I finished active treatment in December after having the book thrown at me, well almost! Last year was a long year consisting of snb, 8 x chemo, wle and anc, re-excision for clear margins and finally 18 sessions of rads. I am now on tamoxifen.
My question is how soon after treatment has finished would signs of a recurrence start to show? I’m asking as for the past week or so I have been experiencing intermittent pain in my affected breast to the side of where the lump was. Today when I was examining where the pain was I felt a small pea sized lump ( I can’t find it now) and the treated area where the lump was is feeling tender.I’m worried that I am just feeling paranoid and finding things that aren’t really there and I don’t know whether to phone the bcn or wait until my next appointment in April as I don’t want to waste everyone’s time and I have only just finished treatment.
Thanks for reading
Hi Michele
I cannot help as I am going through treatment at the moment but if it was me, I would not wait until April.
We are allowed to be paranoid after what we have been through. Phone your bcn and have a chat - I am sure they will ask you to pop in and check it for you.
Phone her. Its not likely to be a recurrence but it could be. I finished radiotherapy end of october, having had chemo and lumpectomy beforehand. I have developed swollen breast and red section on scar within tje last week. I phoned my bcn yesterday to tell her and she has put me in a clinic tomorrow with the surgeon. I couldnt cope with my anxiety til my 1st anniv check up in march. They are there for exActly this sort of thing so use them.
Hi michele
I had a very fast recurrence after chemo (within weeks) but it’s very rare so try not to worry. I’ve just been very unlucky but it is possible so get checked out if only for peace of mind. Insist on proper examination by ultrasound rather than the standard quick prod otherwise you won’t feel reassured. Good luck I’m sure you will be absolutely fine x
vickie all the best for tomorrow again, I’m sure all will be ok but ur absolutley right to get checked asap x
I found a lump 3 mths after my first mammo and told the BCN. She referred me, had a scan and it was scar tissue. They told me having had my mammo so recently it was guaranteed to be nothing but they still saw me and did the tests.
bless them!
tors i am being seen tomorrow too! fingers crossed for us both XX
tina, i am heeding your warnings on previous threads about getting checks done and am going to ask for skin biopsy on scar bit as i only had a 3mm margin on that side as it was so close to the skin. I am expecting resistance to this but still asking as dont think i could settle otherwise. Thankyou for being so candid about your experiences. I read yoyr thread and follow your story, and wanted to shoot your in laws in canada for you. Xxx
Can I join you all.
I was dx one year ago today, finished chemo in September, Rads in November…
Last week found a pea sized lump in ‘good breast’ (which was reduced at same time as surgery). Went to GP yesterday and got urgent referral, but too scared to wait two weeks… having a private one stop clinic on Friday and hoping that it is the biggest waste of money I have ever spent.
My head is telling me that its too soon, that it will be a cyst/scar tissue/fat…but the panic, the waiting is even worse this time round.
Marguerite
Thanks vickie You are lovely + I am very tempted to take u up on ur offer lol! My in laws let us down beyond words- just hope their consciences have caught up with them + they’re suffering now they know I’m back on chemo etc. How did u get on today at clinic?? Hope they put your mind at rest xx
margeruite- best of luck for Friday x
Evie, how did you get on? Was wsiting for ages today and thought of you too.
Surgeon said thinks is rafiotherapy damage but has agreed fof me to have us scan so will chase that first thing. She wasnt worried. She thinks red bit on scar is normal changes but to do watchful waiying and vome back with any chsnges. My best mate who is a breast oncologist said yhe same. So am waiting watchfully.
Marguerite, hugs to you too, and everyone else worried tonight. X
Tors i waited an eternity to be told he understood why i was worried but he felt it was post treatment changes! He is the same man who told me at test stage my cancer was 99% benign so i went for the results on my own and got the fright of my life! " errr, so sorry mrs leach its grade 3 cancer?!?" dear me…
Got scan and mammo to follow it up.
I want to know why bits suddenly become lumpy and sore 14mths post treatment??! Mr surgeon said he didnt know…
Posts crossed tina! Feel bit relieved but not fully. Didnt know the surgeon so dont trust her. At the moment i think i just want them to do a mx, but need to try and rebalance my mind after scan etc before deciding that. She started on the stats bit re lymphodema, how rare it is in snb cases, only ten per cent etc etc etc. Totally wrong audience for that speech given that getting bc at 36 was 99.5% not likely! Do they have no sense??!?!?!!!?!
Evie, now i crossed with uou too! Sounds pretty much like my appointment. So fun of waiying for scans. Cool. Glad wasnt a bad news day for you though, got to be grateful for that. X
Thats right but i do wonder if every 6mths i will be back with a new lumpy bit being told its scarring!
I wasnt recommended to have a mastectomy just WLE as he felt i did not have time to recover from major surgery and that chemo was needed as fast as possible…not hugely reassuring. As it turned out i was grade 3 but clear lymph nodes which they reakoned was a real surprise.
OMG can I butt in here. Had probs with change in shape and size and ‘feeling’ of boob late last Nov by late Dec it was worse and had 2 ridges too not near scar. And had pins and needles in hand and lower arm on affected side.Rang BCN twice 2nd time she said she would book me for appt for u/s next thing I knew had appt with surgeon 4 days later ( had already got 1st mammo appt and to see Onc at same time 2 weeks after that) saw lovely surgeon he couldn’t feel a thing but couldn’t 14 months ago either and MRI showed 4cms lump, and why did I not think mammo was on the cards but it was and also saw Cons radiologist for result of mammo shortly afterwards and he did U/S next and talked me through it all.
Evie I also questioned why after 8 months or so my boob and arm got more sore with no obvious reason told that this happens and scar tissue and nerve disruption can take a long time to settle.And it was not lymphoedema either
Vicki hope you are at least a bit reassured.And that your scan will give you a solution to your worry.I too had narrow margin on skin side 1.5mm before re-excision and no sign of residual disease on re-excision but skin taken too. But I am wondering if some of this is in my mind, surely this level of soreness and outright discomfort cannot be my imagination not to mention the lumps? Still I saw Onc last Thurs and he also had written reports which verified what I had been told and examined me and node areas and chest and liver OOH but all OK
Marguerite so sorry you are waiting and worrying all over again hope Fri rolls on asap and that you get the answers you want.I was told fat takes a long time to settle from surgery.
Hope the waiting and worrying are all soon sorted. Hugs to all Jackie
You are lovely + I am very tempted to take u up on ur offer lol! My in laws let us down beyond words- just hope their consciences have caught up with them + they’re suffering now they know I’m back on chemo etc. How did u get on today at clinic?? Hope they put your mind at rest xx