Both Mum & Daughter with Cancer

[itsucks87]

Afternoon!

I never in a million years thought I would be diagnosed with Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma at the age of 35 - a week before my 36th Birthday. I went to the GP two or three times between April and August with a body full of bruises and fatigue that was put down to lack of b12, before collarbone pain led to the GP examining my breast - she found, I was totally unaware, a lump in my breast. Biopsy followed and malignancy declared on 13th Sept.

Even stranger - my mother has cancer too. She had it in 2014 (double mastectomy), before being diagnosed as terminal in March this year. I say we are cancer twins. Oh, we also found out she has the BRCA2 gene in August this year. I requested a gene test 9 years ago and they refused us…even though mums family is rife with cancer. If they had done it 9 years ago, we wouldn’t be in this situation now.

My chemo has been slow to start, my oncologist sent letters (one to me), showing his disappointment on the lack of treatment given my cancer is aggressive. It was 2cm on 30th August, 2.2cm on 13th September and by 27th September it was 3cm by 3cm. Chemo starts this Thursday.

I was trying for a baby - my first, that’s out the window now. They did initailly offer fertility options but that would have been too risky for me given that they had to stimulate the oestrogen to get the eggs so they decided against it. So an injection every month now to put my ovaries to sleep in the hope I can conceive in about 3 years time.

Since diagnosis it’s isolating. I’ma 7hr drive from my family but messages/calls have slowed and my partners family have distanced themselves as if its catching. Annoying to say the least. I’m a strong person. Have cried once. It’s worrying but I keep it all in.

Was given morphine tablets on Friday as the pain in my collarbone/left arm is getting unbearable. Left arm swollen like my mums lymphodemia but apparently the 1 lymphnode they checked was “abnormal” not cancerous.

Petscan, MRI all clear.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to introduce myself.

[isitreallyme]

So sorry you are here, but you have come to the right place. Mine too is grade 3 idc, though I am I will be 57 next week. So frustrating when you wonder what if testing for genes had been done 9 years ago. I wonder myself how my cancer got so big within the 2 years since my last routine screening. But we just have to deal with what needs to be done now.
Hopefully you will be able to hold onto your dream of being a mum in the future, but for now you need to focus on yourself and of course your mum x

[Shi]

sorry you find yourself here and sorry to hear about your mum too BCN is here for you both there is the younger women with breast cancer that you can join and I’m sure others will reach out to you in the forum too also you can join a monthly chemo thread or read previous ones whatever helps you and also there are threads that your mum might find helpful we’re all here so reach out as much or as little as you need Shi xx