I got diagnosed a month ago and I am having a lumpectomy on Friday. Luckily I’ve had my wedding to focus and take my mind off of it but that was Saturday and we got back from our mini honeymoon this afternoon. Now I feel a little nervouse about things.
Since my diagnosis, I have just been getting out there and doing things, especially things I’ll not be able to do when having treatment, granted the bank balance has taken a beating but hey ho, we’ll deal with that when I’m better.
I have found the poeple on this website a great support and I hope I can be a support to others to.
Fairyem x
I hope you won’t be too sore after your tests on Friday. Shame there isn’t an easier way of doing this without leaving us black and blue.
The second biopsy was on the same breast. The first was on the lump , and the second was because they found a suspicious little ‘spot’ a little distance from the original lump. The entrance site was made very close to the first, except that the radiographer had to dig deeper to get to the ‘spot’. I hope this one is not suspicious as they seem to think, but will find out next week.
Keep us informed of how you get on on Friday, and our thoughts are with you.
I had the radioactive tracer injection at the nuclear medicine dept in Hillingdon as my hospital doesn’t have the facilities. My breast surgery (WLE (wide local excision)and SNB (sentinel node biopsy) was at the West Middlesex Hospital. The tracer basically shows the surgeon where your nodes are so that they can take out the first few to test for cancer cells rather than clear out your whole armpit.
My surgery was decided on the size of the tumour (13mm so quite small) and the fact that all my scans (mri, CT and ultrasound) didn’t show evidence of spread. After the surgery they checked that there were clear margins of healthy tissue (free from cancer) around the tumour and the sentinel nodes for cancer. In my case the margins were clear and so were the nodes. If the margins weren’t clear they would have gone back in again and removed more tissue and nodes until.
I know exactly how you feel and in some ways the lack of control you have over the situation is worse than the cancer itself. The results of the biopsy will be your first step back to gaining some control, and although there are other times when you will wait and worry this bit in some ways is the worse.
It’s healthy and natural to be frightened and difficult not letting this horrid disease take a hold of your life. We’re so lucky to have such wonderful care and treatments available to us, there is every reason to be positive.
I’m well into my chemo now which will hopefully improve my surgical options. When I was first diagnosed I was told, full mastectomy with clearance with delayed reconstruction. My lumps shrinking and I may be able to have an immediate reconstruction.
Things change and I believe that if you tell your body to throw the cancer out, with a little help from the medics and surgeons, it will.
So far through my whole experience one of the most painful and hardest things was the diagnosis and biopsy (‘small scratch’ - whatever). Just think how much you have behind you! It’s all plain sailing from now on. And you have all these inspirational ladies, you’re not alone. We’re a pretty formidable bunch and it’s the cancer who should be frightened.
Thank you so much for responding, and also for explaining the abbreviations (WLE, SNB.) When I saw these, and other abbreviations elsewhere in the forum, I had no idea what they meant. When the time comes I shall probably have to post a list of abbreviations I do not understand.
I am counting the days when I see the consultant then at least I shall know more about my situation and feel a little easier(??).
How are you now, and did you have treatment even though there was no evidence of spread?
Thank you for your support. I do hope the lump continues to shrink and that you will have the reconstruction.
Yes, the diagnosis is the worst part - how does anyone accept it - even after all these days I still feel like an outsider looking in and that it is all happening to someone else.
I am so glad to have found this website and all the wonderful supportive ladies. Thank you.