Hi rjr28,
Thank you for your post.
It sounds like you have been experiencing a lot since your diagnosis of breast cancer and recovering from surgery. It can be difficult when someone is usually very active to deal with resting and accepting help.
Emotionally it can feel overwhelming and coping can be difficult. It is understandable you want to do everything to reduce your risk of breast cancer in the future. It is important to explore all your treatment options as @newbieweek2chemoec says with an oncologist. You mention you’ve recently had successful treatment on your cervix for early-stage cancerous cells. It is natural to have concerns even though there are no links with breast cancer. As @newbieweek2chemoec says it’s tough what you are going through.
You mention you have concerns about delays in treatment and changes in consultant. The best people to speak to about this are the people involved in your care including your breast care nurse, hospital doctor or GP. This can be difficult if you feel you are not being heard. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can provide you with information and support. This is a confidential service for patients, their families, and carers. They can help resolve concerns related to health matters, explain, and handle complaints procedures and use feedback to help influence change. PALS work with staff, managers, and if relevant, external organisations to provide support and advice to people concerned about the care they are receiving.
You can find your nearest PALS office on the NHS website..
You ask about whether chemotherapy is an option. Wherever you have treatment, your care will be tailored to your individual situation, and whether you are offered chemotherapy depends on a number of factors including the grade, size and stage of your cancer.
It might help to know that your consultant may also use a computer programme such as NHS Predict to estimate what benefit might be expected from treatments such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
It can be difficult if it’s not clear if chemotherapy may be of benefit. It’s important to have as much information as possible to help you make your decision. It may be useful to take a list of questions to your appointment with your specialist. Follow the information for questions to consider.
If the benefit of having chemotherapy is unclear. Genomic assays such as OncotypeDX may help with this. These are tests that look at groups of genes found in your breast cancer. They can identify how likely the cancer is to return (recurrence) and if you are likely to benefit or not from having chemotherapy.
It can feel isolating going through treatment for some people, connecting with others who are in a similar situation can help reduce feelings of isolation, as well as anxiety or fear. Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling.
You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0800 138 6551 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org, so they can then match you to your volunteer.
We offer a range of free supportive services which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to additional support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks.
The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes,
Helen
Breast Care Nurse
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