Feeling Scared I have made my cancer worse

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1

Hello,

About three weeks ago I was diagnosed with stage 1, grade 2 Invasive Ductual BC. They were offered my fertility preservation (egg freezing). I took this offer and they reassured me it will be safe. I had to day daily hormonal injections for over a week. After this they collected eggs.
In the same week I had a call to say my cancer is HER2-positive and they want to start chemo. I have an MRI tomorrow and oncology appointment next week. This has happened quickly.
I am so worried due to the fertility drugs and leaving it for 2 weeks my cancer is worse and it has grown.
I am loosing sleep and worried about the outcome now.

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Hi @picklesfc

Sorry that you find yourself here. This time after the initial diagnosis can be tough. The doctors are finding out as much as possible about your particular case, hence the further scans. This will enable them to tailor the treatment to what is best for you. However, it is easy to picture cells running riot around your body. I am not a medical person, but strongly believe that they would not delay any treatment unnecessarily.

Both times I was diagnosed I was given a date for surgery about month to six weeks afterwards. The first time (left side mastectomy) the surgeon would have delayed surgery for another two or three weeks if I had wanted reconstruction. The second time (picked up during my annual check up on the right breast) the suggested date was a few days before I was due to go on holiday. The surgeon was happy to delay it until after my return.

The nurses will be here tomorrow with some further advice and reassurance

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Just to say I was diagnosed with a grade 3 triple negative BC in March, it took me weeks to get seen at the breast clinic due to cancellation of appointments and then when I was finally seen, the tumour had grown considerably. I was panicked about even having to wait any more for chemo to start but my surgeon assured me that there was a period of a few weeks which was considered safe and not to worry. Your tumour is much smaller than mine and in the early stages. It also sounds as though things are happening quickly now too, so try not to worry. Chemo is systemic and will attack any cancerous cells in your body, so it won’t spread in the relatively small timeframe. Good luck x

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Hello

Thank you so much for replying and reassuring me.
I suffer from anxiety as I have done for years.
I was more worried about the extra hormones I have been injecting into my body for the fertility preservation. I am worried as mine is HER2-Positive and hormones can make it worse. That was my main worry and that’s why I was asking the nurse forum .

I hope you are doing as well as you can and again, thank you again xx

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Hi picklesfc

Thank you for your post.

It’s understandable you have lots of worries following your recent diagnosis and we would encourage you to contact our helpline if you would like to discuss these.

It looks like you had some support from @scientistamafier and @ivy-cat over the weekend.

Fertility treatment is offered to many women while they wait to start treatment and as your treatment team have suggested this is considered safe practice. Hormone injections increase the amount of oestrogen in your body and like you many women worry about the impact this has on their cancer. You haven’t mentioned whether your cancer is oestrogen positive but studies have not shown that ovarian stimulation affects the growth of breast cancer cells.

It’s good that you have been contacted and offered an appointment for MRI and with the oncologist to discuss treatment quickly which is also reassuring. You can also discuss your concerns with your treatment team and breast care nurse who will offer you further reassurance.

You mention suffering with anxiety. Do let your treatment team, or GP know how you are currently feeling so they can also support your further. Also our Facebook Live: Sleep deprivation and mindfulness - February 2024 (youtube.com) and Breast Cancer Now chats: Managing worrying thoughts - May 2024 (youtube.com) might be of interest.

Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling.

We also offer support tailored specifically for younger women with primary breast cancer who are aged between 20-45 years. This includes our Younger Women Together events that are run face to face and online. This support offers the opportunity to meet and share experiences with other younger women and get expert information in a confidential space. More information can be found on the links above. If you are under 45 you can access this.

We offer a range of other free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer at any age which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.

For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free helpline. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.

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Best wishes

Helen

Breast Care Nurse

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