Hi
I’m 30 and live in South Wales.
I got diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday following my booking appointment for my pregnancy and seeing the little one at my 12 week scan. As you can imagine that was an emotionally charged day.
Royal Gwent have been fantastic, they are adapting the procedures and treatment slightly to support the pregnancy.
Wanting so much to scream and fall apart, but can’t as stress is bad for the baby.
Family and friends have gathered round which is great, but my husband and I are both devastated.
This is my first pregnancy following a complete molar pregnancy last year, which they’ve ruled out as being linked to the breast cancer.
Operation is next Thursday to get it out and identify it.
Am in a bit of a mess as you can imagine.
Hello Moonandmoon
Welcome to the forums, this must be a very difficult time for you but you have come to the right place for support from our experienced users who I’m sure will be along to support you soon.
In the meantime maybe you would like to talk things through with a member of our helpline staff who are there to offer emotional support as well as practical information. The free phone number is 0808 800 6000 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00 and Saturday 10.00 to 2.00.
Best wishes
June, moderator
Oh moonandmoon! Of course you are “a bit of a mess” at the moment. We all were on diagnosis (dx on here!) and most of us aren’t pregnant at the time!
I am glad they are acting fast to ‘get it out’ so that you can get on with treatment. Most ladies have found that once treatment starts things DO get better. It’s the awful unknown that is so scary. Do remember that a great number of women (and men!) diagnosed with BC go on to live full and healthy lives. Treatments are improving all the time.
I’ve been amazed by the number of people I’ve heard about, since my dx in Feb, who had BC years ago and are fine now.
One good piece of advise I was given on here, DON’T google! A lot of the info is out of date or just plain WRONG. Stick to BCC site, Macmillan and reputed cancer charity sites or you will scare yourself silly.
Every cancer is different, so be advised by your team. It sounds like they are taking good care of you!
Stress IS bad for the baby so don’t bottle up your feelings. Cry, Rant (we love a good rant on here! Nobody minds. It’s a great place to ‘let off steam’) be angry, but then notice and enjoy the good moments too! The helplines are marvellous too, for information and support, or just someone to sound off to.
Talk to family and friends. I found that helped me a lot and you have a double reason to take care of yourself now!
I’m sure others who have coped with pregnancy/babies and BC will be along soon to offer support. (I’m an old fogey at 52, and lucky in that my kids are adults!)
Do keep us up to date with developments.
Hugs xx
Hugs Moon, what an emotional time for you. You’ve had good advice already but I just wanted to reassure you re stress because the more you worry about being stressed the worse it can be. We know stress isn’t good for you when pregnant - true, but neither is worrying about how much you are stressing.
The first time I was pregnant I was blissful throughout the term, my daughter was hard work as a baby lol. Not chilled out, not feeding well, projectile vomit and reflux so I really worried when pregnant with my son because I was going through a horrendous time personally. Like you I beat myself up and worried about the damage I was doing. Despite this he was happy, healthy and a wonderful chilled out, very easy baby to look after!
Look after yourself first, then the rest will look after itself, if you know what I mean. I hope once you get your plan in place everything seems more manageable. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.
Take care xxx
ive just been diaganosed with stage 3 breast cancer, going to have a lumpectomy on friday. does anyone else have or have had stage 3 breast cancer
Hello Jellymould
Welcome to the forums. I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis, the first few weeks are always difficult when coming to terms with your diagnosis and treatment.
As well as the support you will receive on the forums you might find it helpful to order the BCC resources pack. It has been specifically designed for those newly diagnosed and contains information to help you understand your diagnosis, test results and the various treatments available. If you would like to order a copy just follow the link bellow:-
You may also like to talk things through with one of the helpline staff, they are there to offer emotional support as well as provide information. The free phone number is 0808 800 6000 and lines are open 9-5 Monday to Friday and 10-2 Saturday.
Best wishes
June, moderator
So sorry to hear your news. It’s bad enough being told you have cancer but to be told while 12 weeks pregnant must be very difficult.
I am also 30 and was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago. Just had my lumpectomy on Tuesday so if you want to ask me anything about what to expect in the next few weeks, just ask.
Kerry xx
Ps I have two kids aged 2 and 4 so also a young mum
Hiya I’m 32 and had lumpectomy on 30th August. I also can help with any info on surgery and afterwards. I am starting chemo on 26th. This website is a real help. Don’t google and try to second guess your diagnosis. I have been there and done that and it doesn’t help!! Just stick to here and other charity sites. There are many lovely ppl on here to give you advice. Take care, Heidi xx
hi heidi, how long after your surgery do you have radium therepy and how do you feel after treatment
Jellymould: I had a WLE (lumpectomy) in February and SNB (sentinel node biopsy - a few of the lymph nodes removed to check for spread of cancer cells) You don’t say whether you have to have SNB?
I went back for results about 2 weeks after surgery. My cancer was stage 3 and 2.8cm in size. The SNB was clear. I was offered chemo, (due to it being bigger than 2 cm and because it was grade 3) but told I was borderline so it was up to me whether I had it. I didn’t, so I started rads (Radio therapy) in April and finished on May 14th, after 15 daily sessions. (some people have 20 or 25)
Rads is a nuisance as you have to trek to the hospital every day, but the treatment is not painful. Follow any skin care advice given by your Rads team to help prevent ‘sunburn-like’ symptoms. My skin was fine - just a bit red and tender. See the various ‘starting rads in…’ threads for more advice. Be prepared to feel very tired, especially about 2 weks after rads treatment finishes! It’s an indescribable kind of tiredness that comes and goes. One day you feel like your stuffing has been removed, the next you’re almost ‘normal’ again!
I started a phased return to work on 11th June (I work in a school so I had August off), and am now back full time: tired but coping. I still have odd aches and twinges, occassionally, probably (I hope!) due to Rads.
It’s a scary journey, there’s no denying. There are some times when you will feel frightened, angry or just plain sad. But this is normal and you’ll get plenty of support on here. You WILL get through it! x
Thank you for your kind words of support ladies 
Sorry, I went quiet. Had the op on Thursday and am now resting temporarily at Mum’s before going home with hubby.
It all went into a bit of mess to be honest. My consultant rang the day before the op, and said the radiographer who did my initial scan had come back off holiday and seen my secondary mammogram and wasn’t happy. There were some small areas of calcification and another area that worried her, which she wanted to do further invesitgation on, which might be nothing but could take up to a month to do. My gut instinct was to have the mastectomy, which is what my consultant recommended as I couldn’t wait mentally upto another month. I would have been up the walls and worried that I would miscarry because of the stress.
So we proceeded with left mastectomy and I woke up with one drain. Am picking up the pieces and hoping for a better diagnosis in two weeks. They let me have an ultrasound before I went home and gave me some pictures of baby to take away. Meeting new gynae consultant on Friday.
Feel like a mess, I’m supposed to be becoming a mum and wake up each morning forgetting I’m pregnant and trying to get through each day. I should be buying maternity wear and racing buggies and am just sat down half the time staring into space tripping out on co-codamol. Famiily and friends are being supportive and hubby is being excellent, bathing me and stuff. I just want to go back to my normal life and know that it is going to take a while.
Hoping the diagnosis will be better xx
Hi my heart goes out to you, dealing with this is hard enough without being young and pregnant, rest assured that it will get easier and you will find out exactly why women are the stronger sex! In some ways it is a blessing you are pregnant try to focus on that rather than think of the cancer. The cancer is gone its been cut out and now it’s time to concentrate on you and your baby. Try to do something baby oriented every day a such as: buy some bits and pieces, baby wipes on offer at supermarket, sort out a play group, choose swatches and fabrics for the nursery. All of these small things can be done online if you are not up to shopping. Put your feet up and play some relaxing music for baby to listen to and most off all plan for baby’s arrival because then this will be a distant nightmare that you have dealt with and are coming through x
I have just received my diagnosis today and I have a small tumour. I have an appointment to see someone on Frid to discuss what exactl will be done. I have to have an MRI as the tumour was not detected by mammogram but by ultrasound after a mammogram which showed an area that they were concered about. The area with the cancer did not show up on the mammogram but thankfully due to the fact that they had an area that was unclear I was called back and had further tests. I will have a lumpectomy and some lymph nodes removed and probably radiotherapy depending on what they find in the lump. Feeling scared but positive about the fact that they have found it early and the tumour is very small.
Hi Mapie and welcome to the BCC discussion forums. You’ve come to the best place for some good, honest support from the many informed users of this site.
While you’re waiting for replies, I have put for you below the link to one of BCC’s publications you might find helpful. Also, if you need someone away from the family to talk to, then our helpline team are here to support you. Calls are free. 0808 800 6000, lines open Mon-Fri 9-5 and Sat 10-2.
Take care,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi Moonandmoon
I am fairly newly diagnosed with b.c and amother of 3 children and just wanted to send you a big hug and best wishes, my heart truly goes out to you.
I am also a midwife though and just read something in our miwives journal about pregnant ladies and chemoterapy which was very positive. I am not saying that thats something that you would even need but it made for very positive reading overall not the other way about.
If you want more info just p.m. me
I hope you can begin to enjoy your pregnancy now a little as every pregnant mum deserves to
Good luck
Mandy xxxx
Hi Jelly mould, I started chemo last Wednesday (4wks after op) and I will need radiotherapy a the end but that won’t be til I finished chemo around end of January. Feel very tired after chemo and was quite sick on Wednesday night but the nurse is going to add in extra anti sick for nxt time.
moon and moon, I cannot imagine how your feeling, I miscarried in may and been on fertility treatment. 3 months later I’m dealing with cancer, but you have to be strong for little one. Take care and try not to worry. There are so many treatments and options these days so dont give up.
xxxx
hi had my WLE and sentinal node biopsy on 28th surgery went well, healing nicely, just waiting to go back for my check to find out the next course of treatment, radiotherapy and chemo have been mentioned but im not sure at this stage what the outcome will be
It’s so pants (feel free to delete pants and use a harsher word), that any of us are having to go through, will go through and have been through any type of cancer.
Thanks Mandy - they gave me the reference for the Lancet article. There is 90% certainty that I will go through chemo during the pregnancy because of my age. I find out the full extent of what’s going on in a couple of weeks. Meeting my new gynae consultant and visiting the midwives before that if I’m up to it. If I’m not then will just skip the anomaly blood tests.
Heidi - so sorry for your miscarriage :(. Hoping that everything goes okay for you so you can ttc again as soon as possible.
Thinking of you all xx
Moonand moon
Thinking of you flower and let me know how you get along! Us midwives have a bad reputation (rotweilers in lipstick etc!!) but some of us arent too bad…more like bull terriers (just kidding!)
Glad you are being well informed with articles etc.
Take care
Mandy xxxx
Thanks Jo the clinic gave me a pack which had this booklet in it and I have been reading throuugh the information. Felt fine at first but it is starting to sink in now just what has happened and feeling quite emotional Not helped by the fact that at the end of my Uni lecture last night I felt quite ill and had to phone my brother to come and pick me up as I did not feel I could travel home on the train. I have a touch of IBS and this flared a bit last night not a pleasant experience when you are not near home and have a 40 minute train journey to get home.