HI Waterbaby,

A very warm welcome to our forum.

I am sorry that you find yourself in this unenviable position. However, it is all very "doable". It can be difficult to take everything in when you are given your results. It also takes some time to get used to all of the medical jargon. After your lumpectomy, your tissue that was removed will be sent to the pathology lab for further testing. It is not until these results come back that your care team will draw up a definite plan of treatment for you. As a result of this, it is impossible to say how long you will be having treatment for. Your age and general health will also figure in this. The people in the best position to advise you about this are your consultant and your specialist breast care nurse, as they have all your details and know the treatment protocols in your area.

Treatment affects us all in different ways. Radiotherapy usually starts after your breast has healed (approx. 6 weeks post-op). Radiotherapy is often done in 5 consecutive days, whereas chemo is more extended and depends upon the type of chemo you have and how many sessions you need . Hormone treatment can be from 5-10 years. All of these treatments carry side-effects, although not everyone gets them. Extreme fatigue, sleeplessness, emotional changes, hair loss, mouth ulcers, nausea and weight gain are some of the possible effects that can make it difficult to work. If you have an office based job, with no heavy lifting, you may be able to return quite soon, although you would still need to take time off work for your various appointments. There is unfortunately no way of telling who will or won't take a reaction to some of these treatments, so although your care team can advise you of the likely outcomes, they cannot predict how you will react. - it's really a caser of try it and see. 

Most employers face this situation, when an employee has cancer treatment and will probably accept this uncertainty.

I have had 2 bouts of breast cancer. The first time I had a lumpectomy, followed by a double mastectomy the following year. I took Tamoxifen for the first year, but changed to Letrozole, when I had the second bout. Surprisingly, I was more tired after the lumpectomy, than the mastectomies. I was self-employed and went back to work within 2 weeks, but had to take more time off, when I became too exhausted to function properly. I also found that my breast was very uncomfortable when driving over speed humps for several months after my lumpectomy.

I hope that all goes well for you. Have you any idea when you will have your surgery?

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

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx