Oh help please. Shock diagnosis.

[peaceanddove]

I am in shock so sorry if this is garbled. Just had results back from a breast biopsy. I have invasive ductal carcinoma. Apparently it's very small, too small for the surgeon to even feel. And he says they have caught it very early. It looks like it hasn't spread to lymph nodes. It's either a grade 2 or stage 2, I can't remember. I need a lumpectomy soon followed by three weeks of radiology. I will need to take an oestrogen inhibitor as it is oestrogen sensitive. I feel sick and can't stop shaking and just feel like my world is ending.

Does anyone have any hope for me?

Thank you weebarra it sounds like you have really been through the mill. How are you feeling now?

I had Ductal carcinoma in situ found by myself as a small lump. Day surgery for wide local excision surgery and removal of sentinel lymph nodes. Pain in the bum radiotherapy (only because of the trek to the nearest specialist centre) and now on tamoxifen . Honestly the treatment these days is so swift and efficient it's not insurmountable.
The worst but for me has been lymphodeama in the breast but that's more uncomfortable than anything .
Please don't worry . You will be absolutely fine .

Hi Oakthorn and thank you for replying, it really helps a lot. Mine isn't in situ, it is invasive apparently but there's no lump to feel, it's too small yet. Can I ask when you were diagnosed and how have you felt since taking Tamoxifen?

Hi peace Can I just correct what Cherry said. Not everyone loses their hair, but some do. I don't think misinformation does anyone any good. I have 2 friends who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 3 years ago. They both lost their hair due to the chemo but it has all grown back. They have both been cancer free since treatment ended.
I was diagnosed with lung cancer in Dec 2017. I had surgery the following January and I am cancer free.There are many positive outcomes.
I really do advise the cancer support thread for honest, helpful advice and amazing support.

Thank you. My surgeon doesn't think chemo will be necessary, just radiotherapy. I really hope he's right.

Wombat22. I think I said the OP wouldn’t have to,face losing her hair as she wasn’t having chemo. The most frequent breast cancer regime, FECT, does result in hair loss. It’s the Epirubicin which is the hardest on hair follicles.
I used a cold cap and was advised it was pointless by my oncologist but I persisted anyway. It saved enough of my hair to allow rapid regrow this covering and meant I could ditch the wig much sooner.
Different issue though as irrelevant if no chemotherapy.

Hope you’re feeling more positive today OP.

This is a shock but my SIL had the same, had lumpectomy and rado therapy over a couple of months and is fine. She coped really well with the treatment and is now on tamoxifen and doing fine.

Thinking of you x

Thank you supermodel. How long has your SIL been on Tamoxifen, has it affected her mood at all.

Hi I had breast cancer diagnosed in July 2018. I had chemo and surgery. I'm not on tamoxifen for at least 5 years. I've been pretty ok on it I do have hot flushes and night sweats but at 43 I'd probably have been entering peri menopause anyway. My moods have been fine. I exercised a lot before diagnosis and as soon as I was given the all clear to be back at the gym I went back, bald head and all! I think definitely trying to leave the house every day even for a 10 minute walk helps. One more bit of advice take all the help you get offered if you want it.

Yes; my mum had almost exactly what you describe and the same treatment. About 20 years ago? God willing, no come back.

Tamoxifen was also a wonder drug for her.

These are so reassuring to hear, they really are. I can't tell you give much it helps. I'm really worried that I might get over the cancer only to end up very depressed because Tamoxifen is suppressing my oestrogen.

Cherry I apologise. My misunderstanding

I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma a year or so ago. Mine was a lump that I found, but small (1.5cm) and my lymph nodes were unaffected. I had a wide local excision and sentinel node biopsy as day surgery, I was out by lunch time. Some people needs drains after surgery but not everyone, I didn't. It took a while for it to heal, and my armpit was numb for a long time but it's back to normal now. I had 20 sessions of radiotherapy which was a right pain in the arse to be honest, because it was just so tedious, it takes longer to get you in the right position than it does to deliver the treatment. I was quite sore afterwards, but it took a few weeks to heal. I had pain in my armpit for about 6 months afterwards whenever I tried lifting my daughter. But I'm back to normal now, I ran a half marathon last September and I'm exercising regularly and lifting weights without any problems. I have a scar and one boob that's a bit smaller than the other.

Mine was also estrogen receptive so I'm on tamoxifen for 5 years. That also hasn't been too bad, I haven't had hot flushes at all. I have had a few night sweats and fluid retention now and again.

What I'm trying to say is that the treatment may not be as bad as you think. To be told that you have cancer is shit and so scary, and a really horrible thing to go through, but it sounds like you have a good prognosis

That's so good to hear Caz, thank you for sharing that. Can I ask how you're feeling on Tamoxifen?

I definitely feel more tired, which is one of the side effects. I've been taking mirtazapine since my diagnosis, which is an antidepressant that you can take alongside tamoxifen. I feel quite stable, more than I did so before I had cancer to be honest, but I don't know what I would be like without the mirtazapine and if that's stopping me from getting some of the tamoxifen side effects, if you get what I mean. I still sometimes get awful dreams, but I think that's linked to the fear of it coming back.

Thank you for sharing this Caz. I'm already taking 100mg of sertraline which suits me very well, so I'm really hoping it will cushion any of the Tamoxifen side effects.

@peaceanddove - apologies for not coming back to the thread sooner. I am alive and well and on minimal medication. Working, parenting etc.

Hi @peaceanddove. On 24 Jan I received, pretty well word for word, the same diagnosis/prognosis as you. I found my lump myself while in the shower, though, and I don’t yet have any clear info about my lymph nodes. It’s 1.5cm and I was convinced it was nothing sinister, so like you the news was shocking! Still can’t really believe it, but I’ve been very up and down in the last week,

I have surgery (lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy) planned for 13 Feb, then medical oncologist/radiation oncologist appointments on 28 Feb.

It’s also oestrogen responsive so I believe Tamoxifen will be in my future. I’m 61 and have been on HRT (most recently oestrogen patches, now stopped) so I’m already suffering hot flushes to a degree.

I’m hoping that surgery and radiation therapy will sort it and it will all be over in a few months. Don’t know if that’s optimistic given we don’t know about lymph nodes yet.

Telling my family (adult kids) was hard, but I’m lucky I have a very supportive DH and family.

I was grateful to see your post - thank you for sharing. I’m also grateful for those responding- so helpful !

Hi Crabb, our situation sounds very similar. My surgery is just after yours, mine is on the 18th. I have decided that I don't want anyone to know as yet, because I am really hoping it will be over in 2-3 months. So I don't want to worry our children unnecessarily. Obviously, if things don't go straight forward then I will need to reassess. I'm lucky that my husband is amazing.

I just really want this over and behind me (as I'm sure you do). My coping strategy is always to deal with something, then consign it to the past never to be examined again. Don't know how healthy that is, but it works for me.

Thank you weebarra for coming back to me, I really appreciate it. Can I ask if all the shock and fear has faded well for you? At the moment it feels so raw for me that I can't believe it will ever fade.

Thought I’d report back, @peaceanddove. I had my surgery yesterday and am sitting in hospital feeling pretty chipper (could be the drugs!). Will go home in a few hours. Discomfort level is very manageable. They took 3-4 lymph nodes for biopsy. No drains and apparently little likelihood of lymphoedema. The only thing I found difficult, and mainly because I hadn’t been forewarned, was needing to go for imaging the morning of the procedure. 2 lots - scintigraphy where they inject radioactive isotopes around the lesion and track them to see which lymph nodes they drain to, then ultrasound-guided insertion of a guide wire to assist the surgeon. They both sound grim but were actually relatively straightforward and not as uncomfortable as you’d think. I would have preferred to be told beforehand though! Lack of information and feeling out of control make me unhappy.
Anyway, one week now until follow up and path results from the surgeon. Then we might have a firmer plan!

Hello Crabb I've been thinking about you this morning as I remembered your surgery was yesterday. So pleased you are feeling chipper, who cares if it's the morphine

I had a magnetic seed implanted on Wednesday which was uncomfortable but no pain since. I met with my surgeon on Monday and after the lumpectomy, he's giving me therapeutic reduction mammoplasty in the affected breast (so boob reduction and lift, wahaay). After RT he will perform the same procedure on my other breast so they are symmetrical.

I'm really trying to see this as a silver lining, as I've wanted a boob reduction and lift for years. I'm just praying hard that he gets clear margins and no node involvement,but won't know until the path report.

My biggest dilemma is whether to stop my HRT or not? I suffered dreadful peri menopause depression and HRT was the only thing that worked, and I tried everything, everything. Have tried to come off it twice, but each time end up in that black place again

My surgeon advises I stop HRT but acknowledges my symptoms without it are worryingly severe. I have no idea WTF to do???

That’s very rough @peaceanddove, I really feel for you. Have anti-depressants been tried? Although that’s another complication in itself. Just what you don’t need.

I'm between a rock and a seriously hard place, aren't I? I do already take an antidepressant too, but not sure it does much. I only recovered when I started on HRT and felt great.