Caro, so sorry you’ve had to join us here, but you’ll get loads of support from the brilliant ladies on this site. Everyone feels the same at diagnosis - pure shock. And yes, the waiting is awful, but don’t ever feel guilty about being selfish. It IS all about you a the moment and you can ask, cry, moan and rant on this site. There’s always someone around to reply and make you feel less alone.
I too had to have an MRI, which was fine (very noisy), but the waiting again for results was horrible. I got some sleeping tablets from the GP and took them now and then when I needed them. Once you know what surgery you need and when you’re having it, you will feel more focused and you’ll just want to get on with it.
Hi Caro, I have been coming onto the site like others and wondering about you and your results. It is exactly one year to the day tomorrow that I was to get my results and then was told would have to wait another week as the results were not back, the waiting is the worse. It is getting your head around it all, but the hospital team are brilliant, and in no time at all you will have a plan from them. Take care ask all you want we have all been there and will continue to be there for you as well. Best wishes keep us posted junieliz
So Sorry Caro, but do not ever think you are being selfish as we are all in the same boat and hopefully are here for each other. I go tomorrow for the results of my SNB which i had 2 weeks ago and then hopefully will soon find out what my treatment plan is. Like others have said for me it’s the waiting which is the worst, i just want to get on with it now and find out if i can go on holiday in August with my family.
So sorry you have to join us.You will feel better once your treatment is underway and you get down to the business of eliminating the cancer.sadly waiting for tests and waiting for results is a big part of having bc but you never get used to it.We are all here for you and you are not being selfish.
Love Val[2and a half years and counting]xx
Caro
I’ve been reading your posts whilst you were waiting for results, but I have ongoing probs getting “online”…so sorry to hear you have joined “The gang”
There is so much amazing support here, don’t know what I would have done without it. Never feel you are being selfish, from here on in, you are number 1, look after yourself.
As Val so wisely says, it does get easier in a strange way, once you know what the treatment pathway looks like - take it a step at atime, and keep in touch with your friends here,
Take care
Lizzie XX
So sorry to hear of your diagnosis but as you have found out, the BCC forums are a good place for support which I am sure your fellow forum users will continue to give you throughout this.
I have put for you below links to three of BCC’s publications which you may find useful, you can either download a copy directly or order copies to be posted out to you free of charge, except the resource pack which has to be posted out to you as it’s an A5 binder full of useful information. All BCC’s publications are free of charge. As you mentioned your mum had BC I have put you the link to BCC’s publication “Breast cancer in families” as your medical team may want to discuss this with you. Don’t forget, the helpline staff are here if you need someone to talk to, the staff are all either breast care nurses or people who have personal experience of breast care issues.
i’m so sorry that it was not good news and i can’t add much more to what others have said. try not too worry about scan results the truth is you want anything bad to be found so that it can be treated as soon as poss and if there is nothing then you want to put your mind at ease… i’ve had a few mri scans not that great but a means to an end.
you are not selfish you are just normal… and you can do what ever it takes to get to the next stage of this journey we are all on.
Sorry to hear your news Caro, it is such a shock when you first hear those words and takes time to come to terms with. Hope you are feeling a litle better, everyone has said it all but just have to say again this site is wonderful for support, so many lovely friends!
love Debs xxxx
I’m feeling a little anxious today as i’m off this afternoon to get the results of my SNB, just hopeing they got all the cancer when i had my lumpectomy.
I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support you ladies are giving me. Thank you so very much.
Gina - I’m feeling not too bad today, thanks for asking. Although, it does seem to change hour to hour! Good luck with getting your SNB results back this afternoon; I’ll have my fingers crossed for you. Let us know what your treatment plan will be. Where are you hoping to go on holiday in August?
I have a 3 week holiday planned to America on the 20th June and am unsure whether to go before starting treatment. My consultant said that a delay of 2 to 3 weeks won’t make any difference, but I’m wondering if it’s true. I would love to go (give me chance to say goodbye to my breast(s) if I do need mastectomy!), but not at the expense of my health. Has anyone else been in a similar situation?
Also, am thinking about the sleeping tablet thing, but am worried you wake up feeling groggy in the morning; is that correct? I have to go to my gp today to get something to calm me down for the MRI, as I’m quite claustrophobic so am really dreading it! Any advice on how to make it easier?
Hi Caro…you go for the holiday…2/3wks, won’t make a whole lot of difference. I felt exactly the same when I had my first op…and the doc said the same as yours. Go and enjoy some quality family time, and forget what is waiting here for you when you get back…its not gonna go away, but in the grand scheme of things…3 weeks isn’t a long time! Sorry can’t advise you about sleeping tablets or MRI love, i’ve not had either. Some of the ladies will have though. Keep your chin up…you’re doing real good!
Hi Gina…really good luck with the results, it is a nervvy time…but just think the waiting for them is nearly there now!! Hope all is well!
Helenx
Caro, yes, go on that holiday! I had my op scheduled for March 5th, after diagnosis on Feb 16th. Due to a further complication (a suspect second lump, which thankfully was OK)they op was postponed to April 2nd - and I was constantly reassured by all involved the delay was not a problem. You deserve that holiday - go for it!
I had a couple of MRIs, and, having previously had neck and low back ones, personally I found the breast ones less claustrophobic. You lie face down, with your boob sort of “suspended” in a hole(!!!)arms on pillows above your head, head to whichever side you feel most comfortable. The staff really work hard to get you as comfy as possible, it IS very noisy - earplugs help a bit. Caro - it’s a bit long dragged out, they do a set of 2 scans as they give you an injection halfway through, but it is all doable. Let the staff know how you are feeling, they will help you as much as they can.
Modern sleeping tablets don’t have such a “hangover” effect, but even if you do feel a bit groggy, and they do the trick - go with it. get someone else to drive and generally take over - you just think about yourself and do whatever you have to, to make it as easy as possible for you.
Gina, good luck for results, fingers firmly crossed,
Caro, I agree with the others, have your holiday. I had 9 weeks between dx and surgery, as it was around Christmas, with the inevitable delays, I had to have an MRI, which showed up another suspcious area, and then another biopsy. After the result of that we had booked 5 days in Cornwall because I felt I needed a change of scenery. It was absolutely the right thing to do, we had a lovely time and I even forgot about the bc a lot of the time. Incidentally, one of the bc nurses told me that bc generally grows very slowly. In fact, by the time most people feel a lump, it has been growing for 5-7 years.
I was prescribed 10mg tamazepam to help me sleep (which it did) and I felt fine in the morning.
Hi Caro, yup I’d go for the hol , I was diagnosed late Jan, Grade 2,15mm, had WLE and SNB was lucky they got it out clear margins and no spread,just finished rads so that’s me out the other side…all felt so surreal at the time and even now I look back at it and it seems like it all happened to some other person, very strange. Just remember you are not alone and any fears or questions you have there will always be someone here to help you. Good luck and keep chatting.Big hugs.
I agree with other comments - go for your holiday.
When i was diagnosed last May I had a big family holiday booked. I had my surgery in June and then postponed my chemo to allow me to go on holiday. The onc gave me his blessing and said it would do me good, which it did. I came back ready for the treatment.
I’ve just had a week in Rhodes, seeing onc next week about chemo. i was 3 weeks post 2nd op for clear margins. it was good to feel normal and yes even forget bc sometimes! Did feel depressed coming home about whats to come,but it did me and husband good to get away so go for it! love Debs xx
Thanks ladies, you’ve convinced me: USA here I come!!!
Sandra - It must be such a relief to be in your position. I’m just hoping the course is as smooth for me!
On another note; I’ve been wondering whether I should opt for a mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy anyway, even if it turns out I do only have the one lump. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life worrying that the cancer will come back. I know mastectomy significantly reduces the risk of the cancer returning, but apparently it doesn’t eliminate the risk altogether. Does anybody know how much the risk is reduced by? Has anybody else made the decision to have “preventative surgery”? Any thoughts welcomed.
Good for you on the holiday. It’s just what you need after the shock of your diagnosis.
Ihad a lumpectomy but after chemo, had a bilateral mastectomy. I had BC in the right breast, but Ifelt ‘safer’ having both removed. I don’t know what the statistics are. I do know of someone who had one mastectomy only for it to appear in the other breast some years later.
I also had an mri, Iwas dreading it but it was a modern machine and not the least bit scary. I just lay face up and the machine did the work. It is noisy and takes quite a time, but I took my favourite cd with me and listened to that, it helped me relax as well.
Iwas diagnosed last July and I finished radiotherapy last week. You’ll meet lots of lovely, caring people on here. We all help each other and youll find good friends.
Enjoy your holiday!
Love Kathy
Thanks Kathy. I know it’s quite a drastic measure to opt to have both boobs removed, but hey, at the end of the day, they’re only boobs! Living a long and fulfilled life is so much more important to me than aesthetics. The only thing I would be concerned about is the recovery from a bilateral mastectomy. Did you have both removed in one operation? What was it like afterwards; pain-wise/movement-wise etc? And how long did it take you to recover?
I hope you don’t mind me asking so many questions, but the more info I have to help my decision the better.
And congratulations to you for coming out the other side!!
