hi, ive just joined this website as i was diagnosed with breast cancer on thursday, xxx
Hello debcas.
Welcome to the website although it’s not a place anyone really wants to be.I was dx back in oct,surgery in nov & about to start chemo in 2 days time.
I know how you are feeling at the moment but things do get easier once you have a treatment plan,you are in the right place for a wealth of information from all the wonderfull ladies here & i’m sure someone else will be along shortly to let you know your not alone on this rollercoaster.
Tracey.x
I’d just like to say that you have definitely come to the right place for support. Iwas diagnosed in September , have had surgery in October and am now half way through chemo. You will such strngth and support on these boards and will meet many ladies who can answer your questions and help you along the way. You wiil feel better when you get a treatment plan I promise.
Hi Debcas,
Welcome to the Breast Cancer Care discussion forums, as you will have seen from the replies you have already got, the users of this site are excellent with their support of each other and have a wealth of knowledge and experience between them.
To help you along I have put for you below links to some of BCC’s publications you may find helpful. All BCC’s publications and services are free of charge. The helpline is also here for that extra support if you need a good listening ear or to answer any questions you may have.
BC and you:
Resource pack:
I hope these help. Take care,
Jo, Facilitator
Hi Debcas, sorry you have to join us but its such a friendly and helpful forum, so much advice and support from others going through or that have been through this rollercoaster ride. I was diagnosed in Nov 10, had chemo first, then Surgery, WLE and axillary clearance, then rads, now on tamoxifen. feel free to ask questions, we are with you all the way, sending you hugs, Ness xxxxx
Hello and welcome,
I was diagnosed in December, have had WLE and nodes removed and am waiting for results now.
Sorry you have to join us, but I would like to echo what has already been said. Everyone on here is very supportive and can help with questions you will have on the way through, and after treatment.
Lynda
Hi Lakeslover
I am going for surgery on the 19th to have WLE and nodes removed. How were you after the op? The nodes being removed are in my left armpit and I am left dominant so a little worried about any side effects to my arm.
Many thanks
Mary
thanks for the supportive advice, you are all truly inspirational, i have learned so much through this site. i go back the hospital on friday to find out my results and what my treatment plan will be, its the waiting and not knowing that is the worse feeling xx
Hi peanut1955,
Sorry we have to welcome you to this site, I only joined a week or so ago and have found it a great help.
I had WLE and sentinel node +5 others removed on 11/11/11 on the left and it did not affected my arm at all. I then went on to have a mastectomy on 28/11/11 and my arm is still fine. I might be wrong but I think it is mainly if you have all your lymph nodes removed in your arm pit that it becomes a problem.
Please feel free to ask questions, it is nice to have somewhere to do so.
Take care.
Fiona x
Hi Debcas, and everyone else on this forum,
I know exactly how you are feeling- I get my sentinel node results on Wednesday and i am so, so worried.Trying not to think about it, but it catches me every so often and I wake up at 3 in the morning imagining all sorts.
The really weird thing is that you don’t feel ill but you know there is something really unhealthy going on in your body and you have no control.
The posts on the website do help lots, but they also make you aware that every case is different- what works for some people doesn’t work for others. The waiting and not knowing is the worst part. Also, at this stage, when you know you have to have a MX it is confusing to know whether to go for reconstruction or not, so that’s yet something else to worry about!!
Fingers crossed for your results.
x
Hi Ruth13.
Really interested in your comments; did you have an immediate reconstruction?
x
Hi Fiona
How did you feel just after your mx? Mine is scheduled for the 12th January and my mind is still blocking it out.
Grateful for a reply
Di
Hi Sameelee and Newc43,
I actually felt fine after my mastectomy it was not really any more uncomfortable than the WLE and lypmh nodes. I think it is the wound under the armpit that is most sore with the lymph nodes.
I was up and about within a few hours. I had a few problems with a piece of the wound coming apart a few weeks later, but they re stitched that under local anaesthetic again.
They would not do a reconstruction at the same time as they were not certain how extensive the cancer was as it was upto the margins with my WLE, and it did not show up well on MRI.
The scar is ok, but I already know I want a reconstruction when they let me, after a year or so they say. It is just a constant reminder that I have or have had BC. I’ve started chemo now and I think I dread losing my hair more.
Fiona x
Thanks Fiona
Please keep in touch - I’m just a little way behind you, I have to have chemo and rads after my mx. I too am scared of losing my hair 
Are you going to try the CoolCap - I’m going to have everything that’s going! Bring it on!
Virtual hugs
Di
Hi Di,
No I have not tried cold cap, my consultant said it only helped in 10% and after chatting with people who have been there in the past they all said their hair was very thin and they wished they had not bothered.
I’ve finally had to put a scarf on tonight as I’m molting all over the place. I can see the big shave happening in the next day or so!
Still one step closer to it growing back!
Hugs too
Fiona
hi guys
i get my results on friday and i have never been so nervous in all my life, i still dont know the medical jargons that you are all using, its all so confusing
debs xx
Hi Debs, it is confusing with the jargon, tookme a while to understand it all. We are thinking of you,the wating is the worst bit I know x I lost my hair 2 weeks after the first chemo, my friend shaved it off as it was falling out every night and I couldnt stand it all over my pillow! Must admit It was only the first day I worried about it then didnt even think about it at all. Thinking of you Ness xx
Hi Debcas, there’s a link on the left side of the page under the heading ‘Using the discussion forums’ called ‘Glossary-Useful words & terms’. This should tell u all the terms & abbreviations everyone uses. (sorry dont know how to put link on here, bit of a technophobe,lol)
Good luck with your results, let us know how u get on x
Hi
Here’s the link to the glossary which hjv mentioned:
share.breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/list-of-useful-words-and-terms-t24991.html
Hope this helps!
Very best wishes
Janet
BCC Facilitator
Hi Debcas,
I had what seemed like the longest day of my life yesterday waiting for a 5o’clock appointment to get the results of my sentinel node biopsy. Just want to share that I was really expecting the worst- but it was actually ok. They took out 4 nodes and 3 of them were clear. The other node had a small amount of cancer in it, but as it’s out now it can do no more damage! I just feel so incredibly relieved right now, that the forthcoming mastectomy feels like a walk in the park. I totally understand how you feel right now- yesterday seemed to last forever and I just kept imagining the worst. You will get through today, and tomorrow. Having the information makes you feel much more in control, but there is always something to worry about; try not to let it get out of perspective. Lots of luck for tomorrow.
Sameelee3
x