I watched it too and also started to worry. However it might not happen you know you have to stay positive you can't spend the rest of your life worrying about something that may not happen. I think if your treatment went well then it's a positive sign that any other bits will have been taken out of your body too although if your nodes were clear that's better still. Try not to worry stay positive xxx

Hi, 

I agree with Lizzy, you can't spend your energy on worrying about the what ifs and maybes....you may get knocked over by a bus tomorrow ( hopefully you won't)  but you're not worrying about it. 
 

Sounds like your treatment plan was successful.....dust yourself off...breathe deeply and carry on xxx

Thank you. I think what I want to know is what percentage of women go on to develop secondary breast cancer but maybe that depends on the extent of the primary cancer?

Thank you for your reply. I'm sure I will get back to positive thinking soon. I guess it's only natural to think about these things when you hear of others going through it.

Hello LP17 and thanks for posting, 

I am sure you are not alone in having these niggles and I am glad that some other members have  come along to post.  

A diagnosis like cancer reminds anyone that good health can't be guaranteed which is a troubling thought and can leave us feeling vulnerable and anxious. I think quite a lot of people struggle to adjust mentally and have a wobble further down the line well after cancer treatment is finished - at the time I think the focus is on treatment and coping in the short term. 

Breast cancer treatment is often very successful - going forward there is an element of 'time will tell' to find out how successful it has been - but while cancers can come back years later, many don't so this may never happen. I think this can make life seem more uncertain than it used to feel, although in fact life is uncertain for everyone -  we just don't recognise it until something like this comes along. Thinking about the uncertainty in life for all of us can sometimes make things seem more normal and everyday.

I don't have a statistic for the perctange of women  who develop secondary breast cancer - it will vary depending on features of the disease. But you can ask your breast team and see if they can tell you more. 

In time people usually adjust, but some may need support. If you are feeling very preoccupied or anxious, do talk to your GP or breast nurse at the hospital.  There are some tips about dealing with anxiety on the NHS website, if you feel you might benefit from looking at them, follow the link below, 

www.nhs.uk/.../anxiety

Looking for online information can be a mixed bag and sometimes we can get drawn into searching out a topic in a way that isn't terribly helpful - we can end up going around in circles with it and becoming preoccupied. It can be a good idea to do other things and use distraction as a coping method instead.

If you want to talk anything over, please do call us on Freephone 0808 800 4040 - we are here weekdays from 9-5. 

Best wishes,

Julia 

Thank you for your reply. You are right, life is uncertain and this has brought it to the forefront, I've not thought of it like that before. I know in time my niggles will settle down, I'm just surprised it has got to me when I thought I had done so well in dealing with it. 

Hi LP17;

I was in the same position as you I had  lumpectomy, 2 nodes removed which were clear in Feb this year followed by radiotherapy and now taking Letrozole.

I had my first mammogram since diagnosis last Friday and was told to ring in 7-10 days for results but received a letter yesterday saying further investigation was needed and an appointment has been made for me at the hospital this Friday.

Absolutely devastated just 9 months after surgery I was hoping for a few years at least, I know the first 2 years are the most dangerous but after going through everything it seems I am back to square one again only worse because I understand you cannot have a second lumpectomy it has to be mastectomy and you can’t have radiotherapy a second time it has to be chemotherapy.

I wish you all best wishes for your future and I think we must just take things one day at a time.

Hello and thank you for your post. 

I can see why you are concerned however being called back does not necessarily mean that your cancer has come back.

However, if it has you may need to have a mastectomy, but having one does not mean you would necessarily need to have radiotherapy. Although if you did it is likely to be done at the breast wall (where the breast was) and not in the same area you had it originally. Chemotherapy might be given but you still might not need to have it.

If breast cancer has come back the tumour will be looked at again by a pathologist under a microscope to look to see if it is exactly the same type of cancer or if some features of it have changed. For example is it a oestrogen positive cancer, does it have the protein called HER2, and is the grade (what the cells like under the microscope) the same? If it is still a oestrogen positive cancer then you might need to have a change in the type of hormonal treatment you are taking now.

I realise that this is daunting so please try to not assume your cancer has come back and try not to focus on this too much until you know more. I hope you have family and friends who can help support you.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline.

Sorry to hear you are having to deal with this again. I too am back in the system at the moment for investigations into what are hopefully just side effects from the Tamoxifen. Fingers crossed your appointment on Friday will go well and give you reassurance.

Thank you both for your reply, I have just been to hospital and had an ultrasound. The change that was showing up on the mammogram was a seroma in my armpit that I have had since my operation and had 2 nodes removed, although it has been drained 4 times, so they drained it again and all is fine. Such a relief, I guess will never be worry free.

I hope things go well with your investigations for side effects.