Anxious wait for results

Anxious wait for results

Anxious wait for results Hiya,

I hope you don’t mind me posting about my anxiousness?

I went to the breast clinic on monday as I have quite a large lump in my right breast.
They did the ultrasound 1st and the nurse said it is deffo not a cyst as it is not fluid filled. She said I had a large solid mass that needs to be dealt with. I had a breast reduction 10 years ago and asked if it could have been scar tissue or breast tissue. She said she would have liked to have said yes but it wasnt.
I was taken into a room with a Consultant, a trainee and a counciller and was told that they were 90% sure from the ultrasound and mammogram that I had a growth that would no doubt have to be removed. Whether it was cancerous or not would be determined by a core biopsy. I have to go back next weds 28th March for the results.
I was told they would have a surgery date for me.
They started talking about removal of the lump or the breast then mentioned chemo either after surgery or before to shrink the lump.
At this point what was being said to me was going straight thru one ear and out of the other.
I was then taken into a room with my partner by the counciller who was stroking my hand asking if I was ok?
Does this mean I have cancer???

Im so worried and confused.

Helpline Dear Julie

Firstly, welcome to the Breast Cancer Care forums where I am sure you will get lots of helpful advice and support from the many users of this site.

I am sorry you are feeling so anxious at the moment, these feelings are normal because you are unsure about what is happening to you regarding your diagnosis and treatment. Perhaps it would help you if you contacted our free helpline on 0808 800 6000 where you you can talk to someone in confidence about how you are feeling at the moment.

Everyone on our helpline either has experience of breast cancer or is a breast care nurse. The team comes from a variety of backgrounds, so you can talk to someone who has an understanding of the issues they’re facing. The team is able to talk about both technical and emotional issues surrounding breast cancer and breast health.

The line is open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturdays 9am - 2pm

I do hope this helps.

Kind regards.

Online Host
Breast Cancer Care

Hi Julie I’m so sorry you have this worry hanging over you -and like many many posts you’ll read here -waiting is truly awful and not an easy thing to deal with -time allows your imagination to run riot.

Try not to get too far ahead of the game at this stage -they can’t know for sure what the lump is until a biopsy is done -they can only speculate. It is so easy to become frightened and confused -they may only have said IF it’s a dodgy lump -you MAY need this or that treatment.

To get a little clarification, you might want to ring the breast care nurse attached to your surgeon. Have you been given any telephone numbers? -If you haven’t you can usually get hold of them by ringing the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to her.

Nothing is going to put the worry completely out of your head until you get the results but it might help if they are able to go over with you what they know at this stage -and try to keep occupied if you can ,it lessens the time you have to dwell. Keep posting if it helps -there is always someone around who understands the emotions.
Cherry

Hi Julie,
Please don’t feel you need to apologise for being anxious, waiting for results is the very worst part and I really feel for you. It sounds like they are obviously worried about the lump but cannot give you a definate diagnosis until they get the results of the core biopsy. A growth can be benign or malignant, it is my feeling that doctors would not mention chemo or mastectomy without very good reason.
In my case my consultant told me (after mamo, ultrasound and biopsy) that she felt it was malignant but could not be sure until the results of biopsy. She was right, 5 days later I was told it was cancer, that was almost one year ago.
Perhaps you should contact the nurse at the breast unit and ask her if they meant that they think you’ve got cancer.
I’m thinking of you. Please keep posting.
Claire x

Don’t appologise for being anxious everyone on this site knows the hell of waiting for results. They certainly seem to be preparing you for bad news, when I had my ultrasound and core biopsy I was told that when I came back for the results I would see the surgeon and he would tell me the date of my op, so they left me with no illusions about what they thought it was but then I knew my entire breast was not ok. In the end they were wrong in their assumptions on what I had and it turned out to be DCIS with only a minute amount of invasive cancer and I was able to have an immediate reconstruction, which gave me an extremely realistic new breast, after a mastectomy, I know that is still cancer but DCIS is almost always cured with treatment. They can’t know what is there until the biopsy results come back they can only make an educated guess they were only 90% sure, you’ve still got 10% on your side.
Have a look at some of the people on this site who have had good news this week and keep hoping but if it bad news there are plenty of people here who will help you through it and answer your questions. Will be thinking of you this wed.
Love
Beverley

Anxious wait for results Hiya all,

Thank you for taking time to reply to my posting.

Its so hard to try think positive when your in this situation isn’t it?
Im trying to be strong and not phased by it as I know at the momen my partner feels like he has been hit by a bus.
God help him if on Wednesday I get bad news, which I am kind of expecting.
I didn’t see anyone else while I was at the clinic being taken into a seperate room with their partners which makes me think I do have cancer.
Its like being in a dream at the moment. Its like its not happening and any moment now im going to wake up. Im sure you can all relate to that??

As each day goes by to the run up to Wednesday I feel sick, my stomach is churning. I just wish I could get this over and done with.

Im keeping my fingers crossed that I am due for a run of good luck as this year hasn’t been a good one so far. I found out 2 weeks ago (4 days before I was referred to the breast clinic by my doctor) that I am being made redundant on 5th June…Great eh?

I will keep my fingers for all of you that in currently in my situation awaiting your results.
Its comforting to know that im not the only one going through it and there are lovely people on here that we can all turn to when we need a shoulder to cry on.

I will keep you posted…thank you. x x x x

good luck Hi Julie
just want to wish you good luck with your results, I get mine tomorrow, my husband is not handling it very well either, which in a way is helping me, cause I am trying to be positive for him.
hope everything goes well for you and your husband
Heatherellis

Waiting Julie,

Just a quick note to say I am thinking of you.

I have just got back from having my mammogram, which I had to wait 2 weeks for, now have to wait for the results!

Mine is not a lump in the breast, but an ‘abnormality’, possibly hormonal, but its still the not knowing for sure, which is the worst.

My thoughts are with you, hope you get good news.

Take Care

Sharon
xx

hand being stroked I found having my hand stroked extremely irritating when my mother did it. It seemed to imply I was about to peg it.

Maybe the councillor took the wrong approach.

Sadly there probably isn’t a right way. In a strange way I felt better once I knew that my lump was a cancer.

I know you don’t know what’s happening yet about further treatment but most of it involves some kind of surgery at some point.

If it is breast cancer you may be advised to have a mastectomy. I had discussions about mastectomy and other types of surgery but only once I’d been definitely diagnosed. I think breast surgeons now realise that body image is important though different women vary in their reactions to losing a breast. I was devastated by the idea, in fact when I was diagnosed I thought it was worse than dying of cancer, but I now realise I’m pretty unusual in this reaction. Many women on this site say they think that a mastectomy is a small price to pay to improve their prospects of staying alive. However that was obviously not my view.

Many people can have breast conservation which is what I had. This is becoming increasingly common but is dependent on factors such as size and position of the lump. There are a few surgeons doing partial reconstructions now where they keep as much of the breast tissue as they can, take some tissue from another part of your body and move it to replace the missing bit. (usually from your back). Unfortunatley there is a big shortage in surgeons able to do this surgery as generally breast cancer surgeons are not trained in it.

If you are advised that you should have a mastectomy I think it’s best to go to a specialist breast unit with more experienced surgeons with skills in different kinds of reconstructions. I think they need to take account of your build etc when advising which kind of reconstruction might be best for you.

I hope this is not too much information but I personally felt I wanted to find out as much as I could as soon as I could after I was told I might have cancer/did have cancer.