Hi,
I’m a new member of the club nobody wants to join so thought I would summon up the courage to introduce myself to this lovely group.
I’m 52 years old and found a lump a month ago. My GP surgery were pretty sure it was nothing sinister but followed the standard 2 week (ish) referral route. Roll forward to two days ago when I had the follow-up to my scan and biopsy and the position is rather different.
I have a 21mm (stage 2), grade 3 mass which is hormone negative. The biopsy came out as HER2 2+, so is being sent for additional testing to assess whether my cancer is HER receptive or triple negative.
In either case, I’ve been told I’ll be having chemo for the next 4-5 months then, hopefully, breast conserving surgery with some reconstruction.
The macmillan nurse was lovely and I came home with what seems like a mountain of information and some decisions to make (picc or portacath, to cold cap or not, etc). It’s a lot to take in.
Now waiting for the oncology appointment to come through… What I’ve learnt so far on this journey is there’s a lot of time in limbo / waiting so one of my new year’s resolutions will be to try to be more patient and not worry about things I can’t control!!!
And the screen name is an attempt to be positive as I intend to do all I can to firmly kick cancer into touch… “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.
Thanks for reading my post-sleepless night ramble and wishing everyone the very best for their journeys in this rocky road x
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Welcome to the forum no one ever wants to join. You will find a lot of very supportive people here who have gone through similar experiences. In fact your first paragraph is something I could have written.
It also looks like you have made the other great discovery of this rollercoaster. There is lots of anxious waiting between points of information overload. Finding ways to managing the waiting period while the medical people sort out the best treatment for you is key to the whole experience.
Wishing you well
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Dear making- lemonade, sending big hugs to you. Yes, the waiting is awful but it also gives you valuable time to process the news and to look into the next steps, seek advice, and make decisions. The forum is full of lovely people who can give you their experiences of picc lines, portocath, cold caps etc. Ask as many questions as you wish. I asked hundreds! I’m now one year in and still asking them! One of the best things i did was to register with my local cancer support centre. I hope you have one near you. They have been a lifesaver. We are all here for you too. Love from Tulip xxx
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Welcome to the forum @making_lemonade
I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I am glad you’ve had such great support from a Macmillan nurse. I am sure there are a lot of people here who can identify with what you say about the difficulty of waiting.
Please do have a look through the various boards and topics to find those going through similar experiences or for places you may be able to share your experiences and knowledge.
This is a very supportive place, so please do ask any questions you may have.
Sending our warmest,
Lucy
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Thank you so much Tulip29. That is a great perspective on the waiting time. I’ll look to see whether there are any local support groups too. I’m so glad I posted today, it’s given me the confidence to start asking some of the many other questions I’m sure I will have. X
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Thank you Lucy. I can see already that this forum and all the other information on your website is going to help enormously.
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