My mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer - good news stories needed

[Snowstorm]

Hello anyone who reads this ...

Last Thursday we found out that a small lump discovered during my mother's routine mammogram is breast cancer. Nobody's cried, nobody's shouted, we just can't believe it. I find myself thinking that I can deal with saying that my mother has a cancerous (is that a word?!) lump in her breast but not that she has cancer, that sounds too serious/terminal. If you knew my mother then you'd know what I mean, she's just too clean living to have cancer and it just doesn't seem fair (not that cancer is fair, I do understand that).

She's going to have the lump removed on the 22nd August (plus a few lymph nodes) and then she's due to have some weeks of radiology following that. That's all we know at the moment, without the doctors actually going in and seeing what's in there.

She's 66, she's my mother, my friend and my rock ... and I really need to hear some good news stories about this kind of thing (I'm taking the ostrich approach on the bad stuff at this point).

Thank you in advance.

good luck i spent some time working in the breast unit at our local hospital and the staff are amazing and lots have experience withing a close network of breast cancer,
if it is caught early enough it can be treated.
be your moms rock make sure you all talk and you have someone to support you too

You poor thing - my aunt had breast cancer picked up at a mammogram around 12 years ago - she is a sort of second mum to me, and I was really shocked, as well as upset.

The breast care nurses were really kind to us both, and I felt unable to ask them questions I was scared to ask anyone else.

Breast cancer is so much more treatable now than in the past - and obviously her medical team are moving quickly.

Don't expect too much of yourself, and take care.

My aunt has just had a hip replacement at 74, and is going great guns - that's probably the most important thing to tell you!

i know a few people who have had breast cancer. My school mates Mum had it when she was in her 40's. she is in her 70's now.

This is all good - thank you everyone so far - there is no such thing as too many good news stories and each one is making me feel marginally better ... that is when I don't feel like breaking down and crying!

My MIL had breast cancer years ago, in her 30s - had a mastectomy, has been fine ever since.

It does sound like the best possible scenario - it's been caught early, it seems small and they're acting fast - and the chances are she'll be fine. My MIL is going strong 5 years on from hers (she had a double mastectomy) and she's the same as ever - in fact I'm ashamed to say I sometimes forget it ever happened. She says "Oh dear, my boobs are up round my chin again" (meaning her prosthetic ones) and I think are they? Why? Oh yeah, they're not real...

Best wishes to her and lots of good luck. She will benefit hugely from your love and support too.

Take time to have a cry snowstorm.

I'm sorry to hear your news, Snowstorm

This is different, but last year, my dad was diagnosed with Lymphoma. It was very aggressive and it didn't look like he'd make it. No-one could believe it as he has always been the picture of health - walks/ runs everywhere, healthy high fibre, low-fat diet, no smoking, never gets ill etc.

12 months on he is fine. Well, in remission anyway, and is back to being more or less his usual self. Looking at him now, its hard to believe he was so ill.

I know its a different type of cancer, but there are success stories out there. It is scary to think of your parent having something so awful and is hard to watch them go through the treatment and its side effects. Make sure you have some good support for yourself.

The ostrich approach to bad stories is a good idea, imo.

Thinking of you all, x

Snowstorm, my Ma was diagnosed 10 years ago. It was a shock to us all at the time although I still don't think my father realised that she actually had cancer (he's a bit of an ostrich!).

She has had fantastic care and has been discharged from her consultant for a number of years now. Her opinion at the time was that she had done her breastfeeding days and that actually, for her, it would have been more debilitating to have lost a finger (as she's a typist) than to have lost her breast. One thing I would say is that she is really glad she kept up the arm exercises she was given to help the loss of her lymph nodes.

Her attitude might have been helped by the fact that her grandmother (my fab great grannie) also had breast cancer in the 1940s and had a double mastecotomy and survived to be 82, so even then they could do it!

Good luck to your mother and keep talking, both to us and to her.

My MIL was diagnosed 3 years ago, she had the lump removed, radiology, some pills and she's been fine ever since, my mums cousin had the same thing and she's also fine. they both found that the treatment left the quite tired for a few months after, but both fine now and having regular checks. Both in early 60's.
We've done the Breast Cancer Research 'walk the walk' locally to raise money with extended family, including my MIL, helped us feel better about the whole thing somehow and able to help other women who were going through similar things by raising money.

My mum had breast cancer 10 years ago. She had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy. It was a long and sometimes rocky road but she's absolutely fine now.

It's very positive that it's being treated now. I have an aunt who's still going strong who was diagnosed at least 20 years ago. You may find there is a Breast Cancer Support group near you.

I am having a lump removed this week. They still don't know what it is.

I hope things work out well for you and your mum. I also have an aunt who was first treated for cancer over 15 years ago, and she's been told that she's now clear of the disease, although she still has to go for check-ups every now and again. She's in her 70s now.

Please try not to worry

80% of women with breast cancer survive and your mum was diagnosed very early so I imagine her odds are even more positive.

Good luck.

Exactly the same thing happened to my Mum. She had a mastecomy a few weeks ago and is now back to work etc. The outlook is v positive because it was found so early.

She had the same treatment planned but after the lump and nodes were removed her consultant thought there was more pre cancerous cells in her other ducts. The mastectomy was preventitive rather than treatment for the current problem.

Best of Luck X

Hi Snowstorm, my sister and two aunts are all breast cancer survivors, diagnosis and treatment gets better and better. Love to you and your family x

My mum had a similar experience.

She had a lumpectomy, then some more tissue removed to make sure it was all gone, a course of radiotherapy and she has now been OK for 7 years.

My mum didn't actually want to talk it through with her children. She kept that for her partner. She wanted us to provide the normality. So we did. And I kept my blubbing for my partner.

It wasn't a stiff upper lip, make no fuss thing. We're not like that on the whole. ANd it's not that we never mentioned it. Just that she wanted some times when cancer was not the centre of everything, which it can tend to become while you are actually going through the treatment.

I hope your mum makes a good recovery.
And take care.

My MIL and my mum have both had breast cancer in the last 18 months.

MIL had a lumpectomy, radiotherapy (15 sessions is about the norm I think) and then a course of chemotherapy in tablet form.

The radiotherapy was tiring and the chemo has made her feel off colour but she is doing remarkably well and is well past her first year clear.

Mum had a more advanced case (T2) and had a mastectomy followed by radiotherapy, chemo wasn't needed as the operation was more radical. She is coming up to her first year in October. Her quick post-op recovery amazed everyone and she is glowing with health.

MIl was 67 and mum 68 were diagnosed.

Best wishes to your mum (and you )

when diagnosed.

THANK YOU SO much everyone who took the time to write - I appreciate it so much and every message made me feel a bit more cheerful about the situation.

Know exactly what some of you mean. My mother doesn't mind people knowing but she doesn't want it to become the only topic of conversation around or pitying looks or whatever, in other words she doesn't want to become a victim.

Thank you again. I'm going to tag this thread so that I can re-read it when I need to and so that I can use it to help along my brother and sister and father when they need it too.

Thank you everyone - I'm so glad to hear all your stories and hope that it's onwards and upwards for all of you and your relatives.

Hello
I am late coming to this thread but wanted to let you know that my mother had 3 separate instances of breast cancer. They occured over a 15 yr period, each one appearing just after that "safe" period of 5 yrs had passed. Each cancer was entirely different and treated differently, radio, or surgery only or radio and chemo and surgery.

She is 62 and fully recovered. She is somewhat scared and weakened by the surgery and treatments, but not ill and not daunted.

When we were in the midst of her chemo it was like time stopped, everything slowed and those 12 weeks were hell. As soon as they were over, she was up and skipping around the kitchen and time flew past. Now none of us can remember the actual dates or years she was ill, without having to try really hard to do so - so it has passed her by.

Good luck and keep strong.

sorry - that should have read "scarred" not scared! she's far from scared!