Morning everybody Hope you’re all doing well! I had a lumpectomy on 16th December and all went well with clear margins and lymph nodes were all clear…I’ve been told that I will most likely benefit from chemo. Before I got the results I felt in a really good place but for some reason since I’m very up and down. Today I just feel like theres a dark cloud hanging over me is the only way I can describe it. I almost feel stupid for feeling like this because I know the alternative could of been different and meaning more surgery etc!
Has anybody else been given the choice of lumpectomy or mascectomy and gone for lumpectomy? I was given the choice and went for a lumpectomy as I was told it gives just as good of an outcome along with radiotherapy but theres just something niggling at me that I should of just gone for a mascectomy?
My mind is also back in the waiting stage of if I definitely need chemo (I won’t know the full plan until I am referred to the oncologist). I’m just abit down today and feeling like my life will never be the same. I do feel like I got back to some form of normality though following surgery so I just need to remember my most used saying of the past 4 months “this too shall pass”!
Has anybody had any holistic therapies that you think helped you mentally going through treatment etc?
Hope you are all feeling more positive than me today (and just to add I’m on my period which may be one reason for being down in the dumps)
Good morning, I have not responded to any posts before, as everyone’s journey is different. My advice is please be kind to yourself. The waiting and not knowing can be the most difficult times. I chose a lumpectomy, like you, after the initial WLE my margins were not clear so had a re-excision. Luckily the margins from this were clear.
Mindfulness might help keep you in the moment. Your oncologist will discuss all your options at your initial appointment. You can also speak with your Breast Care Nurse who will be able to support you.
It sounds to me (as someone who is not a doctor!) like they are offering the course of chemo as a preventative measure. Did they tell you that this was the case? Also are you pondering whether you should have gone for a mastectomy over lumpectomy in the hope it would have avoided chemo?
Congrats on the clear margins and nodes, although I get that it’s now being more than understandably overshadowed by the wait for next steps!
Oh @katie91 - just responded to you on another thread! I am in the pre-results fear spiral tonight so totally get this rollercoaster you are on. My post op healing was going well but had a blip 2/1 when I had a Sernoma which was drained but totally threw my ideal that all was going to be well, keeping positive, healing well etc and I am now just in a holding pattern hoping for the best and fearing what other options may be presented. I keep thinking at least I am now on the treatment path and whatever next steps happen I am going one day at a time and trusting my decisions are informed and guided by people with expertise and knowledge that will give me the best outcomes. Big hugs xx
It’s not surprising that you are struggling - your back playing the waiting game and we all know it’s the worst game of all . And then you have your period - I don’t get them anymore thank goodness but mine were awful enough that I still haven’t forgotten how awful they were .
In regards to mastectomy versus lumpectomy - unfortunately we all tend to second guess ourselves and go over the decisions we have made but as another poster said , please be kind to yourself. Firstly having a mastectomy instead of lumpectomy would have no bearing on whether or not you have chemo . Secondly they offered mastectomy but said that for you lumpectomy would be equally good - if they had felt that you would have benefitted more from the mastectomy I think it’s likely that they would have made a recommendation . It’s always a fine balance between effective treatment and over treatment . None of us has a crystal ball and we make the best decision we can at the time .
Hey @mssteel, this all kind of changed after I posted this morning so when I spoke to my BC Nurse on Thursday after the MDT meeting with my lumpectomy results she told me it was clear margins/no spread etc but they didn’t think it was worth sending it off for oncotype testing as the predict score gave a clear benefit for chemo, when I spoke to the consultant this morning he admitted the meeting was very rushed as they had 53 results to get through because of the backlog from Christmas so when he ran it through the predict tool again before our phone call it had changed from 6% to 4.6% benefit putting me in the grey area so he said it will be getting sent off for oncotype testing which actually has made me feel alot better that it will be getting analysed!
I just keep getting a niggling thought that a mascectomy would of been the safer option but I was given the choice and told both were completely safe and none really outweighed the other in my situation! But I’m feeling abit better tonight, I think I get like this before each appointment (even when I know what the results are beforehand it seems to just really trigger an anxiety in me!!!)
Thank you for your lovely message though, I’m starting to really see how good the news is that I’ve had and what will be will be for the next steps!! Hope you’re doing well
Hi again @joodles!! It really is a rollercoaster isn’t it, following the earlier post I had a phone call with my consultant who has now decided that due to an error of info they put into the precmdict tool that they will be sending my results off for oncotype test so I’ll have a couple of weeks wait for the result from that but since that call weirdly I’ve been OK!! Such a rollercoaster of emotions
Awww no has everything been OK since your blip?
That really is a great way of looking at it we’re on the treatment path now I’d just about got my head around chemo, found some beautiful wigs and then I’ m back to uncertainty again but I’m telling myself that I’m still having chemo and we will just see what the score says when it comes back!
Bless you @katie91 it just doesn’t stop or stay the same does it?! The mental gymnastics I keep doing to remain vaguely sane and positive are challenging me at times! Glad you are feeling better post phone call. When my doubts and worries niggle I just keep saying “This too shall pass”. My armpit has behaved so far since my drain of 80ml of lymphatic fluid build up - however the BCN said they will check it at my consultant appointment on Thursday to see how it is. She said sometimes they only need draining once but others have to be drained a few times before they disappear. My SLNB has been the more painful, and difficult of the areas to heal. My actual mammoplasty scar is a thing of beauty IMO and has been quick to heal with a lot less pain.
In my 2026 effort to make healthy choices I have more or less cut out alcohol, I confessed to my consultant I have cancelled my gin subscription..this was a major life event for me……however I have tonight had to resort to a mood boosting medicinal chocolate raid
good morning, as per the previous posts we all second guess the decisions we make however we made the right decisions at the time whilst still coming to terms with the fact we were joining the BC club.
Katie91 I am sorry you are still waiting for results, but try take comfort in the fact that the delays are to ensure you obtain the best treatment for you. As difficult as it is.
joodles, we all need the medicinal chocolate, or in my case haribo (other jelly sweets are available). I think we just have to do what gets us through.
Hi Katie, I first had BC in 2014 and was offered lumpectomy or masectomy. Went for lumpectomy, all went well and had chemo and radiotherapy after op. I did struggle a bit towards to end of chemo but got through it. Then had BC in the other boob in 2024, had lumpectomy again, all went well again and only had to have radiotherapy that time which I actually sailed through with no problems, I just wonder now if I am going to be hit again as I have not got another boob for it to go to lol. You will be fine no matter what you choose, like a lot say on this site we are all brave and can beat this. Best wishes to you and hope all goes well for you
Hope you’re all doing well! I had a lumpectomy on 16th December and all went well with clear margins and lymph nodes were all clear…I’ve been told that I will most likely benefit from chemo. Before I got the results I felt in a really good place but for some reason since I’m very up and down. Today I just feel like theres a dark cloud hanging over me is the only way I can describe it. I almost feel stupid for feeling like this because I know the alternative could of been different and meaning more surgery etc!
so when I spoke to my BC Nurse on Thursday after the MDT meeting with my lumpectomy results she told me it was clear margins/no spread etc but they didn’t think it was worth sending it off for oncotype testing as the predict score gave a clear benefit for chemo, when I spoke to the consultant this morning he admitted the meeting was very rushed as they had 53 results to get through because of the backlog from Christmas so when he ran it through the predict tool again before our phone call it had changed from 6% to 4.6% benefit putting me in the grey area so he said it will be getting sent off for oncotype testing which actually has made me feel alot better that it will be getting analysed!
but I’m telling myself that I’m still having chemo and we will just see what the score says when it comes back!
