Hi Maz,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and know the anxiety that this brings. Until you have all of your results, it is impossible to know what to read, as there are many different, types and stages of this disease. Some of these types are more aggressive than others and need different sorts of treatment.

Did you have any tests carried out when you attended the clinic? When these come back to the clinic, the findings are discussed at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting. This is a meeting between your consultant and all of the other medical professionals who are likely to be involved in your care. Here they will have discussed the type and stage of your cancer and the best treatment for you. Your consultant will put any options to you at your next visit.

In the meantime, try to avoid consulting "Dr Google", as much of the information is poorly researched, out of date and aimed at the more spectacular cases. This won't give you any answers and will only serve to scare you further. You are always better to stick to the more respected sites, such as this.

How have you been coping? It is a lot to take in and can take some time for it to assimilate. I was first diagnosed 17 years ago and had a lumpectomy. Six months later I was diagnosed with pre-cancer in the other breast and, within a year, I discovered another primary in the original breast. I had a double mastectomy for this bout. My surgeries were followed up by 6½ years of hormone therapy. I am fortunate in that I still lead a busy and fulfilling life.

I didn't cope well with my initial diagnosis. I had lost my mum to secondary breast cancer, which had spread to her brain, bone, liver and lungs and I expected to suffer the same fate. My emotions were all over the place. However, once I discussed my results and treatment options with my consultant, I began to settle down - this seems to be a common denominator with most of us!

I am glad that you don't have much longer to wait until your appointment on Wednesday and I hope that it all goes well. 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 responding to me, I now have more information and it's not quite as bad as I thought it might be. The cancer is stage 1 and I won't be having chemo so could have been a lot worse, I still have a under arm lymph node to be checked out though.  It must have been so awful for you after what your mother went through I am so pleased you now have a fulfilling life.

Now decision time, I had decided on mastectomy but seriously having second thoughts. I am due to be tested for surgery as I have COPD which may cause a complication.  I don't cope well with having anaesthesia and am prone to panic attacks just the thought of it makes me very anxious so if there is another way I will take it.

I am 78 and have multiple sclerosis, I had anal cancer T3 12 years ago and was successfully treated with Chemo and Radiotherapy.  On Wednesday my consultant spoke of some tablets called Tamoxifen (Endocrine therapy) which can keep the cancer from spreading, so maybe I can just keep taking these?  I understand that the side effects of these can be quite nasty?

I will let you know how I get on, thanks for being there for me.

Maz xx