I am sorry to hear about your fears, but am concerned at your response. I also lost my mum to breast cancer 29 years ago. Unfortunately, she had a particularly nasty experience throughout her 12 years with this disease and this tainted how I felt about cancer too.
I was unfortunate enough to discover a lump myself 15 years ago, which turned out to be cancer and I was absolutely terrified. I had a lumpectomy, but, within less than a year, I had another bout of cancer in the same breast and one of pre-cancer in the other. I found all of the lumps myself, but scans quickly confirmed that they were cancerous.
I had a double mastectomy for the second bout and I am happy to say that I am still here to tell the tale. As Farmer_Ed has said, diagnosis, treatments and after care have all made tremendous strides forward since our mums experienced them. The earlier you catch breast cancer, the better your chances. By having regular scans you are much more likely to pick anything untoward up quickly. Don't let fear stop you from getting checked over - the alternative could be even more frightening!
Please keep in touch and remember that we are always here for you.
That's a good idea. Do you have a Maggie's Centre near you? You can book an appointment to see a counsellor trained in cancer there and don't need a referral. All consultations are free and they will really appreciate how you feel and what you are going through. I did this and found it a great help.
They didn't ring. Upset me. Knocked me back. Ive been on to Maggie councillors. I'm having trauma counciling at minute for other issue. So when this offer im going to contact Maggies. Ty for understanding me x
I am so sorry to hear that you have heard nothing from Macmillan since. I hope that your trauma counselling is helping, but don't hesitate to contact Maggie's after you've finished - I found that they were really helpful.
I lost both my mum and dad to cancer, along with several relatives, my best friend and my niece.
My mum passed 29 years ago and she had a terrible time. This left me terrified to get myself investigated when I discovered a lump, but I did it and I'm so glad that I did! There was just no comparison between the treatments that we both had. Diagnosis, treatment and after care have all come along leaps and bounds since then and a lot more people are now surviving cancer, instead of dying from it.
If, Heaven forbid, you do have cancer and you don't get screened, you know that you'll have the same outcome, which is not a very pleasant thought! If you do get screened, at least you would know whether or not you have it. You still don't have to have any treatment if you don't want any, but I'm sure that even just knowing would take a big weight off your mind.
