Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Tracy, Delayed periods, swollen boobies and night sweats are all associated with extreme stress - I wouldn't worry about anything extra and awful happening while you're in this waitng time - easy for me to say I know. Talk to your breast nurse if you need to to put your mind at rest, they'll be ok with that. I developed a swollen lymph node at one point after a biopsy which worried me - mentoned it to the nurse - she reassured me about it. It's normal to think that every new chage is something awful to do with the cancer, but remember this is a really stressful worrying hard time while you're waiting to have a treatment plan, and that you'll be in good hands.  Big hug and enjoy the sunshine today xx ... View more

Hi Maz, I have sent a pm x ... View more

Hi, I've had mastectomy and axillary node clearance. It's all scary stuff. I think I'm just about catching my breath this week, and trying to prepare myself for the next phase xx ... View more

Hi, I'm due to start at the very end of July, very nervous about it x ... View more

Hi Ruby and Lucy, Thanks for the replies 🙂 I've gone goggle eyed with google this weekend and have found some information - a nodule on a lung can be a mucous blcoked bronchus! It doesn't mean that this is what it is, I'd like to know for definite still, but at least I've seen it written somewherethat it's a possibility. Feeling a little better 🙂 ... View more

Hi Tracy, You've come to the right place for support, I'm quite new to this, and have had so much support from Breast Cancer Care in the last couple of months. It's perfectly normal to be very scared and worried, we all are when going through this. And this time at the beginning, the waiting time, is the worst of all, it's all examinations, scans, biopsies, results, more scans etc, every test result seems to indicate the need for another test and it does seem like a very long road to be on. It's the most intense time but does settle down, and it's normal to be at your most anxious when going through this. Grade indicates how fast the cancer is growing. Grade 1 is the lowest grade so grade 1 is a good thing. I personally wouldn't worry about a 9 week wait from finding a lump until it being removed, and I'm sure others on here will say the same, so try to stop worrying about that. I had a mastectomy in June, and like you was terrified of the surgery, of not waking up. I can honestly say that it was ok - I did wake up! - in fact the worst part of it was the waking up feeling groggy. I didn't have too much pain at all afterwards, and watched the world cup in the evening! It was done in day surgery, so I was home for 3:30 in the afternoon. Facing surgery is worrying but it's a very routine thing, try not to worry too much about that. I am a single parent too, do you have anyone to support you at the moment, and to give some practical help around the house after surgery? The Breast Cancer Care helpline is marvellous - give them a call tomorrow, they have so much information and I always feel better when I've had a chat on there. I'm sorry you're going through this at the moment, but you're not on your own, you're part of quite a big club now, lots of people to support you along the way. ... View more

Hi Michele, I was diagnosed with ILC in May this year, found from symptoms - small ridge/lump and skin puckering. I believe it did show on the mammogram which I had as part of the triple assessment, and obviously also on the ulatra sound.  After core biopsy and before surgery, I had an MR scan of both breasts and both axillae, and only the one tumour which we already knew about showed. On SNB it was found that the cancer had spread to one node. I've since had ANC and only this one node was affected, though there was extracapsular spread. The fact that the nodal involvement didn't show on the MR scan really worries me, as I wonder: 1. About the current condition of the other breast now, and 2. About future monitoring. It's a huge worry isn't it. I opted for mastectomy, partly for this reason, but for other reasons as well, and keep thinking about asking for a contra lateral mastectomy for prevention. The way I feel at the moment I'll have anything surgically removed it it prevents a reoccurence anywhere! Good luck xx ... View more

Hi Flori,   It isn't just me then - that's very reassuring! I've been feeling like it's just me that things don't seem to go right for. I had put so much faith in the MR scan, was so gutted hen I found that there was something there which didn't show, and it's difficult to know if any future "clear" scan results will have my trust. I don't want to always have a nagging doubt after any test results.   Today wasn't too bad, and I'll be having ANC tomorrow.   I think I see the statistics as the only thing I have which might give an indication of my future, if you know what I mean. You're right though I know.   x ... View more

Good morning all, I'll be back at the hospital late today, and as usual have a big list of questions, some of which are for statistics. The problem I have is that information given has been so varied and even conflicting. The MR scan showed nothing in the axilla - surgery revealed macrometastasis in a lymph node which had broken out and was growing in the surrounding area. I'd taken great compfrt from the clear MR scan, but the information it gave the team, and me, was false. It has to make me question the point in going through the scans. If the team told me that the scans might not show something up which is there - Iwouldn't be so gutted to find there was comething there after a clear scan result. It all feels like I'm being led down the garden path still, and it makes me very angry. I don't understand why they don't give true, accurate, honest information. Not looking forward to today, or to more surgery tomorrow.   ... View more

Hello everyone, thank you for the replies. It has helped a lot, particularly to hear about other women who had extracapsular spread as it seems to be that which worries me most of all. I will be having ANC next week. I have spoken to the helpline today, and that has helped too. I finally got out of bed for the first time since my appointment a couple of days ago, had something to eat. I'm just going to have to do the same as everyone I know, go along with what they advise and prescribe, step by step, and wait and see if it works or not. But it does feel like I'm doing this with an NHS imposed blindfold on. And itt all seems to be a big gamble. It's so hard finding out what predications for survival are. I've used Predict but don't know yet if any more than one lymph node has been affected, and also it dismays me that this tool doesn't ask for the type of cancer, as surely the survival rates for lobular are different to ductal. It still feels like information is being hidden deliberately from me. Thank you for the the support it's amazing 🙂 ... View more

Thank you Jo. I will do that. It's sad that I can get more infomration from a telephone help line than from the team whose care I am under. I think this organisation is absolutely fabulous and goodness knows where I would have got much needed information from without it. Why do breast unit teams withhold information from patients? It creates massivley increased anxiety and is insulting. I feel like a plastic model of a person being "done to" and all but told to shut up and put up. ... View more

It's the extra capsular invasion that has blown me. I didn't expect that and it sounds terrible, it sounds like it's gone into the lymphnodes, grown so big there that it's burst out, into the surrounding tissue and God knows where it's gone now. It feels totally out of control and uncontrollable and I can't cope with that going on. ... View more

I don't want to live "with cancer" for any number of years. I want to be totally free of it or not bother at all. I know everyone is different, and some people will do anything and put up with anything just to keep breathing oxygen - that's not for me. The problem is not knowing enough and the speciailists giving only guarded tit bits of information - no one talks straight and tells the truth.   ... View more

From what I read the prognostic implications of this are poor. I find it exceptionally difficult to get anything other than bland general statements from the consultant. I wonder if the trust gets paid more for treating cancer patients who are expected to die. ... View more

14mm now not 11mm ... View more

Hi Jo, I just wanted to wish you good luck for your appointment today xx ... View more

Thank you all for the replies, I have been reading them and am still chewing it all over in my mind.   Janet can you tell me why there is a difference in recurrence rates over a ten year period but not in overall survival rates?   One of the things about future lobular cancer detection is that I believe it can easily be missed in mammagram, and so can be larger when detected, yet post cancer treatment screening is by mammogram.   A also worry about how easy or difficult it would be to detect recurrence after mastectomy - how would I spot signs at an early stage.   Doea anyone know the answeres to any of this?   Thank you all for your support and guidance i the last few weeks 🙂 ... View more

Hi ladies, thank you all for the replies. I'm told the cancer is lobular and is 11mm. I've had an MR scan. I did ask about indentation to the breast after WLE, and was told that tissue is moved, as you say, and that extra tissue can be used if necessary at a later date, taken from tummy for example. I haven't been shown any pictures or anything. Aesthetics does bother me but preventing it from reoccurring is much much more important to me. I'd really like to have the best peace of mind that I can after this, the anxiety over the last few weeks has been immeasurable - I have to do somethint to secure peace of mind, but at the same time don't want to go overboard. Impossible! ... View more