Scared and driving myself mad!

Ask our Nurses your questions
1

Hi, since my diagnosis of DCIS in June and while awaiting my mastectomies feel like I am going mad. I’ve convinced myself I have all other cancers in my body and that this is the start of a slippery slope down.

I’m not sure what I am looking for in posting this. Whether I want to hear this is a normal reaction or whether I’m just unlucky this time.

I’m hoping having this doesn’t make me predispose to other cancers but I’m so scared now to find out as it’s all quite hard at the moment and don’t think I could cope with more bad news!

2

Hi

Thanks for posting on our forum

We hope to be able to respond to you soon.

In the meantime our helpline is open until 4pm today.

If you do phone our helpline please let us know that you have asked a question on our forum so that we know your query has been answered. Thank you

With best wishes.

Jayne

Ask Our Nurses administrator

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3

Absolutely a normal response. So many of us felt exactly the same at diagnosis. When you find out you have cancer, it’s like someone has ejected the cassette tape that plays your life and replaced it with one that just plays cancer. It’s all you can focus on and your imagination runs wild. But once you get a treatment plan, you can reset your mind easier.

It’s easy to feel like cancer is spreading around your body, but in reality, dcis is contained in the breast and has yet to invade anywhere. It is likely that you’ll need some surgery and radiotherapy but this can fully treat dcis. You are not now predisposed to other cancers but the hospital will keep a closer eye on you.

Once you get started on treatment, you can focus on that and it will feel easier to handle. But the waiting for results is hard and it’s best to keep busy. Keep us posted and best wishes for the op. X

4

Hi motherducky

Thanks for your post.

It sounds as though you are having a difficult time at the moment. Many people tell us they feel anxious after a diagnosis of a condition like DCIS and the stress can affect them in many different ways. As @bluesatsuma says often people feel it is all they can focus on.

At times like this it can help to talk to someone about how you are feeling. You might find it helpful to call our helpline. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to additional support and information if necessary.

You may wish to let your breast care nurse or GP know how you are feeling so they support you while you’re waiting for your surgery.

Our information on stress and anxiety following a breast cancer diagnosis may be of interest.

Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can also 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.

The CAN-EMPOWER website has been developed with people who have experience of cancer and shares both the emotional challenges of living with cancer as well as coping tools and techniques that people have found helpful.

We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events. For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link.

Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. 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

Julie

Breast Care Nurse

Please read the disclaimer Full details on how we collect and use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy