Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April, and have recently had a lumpectomy of a 2.2cm lump and sentinal node biopsy.
Awaiting results of node involvement.
If anyone else is in same position and/or has a similar diagnosis, please reach out.
I’m 36, with an 11 month old and 2.5 y/o.
Hello,
So sorry that you are going through all of this. How have you recovered post op?
And how are you managing day to day? Have you got much of a wait for results?
It’s alot to manage with very young children, I can’t imagine how you must feel with an 11 month old.
I’ve found that although it can be all consuming, children are a great distraction and focus.
Mine are 3, 5 and 7, and very energetic 
I was diagnosed at 36 too, I had mastectomy/ diep, then axillary node clearance. Expecting chemo to start soonish though I’m still waiting for the referral to come through. Have found all of the waiting intensly difficult 
I had a grade 3, 3.2 cm lump with no lymph node involvement. Hormone positive. Had a double mastectomy do didn’t need to do radiation although I did need chemo. Did four sessions three weeks apart. Not fun but doable. Made a complete recovery and feel better than ever.
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Hey!
I’m the same with ER 8/8 HER2 -ve IDC. I was only supposed to have one confirmed sentinel node but ended up with 7 positive nodes and full clearance. I’ve since had no micro node that was left behind blow up but it’s tested negative so a massive phew!
I had a full mastectomy and node clearance as it was Grade 3 but was then downgraded to Grade 2 after operation and pathology results.
Am about to have 5th cycle of ECT Chemo which has been 100 x worse than the operation but weirdly reassuring too.
Will have 15 rounds of radiotherapy afterwards from neck to ribs to be on the safe side.
I’m opting for ovary removal because I only want to be on one drug and not two for the rest of my life. By avoiding ovarian suppression drugs, I’ll be able to know what side affects Tamoxifen is causing clearly and I’m 43 and finished with babies so don’t need ovaries. Plus the bastards tried to kill me so I’d like them to go away! Chemo has caused menopause temporarily anyway and I’ve faired okay with that so no worries about making it short, sharp and permanent. Xx
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I’m also Er+ Pr+ HER- mine was grade 3 invasive ductal cancer. I have a nearly 3 year old and pregnant. Mine was in lymph node and just started chemo.
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Hey,
I was diagnosed end of feb after finding a lump in jan. I have a 3 year old that was still breastfeeding, so was very aware of my anatomy and knew this wasn’t normal. I have an IDC, HER2+, ER/PR- and node positive.
I was offered neoadjuvant chemo so halfway through that then likely mastectomy due to there being other areas of the cancer in my breast.
Without doubt this has been the most petrifying time of my life. Waiting for those initial staging scans I genuinely thought I was going to be told I was dying. Thank god the imaging was all ok and it’s primary, I feel weirdly grateful about this.
However the thoughts of it spreading creep in, more so this time of night. I’m so scared my baby boy will have to grow up without his mum. This has been the worst fear. Am just starting to access MacMillan counselling so hoping this helps with the intrusive thoughts and tears, so I would really recommended accessing this via your breast cancer nurse . Mum guilt is HARD 
Some things that I think when I am really struggling are
-this will hopefully be a small blip in my long healthy life
-if I’m the 1:2 that get cancer, breast cancer is the most common and well researched cancer so in my eyes it’s the best one to get!
-chemo is poison
Sending you so much love, and good health vibes. You’re not alone
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Hey wrenny,
Thanks for your reply. It sounds like youve gone through a lot yourself.
Im only 5 days post-lumpectomy, so still feeling pretty tired and sore. Could be a lot worse though.
How am i doing day to day? It changes to day to day. Ive no idea what grade or stage im at at the moment, and have another 2 weeks to wait to find out. I’m lucky to have a brilliant network of family and friends around me.
How did you find the mastectomy? X
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Hi Kay,
Thanks for sharing such a positive outcome.
How long ago did you finish treatment?
Hey, thanks for your reply. It seems we’ve all had quite different, yet still crap, experiences.
What has been the worst part of chemo for you? I believe i may be lucky and get away without chemo, as they believe its at stage 1.
How are you getting on at the moment? X
My last chemo was 10/07/22. By Thanksgiving in the US (last Thursday in the month of November) I was feeling about back to normal and had a cute pixie. But I cold capped so my hair came back quite quickly. People who don’t normally have to wait longer for hair to regrow.
Stages do not dictate chemo. It’s the oncotype score. Sometimes they’ll forgo it in the UK if the grade is low enough. But if you have a grade 2 or higher they’ll normally send your tumor in for the genetics to be tested to find out if chemo would be beneficial in your case. I was also at stage 1B with clear nodes but still needed chemo due to my genetics.