Hi Lucy,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am so sorry to hear about your new lumps. It is only natural to feel terrified whilst you are waiting for another MRI. Unfortunately, our imaginations nearly always lead us to the darkest places. I am not a doctor, but expect that there will be nothing to worry about if these lumps are benign. I would expect that they would find cancer in them if this had spread from your breasts. 

Not all breast lumps are cancerous. Many turn out to be benign cysts, fibrous or hormonal changes. Try to curb that overactive imagination and remind yourself that "these are not cancer until you're told that they are cancer". 

Have you got a date for your MRI yet? If not, I do hope that it comes through soon. It's the not knowing that makes this so hard to cope with.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

thank you for your reply 

apparently the dr is confident the lump in my breast looks like a fibroadenama and the one near my spine possibly a neuroma 16 x 13 mm but this needs to be confirmed, this is what is worrying me most 

not a great day and have really gone to pieces as I went hoping all would otherwise be well and I could start treatment

i havent told anyone except my husband but I think the strain of all this is too much for him as he is worried sick too

we have a daughter aged 12 and she's all I can think about 

thank you for your comfort and support I really need it right now x 

Hi Lucy,

It is reassuring that the doctor doesn't think that either of these lesions are cancerous, but I can understyand that you can't relax until you know for certain. Do you know what type of breast cancer you have? It is great that you have caught this early. I myself was diagnosed with grade 1 breast cancer 12 years ago and had a lumpectomy. Unfortunately, I found a second lump in the same breast the following year and had a double mastectomy. 

I have felt much happier since I had this, as I feel that I have done all that I could to remove the cancer. Like you my first thoughts were for my children, as I had lost my Mum to secondary breast cancer. Since then I have been fortunate enough to see them leave school, go to university, graduate, find gainful employment, marry and have families of their own. I still lead a busy and fulfilled life.

A cancer diagnosis is difficult for the entire family. Your husband will naturally be worrued too, but don't be afraid to talk to him openly about how you both feel. Breast cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer nowadays and great strides are being made in diagnosis, treatment and aftercare all the time. It is a strain not telling family and friends, but most of us leave this until we know exactly what we are dealing with and have a treatment plan in place. You will find that the more positive you can be when telling them, the better they will accept your diagnosis.

Do please let us know when you get a date for your  additional scans/biopsy. Don't forget that we are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi jolamine

my known cancer in my left breast is grade 1 invasive ductal carcinoma and is hormone sensitive 17mm in size, HER 2 negative 

I understand all these to be good things but cannot see the positives now after yesterdays news I just feel this is going to go horribly wrong and I'm in full panic mode

ive woke in tears this morning and feel physically sick

i can't rest or sleep well and am at my wits end

your story is inspiring and dOes bring hope that I too can have a full life with my daughter. What type of cancer did you have? 
 

lucy x 

I forgot to say he did not think the area near my spine is related to the cancer in my left breast so I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not

there is so much information  to take in I was glad my husband was there as I just fell apart 

we are just find our way as best we can, my husband feels the information was positive where i just think there's more to come. I'm so lucky he keeps bring me back when I'm running away with thoughts

im going to try not to think or worry too much as there is nothing at this point I can do to change anything

i hoped they would start me on the hormone tx to slow growth asap but apparently they don't offer this until after surgery!? I'm worried whilst waiting on these other results my cancer is growing and could go into my lymph nodes which appear clear at the moment

your right tho, your mind just goes off all over the place

Can I pls ask, how old were your children when you got your first diagnosis and how/what did you tell them? 

Hi Lucy,

My cancer was pure mucinous, grade 1, which was hormone sensitive too. My children were in their early teens at the time, but some of their school friends had lost parents to cancer. They had also lost my mum - their Gran to secondary breast cancer. As a result, I had to try to be as positive and upbeat about my diagnosis as I could, whilst still being realistic. Breast Cancer Care produces a booklet entitled "Talking with your children about breast cancer" which you might find helpful.

Don't worry about the tears. These are a good stress reliever. Most of us end up as emotional wrecks with a cancer diagnosis, but you have all this additional pressure added on, so I'd be surprised if you didn't shed the odd tear. I can understand how frightened you are that there is something sinister lurking, but again this is common after a cancer diagnosis. 

It's good that your husband is there to keep you grounded  - as you said 'there's nothing you can do about it' - what will be will be, whether you worry or not.

Your cancer diagnosis all sounds fairly positive. It is good news that it hasn't spread and that it is hormone receptive. I can understand your worry about spread before you start treatment. I expect that you will get your other tests soon and that you won't have much further delay before you can begin. Sometimes they start chemo before surgery, if a lump is large and this can shrink it in size before surgery, but hormone therapy is normally given after surgery.

The trouble with such good scanning techniques now is that they are capable of picking up other lesions in the body, which have never troubled us before. Mine showed a lesion on my ovaries, which turned out to be a cyst. Have you had any problem with your back before?

You might find it helpful to write down any questions you have for your consultant prior to your next visit. I do this for every visit, as do many others. I usually make two copies. I give one to my husband and keep one myself. Whilst I am asking the questions he occupies himself by writing down the answers. We find this very helpful, as it is a known fact that most of the conversation in a consultation is forgotten, before we leave the hospital grounds.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

sorry for the delay in my reply we have just returned from a short break and there was no signal where we were staying 

Following our hospital visit on Thursday we decided to get away for a couple of days which has helped no end as we were able to talk this paper thin and look closely at the facts. We have cut our break short and come home today as before we left I had a call from the hospital and I am having my mri on my back and biopsy on right breast tomorrow one after the other! Hopefully we can then get the results and start treatment as required. 
 

your story is inspirational and I know many women who have over come breast cancer like you and live happy lives years after and this gives me great hope and comfort. My only worry is the areas they have found in my right breast and in my back are something more than they think. They have told me not to worry about either  and that these tests tomorrow are purely to be sure of diagnosis from mri but i am still scared of them turning out to be something else completely seperate and possibly worse

The worry and fear is absolutely draining me and I feel nauseous in the mornings to the point where I feel I could be physically sick. I have to calm myself down, rationalise and eat little and often as I have lost all appetite, then by the evening I'm a little more relaxed 

In answer to your question, no, I have never had any problems with my back and this is what is worrying as this is completely random 

Thank you for all your support and words they help more than I can say. The nurses at the breast unit have told me to go or call the support group located at the hospital so I may Bob in there tomorrow as talking helps so much

Thank you so much for listening and being there xx

lucy x 

Hi Lucy,

I hope that you enjoyed your short break, although I'm sorry that you have had to come back early. Still, I'm sure that you were glad to do this to get your MRI and biopsy so soon. The wait is always the worst time, so you'll be glad to get your tests out of the way. Don't forget to ask when you are likely to get your results, after both procedures are carried out. Quite often you are left waiting for a phone call, but have no idea of when to expect it. Even if you only get a rough timescale, it gives you something to count down to. 

It is natural to think the worst at this stage - we all do. Fortunately, it seldom comes to pass. It is hopeful that your care team are not too concerned about these lesions, and I sincerely hope that they are right. I found that talking to some of the support groups helped. The one at the hospital also had a lot of useful literature. I shall be thinking of you tomorrow and keeping my fingers crossed.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you Jolamine

Awake on and off last night and up early this morning. Feeling nauseous as usual but keen to get this done today but then the real worries start whilst waiting for results. I already have an appointment for my results on 21st April but hope they may bring this forward if they come back sooner. I'm not sure how long after that I will be having treatment but will ask. 
 

my mum fly's out on holiday 3rd week of April and I think I may have to tell her before she goes incase I have surgery whilst she is away or she may not want to go. This will then open the gates for my sister and others to know but really hoped to have these results back before I spoke with them

for me this is one of the hardest things as I know they will all be so scared like us and seeing them upset is only going to add to my distress. What an awful situation this is. I haven't looked at the booklet how to talk to children yet but I have some time between my appointments today so will do this then

thank you for you thoughts and well wishes 

lucy x 

Hi Jolamine

good day today

no biopsy required in right breast as no change since my mammogram so it's def benign !

mri done and I saw the radiographer who requested a further mri and she said the area near my spine is almost def a neuroma and nothing to worry about but a further mri was requested to show further up the spine towards my neck to be sure that there is nothing more. She confirmed my lungs and spine are clear and this suspected neuroma appears to be in the muscle tissue 

she also checked my left breast and lymph nodes again and said there has been no change there 

Im feeling so much relief and now and just want to get on with this treatment on my left breast

I know we still need the mri results to be absolutely sure but I am feeling much more positive after today

xxxthank you again for all your support xxxxxx keep you posted x