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I posted my news around lunchtime yesterday after I got the long awaited phone call from the BreastCancer Clinic Doctor to advise me that the biopses confirmed malignant cancer. I was reminded today that I didnt tag anybody. Its true that I didnt .. I was a little upset at the time. So I will do so now, along with a bit of an update.
The Dr rang and gave me some vague details, although it doesnt make a lot of sense to me right now. I have some reading to do to get a better understanding of it all. I was told that I have .... ER+ and HER2- cancer, which is from what I've since read, the most commonly diagnosed type of breast cancer. Apparently thats a plus. The tumour is fairly small right now, but unfortunately its classified as Grade 3, which is the highest level. That means the cancer is of high grade, very different from normal healthy cells and is growing rapidly. Thats the bad part, of what the Dr told me was my "mixed bag" ... meaning a mix of not-so-bad, and bad.
The location of the lump is in the upper outer quadrant, one oclock as they say. This is the area where more breast cancers develop, than anywhere else. Its also close to underarm lymph nodes which is a concern.
Yesterday afternoon the nurse/counsellor phoned me, and she was quite helpful. Because of the distance from where I live and where they are, she is going to package up all the scans, pathology results, other info and some additional things she thinks I'll need .. and will snail-mail it all to me. Saves me the two hour each way drive to collect 'the kit'. She wanted to know when my GP appointment was. I'd only just made an appointment before she rang. Its for next Thursday ... the earliest I could get. BreastScreen will send everything my GP needs electronically to ensure he has it all before my appointment.
@Sans911 @Peri @Former-Member @Former-Member @Eve7
You have each very kindly offered to discuss your own personal experiences with breast cancer with me and/or have nursing qualifications. I guess I have lots of questions and its all a bit confusing to be honest.
The nurse/counsellor tells me that she has referred me to a breastcare nurse in my local area. I have no idea what they do or when they come into the picture. Did any of you have this service? If so, what did they do and what can they do?
I've been told by both the Dr and the nurse that due to the cancer being Grade 3, I need surgery urgently. To do that, I need a referral from my GP to a surgeon asap. But even then, prior to surgery the surgeon will likely want to implant a hook wire? Any idea what that is? I already have a clip inserted next to the lump from when they did the biopsy. Apparently I will need a Sentinel Node biopsy to check if cancer has spread, and that will determine if or how many lymph nodes are removed at the time of surgery.
The fine needle biopsies they did on the lymph nodes earlier were apparently inconclusive, and more tests will need to be done. I may also need chest xrays and blood tests to check for cancer elsewhere. So I have a few things ahead of me. I dont think any of this can be done at our local community hospital ... not the surgery nor the radiation. Thats going to mean travelling at least an hour one-way, which is difficult. Radiation will likely be 5 days a week for 6 weeks. I think that may well be the hardest part, with surgery easy in comparison.
I was told I will have a choice as to elect to have a full mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. The Dr said there was a very similar success rate with both. Can I ask those of you who had cancer ... what did you opt for, and why? I'm definitely leaning to the less radical option.
After surgery and radiation-therapy, the Dr says I will need long term hormone therapy to help prevent further breast cancer cells from growing or spreading. Can I ask if any of you have been through either radiation or the hormone therapy, and how it affected you?
Please do not feel obliged to answer any of this, if it is sensitive to you, or something you are uncomfortable in discussing.
This is all a bit overwhelming, and I'm someone who likes to have as much information as possible before making decisions. Right now I have so much churning through my head.
Another thing really bothering me is ... what is all this (2 surgeries, radiation, ongoing medications) going to cost? Can I afford to do it? Its really concerning me.
I havent told anyone about my diagnosis, only you people here. My husband knows of course, and my psych also because I saw her just after I got the callback notice. She kindly emailed me a couple of times over the past week wanting to know how I was holding up. She asked that I let her know when I got definitive news. I emailed her last night, but she doesnt work Fridays, so I probably wont hear from her until next week now.
I've decided not to tell any of my family. And I dont have any friends to tell or talk to. My family dont need to know, unless everything turns bad at some point. So I dont think I will bother them with my troubles. My brother, whom I'm closest to, has enough troubles to deal with as it is. And there isnt anything anyone can do, so why trouble them?
I was feeling very very down yesterday and wanting to just give up. Thinking its all too hard, and not worthe the effort. I rang a helpline and spoke to someone there for a while and that helped a bit.
I think for the most part ... now ... I really want this surgery done asap. But as has been the case for the past few weeks ... nothing happens in a hurry. A weeks wait to see my GP, meaning further delays. Who knows how long it will take to get to see a surgeon, or how soon I can get in for surgery?
Everything is just so hard right now. I'm trying to distract this evening. My footy team, the Canberra Raiders are playing Sydney Roosters tonight in a Semi Final. Last years grand final replay. Am not expecting my Raiders to win, but they have started okay. Even unexpectedly ahead at this stage. But Roosters have a habit of coming back strongly towards the end. Really hoping my Raiders can hold on and come up with a much deserved and unexpected win.
Emelia 🌺
