I have posted this for new user Lyn
Jo, Facilitator
Hi everyone how pleased i am that ive found you.Told today i also have breast cancer not sure how i feel its as if im watching everything and its not happening to me, i feel totally removed from it all. Has anyone else felt like this.
I see the consultant on Thursday and not sure what quesions i should be asking, would appreciate any help anyone can give,presume they will operate in the next 2to4 weeks.
Thanks for listening
Best wishes lyn
Lyn - sorry to hear your news and that you have had to join us…
I know what you mean about feeling as if everything is surreal - that is how i felt when i was diagnosed last May.
Do you have any idea yet if it is going to be a mastectomy or a lumpectomy? You also need to find out if they are planning on removing any lymph nodes. Until they get the results of your biopsy they won’t know if it is hormone receptive - so whether you will need hormone treatment in the future, or whether you will need chemo or radio therapy.
It is a very scary time - but you will find a lot of suport on here…
Theresa x
Hi Lyn
Welcome to the club that nobody really wants to be in! You have come to the right place, there is so much support here, I have found it incredibly helpful. Whatever questions you have, someone will be able to answer, or if not answer, give you help in finding out the information.
Just as important, there are so many women here who understand how you feel, you can rant, rave, cry - whatever - you need to do!
I know what you mean about feeling things are happening to someone else, I felt as if I was watching things happen from the outside for the first few weeks, then reality sinks in.
There is so many factors affecting what happens next, try not to get too far ahead of yourself, take each step at a time. Did you find a lump, or was it found at at screening? You will probably meet a breast care nurse as well on Thursday, they are often easier to ask questions, especially as things are just sinking in. There is usually a phone line so you can contact them as questions come to you.
Where abouts in the country are you? - there may be someone on this site with experiance of your hospital?
Hope you are OK, take care and post any time,
Lizzy
Hi Lyn,
so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but you have come to the right place for answers to your questions and support.
I think we all have felt like you do right now so it is quite normal - I think it is just how our body works to get us through by making us feel its not really happening to us.
Let us know what has happened so far so we can help you with what things you should be asking your Consultant on Thursday.
Until then, try not to worry too much - you will see from the posts on here that you have not been given a death sentence - not by a long way!
Take care
Clarabelle xx
Thanks so much for being there everyone. Lump found after mammogram, just expeced to be told fatty tissue,if only!.Have no idea yet what treatment or if in lymp glands etc not sure if it will be a relief to know or not. Not at the raving stage yet but sure it will come, no doubt very soon, if i get the energy, sleep would be good or is that a thing of the past.I live in Gateshead attending QE if anyone has any any experience of it?
Will let you know what i find out, and once again thanks for being there.Look forward to hearing from you again. What a way to make friends!!
Thanks so much for being there everyone. Lump found after mammogram,just expeced to be told fatty tissue,if only!.Have no idea yet what treatment or if in lymp glands etc not sure if it will be a relief to know or not. Not at the raving stage yet but sure it will come, no doubt very soon, if i get the energy, sleep would be good or is that a thing of the past.I live in Gateshead attending QE if anyone has any any experience of it?
Will let you know what i find out, and once again thanks for being there.Look forward to hearing from you again. What a way to make friends!!
Regards Lyn
hi Lyn - I got some sleeping tabs for just after I was diagnosed as no sleep drove me even more mad…they helped - only took half a one for 2 nights but they helped and now have them after chemo…mary x
Lyn - i had my chemo and masectomy at the wansbeck in ashington - and i had my radiotherapy at the new northern counties cancer centre at the freeman… they are doing rads for the whole region there if you need them.
Lyn, sorry you have to be on here but I am over 2 years since dx (diagnosis) and I still use the site regularly. I don’t know what I would have done without it. I has been my lifeline. The waiting is the hardest and it will take a while to get your head round it. If you can’t sleep and are waking up in the middle of the night get some zopliclone, they are a mild sleeping tablet and really do help. Keep posting nothing is too trivial. Take care Eileen XX
Hi well here we are again,it seems i have lots to look forward to, lump removal, lymph gland exploration, possible mastectomy, the good thing is on reconstruction they would tweak my right breast to match left breast so i would have a matching pair (do you think i could get a face lift at same time!!)if taking tamoxin i will put on weight(just lost 11lbs thro weight watchers) and get menapausel symptons, well what can i say!! Thank goodness were all in the same boat oh yes and i seem to have lost my sense of humour,is that compulsory!!
I should be in within 4 weeks( must remove false nails)for first op and yes its really going to hit hard then, hope all of you will keep in touch,thinking of you all,what a journey.
(Seem very flipant only cos im scared stiff, just want to find out details of cancer etc and get on with treatment.)
Love Lyn xx
hi lyn
i was dx yesterday,am booked in on 24th april for op, had a mri today to determine which i have full mastectomy or partial, my sister has bc 6years ago,and is doing fine so heres hoping.
julie
Hi Lyn and Julie - welcome to the club no-one wants to join. You’re at the beginning of a wild journey, you’ll feel out-of-control, and you’ll begin to wonder where the “you” you have always known has gone, to be replaced by this gibbering, paranoid wreck who panics at every little twinge - and if you’re anything like me, obsessively reads everything on the subject you can get hold of.
I am at last beginning to feel a bit more settled, having got through my surgery (February) and now have seen the oncologist - will be starting chemo in a few weeks. We know that with all the new treatments that have come in over the past few years almost all of us are still going to be here long enough to have to worry about sea-level rises instead - but just at the moment, you’re probably wondering if you’re going to out-last the cheese in your fridge.
Just roll with it - it will get better. And this is the place to come for advice, support, and a bluddddy good rant when required.
Hi Lyn
I went through much the same thing - routine mammogram, lump found. Had my op a month ago, waiting to go back for a 2nd one in a couple of weeks and to remove all the nodes, then who knows? I spent a while using my humour to get me by but sometimes you just need to be around people who understand. My husband is wonderful but he can’t understand what I feel, same as I can’t understand what he feels. I only found this forum today when I was feeling really low and I feel better already - still scared witless but not alone and neither are you. Take care, Estelle xx
Good Evening Everyone,
I had my lumpectomy and full node clearance on March 12th, just got results back this week, and unfortunately, 2 of the 19 nodes were found to be cancerous ! I am now waiting to meet with the oncologist to discuss the next steps and I am PETRIFIED of the thought of chemotherapy !
I keep thinking this is all a “bad dream” and I will wake up just fine. In myself, I feel fit and well, despite an infection in the wound , and am recovering well from the surgery.
I live in the Scottish Highlands, so it is a round trip of 150 miles to the hospital in Inverness for every appointment. Does anyone else live up here ?
Sorry for the ramble, good luck and big hugs to us all. Love Janet xx
Janet
I had mx on 12 Feb and had my first chemo treatment (FEC) on Fri 20 March and am due for 2nd one next week. I was really worried about possible side effects, but I followed all the advice from both the hospital and this site about preparation and after-care, and to my surprise and relief, I’ve experienced hardly any SE’s at all (except for the temporary hair loss, which luckily I can deal with easily).
I know the hospital has to warn about potential problems, but you don’t hear much about those of us who don’t suffer and can keep on working etc during treatment. Maybe we feel it could be ‘tempting fate’ to say ‘Actually I’m doing really well’, but I feel its important to give some reassurance to ‘newbies’ that it is not necessarily going to be a horrendous experience.
All the very best with your treatment, and especially with the lengthy journeys involved,
love and hugs from
Rosie
Hi Janet
I have just finished my chemo in Inverness and must say that the staff were absolutely wonderful. I too had a lumpectomy with three positive nodes and will be starting the last stage of my treatment, radiotherapy, on Wednesday.
We all understand how you feel it’s a roller coaster of emotions but it’s amazing how you cope and this site offers so much support from women who understand exactly what you are going through.
I know the chemo sounds daunting but it does affect us all differently. Like Rosie I was lucky and did not have nearly as bad a time as anticipated. I found you have to go with the flow, rest when you need to and take advise from onc team. It is amazing how quickly it all passes.
I stay in Inverness and don’t envy your long journeys. The Maggie’s Centre at Raigmore is very welcoming and a place to drop in for coffee and some peace and quiet when you have waits at chemo visits.
Love and hugs Anne xx
Hi everyone, found out today that my op is the 30 april, presume that i will be in day before for various tests.At least treatment will start as the waiting seems endless.
Does anyone know what size lump has to be for chemo treatment, mine is 2ml, is that big?
When i read some of the comments it all sounds so mind blowing, lifting nails etc,nice to know some of you are getting thro it without too many side effects.
Just take care everyone and please keep on talking to me.
Love Lyn xx
Hi Lyn,do you mean 2cm lump cos if you mean 2mm that is tiny ! I had lumectomy and sentinal node biopsy 6 weeks ago, and am fine and dandy now, well, in a mad post op sort of way,the waiting is by far the WORST thing, in fact it is even worse than the op,honest !
The grade and stage of your tumour is taken into account as well as its size oooh and your age. Mine was grade two,stage one,i.e. no spread to nodes and 15mm, Im 44. I was at the oncologist last week and told taht I was borderline for chemo but the thing that was making me borderline was my age,the same results if was older no mention would have been made for chemo. Where I am they work out a 10 year survival graph which showed that by having chemo I would improve my rates by 3% over the 10 yrs, also got told that chances of dying of non cancer illness or accident over same 10yrs is 2%, so for me I took the decision of the risks outweighed the benefits and if they thought I should have chemo they would have just told me to get on with it, don’t like all this “you choose” stuff.
Got given the option of having mastectomy or lumpectomy too ! Went for lumpectomy and more than happy with that, so in a way “lucky” that get given the choice but it doesn’t make it easy.
Would just say take one stage at a time,you will get there,Im now on tamoxifen and waiting for the side effects to kick in,then rads ar end of the month,onwards and upwards… and just remember, you are not alone,any questions you have stick them up here and you will always get a reply. Big hugs.
Sandra x
Hi Sandra, yes having a senior moment,yes has to be 2cm or .75inch,im not metric at all,thats 20mm isnt it? Ughhhhhh!!
Im 58 yrs old and must admit would prefer not to have chemo, didnt realise they would give options i was always of the opinion that they knew best and would do there best, lets be honest where there under sufference as it is.
Glad things seem to be going well for you,let me know what side effects you get with tamoxin,had to come straight off hrt so waiting for that to kick off.Definetly coming back as a man next time.
Talking to everyone fills me full of confidence who knows might get on that plane yet on 12 june to sunny Tenerife !!
Keep in touch
Love Lyn xx
Hi everyone,now that i am getting nearer surgery i must admit im panicking and all my positiveness seems to be going out of the window,i go tomorrow for assessment with the nurses.
I think whilst i didnt hear anything for a while from the hospital i could pretend it had gone away but suddenly its staring me in the face again. Im obviously just a wimp.
Take care everyone.
Love Lynne