It all felt like everything was happening around me and I just went with the flow. After surgery I needed to start chemotherapy and Herceptin, followed by radiotherapy, aromatase inhibitors and Zoledronic acid (bone infusions). So for me there was more to come. Some people have described it was being on a ferris wheel that you can’t get off. And yes it was like that for me.
For me I was ‘cancer free’ after successful surgery to remove all cancer and clear margins with no lymph node involvement but as I had a lot of treatment ahead of me, it didn’t feel like I was. It took until my first annual mammogram to feel I was cancer free but every ache and pain can drag me back to dark thoughts. It hasn’t been a linear journey for me, lots of ups and downs.
This forum has helped immensely.
Please speak to your breast care nurse if you have any questions or concerns before your surgery. You can also call BCN nurses on 0808 800 6000 9-4 Mon- Fri 9-1 Sat.
Make the most of the time you have before surgery, plan some nice things even if it just a walk in the park sunshine or rain (I really appreciate all weather now).
Thankyou so much naughty_boob for such an honest descriptionof your journey im guessing as im no expert that you had invasive cancer. You have been through such alot and so much treatment after surgery it makes me realise how lucky ive been with DCIS. I cany imagine the mental torment waiting for your first mamo and i know understand your need for psychological support. I do wonder how i will feel after, waking up in the morning with boobs and after 58 years or so going to bed that night with none its a very strange thought
Hi @claps please don’t compare your situation with anyone else’s and feel that you’re somehow “lucky” or you should be more stoical or whatever. I had an Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with some DCiS but it was removed by a lumpectomy. Facing a double mastectomy is far more life changing than anything I went through so nothing is straightforward and certainly not comparable. You’ll find the strength to get through it because we somehow do but you have every right to feel the feelings you have and this is the best place to express them. I wish you the best experience that you can have in the circumstances on and after 17th December.
Yes I had invasive ductal carcinoma in both naughty boobs. There were two separate cancers at the same time.
I don’t compare myself to others as everyone’s journey is different. I had a bilateral lumpectomy with two invasive cancers but you are having a bilateral mastectomy. Different diagnosis different treatment. We are all individuals and our teams do what is right for us based on evidence.
Awww thankyou Tigress I suppose in some way its easier to play it down, ya know like “just get ya boobs off” but really inside i saying “WTF taking my boobs off” i wanna stay calm about it because the left one is my choice asthetically and psychologically but theres no getting away from the fact that i wouldnt have to do this if i didnt have cancer, its just a very weird sureal time. Thankyou for your kind words and this chat space is great for that and everyones experience is so different but we all get the same degree of support its great
