC, Tax and Carbo chemo)... I am running the Rome marathon in April and really need to start training!

I had good news just after I posted - the path report came back and I achieved a complete pathological response which is good, obviously, but extra good for us triple negative ladies, so I believe.

So I have a scan in 4 months time, just to re-establish a baseline (read: put my mind at ease, according to the Onc) and maybe some lipo-sculpting around the implants if I need it (they look fab so far, so am hoping it stays that way) and that's it - done.

Can't imagine I will leave this thread entirely though for a while - everyone has been so lovely when I needed it so I hope I can do some hand holding too. And my brain is still somewhat in cancer mode for now - it's all too soon to just think I have "beaten it". In fact, I know this sounds terribly glass half empty, given I have done quite well with it all (kept my hair through cold capping, light side effects from 6 months' chemo, new pert boobs and a complete response!), but I do think it will come back within a year. Triple negative does seem to have a habit of doing that. But we shall see - I hope I am wrong.

I'm away for a day and see that unfortunately we have new posters
We had a great day yesterday as a family as we went to DS2's MSc graduation - proud parents, proud DS1 and very happy DS2. In the middle of proceedings DS2 got a message calling him for a second interview for a job and he has other interviews pending, so here's hoping that someone wants him (they should!)
Back to work today and a colleague in my office has just had a mammogram and been told she has pre-cancerous or cancerous cells so am doubly . Hopefully, it is just a small lump and can be relatively easily dealt with but we have all been there and know what she is going through at the moment.

cratos thank you. I like to think I am coping and strong, but I have some very very low moments when everything seems bleak:( that is mainly why some people need to know to hold your hand. Also this thread is ever so helpful. We do not know each other here but we all share something that only we here can understand and realte to, so it helos massively. I truly hope you get good news.
boobz wonderful outcome so far( touch wood)! Hope it gets better and better from here on. Do pass by every now and then!
lillymaid what great news! Family moments like these are so precious. I hope your colleague's results are reassuring.

I have four more chemo doses left. I can not wait for my weekly visits to the hospital to end although the nurses and hospital staff have been ever so lovely. My Onco says I will have a small break before starting rads. Can those of you who had chemo then rads tell me how long they waited in between?
Take care all you lovely ladies.

Hi royal My Radiotherapy started 3.5wks after my last Chemo. But I did have a planning session and scan during those weeks! So not entirely hospital free 😉 I think they basically give you time to get over the chemo side effects! Well try to.

Good Luck with your last 4 Chemo, you're nearly there! 😉 xx

Thanks nanny. Sigh, seems we can never stay away from hospital now eh? Oh well, any kind of reprive is welcome :)
I miss work and miss my old life although I could get used to this lazy, laid back living!
Hope your wait comes to a happy end soo and you can breathe a massive sigh of relief!

Hi everyone. I'm very pleased to report that I'm back home after my appointment drinking a medically advised glass of wine. I had two cysts and I watched them disappear on the ultrasound screen as they were drained, so all good news. Thanks for your support over the last couple of days.

That is great news 2madboys what a fantastic early Christmas present, I'm so pleased for you! 😃💐🍷 xx

Hello lovely ladies. I'm hoping you might be able to help me. My sister who is 49 has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. It was grade 3 and so far she has had a lumpectomy and has just had the results of the oncotype dx test. She says her consultant said this was extremely high so it will definitely come back at some point, that it could be a year or could be 10 years but was inevitable. She is already on Tamoxifen and is now booked for 8 lots of chemo plus radiotherapy after. Even with all that can what the consultant be right? Obviously my sister is beside herself and I just don't know how to help. I'd be incredibly grateful for any advice or experience you might share.

Hi bsmirched are you sure your sister hasn't misunderstood her doctor? I think what they might of been saying was, her oncotype results came back high, which means yes without further treatment, her cancer is likely to return. So she would benefit from Chemo. As this will reduce the chances of a recurrence.

As far as I know this test is often used when doctors are trying to decide if the patient will really benefit from having Chemo or not. I am assuming your Sisters Lymph Nodes were clear? Which is possibly why they did the test?

No one knows what the future holds, by going through Chemo and Radiotherapy, your sister is giving herself the best chance of a long and healthy life.

Hope that made sense?! This time of the morning is probably not the best time to be offering advice on something. Sending best wishes to you and your sister 💐 😉 xx

Thank you Lovebeingananny. That is exactly what I thought having tried to read up on the test a bit but apparently the consultant also said something about her not making old bones. I guess this could also have been said in the same context though. Unfortunately my sister went on her own to the appointment! Thanks again.

Well done to your DS Lily and glad your visit here was short Madboys.

Hi bsmirched, I'm not really very familiar with the oncotype test, but as far as I know it wouldn't tell the oncologist that the cancer will return, only that it might be slightly more likely. There is always a chance that the cancer will return and always a chance it won't. I think the chances are always higher that it won't, especially if it is early stage cancer and not locally advanced. The bit about not making old bones is an odd thing for a doctor to say.

Hi to everyone
I had my mx yesterday. My drain was a bit naughty overnight (kept losing vacuum) but is behaving perfectly now and is draining very little so will be out tomorrow. My heart was also racing but this was probably due to the anaesthetic. I'm due to be discharged at the weekend because I need to be weaned back onto my blood thinners. Surgically I would be fit to go today I suspect. One week to wait for my lab work.

Hello and good luck to everyone new and waiting for results and appointments.

mysillydog great to hear it went well and that things are settling down. Hope you recover very soon. Best wishes.

Amazing news Madboys!

Glad to hear you are doing ok mysillydog. I hope you get good news from the lab work, of course.

Brilliant news 2madboys I'm really pleased for you.

Glad that you are recovering well Mysillydog, I hope you aren't too bored waiting to be released! :)

Lifeoverboard I hope your recovery is going smoothly

Themodernuriahheep how is your nausea? I hope they have given you the good drugs.

bsmirched does your sister have a specialist nurse? Maybe they will be able to talk through the results and help work out what the oncologist meant. He sounds completely lacking in bedside manner, to put it mildly.

Waving to all! :)

Forgot to say well done to your DS Lilymaid that is wonderful news I hope your colleague gets the best possible results and a straightforward treatment plan.

Hello! I started a thread yesterday and someone from here suggested I pop over. I felt a bit of a fraud doing so, but have read back a bit and see there are a few people who post here when they are waiting on referrals, so hope it's OK.

This was my original post:

I suffer from pretty bad anxiety at the best of times, but a couple of days ago, my GP found a lump. I had gone to see her as I'd had an inverted nipple for a week or so; when she was checking me, she found the lump too.

I'm crying all the time but also panicking about what lies ahead. Due to some other issues (I won't bore you with all of my history!), I have real problems getting blood taken and the thought of any medical procedure, or cannula scares me so much. I then feel guilty that I am even bothering about something like that given what others have to cope with. I then panic that I'll have terminal cancer and I would wish for the things I was scared of now, because they would be much less worrying.

Does any of that make sense?

I can't see what the inverted nipple could be that isn't bad - everything suggests it is a tumour pulling the skin. I think the skin is a little puckered, which is anther bad sign, and there is no pain.

(I've namechanged as a few RL people know my MN name and I'm not ready to speak to anyone yet - I've told one person, other than my partner, and she's been lovely; I just don't want to go public.)