Dear shadow, my heart goes out to you…take a deep breath…you can take control of what is happening to you.
my diagnosis took nearly 4 months, no lumps, bumps or any changes so I have requested bilateral Mastectomies as I did not want to worry about my other breast. Initially my surgeon thought that the ‘risk’ was small, I persisted, they referred me for genetic counselling (even though no evidence in my family of cancer) & a I had o see a clinical phychologist, to ensure that this is what I really wanted emotionally ( this was good to do).
They have agreed to do a bilatral mastectomy WITH inplants, then rads then full reconstruction. so you do not need to be ‘breastless’
to make any decision you need to have all of the information and keep asking the questions until you get them. I am not a list writer, but have become one, and writing down all of my worries/concerns and questions have paid off. My BCN has been helpfull using her to get some of the answers that I needed. I felt out of control, until I had a treament plan that was agreed but all including me.
Please talk it through with one of your team so that you are ‘happy’ that it is right for you.
Third routine mammogram (age 56). No lump, no symptoms. Further tests showed that it had already spread to my bones.
After reading all posts in this thread, I felt I needed to add mine…but if anyone is shocked, let me add that I have had 4 surprisingly good years of life since my diagnosis.
My OH had only been home a week, after open heart surgery, when I found my breast lump! I just put my hand down my tee shirt neck to scratch my left boob, which was itching in a funny way, and felt this strange little lump! I was really shocked, and didn’t tell OH until next morning, after I had made an appointment with my Doctor, as I didn’t want to worry him that night. Anyway,I am glad I didn’t delay seeing the Doc, as the lump turned out to be small, but aggressive, and like many others of you, I was most worried about telling our sons,who live miles away. I made very light of it, and reassured them ,and everyone else! I didn’t cry at the diagnosis, or at any time, until I was having Chemotherapy, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. OH is very supportive, but has shrugged off his heart problems and never worries about his health, so I try really hard to act like him, outwardly, but I am a worrier, and it’s awful trying to pretend i’m not! I find this site a BIG help, as everyone is so friendly, and I don’t feel I am alone in this scary experience.
Hugs to you all,
Heather.x
I attended my first screening mammogramme in 2005 aged 52 the results came back clear no evidence of cancer. In July 2008 aged 55, I discovered a pea sized lump in my left breast. This turned out to be an invasive breast cancer, only small, less than one centimeter grade 2 triple negative with no node or vascular invasion. Treatment was surgery and radiotherapy. When breast cancers appear during the screening periods (as mine did comming up to the third year) they are known as interval cancers. For this reason I do not trust the mammogramme as a diagnostic tool, especially those used in mobile units which tend use old microfilm, unlike the digital machines used in the breast units in hospitals. Also I think the three yearly screening offered to women over 50 by the NHS is too long to wait. I believe that if a yearly mammogramme would have been offered to me my cancer would have been picked up at the DCIS stage which is non-invasive. I have always been breast aware but feel that the NHS 3 yearly breast sceening programme let me down.
I am 52 and had a routine mammogram in December 2009 (mobile unit) with an all clear. By June 2010, I spotted a lump and it turned out to be Grade 3 cancer - 2cms. It was invasive cancer but thankfully it had not spread to the sentinal nodes.
I will never trust a mammogram again. When I felt the lump I thought it couldn’t be anything nasty as I only had the test a few months earlier and got the all clear.
I thought if you only have a mammogram every 3 years it could not be cancer as it would not grow this quick but how wrong I was!
Even a yearly mammogram would not have helped me.
Within 6 months it had grown so quickly and if I had not spotted it myself - I do not know what would have happened within the year - let alone 3 years.
I have always been breast aware and also feel that the NHS screening let me down.
I’m 34, so not in screening programme. After doing some fundraising for Cancer Reasearch UK, prompted me to check my breasts as I hadn’t done it for a few months. Found a lump towards the armpit, no pain even when pressing it, felt solid and longer than it was wide. Saw the doctor same day. Breast clinic 2 weeks later, even I could see the lump on the ultrasound. Also enlarged lymph node
Turned out to be 2cm Grade 3 triple negative tumour, fortunately the lymph nodes were clear. WLE and reconstruction now complete, just waiting to start chemo.
I now keep telling everyone I know to check themselves regularly, I was lucky that I caught it so early, could have been a lot worse.
It was just four years ago now, had a mamogramme and letter sent to me saying all clear, two weeks later having a shower found the lump. My doctor sent me to our hospital called the Mermaid Centre within a week and a half.
Everyone said don’t worry you’ve just had a mamogramme its going to be a cyst. I went on my own, had a scan, needle biopsy, and as soon as I saw the breast cancer nurse come in with the doctor I knew. They said it was stage II inv. ductual carc., the next day I had a core biopsy and it came back as stage III. Within a week I had my operation, it all happened so quickly.
I was due to have a mastectomy, but another doctor said he would do a lumpectomy, I had all my lmph nodes out in my arm, chemo and rad.
I don’t trust mamogrammes - I think they missed it, but I had very fast treatment and diagnosed so quickly, carn’t knock the Mermaid Centre really great.
Now I’m going to have a left reduction and some work on my BC side, worried and its took me a long time to make up my mind, so hope all goes well. xxxSarniexx
Read your comments re mammos. I fully understand your situation and wonder are there any other women like us 50 plus who feel that they too have been let down by the NHS 3 yearly breast screening programme. It would be intersting to carry out some research on interval breast cancers. While mammos are not ideal for screening younger women (breast density etc.,) they are the only tool available on the NHS. They could at least use modern equipment and carry them out yearly instead of three yearly. The only reason I say this is that if breast cancer is detected at the DCIS stage 0, it has not learnt how to invaid the breast tissue and is therefore more likely to be cured. Some may not agree with this but I feel this is a very valid point
I agree that there are probably many more with DCIS being treated and they are the luckier ones (if having BC can ever be classified as lucky!). It may not have spread or have the ability to spread- but if left it could develop that ability so it should still be treated.
However, for many of us the mammograms screening process has failed us. I was told that my mammogram had been re-checked and it could not be seen. I feel that it must have been there as the cancer is unlikely to have grown that quick so I have to assume it was down to the standard of the results which meant it was could not be seen
When my treatment is finished and they give me another test - I will not trust the result and we cannot have them more often than yearly - but I am hoping they will use the more modern equipment.
Hi everyone,
just thought I’d share this with you, on the subject of mammograms… I received my 3 yearly invitation to go for one next month, and I have been having treatment for breat cancer since April! You’d think they had records somewhere, wouldn’t you? Worse than that, it was accompanied by a photo copied letter telling me of the appointment, and it was from my own GP practice!! Words failed me!
Heather.x
I attended a confrence in London this year headed by Professor Michael Baum. The aim of this confrence was to put breast cancer into perspective. Prof. MB made sevral valid points such as: most women in the UK will not experience breast cancer in their entire life time; more should be done to allay the fear of developing breast cancer; mammos do not save lives; there has been very little change in the death rate since the introduction of the screening programme over 20 years ago; He also commented that more women with DCIS were being overtreated as a result of the screening programme. His comments about overtreating breast cancer did evoke a heated response from the audience. The overwhelming view I got was that most women who had been treated for invasive breast cancer of would rather have risked overtreatment for DCIS and be around to tell the tale to their grandchildren, than to die an early death. If it were not for the early screening and treatment of cervical cancer (pre-cancer cells) then there would be more deaths from this disease.
Heather -I am surprised your GP did not pick this up even if the hospital didn’t!
Yellow - the conference sounds interesting. I agree most will not have breast cancer but to alay any fears may mean that people become less aware. So many of my friends do not check for themselves or didn’t until I was diagnosed.
I am surprised at the death rate not changing over past 20 years. I had thought that this was decreasing due to early detection and treatment.
I was recalled for a routine mammogram last month - three`years to the day I was diagnosed. When I 'phoned the centre to tell them that I was now on annual mammograms because of my diagnois, they had NO idea.
On the subject of G.P’s - every time I turn up they don’t know who I am from a bag of sugar. I have to precis my diagnosis and treatment before there is a glimmer of understanding… HELP!
I only found mine because I felt a tiny lump when I scratched my chest one evening. I didn’t know that I also had a bigger cancer lurking elsewhere in my breast.
The thing is had I known more about ‘other’ signs of breast cancer such as dimpling/wrinkling I would have found it earlier, I had put it down to breastfeeding 3 children!
I am nearly a year since I found the cancers and since diagnosis, here’s hoping for a much better xmas and new year than last year.
Sorry for the delay in responding to you last night. I understand that the emphasis on this conference was to try and put accross as many views on breast cancer and it’s detection as possible. These views came from clinicians, community nurses, patients and of course Prof Michael Baum. Some ladies in the audience spoke about bad experiences when being called for their mammo, and were not given enough information on the procedure involved etc., Rather than educating them about breast cancer, the whole breast cancer screening procedure tended to fuel fear amongst women. I can only compare this idea to the fear of crime. Fear tends to be very destructive to individuals and communities rather than actually being a victim of crime. Yes Janette, mammogrammes are picking cancers up earlier but this in itself is not having an impact on reducing the death rate. This was one of the main points Prof MB put accross at the conference. He claims that more investment should be put into treatment rather than screening. The former I fully agree with but I still feel that if a mammo can pick up dcis then it is doing a good job, however if it is missing invasive tumours then I think it is time to go back to the drawing board on screening for this sh…t disease. Sorry, I tend to get carried away sometimes.
Hi all i found a lump myself, have always checked myself whilst growin up and so glad i did, was diagnosed in aug, had lumpectemy and lymph noes taken, margins weren`t clear and node + so went on to have mx and node clearance on 1st oct, meant to be starting chemo this fri but have infection atm so wont know til i get there if its a yes or no!!! hugs to you all, Julie x
I was interested to read your post about a recent conference.
I was always wishing I had had screening from age 40.
I found my bc myself at age 50, last month, still haven’t
been invited for my first mammogram–it’s near age
53 in my neighbourhood in Bristol.
My cousin in America had her bc picked up via screening
age 42. If she had waited until she was 50 (or up to 53
here in the UK) she would have died.
I don’t understand the push for more treatment versus
screening. Can we really not afford both?
I fully understand where you are coming from, I do think we should have the best in terms of preventing and curing breast cancer, but those who make these decisions are largly influenced by the amount of money available and on how they prioritise the treatment of cancer in general. Whilst I do not necessarily agree with Prof MB’s views on the use of mammos per sa, his comments have definately challenged my own views on their use. I was diagnosed two & half years ago with grade 2 triple negative tumour (less than one centimeter no node or vascular invasion) which I found myself. There is no back up treatment for triple negative and I wish there was some form of targeted treatment but as yet there is not. But I suppose in the absence of a cure for breast cancer, prevention is really the only way forward and if this means regular yearly mammos with modern machines then this is perhaps the only way forward. Like I said before, my was an interval cancer and feel very let down by the NHS 3 yearly screening programme.