I feel so down & desperate, had to take early retirement last year as I had a stroke, followed by being diagnosed with diabetes type 2, followed by being diagnosed with an herederity blood disorder which makes me highly suspectible for blood clots (who passed this on to me!) Felt a lump in my left breast last October, family doc says he would send me to see someone as he didn’t think I could have a mammogram as my pacemaker (yeah got one of those too) was too close…wrong! had mammograms (ouch), ultrasound last week & was phoned on Monday (home alone) to say I had breast cancer & to go into surgeons office wednesday with a list of any questions I may have!!! I broke down & sobbed & thought why me? I’ve just got on track with all my other sicko stuff & was looking to maybe do some travelling & enjoying whats left (I’m 62). I found this forum yesterday & have been reading almost everything I can find. I have to have a masectomy in the next 2-3 weeks & after reading what all you fantastic women are going thru and how you are coping/living with this horrid disease then maybe there’s hope for me too!
can’t see your message yet (mods have to ok it first one I think) but will check back soon xx
hi sue…I’m so sorry you’re having to join us - this site can be a big help - and with all your other medical probs you’re right, its just not bl**dy fair!! Its all so raw and shocking at the moment that I think our bodies just go into panic mode - mine did - I was diagnosed last wed (7th) and had awful panic and anxiety till the monday when something changed - don’t know what or how, but you too will get there I think you sound so brave and strong to have battled the other things so far and you will do this one too - I have heard so many positive stories and heard of so many people who have been down this road that it has really shocked me and I feel so awful for not even thinking about it before etc - you don’t really understand till you 're in the awful position…cry when you want to and call on here - there is always someone about xx
Hi Sue,
You’ll still be able to do your travelling, but you will just need to put your plans on hold for a while. Hang on to that thought.
You will probably feel a bit better once you get your treatment started. It’s always better when you feel you are doing something about it. After you have had your surgery you will probably have a follow up appointment with your surgeon when he will give you the pathology results etc, and therefore what other treatment you may need (eg chemo/rads etc). This will then give you a timescale to work to.
I was dx two year ago next month. I had a mastectomy/chemo/rads/herceptin and finally finished it all last December. At the time it feels like it will never end, but believe me it does, and then you can get on with your life again.
Best wishes
xx
Hi Sue
Really sorry to hear bout all your probs. Life is not fair but at least we can walk & talk see & hear (for now anyway!!!) I’ve just been diagnosed grade 2 tumour I live in Spain so lucky that the medical is so good here but I’m not fluent yet so a bit difficult understanding everything. I cry at the drop of a hat, i think most of us do. i think that is one of the worst things i hate being vunerable. Take care & there is always someone on this site that is going through or has been there.Big hug!!
Thanks Kittenkat for replying to me…just wish I could stop crying, have to put on a brave front in front of partner, kids & grandkids, but when alone tears flow freely… hopefully I can get to the “I can take whatever you throw at me” stage ASAP
susan
I found it soooo hard to be brave early on and felt I had to to a certain extent as the kids were shell shocked, I found I was just looking forward to getting to bed to be on my own but didn’t want to go too early as it would have been different to usual and I wanted to try and reinforce normality - whatever that is! When I got to bed I couldn’t sleep…
Hi Susan
Welcome to the Breast Cancer Care forums. I am sorry to read of your recent diagnosis. As well as the help and advice you are receiving from the other users you may find BCC’s resource pack helpful, it has been designed for those newly diagnosed and contains a lot of helpful information. If you would like a copy just follow this link:-
breastcancercare.org.uk//content.php?page_id=7514
If you feel you need to talk to someone in confidence then please give the helpline a call, the staff here are all either breast care nurses or people who have personal experience of breast care issues. The number to call is 0808 800 6000 the lines open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturdays 9am - 2pm.
I hope this is of some help to you.
Kind regards
Sam (BCC Facilitator)
Thanks Roadrunner you deserve to be able to get on with your life after 2 years I sincerely hope you are enjoying every minute of it
Magel - you are so lucky to live in a warm country, I live near Niagara Falls Canada & today our temp is minus 20C with lots of snow guess it doesn’t matter where we live though, this awful thing inside seems to find us anyway
Thanks to you all for replying to me I don’t feel as quite alone as I did earlier
Susan xxx
Hi Susan,
You are never alone on here there is always a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.Its very hard when you have had other problems, to come to terms with life chucking more sh*t at you.Just take it one stage at a time and you will get there,the waiting is always the worst.
Take care,
Dot
x
HI Susan,
Sorry to hear of your BC diagnosis on top of everything else you have. Some folks are so greedy - ha ha. As others have said, you will probably start to feel better (for want of a better word) when you start to receive treatment so you are able to feel something is being done to get rid of it.
Just to let you know that as well as getting support on here you might also like to sign up to the forums at www.BreastCancer.org which I believe is an American site but essentially the same as this. That way you can have the best of both worlds as it may be that some of the treatment protocols you can receive in Canada are more in keeping with those of the American ones. (We seem to have differing regimes for some things here in the UK, especially if treated free on the National Health Service).
Suze
Hi Susan
Just wanted to say welcome to this site where you can shout, cry, moan and get all your fears out in the open, it sure has helped me. All i can say is you will get through this, you sound like you are a tough cookie having gone through the mill. I too at some point felt the same as you. Had breast cancer in 2005 then last year was dx with kidney cancer and lost my mum suddenly just before xmas. With the support of good friends, family and the wonderful, knowledgable women on this site you will cope, just like i have, albeit one day at a time!
I love the saying I have on a fridge magnet “just like a teabag you never know how strong a woman is till she is in hot water” God willing you will find that strength.
Take care
Ann x
SuzanneP thanks for the info on the American site …I have been on the Canadian site but although lots of good info I didn’t find any forums like yours with such a huge lot of information & support from fantastic women
Annieo…So sorry to hear about your cancers & the loss of your Mum, as you say one day at a time…love your fridge magnet…mine just says “a day without wine is like a day without sunshine” (I do live in the wine belt of Niagara Falls, so have to enjoy the occasional? red!)
Thanks again, all of you, for your wonderful messages of support
Susan x
I thought I had bad luck. That’s just mean.
But RoadRunner’s right, hold onto that thought, you should still get to travel. Today’s the 1 year anniversary of my own diagnosis, I’ll be honest it was a rough year in places. I had a bilateral Mastectomy back in Feb and it wasn’t too bad at all, hardly any pain and I was out walking the dog as soon as I got home. My other half and I bought an old camper van and did it up and went away a few times during my chemo (which was also not as bad as I thought), all in all somehow we got through the treatment and I’m taking my old life back with renewed vigor (or stubbornness possibly).
Best of luck, waiting at the start is by far the hardest bit and you’ve already done that.
Angie
I was diagnosed aged 48 and thought I wouldn’t travel again. Since then I’ve been to New Zealand, Venice, Ireland, twice to India (once on my own) and to America. Got quite near Niagara as visited New York and North Philadelphia (Williamsport)
I found breast cancer was a spur to my wanderlust but when first diagnosed I didn’t think I’d live a week - I was five years post diagnosis on 5 Dec 2008
Mole
Hi Angie
Hey congrats on getting to your 1 year anniversary…I bet it was rough on you but you made it! Hope I can be as brave & strong as you, good luck kiddo you deserve it
Just phoned my surgeon to see if he had come up with a date for my masectomy yet…office closed until Monday, but it’s only 11:45am here… oh well just have to take out my frustrations on my family for the whole weekend…
well Mole it seems there is life after bc, 5 years wow! you have travelled to a lot of places, I envy you…but I’m going to do it too. My partner & I had planned on going to Scotland in April (his son is getting married) then travelling to the Lake District to see an old school friend of ours, then to Leicester (actually Sapcote) to see my Brother & family, followed by a trip to Spain (somewhere warm please), but I think those plans are probably going down the drain for me, I told my partner, Dave, that he has to go, but he really doesn’t have to go to Spain!
Sorry to see you have joined this club Susan, none of us would be here by our own choice ! Believe me you will get through this,it just puts a hold on your life for a few months, Make your travel plans for later in the year. Life wont be quite the same as it was, but you will gradually get better. I am nearly 3 years post dx, I too was 62 at the time, I have travelled widely since my treatment finished, somehow you seem to want to rush and do everything you ever wanted to
Good luck for your surgery and treatments, you will get oodles of support on this forum and make very good friends
Marge
Hi suecooe
Stick with it! You have strength beyond your imagining. You’re a girl after all. What are we but strong?! lol
Hello Suecooe
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I just wanted to echo what others have said - once treatment starts you will feel better - it’s the waiting which is the worst.
I’m 62 and was diagnosed just over 2 years ago. I had to cancel a couple of things while I had treatment but once it was finished I decided I to do all the things I’d been planning before diagnosis and last year I had several wonderful trips abroad.
Good luck with your treatment. You’ll get through it - we all do.
Take care
Love Anthi x