Hi I’m new. Been to the doctors today because I had a sore boob for a few weeks then the last few days I’ve had bleeding from my nipple… I have to go to see the breast surgeon for an ultrasound but I am do scared. I know its only precautionary but just feel so scared. Any advice please x
oh you poor thing! It is awful all this waiting to see people and get results. Is your mind spinning with all the what ifs?
Looking at information on websites can be really overwhelming too. Have you been given any contact nos to speak to a breast care nurse?
There are freephone numbers for you to call and speak to someone sweetie. Don’t be afraid to call them. They will try and ease some of your anxieties whilst you wait. Even if you have to call them every day honey.
I wish you all the best sweetie. I hope you don’t have to join ‘our club’, but if you do… there are lots of us here to listen.
Take care.
Lotsa love (& fingers crossed),
Lone x
Thanks Lone xx it’s just a shock you think it will never happen to me… My mum and dad are in Oz visiting my sister so don’t wanna worry them. My gorgeous daughter, who’s 22 stayed with me last night with my lovely son in law. They were such a great comfort. Thanks for the advice means a lot to me xx
You might also find it useful to call the BCC helpline - number at the top of just about every page on the site. I know a lot of ladies have found them really helpful with their realistic advice.
Fingers crossed for you that it’s nothing to worry about.
Oh, and ultrasound doesn’t hurt, though if they decide they need to do other things you might end up with being got with some needles. perhaps a fine needle if they think there’s some fluid in there or a core biopsy where the needle’s a bit bigger but they give you local anaesthetic first. But even that hurts less than a wasp sting.
Just wanted to wish you well and hope that the wait until the ultrasound isnt too bad
Marguerite
Hi, just wanted to wish you well and to sympathise with you. The waiting is far and away the worst bit (well, for me so far anyway!) and your mind just goes over everything.
Try and keep yourself as occupied as you can - intense cleaning and tidying worked well for me - our house was unrecognisable after a few days! I’m afraid the level in the gin bottle dropped rather rapidly as well. Medicinal purposes only, you understand…
Please don’t look too much on the internet - that’s advice that was given to me and I wish I’d followed it earlier!
Keeping everything crossed for you.
Love, Jane xx
Hi
Just wanted to echo others thoughts and wishing you good results. All have given good advice about not reading too much into the HUGE amount of info on the net.
Each one of us has a different set of symptoms so its best not to compare stories, even on here, great though the advice is.
Id agree, waiting for tests/results etc is soo difficult, especially at this time of year where delays are inevitable.
Take care and look after yourself
Cathie xx
Thank you all for your lovely thoughts & comments. You don’t realise how many people go through this each day. It is just the waiting got my appointment for 5 January today. Would like to say my doctors are fabulous xx not to long to wait.
Trying to keep mind occupied, walking the dogs, cleaning something I really don’t like doing but it does keep your mind from racing xx
Thanks everyone again xx fingers crossed for the New Year for me and I wish you all the best for 2011 xxx
Good luck, Cara.
Good luck Cara…
The waiting is the worst part. Once you know the results you will feel better.
Good luck and let me know it goes.
Sarah X
Thanks Sarah I will xx
Will I get any results on the 5th from the ultrasound? Sorry but my minds whirring at the moment just don’t want to wait again to hear any news xx
Thanks to everyone xxxx
Carole x
Hi Carole. I think it depends on how things are done in your area. I can only speak for myself, so here’s what I had, during December this year.
When I went to the clinic I first of all had a mammogram. You may have a mammogram as well as the ultrasound, particularly if you haven’t had one done before, but don’t worry if you aren’t given a mammogram. Then straight in to see the doc who did the ultrasound scan and she had a good look at where I had found my lump. She there and then tried to aspirate what she thought were cysts. This was done with a very fine needle and really didn’t hurt once the needle had broken the skin, much less painful than a wasp sting. She drew off fluid from the cysts and looked at the fluid. Because it looked perfectly normal (for cysts) she just poured it down the sink! I asked whether the fluid needed to be tested and was told that as the cysts had given up their fluid happily, that it was in the right range of colour (mine looked like very cloudy tea - yuck! - but can be anything from bright yellow to dark brown) and that there wasn’t any blood in it, there was no need to send it for testing.
It was only on the fourth shadow on the ultrasound that she tried to aspirate which didn’t give up any fluid that she decided she needed to take a tissue sample for analysis. NOTE: even at this stage when something isn’t a cyst it is possible that a lump can be benign, so don’t have too many litters of kittens if you have to have a core biopsy. (See links elsewhere on this site to information about benign breast conditions, in the Publications section I think.)
For a core biopsy the doc used a local anaesthetic, which was a little bit more uncomfortable than the fine needle but again not as bad as a wasp. She then made a little nick in my skin (completely healed up totally invisible 2 weeks afterwards) and used a thicker needle to take samples. It looks rather alarming and does make a noise like a stapler, but because of the anaesthetic it didn’t hurt AT ALL. I had a couple of steristrips put over the cut, then a dressing on top, and was told to take paracetamol (NOT aspirin or ibuprofen) for a couple of days if I needed it, and I had spectacular bruises for a few weeks. I took two paracetamol before bed that night and didn’t bother after that.
I have also had an MRI scan a bit later because my mammogram didn’t show up the lump that we knew was there - that was a rather surreal experience and completely painfree, if a little undignified. You may not need one, but do ask if you end up needing one.
The results of a core biopsy take up to a week to come back because they have to do stuff to the samples in order to analyse them, so you won’t get those results back until your next appointment. Sorry, but you’ll be in for another wait. If you do have a biopsy I predict that you’ll be putting yourself through the wringer while waiting. It’s very difficult not to, but do keep in the front of your mind that there are a lot of benign conditions that don’t need the intervention the ladies on here are having or are about to have.
If you have had a biopsy, then when you go for your results the following week you will be given as much information as they have for you, and if necessary you will be referred to a consultant for further discussion on your treatment plan, but remember that it’s very possible you do not have anything in there to worry about, and that they will find something benign, or an infection, or mastitis, or something that needs to be treated with antibiotics and not a coffin.
Do keep us posted, and don’t feel silly or stupid for worrying, because the waiting for results is enough to drive you bananas. (During that first week’s wait for the biopsy results I reckon I’d already planned my own funeral and worked out who was going to have the kids and the cat!)
Another suggestion is to be careful what sites you do your research on when trying to find out information. The publications section on here is excellent, and will give you information without scaremongering. Other sites you could possibly hit could be filled with sensationalist or out-of-date writings, so restrict your browsing to reputable sites. Remember also that the forums are often used by people who are having difficulties with stuff so the site may give a skewed impression as it tends to focus on the tough times (the people who have had good test results have just got on with their lives) so don’t gauge the likelihood of this being nasty by the number of people posting on here.
Do keep posting on here to vent your worries and frustrations if you find it helpful, this site has been a complete godsend since the start of December when I first went to the clinic. Ask any questions you like (I’ve asked some really silly ones!) and people will do their best to help. And call the Helpline too if you want to speak to a human being rather than writing to lots of them.
Keep us posted, we do care.
Hi Carasp67
As well as the support you are receiving from the other forum users you may find it useful to read the BCC booklet ‘referral to a breast clinic’ It includes information about what to expect at the clinic.
If you would like to order copy or to read it on line just follow this link:-
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes Sam, BCC Facilitator
Hi Carole
I wish you the best for your tests. I would echo choccomuffins comments - apart from the waiting time. This will depend on what area you are in - for Gloucestershire the current waiting time for results is 3 weeks.
The waiting time is the worst and trying to keep your mind off the subject is hard but for most people the results are good and only a minority of us find we have BC.
I won’t tell you not to worry as this is only natural.
Take care
Janvis
One thing I forgot to mention.
Wear separates rather than a dress as you can expect to strip to the waist and it’s less weird if you’re at least wearing a skirt or trousers and not just standing there in your tights and knickers!
Hi Cara,
just a note to wish you well on the 5th, yes the waiting is agony but you are doing all you can to alleviate you anxiety by walking and cleaning etc. just imagine that if this all end with a ‘nothing abnormal discovered’ you will have at least the cleanest house in the district!!
My experience was that I asked the radiographer about what he was seeing during the ultrasound…he told me outright that what he saw was not good…so a little warning…if you ask the question be prepared to get the truthful answer…I don’t regret asking although I wasn’t expecting the reply I got…at least I knew right away.
And here I am just having finished all my treatment today!!
Good luck, stay in touch,you are not alone Suze xxx
G’day Cara,
I can see that lots of ladies have been on here to support you matey. If your head is still spinning with worry, then keep posting, as you would be surprized at how therapeutic it is to vent on these forums. I do it all the time. There is no one judging you and everyone offers so much support.
I know the waiting is difficult honey. I did lots of cleaning etc before waiting for my results as well. I found the cinema was a good way to distract myself (for a couple of hours anyway), the night before. Especially if it is a good comedy. Exercise can also help burn off some of that nervous energy (if you can, even if it is dancing to some of your old favourite songs) and trying to get some good sleep at night will help.
Am pleased you have your daughter with you at the moment. I realise that you must be thinking about it all the time and even family can’t protect you from that. But they can give you big hugs and try to distract you.
Take care sweetie. The 5th will keep getting closer. We all have our fingers crossed for you and vent if you need it.
Lotsa love, Lone x
Thank you all so much for your lovely comments & advice. Even though you are all strangers you now feel like friends xx I am overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from you all and I can honestly say my mind is a little bit more eased than it was yesterday.
The positivity you have all shown me is such a boost to my moral. I will keep thinking positive as this seems the best way to go. Thank you all once again xx
I’ll keep you all posted. Hope you all have a fantastic New Year xx
Gday Matey,
I bet you are counting down the days? Not long to go now. The 5th will be here soon enough and hopefully you will get the news you are after.
Let us know how you get on? We will be here for you either way.
Take care and I hope you get some rest, get to distract yourself a bit and what will be, will be.
Lots of love, Lone x
Hiya,
can completely understand where you are coming from, I had my ultrasound on the 30th November where they also did a biopsy & got my results 2 days later on the 2nd, at the time of the biopsy i did ask radiologist to tell me the truth & whether he thought it was " bad" to which he replied yes, this to be fair didnt bother me as it really took the edge off the official Dx 2 days later as i was sort of prepared, i too had my daughter who is just 20 with me & she was brilliant.
What i would also like to add is that i originally got referred to breast Clinic with a lump in other boob which turned out to be just fine ( which he also told me at US) so some lumps are indeed nothing.
I along with everyone else will be thinking of you on the 5th, i go in on the 6th for my results from Op on Xmas Eve so know how awful the wait is.
Take care
Sarah.xxxx