im not good at things like this so apologies in advance. I was diagnosed on Friday with grade 3 invasive ductal breast cancer. I don’t have the hormone receptors so hormone treatment is out. I’m booked in for a mastectomy on the 4th July where they will also do a sentinel node biopsy to see if it has spread and then I will find out what stage it is at. I will start chemo 4-5 weeks after surgery. I have to admit I’m bricking it right now. Feeling pretty thankful to have found this forum, just reading through has helped X
Big hugs.
I was in your place 3 weeks ago, now things seem a bit better - long road ahead, but just look at it like this: at least it got caught and is being treated, so *you won’t win, big C* 
Thank you, it’s a bit of a scary journey into the unknown, it’s great to have others that are on the same journey to help shed some of the fear, x
Hi, I haven’t visited the forum for a while but popped on today and have seen this post.
I was diagnosed in December last year, had my surgery just before Christmas and had my last chemo 5 weeks ago. Where you are now is the worst time, waiting for something to start happening, when you actually get going it really does become easier and it feels like you are actually taking control a bit.
I was lucky to only need a Lumpectomy and SNB and that was fine, a bit sore but I was out of hospital on the same day and doing a bit of last minute christmas shopping the day after - not carrying any bags though. I understand a mastectomy is much bigger but ladies I have spoken to since have said that it wasn’t as bad as they were expecting.
The histology I got was such that Chemo and Herceptin were recommended. Again, the fear of the unknown turned it into a big scary monster but it hasn’t been that bad at all you will be given all sorts of medifaction to try and make sure you stay as healthy and well as possible through it - I am really sporty and have been able to cycle and run on the good weeks (alhtough not as fast or as far as I did before) and I haven’t been sick once :smileyhappy:
I was terrified of loosing my hair. Now I have no hair (anywhere :smileysurprised:) but posses a wig (which I wear occasionally) and have so many scarves I could start a shop and 5 weeks after finishing chemo it has started to grow back - tbh I think I liked the shiny head better than the furry one ! Yes when it starts to go it’s really hard but it only goes once. I had my ‘GI Jane’ moment, cried for a bit and then got on with it and it certainly makes showering quicker !
I’m on to 4 weeks of radiotherapy next (which has got to be easier than the chemo) and then finish my active treatment after another 14 Herceptin injections (1 every 3 weeks).
None of the treatment has been ‘nice’ - this is a vile disease we are fighting and the treatment reflects that but it has all been ‘ok’ and certainly nowhere near as bad as I was imagining it would be and you will find the same.
Good luck, Sarah x
Thank you everyone for taking the time to put me at my ease. I had my mastectomy yesterday and now have to wait for the results of the sentinel node biopsy to see if it’s spread, will get those results on the 15th. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your own battles to make the journey seem a lot less scary than it did when I first posted, you are all amazing X