Hi,
I had my biopsy on 20th June. Got confirmation on 1st July that i have grade 1 cancer in both breasts.
Ive been told i need a mastectomy on my right. Im waiting a guided MRI biopsy on my left to confirm if lumpectomy or mastectomy.
2-3 wks wait for MRI. And the BCN said 4-6 wks from then as im vearing towards a reconstruction using my tummy fat.
So i reckon my op wont be until Oct.
The BCN and Doc have assured me that its okay to wait as i have low grade cancer. But of course im finding the waiting hard and a worry
How long are you having to wait for surgery?
Does this sound normal / ok?
Thank you
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Hi @springer5 you haven’t said if you are Er+ Pr+ and HER2- which is what I was so we are maybe not comparable. If that IS your histology then I had to wait 7 weeks for surgery but that was in 2022 when they were still mopping up the backlog after Covid. I also had a Grade 1 tumour and it was impressed upon me by my lovely surgeon that Grade 1 means slow growing and not really aggressive. I completely get your need to get a move on with it but there is going to be no negative impact during the wait you’ve described. I’m sure they would expedite surgery if they thought it necessary. Every day is a step closer to getting this sorted, hang on to that and come here for a rant or virtual hug when it gets too much.
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Thank you, appreciate your response, i keep reminding myself that the Doc said its okay to wait and that its not life threatening. And try to move away from the worrying thoughts.
Im not very patient, but then who is- especially with something like this, when you just want to get the cancer out!
Do you mind me asking what treatment you had?
X
I don’t mind at all @springer5. I had the original regular mammogram on 29th June 2022, went away to family in Cambridgeshire and so never got the recall letter which was obviously sent to my home in London. Thankfully they called me the day before to check whether I was going back - you can imagine the conversation “what for?” “A Mammogram” “I had that two weeks ago!” “Yes but something was found that needs investigating” 
. Rushed back on the train, had the ultrasound and a biopsy, was told it is cancer there and then but the biopsy will tell us what sort. I then set off on a journey that involved six different hospitals in two different health authorities. Patience, which I’m not known for (understatement), very much needed.
Had the results on 4th August, surgery on the 13th September and 5 days of radiotherapy between 21-25th November. I started Letrozole on 27th October 2022 and am still taking it but have had two breaks of 8 weeks during that time.
My tumour was a 14mm IDC with a tiny DCIS in the same place. Grade 1 Er+ 8/8 Pr+6/8 HER2-. At surgery I got clear margins, had no node involvement and no LVI. I have been told that the prognosis is very good as Grade 1 tumours are slow growing. There are no guarantees of course and it is only natural to worry about recurrence but I am two years on and have been through the fears and worries and am at a place where I can look forward positively and have a bit of perspective.
We are somewhat conditioned to hear the word cancer and imagine the Big C which is almost a death sentence. Breast cancer is not that. Just think, your breasts are not an organ like your liver or brain. Primary breast cancer doesn’t kill you. If it spreads to an organ then, yes, it is incurable but such is the research into breast cancer these days, many women with Stage 4 lead pretty normal lives for many, many years. They often say people will die with it not of it. There are no accurate recent figures on how many people go on to Stage 4 but it is relatively low. The chances of a grade 1 cancer spreading are even lower. So, whilst it is a massive shock and the treatment can be unpleasant, the chances are up in the 90%s that you will get through this and out the other side. As soon as the active treatment starts, you will much more settled, I guarantee it. Sorry for the long response and I wish you a speedy return to cancer-free life.
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Hi springer5
I was diagnosed on 20th February and for various reasons surgery was rescheduled twice and I had a lumpectomy on 11th April, so 7 weeks later. I asked about the delay as worried about spread during that time plus, like you, I am not very patient! My consultant assured me a few weeks would not make any difference as it wasn’t aggressive (mine was Grade 2). She was correct as results thankfully showed no spread to lymph nodes and the cancer was all removed during surgery. I’ve just finished radiotherapy and taking Tamoxifen, no real issues with either of those, and consider myself very fortunate. I know it’s worrying, but please try and trust your doctors, they are the experts and wouldn’t do anything to put you at any more risk.
Best of luck with everything. x
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Thanks Tigress, I’m so pleased your treatment has been successful, its to good to hear the positives. I cant wait to get there. The waiting and uncertainy is hard to bare. And the diep recon op sounds long, with a tough recovery.
Im just scared that once this all done that i wont be the same person / whole. In a mental and physical way -as I’ll be a bit broken. X
Thank you, i am really pleased to hear that you are doing so well, and that the treatment has been okay. It good to hear positive stories x
If you haven’t already @springer5 you should consider the Someone Like Me program that Breast Cancer Now offer. I know for a fact that it has helped very many people to be able to chat through 1:1 the issues and concerns they had. Mastectomy is a big, life-changing thing, even with reconstruction. Perhaps you could find someone of your age who has been through it already to chat through the pros and cons with honestly. The forum is great but a realtime conversation is better. Counselling also helps because it does take a long time to get your head around everything that has happened, particularly when active treatment stops and you’ve physically healed, the mind keeps going. But you WILL get there because that’s what life is - meeting challenges, finding a way through them, coming to terms with them and moving on a slightly changed person. Plus all the good things too, of course. Not long to go now …
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Thank you, I may give it a try, once i know if its a double mastectomy or mastectomy and lumpectomy.
I just need to move forward and waiting for this appt is so hard.
Its been 2 weeks n 2 days. Do you think its okay to try and call the MRI department, just to make sure im on their to do list? X
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Dear Springer5,
So sorry you are having such a stressful time at the moment, completely understand were your coming from, being organised and need to tick all the boxes on your check list.
Call the department, don’t worry or think you are being a nuisance or speaking out of turn this is all about you and you need to know were your going, explain how you are feeling and need to confirming you are on the list, also keep in touch with your breast cancer nurse as they are there to support you, it’s all very stressful for and upsetting at the moment.
We are all here for you, wishing you well. Taking one day at time,
With love Tili 
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Yes I absolutely agree with @Tili in this situation you have to be your own advocate. You never know, by calling them they may be able to give you an earlier appointment. It may not be possible but personalising things often helps. Believe me we all understand the place you’re in with regard to waiting.
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Hi springer5
My heart went out to you reading your comment about not being the same again. I remember that feeling. I recognise the surgery I had was not as significant as you will be having, but I think we have all convinced ourselves at times that life will never be back to what it was. It can, and, dare I say it, in some ways be even better. It would have been unimaginable to think this at the early stages, but now treatment is all done I’m so much more positive, relaxed and appreciative of my life. It takes some time but things can get better and, for many many people, they do. You may be changed, but with love and support you won’t be broken. x
Thanks so much @Tigress @Tili you gave me the confidence to call and it worked as they called me back with an appt for tomorrow. Its a step in the right direction and I feel better for being proactive and not just waiting. Thanks again 
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Thank you so much for you kind words, they were just what i needed. It is so tough and i do wonder how i will get through it. It really helps to hear positive stories . I am so pleased that you are doing so well x
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A good omen? Let us know how it goes.
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Excellent news springer5 give yourself a pat on the back.
Wishing you good luck with your appointment, please let us know how your getting on when your ready.
Hugs Tili
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@Tigress @Tili Hi, the guided biopsy was successful, they found the area that needed testing. Now just more waiting, i had a call Monday and the results arent in, so now they maycall me next Tuesday. My BCN nurse said it could be 6-8 weeks once these results are in, to surgery. My 1st results appt was 1st july, which is ages ago. im not sure how to get through all this waiting, it’s so hard not to overthink n imagine it growing/spreading. Sorry i feel so frustrated today and every day
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I hear you. The waiting is the worst. I had double mastectomy on 25 July. The surgeon told me three weeks wait for results, I hadn’t heard by three weeks so called his secretary only to be told he’s on holiday so going to be another two weeks wait until he’s back.
You get yourself prepared and then the goalposts change every time.
So waiting for Oncotype and whether lymph nodes infected and any other pathology, so straight to letrozole or axillary clearance and chemo, just impossible to plan anything.
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Dear Springer5,
My heart goes out to you, this is so unfair to keep you waiting for so long to receive your results, it’s seems everyone has the same problem at the moment.
Try to keep busy (easy for me to say) a nice walk in the park, also a coffee with that special friend I find helps.
Thinking of you, wishing you well, finger crossed for a good outcome. With love Tili
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Oh Lord @springer5 that is so immensely frustrating. Even small things like the results of my 2nd anniversary mammogram check have been delayed by 5 weeks due to summer holidays. It’s only natural to imagine that the delay is causing the situation to get worse but it is highly unlikely to be the case. It will be on your mind, I’m afraid, until you get to the operation and then there will be another couple of weeks wait whilst they thoroughly test the tumours. Do you have a Maggies’s or MacMillan centre near you? They are excellent for dropping in and downloading to someone who completely understands. If not, call the BC Now nurses on 0808 800 6000 to talk through your frustration. I also think lobbying your own nurse may help in the way that you managed to get an earlier appointment before. I did that back in 2022 as my case had been sent to a different health authority and I was concerned I’d got “lost in the post” but the nurse was able to check with one of the surgeons at the new hospital and I got the appointment through albeit was 5 weeks away. Keep posting here too. Every day is a day closer to resolution.
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