Any advice, please?

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I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday. The Surgeon says the lump is around 1.5 cm and he can remove just the lump and one or all the lymph glands, to be followed up with 2 weeks of radiotherapy. Alternatively, he can do a full mastectomy. I had a mammogram, ultrasound scan and biopsy on the day. The biopsy has now been sent for further tests and I have to go back on Monday. My initial reaction was to say I would like just the lump removed and maybe all the lymph glands. I was completely shocked by the diagnosis and had just gone, as I thought, to get peace of mind. My GP was not concerned and I have no family history on my Mother’s side, although my Dad’s sister died of breast cancer many years ago.I am 43.

So far, I have been positive and the knowledge that the lump is small and the cancer is, hopefully, in the early stages has kept me going. Although, not ideal, I can cope with a few scars and the radiotherapy. I have never been in hospital before, so that’s a bit scary. The lump is at the top of the breast and, as there is not much tissue there, will leave a large scar and indentation. However, I was talking to someone today who told me that her neighbour had, recently, had breast cancer. She was telling me how positive she had been throughout the treatment and that she had very few problems. However, it came out that she originally had the same op as I am likely to have and they found that the cancer had spread and she had to have the whole breast removed and then chemo.This really worried me.

I know that nothing is certain at this stage, but I think my mind will only cope with my best case scenario at the moment. I am trying to keep positive and have told family, some friends and work colleagues and talk about it openly, which helps. However, I still feel I am in a bit of a dream and this is happening to someone else, not me. My husband has taken the news really badly, but is trying to be supportive. He will be coming to the hospital with me on Monday. Thankfully, we don’t have any children to worry about.

I am also a bit worried about the possibility of my arm swelling on a permanent basis, as my job involves a lot of writing and it is my right breast. I know I can ask about all these things on Monday, when I see the Surgeon, but it would be nice to hear from others who have gone through the same thing.I don’t really understand what the further tests are for, as I was a bit shell shocked on Monday and did not take everything in.Can anyone help with that,please?

Thanks in anticipation. Julie.

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hi im su iam in recovery from a full right side mastectomy all i can say is be strong and if you need to talk about it talk till you fall asleep cos it helps , try not to worry and you will get througt it.
my arm was sore but didnt swell so dont worry until you need to cos it may never happen . it is a worry but all you got to do is be strong, i have just had chemo and radio and im about to have herseptin and i feel great .
your husband will need support cos it will hurt him to know you are poorly but breast cancer is not a killer YOU LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT after the treatment. good luck . DONT SHUT HUBBY OUT TALK TALK TALK XX IM HERE IF YOU NEED ANY HELP (edited by moderator to remove email address).

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Dear Julie

I am afraid that everyone knows someone who’s had breast cancer as it is surprisingly common. However like heinz there are 57 varieties of it, so comparisons with other people aren’t always helpful.

The evidence is that for small tumours, and yours is small, the outcome is the same for lumpectomy plus radiation as it is for mastectomy.

Cosmetic result does come into it, but I found the results of reconstructions not that great when I was diagnosed three years ago. However, reconstructions have improved a bit since then, but you need a good surgeon who is skilled in the technique you want and there’s not that many around.

Try and find a breast cancer centre of excellence. Research shows that practice makes perfect i.e. the more times a surgeon performs the same procedure the better they become. Thus it’s better to go somewhere where they perform a lot of breast surgery. In London the main place seems to be the Royal Marsden. There’s a guide to clinics called Dr Foster that includes stats on how many breast conservation ops are done, and how many mastectomies.

You should aim to go to a clinic that diagnoses over 100 women a year too as this has been shown to give the best treatment results.

Good luck

Mole

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Hi Julie,

sorry you’ve had to find yourself here but ‘welcome’ all the same. You are in good company here and I hope you will find a great comfort and support from this site like I have since I was diagnosed in March. I was age 34, had a right mastectomy and total axillary clearance the following week. The surgeon said my lump was just too big for him to do a lumpectomy. To say it was a shock would be an understatement. I knew v.little about bc prior to diagnosis and it has been a VERY steep learning for me and those close to me. I am currently receiving chemo, then its onto rads, then hormones and herceptin. Busy, busy, busy!!

The further tests may well be to try and assertain what ‘grade’ it is and whether or not it is ‘hormone receptive’ or ‘hereditary’. I’m not totally sure on this as I’m no expert but I know that these are the things they test the tumours for after surgery. If you call the helpline they will no doubt be able to help advise you on this, also there is live chat on tonight between 9 and 10 and there is usually a nurse on-line to answer any questions we may have.

I know there are a lot of people who initially have a lumpectomy and then unfortunately don’t have sufficient ‘clear margins’ and so have to go back for a full mastectomy but there are also a lot of people who don’t. Personally, had I been given the opportunity I prob would’ve gone for a lumpectomy first and hope for the best. Its a chance you’ve got to be sure you’re willing to take really.

I’m sorry to hear that it has hit your husband hard. My boyfriend was gutted when I was first diagnosed but since then he has been soooo supportive. I couldn’t have got through this without him to be honest. He plays his cards very close to his chest though and sometimes I think it gets to him more than he lets on, well to me anyway. He broke down at work a couple of weeks ago and didn’t tell me for ages. All the while I thought he was coping fine!! My boyfriend has been to every appt with me and takes me to every chemo session. I am glad your hubbie is going with you on monday, not only for moral support but also a second pair of ears. I tend to ‘miss hear’ things when I go to appts and I’m pleased that simon always listens closely.

Anyway, enough of my wittering on!!! Take care of yourself and try to stay strong this next few days, I know its hard.Please keep in touch and let us know what you decide to do,

I wish you all the best for Monday,

Kelly
-x-

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Hi Julie,

Completely understand where you are coming from. It is all a bit sureal isn’t it. After all, I am sure you feel perfectly healthy. Like you I have no history in the family but four weeks ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy (I think) with blue dye injected by the nipple (while under I hasten to add) and then the lymph nodes that received the dye were removed and checked for any spread of cancer. The week waiting for the results was the longest of my life! The suggestions of your surgeon sound a bit strange although I am no expert (but rapidly becoming one!) As far as I understand, the swelling, lymphodeama, depends to certain extent on the number of lymph nodes removed but don’t quote me on that.

If it helps, which it may not, I am 36 years old, my lump was 2cms, grade 3 (which is pretty aggressive) but hadn’t spread to the lymph nodes. It is very hormone receptive (i.e. loves oestrogene and progesterone, boy this is making me practice my spelling), which means I can have hormone therapy to treat it and because of this and that it is so early, I probably won’t choose chemotherapy as the benefits are really small (like 1-2% for me!)

All this will seem like a foreign language, but you will get to grips with it. Was there a breast nurse in with you during the consultations? A bit disconcertingly, there was one who came in when I was given the warning that it could be cancer (should have guessed something was really wrong at that point) and she has been in every consultation since, which is great because you can go over the facts with her.

Don’t be afraid to take a pen and paper in with you, I do! Just remember, the waiting really is the horrible bit. Please carry on using this site, its great. I did hit a bit of a wall a few days ago when I felt really low despite all the good news and got all the good vibes sent my way and now on top of it again.

Good luck and take care,

Kirsty

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Hiya Julie, my name is also Julie and i’m 40. We have many similarities I just had to respond. My lump was also 16mm and I chose a lumpectomy which I had surgery for last week. Given the size it was definately the best option. My surgeon did a centinal node biopsy which was great because the underarm pain is’nt so bad. The results this week were very positive, there was a clear margin taken from around the tumour and I had no lymph involvement. I was grade 2,do you know what you are? Try and be positive, yours sounds very similar. Now I am waiting to see the oncologist who will sort out my hormone tablets and radiotherapy. If you have any queries please ask.
JulieXXX

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Hi there Julie - I’ve finished all my treatment now and seem to be out the other side after having a similar diagnosis as you. I had a lumpectomy (20mm, grade 1) back in October last year - left breast, right near the nipple, followed by a centinal node biopsy (nodes were clear)- with the blue dye too (don’t be surprised by having blue wee the day after - how weird is that?), and then a tissue clearance around where the lump is. I’m 39 and have been on Tamoxifen and Zoladex injections (these are far, far better than I had imagined them to be), and I’ve had 6 weeks of radiotherapy which I finished in March.

The scar is bearly visible round by the nipple and there is no indentation from the lumpectomy or tissue clearance, which I am rather surprised about. I do have a scar under my arm from the centinal node biopsy, and I am concious of exercising my shoulder to keep it supple. The radiotherapy wasn’t as awful as I thought it was going to be, but the one thing I learnt is that you must listen to your body. If you are tired - take a rest, try not to soldier on, as you will become exhausted.

My husband has been amazing over the past 6 months or so, although, like yours he does bottle it all up. When I had the ops, he didn’t want to share me with anyone - not even my Mum. He just wanted to go into his “cave” and deal with it ourselves without anyone else’s involvement. Whereas I needed him and my family and friends. As the other ladies have mentioned, just talk through everything with him - your concerns and his concerns and you will be amazed how strong you can both be. This is such a weird time for you, but you can get through it and there have been many positives on my “journey”, such as:-

    • Learnt what I can go through and deal with - much more than I thought!
    • Know who your friends truly are - I was amazed with amount of support from them I got.
    • Enjoyed the trips to the hospital for radiotherapy and meeting & chatting to the same people every day.
    • Joined up to the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Generations Study along with many of my girlfriends
    • Raised over £1500 for Breast Cancer Care on the Ribbon Walk (20 miles) in June this year with 2 friends
    • Have more knowledge about Breast Cancer and the treatments involved to share with others
    • Told my story to a magazine - “Healthy” which is due out in October - something I would never have done before
    • Learnt to listen to my body and be as positive as posible (I know this is difficult sometimes and I’ve had a number of “wobbly” moments, but I know this will pass eventually)
  9. I quite enjoy my monthly visits to the nurse at the GP’s for my Zoladex injection - we have a laugh each time

I’m sure there are other good things that have come out of the last 7 months or so, and I know you will be feeling scared and frightened, but do use this amazing site to help you understand what you are going through.

Best of luck - I will be thinking of you - Just take every day as it comes and deal with the information you have.

Best wishes

Lynne x

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Thank you all so much for taking the time to send me such detailed and encouraging messages. I have come down with a cold today, so was feeling a bit down. Your messages really helped. It’s nice to know there are others out there with the same problem and I am not on my own. I think I have probably confused some of what my Surgeon said, so don’t be too hard on him! I will be clearer when I go back on Monday and will have my husband with me to listen as well.

Thanks once again.

Julie.x