Hi
I was diagnosed two months ago but my biopsy results were unclear. I had lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy over two weeks ago but I still have no answers about type, hormone or her2 , has anyone else experienced this?
The waiting is so hard and everyone one her seems to have some answers at the time of diagnosis, I have no idea what I am facing.
N x
Hi Niki
I’m so sorry you find yourself here but hopefully it’s the right place for you. You’re right - the waiting is/can be so hard (it’s as hard as you allow it to be but we’re all different in our reactions). It’s not that they are dragging their feet - they have to do all sorts of checks and balances to get it right. You may get the impression that everyone gets answers at diagnosis but let’s go by my experience (and I foolishly went privately, thinking it would be quicker:
Week 1: “I’m sure you’ve nothing to worry about” (fortunately he biopsied the two little freckles/lumps on my areola)
Week 2: “I’m shocked at these results. I’m afraid you do have breast cancer. You have the option of a lumpectomy with radiotherapy or just a mastectomy”.Â
Week 3: “I’m afraid the test results indicate a tumour so you will need a full mastectomy and radiotherapy.”
Week 4 : “Things have changed. You have some node involvement so we’ll need to do a mastectomy and full axillary clearance.”
Week 6 (after surgery): “We found two tumours etc etc etc…” I was past caring.
Would it have been better to wait for the full picture from all the tests rather than this constant optimism and reassurance? I think so. It almost broke my husband. Me, I was numb by then. The alternative was terror at the thought of chemotherapy (I’m phobic). BUT surgery was straightforward and I didn’t even need pain relief, chemo was tough by manageable and radiotherapy was a doddle.
It’s still early days. Contrary to popular belief, cancer cells are mostly quite sluggish, according to my oncologist, so don’t worry that your cancer is spreading like wildfire. Tests will tell them what type of breast cancer you have and what treatment will suit it (there are so many different types of bc once you get to the oncologist’s understanding. As to what type, hormone status etc, it makes little difference to you at this stage and may well be a good thing as you won’t be tempted to Google (a definite NO). How about using the time to build up the resilience you’ll need for your treatment? Practising diaphragmatic breathing (YouTube) regularly can help a lot and, as a longer term investment, mindfulness, meditation, running, whatever will enable you to rid your mind of the anxiety.
If you’ve not yet been given an appointment date, you could ring your breast care nurses’ service. You can then also ask when you are going to be given your breast cancer information.
Wishing you all the best xx
I can really relate to this. I had my initial diagnosis very quickly after my biopsy, but beyond that things changed at every appointment (more tests needed, lymph nodes that looked clear turning out to have cancer cells, more tests, more surgery, Oncotype test). I was lucky, the Oncotype test came back with a lovely low score so no chemo.
The waiting for results is awful, but each stage has to be gone through, as the results dictate what comes next. I found my breast care nurse very helpful, especially in the early days when I was in full flight or fight mode and hadn’t worked out just how the system worked.Â
One thing that did help me was having the next appointment date, even if it wasn’t as soon as I needed it to be so that I knew what was happening. Usually they gave me the appointment before I left the clinic, so it might be worth asking about that?
Good luck, and sending hugs.Â