Hello, I have only posted one thing on here and think I must have covered many topics related to why we are all here as only had one reply, i am feeling lonely cos though my family and friends are excellent they are not going through it, they are helping me through it., I dont wish anyone at all to be here of any age but its at the same time comforting to see such empathy between you all. I am 43 and have just had a lumpectomy and lymph node removal. Tomorrow I go to see the consultant and get my results I have never been so scared in my whole life. Everyone so encouraging, saying you did the right thing, caught early as when I found the lump i went to the doctors, and within 2 weeks was diagnosed and then 2 weeks after had the op, but the lymph node cleareance means it has potential to spread, well i have not recovered from the fact i even have it never mind that its spread. I finished my Christmas shopping carried on working and being normal, but that all stopped after the op. I have fluid built up in my breast thought it was another lump, alot of pain which i can stand but just want to be me again and it looks like i wont be for a long time to come as there will be such side effect from treatments the cost of travelling etc, I am usually such a postive person but this has blown me away, just want to be in contact with people whom feel the same, looking for comfort and to not feel alone…
I was going to write a similar post and then I read yours im in a similar situation, im 34 diagnosed with a grade 3 ductal carnicoma and HER positive. I had a Lumpectomy and a SNB then they found cancer in one of the nodes so had a full node clearance 2 weeks ago, I get my results on the 1st Feb and I am soo scared, I keep thinking that it has spread!!! The waiting is the worst I totally understand how you feel.
I have been told I will be having chemo, rads and Herceptin but not sure when, have you been told your treatment plan?
Please dont feel alone there is a lot of nice good supportive people on here.
Hey keep positive and keep smiling and feel free to PM me if you wish.
firstly, good luck with your results. The waiting us by far the worst bit in my experience. I was more scared going for my post op results than at any other stage of this whole thing. I’m 36 and was dx in march last year, and had lumpectomy, snb, Chemo and radiotherapy. All I can say is that we’ve all Bern where you are and, though we can’t help make the ordeal any easier, we can tell you that for most of us the place you are in just before results is the lowest hardest point and you WILL feel better as time passes, your mind and body learn to deal with the trauma and a treatment plan is in place.
Am sorry that you too have joined the club that none of us want to join.
I was dx just before Xmas & have had a WLE SNB with results last week.
No lymph node involvement & clear margins which was good but have still decided to go ahead with chemo (starting 9th Feb) followed by Radiotherapy & Tamoxifen.
Please dont feel alone, i know how worrying everything is especially all the waiting but although nerve racking you will feel much better when you have the results & know what you are dealing with so that you can move one step closer to being rid of this awful disease.
Keep writing on here as you will find the help & support brilliant especially when you are feeling low, have also sent you a pm.
Oh, sweetheart, it is soooo horrible waiting for results. Many of us have been where you are now and can empathise - it is horrible mental torture. We’re all behind you so please tell us how you get along.
Got my results Friday so still v.fresh in my mind about where your head is just now. It might not mean much to you at this exact moment but, despite still having to work our way around our individual obstacle courses of treatment, after tomorrow you’ll at least know the exact layout of your race. Yes, it’s still hard to believe that you’re one of the ‘other people’ that things like this happens to, but a small weight is lifted simply by knowing where you stand.
Sorry to hear that you’re having pain/discomfort after your op - your consultant may be able to drain it for you tomorrow to ease things a bit.
My thoughts and best wishes are with you. <<<<hugs>>>> Chris xx
Thank you all so much for your messages, it really is such a comfort though i dont wish you had all been through it at all. just come off the phone to my boyfriend whom is coming with me tomorrow and am getting lots of messages of good luck and people coming to visit me etc its lovely but im so scared, i think i will pass out from the results, it must be invasive cos had nodes removed. at least will get relief from drain but everyone says should hve left drain in for longer than one day. i have headache and look so tired but not had any treatment yet, im 43 and look 30 yrs older
Silvershar xxxx
Please please please try and stay positive, I know it’s easier said than done, but it really helps in attracting positive energy! I had a mastectomy in August (Invasive ductal carcinoma G3)and full node clearance: when the results came back half of my limphnodes had cancer (7 out of 14), I was shocked! I thought maybe one or two not half! Anyway, despite the bad news I had all the scans (bones, lungs, liver etc) and the cancer hadn’t spread anywhere else… Hence the chemio and other treatments. For now I am happy!
I will be thinking of you and send you some positive vibes
Good luck Silveshar. I had my WLE and SNB last weeek and have to wait til Feb 9th for my results, (2 days before my birthday) Although the consultant originally said he thought it as a grade 1 and I would just have the lump removed and then radiotherapy, all the medical professionals since have been talking about chemo and these er+ her+ things which I dont yet understand. If it wasn’t for the distraction of the pain and fact that my wound is leaking still I will probably be just as scared as you. To tell you the truth I am, but its just making me feel nauseous today. I am just trying to face each hurdle as it happens and putting on the positive face for friends and family. You never know it may become true if I keep doing it.
People here are brilliant, true mind savers. Its just so reassuring knowing you’re not alone. On my day surgery list I was actually the oldest at 49, so it seems very common to have it younger too.
Good luck. xx
A point to note. Lump, or lump + nodes, are both viewed as Primary, not secondary. Scans are to find out whether there is anything anywhere else, and if they come back clear, then it’s still viewed as primary only. Once the tumour and nodes are removed, then the extra stuff we get hit with (chemo, herceptin, hormones) are to PREVENT spread, not to treat it.
It’s very tough, and for some it can be worth investigating what the worst case might be, as long as you’re able to differentiate between what MIGHT be, and what is currently known. I like to find out what the worst case scenario is just in case that’s what happens, so that I can play out the scene in my head if the consultant comes out with some bad stuff (she played a corker the other day and did come out with some horrors) but I felt the reading beforehand helped me to cope with the news. In fact, the only results day when I burst into tears was when I got GOOD news that my second “lump” was normal breast changes and not cancer.
If you do go investigating, use reputable sites (this one’s brilliant (look at Home > Publications and find the most appropriate publication) but there are a lot of sensationalist sites out there that contain sensationalism and incorrect information, so be careful.
Sorry, rambling again, as not quite worked the anaesthetics out of my system from the re-excision yesterday. (I love my anaesthetist, though I’m still a bit with the fairies she did a great job at preventing or minimising pain. Lovely lady!)
Thank you all for your replies and support i really cannot express how grateful i am to you all for your time and sympathy when you too are all going through the same. I cant believe the empahty on here, i thought it would be this way and it is. I hope that i may be in a position sometime to reassure others as i have been by you all. I have now received my results, well some of them, i still dont have an actual name for my cancer just that it is grade 3 and that all the cancer has gone and my margins are clear though the lymph nodes that were removed was because of the scan a few looked suspicious, so he has taken the ones connected to my breast and not those that drain my arm. They took 18 and 2 are bad ones. he says he has no reason to believe it has spread elsewhere from those 2 cells but to be sure i am to have a CT scan and then the next journey begins, the chemo and radio. I have to wait for CT appointment and then chemo appointment with the oncologist and even that i dont know the name/type of chemo, i just know it is via injection and i have to go 6 times in total and it will be every 3 weeks.
The BC nurse then went on to say that the oncologist will explain all in the first meeting, no drugs at all just the ins and outs of it all and said about the side effects, i cant take it all in just now still numb from results though not bad, i feel so numb, disbelief, happiness at being given chance to live my life again. it has been the worst time of my life and my head has not caught up with it all…
Shar xxxxx
Shar i just was wondering how you had gotten on today.
that waiting is hell isnt it… although you still dont know the full story its good to have a bit of an idea of whats ahead of you… the chemo you get may be dependant on your CT results so perhaps thats why they arent saying anything yet… if your getting 6 cycles then this is normally 6 FEC or 3 x FEC plus 3 x Tax and bith these regimes are fairly common.
most breast cancers dont have a type sometimes they are called NST (no special type) and this is usually invasive ductal carcinoma.
if you feel you need to get more info call your BCN back and chat through any questions you still have.
Glad you’ve finally got your results, and sad that there are a couple of nodes as that will be worrying until you get your scan results.
It might be worth making notes, or getting your boyfriend to make notes for you, so you can take your time afterwards getting to grips with what you’ve been told.
Glad you’ve got your results and you can put the waiting behind you and get on with the next bit. You will get lots of support from this site you are not alone. I am a few months down the line from you and nearly half way through my chemo and couldn’t believe that I would get to this point a few months ago as time went so slowly - but you can and will do it! Write down all the questions you can think of (however small) for your oncology meeting as chocciemuffin said.
Try to keep busy and don’t google. This website is great, but sometimes you can scare yourself! BTW you are already in a position to reassure others on this site, as you’ve got through this terrible waiting game.
Thank you CM, Pinkrose and Lulu for your replies - glad to get responses from you, makes me feel part of things though wish i wasnt, u know what i mean? So NST,mmm that makes sense then, I guess i can speak to my Onc about this and get my boyfriend to makes notes write questions etc. just worried re what people write re side effects of both chemo and rads. Sore skin, tingling electric feelings down arm, wearing black nail varnish??? Also still signed off work - have been doing all my exercises including walking an energectic dog that is very strong on the lead but still in general on pain relief as the pain inside me under my arm and around scar is bad but the numbness down my arm to elbow is unreal! its numb but hurst and itches - how does that work!!! it just feels so tight if you see what i mean and the discomfort of what i was advised by BCN -could be fluid build up - seroma - was not that, its scar tissue but its rock hard and feels like a load of dressing/material rucked up inside my bra and i still cannot lay down on the bad side cos its so sore but op was 2.5 weeks ago, need to go back to work but high on pain relief and have been signed off another few weeks - its ok for people who are rich but im not - need to work to live! how do you cope …sorry, on a downer today, 2.5 weeks seems like months - best day since op was this sat just gone, had a “celbration” meal with my family and i got dressed up and felt like “,me” again, dress, make up hair flowing(making most of that!) and the guy in the resturant said how well i was looking and you would not think i have what i have (i wish!!!)Thanks for all ur support, gonna need it in the months coming and i will answer any posts from anyone who is at the very first stages if i can help then i will. Thing is everyone said i did well cos caught it early, but i cant have done or it would not have gone to lymph nodes (2 out of 18 were bad ones)??
Never beat yourself up about how soon you went to get it sorted, everyone is right in saying that you ‘did good’ the fact that it went into your lymphs is irrelevant, that’s what lymph nodes are for and they did their job, i would imagine it’s virtually impossible to notice things that aren’t surface.
I have 4 tumours, all of which popped up over night (obviously not!) but i had been to docs 2 weeks previous as something didn’t feel right, who couldn’t find anything himself. When i was dx they told me that one of them would never had been noticed as it was so deep. Do i feel bad? Do I 'eck!! I acted as soon as i could and have accepted all advice and treatment offered, that’s what i should do.
Good luck with your treatment, you sound much calmer now the awful waiting is over. I’m now on FEC2, and although i can get fed up sometimes, it’s not too bad.
The sensations as the nerve fibres recover are really weird, aren’t they? Just do what you can to relieve the discomfort along with the exercises. I still tuck a cushion under my arm at night or when resting. I also try to keep that arm raised above shoulder level, resting on something, whenever it feels heavy and swollen. A band around my upper arm often feels swollen, but isn’t.
Hey Staycalmandcarryon and Cheryl, thank you for your replies, i really do feel so much better being in contact with you all on this website, it doesnt change what i have but it does change how i feel about it, thank you so very much. i appreciate that you too are going through your own road to recovery and have been where i am now at. I am def gonna carry on with the cushion, at least i can lay down now before i couldnt. but still cannot lay on that side. what about work though, im still signed off and gota update my work today, need to go back to work asap esp to “save” for when im off with chemo. do i really need to be off work during chemo even on the “good” days?
Good luck and hugs staycalmandcarryon re FEC2 today, cyber hugs to you all xxxx
