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Hi Annamae
On biopsy I had a grade 1 IDC which was estrogen (ER+) and progesterone (PR+) positive. Did they warn you your final diagnosis may change once they have done the full histology examination on the tumour? My specialist said it can go up one grade, and in my case I did change to a grade 2 tumour. They can also get additional information like your HER status. Your treatment plan may change depending upon these final results.
Bear in mind that treatment plans are customised to the patient, so what one person had done may not apply to you. From the comments here, it appears hospitals can also follow their own protocols. I'm in New Zealand, so my treatment protocol may differ to standard NHS, and I also had medical insurance so went private.
A few hours prior to surgery I had the radioactive dye injection so they can locate your sentinel nodes. I was concerned it would be sore because of the recent biopsy, but it really didn't hurt much at all. My lumpectomy was straight forward and the sentinel lymph node was clear.They did a frozen section on the lymph node during the surgery, so I was given an immediate preliminary all-clear as soon as I woke up. The final node result would be available a week later. I am not sure if this is standard practice. I stayed overnight at the hospital but I read here that many are done as a day-stay procedure.
I got the most discomfort from the axilla area as apparently he had to dig deep to get the node out! Apart from not driving for a week my post surgery recovering was straight forward. I spent more time 'emotionally healing' than physical healing.
I started my radiation therapy about 6 weeks after the surgery. I went daily for 6 weeks (30 sessions) which was OK. I got told to expect a mild sunburn appearance, but my skin went fire-engine red! This was not painful. Be very careful with your hygiene during this so your treated area remains clean and dry. Wash hands before applying any cream and don't use your fingers to scoop out cream from the tub.
I am now one year post radiation treatment and you can't even tell looking at my breast that I've had cancer. Due to the hormone status of the cancer, I am on tamoxifen for 5 years. The first few months on tamoxifen were a bit rough due to hot flushes, but this settled down pretty fast and it doesn't even bother me now.
Don't feel guilty. Be thankful you caught your cancer earlier and you have good treatment options. Keep in mind the emotional trauma you are currently going through will get better and before long you will be at the point of getting your life back to normal.
Good luck with your surgery and I hope my comments give you some comfort.
On biopsy I had a grade 1 IDC which was estrogen (ER+) and progesterone (PR+) positive. Did they warn you your final diagnosis may change once they have done the full histology examination on the tumour? My specialist said it can go up one grade, and in my case I did change to a grade 2 tumour. They can also get additional information like your HER status. Your treatment plan may change depending upon these final results.
Bear in mind that treatment plans are customised to the patient, so what one person had done may not apply to you. From the comments here, it appears hospitals can also follow their own protocols. I'm in New Zealand, so my treatment protocol may differ to standard NHS, and I also had medical insurance so went private.
A few hours prior to surgery I had the radioactive dye injection so they can locate your sentinel nodes. I was concerned it would be sore because of the recent biopsy, but it really didn't hurt much at all. My lumpectomy was straight forward and the sentinel lymph node was clear.They did a frozen section on the lymph node during the surgery, so I was given an immediate preliminary all-clear as soon as I woke up. The final node result would be available a week later. I am not sure if this is standard practice. I stayed overnight at the hospital but I read here that many are done as a day-stay procedure.
I got the most discomfort from the axilla area as apparently he had to dig deep to get the node out! Apart from not driving for a week my post surgery recovering was straight forward. I spent more time 'emotionally healing' than physical healing.
I started my radiation therapy about 6 weeks after the surgery. I went daily for 6 weeks (30 sessions) which was OK. I got told to expect a mild sunburn appearance, but my skin went fire-engine red! This was not painful. Be very careful with your hygiene during this so your treated area remains clean and dry. Wash hands before applying any cream and don't use your fingers to scoop out cream from the tub.
I am now one year post radiation treatment and you can't even tell looking at my breast that I've had cancer. Due to the hormone status of the cancer, I am on tamoxifen for 5 years. The first few months on tamoxifen were a bit rough due to hot flushes, but this settled down pretty fast and it doesn't even bother me now.
Don't feel guilty. Be thankful you caught your cancer earlier and you have good treatment options. Keep in mind the emotional trauma you are currently going through will get better and before long you will be at the point of getting your life back to normal.
Good luck with your surgery and I hope my comments give you some comfort.
