HI I have DCIS level 2 and a lumpectomy booked 11/1
it was found at my first age routine mammogram - I also had a biopsy on one swollen lymph node I had a trainee her first lymph biopsy, consultant said lymph node was clear but the trainee tried 5 times and it was horrendous to get a sample and I’m worried she missed the one needing a biopsy. She also said she saw another area on my breast that was a worry but when she called in the consultant he said it was fibrous tissue.
I suffer anxiety anyway I don’t even travel as it gave me IBS so now I am so worried that my tests weren’t down right and it’s extensive.
I was told 2 weeks before my results my brother was found dead he’s only 2 years older than me and he is still with the coroner.
ive has a sore mouth painful shoulder and my anxiety is effecting my life I just can’t focus on anything.
Dreading the walk to surgery and the wire placed before being it’s 8.30am my IBS will be worse.
of I need radiotherapy that’s a 6 hour round journey daily
First a big virtual hug. You sound like you need it. I’m so sorry for your loss. When I got my cancer diagnosis (it changed 3 times, after a “nothing to be worried about”), I took in very little and asked few questions. I didn’t want to know. I was way too concerned about my phobia (vomiting), my agoraphobia which makes travel difficult and my panic attacks. I think this is one of the reasons I was virtually fearless during my treatments - I thought only in terms of my anxiety. I was terrified of a panic attack but not of cancer. Weird?
It’s now over two years since the whole thing started and, although I was prescribed a sedative by the oncologist to help me manage the chemo (they were afraid I’d do a runner and bent over backwards to accommodate my needs), I haven’t had a full-on panic attack in 2 years. I’m still waiting. It’s an odd feeling not feeling the fear I was so used to.
Anxiety is a strange thing. As your focus changes, what you are accustomed to also changes. There’s only so much the mind and body can take. Do make sure you tell your breast care nurse about how anxiety affects you, like the travel. Do everything you can to manage your anxiety so your life is bearable (I tuned into YouTube videos, sometimes several times a day, just for respite - Progressive Hypnosis’s Manifest Healing is superb) and if you can’t manage it, tell your GP. You need to be able to deal with whatever treatment is recommended and you may need a mild sedative to help you initially. Don’t be fobbed off by “any woman in your position would feel anxious” - you’re not any woman. You’re a woman asking for help.
The fact is, a cancer diagnosis is terrifying but so is severe anxiety. You’ll know better what lies ahead after they’ve done the surgery. If there is any concern about the lymph nodes, they will test more at that time. They certainly wouldn’t leave things to chance and, if a consultant overrides a radiologist, you can be sure your consultant is certain. They do know their stuff. So learn to trust your team, USE your breast care nurse and get your GP to help you with your anxiety if you can’t do it yourself. Your breast cancer has been identified early. It’s treatable, the recovery rates get higher by the year (and are already high). Yes, surgery is uncomfortable afterwards but it’s worth it. After surgery, the cancer is gone.
I wish you all the best on the 11th. I’ll be in the chemo suite having a top-up xx