I have never actually posted in a forum before but I have been worrying like mad all weekend and keeping it to myself incase I am just overthinking things and the worst. I’ve had an ongoing dry cough last few months, feeling very fatigued and recently developed a sharp pain in left side of chest after walking etc. I am 35, had early stage breast cancer in 2017 when I was 31 and had a double mastectomy, I was on hormone therapy for the first three years. I went to doctors last week and they referred me for an urgent chest X-ray, I am currently waiting on results. My bloodwork came back as mildly raised infection. I have a young daughter and feel so upset inside and thinking the worst, as in potential secondary cancer in the lungs. I also have a mutation in braca2 gene but the mutation came back as variant of unknown significance so they still don’t know if caused the breast cancer. There is probably many things it could be but I don’t have a fever or ill in any other way. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks x
A breast cancer diagnosis turns your world upside down and the knowledge that we’re not immune, it can happen to us, plays havoc with our sense of safety.
The only thing you can do to ease this anxiety (I can’t suggest anything about your symptoms , it would be irresponsible) is 1. Contact your original breast care team (mine told me they were there for me for life) or 2. find a sympathetic GP and get a referral which in the UK shouldn’t take longer than 2 weeks 3. Ring the nurses at the number above - they are wonderful, speaking from experience. Obviously there’s something amiss, including your soaring level of anxiety, so please don’t ignore it. It just spirals irrationally, as you know.
This is a really good article about the impact of cancer after we’re out of hospital protection. Maybe there is something that will comfort you :
I wish you all the best but you definitely have done the right thing posting here. Everyone has different experiences and maybe there will be someone with the same diagnosis/experience as you.
Dear @Reena , sending lots of positive thoughts your way during these stressful days. Our team is here if you think it’s helpful to chat things through x