So scared cant eat

Last Friday whilst looking in the bathroom mirror I saw something like a deep wrinkle in line with my armpit right at the top of my breast,  not in the fleshy full part.  There is something like it on the other side but nothing like as deep, it’s really a job to describe.  I have been diagnosed with cysts in that breast a few years back.  Couldn’t see the  GP due to covid.  GP said that she was duty bound to refer me. I am so very,  very scared.   Being 78 I know I can’t live for ever but I don’t want to die yet.  Nothing on Google offers any comfort at all.  I am in a constant state of panic and keep looking at it.   Sorry for long post.

Oh my goodness, you poor thing, to be so very worried.  Stress can be so debilitating.  A referral appointment will help alieviate your worry.  Always a good chance that it’s nothing sinister, but if it is something that needs treatment, trust in the experts - they are pretty good at what they do!  These appointments are, in my experience, fairly thorough and they won’t keep you waiting for results too long.  Meanwhile, suggest you treat yourself to something very indulgent to eat, call up a chum for a chat and/or find a distraction - something you’ve been putting off (I sorted out the cupboard under the stairs)!  Do hope you find some peace very soon.

Hi POODIE

I’m so sorry you find yourself in this position but any breast changes need to be checked out - as you know, or you wouldn’t have contacted your GP.  However it’s way too soon to be thinking ‘the worst’ and most breast changes turn out to be benign, like your cysts. Obviously you’re frightened but breast cancer just isn’t the death sentence it might have been way back - recovery rates are higher by the year and treatment, though it’s no walk in the park, is manageable. What I really want to say is please stop using Google. It really does a great deal of harm as it’s often outdated or aimed way above our heads, is alarmist and takes no account of our feelings or our unique circumstances. We are individuals with powerful emotional reactions; Google is a search engine that has no understanding of the impact it may have.  Here it’s often referred to as Dr Google and it is to be avoided like the plague.

While you are waiting for your clinic appointment, how about spending some time rebalancing your emotional health, in whatever ways you usually do it. My personal preference was to plug my earphones into YouTube videos, particularly Progressive Hypnosis’s Manifest Healing. I can’t identify any hypnosis but it is very comforting and relaxing and it has seen me through the last 18 months. In fact I’ve been upping my ‘dosage‘ as I have a mini treatment scheduled for tomorrow and it really is effective in keeping me calm.

I wish you all the best with your clinic appointment, which should be within two weeks from the referral so not long to wait. Take care of yourself x