Hi Cheryl2109

I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer last year after having ultrasounds and biopsies.  They take biopsies of the lymph node as a precaution.  They took two of my sentinel nodes for biopsy when I had breast conserving surgery in April and both came back clear.  It doesn't stop you worrying though and it's totally natural to do so.  Once you get your diagnosis (assuming it is cancer of course), you will see a consultant who will talk through the options with you and you will be assigned to a breast care nurse (who you can call on any time for advice or reassurance).  You will also get an oncology consultant and they and their team will talk you through the process once the decision (with your input) has been made as to the treatment path.  I have found my cancer team excellent and I've never felt left out in the cold.  They will likely drip feed you information so as not to overwhelm you at the beginning, and things can change as you progress through your treatment, depending on how you cope with whatever the treatment plan is.  I was originally scheduled to have surgery first, then chemo, but because it was triple negative, they wanted to do a test for the bracha gene first, which takes a few weeks to get the results, so I had chemo before surgery.  This turned out to be the best way for me as the chemo completed eradicated the cancer (also left breast), so the surgery was minimal and no reconstruction was required. 

I am now continuing immunotherapy (which was also given at the same time as chemo) and will be starting radiotherapy on the 29th.  I won't deny the chemo was brutal for me, but many people sail through it without much impact apart from a bit of nausea and tiredness.  Again if it becomes unmanageable, your oncology team will be able to make adjustments to your dosage or change the type of chemo completely, so there are always options.  And of course this is all assuming it is cancer!

I can tell you though that it's not the end of the world.  You will get through this and you will find all the support you need in the most unlikely places.  I've found this forum one of the most supportive, although I was rather jealous when going through chemo when many of the ladies were talking about how they were still doing long walks and going about their daily business while I was curled up on the sofa feeling like death at times lol.  But those yukky feelings do pass and you will have many good days in between treatments.  You will not be kept in the dark by your team of professionals and they are with you every step of the way. 

If you do need to go down the chemo route, you will likely be given a tour of where the treatment is given so it's not overwhelming on your first day.  I've found treatment days pretty uplifting as all the staff are very upbeat and most other patients are very positive.  You can have a chat, read a book, snack or snooze or whatever you choose to do and what you feel most comfortable with.  

I know it's easy to say, but please try not to worry.  Whatever the diagnosis, you will be supported and there's lots of treatment out there. 

Let me know how you get on?  I hope your CT scan went ok today.

Carol xx