Hi, im new to this and not to sure where to start. On wed i noticed i had pain in my right nipple, after going to bed i checked to find i had a lump. I saw a GP on thurs just to reassure myself it was nothing to find he thought i needed to be seen by a specialist. I got a phonecall from the hospital that afternoon for my appointment on the 2nd sept. Now im worrying that maybe i do have BC, my nan died of it when she was just 30!(im 35) My kids are wondering whats the matter with me as im trying to carry on as normal but that doesnt stop my mind from going into overdrive! Will i find out on the day of my appointment or will i have to wait and go back for the results? Sorry to go on just feel like im going to wake up and ive dreamt it all.
Hi madmagdz, first of all pls don’t worry about the speed of your apppointment, when the doc refers u for something like this u have to be seen within 2 weeks & u get seen even earlier than that if the hospital have spare appts or cancellations which is a good thing. Ur at the waiting stage which is hideous, your mind goes into overdrive & u immediatley think the worst. Remember most breast lumps are benign but if they’re not the treatment now is fantastic. It depends on whether your hosp is a one stop clinic or not, at my first appt, i had a mammo,ultrasound & biopsy then went back the next day for the results.
Pls don’t google as u’ll scare yourself silly, post on here if u have any niggles, worries or questions, everyone on here knows exactly how u are feeling as we’ve all been there. Or u can ring the helpline, they are great. Good luck with your appt & let us now how u get on, take care x
Madmagz, I agree, you’re at the worst place. The Waiting Room is where your imagination runs riot, and that can be complete torture. We ALL know what it’s like, so nobody’s going to think you’re OTT with your reactions. There IS no “normal” in this situation.
Take a look at the Publications section of this site (from the Home page) and you’ll find some very helpful leaflets for early stages - there’s one about what happens at the clinic that you’ll find particularly interesting.
When you go there, you might get your results the same day, or you might have to wait a week or more for them. It’s not fun waiting, but we’re here in the meantime.
Remember, 9 out of 10 referrals to the breast clinic are NOT cancer, but other breast conditions - infections, mastitis, cysts (they’re very common), fibroadenoma (a non-cancerous lump), etc. You have a very good chance of leaving The Waiting Room by the All Clear door.
Please come back and let us know how you get on, and post on here anything you are wondering about: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A SILLY QUESTION so feel free to ask away.
You might also find it helpful to get a notebook to write down all your questions, then you can bring the notebook (and a note-taker, perhaps, if you have someone you want to bring with you) when you go for your appointment.
Best of luck, the odds are on your side.
CM
x
Dear madmagz,
Here’s the link to the publication which ChoccieMuffin mentioned about what to expect at the clinic:
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/referral_redesign__final_14_feb_08_0.pdf
I do hope you find it helpful. And if you’d like to talk things through with someone do give our Helpline a call. They are open 9-5 Monday to Friday and 9-2 on Saturdays. The number is 0808 800 6000.
(They are not open on Bank Holiday Monday-29 August)
Very best wishes
Janet
BCC Facilitator
Arnt you lucky that they managed to squeeze you in? the appointments clerk dont know anything about your lump that you dont know, they are just trying to juggle things and as soon as they get a cancellation they ring the next person on the list to fill the slot.
you know how bad you are feeling now, so having to wait less is a good thing.
Everybody has said every thing about it might not be cancer, but here is me adding even if it is its not a disaster. All i needed was a small op that i got over in a couple of weeks and a short course of radiation (time consuming but no problem) the tablets that i have to take might be a problem if you want more kids, but i think they just delay it rather than cancel it or ever.
i dont know how old your children are, but they have noticed there is something wrong. if they are quite young I personally would tell them you have hurt your breast and need to go to the doctors. if you need a biopsy you might a bit sore, so you can just say they have to inject it to do tests. you dont need to mention cancer. if they are older then they could be imagining all sorts of scenarios why you are distressed and you might be amazed at how well they can cope with you telling them just what is going on. Choccie muffin has some good stories about how her kids reacted.
anyway lots of hugs here going your way, and i hope very soon you will be logging on to say goodbye because it is all clear
Thanks everyone for your comments, i ended up telling my older two children ES 18 MD 14, and they understandly got upset but are thinking positive, ive done as you suggested oldandlumpy and told my YB 5 that i have a poorly chest and to hug me gently. bless him he keeps trying to kiss me to make me better! Still got so much going through my head and yet i cant seem to think of what questions to ask at the clinic, everytime i go to write something down it just doesn’t make sense, i reckon it must be the nerves kicking in.Will keep you all posted as to how i get on on friday, thanks again x
If you get the bad news none of us want, there’s a publication from BCC called Mummy’s Lump which might be really useful when explaining it to your youngest. You can look at a PDF in the Publications section of this site (linky, anyone?) but if you’re going to go through it with your youngest you can order a free copy so you have something physical to hold and read with him. It’s very straightforward and you might find it a big help.
My kids are 13, 15, 22 and 24. The youngest one nearly had us all wrapped around a lamp-post by asking questions she wanted answers to when I was driving - it’s not easy to think of the right thing to say to “what happens to us if you die?” when trying to avoid doing just that thing on a busy roundabout! My kids have been brilliant, and I’m sure your youngest will do his best, even if it’s just bringing mummy a drink of squash occasionally. Even the little ones do like a bit of responsibility sometimes, as long as they can still have cuddles. (My son, the oldest, pretty much ignored it, as he doesn’t live at home and he’s a boy, but that’s just typical of how he is so I wasn’t bothered.)
Oops, double post.
right, lets remember that 9 out of 10 lumps are not cancer. but we know how much we all worry we are the 1 in 10 that do have something that needs treating.
Is your 18 year old male or female?? bit sexist to say it but with BC it might make a difference. a girl might not want you to worry about her, but might be freaking out about her getting it sometime. so perhaps a bit of a chat about that would be good for her.
fingers crossed for you results, but just to keep you thinking its not all bad. i had bad news back in june. I had an op and now am back as normal. Last week of rads (they take a bit f time) but it is not the end of the world
Hi everyone, well yesterday i went for my mammogram and ultrasound, to say i was worried and scared was a bit of an understatement. Anyhow after what seemed like forever in the waiting room,i finally got called in to get my results, turns out i have several small cysts and breast calcification, he said if the cysts had been just one large one istead of several small ones they could have drained it away! Thankfully i dont have BC, i didnt realise until that point just how much i had been worrying. I BROKE DOWN IN TEARS!!!
Thank you all so much for listening to me on here and giving me some really good advice x
that is absolutely wonderful news, and I bet they are used to people crying when the get told, its such a releif.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy it all the more because you have been cleared