Hi, I was diagnosed last Thursday with 5cm grade 2 invasive cancer, ER positive and HER2 negative. Nothing seen in lymph nodes yet. Because of the size I’ve been ask to have a CT scan plus bone scan and am petrified that’s it’s spread! I can’t eat, function and keep crying! I’m feeling pains in my armpits now so convincing myself it’s spreading to the lymph nodes. I’ve got a few more weeks to wait before these scans are done and I know exactly what the plan of action will be. Any advice will be much appreciated as I don’t know how to keep functioning.
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Hello there Dragonfly
So sorry you are going through all of this. The waiting is awful - there are many posts on here in different threads to attest to this. It’s not just trying to absorb that you have cancer it’s the lack of control you have over your life while you are waiting for other people to tell you what you need to do next . Time plays nasty tricks on you as well . We’ve all been there and felt like we are losing it but we have all got through it . In the vast majority of cases we end up in worse places in our imaginations than in real life.
Mine was on the right but I also remember experiencing pain in both armpits - after surgery I still had some discomfort on the right but the pain on the left miraculously disappeared.
I’m sorry that you have the extra wait and anxiety for the tests. If you know where you are having them and especially if you live near you could ring up and tell them that you are happy to take a cancellation - the NHS have to try to fill these . Hopefully your diagnosis would automatically put you as a priority case on the cancellation list but they may ask you to contact your surgery and get your GP to confirm you as priority ( my partner needed some tests earlier this year and we had to do this).
The other advice I would give is to try to take a day at a time . Do the things you love which normally make you happy - if you can find a little joy even for a few minutes it helps . It’s a strange experience - I found that life felt more precious and the good times I did manage to have felt more special and I still remember them very clearly now .
Mindfulness , abdominal breathing ( check out Headspace if you have Netflix abdominal breathing on YouTube ) Yoga can all help. If you have a good friends that you can trust then talk to them - I wouldn’t advise telling everyone you know at this stage . If you want more information do ask your BCN to send some , or use the main website here MacMillan or other cancer sites but not Google . MacMillan and Maggie’s Centres can help with practical issues as well.
Have a pen and paper or notebook with you and jot down things you want to know / are unsure about . Take it to appointments or have them with you for phone appointments. As they are answered cross them out and write new questions down.
Keep busy and if you can lose a little weight or improve your fitness level a bit while you are waiting that would be a good thing. On the other hand if you are able to give yourself a few treats well you certainly deserve them.
Sending love
Joanne x
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Just be mindful that not all pain/swelling is cancer.
I have a very swollen left arm and sever epain in my left collarbone and arm (i’m on morphine for it) - all from my breast cancer (diagnosed a month ago)…and it’s just reactionary from the cancer.
x
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Hi my name is Jo I was diagnosed two weeks ago with a 5.5 cm invasive lobular BC I to am terrified but there is nothing we can do apart from wait and try to keep calm I have spent many hours doing self hypnosis and trying not to look to far ahead. Mine is left breast and I am a large breasted lady 40DD
I will be having a mastectomy and lymph check on the 24 th .I have three biopsies and all I can say is keep your self busy. I am 66 and work from home 3 days a week I walk as much as I can with my dog and I have three amazing grandchildren all be it they are 4 hours away . One is 3 days old. I bake and send treats to them we FaceTime every day just talk to friends and keep busy try not to look forward to far, we don’t know what’s there and it’s the unknown that is the thing we are afraid of .I hope all goes well for you . Sending a hug . Jo
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When I was diagnosed with Primary my tumour was 7.5cm and I had no pain. I had only 3 weeks between seeing my GP and starting on Chemo which I had prior to a mastectomy. If the doctors though it had spread then you scans etc would be fast tracked.
I know it is very hard to stay positive but you have to. It is very much mind over matter. I now have Secondary but its 17 years since my original diagnosis and 6 since my Secondary. There have been times when I haven’t been receiving treatment and I truly thought I was in so much pain but literally within hours of treatment starting again it all went away.
The pain feels very real but honestly sometimes it is just in your head.
Live each day to the full and dwell on the positives.
Good luck for your results.
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