breast cancer

[somedayma]

hi, i'm not sure what i'm even posting for. reassurance i guess...

my mum (late 50s) has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. here's what i know:

• it doesn't appear to have spread
• it's 'not a secondary cancer'
• she will have the lump removed in the next couple of weeks
• then once that's healed, she will have radiotherapy

i know breast cancer can be easily treatable but i also know sometimes it can't be. we don't know what 'type' it is yet.

and i'm partly terrified, but partly (stupidly) not worried.

any advice/info/experiences would be much appreciated.

thank you

well, fwiw

I was diagnosed in my early 50s; I had found 1 lump myself but in fact there were 2 - not secondary. I vaguely remember being told they were quite aggressive but nothing more than that

Had lumpectomy, then 6 months chemo, then 4 weeks radio

It wasn't a hormone one so I didn't get put on tamoxifen - will your mum, is that why she won't get chemo?

Follow-up was 3-monthly check-ups for a bit (alternated between local breast unit & regional cancer unit), then 6-monthly, then after 5 years they stopped - 10 years down the line I'm back on regular normal mammograms

Prospects are good for your mum & I wish her (& you) luck

thank you so much :). i'm not sure if she'll be put on tamoxifen or anything, it's all a bit vague at the mo which prob makes it scarier! glad to hear your story, thanks for sharing

Sorry to hear about your mum, and hoping she gets well soon. You might find it worth going on the tamoxifen thread here, they are hugely helpful and friendly and they will help you to understand all the possible treatments your mum might have.

Thank you both :). Some more info today: it's a grade 3 tumor. That's not v good is it? :(

well, 3 is the worst grade apparently - I honestly can't remember what I was told about mine (I just had to look it up on Macmillan to find out what 3 means so unfortunately I can't give you any comparative reassurance)

as far as I can remember mine had a relatively high number, but I can't remember what number, or whether it was a grade or stage number; but it hadn't got into the lymph nodes - they took all those out during the lumpectomy & they were all clear, thankfully.

You will have a better idea after your mum's had her surgery & they've checked her lymph nodes. Do you know when her op will be?

I hope you get the best news possible anyway

The op is on the 30th dec. Thank you v much for your replies :)

I wish and pray your mum gets the best news possible , i have experienced the worst and best outcome of breast cancer diagnosis.

Wiahing your mum all the best to get through this Someday. My mum has had BC twice, including a lumpectomy, mastectomy, radiotherapy and then second mastectomy with tamoxifen. She has been clear for about 24 and 15 years respectively.
I am not sure what grade Mum's were, but by the time she came to the second one, she requested an immediate mastectomy, rather than lumpectomy and seeing if they had got it all. Your mum might want to have a think about this and discuss it with her consultant.

Fingers x'd all goes well for you and the family

HI Somedayma

Hope everything is going ok I had a grade 3 and have just finished all my treatment. I'm absolutely fine but a bit tired. Been a bad year. PM me if you want any info.

My Mum had breast cancer about 10 years ago, a moderately aggressive sort which had spread to her lymph nodes. She had surgery, a fairly gruelling round of chemo and radiotherapy but was very lucky and has had no recurrence and is still well. She took something other than tamoxifam for several years after too.
I did find communications at the hospital to be poor though (even though her clinical treatment was good) and frequently information was not passed on, or she went to one clinic and they expected her to know stuff that someone else should have told her, so don't be afraid to ask questions.