Oh well here we go. Breast cancer.....

[oakthorn]

Found a lump 3 weeks ago after a sharp pain in my breast. Doctor did an emergency referral to Brest clinic. Appointment exactly a week later and it’s positive. Biopsy results in and it 17 - 22mm ER+ HER2 neg. surgery is Friday . Hand hold please and advice from anyone who has been through the same. It will be 3 weeks from finding it to surgery. I am holding it together in public but inside I am screaming .

No experience here, but I wanted to wish you well.

Hand hold here.

Sending virtual hugs to,you. It’s a scary business.

I had bc five years ago, and am still here! I found once I started the treatment, it was easier, as then you were actually doing something about it.

What treatment are you having? I had lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Not everyone has chemo. I didn’t find radiotherapy too bad, apart from being tiring, and I used to,go to bed early.

The NHS is genrally brilliant for bc, and are very organised. It’s one area in the NHS where you get good treatment.

Hoping the op goes well, and you are soon on the road to recovery.

Sorry to hear this but take heart from Petal flowers post 💐

Hand holding here too. I was 15mm grade 3 7/8 ER and PR+, HER2-. I'm six years past diagnosis, but I remember wanting to scream constantly when I first found out.

If you're under 45, there's an excellent support network for younger women with a breast cancer diagnosis, based on Facebook. It's called YBCN - message the admins with a bit of info about yourself and they'll add you to the appropriate private groups. There a long-running thread on here too, tamoxifen-something.

Macmillan are an excellent source of information about your treatment. I found I forgot a lot of information given to me at appointments, but Macmillan nearly always had the information online.

My best advice is that it's ok to tell well-meaning 'think positive' people to fuck off, if they aren't helping.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I've been a bit tearful today as it's a date close to my Nan who had breast cancer. She recovered and had a few more years. I hope all goes well with you and you have a few more decades .

Thanks all I must admit it was a bit of a shock. It’s the waiting I think which is the worst. Like everyone else I expected it to be a cyst. The hospital team have been amazing . Friends equally amazing. I seem to be worrying about trivial things like my phobia of being sick!!! No logic to it at all. I am 51 so was madly menopausal anyway. Just reading the positive replies is making me feel a bit clearer in my head.

Big hug for you, OP - I remember the utter shock when I was diagnosed. I had assumed nothing sinister so went to breast clinic alone. Like you I’d been referred very promptly, & after diagnosis had a very short wait for surgery - as a PP says the NHS is bloody good with breast cancer.

My kids were then aged 7 - 18. We didn’t give the 7-yr-old the full story. Older kids were upset but coped very well. Like you I was screaming inside, but kept it inside - I was fine as long as I didn’t have to talk about it!

Mine was 17 years ago (still here ) & I don’t recognise any of your mnemonics so I don’t know how mine compared. I turned out to have 2 tumours - 1 at the side, which I’d felt myself, & 1 against the chest wall. Treatment was double lumpectomy, 6 months chemo & 4 weeks radio (it would normally have been 3 but the chest wall area required extra attention because they hadn’t been able to take satisfactory margin.)

Both were hormone receptor negative so no tamoxifen or any other continuing treatment. I had 3-monthly checkups for a period & then 6-monthly & then was signed off altogether. Currently I have 3-yearly mammograms like everybody else.

The surgery was ok. They took all my lymph nodes that side out for testing (they were clear, phew) which gave me some lymphoedema (sp?) for quite a while but it was manageable (there are lots of exercises to do).

Wishing you good luck with everything & the best possible outcome

Oh, just read your latest. I was 49 approaching 50 - was probably peri-menopausal, had terribly heavy periods. After the first dose of chemo they JUST STOPPED

That part of it all was brilliant - the relief! I can’t even remember too much in the way of hot flushes etc although I suppose I was also dealing with the side-effects of chemo at the same time.

Wishing you well. Take care and allow people to do things for you .🌻🌻🌻🌷🌷🌷🌸

All the best for you

I had two DC under two when i was diagnosed - 14 years ago last September.

Thanks all . I think it is only just sinking in.

Hey Oakthorn, good luck with your surgery tomorrow. It's three and half years since I had mine and I remember the incredible joy once it was over. You'll probably feel a bit bruised and battered but generally just happy that it's done and you're rid of the cancer.
You say you're worrying about trivial things, like being sick. I was exactly the same and felt daft even mentioning it at an early meeting with my oncologist. I explained I hadn't vomited since I was a kid and he was able to reassure me that many people get through chemo for breast cancer these days without much nausea, particularly people who don't suffer with travel sickness etc. He was right, I never even felt sick (can't lie, lots of other annoying side effects thought|)., Having said that, I'm not sure if you know if you'll have chemo at all, not everyone does.
Lots of love and luckx

On the way to the hospital now. Strangely calm . Thanks for all your support

Good luck @oakthorn 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Good luck, will be thinking of y

You - obviously!

Virtual handhold here too. I realise you're scared, but cancer isn't a death sentence anymore in many, many cases. It's really good that you felt something wrong and had it investigated promptly. That's fantastic.

I've no experience of bc myself, but do have a healthcare degree. I wish you the very, very best, and good luck for the surgery xx

Good luck
I'm currently going through chemo, my 7th and final one is next week.
My lumpectomy is booked for mid January then on to radiotherapy.
I'm hormone and HER2 positive.
Join fb group UK breast cancer survivors and fighters (?) excellent large group with fantastic support and advise.
You will be given anti sickness tablets.
You are probably still in shock and slowly especially once treatment starts it'll kick in to real life, yes this is actually happening.
Wishing you all the best, surround yourself with positive people and take a pad and pen to all appointments to write everything down...you're likely to forget it all

There's a long running and very supportive thread in Health
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/3071667-CANCER-SUPPORT-THREAD-60-Here-we-are-again-join-us-if-you-have-any-sort-of-cancer-or-if-youre-waiting-for-cancer-test-results?pg=17

The first pages have a great summary of advice and include this

" Found a lump? 9 out of 10 will be benign.

• Found out it's breast cancer? 19 out of 20 will be just in the boob. And can now be removed/zapped/poisoned successfully.
• Found out it's breast cancer that has spread beyond boob and armpit? If it's in just one other place, we're seeing results where 80% of those can still be zapped/surgeried/poisoned and it works.
• If it's in more than one other place, e.g. liver, bones, lungs, then teams can give up to seven different forms of 'holding treatment' for many sorts. That means that it converts it to a long-term nuisance, similar to living with diabetes or similar. Annoying, certainly. There are no guarantees. Some will have a sort that is truly tricky. We'll never deny that"

from a very informed long term poster

There are lots of people on it with every conceivable type of breast cancer plus cancers elsewhere .

Good luck it's a horrible shock to be dx with cancer

Thinking of you,oakthorn

Strangely calm was exactly how I felt just over 5 years ago. You are in good hands and as others have said, the NHS is really good at early stage breast cancer.

Good luck oakthorn

Well I got home last night and it’s done. A bit sore but nothing paracetamol can’t cope with😎 hospital as usual were amazing. Sure grey was at 10 awake at 12 and home at 6. Mucky Macdonalds for tea and then bed. Up now and at it. Just feel a massive sense of relief it’s out. Hopefully they have taken a wide enough clear margin that no more surgery will be required and it’s on to hormone tablets and radiotherapy. The bugger won’t beat me

Glad it went well oakthorn. I’m an ovarian cancer survivor, so I know what you’re going through. Best advice I had was to keep busy and do as many nice things as possible. This keeps normality in your life. Much love and healing thoughts on your way ❤️

Wishing you a quick recovery OP.