Dear Peggypeggy, of course I don't mind you butting in. More importantly, a big virtual hug - it is not necessarily a group that you ever wanted to be in, but welcome anyway. I am sure you are feeling like you have had a ton of bricks land on you. I don't mind sharing my story - do see below as most of it is there. But just to confirm, no I did not need a mastectomy, and due to the small size (it was caught early), low grade and no lymph node involvement, I only needed radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was doable. The whole process for me was very thorough and slick, and I had time to think through my options (to have symmetrising surgery on the other side, at the same time, if I wanted or not). I had to have the cancer side refashioned, as the cancer was underneath, and would have caused a divot, and pulled the whole breast down and out of shape. I am also fairly young and fit, which is perhaps why I was offered the surgery that I was. If it had been a straight forward lumpectomy, I would not have needed the mammoplasty (the posh term for refashioning) If you are happy to, do tell us a bit about yourself and your cancer type - is it oestrogen/progesterone positive? What is the HER2 status? If you have not been informed of these yet, don't worry, (you will soon become an expert!), and your team will know, and will advise what treatment is best for you. Everyone's cancer is different, and will be suited just to you. Well that's the clinical stuff - perhaps I can ask What support do you have around you? I reached out to friends and family, as at the time, it felt like my world had just imploded. I needed to have people who could say, "you've got this", and keep me calm, and those who would just treat me normally and talk about general life, as a form of normality. I really learned that it is helpful to have both. Do you have a date for surgery yet? I found working on my health (including my mental health) and fitness prior to surgery helped. I also engaged with journalling and mindfulness activities, including daily meditations etc. It really is a lot to get your head around, so do try and be kind to yourself. There are some really good support avenues out there - don't be afraid to tap into these. You will probably be assigned a breast cancer specialist nurse, and I could ring mine anytime. This website and forum has been great, as were Bosom buddies. Macmillan also have a help line. I am now 6 months down the line, which I find quite unbelievable - I tell you this, to assure you that you WILL get through this. It's a crappy time, but you will come out the other end. We are all here to support you, so don't hesitate to come on here again. The ladies here just "get it", as they have been there. Well, I hope this helps. Take care x
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