New here, waiting for diagnosis and overwhelmed

Hi, I'm a 30 year old and I just had a biopsy of a lump in my breast this weekend. My partner and I are going down the rabbit hole of the worst case scenario (I have family history on my paternal side of breast cancer so I know I have some genetic inclination to it). It feels weird as it always was in the back of my mind, but just when I was starting to build my life, it still took me by surprise. I still am not ready for the possibility and I am trying to put on a brave face for my partner and parents. This will be a very tough two weeks of waiting for the biopsy results.

  • Hi Paroca, sorry to hear you are going through this awful time of waiting for results One piece of advice would be, not to go on Google. I did this and it just caused me more anxiety. It's better to get information on sites like this. I joined this forum and also the cancer research one and they have been really helpful. Hopefully your results may come back sooner. I got told two weeks, but they came back within a week. I wish you well moving forward and hope your results turn out to be good  xx

  • Thank you, Pippin. Reading through the forum posts and responses have also really helped me. It's also a good reminder that treatment has gone a long way and helping appease my fears. :)

  • It is really helpful being on forums like this. Made an error in my previous post. Meant to say that I was also on the macmillan site as well as this one. Always here for a chat if you need to. Xx

  • Dear Paroca, I'm so sorry to hear of what you are going through. The waiting for news is definitely the worst part of this whole process. Try to distract yourself and do normal things. This definitely helped me. But I know it's hard.  I will keep everything crossed for you that you get good news. I know it's even more difficult with family history, as my mum had breast cancer too though there was no history in either side of thr family. But my genetic test came back as clear (meaning no known gene fault) despite my own diagnosis. X

  • Hi Paroca,

    A very warm welcome to our forum. Most of us would admit that waiting for results is one of the hardest parts of our cancer journey. Not all lumps are cancerous. Of all the people who attend the breast clinic, only 20% will get a cancer diagnosis. The other 80% will have naturally lumpy breasts, benign cysts or fibrous changes. I am sure that despite trying to put that brave face on, your emotions will be all over the place at the moment - most of us find this. 

    I agree with Pippin's advice re avoiding Google. Much of the information is poorly researched, out of date and aimed at the more spectacular cases - this is most unlikely to be you, but it can be very scary if you read it. I had a family history of breast cancer and have now had 2 cases of it within a year. That was all 14 years ago now and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life. I sincerely hope that nothing untoward shows up in your results. Please keep in touch and let us know. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    I'm also worried as I am waiting for a referral after a nipple inversion and all sorts of things go through your mind. I know there is no point in worrying now as I know nothing yet so I'm trying to do normal things.  It's hard though as it plays on your mind and I keep imagining new symptoms which are not even there. 

  • Offline in reply to CleoK

    Hi CleoK,

    A very warm welcome to our forum, although I'm sorry to hear why you've joined us. Your sensible head is right - no amount of worrying will change the outcome. However, our over imaginative minds then take over and, before we know it, our emotions are all over the place. Many of us report new symptoms at this stage. This tends to be more due to stress than anything else.

    You will usually get your appointment through within 2 weeks, from the date of referral. Please see the statistics I cited, in my reply to Paroca above. Try to keep yourself occupied with anything that helps to take your mind off this wait, whether it be work or entertainment. 

    I sincerely hope that your appointment comes through soon. Just be aware that, if there is any need for you to have a biopsy, you may need to wait a further 2 or 3 weeks to get the results. Most of us agree that, this is one of the worst parts of our cancer journey, but, unfortunately, it is something that we all have to do.

    Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx