Hi all,
please forgive me as I feel my problem is very trivial compared to everyone elses but I just wanted to share my feelings with someone. It’s probably something to do with the date, as it’s 14 years today since my cousin lost her fight with bc and 6 years next month since my mam had her breast removed, but I went to gp today as I have a really tender area of my left breast - only for the last 5 days but far different from my usual “achy boobs” whem my period is due (which will be next week so still too early for usual aches). He couldn’t find any difinitive lumps but said both breasts felt lumpy and i possibly had swollen glands and he would refer me to the breast clinic. I can’t feel a lump either but have localised pain which is worse since his examination but probably just because I’m thinking about it all the time. I don’t want to mention it to my mam as she will go to pieces - her lump was painful, and I don’t want to upset my kids unnecessarily and my poor husband is in another country at the minute so I can’t talk to him ( he knows about the pain but not that i’ve been to docs), so sorry everyone I just needed to unbuden myself a bit. I know that 9 out of 10 referrals are fine but as you all know it’s the mental torture. Thanks for listening
Welcome to the forums, this is a very worrying time for you but you have come to the right place for support from our experienced users who I’m sure will be along to support you soon.
In the meantime maybe you would like to talk things through with a member of our helpline staff who are there to offer emotional support as well as practical information. The free phone number is 0808 800 600 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00 and Saturday 9.00 to 2.00.
Do give the helpline a ring tomorrow, they’re really very good and it’s sometimes just what you need to talk to another friendly voice.
Well done for going to the doc, that can sometimes be the most difficult decision to make. We’re all here for you so feel free to write about your worries and share your concerns and fears, there will certainly be someone who’s had the same experience, and we really understand what The Waiting Room is like.
Thankyou i think it helped a bit putting down in words but you’ve all been here before me and I think the “waiting room” is a perfect description. I’m going to ring the helpline now
Hi going to bc clinic on thursday have a 9am appointment so fingers crossed for some answers still have pain and also ache in armpit area I haven’t told my parents yet but have told my kids who seem pretty unphased by it at the minute, have more or less convinced myself that it will be bc but i know that it’s only natural to look on the dark side but at least i haven’t got long to wait now it’s the not knowing that makes things really difficult, anyway hope everything turns out ok for all of us
emerald when you have a family history it can sometimes make it harder to think positive… and some people do find that going through all scenarios the best way to deal with the waiting.
ill be keeping my fingers crossed that its nothing serious and that you get to the bottom of it on thursday.
also you havent said what age your cousin and mum were when they were diagnosed so if everything is ok on thursday it may be helpful for your gp to refer you to the genetics service for an assessment.
Hi Lulu thanks for your post, my cousin was 30 when diagnosed and my mam was 66 so i’m more or less in the middle of the two of them (i’m 46 if i haven’t already said). Hopefully everything will be fine when i go tomorrow but once you start having problems then it must play on your mind all the time i think. I plan to ask about genetic testing - if there is something in our genetics then i want my cousins and our daughters to be aware of what could lie ahead, I almost spoke to my mam about it today she found her lump herself because it was painful and we told her it would be nothing to worry about ( so did her gp - if only he’d known!). But here i am blabbering on when so many of you are already having treatment and really I should stop being so dramatic ( only in my mind beacause outwardly it’s business as usual and only 1 or 2 people know)but I don’t mind telling you that i’m scared and “what if” seems to be forefront in my mind at the moment. But thankfully this site exists and I know there will be hundreds of people just looking and hoping for something similar to themselves because I did for a few days before I registered, but it really does help because you all know how i feel right now. Thanks - Carole x
Hi Carole
unfortunately i dont think you would fit criteria for geneti testing through a diagnostic laboratory but you may fit the criteria for the less rigorous testing through the BRCA 3 research trial… but its definitely worth having a chat to somebody about it.
dont worry you are not blabbering on but going through the same worries and conerns we all had when we found symptoms or were realled from screening… its a very natural reaction and a very scary time… like you i said nothing to family and only mentioned it to a few close friends as i didnt want to be worrying the others unneccessarily, however when it was cancer it was an even bigger shock to my family as they had no idea there was something wrong… i di this again when i was diagnosed the second time and my mum was hysterical… actually running through the house screaming and wailing… since then i have warned her every time iv found something suspicious and she says she prefers it this way.
she had been through breast cancer herself too only the year before me and i think it was because of that more than anything i wanted to protect her but it didnt really ddo that.