Hi Ann,

I am glad to hear that you have now seen your GP and that you have been referred to the breast clinic. I lost my mum to secondary breast cancer too and she had such a hard time at the end, that I was actually relieved for her passing. Since then, I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer. Like you, I was terrified of facing a similar situation myself. In the event, there has been just no comparison between the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare, which we both received. I am now 14 years down the line from diagnosis and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life.

You will normally get an appointment within 2 weeks from the date of referral. This is a worrying time. Try to keep busy and avoid consulting "Dr Google" at all costs. Much of the information is out of date, poorly researched and aimed at the more spectacular cases. This will not give you any answers, but it will certainly heighten your anxiety. Not all lumps are cancerous. Only 20% of people who attend the breast clinic will get a cancer diagnosis. The other 80% will have benign cysts, fibroadenoma, naturally lumpy breasts, etc.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi again thank u for your reply and kind words, I am trying not think about it too much but it has set my anxiety off and I'm finding it hard to cope with as I've not much support. Thank u for your reassurance xx