Hi Pev.

Welcome to the forum and I'm so sorry to hear about your mum's diagnosis.

Like just about every other cancer, there are a number of stages and grades to breast cancer, and the earlier it's caught, the easier it is to treat, and the better the long-term outlook (or "prognosis").

I don't know much about breast cancer, but I do know that in general the situation isn't hopeless and a lot of women are cured.  There are people who who know far more about it that I do, but ideally you need find out more details about your mum's particular cancer, and (with her permission) share with us as much as you both feel comfortable about sharing.

Hi Pev,

A very warm welcome to our forum, although I'm sorry to hear why you've joined us.

Telemando is quite right in that a lot of people can be cured of breast cancer these days. I lost my own mum to it  24 years ago. I have had 2 bouts myself in the past 11 years. I had two young teenagers when I was diagnosed and was worried that I wouldn't be around for their milestones in life. Since then I have seen both leave  school, go to university, graduate, find gainful employment, marry and have children of their own.

It really does depend upon what type of breast cancer your mum has and what grade it is, as to how well she'll progress. She is fortunate to have you and your sister to support her through this. This will be an anxious time for her. Give her as much support and love as you can. You have no idea just how much it means to her to have you both there by her side. Has there been any discussion about surgery or treatment yet?

Please keep in touch. We are always here for all of you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi,

Thankyou for your reply it's so good to hear positive news about successful treatments it gives me so much hope and something to counteract the scary dark worries that creep in. She's having a meeting with specialists on Tuesday where they will discuss treatment options and what type of cancer it is that she has. The nurse who did her mammogram and scans said it looks as though they've caught it early. But my biggest concern is the amount of weight she's lost over the last few months, other than that you'd never know she was poorly.

thanks again and I hope you continue to stay healthy,

paige xx

Hi Paige,

There are always successful treatments, but we don't hear as much about them as we do about the less seccessful ones. I hope that your mum finds out more about her treatment on Tuesday. It will actually become easier for you both once she knows what is wrong and starts to treat it. I do so hope that they've caught it early, as this will be likely to have a better outcome.

Please keep in touch and let us know how she gets on.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

www.cancer.org/.../breast-cancer-survival-rates.html

Hi Paige, 

Thinking of you. I hope your mum's appointment went well today. 

Take care

Bethany x

Hello again,

the last few weeks have been a wirl wind but my mum has already had an op to remove it and the nearest lymph nodes. I've been spending a lot of time with her and she has told me that she hasn't been eating properly because she's worried about the proteins "feeding the cancer". I've explained to her that it's important to keep eating healthily, so I am a bit worried about how she's coping mentally. We get the results from pathology regarding her lymph nodes but at the moment the current news is positive, the surgeon has told her that it isn't fast growing and is the type caused by hormones. It's all a bit hard to understand and I am thinking of getting in touch with some nurses who can translate into plain English what the situation is. Because of COVID she has only been able to go to appointments with her partner so a lot of the stuff she tells me she doesn't completely understand because obviously in that situation it doesn't really go in if that makes sense.

Thankyou again, Paige 

Hi Paige,

Thank you for the update. I can understand that it is difficult for you to get the true picture when you cannot attend your mum's appointments with her. If she gives you permission, I'm sure that you could speak to her consultant or breast care nurse to find out more, but they cannot discuss her case without her say so. Could her loss in weight be partly attributed to her not eating properly?

Do you know what type of breast cancer she has or what grade it is? There is some good news there in that it is not so aggressive and, that it responds to hormones. Some cancers can be stimulated by Oestrogen. There are a number of hormone theraies which work in different ways to block the effect of Oestrogen. Her post-surgery results will determine whether or not her cancer will respond to this type of treatment. Her care team will discuss this with her when she gets her results and determine the best way forward for treatment.

If your mum does allow you to talk to her care team, try to draw up a list of questions before you speak to them, as it is all too easy to forget something of importance to you. You might find it helpful to involve your sister in drawing up this list, as it is possible that you may both have some different questions.

I hope that you get her post-surgery pathology results back soon and that this will offer more clarification on the way forward.

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx