Hi everyone ,just starting my breast cancer journey .Went to the doctors on 30th September after finding a lump in my right breast two weeks earlier (it took me 2 weeks to get the courage to go the doctors).Had a mamagram and ultrasound on 7th October and they saw the mass ,they took 3 biopsies from the mass and 2 from under my armpit ,as it had a slightly swollen lump.Friday 21st October back to see the consultant ,knew it was cancer straight away when the consultant ,a macmillan nurse and a student entered the room .I’ve got lobular stage 2 cancer .35mmx 34mm on mamagram, 28mm x 13.5 mm on ultrasound. Oestrogen receptor positive .Told to stop my hrt straightaway .was told I need a mri to determine size and then surgery and radiotherapy. With surgery I also need a sentinel lymph node biopsy. My days can go from feeling OK, to angry ,sad ,upset ,scared .I’m strong when my kids are there 15 and 5 but lie in bed at night scared of what’s to come .Had my mri on 8th so just got to wait for the results and see what the consultants plan is .Thanks for reading .sue
Hello Sue
Welcome to the club none of us want to be part of.
The initial process of diagnosis tests waiting is an absolute rollercoaster, your whole world gets turned upside down and you are left wondering what on earth “normal” actually looks like.
Many will say that (believe or not) the stage you are at now is the hardest part: the not knowing, the waiting, the how do I tell people, the do I tell people…what about my children
Once you know your full treatment plan it gets easier and you will need to decide what and how you tell your children. My daughter was at the time a very mature 12 year old and I knew that I could explain to her what was going on and what was going to happen. I used the C word and explained how it would impact her (we looked for the positives like me being off work during the summer holidays so she didn’t have to amuse herself whilst I was at work!) and she was great during my treatment and stepped up to help us. I can remember feeling so positive that it was all going to be OK once I had said that out loud to her.
There is lots of help and support available to you for every aspect of your treatment and beyond including talking to your children so please don’t be afraid to ask.
Sending you lots of hugs
AM xxx
I have a 15 year old, too, and telling her I had breast cancer was hard. I waited to tell her until I knew all the details and also at least had a general idea of the treatment plan. She cried but that’s the only time she’s cried. She’s processed it, has had plenty of support from friends and family, and seems to be fine. The biggest piece of advice I could give you with kids is to make sure when you tell them about your diagnosis that you come off across as confident and not fearful. Your tone means just as much if not more than your words. But kids truly do tend to be okay as long as you don’t lose it in front of them.
And welcome although I wish you weren’t here as I wish none of us were here. But you have the most common cancer for women in the world and although it sucks, there’s plenty of research and money devoted to it. We’re all here supporting each other in our various treatments and if you have questions or comments feel free to interact. Someone will always be there. Much love to you…
Hi Sue, it took me 4 weeks to pluck up courage to go to Docs after finding a sore under right breast(count feell a lump). I was told inoperable and my world fell apart, I started hormone therapy then 6 mths later they operated as I had a great responce to treatment. Last 3 scans have shown no cancer…so stay possitive… as I didn’t think I would ever see the day xx